Elizabeth Ramsey Chapter, NSDAR
Wheatland, Wyoming
Training New Leaders Since 1925
The Elizabeth Ramsey Chapter, founded on April 18, 1925, is honored to bear the name of a young woman whose father and brothers served with General Washington at Valley Forge. Visiting them, Elizabeth saw the need for clothing and comfort. Upon her return home, she organized the women of her community into an aid society to knit caps and mittens for the men of the camp. She fearlessly carried the articles to the men at Valley Forge, making her trips at night to avoid the British camped along the roadside. The Elizabeth Ramsey Chapter has over members, including the current State Regent and State Librarian.
The Cheyenne and Northern Railway line reached the Wheatland Flats in July 1887. The town was incorporated in 1905 and became the county seat of Platte County when it was formed in 1911. The Wyoming Development Company eventually became the Wheatland Irrigation District, with a public board that is still administering irrigation projects in Platte County today. Rare earth mineral deposits have recently been discovered near Wheatland, with the potential to become one of the world’s richest deposits.
Interesting places to visit in the Wheatland/ Chugwater area include the Oregon Trail Ruts National Landmark; Register Cliffs, which is marked by the names of many immigrants who followed the Oregon Trail; and Fort Laramie National Historical Site, a military post on the Oregon Trail that was in operation from June 16, 1849 to March 2, 1890. Other interesting historic sites along the Oregon Trail are designated with historical markers, including the Horseshoe Creek Pony Express and U.S. Military Telegraph and Stage Station near Glendo that was built in 1860 and the recently marked Box Elder / Alder-Clump Meadow burial site.