New Fork ~ Boulder, Wyoming
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member brwhiz
N 42° 42.199 W 109° 42.912
12T E 605225 N 4728670
New Fork was a small community about three miles south of Boulder near the Lander Cut-Off of the Oregon Trail.
Waymark Code: WMAEZQ
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 01/07/2011
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 2

The small ranching settlement of New Fork was established by John Vible and Louis Broderson in 1888 near the New Fork and East Fork Rivers. Both men were Danish emigrants who had come to America in 1884. The two men pooled their meager resources into an informal partnership. They planned to file on homesteads in the upper Green River Valley in order to raise cattle and to start a mercantile business by locating a store close to the Lander Cut-off of the Oregon Trail. The partners then built a small log structure which served as the store, trading post, and living quarters. The location became known as New Fork. A large portion of their early trade involved Shoshoni and Bannock Indians who regularly migrated through the region between reservations established for them east of the Wind River Mountains and in Idaho in 1868. The partners stocked their store by making regular wagon trips to Evanston for supplies. A post office was established for the New Fork community on March 1, 1888, located about six miles from the Vible and Broderson store. On February 4, 1891, Louis Broderson became the postmaster and the post office was located at the New Fork location. In August 1888, New Fork was established as a polling place with an estimated 20 voters, and near the end of that year, the New Fork School District No. 17 was established.

This historic District is comprised of 8 contributing buildings:
1. Original Store (c. 1888)
2. "New" Store (c. 1906)
3. Valhalla Dancehall (c.1909)
4. Lean-To Woodframe Outhouse
5. Residence
6. Log Ice House
7. Log Barn
8. Chicken-House/Stock Shelter
Street address:
US Highway 191
Boulder, Wyoming
82923


County / Borough / Parish: Sublette

Year listed: 1987

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering

Periods of significance: 1875-1899, 1900-1924

Historic function: Domestic, Landscape, Recreation And Culture

Current function: Domestic

Privately owned?: yes

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

Secondary Website 2: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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