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 Rich Colors, Rich Lands - Sundance in Crook County, Wyoming Posted by:  gemeloj
N 44° 31.661 W 104° 12.346
13T E 563109 N 4930790
Rich Colors, Rich Lands
Gold Metal, Green Grass, Black Coal & Crude
Waymark Code: WM11TFY
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 12/16/2019
Views: 2
Sundance in Crook County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
The first Caucasian residents of this area came as prospectors following the Black Hills Gold Rush. In 1876 the glitter of gold led them from the large mining camps of Lead and Deadwood westward to Sand Creek, located near this site. Instead of moving on when they reached the end of the precious vein, many of these adventurers settled here, shifting their energies to other forms of mining as well as farming and ranching.
Aladdin Coal Mines
The Black Hills Gold Rush brought with it the need for supplies, in particular, lumber and coal. Several coal beds located north of here near Aladdin were discovered in the 1870s and began to be mined in the 1890s. This coal primarily served gold smelting in Lead and Deadwood. At first it was hauled by wagon. Then in 1898-1900 the Wyoming and Missouri River Railroad (W&MR) was built between Aladdin and Belle Fourche, opening the area to oil production and sawmills and helping farmers and ranchers transport their products to market. Industrial coal mining ceased in 1911 when the gold frenzy subsided, and the railroad closed in 1927. Mining coal for local, domestic use however, continued through the early 1940s. Pictured left is the Aladdin Coal Tipple, an enduring monument to 19th-century coal mine engineering.
Rocky Ford Oilfield
Around 1900 an oil seep just south of this Visitor Information Center clued residents to the presence of oil. Geologists studied the area, and entrepreneurs dug test wells. When the Rocky Ford Oilfield was identified southwest of the seep, several oil companies formed to stake claims and start production. One such firm was the Rocky Ford Oil and Development Company, whose president was local farmer E.M. Harper (pictured left around 1915 pumping oil by hand and far left on a drill rig). Windmills or hand-operated pistons pumped most wells, each producing between three gallons and three barrels of oil per day. After commercial production ended, locals continued to tap the remaining wells for decades, using the product as a lubricant and salve.
Fertile Grasslands
Settlers to this area came for the gold, the coal, and the oil. However, what they found in abundance in northeast Wyoming was fields of gorgeous green grass. Trailing cattle through here on the way to Montana between the 1870s-1890s, cowboys following the Texas Trail admired the area's grazing potential. Many of them stayed, introducing ranching to the region. Their descendants continue the tradition to this day with "centennial" farms and ranches. Tied closely to the ways of bison that occupied this land for thousands of years, ranching is well suited to the location, as is farming hay and grain. Together, these occupations have shaped settlement and structured the economy of the area.
Heart Mountain Relocation Center
Sundance, Wyoming
Marker Name: Rich Colors, Rich Lands
Marker Type: Rural Roadside
Date Dedicated: 2011
Web link(s) for additional information: [Web Link]
Addtional Information: Not listed
Group Responsible for Placement: Not listed
Marker Number: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you OR your GPS at the marker location. Also if you know of any additional links not already mentioned about this bit of Wyoming history please include that in your log.
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