Even Jack the Jackalope was excited early June when the Railroad Museum, housed at the Converse County Tourism & Visitor Center, officially opened. City officials, local dignitaries and community members gathered to celebrate the occasion.
The Depot, built in 1887, was one of Douglas' first buildings and central to much of the community's history. It's the perfect location to talk about progression of the rail, and the trials and the tribulations that accompanied our nation's westward expansion.
Immediately following the completion of the depot Douglas saw an epidemic of
typhoid fever
and the worst winter in a generation, and the railroad decided to push on to
Casper
for its terminus. The town's population declined from 1600 in 1886 to 900 in 1888. By 1891
Owen Wister
reported that Douglas had a population of about 350. However, by 1910 Douglas had 2,246 residents and hosted the
Wyoming State Fair
.
The Railroad Museum is surrounded by Locomotive Park, home to a collection of historic railcars.
"No other community has anything like this," says Enterprise Executive Director Cindy Porter. "We see this effort as an opportunity to entice more visitors into Converse County and the Douglas community, and to continually improve and enhance our downtown area."