East Central Wyoming, of which Lusk is the hub, is rich in historical lore. This section was the rendezvous of the early trappers and traders. During the Civil War period a sizeable army of Confederate prisoners, known as "Galvanized Yankees," explored this section under command of Union Officers and camped near the site of Lusk on Running Water (later called Niobrara River). During the Black Hills gold rush, which started in the middle 1870?s, this section was an important stopping place where prospectors, highjackers, and hangers-on paused to refresh and rest themselves and their weary livestock. When the Cheyenne & Black Hills Stage Line was established in 1876, the Running Water station, near the present site of Lusk, was the most important station between Cheyenne and the Black Hills. Cattle barons came here to inspect trail herds on their way from Texas to the northern ranges. When the railroad tapped Eastern Wyoming in 1886, the town of Silver Cliff moved over on the railroad and the town of Lusk really came into being and has since enjoyed a steady growth in wealth and importance, which was climaxed by the discovery of rich oil pools in the Lance Creek region in 1919. Uranium was first discovered in Wyoming at the Silver Cliff mine which had been worked as a silver mine thirty years earlier and uranium metals were found at the dump of the old mine. The only evidence which the traveler may encounter to bring back memories of pioneer days is the Texas Trail Monument, located a few miles east of Lusk on U. S. Highway 20 and the George Lathrop Monument two miles west of Lusk on the same highway, which was erected by popular subscription to mark the final resting place of George Lathrop, one of the early drivers and the last one to drive a stage over the famous Cheyenne-Deadwood stage road. The Texas Trail Monument marks the trail over which thousands of cattle passed on their long trek from Texas and Mexico to the summer ranges in Wyoming and Montana. These monuments, an old Cheyenne-Deadwood concord Stage Coach in the Lusk Museum and the deep ruts made by passing stage coaches are the only surviving evidence of the Pioneer days to be seen today. The tell-tale ruts may be found a few miles west of Lusk on or near the Niobrara Country Club golf course, and in the sand rock in the " Brakes" north of Lusk where the heavily laden coaches passed on their way to old Fort Hat Creek and on through Red Canyon to Deadwood and return.

Niobrara County is an unusually rich area for the archaeologists and paleontologist. Since the turn of the century many unusual discoveries have been made. The "rock hound" will find here a productive field for his hobby particularly in the "Spanish Diggings" area in the southwestern part of the county. This is an old quarry where early man made arrow heads and stone implements. It is thought to be much older than the Indian times.

Niobrara County is a rich area for the fossil hunter. Among the skeletons of pre-historic animals on display in numerous museums is a Mesohippus in the geology museum at the University of Wyoming. The Mesohippus is a pint-sized (21 inches at the shoulder) three toed forerunner of the present day horse. The teeth are very low indicating that he shunned Dobbin?s favorite diet of grass for a diet of soft leaves. The Mesohippus was found north of Lusk by Dr. Paul O. McGrew, associate professor of geology and Henry Roehler, a student assistant in the museum. The world's oldest mummy, a Billed Dinosaur, was found in Niobrara County in 1907. In its report the American Museum of Natural History of New York stated "The remarkable feature about this find is the fact that it is the only specimen of a prehistoric creature where the skin remains intact. The epidermis is shrunken around the limbs, tightly drawn along its bony surface and contracted like a great curtain below the chest area. The discovery of this specimen disclosed the fact that although attaining a height of fifteen to sixteen feet and a length of thirty the trachodons were not covered with scales of a bony protecting armature, but with the dermal scutes of relatively small size."

Oil is Niobrara County's greatest resource. With a total assessed valuation for taxation purposes amounting to $18,000.000, nearly half in oil and oil-producing property principally in the Lance Creek field, which is one of the largest producing fields in the state, development of which began in 1934. This field is approximately 30 miles northwest of Lusk and may be reached by oiled highway from Manville north or by another off of Highway 85 north of Lusk. Though not an incorporated village, the scattered Lance Creek community of company camps and business sections is Niobrara County's second largest community. It has a fine school with a new gymnasium built in 1952. A Community Church and a Catholic Church serve the field. Other sections of Niobrara County still hold great attraction for oil exploration.

Well-stocked ranches dot the County in all directions, making Niobrara County one of the principal stock producing areas of the state. The Lusk Livestock Commission Company is one of the largest livestock marketing centers in the Rocky Mountain Region. Range livestock production is the major agricultural enterprise of the county though recent years have seen a great increase in the amount of dry-land farming of small grain. There is also an increasing amount of irrigation farming with water supplied from wells. Some of the finest herds of Hereford and Black Angus cattle and numerous breeds of sheep will be seen as one travels across the County in any direction. Niobrara ranches are examples of the most modern living. In recent years a network of rural electric lines has brought great advantages to both the ranch home and to the activities of farming and ranching. Ranching methods are being constantly improved and the quality of both sheep and cattle is at an all-time high. Many fine registered herds of both cattle and sheep are found here, herds that have made outstanding records in the various shows and sales. In 1944 the Central Hereford Association, composed mostly of Niobrara County breeders, was organized and holds sales each spring and fall at Lusk. The Niobrara sheep breeders hold fall sales. Niobrara County native grass has become famous among livestock buyers for the finish it gives cattle. Pioneer cattlemen noticed in the early days that native grass animals roaming this area were unusually good flesh and followed that cue in selecting rangeland for cattle. Great progress has also been made in dry-land farming methods, and where a few years ago only a few car loads of grain were shipped from Lusk, now 30 or 40 are loaded out annually. The strip farming will be seen in many places by the traveler. The County maintains agriculture and home demonstration agents.

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