Planning & Historic Contexts

About

Historic contexts are an important component of the State Preservation Plan created by the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to preserve and promote Wyoming’s heritage. It is the mission of the Planning & Historic Contexts program to develop and maintain updated historic contexts to promote efficiency and better decision-making in the identification, evaluation, and management of Wyoming’s heritage resources. We oversee and aid in the research and development of historic contexts for use by academic researchers, federal and state agencies, and industry personnel in the evaluation and treatment of historic properties in Wyoming. The program is guided by the Historic Context Development Advisory Committee.

STATE PRESERVATION PLAN

Historic Context Development Priorities

Priorities for the development of historic contexts depend on three factors: the significance of the historic context and property types; the severity of the threat to the property types within the historic context; and the fragility and condition of the resources. Public demand or desire to create historic contexts on a particular topic is also be taken into consideration. The Historic Context Development Advisory Committee reconvened in August 2016 to discuss historic context needs for Wyoming for the next decade. The committee reviewed the 2006 priorities and revised the list of priority contexts based on current risks to cultural resources such as development, demolition, and climate change. The priority thematic contexts identified for development are:

Priority 1 Priority 2 Priority 3
Tourism/Hospitality Recreation Residences Post-War Architecture 1945-1970
Stone Circle Sites Contact Era-Protohistoric Sites Timber Extraction/Production
High Altitude/Ice Patch Archaeological Sites
Prehistoric Housepit Sites

Priority 4 Priority 5
Mining - Hard Rock/Soft Rock Prehistoric Trails/Migration Corridors
Water Development/Irrigation
Rock Art Sites (Statewide)
Transportation – Railroads
Lincoln Highway