Discover 7 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Douglas (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Ayres Natural Bridge Park, Christ Episcopal Church and Rectory, and Douglas City Hall. Also, be sure to include College Inn Bar in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Douglas (Wyoming).
Table of Contents
Ayres Natural Bridge Park
County park in Converse County, Wyoming. Ayres Natural Bridge Park is a county park in Converse County, Wyoming in the United States. It occupies 150 acres between the towns Glenrock and Douglas about 6 kilometers south of Interstate 25 exit 151. The park's name is derived from the rock formation of the same name. Ayres is the surname of the family who donated the land which had been part of their ranch.
Over the course of millions of years, a bend in LaPrele Creek (originally known as Bridge Creek) wore away at a wall of solid rock, creating a natural opening. The creek eventually shifted course through the opening, forming a 30-foot (10 m) high and 50-foot (15 m) wide arch, today known as Ayres Natural Bridge, from sandstones of the Casper Formation.
Located about a mile (2 km) south of the Oregon Trail, the Natural Bridge was often visited by emigrants traveling west. It is considered one of Wyoming's first tourist attractions. In 1843, a pioneer described it as "a natural bridge of solid rock, over a rapid torrent, the arch being regular as tho' shaped by art."
The park is free to visit. There is a small campground in the park, as well as open picnic areas and covered tables. It is opened from April 15 through October 15, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. with registered campers allowed to stay overnight. No pets are allowed in the park.
At the park entrance, the old power house, a gray concrete building from the early 1900s build by North Platte Irrigation Company to supply power to pump water from North Platte River for irrigation is still preserved. The company went bankrupt before the project was completed.[1]
Address: 208 Natural Bridge Road, Douglas
Christ Episcopal Church and Rectory
Christ Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located at 4th and Center Streets in Douglas, Wyoming. Built in 1898, the church is the oldest church in Douglas as well as the only wooden church remaining in the city. G.W.G. Van Winkle designed the church in the Gothic Revival style. The church's design features a bell tower, a steep roof, lancet windows with stained glass, and external buttresses. In addition to its religious function, the church has also hosted community and volunteer groups and social activities.
The church, together with its rectory, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[2]
Douglas City Hall
The Douglas City Hall is the historic city hall located at 130 S. Third St. in Douglas, Wyoming. The building was constructed from 1915 to 1916 to serve as Douglas' center of government. Architect William Norman Bowman, who also designed the Weld County Courthouse in Greeley, Colorado, designed the building in the Georgian Revival style. The brick building's design features a broken pediment over its front entrance supported by pilasters. The building includes a room on the second floor designed to house meetings of local civic groups; the Douglas Good Roads Club, which later became the Chamber of Commerce, was the first group to use the room extensively. The Douglas government moved out of the building in 1989, and it is now a commercial property.
The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 1994.[3]
College Inn Bar
The College Inn Bar is the oldest established business in Douglas, Wyoming and Converse County to survive in its original location. Established in 1906 by Theodore Pringle, succeeding an 1887 bar known as "Lee Pringle's." The 1906 structure is a two-story masonry building, occupying the site of the frame Pringle's bar, which was moved two blocks away and which still survives.
The College Inn Bar is a rectangular two story masonry building with 25 feet (7.6 m) of street frontage, and 100 feet (30 m) deep. The bar, made by the Brunswick-Balke Calendar Company of Chicago, features elaborate woodwork, with a mirrored marble and wood backbar. The mirrors were painted with western scenes in 1953. The barroom features taxidermy mounts and an arched vision screen with stained glass inserts, crowned by two stuffed golden eagles. Beyond the barroom is a lounge that used to feature ten curtained private booths, removed during Prohibition. The lounge retains call buttons and painted murals.
The second floor originally had nine elaborately-furnished guest rooms, with a tenth room for gambling. The building's structure incorporates railroad steel and steel cables in an early attempt at reinforced concrete. The basement served as a storeroom for liquor and beer.
The College Inn Bar was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 1979.[4]
Morton Mansion
The Morton Mansion was built in 1903 in Douglas, Wyoming for the family of John Morton. Morton was a sheep rancher who also served as an elected official, banker and civic leader in Douglas. The house was designed by Wyoming architect William DuBois.[5]
Jenne Block
Jenne Block is a two-story brick commercial building in downtown Douglas, Wyoming. It is described as the most ornate commercial building in Douglas, with extensive terra cotta detailing. It was built for rancher and businessman Jacob Jenne by contractor Edward A. Reavill in 1916. The building housed a bank and the local Douglas Enterprise newspaper, as well as professional offices.[6]
United States Post Office
Post office in Douglas, Wyoming. The Douglas Main Post Office in Douglas, Wyoming, United States, was built in 1909 as part of a facilities improvement program by the United States Post Office Department. The post office in Douglas was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as part of a thematic study comprising twelve Wyoming post offices built to standardized USPO plans in the early twentieth century.[7]