MONDAY, JULY 10, 2023 - WYOMING, YELLOWSTONE, AND MEMORIES

 MONDAY, JULY 10, 2023 NATIONAL WYOMING DAY

NATIONAL WYOMING DAY

National Wyoming Day celebrates two occasions, the first is the day it became the 44th state of the U.S. and the second is the day the Wyoming territory passed the bill to grant voting rights to women. It is sometimes even celebrated on December 10 at the behest of the Wyoming Federation of Women’s Clubs who requested this particular day to commemorate the passage of the bill to vote.

The states in the West approved of women’s suffrage as some of the men recognized the important role women played. The state of Wyoming has been inhabited for roughly 13,000 years. However, around 1869, it was observed that the territory had a huge imbalance in the male and female population. The territory was occupied by 6,000 adult males but only 1,000 females. Men hoped that more women would settle down in the isolated territory and alleviate their issue of loneliness if they were granted the right to vote. Moreover, a territorial legislator by the name of William Bright was convinced by his young wife that it would be a gross injustice to deny women the right to vote. Thus, in 1869, the then-governor signed a bill that officially allowed women to vote.

Wyoming boasts many monuments and historical sites. These include the Fossil Butte National Monument and the Fort Laramie National Historic Site. The state even provides magnificent views of the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.

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As an early teenager (maybe 13) my family drove to Yellowstone National Park.  (This was in the days when you could drive up, and enter the park.  My mother had been to Yellowstone when she was about 19 with friends.  

I had a Wyoming State Map - and I loved it (I really like maps).  The Wyoming map showed elevations and geography.  

Eastern Wyoming is mostly high plains - not much growing.  We could see antelopes from a distance, but they were skittish to come much closer (and very fast).  But, we made it to Ten Sleep Canyon (like my mother did about 27 years early).  With my nose stuck to the window, I peered out at the scenery.  (My father was not watching the scenery as the road was narrow and curvy - with sharp dropoffs down to the bottom of the canyon).  

We stayed that night in Cody Wyoming - labeled as “The Gateway to Yellowstone”.  And, the next morning we drove to Yellowstone.  Yellowstone is about 3000 feet higher and on that road (US Route 14) we climbed into the park.  I don’t remember if there was a fee to get into the park (after all, I was a kid in the backseat with a camera).  

We drove to the Old Faithful area and reserved a rustic cabin for the night.  Then we made the loop of Yellowstone.  We caught the eruption of Old Faithful and then drove north. We drove to Mammoth Hot Spring, the Falls of the Yellowstone River (and Artists Point).  We stopped at mud pots and all kinds of geysers.  We walked out on boardwalks at Mammoth Hot Springs - seeing the various colors brought up from deep underground by the springs.  Going back to Old Faithful, we waited for Buffalo (Bison) to cross the road.  

In particular, I remember the night in the rustic cabin.  IT WAS COLD.  This was early August and back in Iowa, it was hot.  But not so here.  While it didn’t get to 40 below it seemed like it - but it probably was more like 25 degrees. My father had bought a bundle of firewood and by bedtime, most of it was gone.  Brrr - we weren’t dressed for cold weather.  I remember having a sweatshirt and I cuddled up in it.  

We didn’t stay long and the next morning we headed south to the Grand Tetons and then to our next stop in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

I’ve been back to Yellowstone with my family enjoying the scenery.  I understand that underneath is a vast river of lava, waiting to erupt and causing the geysers to spew forth. I always wanted to hike (maybe even backpack) but at age 75, I probably won’t do much hiking.  

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I’ve been exploring National Parks this year - having been to Big Bend National Park.  I was looking at Glacier National Park, and there are very stringent rules for entry and the number of people in the park.  Yosemite is similar and gets closed because of too many tourists wanting in. 

I also want to visit the Southern Utah National Parks - Zion, Bryce, Canyonlands, Arches, and more (and the Grand Canyon).  But, as more and more people want to trample the National Parks, it can be harder for visitors.  Glacier has a reservation system for hotels and cabins that fills up quickly when it opens about three months before the actual time.  (My senior brain says, but what if I can’t make it at that time - it seems to be “If you snooze, you lose”.) 

It is tough to balance - maybe most of the National Parks will be off-limit to cars in the future - and only National Park Service’s shuttles will get people in and out of the parks. 

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Someplace - at the back of a closet or in an attic - are fantastic (at least to me) slides of that trip.  I think I could have become a photographer.  Those were the old days of having a 35-millimeter film that you have to take to a shop to get developed.  Unlike digital cameras (which seem to be on every smartphone), you didn’t want to take too many shots - as you’d fill up your roll of film.  And, the film was expensive and development was expensive.  

I’ve been back in Wyoming many times over the years.  While Yellowstone and Grand Teton are highlights, the rest of the state has a lot of scenery too.  

I also know of the people on the Oregon Trail making their way across Wyoming - through South Pass - and to the Snake River where they would float down the river (and then down the Columbia River).  

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I have written about making memories - these are my memories from many years ago.  I do hope you can make it to Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, and ALL of the National Park.  And, I do hope you can make some memories this summer!!!

LOVE WINS

GOD’S WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, JULY 10, 2023