National Register of Historic Places

Names Hill

La Barge, Lincoln County, Wyoming
Listed
April 15, 1969
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
69000193

About this property

Names Hill is a bluff located on the bank of the Green River in the U.S. state of Wyoming, where travelers on the Oregon and California trails carved their names into the rock. It is one of three notable "recording areas" along the emigrant trails in Wyoming along with Register Cliff and Independence Rock. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 16, 1969. Names Hill was located near a heavily used crossing of the Green River. The earliest human recordings at the site are Native American pictographs. European American names began appearing as early as 1822 as mountain men crossed the river on their way to the beaver streams of the Western Rocky Mountains. In 1844, Caleb Greenwood and Isaac Hitchcock lead the first wagon train over what would later be called the Sublette-Greenwood Cutoff along the way crossing the Green River at Names Hill. The wagon trains would rest at the Green River following a 40-mile (64 km) waterless trek across the prairie, providing an opportunity for travelers to add their names to the hill. Among the more famous names inscribed on the rock is famed mountain man Jim Bridger. Some have disputed the authenticity of the signature as Bridger was thought to have been illiterate. Keyser, James D.; Poetschat, George R. (2005). Warrior Art of Wyoming's Green River Basin. Portland, Ore.: Oregon Archaeological Society. ISBN 978-0-9764804-1-9. Kelly, Charles (1933). List of Emigrants' Names Carved on "Names Hill" and "Holden Hill" on Green River, Wyoming. Names Hill State Historic Site Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails Names Hill Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office

Location

La Barge, Lincoln County, Wyoming
42.15077, -110.18517

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

ETD Bridge over Green River
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Penney, J. C., House
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30.5 mi
Penney, J. C., Historic District
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30.5 mi
US Post Office-Kemmerer Main
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30.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Names Hill listed on the National Register?

Names Hill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 15, 1969.

What type of historic resource is Names Hill?

Names Hill is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Names Hill?

The period of significance for Names Hill is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Names Hill?

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