During the mass overland emigration by covered wagon that began in 1841, the mountain man's pathway along the North Platte and Sweetwater rivers to South Pass would be known by many names. The pioneers of the 1840s entered “Oregon Country” when they crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass and, thus, the name Oregon Trail was the most common and correct.
In Wyoming, the stretch of the trail from Fort Laramie to South Pass is significant because it is where all the major emigrant trails come together to follow the same route. There are a number of trails leading into Fort Laramie and a number branch off from South Pass, but on this 250 mile stretch everyone "went westering" together.
While two of 2005's biggest movies were set in Wyoming – the Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain and the Robert Redford drama An Unfinished Life – they weren't filmed here. Close Encounters of the Third Kind was, though. As was the classic western Shane and the 2006 family-friendly Flicka. And parts of Rocky IV. And episodes of TV's The Amazing Race and The Bachelor. The list goes on. read more
The Bridger Trail, opened in 1864, offered a safer alternative to the Bozeman Trail for prospectors looking to make their fortune in the Montana gold rush. Famous mountain man and guide, Jim Bridger, created the trail west of the Big Horn Mountains. read more
