These photos were taken while covering the Wyoming Democratic Party caucuses in Lander, Wyo., and visiting the Wind River Indian Reservation. To play the slideshow, click on the arrow on the right side of the photos, or slide the scroll bar at bottom of photos. The photo captions are as follows:
Photo 1: Rep. Patrick Goggles, the only Native elected official in the Wyoming legislature, and wife, Chip, lobby for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama at the Fremont County Democratic party caucus in Lander.
Photo 2: Children at Fort Washakie School enjoy playtime amid the backdrop of the Wind River mountain range. Most of the children are Eastern Shoshone, and their school is next to a community library and the Shoshone Tribal Cultural Center.
Photo 3: The Wind River Casino in Riverton is run by the Northern Arapaho tribe, which is the only tribe in the country to gain approval of a gaming contract without a state compact. A federal court ruled the state of Wyoming had not negotiated in good faith and cannot share in the casino's revenues.
Photo 4: Democrats wait in a long line outside Lander Valley High School for the Fremont County party caucus. More than 600 registered voters showed up to vote — compared to 30 Democrats who appeared at the last county caucus meeting — part of a huge turnout statewide.
Photo 5: Wind River Tribal College in Ethete opened its doors to students in Fall 2000. The college offers Associates of Arts degrees in Northern Arapaho Studies, General Student Studies and Elementary Education and includes courses in Eastern Shoshone language and culture.
Photo 6: Merle Haas of the Northern Arapaho tribe and daughter, Elizabeth, drove two hours from the Wind River Reservation to hear Barack Obama speak in Casper. Haas is director of Sky People, a higher education program on the Wind River Reservation, while her daughter is a student at Central Wyoming College.
Photo 7: Michelle Escudero of Lander holds her 3-year-old daughter, Magdalena, as she listens to Barack Obama answer her question about what he can do to raise the hopes of Natives who experience persistent poverty, high unemployment and other problems.
Photo 8: Students at Wyoming Indian High School in Ethete hoist a banner extolling diversity during Bill Clinton’s speech in Riverton. The students were among an estimated 2,000 people at Central Wyoming College to hear the former president and daughter, Chelsea, stump for Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid.
Photo 9: This cemetery in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains is said to contain the grave of Sacajawea and is named after her. Many believe Sacajawea returned to her Shoshone people in Fort Washakie where she died and was buried in 1884 by an Episcopal missionary.
Photo 10: Former President Bill Clinton greets people at Central Wyoming College in Riverton following a talk pushing his wife, Hillary, for the White House. A secret service agent stands watch as Clinton wades through the crowd.
Photo 11: Some of the more than 600 Democrats who showed up at the Fremont County party caucus register at Lander Valley High School as long lines stretch to the parking lot. In the final count, Barack Obama supporters defeated Hillary Clinton backers, in their quest for convention delegates.
Photo 12: David Neary, a Fremont County coordinator for the Barack Obama campaign, registers at the Democratic party caucus in Lander. Neary had also worked the Iowa caucuses for Obama, who bested Hillary Clinton in Fremont County and throughout Wyoming.
Photo 13: Derick Meeks, 19, a high school student on the Wind River Indian Reservation, has narrowed his choice between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. He will be voting in a presidential election for the first time.
Photo 14: Hillary Clinton excites a crowd of supporters at Casper College in Casper, Wyo., as she visits several cities on the eve of the state’s Democratic party caucus. Despite her efforts and those of her husband, Bill, and daughter, Chelsea, she garnered fewer delegates than Barack Obama.
Photo 15: The Shoshone Rose Casino, nestled in the foothills of the Wind River Mountains, opened last year and has been so successful that tribal leaders are planning to expand its operations. The casino is one of three on the Wind River Reservation but the only one run by the Eastern Shoshone.
Photo 16: Two people talk on the steps of the Ft. Washakie Health Center. The clinic, part of Indian Health Services, serves both the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone but has been hit hard by the lack of funding.