I have resurrected a field recording I made in May 2018 featuring the dawn chorus at Independence Rock in central Wyoming. I have visited the rock quite a few times over the years. Climbing to the top offers a commanding view of the Sweetwater River and beyond that never disappoints. In addition, once on top, the etched names of thousands of weary 19th century travelers who forged their way across the Oregon, Mormon and California emigrant trails can been seen. Because of this, Independence Rock is often referred to as the Register of the Desert. At its highest point, the large monolith of Archean granite, and pioneer calling card, measures approximately 130 feet (40 m) high, 1,900 feet (580 m) long and 850 feet (260 m) wide.
Legend has it that the goal of a wagon party was to make it to Independence Rock by July 4th in order to successfully cross the oncoming mountains before the first snowfall.
In the Youtube video below, listen to the sounds of the dawn chorus on May 21, 2018. At this location, the Sweetwater River meanders its way alongside the historic Independence Rock. There were clear skies at a quarter ’til six in the morning, with a temperature around 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7C).
Be forewarn, the first thing you’ll hear in this stereo recording is the sound of a low-flying Canada goose. It’s coming in hot and loud above the microphones. Additional birdsong include that of the Western meadowlark, red-winged blackbird, sandhill crane, Western willet and others that I can’t yet identify. If you know what they are, please reach out.
The 7:13 quasi-binaural recording above was captured in stereo using a pair of low-noise Luhd PM-01AB microphones feeding into a Sony PCM D100 recorder. Ambient noise levels before dawn were around 32 dBA. I chose to record on the back side of the rock. This being my attempt to avoid any passing vehicle noise from the nearby highway. At this hour, it was mostly sporadic truck traffic. The stitched panorama image is a series of 18 vertical images taken with a Fuji X100s camera.
Sesquicentennial Mormon Pioneer Wagon Train
In May 1997, the New York Times assigned me to cover the Sesquicentennial celebration, or 150 year anniversary, of the Mormon Pioneer Wagon Train. Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints re-enacted the westbound Mormon migration route into Utah’s Salt Lake Valley, honoring the thousands of faithful that crossed the country under perilous conditions in the 1800s. They covered over 1,000 miles in 93 days, often pulling handcarts. I caught up with them as they left Casper on their way to Independence Rock and Martin’s Cove.
Below is my front page, top-of-the-fold image of re-enactors at dawn atop Independence Rock. Sadly, it ran in black and white. The ‘Gray Lady’ would go full-color seven months later. If you’re interested, see the Times story on that transition here.
Below is the front page image in color, along with others from the re-enactment.
