01Summary
A granite dome beside the Sweetwater River, covered with emigrants' names. Reaching it by the Fourth of July meant a train was on schedule to cross the mountains before snow.
02History
Independence Rock is a granite dome about 130 feet high and about 1,900 feet long, rising from the plain beside the Sweetwater River in central Wyoming. Travelers compared it to all sorts of things. Gold seeker J. Goldsborough Bruff thought it 'looks like a huge whale.'
The rock was probably named on July 4, 1830, when fur trader William Sublette's party celebrated Independence Day there. The date stuck. Trains hoped to reach the rock by the Fourth of July to stay on schedule for crossing the mountains before the snow, and many that made it celebrated, some with patriotic songs and a picnic.
Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, who passed it on his trips west in 1840 and 1841, called it 'the great register of the desert.' Thousands of travelers wrote or carved their names on it. The oldest recorded one, carved by M. K. Hugh in 1824, has weathered away, and so have most names painted in tar or grease, but many names carved deep into the granite remain.
03Today
Independence Rock State Historic Site, beside Wyoming Highway 220, is open all year. Visitors are allowed to hike on the rock, and the state asks everyone to protect the old names.
05Stops nearby
The Oregon Trail ran about 2,170 miles from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City. The stops just before and after this one are below. You can also find Independence Rock on the interactive map.