Reluctant Farewells

Reluctant Farewells (HM1QAK)

Location: Casper, WY 82604 Natrona County
Buy Wyoming State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 42° 46.457', W 106° 31.786'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 445 views
Inscription
In this location wagons, carts, livestock, and emigrants forded the North Platte River during organized migrations through the Rocky Mountain West. Congressional prodding to occupy the Oregon Territory in the early 1840s, and the lure of fertile, unclaimed lands prompted many families to uproot and journey West. Populating the Pacific Northwest was essential to American possession of the continent.

Discovery of gold in California in 1848 ignited the passion and courage of many fortune seekers, as they raced to the gold fields to stake their claims. Later discoveries of gold and silver in Idaho and Montana added to the westward flow.
Referred to as Red Buttes or Red Hills crossing, this valley offered shade, forage, campsites, and an opportunity to repair equipment for the rocky route that lay ahead. Pioneers and their stock had paralleled the banks of the Platte and North Platte Rivers for nearly five hundred miles, but left the river here to avoid the rugged narrows a few miles upstream, and to follow the shortest path to the Sweetwater Valley.
You are standing on a floodplain that often lay underwater during the spring runoff or following sudden thunderstorms. In some years, dozens of wagons were stalled on the opposite bank until high water receded to sandy river channels. James Cayman, journeying east from California in 1846, witnessed a typical drama here on June 23 from a nearby vantage point:
"when we came in sight of the N. Platte we had the Pleasant sight of beholding the valy to a greate distance dotted with Peopl Horses cattle wagons and Tents their being 30 wagons all buisily engaged in crossing the River which was found not to be fordable and with poor material they had to make rafts of it took two trips to carry over one wagon with its lading." — (Excerpt from James Cayman, frontiersman).
Details
HM NumberHM1QAK
Series This marker is part of the Oregon Trail series
Tags
Placed ByDepartment of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Saturday, January 2nd, 2016 at 1:02pm PST -08:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)13T E 374854 N 4736884
Decimal Degrees42.77428333, -106.52976667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 42° 46.457', W 106° 31.786'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds42° 46' 27.42" N, 106° 31' 47.16" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)307
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling East
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 14456-14612 Co Rd 308, Casper WY 82604, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. What historical period does the marker represent?
  2. What historical place does the marker represent?
  3. What type of marker is it?
  4. What class is the marker?
  5. What style is the marker?
  6. Does the marker have a number?
  7. What year was the marker erected?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?