One of the most fun parts of a road trip is stopping at roadside attractions, and Wyoming has plenty of oddities and unique features scattered across the great state. If you’re out for a drive in Carbon County, be sure to stop by Encampment, home of the Grand Encampment Museum. You’ll find one of the most diverse collections of historic artifacts, clothing, and items from mining camps in the state. This museum of history is distinctive for the unexpected things you’ll see there such as a stuffed dog (we’re talking taxidermy, not a plush toy), a two-story outhouse, and Noah’s Ark, though the museum makes no claims that it is the original biblical boat.
The Grand Encampment Museum is at 807 Barnett Avenue in Grand Encampment.
Carbon County was a copper mining area back in the day but, before the railroad came this far west, trams were used to transport ore from the mines in the mountains to the smelter in Encampment over 16 miles away. Tramway towers with ore buckets hanging from the cables still stand on the grounds today.
The ground floor of this two-story outhouse is easily accessible in the summer, but adding on the second story was a necessity because of the deep snow drifts in the winter.
In life, Teddy belonged to Hettie Kyner, a seamstress who lived in Encampment around 1901. Hettie loved Teddy so much that she couldn't bear to part with him after he was hit by a wagon. He now sits eternal watch at the Grand Encampment Museum.
The museum hosts several fund raising events throughout the season such as book signings, speaker events, and a spring tea and fashion show featuring clothes fashioned by Hettie Kyner herself.
