News

Wyoming Archaeology Fair Returns to Laramie on Sept. 12

Details: Category: News; Published: Friday, 14 August 2026 16:47

LARAMIE, Wyo. – Aug. 14, 2026 – As part of Wyoming Archaeology Awareness Month (WAAM), recognized each September, the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site and the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) will host the 2026 Wyoming Archaeology Fair. The fair is the largest annual celebration of archaeology in Wyoming and will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie. The event is free and open to the public.

More than 100 volunteer and professional archaeologists, historians, museum professionals, and students help make the event possible each year and provide a meaningful impact on the community.

Longtime volunteer and professional archaeologist Damian Kirkwood states, “Every year I help with the flintknapping booth. We average between 200 and 300 kids. This means we have that many chances to inspire them to care and want to learn about archaeology. Flintknapping is by far one of the most popular activities; who doesn't want to learn how to make an arrowhead? The booth is so popular that I have had kids from the previous year bring back their arrowheads just to finish them. I have even had university students tell me they have declared Anthropology as a major at the University of Wyoming because they came to the fair and learned flintknapping. This is by far one of the most impactful public outreach events for the archaeological community in Wyoming.”

The 2026 fair features more than 30 booths and activity stations, many offering hands-on programming such as atlatl throwing, flintknapping, pottery making, ancient food preparation, mock excavations, rabbit hide painting, living history, Plains Indian Sign Language and more. Educational booths will also cover archaeological topics such as careers in archaeology and canine, bison, and horse osteology.

Special features of this year’s fair include blacksmithing demonstrations by Charles Prior; a traditional dance performance by the Wind River Dancers at 1 p.m.; living history demonstrations from Fort Laramie; and live music from the Twaynes throughout the day.

Learn more about the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office at wyoshpo.wyo.gov.

Figure 1: Traditional dance performance by the Wind River Dancers in 2025. Figure 2: Visitors learn how to use an atlatl to throw a spear at 3D targets with the help of University of Wyoming graduate students.

Contact:
Gwendolyn Kristy, Chief, Planning & Historic Contexts
Wyoming Historic Preservation Office
(307) 399-5366; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.