In 1841, a Wyoming fur trapper named Henry Fraeb was killed at his trading post in the Medicine Bow National Forest during a battle with the Sioux peoples over an incident involving illegally traded whiskey and a stolen herd of horses. Nearly 60 years later, copper was discovered by an English prospector searching in that same area. Hundreds of hopefuls quickly flocked to the region for their share of the riches. A smelter, an aerial tramway, and entire towns were quickly established to house the miners, and by the time the mines closed in the early 20th century, over two million dollars’ worth of copper had been mined.  This classic Western history story is on full view along the Battle Pass Scenic Byway, a 57-mile-long road named for Fraeb’s skirmish that stretches across the majestic Sierra Madre Mountains of the Medicine Bow National Forest. Discover a stunning landscape of lush pine trees, epic mountain vistas, and the wide open plains of the Old West as history comes alive before your eyes. From the remnants of log cabins scattered throughout mining ghost towns to a large aspen grove planted over one hundred years ago, historic places and exquisite scenery unite on southeastern Wyoming’s Battle Pass Scenic Byway.