This is one of
the most noted landmarks along the emigrant trails. Popular legend says
tha t
the emigrants needed to reach this point by July 4, thereby giving it its
name. But emigrants arrived at this site throughout the traveling season.
Its name actually comes from a party of fur trappers who camped here on
July 4, 1824. The large granite outcropping is 1,900 feet long and 700 feet
wide and rises 128 feet. J. Goldsborough Bruff said it looked "like
a huge whale" from a distance. The site was a popular camping site.
While encamped here,
many many emigrants inscribed their names on the sturdy granite. As
early as 1842, fur trapper Rufus B. Sage noted that "the surface
is covered with names of travelers, traders, trappers, and emigrants,
engraved upon it in almost ever practicable part, for the distance of
many feet above its base…"* The Jesuit missionary, Pierre Jean De
Smet, is credited with giving it the name "Great Register of the
Desert."**
Names were placed
on the rock through engraving or by painting them with wagon grease, tar
or a combination of buffalo grease and glue. Over  time,
many of these name have flaked off or been obscured by lichens. Despite
this, thousands of names remain and are a source of delight to those who
climb the rock.
Ownership
Public. (State of Wyoming)
Directions
Natrona County, Wyoming. T29N/R86W.
At mile marker
63 on State Highway 220. Independence Rock State Historic Site includes
a large rest area complex right off the highway. There is an interpretive
kiosk and paved  footpath
leading to the Rock. Well-preserved ruts run along the pathway next to
the Rock.
National Park
Service Comprehensive Management Plan
The site is threatened by overuse. Lichen growth threatens a number
of panels of inscriptions. Vandalism is also a problem.
The site is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Additional Information
Tour Guide: National Historic Trails in Natrona County, Wyoming.
The Natrona County Historical Preservation Commission and Rosenberg Historical
Consultants, 2001.
Hileman, Levida.
In Tar and Paint and Stone (Glendo, WY: High Plains Press, 2001)
|
t
the emigrants needed to reach this point by July 4, thereby giving it its
name. But emigrants arrived at this site throughout the traveling season.
Its name actually comes from a party of fur trappers who camped here on
July 4, 1824. The large granite outcropping is 1,900 feet long and 700 feet
wide and rises 128 feet. J. Goldsborough Bruff said it looked "like
a huge whale" from a distance. The site was a popular camping site.
