Special presentations, live performances slated for this weekend at the Trails Center

CASPER, Wyo. – Visit the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center Aug. 17 and 18 for an exciting weekend featuring insightful presentations by special guests and live hoop dancing performances.

Mapping Power onto the Land: The Fort Bridger and Fort Laramie Treaties of 1868

At 1 p.m. on Saturday, local historian Tom Rea will present “Mapping Power onto the Land: The Fort Bridger and Fort Laramie Treaties of 1868.” Rea will discuss the historical roots and long-term consequences of both treaties.

In 1868 - the same year the transcontinental railroad was built across Wyoming - the U.S. government signed a series of crucial treaties with Native American tribes. The Fort Bridger Treaty with the Eastern Shoshone Tribe would soon locate them on the Wind River, a place where they had long thought of as a homeland. On the other hand, the Fort Laramie Treaty with the Lakota Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and several other tribes would raise as many questions as it settled in Indian-White relations.

The Pony Express Trail: A String of Stations

At 1 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, National Pony Express Association members will highlight the history of the Pony Express and re-enact a handoff of the mochila, the iconic leather pouch which secured the mail. The program will take place outside on the Trails Center grounds near the Pony Express cabin. The event is expected to last 30-45 minutes.

Twenty years after the first emigrants travelled the pioneer trails across the continent, the Pony Express thundered along much of the same route. While the Pony Express provided a relatively quick mail service from Missouri to California, this sensational but expensive enterprise was soon replaced by the Transcontinental Telegraph.

Dakota Hoop Dancing

Starting at 3 p.m. on Sunday, two-time world champion hoop dancer Jasmine Pickner-Bell will perform and share her story of life and dance.

As an enrolled Crow Creek Dakota Sioux Tribe member, Pickner-Bell has performed since a young age. At five years old, she was given one hoop – a circle representing her inner-self – by her father, renowned hoop dancer Dallas Chief Eagle. Pickner-Bell has since travelled and performed around the world, coaxed U.S. First Ladies to try the dance, and even met another world champion, Muhammed Ali. Today, when the Riverton resident recalls the decades and miles she’s spanned during her career, she thinks back to her first hoop.

Event Schedule

• Wednesday, August 14 at 12 p.m. – Meet and Greet with author Janelle Molony
• Saturday, August 17 at 11 a.m. – Gold Rush! (Junior Ranger Program)
• Saturday, August 17 at 1 p.m. – The Fort Bridger and Fort Laramie Treaties of 1868, featuring local historian Tom Rea.
• Sunday, August 18 at 1 p.m. – The Pony Express Trail: A String of Stations, featuring the National Pony Express Association.
• Sunday, August 18 at 3 p.m. – Dakota Hoop Dancing, featuring world champion Jasmine Pickner-Bell.

To stay up to date on summer programs at the Trails Center, follow BLM Wyoming on Facebook or X, or visit the BLM’s Trails Center website at https://www.blm.gov/learn/interpretive-centers/national-historic-trails-interpretive-center.

For questions, call the Trails Center at 307-261-7780.

The Trails Center is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST.
1501 N. Poplar St., Casper, WY 82601
Admission is Free