The Crossroads of Wyoming: A History of Shoshoni
 

In the vast, sage-brushed heart of the Wind River Basin, where the high-altitude sun bleaches the land and the wind whispers through the jagged shadows of the Owl Creek Mountains, sits Shoshoni. To the casual traveler, it is a convenient intersection of U.S. Highways 20, 26, and 789. To the historian and the locals, Shoshoni is "The Crossroads of Wyoming,” a town born of iron and gold, raised in a canvas tent, and solidified by the sheer force of will of the families who call it home.

Shoshoni’s story is a 120-year odyssey of boom and bust, of railroads and interstate commerce, and of individuals who took the grit of the basin and turned it into Hollywood stardom, political leadership, and athletic legend.

From Sagebrush to Tent City

Shoshoni did not emerge through the gradual expansion of a ranching settlement. It arrived with the sudden, violent force of a summer thunderstorm. In 1904, the United States government moved to open a massive portion of the Wind River Indian Reservation to white settlement. At the same moment, the Chicago and North Western Railroad was pushing its iron rails westward from Casper. They were searching for a terminal point that could serve as the logistical gateway to the Bighorn Basin and the newly revealed treasures of the Wind River Canyon.

By the summer of 1905, before a single permanent brick was laid, Shoshoni was a sprawling "tent city." It was a classic "Hell on Wheels" settlement. Nearly 2,000 people lived under canvas, lured by the promise of gold at Copper Mountain and the certainty of railroad jobs. The town was a chaotic grid of dirt streets and white tents. Saloons were the first businesses to open; at the town's peak, there were twenty-three of them, some consisting of little more than a plank across two barrels.

Life in the tent city was raw. Water had to be hauled in by wagon and sold by the bucket. Prospectors, ranch hands, and "soiled doves" shared the dusty landscape with visionary merchants. Despite the lack of infrastructure, the town had an undeniable pulse. It was a place where fortunes were made and lost over a hand of poker or a handshake deal on a mining claim. This temporary city was so vibrant that it famously burned twice in its early years, yet each time, the residents simply shook off the soot and rebuilt, realizing that Shoshoni sat at a point of geographic destiny.

The Railroad and the Rise of the Crossroads

The arrival of the first passenger train in 1906 officially ended the tent-city era. Shoshoni was no longer a camp; it was a hub. As the railhead, it became the vital artery for the region’s economic life. Cattle, sheep, wool, and minerals were funneled into Shoshoni from hundreds of miles around to be shipped East.

As the automobile began to replace the wagon, Shoshoni’s importance only grew. Its location at the southern mouth of the Wind River Canyon made it the unavoidable waypoint for anyone traveling to Thermopolis (the "world's largest mineral hot springs"), Cody, or Yellowstone National Park. By the mid-20th century, Shoshoni had earned its title as the "Crossroads of Wyoming." Every traveler moving north-south through the center of the state or east-west across the plains had to pass through its streets. This geographic luck transformed the town into a service powerhouse, lined with motels, garages, and cafes that hummed with activity 24 hours a day.

The MK Camp: A Post-War Boomtown

The "MK Camp" refers to the residential and operational hub created by the Morrison-Knudsen Company (M-K), the primary contractor for the construction of the "new" Boysen Dam between 1947 and 1952.

Because the project was a massive federal undertaking involving the relocation of miles of railroad tracks and the boring of a 7,000-foot tunnel, M-K needed a place to house its army of workers. Most of these men were World War II veterans who had recently returned from overseas and were looking for steady work in the growing American West.

• The MK Division: Unlike the "tar paper shacks" of the original 1908 dam construction, the 1940s project brought a more permanent footprint to Shoshoni. M-K built a housing development on the west side of town known as the MK Division. These were modest, functional homes intended to house the workers and their families. Today, many of these houses still stand, serving as a permanent neighborhood in Shoshoni long after the dam was completed.
• The Manager’s Circle: For the project’s upper management and engineers, a more exclusive "circle" of about 15 homes was built roughly a mile from the dam site. Former residents recall "House #15" and neighbors like the Watkins family. Life there was a unique blend of wilderness and domesticity; children would climb the surrounding mountains and play on the central "green," while the company delivered milk and coal directly to their doors.
• The School Surge Anecdote: The influx of "MK kids" created a legendary crisis for the Shoshoni school system. The town was suddenly flooded with the children of veterans. Residents from that era remember the first grade being so overwhelmed that the local school struggled to find enough chairs. For a few years, Shoshoni felt like a bustling metropolitan hub compared to the sleepy ranching town it had been before the dam.

