Our view: Adobe Town should be made a national park

In the past, we’ve published pieces in this space supporting coal and wishing for it to return to prominence as an economic generator in Southwest Wyoming. As the years roll on, that’s looking less and less likely.

While many local leaders continue to work on making the Middle Baxter Road industrial complex dream a reality, there’s a saying of not putting all of one’s eggs into a single basket. While mineral extraction, specifically trona extraction, will likely be a big economic generator in Sweetwater Count for the foreseeable future, a healthy economy is a diversified economy and minerals shouldn’t be the only focus our leaders have for the county’s economy.

Tourism is a major player during the summer months, especially as Sweetwater County is generally marketed as a stopping off point for travelers on trips to Wyoming’s famous national parks or as they pass through the state. National parks in particular are a source of revenue for any nearby community and are a source of pride for residents across the state. With that in mind, we think our leaders should start lobbying to designate Adobe Town as a national park.

For those who have been to Adobe Town, the place is the definition of what a national park should be. Tall, picturesque rock outcroppings surrounded by badlands and dotted with canyons, Adobe Town and the surrounding areas provide a person with vistas rarely matched anywhere else in the United States. The area’s name comes from how the rock formations resemble adobe structures seen in the Southwestern United States. Historically speaking, there’s more than 12,000 years of human habitation recorded in the area. More recently, the area was used by Butch Cassidy as a place to store horses for the Tipton train robbery.

The area is beautiful and should have more attention that it already has.

The development of a national park would help protect the area and showcase it to the county’s visitors for generations to come. It would also provide a seasonal economic generator to Sweetwater County that doesn’t already exist.

There are other unique and spectacular places in Sweetwater County, but Adobe Town is a crown jewel of of Sweetwater County’s beautiful places. It deserves to be showcased and the area can benefit from it.