National Historic Trails Interpretive Center
| Contacts: | Lesley A. Collins | |||
| 307-261-7603 |
Trails Center Announces Wyoming Heritage Days:
Event Brings Wyoming Frontier History to Life; Reenacts a Pioneer Wedding
Smell the whiff of gun smoke and touch a historic wagon at a reenactment held at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) National Historic Trails Interpretive Center (NHTIC). There will also be a wedding reenactment of a young woman on the California Trail and a soldier.
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During the two-day event, frontier army reenactors will perform drills and discuss the hardship and rigors of military life. Other demonstrations include: pioneer life, infantry and artillery firing demonstrations, traditional children’s games, Dutch oven cooking, a whiskey tent, and a snake oil salesman.
The event includes tents for officers and infantrymen, cavalrymen and horses, and a restored 1866 military escort wagon. The wagon was originally used at Fort Fetterman, a remote army fort that helped protect emigrants on the Bozeman Trail.
On August 7, the reenactment of a pioneer wedding will take place. Local reenactors Nicholas and Lisa Skalicky will recreate the wedding of a young pioneer woman and a soldier. The following are the wedding activities:
- 5:30 p.m. - The Unveiling of the Hope Chest
Lisa Skalicky will proudly display the items that have been carefully stored in her hope chest for years. Items include: a quilt, photographs of her family, Bible, table cloth, and a traditional curling iron. She will also tell the story of how she was courted by her fiancé and will read excerpts from his love letters.
- 6:30 p.m. - The Wedding
The wedding includes frontier military reenactors. Following the exchange of vows, the bride and groom will walk underneath an arch of sabers. Members of the public – the guests – are invited to taste wedding cake baked in Dutch ovens.
- 7:00 p.m. - The Celebration and Dance
Guests are invited to join the wedding party and celebrate with a pioneer dance. “Buffalo Bill” Boycott, a musician from Lander, will perform pioneer music while an instructor teaches traditional dances.
For more information about the reenactment, contact Alex Rose at the NHTIC, (307) 261-7780.
The NHTIC is a part of the BLM's National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS). The areas of the NLCS are specifically designed to conserve, protect and restore the exceptional scientific, natural, cultural, ecological, historical, and recreation values of these treasured landscapes.
The NHTIC is a public-private partnership between the BLM and the National Historic Trails Center Foundation. The facility is located at 1501 N. Poplar Street, Casper, Wyo. The Center is currently operating on summer hours, and is open daily, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The BLM manages more land - over 245 million acres - than any other Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The Bureau, with a budget of about $1 billion, also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
National Historic Trails Interpretive Center 1501 North Poplar Street Casper, WY 82601