Your summer travel plans are not complete without a detour through the hidden gem of Casper, Wyoming, where big-time pioneer history and rodeo fever meet small-town comfort and camaraderie.
The real gems of Casper, Wyoming, can’t be found on a travel brochure. They’re hidden in the mountain ledges overlooking rolling plains, in the streets filled with mom-and-pop food joints, in the stories of the folks who have lived here for generations.
C&I took a detour through Casper, Wyoming, to discover what makes this small-but-mighty Western town tick.
The History
Did you know that Casper is actually a mistake? Allow us to explain: Casper, Wyoming, is named after Fort Caspar, an Oregon Trail trading post-turned U.S. Army post established in 1859. The fort itself was named after 2nd Lt. Caspar Collins, an officer killed in the 1856 Battle of the Platte Bridge Station. After the significant loss, Caspar’s fellow officers agreed to formally name the station Fort Caspar after their fellow soldier’s sacrifice. However, as Maj. Gen. John Pope signed the new name into law, he misspelled the name Caspar, spelling it C-A-S-P-E-R instead. The misspelling stuck, persisting to this day.
Casper is blooming with history. Smack-dab in the middle of the Oregon Trail — a treacherous road traveled by European emigrants, Mormons, California Gold Rush participants, and more hopefuls risking it all to settle the West — the city has relics of the West’s inception on full display. The Fort Caspar Museum features a reconstruction of the original fort along with several artifacts than unravel the centuries-long story of the city. The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center builds on this story by offering interactive exhibits that dig into the history of Casper as a stop on the Oregon Trail — visitors can try their hand at pulling a pioneer wagon, navigating a rushing river, and sending a telegram across the plains.
The spirit of the Oregon Trail is deeply embedded within every fiber of Casper, and nowhere is that more apparent than Historic Trails West — a family-owned establishment offering the opportunity to live and breathe history by taking a covered wagon ride across the Oregon, California, Mormon, and Pony Express Trails (plus, you’ll get a traditional Dutch oven meal).
The richness of Casper’s pioneer history is rivaled only by its prehistory. The state of Wyoming is the second largest state for fossil discovery (beat only by Montana), from massive mammoths to T-Rex skeletons and prehistoric mammals aplenty. No surprise then that Casper has some of the best archaeology and geology departments in the country, whose work is on full display at the Tate Geological Museum, where the largest full mammoth skeleton found in the country resides.
Many Western towns share a common pioneer history, and Casper’s active participation in the preservation and celebration of that history sets it apart as a beacon of light in the Western plains.
The Nature
It’s hard to have a bad day when Casper Mountain looms in the background everywhere you look. Mother Nature shows off in Casper, with majestic mountains, sweeping plains, sublime canyons, and rivers made for fly-fishing all within a few hours of one another. And Casperitesand local guides welcome thousands of lake-loving tourists to kayak, fish, water ski, and camp near Fremont Canyon each summer and guide thrill seekers through hiking excursions across the multiple mountain ranges that flank the city.
One standout Casper staple that can’t be missed is an excursion with Bighorn Pack Llamas. Owned by a husband-and-wife duo who fell in love with llamas while trying to discover which livestock animal would make the best hiking companion, this small business offers day hikes, drop camps, and llama walks that allow visitors to interact with some of the livestock world’s most miraculous creatures.
The Hospitality
As much as Casperites pride themselves on the cowboy resilience they inherited from their pioneer ancestors, they also find immense fulfillment in spoiling guests with an embarrassment of good food and good times. Casper’s food scene is a pleasant blend of historic staples and unique new joints, each bringing in a loyal crowd of local diners. Newer additions to the food scene — such as the trendy downtown cafe Copper Cup Coffee Company and the elevated pizzeria Racca’s Pizzeria Napoletana — complement legacy restaurants such as The Bluebird, Eggington’s, and Johnny J’s Diner. While the West is known for its resistance to change, locals welcome the growth of their food scene as long as that growth doesn’t tread on their tried-and-true favorites.
Every good town needs a restaurant or two that give you an excuse to put your good boots on. FireRock Steakhouse evokes a gathering around a cozy fireplace while offering five-star meals and specialty cocktails. No FireRock visit is complete without a New York strip or bone-in bison ribeye washed down with a perfectly paired glass of wine or cocktail. If you’re a liquor connoisseur looking to try some local brew, Backwards Distilling Company is the pinnacle of local alcohol innovation. While Backwards Distilling Co. liquor can be found on almost every cocktail menu across Casper, the full Backwards experience can be found at their circus-themed downtown cocktail lounge, complete with whimsical circus music, steampunk-inspired decor, and experimental cocktails paying homage to circus icons.
It’s impossible to speak about the hospitality of Casper without mentioning Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters. Opened in 1919 by father-and-son duo Curt and Lou Taubert before coming to Casper in 1947, this family business has offered traditional Western fashion to local cowfolk and travelers alike for decades. While the business has changed hands a few times since its opening, the multilevel department store has remained in the Taubert family through it all. Louis Taubert can still be found on the first floor checking folks out at the counter and helping visitors find the perfect cowboy hat.
The Folks
Casperites are story keepers. Many come from families that have been in the area for generations and have the anecdotes to prove it. While the town offers many of the same hallmarks and novelties as any other Western city, the conversations struck up with the locals set Casper apart.
Dave McGullion, the hat-shaper extraordinaire behind the steaming booth at Lou Taubert, shared his favorite rules of cowboy hat etiquette while shaping hats to perfectly hug the heads of his clients. A server at FireRock Steakhouse stopped to gush about his favorite aspect of growing up in Casper (the nature, obviously). Russell Hawley, the Tate Geological Museum’s education specialist, rushed from his desk to provide a full tour of the museum’s artifacts, complete with fun facts about the discovery of each. When given the opportunity to share the love they feel for their hometown, any Casperite is more than willing to pull up a seat and talk.
The Rodeo
Nothing makes a small Western town light up quite like a rodeo. Casper vibrates with anticipatory electricity when the College National Finals Rodeo rolls into town each June. Casper has hosted the CNFR for over 25 years, and each year it welcomes the country’s top college rodeo athletes with a variety of activities. Western Fest, held at David Street Station on CNFR weekend, brings local and visiting rodeo fans together for a night of live music, line dancing, food trucks, vendors, horse-drawn carriage rides, and camaraderie.
Casper’s love for rodeo is embedded into its culture. It’s felt by locals and by the student athletes who travel from across the country to compete. Cinch Painter, who steer wrestles for Mid-Plains Community College in Nebraska, rolled into town for his second CNFR after placing third in the nation the year prior. He couldn’t help but comment on Casper’s rodeo enthusiasm: “It’s just a bigger atmosphere. The crowd is booming in here. It gets the heart pumping. It’s a good time.”
Likewise, Jade Byrne, who steer wrestles and team ropes for Casper College, was drawn to Casper from South Dakota because of the town’s infectious energy. “I ended up coming to Casper because of a friend of mine back in high school. He came here for one year and told me it was really good,” he told C&I. “The part I like about Casper is that everyone is so friendly. They always help me out no matter what we’re doing. It’s just a loving community, which makes it fun.”
As the music blares and the Ford Wyoming Center fills with hundreds of local and visiting rodeo fans, the energy fills the stadium, beating in the hearts of each student athlete waiting to try their hand at a win on the biggest college stage in the country.
Special thanks to Visit Casper.
