Greetings!
Summer is winding down-quickly-but there are still lots of attractions in Wyoming. Our Feature article is about spots you can go for fossil hunting or viewing, a good plan for a crisp, sunny fall day. We've added a recipe for this issue, from The Yellowstone National Park Cookbook by Durrae Johanek. Our Trivia section in this issue is courtesy of Sheridan Travel and Tourism. We also have a book overview, Images of America: Laramie. And always remember to check the bottom of the newsletter for our featured item from the Gift Corral.

• New Addition at UltimateWyoming.com: Photo Gallery

• FOSSIL MANIA

• Wyoming Trivia

• Recipe from The Yellowstone National Park Cookbook
     By Durrae Johanek
     Sweet Corn Bisque with Linguica Sausage & Pumpkin Seeds
     By Chef Jim Chapman of the Lake Hotel

• Book Overview
     Images of America: Laramie

• Western Gift Corral
     Mardon Moose Silhouette Decorative Pillow

• The Ultimate Wyoming Travel Atlas & Encyclopedia

New Addition at UltimateWyoming.com:
Wyoming Photo Gallery

Last but not least, at UltimateWyoming.com, we have added a photo gallery full of stunning images of the fantastically beautiful Wyoming landscape. If you live in Wyoming then you get to enjoy the view every day, but not everyone is fortunate enough to live in our western paradise-send the link to someone you know who doesn't get to see such great scenery as often as we do. The photos are available for use as screen savers or for your personal enjoyment, and are available for downloading at high resolution.
Click Here to go directly to the photo gallery

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FOSSIL MANIA

Long before outlaws, homesteaders, and America's first women voters arrived in Wyoming, the Cowboy State was drenched in a subtropical climate rife with dinosaurs, jungle animals, and fish. Lakes washed the now arid landscape in a sea of blue, and many ancestors of today's animals enjoyed a comfortable life in the warm, moist environment. Eventually, however, the waters receded, leaving behind sedimentary deposits lined with the history of the state's first vegetation and inhabitants. Today, fossils abound in the state's dry deserts, colorful badlands, and rocky buttes, and Wyoming has become a favorite destination of paleontologists, geologists, and inexperienced fossil hunters alike. Check out the following sites for yourself, which are just a small sampling of the dozens of fossilized areas found in Wyoming to date, and you'll quickly discover why fossil mania has exploded throughout the state!

Big Cedar Ridge
Resting within the badlands and sandstone landscape west of Ten Sleep in north central Wyoming is Big Cedar Ridge. Although the Bureau of Land Management site remains relatively isolated most of the year, visitors who do wander off the beaten path are rewarded with the fossilized remains of tropical plants and flowers that covered the terrain thousands of years ago. Visitors are asked to search only existing fossil pits and refrain from digging new exploratory holes.

Greybull Area
The arid region surrounding Greybull is teeming with fossilized plants and animals, making it the perfect destination for fossil hunters interested in a variety of species. Sheep Mountain just north of Greybull and Devil's Kitchen five miles northeast of the small community are brimming with fossilized insects, fish, and plants.

For those interested in larger scale fossils, the nationally acclaimed Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite discovered in 1997 promises a ticket back in time to the age of dinosaurs. Geologist Eric Kvale is credited with locating the area's first dinosaur track, and today, hundreds more have been found criss-crossing their way over the forty-acre site. Left behind by meat-eating theropod dinosaurs, the shallow three-toed tracks range in length from two to ten inches and are easiest to spot at dawn and dusk. The Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite is accessed five miles south of U.S. Highway 14 along the Red Gulch Scenic Byway.

Fossil Butte National Monument
Situated just fifteen miles west of Kemmerer in southwestern Wyoming, the 8,198-acre Fossil Butte National Monument was established on October 23, 1972 in an effort to preserve an 800-foot tall cliff packed with millions of fossils. Covered by Fossil Lake over fifty million years ago, the colorful butte is now regarded as Wyoming's premier fossil discovery site. More than twenty varieties of fish and 100 species of insects have been found in the butte along with dozens of plants and some of the world's only known fossilized birds, bats, and crocodiles. Remarkably, most show incredible detail for their age, and new discoveries are made daily.

The monument is open year-round (excluding federal holidays) and features an information desk, bookstore, numerous fossil displays, two self-guided hiking trails, and summer educational campfire programs. Camping is strictly prohibited as is the removal of any fossil. For visitors seeking a hands-on experience, summer weekend quarry tours are available on a limited basis where participants actually help park paleontologists with their work. Call (307) 877-4455 for additional information.

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Wyoming Trivia

Courtesy of Sheridan Travel and Tourism

Q. Who was the second woman mayor in the United States?
A. Milliner, nurse and school teacher Susan Wissler of Dayton. She served two terms as mayor of Dayton, until 1915.

Q. Why did the 80's singer Prince come to Sheridan?
A. The movie "Under the Cherry Moon," starring Prince, had its world premiere in Sheridan in June 1986. Local resident Lisa Barber won the right to host the premiere by being the ten-thousandth caller on MTV's "Prince Under the Cherry Moon" Contest.

Q. Which famous British Royal visited Sheridan in 1984?
A. Queen Elizabeth II visited Sheridan County. She spent time shopping at the Ritz Sporting Goods and Kings Saddlery in Sheridan.

