Collections
Afton Heritage Hall of Fame
This collection represents a select group of people who, over the years, have made significant contributions to the growth and welfare of Star Valley.
Calendars
Starting in 1984, the Star Valley Historical Society has created a historically-themed calendar each year for resale purposes. Shown herein are the front pages of each year's issue. The full calendar may be seen in the Society's office. Range: 1984-1993 1994- 2003 2004-2013 2014-2015. In addition, a limited supply of calendars ranging from 1984 to the present are still on-hand. Email us for current availability and pricing.
Categorical
Looking at Star Valley history from a different perspective, the categorical collection describes our history from the viewpoint of various categories such as commerce, communications, energy, finance, medicine, military and transportation.
Community Tree
Listed here is a compendium of over 10,300 Star Valley pioneer names which have been extracted from multiple cemetery records, first-hand knowledge and communications with the various families involved. Many of these records display ancestral and descendency relationships throughout numerous generations. This Star Valley Community Tree is searchable by surname.
Federal Census
Although the Wyoming Territory was created in 1868, statehood for Wyoming was not achieved until 1890. One of the enabling factors in the creation of the state of Wyoming was the Federal Census. View the extracted data and, in some instances, actual images of the Federal Census' from 1870 through 1930.
Genealogy
One of the goals of this website from the very beginning was to compile a listing of all the Valley's genealogy, over 10,000 names, based upon its headstones. This section explains what we have accumulated and how you can gain access to it.
Guest Speakers
During the course of the year, we invite various guest speakers from around the State of Wyoming to talk to the Star Valley Historical Society membership and general public about the various happenings in the "olden days". While most of the lecturers talk about the events occurring in Star Valley, some describe the stories which occurred throughout the State.
Headstones
Beginning in 2003, we have been collecting digital headstone images from each of the Valley's twelve cemeteries plus Bear Lake. To date we have acquired over 19,000 photographs. These are usually updated every other year.
Historical Barns
In conjunction with the 2004 National "Barn Again" Project, a group of Star Valley High School Students undertook a project to photograph and catalog all of the remaining historical barns still standing in the Valley.
Historical Maps
No investigation concerning a particular area is complete without reference to it's old maps. In researching material for his book "History of Star Valley," author Oval C. Harrison acquired and reviewed numerous historical maps covering the Wyoming, Idaho and Montana areas. With his permission, we have included his collection herein.
Historical Photographs
A few years ago the Star Valley Historical Society took its accumulation of old photographs and placed them on a compact disc (CD). Unfortunately, the CD was flawed and never worked as planned. Now, however, we have taken all the photographs we have accumulated and processed to date and have included them on this website. You have permission to download any photograph to your computer and print it free of charge. One caveat though. As these photos are copyrighted, they may be only downloaded and printed for personal use. Commercialization of these photos is not permitted.
Historical Sites
Included here are a number of historical sites around the Valley which help to explain the diversity of the lifestyle.
Internet Links
Here we have provided a sampling of internet links which might be of interest to the historian and genealogist.
Life Sketches
One of the more interesting traditions of the Valley is the life sketch. When a person passes away, the family gets together and writes a biographical summary of the deceased's life events. This summary is then read at the persons funeral service for all to hear of the dearly departed's aspirations, achievements and family, often with a bit of humor thrown in.
Looking Back
Over the years, readers of the Star Valley Independent have been treated to an insightful view of the past through the eyes of a Star Valley native, Martha Clines. Looking Back was the title given to her numerous stories.
Marriage Records
View copies of the early Lincoln County Marriage Records located in Evanston, Uinta, Wyoming (1870-1913) and Kemmerer, Lincoln, Wyoming (1913-1944).
Museums
There are currently six museums in the Star Valley area: Star Valley Pioneer and History Museum, Barn Again, Lander Trail, Call Air, Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) and Baker Cabin. Here you can see pictures of the buildings, their contents and even GPS coordinates to aid you in finding them.
Museum Artifacts
The Star Valley History Resource Center, also known as the DUP/SVHS Museum, is a repository for over 700 artifacts collected from around Star Valley. Each item may be seen up close along with a description as to how it was acquired.
Naturalization Records
Upon it's creation in 1913, Lincoln County began recording Naturalizations in Kemmerer. All in all, there are twelve large registers of these vital records available, three of which we have scanned for this website to date. The remaining nine represent an upcoming project.
Newspapers
Read the early issues of the Star Valley Pioneer/Star Valley Independent from 1901 through 1922. Other historical newspapers throughout the State of Wyoming may be found at this website as well.
Obituaries
Our local newspaper, the Star Valley Independent, began publishing in 1901. We have been scanning the actual obituary notices beginning with 1901 up through the present. Although we currently have over 2,500 obituaries on display, this is still a work in progress. We estimate we have now digitized over 50% of those available.
Oral Histories
We have identified over 500 persons who, if not born here, have lived in the Star Valley for a long, long time. From these folks we are obtaining copies of their oral histories for inclusion in our archives.
Pioneer Families
Included here is a short listing of those pioneer families who had settled in Star Valley prior to 1886.
Recommended Readings
In conducting research for this website we reviewed a number of significant publications which we would suggest to you as recommended readings.
Sexton Records
Sexton records provide a primary source of information of each burial inasmuch as the pertinent information was recorded at the time of the event. Due to the difference in presentation formats available, our records are displayed either as a digital image or in a database.
Star Valley
An abbreviated history of Star Valley is presented in this section.
Star Valley High School Yearbooks
Star Valley High School in Afton, Wyoming has published yearbooks from 1924 through the Present.
Stories
Since the Star Valley Historical Society does not have a "brick and mortor" public office, it was decided to place all our archival documents either on this website as scanned documents or in the Star Valley Family History Center in their original book form for public viewing. Visit our Virtual Museum to see the many personal histories, historical events, etc.
Timeline
Starting with 1801 and extending through the mid 1950s, this timeline outlines the significant events which helped to define the character of Star Valley.
Towns and Communities
Over the course of time, Star Valley has seen the development of nineteen different towns and communities. This section describes the history of each along with a description of their cemeteries and how to locate them using GPS coordinates.
Written Histories
We have identified over 500 persons who, if not born here, have lived in the Star Valley for a long, long time. From these folks we are requesting copies of their personal written histories for inclusion in our archives.
Snake River Bridge