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Lying between the Wind River Indian Reservation and infamous Togwotee Pass is the quaint, rustic town of Dubois (DEW-boys). The first settlers wanted to call it "Never Sweat" because of the lack of hard work with some of the settlers, but the federal government named the town Dubois after an Idaho Senator. Dubois runs alongside the Wind River and is surrounded by the Wind River Mountains to the south and the Absaroka Mountains to the North. 
All these mountains make for good logging and so the forests were heavily logged in the first half of the twentieth century to help meet the endless demand for railroad ties to the Chicago and Northwest railroad. Scandinavian Paul Bunyan types known as tie hacks could cut and shape about thirty ties a day, burning about 9000 calories in the process and earning a mere ten cents a tie.
Today, Dubois is a popular stop for visitors traveling to Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Recreational opportunities in the Dubois area include camping, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, hiking, photography and many selections of guest ranches and outfitters. Although summer travel is a large economic part of Dubois, there are many winter activities as well. The Dubois area has more than 150 miles of groomed snowmobile trails and access to the Continental Divide trail. Ice fishing, cross country skiing and the Brooks Lake Lodge dog sledding rides are also popular winter activities. Big Game and the National Big Horn Sheep Center
Dubois is a region which hosts a vast variety of wildlife. People from afar visit this area to see some of Wyoming's most diverse big game. Big game species include bighorn sheep, elk, mule deer, moose, antelope and black bear. Cougar and grizzly bears are occasionally sighted, as are wolves. To the south of Dubois lies Whisky Mountain which is home to Wyoming's big horn sheep and several elk herds during the winter, although many more elk take up winter residence on the Wyoming Game and Fish Department's Inberg-Roy management area on the East Fork of the Wind River. Dubois is home to the largest wintering bighorn sheep herd in the Lower 48. Since 1949, more than 2,000 sheep have been transplanted to Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, New Mexico and to other areas of Wyoming from the herd on Whiskey Mountain.
Brooks LakeLocated 20 miles west of Dubois, and about 7 miles off the main highway, Brooks Lake is located at the base of Brooks Lake Mountain. Brooks Lake Lodge was built in 1922 to serve as a stopover for the many tourists passing through the area on their way to Yellowstone. It is listed in the National Historic Register. The lake, lodge and mountain were named after one of Wyoming's former governors, Bryant B. Brooks.Trail Lake RanchTrail Lake Ranch, also called Whiskey Mountain Conservation Camp, still is owned by Wyoming Game and Fish. The facility is leased and programs are run by the Lucius Burch Center at Trail Lake Ranch, which continues the ranch's long education history. Surrounded by sagebrush hills, massive mountain peaks and a conifer forest, Trail Lake Ranch provides the perfect outdoor classroom for exploring the natural world with expert guides. Just outside our door, high in the northern Wind River Mountains near Dubois, Wyoming, rise the Fitzpatrick Wilderness and the Shoshone National Forest, one million acres waiting to be studied, explored and enjoyed. Visit www.traillakeranch.org for more information.Besides a beautiful setting, Trail Lake also boasts some large elaborate pictographs, probably some of the oldest in Wyoming. 
Some images are courtesy of the Wind River Visitor's Council. Please visit them at www.wind-river.org. |
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