What’s Left Of Lance Creek Wyoming

Lance Creek, Wyoming, is one of those places where, if you drive by, it is probably because you're lost. Then, when you do see what is supposed to be the town, you'll wonder if it really is, or ever was, a town.

There are still good people out there. This place was once something special.

Drive to the tiny little town of Manville, which is way out in the middle of nowhere, and take the road north, drive for a very long way, until you are north of the middle of nowhere. That is where you'll find what is left of Lance Creek, Wyoming.

This little collection of old buildings is in Niobrara County, Wyoming. The population was 43 at the 2010 census.

Lance Creek is the namesake of the Lance Formation, a rock formation from the Late Cretaceous that has yielded fossils from a diverse number of species.

There is a Lance Creek Museum, which preserves the history of a place that most of the world has forgotten. The museum is located at 307 Twenty Mile Road, Lance Creek, WY, and visitors are welcome. Call 307-334-3498 to schedule your appointment!

According to the Niobrara County Library, Lance Creek, Wyoming, located north of Lusk, transformed from a quiet agricultural area into a major oil boomtown after oil was discovered in 1917. The field became a top producer by the 1920s, with a population exceeding 10,000 at its height. It is also globally renowned for the Lance Creek Formation, a paleontological hotspot rich in Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossils.

Following the 1917 discovery, the area saw rapid development. By 1920, the field was flooded with oil companies, featuring numerous hotels, banks, and a refinery, and saw rapid construction of homes, as detailed in Lusk Historical Photos — The Oil Boom.

The Lance Creek Field was one of Wyoming's most significant oil producers, contributing significantly to the state's economic development in the early 20th century, according to Five Wyoming Oil Fields and the Transformation of an Economy.

The surrounding geology is famous for Late Cretaceous fossils (65–67 million years ago), including Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus remains, often compared to the Hell Creek Formation.

The Lance Creek Museum and the Niobrara County Library document this rapid rise, including photos and artifacts from the era.