Introduction and History
By Luke Anderson
June 29, 2016
The limestone and dolomite peak named Heart Mountain rises over 8,000 feet above sea level. With a prominence of over 2,000 feet, the peak dominates the surrounding valleys and solemnly keeps watch over the neighboring communities of Powell and Cody. The peak, which vaguely resembles an aorta and pulmonary artery rising from a human heart, is roughly 300 million years old. Heart Mountain has witnessed the entirety of human history in Wyoming, from the first modern humans who came through the state 12,000 years ago to the myriads of jumbo jets that leave behind contrails in Wyoming’s vast skies every day today. Of all the things that Heart Mountain has seen beyond its slopes, perhaps one of the most complicated and troubling periods in Wyoming history began at its base in 1942 in the throes of World War II. Unfairly and irrationally perceived as a threat to national security, 14,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned in an internment camp that eventually came to be named after the nearby mountain. The Heart Mountain Relocation Center has become a part of Wyoming’s legacy. It is a bit ironic, actually – Wyoming is a state mostly known for its mountains. People travel thousands of miles to see the Tetons. The Wind River Range is sometimes thought of as one of the last true wildernesses in the continental United States. Elk Mountain and Laramie Peak are well-known to travelers who frequent Interstates 80 and 25. Perhaps Heart Mountain could have joined that list of revered Wyoming mountains with its unique geology and its imposing form. Instead, the mountain will forever be associated with a great injustice of the 20th century. No, people won’t come to Heart Mountain to climb it, photograph it, or paint it. People will come to Heart Mountain to remember and reflect, and to ensure such a grave mistake never happens again.
