Small Home – Big Yard

KOA Kampground, Douglas, WY

The Douglas KOA has gone all out with food, entertainment and learning options for our eclipse weekend.  Starting Friday evening, they are hosting dinners and breakfasts through Monday morning. There’s evening entertainment, a beer garden and even a lecture on the science of an eclipse including NASA brochures, dark sky maps and eclipse glasses.

On Sunday they have chartered a school bus and arranged for private visits to some of the most significant sites in Douglas.  Our day starts at Ft. Fetterman, located a few miles north of Douglas. This 1867 fort helped protect those traveling the Bozeman Trail.  While most of the wooden structures were destroyed for fuel, two restored buildings representing the officers quarters and an ordnance warehouse provide some interesting insight of life on these northern Wyoming plains.

Ft. Fetterman, Douglas, WY

Our next stop is at Camp Douglas, a prisoner of war camp established during World War II.  Italian and German POWs were held here due to over crowding of prisons in Europe and Northern Africa. These camps were built in specific “safe” areas of the US.  Douglas qualified due to it’s remoteness, access to the rail line and the communities willingness to host military personal as well as the prisoners.

Leaving town, we travel about 15 miles west to Ayres Natural Bridge Park, a beautiful park on La Prele Creek and then on to the LaPrele Station Pony Express site.  Returning to town, we stop at the fairgrounds for a tour of the Pioneer Museum and then back to the KOA.  All in all an interesting and informative day!