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Lusk, mile post 234.3 on the North Platte Sub.

Lusk is located on the historic Cheyenne-Deadwood Stagecoach route - with many of the historical markers still evident today. The route was in operation from 1883 until February of 1887. The last stage to run the line is located in Lusk's Stagecoach Museum. Some of the sites along the trail include fort Hat Creek Stage Station, located 15 miles north and 2 miles west of Lusk on Highway 85.

The fort was established in 1875 when Captain James Egin & his troops thought that they had reached Hat Creek, Nebraska. The fort included barracks, a blacksmith shop, telegraph station & a post office. The original building burned in 1883 but was replaced by the present 2 story building that still stands today.

Also along the trail, you will find the George Lathrop Monument, a veteran stage driver who had the honor of being the last stage driver on the route. Mother Feather-legs Monument is located 11 miles south of Lusk. Mother Feather-legs was an infamous roadhouse madam who met her untimely end in the house that she operated from 1876 to 1879.

Lusk was named for Frank Lusk, a local rancher who donated land for the town site. Originally settled a few miles west of the present site at Silver Cliff mine, the town moved west when the railroad came through. With the discovery of oil in 1917 at Lance Creek, a small town located 20 miles Northwest of Lusk, Niobrara County's population swelled to over 10,000.

In the 1940's Lance Creek was Wyoming's largest oil production area. With the decline of oil field activity during the 1970's, Niobrara County's population base declined sharply. In recent years, the old standby of ranching has once again regained prominence.

Lusk, population ~1,500 is the county seat of Wyoming's least populated county. Just 2,500 people live in Niobrara county - an average of 524 acres per person! As a ranching community, Lusk has a relatively stable economic base. The boom and bust cycle of the oil industry has all but faded in recent years.

Last Update 07/22/01

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