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Location/Population
Lodgepole is located, on U.S. Hwy 30/385, 19 miles east of Sidney, and just three miles north of I-80 at exit 76. It is one of five towns in Cheyenne County. Lodgepole is 190 miles northeast of Denver, CO on I-80 & I-76; 121 miles southwest of Cheyenne, WY on I-80, 328 miles west of Lincoln, NE and 379 miles west of Omaha, NE.
Lodgepole’s population according to the 2010 Census is 318. Latitude 410902 / Longitude 1023826; Ground Elevation 1167.0
History
Lodgepole was founded in 1867, platted in 1884 and incorporated as an official town in 1901.
The town was named Lodge Pole by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1867. In 1895 the postal department changed the name to the one word spelling of Lodgepole.
The community’s name is derived from the creek bearing the same name, stemming from when the Indians cut poles for teepees along it banks. It is the second oldest community inCheyenneCounty.
Interesting Facts
Lodgepole is home to the 1987 Ford Bronco used to mark the Pony Express route from the east coast to the west coast. Joe Nardone, National Executive Director and Historian for the Pony Express Trail Association, used the Bronco to dedicate monuments along the trail. The Bronco was donated to theLodgepoleDepotMuseumin 2010.
Lodgepole is on the Oregon Trail, the Pony Express Route, the first transcontinental railroad (Union Pacific) and the first transcontinental highway; the Lincoln Highway aka US Hwy 30.
