Wyoming's Wildlife - Weston County, WY
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 43° 55.337 W 104° 10.883
13T E 565717 N 4863566
Marker at a roadside turnout
Waymark Code: WMPJPQ
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 09/09/2015
Views: 9
County of marker: Weston County
location of marker: US 85, Salt Creek Overlook, 7 miles N. of Newcastle
marker erected by: Wyoming's Wildlife & National Forest Service
Marker text:
WYOMING'S WILDLIFE
SALT CREEK OVERLOOK
the Black Hills, named after the dark green carpet of pines that cover the hills, are a geological wonder. Covering some 125 miles north to south and 65 miles east to west, the Hills rise 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the Red Valley floor. Below you are the Salt and Beaver creeks where the bur oak grows. Above the valley floor, ponderosa pine and aspen groves cling to the limestone cliffs, clay soil and red sandstone.
History, geology and wildlife are alive and well in the Salt Creek Valley. The Sioux believed the Great Spirit lived in these hills. Pioneers came here to mine for coal and oil. Small towns, like nearby Cambria, sprang up as fast as they were deserted. Tales of gunfights, stage robberies and gambling are kept alive by those who never left.
White-Tailed deer roam through the pines and aspen. Wild turkeys scratch through leaves and needles along the creek bottoms, in search of acorns and seeds. Brought here from New Mexico in 1948, turkeys are now the most widespread game bird in northeastern Wyoming. These shy, elusive birds don't let humans get too close. At night, they roost in treetops and at daybreak return to the ground to forage. Watch closely and you could see one of these magnificent birds.