A Mountain of Ice Cream - The Farson Mercantile
At the desolate junction of U.S. Highway 191 and Wyoming Highway 28, surrounded by hundreds of square miles of sagebrush and the shimmering heat waves of the Red Desert, sits a building that defies the logic of its surroundings. To the uninitiated traveler, it is a simple general store. To the weary tourist, the local rancher, and the historian of the American West, the Farson Mercantile is a legendary stop known as the "Ice Cream Capital of Wyoming.” But beneath the fame of its massive ice cream scoops lies a deep history of failed irrigation dreams, the grit of the homesteading era, and the strategic importance of a crossroads that has guided travelers from the days of the Oregon Trail to the modern age of the family road trip.
The Roots of the Eden Valley (1900–1910)
To understand why a mercantile exists in Farson, one must understand the Eden Valley Irrigation Project. At the turn of the 20th century, Wyoming was under the spell of the Carey Act of 1894. This federal law allowed private companies to reclaim arid desert land through irrigation, selling the land and the water rights to settlers.
The Eden Valley, where Farson sits, was touted as a "new Eden." Promoters promised that the Big Sandy River and a network of canals would transform the sagebrush into lush fields of alfalfa and grain. Settlers, many of them from the Midwest, flocked to the area in the early 1900s.
The town of Farson was named for John Farson, a Chicago financier who was a primary investor in the Eden Irrigation and Land Company. In those early years, the community needed a hub - a place where homesteaders could buy flour, harness leather, or ammunition; and mail a letter. The Farson Mercantile was born out of this necessity.
A Lifeline in the Sagebrush
The original mercantile was more than a store; it was the social and economic engine of the Eden Valley. In a landscape where the nearest major town (Rock Springs) was a grueling multi-day trip by wagon, the Mercantile provided the essentials of life.
The Architecture of Utility
The early store was a classic frontier commercial building: sturdy, functional, and built to withstand the brutal Wyoming winters. It served as the post office, the telephone exchange, and the local newsroom. If a rancher’s child was sick, or if a neighbor needed help with a harvest, the word was usually spread across the counter of the Mercantile.
The Struggles of the Valley
The "Eden" promised by the land developers proved difficult to maintain. The soil was alkaline, the growing season was short, and the water supply was often inconsistent. Many of the original homesteaders eventually left, their dreams dried up by the relentless Wyoming wind. However, a core group of resilient families remained, and the Farson Mercantile remained their anchor.
The Crossroads: Intersection of History
As the era of the wagon faded and the age of the automobile dawned, the Mercantile’s location took on a new significance. It sat at a vital geographic "X."
- North-South (The Pinedale Path): This route led to the high country of the Wind River Range and eventually to the southern gates of Yellowstone National Park.
- East-West (The South Pass Route): This was the historic corridor of the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails. While the Interstate eventually moved further south, Highway 28 remained the primary artery for those seeking the historic gold camps of Atlantic City and South Pass City.
In the mid-20th century, as car culture exploded in America, the Farson Mercantile pivoted. It was no longer just a supply shop for local farmers; it was a sanctuary for the "Tin Can Tourists" and the cross-country adventurers navigating the vast gaps between Wyoming towns.
The Legend of the "Big Cone"
If there is one thing that defines the Farson Mercantile in the modern American consciousness, it is the ice cream. The "Big Cone" was more than a dessert; it was a brilliant piece of grassroots marketing that saved the business during lean years.
The Origins of the Scoop
The tradition of the massive scoop began in earnest in the late 20th century. Local lore suggests that the owners realized that in the middle of a hot, dusty drive across the desert, a standard-sized ice cream cone felt like disappointment. They decided to provide "value for the dollar" in a way that was visually striking.
The "Big Cone" (which can often weigh over a pound and consist of multiple scoops stacked precariously high) became a viral sensation long before the internet existed. Travelers would stop, take a photo of a toddler dwarfed by a chocolate-chip-mint tower, and tell everyone they met for the next 500 miles about "that place in the middle of nowhere with the giant ice cream."
The Logistics of the Oasis
Behind the scenes, keeping the "Ice Cream Capital" running is a logistical marvel. The Mercantile goes through thousands of gallons of ice cream during the peak summer months. In a town with a permanent population of around 300 people, the Mercantile often serves thousands of customers on a busy holiday weekend. It remains one of the largest independent sellers of ice cream in the Rocky Mountain West.
Countertop Stories
The history of the Mercantile is best told through the stories of those who passed through its doors.
The Blizzard of '49
During the infamous Blizzard of 1949, which paralyzed most of Wyoming, the Farson area was hit particularly hard. Stories are told of the Mercantile owners keeping the store open as a staging ground for rescue operations. While the Big Cone is a summer legend, the winter reality of the Mercantile has often been one of survival - serving as a warm refuge for truckers and travelers stranded by the frequent closures of the high-desert highways.
The "Stolen" Scoop
A popular local anecdote involves a young traveler in the 1970s who, upon being handed a Farson scoop, was so shocked by its size that he dropped it immediately onto the dusty floorboards. The shopkeeper, without a word, reached over, grabbed a new cone, and piled it even higher, saying, "In Farson, we don't let the desert eat your dessert."
The Mercantile Today: Preserving the Spirit
In recent years, the Farson Mercantile has undergone renovations to modernize its facilities while maintaining its "general store" charm. It still sells hunting licenses, local honey, western hats, and essential groceries.
The building itself serves as a museum of sorts. On the walls, you can find historic photographs of the Eden Valley project and the early days of Farson. It serves as a bridge between the 19th-century pioneer spirit and 21st-century tourism.
For many Wyomingites, a stop at the Farson Mercantile is a rite of passage. It is a reminder that even in the most inhospitable landscapes, human ingenuity and hospitality can create a landmark that endures for over a century.
Bibliography
- Cassity, Michael. Wyoming Will Be Your New Home: Ranching, Farming, and Homesteading in Wyoming, 1860-1960. Wyoming State Historical Society, 2011.
- Uinta and Sweetwater County Records. The Eden Valley Irrigation Project: A History of the Carey Act in Wyoming. (Archives of the Bureau of Land Management).
- Junius, P.F. The Crossroads of the West: A History of Farson and Eden. Private Printing, 1994.
- Rock Springs Rocket-Miner. "A Century of the Scoop: The History of the Farson Mercantile." Anniversary Edition, July 2018.
- Federal Writers' Project. Wyoming: A Guide to Its History, Highways, and People. Oxford University Press, 1941. (Includes early descriptions of the Farson crossroads).