Rawlins | Dixon | Saratoga | Medicine Bow | Riverside

Welcome to the ERA Shepard & Associates area information page. Here you’ll be able to find all the information you need about the Rawlins and Carbon County areas, one of the finest areas to call home in the western United States. With beautiful scenery and landscape around every corner, the Rawlins Wyoming area is the ideal community to settle down and raise a family in. With growing economies, fabulous educational opportunities, and limitless recreational and outdoor activities, the communities of Hannah, Saratoga, Riverside, Medicine Bow, Dixon, and Sinclair, are perfect places to own property. Go ahead and browse the area information below, to get a better understanding of why we’re proud to call Rawlins and Carbon County, Wyoming our home.

Carbon County owes much of its early history to the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad gave names to unnamed places as it laid tracks Westward over the Rocky Mountains that would eventually become The Trans-Continental Railroad. One of those places was the community now known as Rawlins. When General Greenville Dodge’s crew discovered a clear alkali-free spring, General John A. Rawlins made the comment, “If anything is ever named after me, I hope it will be a spring of water.” Shortly after that Dodge named this tiny oasis Rawlins Springs. In time, that oasis became a division point for the railroad, and the division point eventually became a town. Somewhere along the way, the town of Rawlins Springs became simply Rawlins.

Rawlins, Wyoming is located in the South Central part of the State, just along Interstate 80. Rawlins is a rather small town, with a small town atmosphere, where people are neighborly and friendly. It sits on the Red Desert Plateau, bordered to the South by the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Medicine Bow Mountains. To the North, the Seminoe Mountains, the Haystack Mountains, the Shirley Mountains, and the Rattle Snake Mountains stand sentinel. The elevation of Rawlins is 6755 feet above sea level. The climate is semi-arid and desert like. The average mean temperature in Rawlins 42.5 degrees, with the average high temperature in the summer around 82 degrees, and the average low temperature in the winter of around 27 degrees. It rarely gets above 90 degrees, and often will dip to the minus Fahrenheit temperatures in January and February. Winters can be very harsh, with strong winds, blowing snow, and sub zero wind chill factors. The average snowfall in Rawlins is 54 inches, so for the snow mobile enthusiast, the skier, and for people who like winter sports (and driving on I-80 in the winter can be a “sport”. Locals affectionately call I-80 the “Snow-Chi Mihn Trail”), Rawlins provides an excellent arena of winter “entertainment”.
Rawlins also provides unique local culture with such offerings as an awe-inspiring, out of commission prison building, which has actually been turned in to two museums. This towering, medieval-looking, stone building was Wyoming’s only state prison for eighty years until a new, more modern, facility was built outside of Rawlins. The “Old Frontier Prison”, as it is best known, was closed in 1981. Today the “Old Pen” houses not only the Frontier Prison Museum, but also the Wyoming Peace Officers’ Museum, bringing the stories of Wyoming’s best and worst together in one place. The prison is open for tours during the summer months and it also hosts a special, reservation only, Halloween Night tour. Rawlins also has a local history museum- The Carbon County Museum. This museum, which offers a more overall look at the people and places of the county’s past. The museum is located in the Old Mormon Church, and has artifacts on display from as far back as the early Spanish explorers who visited the area 400 years ago. By far the biggest site to see around Rawlins is known simply as The Uplift. Not so simply known as a thrust-faulted anticline, this unique rock-feature is a textbook example of stratigraphy, exposing the fossilized remains of countless species of prehistoric plants and animals, as well as some very unique geology. You’ll also enjoy being within minutes of the Historic Ferris Mansion. This impressive Queen Anne style Victorian mansion was built in Rawlins near the turn of the century and served as the home of Julia Ferris, widow of early mining pioneer, George Ferris. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

As the Host City of the Little Snake River Valley Rodeo, Dixon, like
the entire valley has never strayed far from its western roots. Named
for the trapper, Bob Dixon, the town has a wonderful charm and laid-back style. Dixon is the smallest town in the area with a population of only 79 people. In Dixon the main place to hang out is The Dixon Club. Built in 1911, the Dixon Club has been a longtime watering hole for weary travelers passing through the valley. The Dixon Club is everything a western town bar should be. The population of Dixon is 79 people so the Dixon Club is the town gathering place. With an old fashioned juke box, eclectic western feel and friendly bartenders the Dixon Club is a fun and friendly place to visit.
Like many places in the general area, The Dixon Town Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Dixon Town Hall was originally constructed to house the Stock growers Bank of Dixon in 1916. Since the dissolution of the bank, the building served as a soda fountain in the early 1940s, a small mercantile in the late 1940s, the meeting hall of the local Little Snake River Veterans of Foreign Wars post, and as the local town hall. Its walls are covered with antiques and mementos of the area, and being just minutes from your home you’ll surely want to explore and enjoy this piece of local history.

