Oregon Trail Memorial

The bronze on this red sandstone is the wagon side of a coin. Ezra Meeker's Oregon Trail Memorial Association won a commemorative half dollar from Congress, signed into law by Calvin Coolidge on May 10, 1926, and sold the coins at a dollar each to pay for trail markers. James Earle and Laura Gardin Fraser designed it, and collectors still argue over who made which side. The scene was cast as a plaque for stones like this one. Congress allowed six million coins; the Mint struck 264,419 through 1939, and the association's handling of the proceeds drew lasting criticism.

What the plaque says

Oregon Trail Memorial

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Fort Caspar Museum — steps away
  The crossing before the fort: the Mormon ferry of 1847 and Guinard's toll bridge of 1859, rebuilt beside the 1936 log station.

More markers nearby

• The Pony Express — steps away
• Oregon Trail — steps away
• The "Mormon" Ferry — 0.6 mi
• Oregon Trail — 0.7 mi