Q. What is the newly released (Oct. 2006) movie filmed at Eatons Ranch west of Sheridan?
A. "Flicka" starring Tim McGraw, Fox 2000 Pictures.

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Recipe from
The Yellowstone National Park Cookbook
by Durrae Johanek, Riverbend Publishing

While this Park cookbook contains an interview of a chef and several of his recipes, it also offers dishes from other park personas as well, from the wolf project leader to a park ranger and many more. Some recipes are pulled from inherited family cookbooks, and some come with special directions for doctoring according to personal taste. With an eclectic mix of styles and cultures represented, you are sure to find something delicious to make and someone interesting to meet in the pages of this unique cookbook that is centered around the first national park, Yellowstone.

Sweet Corn Bisque with Linguica Sausage & Pumpkin Seeds by Chef Jim Chapman of the Lake Hotel
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 pounds whole kernel corn
1 potato, peeled and diced
1-1/2 quarts vegetable stock
1 pint heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
Salt and pepper to taste
5 ounces linguica sausage cut into thin half-moons
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Melt butter and sauté onions until translucent. Add flour and make roux. Add remaining ingredients except linguica and pumpkin seeds. Bring to boil while whisking occasionally. Lower to simmer and cook until potatoes are very soft. Puree soup and strain. Adjust seasoning and consistency. Finish with _ ounce linguica sausage and sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.

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Laramie's Past Alive Again In New Book
Local historians compiled images
for photographic history book.

Read the new book Laramie! Local historian and author Charlie Petersen and the Laramie Plains Museum have complied 200 vintage images to share Laramie's remarkable story.

The authors “hope people will buy the book, and want to check into the area and the history of the area by returning again and again.”

Highlights of Laramie:
o A portion of the proceeds from the book will be used by the Laramie Plains Museum to improve, restore the museum and collections, to keep it open to the public, and to add to foundation funds for the museum
o Features vintage images of many of the founding fathers of the area
o Includes vintage images of buildings and landmarks in the area
o Shows images of Railroaders and Cowboys that marked the town's growth

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers or through Arcadia Publishing at 888-313-2665 or www.arcadiapublishing.com.

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America's people and places. Have we done a book on your town? Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.

About the Author
Charlie Petersen was born in Laramie in 1928 and grew up in the area. He has a keen interest in the history of and has deep roots relating to the Laramie area.

After Petersen graduated from public school in Laramie, he was sent to Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri to complete his high school education in 1947. He attended the University of Wyoming for two years, joined the Army in 1950 and trained in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. After being released from the armed forces, Petersen married Elisabeth Marxmiller, completed his university education and taught social studies in Powell, Wyoming, for eight years. Petersen also taught in Ealgesham, Alberta, Canada as well as Beirut, Lebanon, where he received his masters degree in modern Middle Eastern history at the American University of Wyoming Lab School, St. Joseph's High School on the island of St. Croix and Tehran American School in Iran.

Last fall, Mary Mountain, director of the Laramie Plains Museum, asked if Petersen would work with the museum to write a pictorial history of Laramie. Petersen gladly accepted and began the in-depth study of images located in the Laramie Plain Museum Collection.

Petersen hopes that this work will inspire others to search into Wyoming's wild and vivid past and bring the past back to life.

Western Gift Corral

Mardon Originals Moose Silhouette Pillow
Item Code: GC33853

This pig suede pillow is a fantastic moose gift. Painted moose silhouettes on a framed deerskin inset highlight this beautiful piece. A laced closure on the back serves as an extra detail. Each pillow is unique and carries the initials of the artist. Stuffed with poly-fil. 18”x 18”. Made in Montana!     Buy Now!

Looking to bring a symbol of Wyoming and the Rocky Mountains into your home? Searching for that perfect western gift or souvenir? Then don’t miss the huge selection of quality crafted items at the Gift Corral. Although the Gift Corral’s store headquarters are in Bozeman, Montana, the store prides itself on offering sensational products that reflect the spirit of the entire western US region. Best of all, the Gift Corral offers a full selection of its signature products online. Visitors will find handmade bath and body products, Moose Drool novelty items (check out the website for more information on these wildly popular products!), whimsicial bear and moose figurines, stuffed animals, wood carvings, western themed Christmas ornaments, clothing, antler art, handcrafted jewelry, gourmet foods and candies, household decorator items ranging from lamps to rustic furniture to picture frames, and much, much more! Don’t miss out! Treat yourself or someone special to a bit of western charm today! Shop Now

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The Ultimate Wyoming Travel Atlas & Encyclopedia

Need ideas for a fantastic summer trip? Then plan a vacation you're sure to remember with the help of The Ultimate Wyoming Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia. This best-selling volume offers more information than dozens of other guidebooks combined and has received rave reviews from both Wyoming residents and individuals from across the U.S. Not just a reference guide to big-name attractions, this must-have book also uncovers some of the hidden treasures and historical sites that make Wyoming so special. Learn about scenic drives, fishing holes, mountain hikes, and museums while gaining access to hundreds of hotels, restaurants, outfitters, and much, much more. The book also includes special extensive sections on both Yellowstone and Teton National Parks! Order your copy today, and discover all that the Cowboy state has to offer!

Get it Now!

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