A Romantic Old Wyoming Map Showed The Way

Have you ever wondered what maps of Wyoming looked like before we had the internet or the modern printing press?

It turns out you can have one framed on your wall, so you can admire and explore it anytime you want.

The map is called “History and Romance of Wyoming.”

It was created in 1928 by Grace Raymond Hebard, a well-known historian, suffragist, scholar, and writer.

Hebard served as a professor at the University of Wyoming for 28 years and was the first female member of the UW Board of Trustees.

Historic Wyoming landmarks on the map include The Old Oregon Trail, The Overland Trail, Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, Devils Tower, Yellowstone National Park, Fremont Peak, Washakie’s Buffalo Hunting Grounds, and more.

Reproductions of the map are available at this link.

Hebard's map highlights female accomplishments such as the first crossing of the Rockies by a white woman in 1836.

She specified it was the first crossing by a white woman as it is likely that a woman of an indigenous tribe crossed the Rockies much earlier.

The words “We Must March” are written underneath.

Hebard spent years exploring Wyoming’s high plains and mountains seeking first-hand accounts of the early pioneers.

She also worked as the only female engineer and draftswoman at the surveyor general’s office, giving her the skill and knowledge needed to create this historic map.

Her playful stories of the area add the “romance”, with whimsical notes included throughout the map.

There are maps that go back farther than this and are perfect for displaying.

Follow this link to find out more.

This helps satisfy our curiosity about what was out there and how people traveled before the invention of the modern automobile.