Wyoming
Momentum builds to save tree ‘Yellowstone Forest Reserve’ surveyors inscribed 132 years ago – WyoFile
Right now there’s a tree frozen up in the wilderness outside of Yellowstone National Park with names scrawled into the trunk. The vandals? A survey crew stranded in a snowstorm 132 years ago.
“Probably out of boredom, more than anything else, they carved their names,” said historian Lawrence Todd, a Colorado State University emeritus professor who lives in Meeteetsee.
Some 340 miles away, a tentative new home awaits the cultural artifact. Wyoming State Museum Director Kevin Ramler has already selected the place to display the hulking piece of history, which has become a source of debate in the State Capitol.
If extricated from the wilderness, the tree would go to a wing of the museum that pays tribute to Wyoming’s spectacular federal lands — all 30-plus million acres, owned by all Americans, even amid renewed hostility toward the very concept.
Surveyors marked up the historically significant tree while mapping out the Yellowstone Forest Reserve, which preceded the Shoshone National Forest.
“Telling the story of Wyoming, that’s the first national forest,” Ramler said during a January tour of the tree’s likely new home. “We have some stuff tied to the first national park [Yellowstone] … but we don’t have a lot of artifacts to tell the story of the first national forest.”
The tree engraved in all caps by P.M. GALLAHER, J.L. DORSH, C.L. SAWYER AND J.E. SHAW and others on Oct. 3, 1893 “is an opportunity,” the museum director said.
Inscribed just 21 years after Yellowstone’s establishment and three years after Wyoming gained statehood, the tree is a reminder of some of the earliest efforts to “reserve” forestland rather than harvest it all.
There’s also a detailed historical record, thanks in part to the efforts of Todd, who’s published his research about the tree. He even dug up field notes that Phillip M. Gallaher jotted during an extended stretch of inclement weather when carving up a tree must have seemed compelling.
“A heavy snow storm prevailed during the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th of October without interruption day or night, rendering it impossible to take a sight or do any work,” Gallaher journaled. “During this time I camped on the head of a small stream about ½ mile south of the flag at Sta. K, at an altitude of 10,500 feet. The snowfall at this time was in the neighborhood of 5 ft.”
But displaying even a section of the tree in the Cheyenne museum will require a heavy lift and not everyone is a fan of the plan.
For one, recovering it won’t come easy. It’s about 28 miles from the nearest trailhead just outside of Yellowstone National Park’s boundary. The conifer grove where Gallaher, Dorsh, Sawyer and Shaw became stranded sits near the banks of Younts Creek within what’s known as the Thorofare, famous for its extraordinary remoteness and wildness.
It’s a familiar and beloved place for many backcountry travelers, including John Winter, a former Thorofare outfitter and current Republican state representative from Thermopolis.
There’s also the expense to consider. On Wednesday, Winter stood on the House floor and encouraged his budget-slashing Wyoming Freedom Caucus counterparts to make a relatively small investment — $35,000 — to recover a section of the survey tree. Sen. Larry Hicks, a Baggs Republican, made the same pitch the same day across the Capitol in the Wyoming Senate.
“It’s part of the cultural history of the United States of America and part of the history of this state,” Hicks said. “You will not find another tree in this state with an inscription from 1893 that’s still standing today. Folks, it’s 132 years old.”
Hicks also imparted a history lesson, recounting how Congress passed the Forest Reserve Act, extending the forest boundaries around Yellowstone National Park in 1891. Two years later, the federal government contracted with Gallaher to measure and map the new boundary.
Todd, the Meeteetse historian, has visited the tree and recognized that it’s threatened by wildfire, or of toppling over from decay.
“It’s an amazing record that’s in danger,” he said.
Although supportive of the effort to preserve it, he wants to see the job done correctly, which would require a “lot of planning.”
“Being an archeologist that’s interested in data, rather than just objects, I would say removing it without doing more detailed documentation on the site would also put it in danger,” Todd said. “It’d be almost like stealing an arrowhead from a site on public land.”
I would say removing it without doing more detailed documentation on the site would also put it in danger. It’d be almost like stealing an arrowhead from a site on public land.”
larry todd
There are also bureaucratic hurdles. Extracting objects using mechanical equipment like a chopper is not ordinarily permitted in federally managed wilderness and requires a “minimum requirements analysis.” Non-emergency helicopter flights into the wilderness can spark controversy: That was the case when the Bridger-Teton National Forest replaced the Hawks Rest Bridge, also in the Thorofare.
