Wyoming’s history dates back millions of years to the ages of dinosaurs, and it was tens of thousands of years when Native Americans first established their homes on this land. It wasn’t until much more recently – the mid 19th century – that European-Americans made their way out west. Their journeys weren’t easy along the Oregon, Mormon, California and Bozeman Trails, and many of them settled in Wyoming, rather than push on past the Rockies and Sawtooths, down to the coast. Many Wyomingites have roots that date back to these early pioneer days, but few of us have truly explored what our ancestors went through to search for a better life out west. These caravans of emigrants left their electricity, doctors, cities, and modern amenities in search of adventure, opportunity, and the American Dream. Today, you can see what life was like two hundred years ago at the National Historic Trails Center in Casper.

The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center is one museum in Casper, Wyoming, where you can truly step back in time.
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The museum is packed, wall to wall, with replicas, artifacts, and stories from the Bozeman, Mormon, California and Oregon Trails.
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You'll get to see what life was like on the frontier, where every meal had to be found, clothing had to be hand-sewn, and even medicine was hard to come by.
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Outside, the museum shows off replica conestoga wagons and even an early pioneer cabin. Can you imagine this being your home?
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The National Historic Trails Center also tells the story of the Pony Express, and how brave riders took to the wilderness to bring letters from home to those out west.
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You can easily spend hours here, walking through exhibits and imagining the struggles of the emigrant life.
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Take a seat in the museum's wagon to see, first hand, what it took to navigate the land and ford the rivers on the 2,000 mile journey.
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Can you imagine how brave someone must be to travel thousands of miles, with hardly any supplies, just to find a better home?
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A visit to the National Historic Trails Center is sure to put a lot of history into perspective, and give you a glimpse at what life was like when Wyoming was truly the wild west.
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You’ll find the National Historic Trails Center at 1501 N. Poplar St., Casper, WY 82601.The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. – and it’s closed on Federal Holidays. Admission is always free!

Winter is a great time to get out and about and check out Wyoming’s finest museums. In fact, if you haven’t been to the World Class History Museum hiding in Cody, add that to your list, right now!

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