A stage service was started from Saratoga to the north over primitive, muddy roads. During its height, 5,000 people called Encampment home; it was one of the wildest and most boisterous camps in the State of Wyoming. At various points, four newspapers sprang up, with the Grand Encampment Herald surviving the longest of its following rivals: the Encampment Echo, Encampment Record, and the Valley Roundup.

The North American Copper Co. was created here. In 1898, the company acquired the largest mine, Rudefeha, for a half-million and then sold thousands of dollars worth of stock. The company built a twenty mile tramway—the longest in the world at that time—to carry ore from the mine to the reduction plant. The tram could carry 98 tons daily.

The beginning of Encampment’s demise started in 1906 when the mill at the largest smelter burned. Two years later, the remainder was destroyed. Although the railway came in 1908, the smelter had closed completely. Legal troubles soon followed as the company was accused of huge fraudulent stock sales and eventually endured the wrath of the court.

The famous tram was removed in 1910, and the railroad that once served the cattle shippers was soon replaced by trucks. The town died in June of 1962.