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State Historic Preservation Office
Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board receives award from State

National Register of Historic Places


Independence Rock National Historic Landmark

Natrona County, Wyoming

Date Added to Register

Sunday, July 02, 1961

Smithsonian Number

48NA262

Read all about it

Independence Rock is a rounded outcropping of granite which became a well-known landmark on the Oregon Trail. It lies near the Sweetwater River, a favorite stopping and resting place for travelers along the Trail. Independence Rock became famous for the numerous names carved and painted on it. Rufus Sage, who passed the Rock in 1842 noted that its ''surface is covered with the names of travelers, traders, trappers, and emigrants engraven upon it in almost every practicable part, for the distance of many feet above its base.'' Located 23 miles south of Alcova on Wyoming State Highway 220 in Natrona County, today it is a Wyoming State Historic Site.

Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources