SUNRISE – It’s been 10 years since John Voight shook hands with local archaeologists Dr. George Frisan and Dr. George Ziemens to allow exploratory archaeological digging on his property: a former world class iron ore and copper mine, complete with the ghost town of the mining camp Sunrise, and remnants of the first YMCA built in Wyoming.
Frisan and Ziemens were interested in learning more about a PaleoIndian red ochre mine that was saved by former Sunrise schoolteacher, Wayne Powars, from being bulldozed during Department of Environmental Quality-mandated mine reclamation in 1986.
Though they believed the now-named Powars II Archaeology Site had potential, none of them realized the full extent of the site’s significance until the archaeologists and a multitude of volunteers – many of them teenagers – dug into the red earth clinging mercilessly to anything it touched. They found they had underestimated the site and its significance to North American history, and potentially archaeology, anthropology, geology, and – as Professor Steve Howard of Eastern Wyoming Community College says, “all the -ologies.”
“This PaleoIndian red ochre mine is unlike any other archaeology site and is one of the most significant sights in North America,” George Ziemens said to a crowd of over 250 people gathered in front of the old YMCA building at Sunrise during an annual tour on June 22.
“Number one, it is the only red ochre mine we know of in North America; two, there was a lot of ritual activity going on; and three, there were other mines where dig tools have been discovered, but this one has over 7,000 artifacts so far. It’s one of the richest with well over 200 spear points, including groups of unused Clovis points (think Bering Straight first Americans dating at 13,000 years ago) with red ochre spread on top of them.”
There have also been artifacts found in layers underneath those 13,000-year-old layers, with “good” dates as far back as 15,000 years using the ISL method.
“We looked for a place, at random, that may have been a campsite – next to an old tool shed [from the CF&I mining days.] At four feet deep, we found stratified deposits. At six feet, we found artifacts 6,000 years old, then sterile ground. At 10 feet, we found artifacts, tools, and flakes with good dates from 14,000 – 15,000 years old. One is dated at 16,000 years – the oldest dated artifacts in the whole continent,” Ziemens, who is the lead archaeologist at the Powars II dig site since Frisan’s death in 2020. “It’s a signature site, and we are just beginning to research it.”
Zeimens shared with his audience his appreciation to Voight for allowing the work on his personal property. Additionally, Zeimens explained, in the state of Wyoming, artifacts belong to the landowner, and Voight has donated the vast collection of artifacts – valued at over one million dollars and counting – to SHAPPS, as long as they are kept secured at the YMCA building on site, for future research and preservation purposes.

The crowd clapped their own appreciation for that sentiment.
Before embarking on either a self-guided or group tour of the Glory Hole, work buildings and Sunrise homes decked out in 1920s, 1940s or 1960s style, guests were treated to homemade cake and punch provided by Sunrise Historic and Prehistoric Preservation Society (SHAPPS) members to celebrate the 10th anniversary of that afore-mentioned handshake.
“When I bought Sunrise, I was thinking I’d see if I could make some money mining some of the iron ore that is still here, and the town came with the deal,” Voight explained to the crowd. He said he had no idea things would turn out the way they have, with such a prominent history between Powars II, the YMCA and the CF&I mine.
“We cannot share enough – there is a history over 15,000 years old. It is a very prominent history [both historic and recent].”
“There are so many different things going on here,” Geri Ziemens of Sunrise Historic and Prehistoric Preservation Society (SHAPPS) said. The group was formed in cooperation with the archaeologists, Voight and volunteers to preserve the many layers of history at Sunrise and surrounding communities.
One thing SHAPPS is working to preserve is the YMCA building that was the first one built in Wyoming, as a way for J.D. Rockefeller to save face after the 1914 Ludlow Massacre in Colorado. After the center for youth and community activities was opened in 1917, Rockefeller found his workforce was more productive with better pay, better working and living conditions, and educational opportunities, Voight told the tour group.
The plan is to turn the YMCA into a combination museum and educational meeting place, and things are underway in that department. Many artifacts are on display showcasing the varied history of Eureka Valley, the peaks of which Sunrise is peacefully nestled into: from regional archaeologic finds, iron ore and copper mining, and early- to mid- 20th century culture.
One attendee, Hailey Dungan of Laramie, expressed her gratitude for the work that has been done on the YMCA. “I didn’t realize how much of the museum is available. I anticipated a mine tour, but I’m so very grateful the YMCA is intact and accessible,” she said. “And I really appreciate the bowling alley in the basement!”
Kit Earle, a math teacher at EWC for over 20 years, said, “I grew up around here, but I did not know much about Sunrise.”
Another aspect of the work at Sunrise is a recent collaboration with EWC in Torrington. Professor Howard, director of Anthropology at EWC, said the college will be working with SHAPPS and Voight to provide a hands-on experimental archaeologic program. “We will teach students as they help on the site alongside other archaeologists to find out how the people who mined the red ochre lived. We also want to try to find out how old it is. We have an idea, but need more evidence,” he said.
The college will also be hosting events at neighboring Hell’s Gap site, located across the Platte County line into Goshen County, and will host community education classes teaching how to identify artifacts with a hands-on program. Additionally, a symposium was also hosted by the college with tours and archaeologists / anthropologists from Powars II this past weekend, welcoming professional collaboration and speakers from around the United States and South America. The governor has also committed funds from his Wyoming Innovation Partnership to help the educational program through its first year. (See more in next week’s edition of the Record-Times for more on this symposium.)
Preparations for the summer series of events would have been impossible without the help of many volunteers, SHAPPS members, Camp Guernsey Joint Training Center volunteers, student and community volunteers.
The many preservation projects underway also cost money, and all donations are welcome. Any donations made to SHAPPS during the online WyoGives event on July 10 will be increased by a million dollar pool of matching funds through the Hughes Charitable Foundation (WyoGives.org). For more information, go to SHAPPS.org, call them at 307-331-8810, or email shappsymca@gmail.com .
“With help, encouragement, and support, we can continue what we all do,” Geri Ziemens said.