Royalty Visits the Canyon

A CANYON FIT FOR A QUEEN

The Roaring Twenties introduced a new spectacle to the Wind River Canyon - sightseeing tourists. In this free-spirited era, the scenic Yellowstone Highway was built in part to accommodate the growing popularity of auto clubs and joyrides. The highway was finished in 1924 and competed directly with the passenger trains that, until then, were the only way to see the sights in the canyon. Not to be outdone and to protect their tourism industry, the railroad built an excursion platform in the canyon for their passenger trains. This stopover was built at Dornick, a former railroad station, and offered tourists a view of Chimney Rock.

Just a year later, in 1926, a stir was created across the nation and in Thermopolis. Headlines announced the arrival of European royalty to America.

Queen Marie of Romania arrived in America to great fanfare. New York City gave a ticker-tape parade in her honor and President Coolidge hosted her in his first state dinner at the White House. Excitement bubbled over when she boarded a special train dubbed the “Royal Roumanian” to begin her “Friendship Tour” of the United States.

“I want to see real Americans,” Queen Marie told the press that dogged her every step. It had been a dream of hers since World War I had ravaged her country to thank America for their Red Cross efforts.

Her whirlwind tour took her through Wyoming and it soon became news that she would be the first known royalty to ever set foot in the Wind River Canyon.

The big day arrived in late October and the “Royal Roumanian” stopped at the Dornick excursion deck. It was a win for the railroad to host such a prominent tourist. Barney Smith, local businessman, was there to witness her arrival and took the photographs that recorded the historic moment as she met with the representatives of Thermopolis. Smith later wrote the impressive fact that the train was pulling twelve coaches. The passenger trains eventually lost their tourists to the automobiles and they no longer run through the canyon. However, you can take your own driving tour of the Wind River Canyon Scenic By-Way. See for yourself the towering Chimney Rock that Queen Marie and her party stopped to Queen Marie admire nearly one hundred years ago.

Chimney Rock in the Wind River Canyon