250 Anniversary Committee Requesting Funds from County’s Municipalities

APRIL 3, 2025 |

Photo – State’s semi-quincentennial committee logo – Bigfoot99 file photo

The Carbon County 250 Committee is requesting financial contributions from towns to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

In February, the Board of Carbon County Commissioners formed a committee to coordinate the county’s semi-quincentennial celebrations, set to take place in July of 2026. The 250 Committee, as it is called, was created to allow the county to request grant money set aside by Governor Mark Gordon for the occasion.

During Tuesday’s Saratoga town council meeting, Carbon County 250 Committee Chairwoman Candy Moulton explained the organization consists of herself and the directors of the Carbon County, Encampment, Elk Mountain, and Little Snake River Museums.

Since its formation, the 250 Committee has been planning ways to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Chairwoman Moulton explained the committee has decided to produce a short documentary about Carbon County, with the intention of having the film broadcast on television and showcased at festivals.

Titled ‘Journeys to 250’, Moulton said the film will explore how humans came to inhabit the land that would eventually be known as Carbon County. The committee chairwoman added the documentary is intended to highlight the reasons why people choose to live in this area.

Moulton acknowledged that it will be impossible for the documentary to cover the entire history of Carbon County in 28 minutes. Moulton said the film is estimated to cost approximately $80,000 to produce. The committee has already requested the maximum grant of $10,000 from the Wyoming Semi-quincentennial Planning Task Force. Ideally, Moulton said the remaining funds for the film, along with those needed for other planned celebration events, will come from Carbon County’s municipalities.

Moulton said the Carbon County 250 Committee is asking for at least $1,000 from the town of Saratoga. The committee chairwoman admitted that the town might find it difficult to find additional funds from this year’s budget. If needed, the town could choose to make smaller contributions spread out over the coming fiscal years.

Moulton said the Wyoming Semi-quincentennial Planning Task Force is also offering between $2,500 and $25,000 in grant money to help communities with their individual celebrations. The 250 Committee chairwoman suggested having the town create its own anniversary committee to seek funding from the state. The grant money may be used to install signs explaining the significance of the Hobo Hot Springs.

Moulton said the town has until the end of this December to submit a grant to the state.

The Saratoga town council voted to postpone making a donation to the 250 Committee until after reviewing the budget.

Moulton said she expects the documentary, ‘Journeys to 250’, to begin filming this summer. Once it is completed, the 250 Committee will screen the movie in every municipality in Carbon County.