From Point A to Point B

As people traveled west along the Oregon Trail and other trails, they had one thing on their minds, getting from point A to Point B…most of the time anyway. Most travelers on the Oregon Trail never strayed from their route unless they had to. That usually meant a breakdown or a sick traveler or a death. Nevertheless, once in a while, some sight would catch the eye of a traveler, or maybe they just wondered where a trail might lead, if they just went around the next bend. Whatever the case may be, they would stray off the trail a little way and find something amazing.

Eventually, some of the travelers found their way to a little spot about two miles south of the Oregon Trail, about 12 miles southwest of present-day Douglas, in Converse County, Wyoming. In that place, La Prele Creek flows under a large, natural arch of limestone. To add to the beauty, a dam was constructed a short way farther upstream in the early 1900s. At around the same time a modern road was built to the site. Before all the improvements, visitors to the natural bridge had to climb down steep canyon walls and fight their way through heavy brush on the canyon floor. At that point, few people bothered, because it was just too hard to get there. For that reason, there are only a handful of accounts from that era, but from those accounts, it became clear the place left a permanent impression on those who visited the site.

The travelers who took the trip were in awe of the natural bridge that they found at the end of their long trek. All of them thought that the site was one of the most amazing places they had seen in a long time. One reporter named Matthew Field published the story of his visit to the site, including how difficult it was to get there. Nevertheless, he also told of just how “worth it” the trip was. He also mentioned that he and Sir William Drummond Stewart, who had shown him the place decided to call the creek “Bridge Creek.”

Many visitors came to visit the site over the years, but in 1910, rancher Alvah Ayres won a patent on the land. Since that time, the place has been called Ayers Natural Bridge and in 1919, his Ayers’ son donated the land to Converse County. These days it is a county park, open from April 15th to October 15th. It is a popular picnic site for many people. It is a free site and popular with rafters, waders, hikers, bicyclists, and fishermen. It is also a favorite site for outdoor weddings and company picnics. There are also a limited number of camping spots. Dogs, however, are not welcome. The site is to be kept pristine.