George Lathrop memorial monument

The George Lathrop memorial monument is located two miles west of Lusk on state Highway 20. Search for “George Lathrop” here to read the text.

Stagecoach routes fizzled as railroads spread through the area, and George Lathrop drove the last Cheyenne-Deadwood stagecoach, drawn by six horses, on Feb. 19, 1887. Lathrop, a longtime coach driver, later found employment on the Rawlins-Baggs stage line and then at a copper mine at Muskrat Canyon near Rawhide Buttes, south of Lusk.

Friends encouraged Lathrop to write of his adventures along the stage lines, and in 1915 he began writing his memoirs. He wrote about being a pioneer in the Wild West, fighting Indians, and his adventures driving various coaches with travelers and crooks along for the ride. Lathrop died on Dec. 24, 1915, his 85th birthday, and his handwritten stories were published by the Lusk Herald.