Here in Wyoming's Wind River Country, Castle Gardens is best known for its collection of oddly shaped sandstone formations. In this badlands environment, just west of Moneta, wind and weather has whittled away an outcropping of sandstone, shaping it into turrets and towers of a castle. More rock shapes, ranging from giant toadstools to a sandstone forest, create only some of the interest found on the recreation area trails.
   Officially called the Castle Gardens Petroglyph Site, a group of intriguing petroglyph panels have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In dire need of preservation still today, a shield-bearing warrior figure was chiseled out of the rock during the 40s. The Great Turtle Shield was later anonymously donated to the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne. Other mysterious rock art at Castle Gardens has drawn considerable interest from a few scholars. Some of these interpretations may go against the very foundations of American history.
   Taught at an early age and thoroughly ingrained by high school, youngsters are introduced to American history beginning with Columbus, the first European to discover North America. Ancient records, chiseled in stone, have been discovered in caves and cliffs throughout the Americas, such as this site at Castle Gardens. Astonishing evidence indicates that these petroglyphs may bear signatures of ancient explorers from Scandinavia, Phoenicia, China and Egypt. It's been hypothesized that North America was a very busy trading center well before the Roman Empire began to use the Julian calendar in 45 BC. These avant-garde theories only create more intrigue over the mysterious stone carvings.

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