This field trip, for most kids, was the first all day travel trip they ever got to go on for school. It may have not been the most exciting trip for many, but the memory still remains.

If you attended public school in Casper in the 90's, you probably remember learning about frontier life in Wyoming in 4th grade - which lead to an all day field trip to Fort Laramie.

I still remember this day. Like I mentioned above, this was the first school trip I had ever been on that involved leaving Casper. Everyone in my class was looking forward to this trip. Even being in lower grades, it was understood that you got to go on this trip when you made it to 4th grade. We all met at school much earlier than normal, got on the bus with our backpacks, our lunches, disposable cameras, and money to buy stuff at the general store.

Honestly, I don't have many remaining memories of the actual fort or the lessons we learned about frontier life. However, I do remember the long bus ride, the constant shushing from my teacher trying to keep a bus full of 9-year-olds quiet, and going to the general store.

americantable.org
americantable.org
loading...

Leading up to the trip, we learned about ways troops and people from that period preserved food. This is when we were all introduced to hard tack. Do you remember this stuff? It is basically a rock hard cracker. Like it will seriously mess up your teeth. Everyone in my class, including myself, was so excited to buy some of this and try it out. Spoiler Alert: It Sucked. Not sure what I was expecting, but I was immediately not a fan. I understand the need for it in a time when food preservation was not very sophisticated, but I think i can go the rest of my life without the stuff. However, if you wish to try it for yourself, you can get the recipe here.

Everyone in the class had disposable cameras to capture the moment. Pretty sure those photos never got developed, and the same went for most of the other kids in my class. Which is fine. I can't image most of those photos would be any good or of any interest after the field trip was over. In fact, I am almost certain that camera sat on top of my family's refrigerator for 10 years or so before getting tossed out.

On the way back to Casper, I also recall making a stop at Register Cliff. That was kind of neat for a minute, but we were behind schedule and a few kids kept trying to put their names on the rock, so that portion of the trip was cut short. Thanks jerks.

Like I said, not to most exciting trip I had ever been on, but it is still burned in my memory. This trip may very well still be a part of the current curriculum, I'm not sure. But for me, it takes me back to the 90's.  What about you? Do you remember this trip?

More From AM 1400 The Cowboy