From our Spring 2021 Newsletter (find a full PDF here).

Driving through southeastern Wyoming, you will likely hear about a fun, beautiful place called Curt Gowdy State Park. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll visit. The park is full of interesting landscapes, lakes to boat and fish on, trails to hike, and spots where family and friends come together. It’s an unexpected gem for first-time visitors and a treasure for locals. It’s a piece of Wyoming we love to show off to the rest of America.

You may know Curt Gowdy as a decorated American sportscaster from the 1950s-1980s. He was also an avid outdoorsman, passionate about conservation. Curt Gowdy, who the park is named after, moved from Wyoming in 1951, but never forgot the love he had for the state and its people. He wanted to share that passion with friends and family.

“Our goal as a family is to make the world more special through love, kindness, and goodness,” says Cheryl Gowdy, Curt’s daughter. “If anyone knew how important that was, it was my dad.”

Curt’s philosophy was simple, he wanted to give to a place that would let families and children get out and know the outdoors – to spend time together in the outside. The Curt Gowdy State Park Family Fund at WYCF makes that possible. Cheryl, along with her mother and brothers, continue to make the park a place where families and friends can enjoy each other’s love and friendship.

One of Cheryl’s favorite programs at the park is the Governor’s Capitol Campout. “It’s a place where values matter,” says Cheryl. “It’s a place where families, children and friends can be together and enjoy God’s universe.”

Wyoming State Parks hosts the campout annually. The program gives families that would not otherwise have the resources to do so, a chance to learn to camp.

“I’ve received letters from the families who attended this event saying it changed their life,” Cheryl explains. “One father wrote to me and told me this weekend saved his relationship with his son, they talked over the campfire for over five hours that night.”

Their family fund makes these sort of connections possible today, and into the future.