Needles, snake oil and Carter Junction featured at the Trails Center
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CASPER, Wyo. - Youth quilting and special presentations will keep toes tapping and fingers working during a weekend of free programming on July 14 and 15. The BLM supports working landscapes across the West through its many programs.
Introduce the next generation to a fine and necessary art during the free youth program, “Quilting,” from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 14. Have you learned the skills of your great-grandmother? Sewing was a survival skill on the plains. Join seamstress, Carolyn Thorup, in learning how to do basic stitches while completing a quilt square.
Saturday youth programs emphasize hands-on learning. Parents of young children must accompany students throughout the program.
Patio talk presentations will be offered throughout the weekend as part of the summer’s lecture series on pioneer and Wyoming history. These short interpretive programs, ranging from 20 to 45 minutes, are free and open to the public.
Music played an important part in the lives of those journeying westward along the trails. Hank Cramer and Carter Junction will entertain with acoustic instruments and engaging vocals during “Songs and Stories from the Emigrant Trails” at 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m. on Saturday. Songs helped pass the time on the long trek and told stories from the homes they had left behind.
Heal your ailments during “Dr. Dumas: Traveling Medicine Show” at 1 p.m. on Sunday. From the mid 1800's to the 1940's, one of the first forms of medicine to reach frontier America was the traveling medicine show. Part entertainment, part scam and quackery, these “shows" traveled the west with their miracle cures. Historian and NHTIC volunteer Bruce Berst will give an example of what these shows entailed, followed by a question and answer period.
NHTIC admission and weekend events are free and open to the public. For more information contact 307-261-7780.
The NHTIC is a public-private partnership between the BLM and the National Historic Trails Center Foundation. The facility is located at 1501 N. Poplar Street, Casper, Wyoming.
As we approach the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act, there are 30 congressionally designated National Scenic and Historic Trails in the National Trails System. National Historic Trails are extended trails that closely follow a historic trail or route of travel that is of national significance. The BLM now protects nearly 6,000 miles of 18 designated trails in 15 States, and the BLM also manages thousands of miles of trails under study for potential designation.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.