The Fast Lane: The "Desert Oasis"

If the MK Camp was the heart of Shoshoni’s mid-century growth, the Fast Lane is the pulse of its modern survival. Founded in 1985 by Tim Davis, the Fast Lane has evolved from a simple gas station into a landmark known to almost every traveler in Wyoming.

• The Modern Expansion: By the early 2020s, the "old" Fast Lane was often so crowded with Yellowstone-bound tourists and local truckers that it was described as being "cram-packed." In 2022, a massive revitalization project began to replace the original building with a facility four times its size. Completed by 2024, the new Fast Lane features a Western-themed motif, expanded "high-flow" diesel islands for semi-trucks, and significantly larger bathrooms—a high priority for anyone driving the long, lonely stretch from Casper.
• The "Crossroads" Economy: Shoshoni’s official motto is now "The Crossroads of Wyoming," and the Fast Lane is the physical manifestation of that title. As the town’s largest employer (providing jobs for nearly 10% of the town's population), it serves as the "desert oasis" at the junction of US Highways 20, 26, and 789.
• A Catalyst for Change: The Fast Lane’s 2026 status is more than just a convenience store; it has spurred a "sprint" of local improvements. Its success encouraged the town to invest in a new plaza and a $1.65 million sewer expansion to attract more housing, echoing the spirit of the old MK Division days.

Whether it was the veteran workers of the 1940s living in the MK Division or the weary families stopping for a "real" milkshake and a tank of gas at the Fast Lane today, these two sites define Shoshoni's enduring role as the place where Wyoming meets to keep moving forward.

The Prominent Wyomingites of Shoshoni

The true measure of Shoshoni is found in the people it produced. For a town whose population rarely exceeded a thousand, its per-capita contribution to Wyoming’s cultural and political landscape is staggering.

In the early days of Shoshoni, Dr. Emory Lee Jewell was a figure of stability and science. A pioneering physician, "Doc Jewell" was known for his research on Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, a lethal threat to the early settlers and sheepmen of the basin. He was the type of frontier doctor who would ride thirty miles through a blizzard to deliver a baby or set a broken bone, often accepting a side of beef or a wool pelt as payment.

His daughter, Isabel Jewell, was the first to take the Shoshoni name to a global stage. While many Hollywood biographies gloss over her roots, Isabel was a product of the basin through and through. She attended the University of Wyoming, where she was an active and proud member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority, a connection that reflected her academic ambition and social grace.

Isabel’s journey from the dust of Shoshoni to the bright lights of Broadway and Hollywood is legendary. A diminutive blonde with a "spark of genuine dramatic genius," she became one of the most recognizable character actresses of the 1930s. She is best remembered for her haunting role as the seamstress in A Tale of Two Cities (1935) and as Emmy Slattery in the cinematic masterpiece Gone with the Wind (1939). In 1960, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, proving that a girl from the Shoshoni crossroads could conquer the "world's finest" industry.

Public Service starts with a Solid Foundation

The Bebout name is inseparable from the history of Shoshoni and Hudson. The matriarch of the family, Dessie Svilar Bebout, was a force of nature. Born into the historic Svilar family of Hudson, Wyoming, Desi carried the work ethic of the Old World.

The Svilars Steakhouse in Hudson; still a family-run "can’t miss" destination for anyone traveling through Wyoming, is a testament to that legacy. Famous for their fried chicken, sarma (Balkan cabbage rolls), and "fork-tender" steaks, the Svilars created a Wyoming tradition that has lasted over 110 years.

Dessie herself was a trailblazer. A WWII veteran of the Navy WAVES and a devoted public servant, she served as the Shoshoni Postmistress for 13 years and lived to the incredible age of 102. In 2025, in a moving ceremony attended by Wyoming’s congressional delegation, the Shoshoni Post Office was officially renamed the Dessie A. Bebout Post Office Building in her honor.

Her sons carried the torch of excellence even further. Eli Bebout became one of the most powerful political figures in Wyoming history, serving as both Speaker of the House and Senate President; a rare "double crown" in state politics. Meanwhile, Nick Bebout became a local sports legend, rising from Shoshoni High School to play as a standout offensive tackle in the NFL for the Atlanta Falcons, the Minnesota Vikings, and as an original member of the Seattle Seahawks.

