To Kemmerer!

 

 

Is this a safety warning, or just letting you know to expect a race?

We ate breakfast and then drove to Kemmerer, in southwest Wyoming, which began as a coal-mining town in the 1890s. Walter Lovejoy, who I have been researching, lived in Kemmerer between 1898 and 1905, with some absences, and I wanted to learn what I could about his time there and his civic activities. We had passed by Kemmerer once before, but the feature (the J. C. Penney Mother Store, I believe) we wanted to see was closed, so we didn't stop, figuring we'd be back through at another time. The city is in a small, but pretty river valley.

On the drive in to Kemmerer, we saw 24 pronghorn antelope, but no other wildlife. We did see some interesting signs along the way warning of cattle and wildlife (including the pronghorn antelope sign, above.) 

I spent a couple of hours in the Lincoln County Library,in Kemmerer, The staff were really helpful.  Connie read while I did my research, as it was a bit cool and breezy, otherwise she would have gone for a walk. Next, we went to the Hamsfork Museum both out of general interest and because the library staff suggested the museum might have some material related to my Lovejoy research. The museum staff were very eager to help and brought a few files for me to examine, but their holdings on Lovejoy were thin, but were useful in confirming what I had learned at the library. 

We were offered a guided tour through the museum, housed in a former Mormon church, and we happily accepted the offer. The museum was a bit quirky, in a good way, as are most small town museums. They had a small exhibit on fossils from the nearby Fossil Butte area. There were a few mounts of local wildlife and the local freaks- a two headed calve and a two-bodied, one-headed lamb. Maybe its the water? The  museum had an exhibit about a local man who had been struck by lightning. He survived the strike and they have his shirt and overalls on display showing the strike mark. Another exhibit showed a photograph of Anna Richey and text describing her as the only woman in Wyoming to be convicted of cattle rustling. After conviction, she was poisoned by an unknown person before she went to prison and, it seems, Kemmerer is proud to have a cold case and something to engage conspiracy theorists- was the poisoning related to inheritance squabbles, or her partners trying to silence her, or a rancher she had stolen from? So many possibilities! There was an interesting walk-through exhibit on coal mining and, then, the history of “Kemmerer Moon.” Kemmerer became famous for the moonshine they distributed around the country during prohibition.

Downstairs several small rooms held exhibits that told the story of the town through artifacts gathered from a number of early local businesses. The tour lasted a little over an hour and we enjoyed it.

We left the museum and bought a couple of items at the local supermarket and checked in at the Fossil Butte Motel. The room was nice enough, although I thought the mattress was overly soft. 

 

We relaxed and read a bit, then decided to get dinner. We walked across the street to a Mexican restaurant  that had been recommended to us- El Jaliscience. They served, by far, the best nachos I have had in Wyoming. I have had better, but these were good. 

 

El Jaliscience restaurant in Kemmerer (note, it can be seen in the background of the photograph of the Fossil Butte Motel, above,)

Looking at the menu, Connie and I both decided, without discussion, to order the Molcajete- it  was like a flavorful stew and was excellent. After dinner, we went back to the room, had a couple of drinks, and did some reading and computer work.