Editing Douglas, Wyoming (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Douglas Railroad Interp Center.jpg|thumb|Part of the exhibition at the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center<br/>(left: the CB&Q dining car #196; right: the CB&Q steam locomotive #5633.)]]
Douglas is located on the banks of the [[North Platte River]], and is named for U.S. Senator [[Stephen A. Douglas]]. The city grew after it was designated a stop on the [[Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad]].  Railroads brought settlers and pioneers west; some stayed and others continued on.  Douglas' location affords excellent access to nearby sights. [[Medicine Bow National Forest]] is located nearby, as is [[Thunder Basin National Grassland]] and [[Ayres Natural Bridge]].

The former [[Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot]] in Douglas is included on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>[http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/femdepot.htm Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot in Douglas, Wyoming.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013210230/http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/femdepot.htm |date=October 13, 2006 }} Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. Includes a photograph.</ref> The Douglas [[Chamber of Commerce]], part of the [[Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center]] is located in the depot. The free of charge exhibition outside contains eight railroad vehicles, one steam locomotive with tender and seven cars.<ref>Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center, Visitor Guide, 2004, Jeff Derks, p. 16</ref>

===Wyoming State Fair===
[[File:Douglas State Fair.jpg|thumb|left|[[Wyoming State Fair]] Main Entrance]]
Each August Douglas hosts the [[Wyoming State Fair]]. The fair includes a carnival midway, live entertainment, and a rodeo. On August 12, 2009, the fair hosted country music star [[John Anderson (musician)|John Anderson]]. The centennial fair in 2012 attracted sixty thousand persons, large by Wyoming standards; the [[Dierks Bentley]] concert was the first ever sold-out show in the fair.<ref name=fair/>

The 101st fair opened in Douglas on August 10, 2013; it corresponds with the centennial of the Wyoming State [[4-H Club]], an active group in the annual fair. Fair performers included [[Country music|country]] musicians [[Hunter Hayes]] and [[Brantley Gilbert]].<ref name=fair>{{cite news|url=http://wyomingnews.com/articles/2013/08/09/entertainment/01ent%2008-09-13.txt|title=Wyoming state fair grows its crowds|newspaper=[[Wyoming Tribune-Eagle]]|access-date=August 10, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130811090051/http://wyomingnews.com/articles/2013/08/09/entertainment/01ent%2008-09-13.txt|archive-date=August 11, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Horse culture===
Since Fort Fetterman days, Douglas has been a center of American horse culture.  The first winner of American racing's [[Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)|Triple Crown]], thoroughbred [[Sir Barton]], is buried here. The Wyoming State Fair is known for its rodeo and animal competitions. Also on the fairgrounds is the [[Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum]], a collection of pioneer and Native American relics pertaining to the history of Converse County.

===Jackalopes===

In 1932, the [[jackalope]] legend in the United States was attributed by ''[[The New York Times]]'' to Douglas Herrick (1920−2003) of Douglas, and thus the city was named the "Home of the Jackalope" by the state of Wyoming in 1985. Douglas has issued Jackalope Hunting licenses to tourists. The tags are good for hunting during official Jackalope season, which occurs for only one day, June 31.

According to the Douglas Chamber of Commerce, a 1930s hunting trip for jackrabbits led to the idea of a Jackalope. Herrick and his brother had studied [[taxidermy]] by mail order as teenagers. When the brothers returned from a hunting trip, Herrick tossed a jackrabbit carcass into the taxidermy shop, which rested beside a pair of [[deer]] [[antler]]s. The accidental combination of [[animal]] forms sparked Douglas Herrick's idea for a jackalope.<ref>[http://www.jackalope.org/chamber/jackalopehistory.html] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221044635/http://www.jackalope.org/chamber/jackalopehistory.html|date=February 21, 2008}}</ref>