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Pine Grove Station was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1978 under Criterion A for its role in the operation of the Overland Trail. This revision adds the Pine Grove Cemetery to the boundary and extends the site’s period of significance to 1904. Additional information supports eligibility under Criterion D for its statewide significance in Historic Archaeology. Archaeological investigations at the site in 2017 and 2019 have demonstrated there is potential to answer important research questions pertaining to historically-documented attacks on the station, subsistence, and mortuary practices.
Pine Grove Station (48CR11377) is located in southeastern Carbon County, WY. Pine Grove Station is composed of two sites: the Pine Grove Stage Station (48CR430) and Pine Grove Cemetery (48CR9315). Both sites are related to the operation of the Overland Trail through Carbon County from 1862 – 1869 and as a hub of rural community activity after the stage station era until 1904. The Pine Grove Cemetery overlooks Pine Grove Stage Station to the south. The cemetery contains three definitive and one possible grave(s) marked with small groupings of stones and the remnants of wooden crosses. Historical anecdotes suggest there could be somewhere between five and eight graves on the hill, indicating unmarked graves are potentially present. In 1869, the completion of the transcontinental railroad spelled the quick decline for overland route operations. Despite the abandonment of the Overland Stage Line itself, the rich forage, ample fuel, and fresh water present at Pine Grove continued to draw early settlers and travelers to the site until around 1904, reaching a maximum population of 57 individuals living in the local area. These individuals and subsequent use by early ranching families augmented the stage station era facilities at the site, adding buildings, foundations, and late 19th to early 20th century refuse to the site. By the 1930s, Pine Grove had been abandoned and the buildings fell into disrepair. Today the site is archaeological in nature and exhibits five features interpreted as the remnants of structures and a large number of artifacts. Archaeological investigations at the site have identified two features with cultural materials linking them to the operation of the stage station and three features dating only to later use by early settlers.
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