Cody outfitter and former Park County Commissioner Lee Livingston is heading up the outreach to the Shoshone National Forest to get authorization. Federal officials, he said, would prefer that the helicopter that long-lines the tree section do so “without a skid touching the ground.”
Livingston also plans to pack in a string of laborers and specialists on horseback to use chainsaws and prep the tree for extraction.
“I just think it’s very important,” he told WyoFile. “We need to get it out of there before it rots away.”
Whether that happens anytime soon will depend in part on the Wyoming Legislature.
Influential players within the majority-holding Wyoming Freedom Caucus urged a no vote in response to Winter’s $35,000 budget request on the House floor.
“I’m not opposed to the concept, I just don’t know if it’s something we need to bring at this point in time,” Wheatland Republican Rep. Jeremy Haroldson said. “Hopefully next year, we will bring this as something in our budget. I think it’d be sweet if I could even be part of the team going up in there to get it down.”
But Winter, who is also aligned with the Freedom Caucus, prevailed during the second reading of his budget amendment. The House voted 40-21 to put some money toward recovering the tree. Down the hall, the Wyoming Senate did the same, voting in favor of the investment 22-6.
“This is critical,” Devils Tower Republican Sen. Ogden Driskill said in support of Hicks’ amendment. “It’s a bug tree, and I think it’s time. We need to get it out. This is our history. This is a good spend of state money.”
A pair of bills signed into law last week aim to build out a more comprehensive system of literacy education across Wyoming’s public schools.
One mandates evidence-based practices and requires regular screenings for dyslexia, while the other enables the Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) to hire a dedicated literacy professional to oversee statewide compliance.
Gov. Mark Gordon’s signing of both bills on Friday was the latest accomplishment of an ongoing push for improved literacy standards. That push has been spearheaded by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.
“Wyoming is not going to let a single child fall through the cracks,” Degenfelder said during a public bill signing last week. “We are not going to fall behind when it comes to ensuring that our children can read at grade level.”
The primary bill, Senate File 59, establishes a statewide K-12 program for teaching students to read that is built on “evidence based language and literacy instruction, assessment, intervention and professional development that supports educators, engages families and promotes literacy proficiency for all Wyoming students.”
The bill defines evidence-based strategies as those that conform to the science of reading, a term that will be defined and updated by Degenfelder’s office. Nationwide, it generally means putting academic research into practice in classrooms. SF 59 specifically prohibits the exclusive use of “three-cueing” — a strategy once widely employed to teach reading but which education experts now say is outdated and less effective than other strategies.
It also requires annual dyslexia screeners for students below the third grade, and testing for reading difficulties for all students.
The screeners are used to identify the severity of reading difficulties in order to direct “tiered” support that offers the most intensive interventions to the students most in need, while still providing “evidence based” language instruction to all students.
Each school district must formulate an individualized reading plan “for each student identified as having reading difficulties or at risk for poor reading outcomes.”
Districts must now report to the state annually regarding their literacy-related work. Any district where 60% or more of the students are struggling will be required to implement “summer literacy camps or extended supports, including after school support and tutoring.”
The bill also requires literacy related professional development for teachers and specialists “appropriate to their role and level of responsibility” related to literacy education.
SF 59 was backed by dyslexia advocates and literacy specialists.
Senate File 14, the other literacy bill signed into law Friday, appropriates $120,000 annually for the next two years for a full-time position at WDE “to assist school districts in implementing a reading assessment and intervention program and language and literacy programs.”
Both bills go into effect July 1.
LARAMIE — The University of Wyoming and the Mountain West Conference announced the Cowboys’ 2026 football schedule Monday, a slate that opens with the Border War and concludes with back-to-back home games in Laramie.
Wyoming opens the season Sept. 5 on the road against Colorado State in the 118th edition of the Border War. The Cowboys then host Northern Colorado on Sept. 12 in the home opener before traveling to Central Michigan on Sept. 19.
The Cowboys begin Mountain West play Sept. 26 at home against Hawaii in a matchup for the Paniolo Trophy. Wyoming then faces back-to-back road games at North Dakota State on Oct. 3 and San Jose State on Oct. 10.
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Wyoming returns to War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 17 to host conference newcomer Northern Illinois before facing Air Force at home on Oct. 24. The Cowboys will have an open week on Oct. 31.
The Cowboys open November with road games at UNLV on Nov. 7 and at UTEP on Nov. 14, marking Wyoming’s first meeting with the Miners as members of the Mountain West. Wyoming closes conference play by hosting New Mexico on Nov. 21 and wraps up the regular season with a nonconference game against UConn on Nov. 28 in Laramie.
