Tom Sun Ranch, also known as Sun Ranch, is a historic site along the old

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

and

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

trails, about 6 mi (9.7 km) west of Independence Rock, Wyoming on

Wyoming Highway 220 Wyoming Highway 220 (WYO 220) is the principal highway connecting the city of Casper, Wyoming, Casper to US 287/WYO 789. WYO 220 lies in northwestern Carbon County, Wyoming, Carbon and southern Natrona County, Wyoming, Natrona counties and along t ...

History

The ranch's builder, Thomas Du Beau Soleil (Tom Sun), was a French-Canadian

frontiersman A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a Border, boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that ...

who later became a pioneer cattleman. During the 1870s and 1880s, the ranch was typical of many medium-sized ranching operations in cattle country. In 1882, ''The Cheyenne Daily Leader'', remarked that "the eastern person of inquiring turn of mind who writes to his friends out west to ask what a ranch is like would find his answer in a description of Tom Sun's." The ranch site was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

on December 19, 1960. and At the time of its nomination as a landmark it was one of the best preserved ranches from the cattle ranging period and was in size.

Recent development and renovations

The ranch remained in the Sun family for four generations until 1996 when it was sold to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. Since that time some of the ranch buildings have been transformed into a visitors' center for nearby

Martin's Cove Martin's Cove is a historic site in Wyoming. The 933 acre (3.8 km²) cove is located 55 miles (89 km) southwest of Casper, Wyoming, in Natrona County. It is located on the Mormon Trail and is also part of the North Platte- Sweetwater ...

, an important

historic site. Structures on the site have been stabilized and repaired, but the setting has been impacted by the development of

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

s and landscape designs not consistent with the original historic setting. However, large portions of the landmark area, particularly sections in public ownership, continue to retain their historic integrity.

References

External links

Tom Sun Ranch National Historic Landmark
at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office {{DEFAULTSORT:Sun, Tom, Ranch Buildings and structures in Natrona County, Wyoming Mormon Trail National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming Oregon Trail Ranches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming National Register of Historic Places in Natrona County, Wyoming

History

Recent development and renovations

See also

References

External links