John Philp was a legendary figure in Fremont County government. He served as a Fremont County Commissioner from 1976 to 1989 providing a rural voice for all people in the county. As a founding member of the Fremont County Fire Protection District, he worked to better fire protection for rural areas of the County. He was selected to serve on the National and Regional BLM Advisory Boards. He understood that in a "crossroads" town, a road was more than asphalt, it was a lifeline for the ranchers and a bridge for the visitors.

His son, Frank Philp, took that commitment to the state level. Frank served in the Wyoming State Legislature for 18 years, representing House District 34. He is quoted as saying “The good thing about the Legislature is the people you meet and work with.  There are wonderful people from all over the state. You might get up on the floor and really be fighting with someone you know, but after it’s over, it’s over, and you’re friends.”  He rose to the position of Speaker Pro-Tempore before his passing, earning a reputation as a thoughtful, conservative leader who put the needs of Fremont County and Wyoming first.

The Philps were, and are, primarily sheep ranchers. They were deeply involved in both the Wyoming Wool Growers and the Stock Growers Association, representing the interests of the wool industry that once made Fremont County one of the highest wool-producing areas in the nation. The family ranch still operates near Lysite, Wyoming, on the rugged slopes of Copper Mountain, where it has stood as a testament to multi-generational resilience for over 100 years.

Shoshoni has always "punched above its weight" in high school sports. The Wranglers have produced countless All-State athletes who embodied the resilient work ethic of the town. Individuals and countless local families contributed educators, coaches, and local officials who kept the town’s spirit alive through lean years.

The Yellowstone Drug: The Sweetest Stop in the West

For generations of travelers, Shoshoni was defined by one sensory experience: the milkshake at The Yellowstone Drug.

Located at the town’s primary intersection, the Yellowstone Drug was the cultural embassy of the Crossroads. It was a place where time slowed down. While it was a functioning pharmacy, its heart was the soda fountain. The shakes were legendary—so thick they were served with a spoon and a warning.

Under the stewardship of the Shaw family and later owners, the store became a living museum of Wyoming history. Tourists from Germany and Japan would sit at the counter alongside local sheepmen and state senators, all equalized by a shared love for a malted shake. It wasn't just a business; it was the town's living room. Even after the original building transitioned, the memory of the Yellowstone Drug remains the defining "flavor" of Shoshoni for anyone who grew up in Wyoming during the 20th century.

Shoshoni Today: The Resilience of the Crossroads

In recent years, Shoshoni has faced the challenges common to many rural Western towns, but its resilience remains unbroken. The town has embarked on ambitious revitalization projects, clearing old structures to make way for new businesses and parks.

Shoshoni has weathered the transition from steam engines to electric vehicles. It has seen the boom of uranium and the bust of oil. Yet, its identity as the "Crossroads" remains. It is a town that knows how to wait—waiting for the next traveler, the next storm, and the next generation of leaders.

Even as vehicles zip through, those who know Wyoming history still slow down. They see the ghosts of the 1905 tent city, the silhouette of Isabel Jewell on the screen, and the memory of a Nick Bebout block on the football field. They remember the taste of a Yellowstone Drug shake and the feeling of being at the very center of the Equality State.

Shoshoni is not just a place you pass through; it is the place where Wyoming meets, trades, and remembers who it is.

 

Bibliography

• Tucker, Randy. "A Century at the Crossroads: Shoshoni’s Remarkable People." County 10 News, 2021-2024.
• Cowboy State Daily. "Shoshoni Post Office Renamed for Dessie Bebout, Former Postmistress and WWII Vet." August 13, 2025.
• Wyoming State Legislature. Memorial for Representative Frank Philp: Speaker Pro-Tempore. House Journal, 2015.
• University of Wyoming. Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Records: The Life of Isabel Jewell.
• Philp, Frank. The Sheep Industry and Copper Mountain: A Family Legacy. Wyoming Wool Growers Association Archives.
• Bebout, Eli. Oral History of Wyoming Politics. Wyoming State Archives.
• Wyoming Newspapers (Digital). The Shoshoni Enterprise (1905–1910). wyomingnewspapers.com.
• Hudson Historical Society. Sviler’s Steakhouse: 110 Years of Tradition in Hudson.
• Nissen, Axel. Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. (Chapter on Isabel Jewell).