Saratoga is truly one of Wyoming’s hidden gems.  Its setting is gorgeous, with the North Platte River flowing through the middle of town, hot springs to soak in, and mountains and wildlife all around.  To the Indians, Saratoga was neutral ground, a healing place where enemy tribes mingled without fear of violence.  When whites discovered the springs, the Indians were concerned that the good medicine might have changed to bad.  When small pox broke out in the region in 1874, they were proved right.  After burying their dead around the springs, the Indians stayed far from them.  Within a few years Saratoga became a popular spa, drawing tired miners from the nearby Sierra Madres and patients from as far away as England.
Relatively unknown compared to other destinations in Wyoming, Saratoga still holds its unspoiled charm and western heritage to heart. Exemplifying this heritage are places like the historic Wolf Hotel built in 1893, by German emigrant Frederick Wolf. This glorious old brick building still stands as a centerpiece of the town and welcomes guests year-round. Other, more modern, attractions include the Hobo Hot Pool. This is a natural mineral pool where visitors can swim and relax in the hot-baths 24-hours a day free of charge. The Saratoga Inn offers visitors a beautiful golf course, while the Saratoga museum is open during the summer affording visitors a peek into the town’s rich past.
Saratoga is also home to The Saratoga National Fish Hatchery, which was built in 1915, and lies just to the north of town. Tours are available and are something both children and adults will enjoy, and find insightful. Seemingly out of place in the small rustic town is the Shively airfield. Although there is no commercial service available here, its 8,400-foot runway is capable of handling all sorts of aircraft including private jets.
Saratoga is a sportsman’s paradise offering anglers a true blue ribbon trout fishing experience in the nearby North Platte River. There is also access to big game hunting of all kinds in the nearby mountains and plains. Local guides and outfitters are happy to show their favorite places to “bag a big one”. Saratoga is host to many events throughout the year. Saratoga is the home of the Steinley Cup microbrew competition, held every August at Veterans Island Park, a playground and picnic facility located on a small island in the North Platte River. The Ice Fishing Derby held at Saratoga Lake draws anglers from all around. Also there are rodeos, brew festivals, chili cook-offs, outdoor concerts, art festivals, and even chariot races each year, here in Saratoga. Contact the Saratoga Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce for specific information when visiting The Good Times Valley.

Medicine Bow is a small town in south eastern Wyoming, with a population of less than 300. Cost of living is low here, and the town offers many services that are not available in other small towns. Medicine Bow has a wealth of western historical sites, and the surrounding areas are rich in outdoor recreational opportunities. Medicine Bow was founded in 1868 as a Union Pacific watering station along the Medicine Bow River. Watering stations like this were important places in a time when steam locomotives used thousands of gallons of water just to go relatively short distances. These stations often became local supply depots and trading posts. Built in 1909, the three-story Virginian Hotel was the largest hotel between Denver and Salt Lake City at the time. It was also a regular gathering place for travelers, local ranchers, and railroad men.
Down the street from the Virginian stands the Diplodocus Bar, more commonly know as The Dip. Within The Dip you will discover a fine collection of intricate woodcarvings and the only hand-painted dance floor west of the Mississippi. But the most striking feature here is a bar made of solid jade! This 40-foot long bar was carved from a single four-and-a-half ton jade boulder that was discovered in nearby Lander, and is the largest jade bar in the world.
Just north of Medicine Bow you will find the vast Shirley Basin. With panoramic views of ranch lands, cottonwood lined creeks, and rolling hills, this basin is one of the most diverse areas in Carbon County and home to a variety of wildlife including antelope and deer.  Not far from Medicine Bow rises a long, low ridge that holds a fossil record going back tens-of-millions of years. Como Bluff has the distinction of being one of the most significant locations in paleontology. Remains of 247 of the 250 known Jurassic-era mammals of North America have been found here, as well as some of the oldest, and largest, dinosaurs ever discovered.
Medicine Bow’s proximity to the Como Bluff fossil site has spawned the Fossil Cabin Museum. Fossil Cabin Museum is open during the summer months and still houses collection of dinosaur bones, petrified sea life and many other curios of interest to rockhounds and dinophiles. The buildings sit on the back of a ridge, which is encrusted with shark’s teeth, petrified clams and other unusual fossils. Permission from the owner is required to enter the nearby private property to do any fossil prospecting in the area.
Consider the benefits of relocating to Medicine Bow, Wyoming. Housing costs in Medicine Bow are invitingly low. You can find property for sale in town, or outside the city limits, as well as rental homes, apartments and mobile home lots in town. The Elementary School, Convenience Store and the Post Office, and many other services are all within walking distance no matter where you live in town. Schools are safe, and the community has a very low crime rate.

Looking Riverside, Wyoming is a lovely small town situated at the base of the Rocky Mountains lying along the banks of a beautiful trout-filled River. Riverside began its life as a shipping center for the copper mines that used to dot the landscape of the nearby Sierra Madre Mountain Range. It was originally named Dogget, but when people began calling it Dog-town, the citizens decided that Riverside would be a more suitable name for their home. Riverside lies on the banks of the Encampment River, a popular place to go for fisherman, rafters, and kayakers.
With Riverside’s small population of only 59, our residents truly enjoy the friendly atmosphere of small town America at its finest. This town offers residents all of the amenities needed to enjoy a fulfilling life. Food, gas, and our quaint neighborhoods are all readily available, and when it’s time to wet your whistle, be sure to check out the Bear Trap or the Mangy Moose Saloon! Situated among tall cottonwood and aspen trees, you’ll discover a beautiful town park where you’ll find plenty of play equipment for the kids, as well as picnic tables and a covered cooking area. Also located nearby is the Indian Bathtubs. Located a short distance outside of Riverside, these are bowl-shaped rock formations which, when filled with rainwater, become natural bathtubs! The trailhead begins off Blackhall Mountain Road, and it’s a 2 ½ mile round trip hike to the tubs and back. Another reason you’ll enjoy living in beautiful Riverside is because Aspen Valley is just around the corner. Located in Medicine Bow National Forest, Aspen Valley offers some of the most beautiful winter scenery you’ll find anywhere. Not convincing for you? Come see for yourself why Riverside is one of our favorite local communities!
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