This Wyoming Small Town Has A Long, Fascinating History

Glenrock, Wyoming sits just far enough off Interstate 25 that most folks passing by only see the sign and have no idea what's down there by the river.

If they bothered to drive off the highway, they would see one of the cutest little towns in Wyoming nestled along the Platte River.

Glenrock was always a highway town

In a prehistoric time, dinosaurs passed through the area we now call Glenrock. Their bones are still being discovered.

The indigenous people of the area used the area as a natural throughway along the Laramie Mountain Range.

Then came the Oregon Trail.

Deer Creek Station was built on the site of present-day Glenrock near the confluence of Deer Creek and the North Platte River.

In its heyday, it was a familiar landmark along the Oregon-California-Mormon Trail between 1857 and 1866.

The station began with Joseph Bissonette’s Trading Post, also known as Dakota City. The mountain man’s store, post office, blacksmith shop, corrals, and hotel saloon, served the needs of a variety of visitors.

It was a critical location for the Oregon Trail, Pony Express, and Overland Telegraph. The station was burned down in 1864 and abandoned.

The Oregon-California Trails Association has created this video of what is known of Deer Creek Station.

As the town grew it was subject to the occasional Indian attack.

In 1887 the railroad arrived and helped the coal miners and the area was booming.

On September 27, 1923, the washout of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad's bridge over Cole Creek caused a passenger train to fall through the washout, killing 30 of the train's 66 passengers. This marked the worst railroad accident in Wyoming's history.

Because of its location, Glenrock is one of the most historic towns in  Wyoming.

But most people today have no idea.

The video below by Wyoming PBS will give you a more detailed history of the town.

Today the town is quiet and sleepy.

The folks there like it that way.

It's considered the perfect town to raise a family.

A couple of years ago some writer for a New York City newspaper wrote about how sorry they felt for people who live in small Wyoming towns.

Really?

So I wrote a comparison, NYC VS Glenrock.

I've lived in small towns. I've lived in major cities. Both have their advantages, but I do get a little sick of hearing from some snobbish city dwellers that they feel sorry for those who live in western small towns- in states like Wyoming.

Schools

Folks in New York City seem to think that rural schools would have to be inferior. If that's the case then why are so many people pulling their kids out of failed city schools and moving to small-town school districts? NYC schools often suffer problems of bullying, teacher's unions, violence, and overcrowding.

Glenrock, Wyoming schools might have the occasional scuffle between growing boys behind the gym after class, but that's about it.

Folks in NYC tend to think small-town people are undereducated. But small-town people attend major universities just the same as any other state. Since major city schools are so bad I'd say there are more under-educated dropouts in NYC than in Glenrock, Wyoming.

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Crime

NYC, like all major cities, has high violent crime and murder rates. America watches nightly riots, looting, and gang violence.

A Glenrock police deputy tested his lights and sirens the other day just to see if they still worked. It has been so long since the townspeople heard that noise that their kids freaked out.

Traffic

In NYC a commute can take over an hour to drive which should take just a few minutes. The gridlock is beyond frustrating. Drivers experience constant accidents, limited parking, and tolls everywhere. If you own a car in NYC you'll need to rent a parking space in a garage to keep it. That will cost you about $425 a month on average. 

In Glenrock folks can park on the curb, free of charge. Plus every home and apartment has its own driveway.

The only traffic problem Glenrock, Wyoming has is when the antelope decides to hang out in the middle of town.

Directions in Glenrock are easy. There is one, four-way stop in town. No traffic light. If you ask directions everyone will tell you to go to the 4-way stop and --- from there...

Homelessness and Garbage

NYC has garbage, dirty needles, and drug addicts lining the sidewalks. Don't even get me started on their rat problem. NYC and other major cities actually pay teams of people to scrape up human poop from the sidewalks.

Glenrock has the occasional dead skunk in the road and a little deer poop. The deer poop is actually good for the lawn.

New Yorkers don't have lawns.

Cost of living

Want to buy a small apartment in NYC? According to the Corcoran Group, the real estate brokerage, the median price of a simple two-bedroom apartment in Manhattan is now $916,000. The median price of a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan is $710,000

Here is a 5 Bed 3 Bath 4,434 Sq Ft house in Glenrock for $549,000.

Taxes

In NYC people pay about 51% of their income in taxes.

In comparison, Glenrock has VERY LOW taxes and Wyoming doesn't have a state income tax.

People

Don't make eye contact and say hello to someone in NYC. Like in all other cities that's considered creepy.

In Glenrock, people say hello to strangers they pass. Heck, they even raise two fingers to strangers driving the other way on a back highway.

Politics

NYC politicians are corrupt and stupid. What does that say about the people who keep electing them?

NYC is run by organized crime.

Glenrock Wyoming is run by Councilwoman AnnaBelle "Boots" Faunce who tells it like it is down at the Classic Café. (Yes, that is a real person and a real place). When Annabelle is busy with the grandkids everyone refers to Margaret. 

Lifestyle and Careers 

Some ignorant and ungrateful people in NYC think small-town people are stupid for choosing the work they do. What they don't realize is that their city lifestyle would not be possible if those small-town people in Glenrock were not producing food, energy, and all the materials they use for everything else the city has.

Glenrock has fresh air. That air is not filled by the sounds of traffic and sirens 24/7.

I quit scoring a while ago. I think we see who's won here.