Each Mountain West team will play four home and four road conference games during the 13-week season, which will conclude with the Mountain West Football Championship Game featuring the two teams with the highest conference winning percentages. The championship game date will be announced later.
With the conference schedule set, Mountain West television partners CBS Sports, FOX Sports, and The CW will begin selecting broadcast games, which could include moving some contests to non-Saturday dates. Network assignments and kickoff times will be announced at a later date.
Season ticket renewals for the 2026 Wyoming football season are now available. Fans can renew their tickets online by visiting gowyo.com/tickets and logging into their account.
The 2026 Wyoming prep girls’ basketball season is nearly done. Two state champions were crowned in Classes 1A and 2A last Saturday. Southeast won the 1A title for the third consecutive season, and Sundance won the 2A title for the first time in eight years. Class 3A and 4A held their regional tournaments, which qualified teams for the state tournament later this week in Casper.
WYOPREPS WEEK 12 GIRLS BASKETBALL STANDINGS 2026
These are the girls’ basketball team records for all games played through March 7, 2026. For all but 16 teams, this is the final record of the season. Those squads will play in the 3A-4A state tournament starting on Thursday in Casper.
1A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Burlington 24-5, 8-0
Riverside 14-10, 6-2
Dubois 11-10, 4-4
St. Stephens 3-16, 1-7
Meeteetse 1-20, 1-7
1A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cokeville 23-4, 10-0
Little Snake River 23-4, 8-2
Farson-Eden 16-12, 5-5
Saratoga 13-11, 5-5
Ft. Washakie 8-13, 2-8
Encampment 3-19, 0-10
1A Northeast: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Upton 16-7, 10-0
Kaycee 13-12, 7-3
Hulett 12-13, 7-3
Arvada-Clearmont 9-12, 4-6
Casper Christian 4-13, 2-8
Midwest 1-16, 0-10
1A Southeast: (Overall Record, followed by Reg. Season Points)
Southeast 24-5, 40 points
Lingle-Ft. Laramie 17-11, 31 points
Lusk 15-13, 26 points
H.E.M. 13-11, 24 points
Rock River 6-14, 12 points
Guernsey-Sunrise 2-18, 4 points
2A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Thermopolis 16-13, 5-1
Greybull 16-15, 4-2
Rocky Mountain 9-17, 2-4
Shoshoni 11-18, 1-5
2A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wyoming Indian 23-7, 6-0
Big Piney 8-16, 4-2
Kemmerer 2-21, 1-5
Wind River 2-23, 1-5
2A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Sundance 23-4, 5-0
Big Horn 21-6, 4-1
Tongue River 18-11, 3-2
Pine Bluffs 17-12, 2-3
Moorcroft 7-18, 1-4
Wright 3-23, 0-5
Read More Girls Basketball News from WyoPreps
WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls State Basketball Scoreboard 2026
WyoPreps 3A-4A Girls Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026
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WyoPreps 1A-2A Girls Regional Basketball Scoreboard 2026
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3A West: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cody 24-0, 10-0
Lander 21-4, 9-1
Pinedale 20-5, 7-3
Powell 16-9, 6-4
Lovell 16-10, 4-6
Worland 9-16, 2-8
Lyman 10-11, 2-8
Mountain View 4-19, 0-10
3A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Wheatland 22-4, 10-0
Buffalo 13-11, 8-2
Douglas 14-11, 6-4
Burns 16-13, 5-5
Torrington 10-11, 5-5
Glenrock 12-13, 3-7
Newcastle 1-22, 1-9
Rawlins 2-21, 0-10
4A Northwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Green River 23-2, 6-0
Natrona County 9-16, 4-2
Kelly Walsh 8-15, 2-4
Rock Springs 5-20, 0-6
4A Southwest: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Star Valley 16-7, 5-1
Evanston 16-10, 5-1
Riverton 7-19, 1-5
Jackson 3-19, 1-5
4A East: (Overall Record, followed by Conference Record)
Cheyenne East 21-3, 11-1
Cheyenne Central 16-9, 10-2
Sheridan 14-10, 7-5
Thunder Basin 14-10, 6-6
Laramie 12-11, 6-6
Campbell County 1-19, 1-10
Cheyenne South 1-21, 0-11
*The second Campbell County-Cheyenne South girls’ game was canceled.
Wyoming 3A Boys Swimming & Diving State Championships 2026
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Gallery Credit: Courtesy: Marcello Monterastelli Photography & Jared Newland, WHSAA
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