www.travelwyoming.com
Good enough for me.
Bubba- PM me with your address to send this book. You obviously are old enough to have stayed at the Station, I presume. Drove by what is left of Virginia Dale frequently when driving from Laramie, Wyoming.
To the west of Virginia Dale towards the Front Range... there are some Amethyst Crystal small scale mining going on. Not the best, but are vivid purple amethyst.
Anyone who wants to avoid I-25 traffic, go through Fort Collins to Laramie, WY. Beautiful scenic Hog Backs. Not the furry ones... the rocks standing on ends... ones.
"Built in 1862 by Jack Slade (superintendent of the Overland Trail from Julesberg, Colorado to Wyoming), the Virginia Dale Stage Station on the Overland Trail is one of the oldest buildings in the area. The stage station predates the Union Pacific Railroad in Laramie, and is an excellent example of log architecture. Virginia Dale Stage Station was a “home station” where travelers could eat and stay overnight if the stage was delayed.
Bill Loyer married Carol Ludwig, of Ludwig Photography, whose family owned a ranch near Virginia Dale, 25 miles south of Laramie on US Highway 287 near the state line. The Loyers lived in the 1907 homestead house at Virginia Dale in the sparsely populated ranch community. Loyer will detail the history of the area, the importance of the Overland Trail, and preservation challenges at the Virginia Dale Stage Station."