Last updated: January 24, 2023
Place
Register Cliff Historic Site
Quick Facts
Location:
vicinity of Guernsey, Wyoming
Significance:
Soft, chalky limestone rock made it easy for emigrants to inscribe their names into the cliff
Designation:
Wyoming State Historic Site
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
4 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Picnic Table, Restroom, Trailhead
A map of Passport and Places to Go locations for National Historic Trails.
Following a day's journey from Fort Laramie, emigrants spent the night at Register Cliff, which rises one hundred feet above the North Platte River valley. The soft, chalky limestone rock made it easy for emigrants to inscribe their names into the cliff before continuing on their journey. The earliest signatures date to the late 1820s when trappers and fur traders passed through the area. Most of the names visible today were carved during the 1840s and 1850s, when the Oregon Trail was at its height.
Site Information
Location (vicinity of Guernsey, Wyoming)
Today, visitors can walk along the cliff base to view the signatures up close. The cliff is defaced with modern graffiti, but the historical inscriptions at the east end (left end as you face the cliff) are protected by a tall wire fence. The historic site also contains a pioneer cemetery with several graves.