Contact: Heather Jolley, 307-469-2234; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Grand Reopening of Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site's Interpretive History Cabin

HYATTVILLE, Wyo. – May 21, 2025 – Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources is excited to announce the reopening of the Interpretive History Cabin at Medicine Lodge State Archaeological Site. Join us with family and friends at the park on Saturday, June 7, to celebrate.

The Interpretive History Cabin has been closed for the past two years due to water damage from flash flooding and heavy snow melt.  The Division of Wyoming State Parks' Central Construction Office crew lifted the historic building to replace and raise the foundation to help mitigate water damage from future flood events.  The bottom sill logs were replaced, new flooring was installed, and Medicine Lodge's site staff has now finished installing all the interpretive panels and displays.

"We are very excited to have this project completed," said Heather Jolley, park superintendent of Medicine Lodge. "Our visitors have long awaited to explore the site's history in this interpretive cabin, which focuses on archaeology."  Medicine Lodge is full of life history that covers the past 10,000 years.  Last year, the newest addition to the park opened, the Medicine Lodge Cultural Experience, which gives visitors an idea of what life could have been like over those thousands of years.  Jolley added, "Since the opening of the Cultural Experience, over 1,800 people have taken the journey back through time.  With the reopening of the interpretive history cabin, visitors can read about modern-day practices for discovering the past and then experience the past themselves."

The celebration will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 7. It will feature "Expert" tables hosted by programs within the Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources umbrella. One table will highlight archaeology, staffed by Michael Page, senior archaeologist of the Office of the Wyoming State Archaeologist. The other will focus on the reconstruction of the cabin, with Cole Horton, supervisor of the Central Construction Office, available to share insights. Visitors are encouraged to stop by the tables to ask questions and learn more about each topic. Site staff will serve Dutch-oven desserts, while supplies last, and the first 150 visitors will receive a commemorative sticker.