About Our Site - Register Cliff Historic Site
 

Register Cliff State Historic Site (RCSHS) represents one of the best “trail registers in the desert.” Countless emigrants inscribed their names, dates, places of origin and messages into the soft sandstone cliffs. During the peak of the westward movement of the 1840’s and 1850’s, Register Cliff was an important landmark along the California, Oregon and Mormon trails. Situated a day’s travel west of Fort Laramie, the Register Cliff area was an important stopover and resting area for weary travelers to set up camp, to rest, and to pasture their animals. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 wagon train activity along the trails diminished.

In 1880 cattleman Charles Guernsey established his ranch at the base of Register Cliff. The Guernsey Cattle Company would operate in the area until 1926. Subsequently the Henry Frederick family would settle in the area where the family ranching activities continue to this today. Henry Frederick gifted the Register Cliff to the State of Wyoming in 1932. In 1970 the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The RCSHS area is managed and operated by Guernsey State Park.