Rich in History
Picturesque Hartville is the oldest incorporated town in Wyoming established in 1884. It is located in Eureka Canyon – a small community six miles north of Guernsey on highway 270. It is accessible by paved road from the North end of Guernsey State Park and the lake area, just two and a half miles away.
Hartville was first settled in the 1870s by prospectors mining for gold, silver, copper, onyx and iron. At the turn of the Century, it was a thriving city. Several of the stone buildings and those constructed with false fronts still stand today. The stone-built town jail held many “characters” in days of yore and is one place you don’t want to miss. Today, Hartville is populated by retired miners and a few young families.
The original cemetery, Boot Hill, is crowded with the bodies of men who died wearing their cowboy boots. Gunfights really did take place on Main Street.
Hartville Museum
The newly repurposed Hartville Museum and Community Center formerly served as a historic schoolhouse. Hartville is Wyoming’s oldest incorporated town still in existence, and the museum focuses on its colorful history as a mining community.
The museum is open Saturday from 10 am to 2pm and by appointment.
307-836-2288
Old Jail
The stone-built town jail held many a “character” in days of yore and is one place you don’t want to miss.
Oldest Bar in Wyoming
Wyoming’s Oldest bar, located in Hartville. They are open Thursday through Sunday, 5 to 10pm, year round. Call 307-836-2008 or send an email to make a reservation. They offer the best steaks around, an extensive wine list, and 35 different types of whiskey to choose from.
Boot Hill Cemetery
All the graves that are marked in the Boothill Cemetary are babies or children—sad but true. The legends run deep here. Take a moment to stop by and feel the sweetness and beauty of their final resting places set against beautiful blue skies with the soothing sounds of a symphony of blowing grasses.
Hartville Cemetery
Do you love ghost stories and legends? Here is the perfect spot to tell them. Welcome to the Hartville Cemetery. There is a story about a bad man named Charley Taylor who was killed by some men in a Hartville saloon in the late 1800’s, and he is supposed to be the first person buried in the Hartville Cemetery, but there is no headstone or record of it. There is another story about White Swede, a gambler who died in 1902, and his friends held a wake and played poker. They cut the dead man in, and he won enough money to pay for his burial. But there is no record of where he was buried. The legends run deep in this cemetery and you’ll have a blast learning about them. People of many different nationalities worked and lived in Hartville and Sunrise, so the Hartville Cemetery reflects a diverse hardworking community. It’s an adventure…bring your legends and imagination when you come.
This cemetery is still in use. Please be respectful of the souls that are buried there. They were someone’s family and they deserve our respect whether it was yesterday or a hundred years ago.
