Jackalope by Kate Emery General

Biddeford Pool, Maine is a tiny seaside town that is a popular summer getaway for people living in large east coast cities. My aunt and uncle were such people, they lived full time in Boston and they owned a beach cottage in Biddeford Pool. I was lucky to spend several summers eating lobster, searching for starfish in the tide pools, enjoying clambakes and fires on the beach, swimming in the freezing Atlantic even in July, and riding bikes to buy an ice cream cone.

One Saturday morning, I was watching my aunt and uncle playing tennis at the Abenakee Golf Club, when a friend from New York City asked what it was like to live in Wyoming. She had a vision that Wyoming was still the “Wild West”, gunfights at noon, no indoor plumbing, and no cars or paved roads.

Of course Wyoming was what I knew so I really hadn’t thought much about the differences between Wyoming and cities in the East. Wyoming wasn’t just Jackson Hole and Yellowstone Park. I grew up in the valley of Casper Mountain which at its highest point is 8,130 feet. I skied on powder snow in the winter, swam in Alcova Lake or one of the many public or country club pools in the summer. We ice skated in winter and roller skated in summer. We played tennis and rode our bikes everywhere.

Growing up in Wyoming was just like growing up anywhere else, I told the neighbor, except for the …JACKALOPE !!! My friend’s eyes grew very wide as I told about the jackrabbit/antelope that roams the plains of my home state. I described the rodeos with cowboys riding bucking Jackalope. Then I told of the Jackalope’s ability to mimic the human voice, that Jackalope would sing along with cowboys gathered around the campfire at night.

Lewis and Clark were the first to document the horned rabbits, along with tall tales of spouting geysers and bubbling mud pots along the Yellowstone River. Jackalope are frequently sighted in the sagebrush basins of central and southwest Wyoming. Douglas, Wyoming is the Jackalope Capital of the world, where hunters and tourists can get their picture taken with the 13 foot Jackalope in the heart of downtown. Jackalope can be seen in postcard photos, usually saddled and ridden by a cowboy. My sister and I were lucky to have been photographed on the back of a Jackalope at the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo in Casper many years ago. Children and adults can ride the Jackalope at the country store in Dubois, souvenir photos are available.

“Wyoming isn’t just a square on the U.S. map”, I explained to my friend, Wyoming is Wonderful, it is called the “Equality State” because it was the first state in the U.S. to allow women to vote, sit on juries and hold public office. Wyoming is also home to some of the world’s best dinosaur fossil fields, the Apatosaurus was unearthed near the University of Wyoming in Laramie, as seen in the movie, “The Good Dinosaur“. There is also a Petrified Forest that has trees, including towering Redwoods that are over 55 million years old!

The Mormon and Oregon Trails go through Wyoming and can be viewed today as the tracks are cut through solid rock. Tea Pot Dome, Hell’s Half Acre, and Independence Rock are a few of the lesser known Wyoming landmarks. Devil’s Tower is the first United States monument, established in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt. Devil’s Tower is very important to Native American culture. The Kiowa and Lakota tribes have many stories to explain Devil’s Tower, including that the Great Spirit created the tower to save some children from giant attacking bears.

Wyoming is the least populated state in the U.S., with fewer than 600,000 residents. There are less than 6 people per square mile, compared to New Jersey with 1,210 people per square mile. Wyoming ranked number 2 in ten happiest and healthiest states in the United States. According to locals, the treasure trove of natural wonders, diverse landscapes, friendly people and wild weather, are reasons why people are so happy living in Wyoming. My roots are definitely in Wyoming, so when I miss the mountains and the fresh air, I head to the Choptank River or the Blackwater Refuge to take in the natural beauty here in Dorchester County.