Powell brings together glimpses of history, city parks, swimming, and agricultural tours. The Homesteader Museum explores domestic life in the early 20th century; the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center focuses on the history of the incarceration of Japanese and Japanese American people during World War II. Trails, an annual fair, and art also give the town a variety of points of interest.
History in Exhibits and Along the Trail
The Homesteader Museum’s permanent exhibits use photographs and artifacts to portray domestic life in Powell in the early 20th century. An interactive exhibit area includes a Burlington Northern caboose. The museum thus combines a portrayal of everyday life with a tangible railroad exhibit.
The Heart Mountain Interpretive Center explores the wartime relocation of Japanese Americans, the history of anti-Asian prejudice in the United States, and the factors that led to forced relocation and incarceration. Photographs, artifacts, oral histories, and interactive exhibits convey what life was like at Heart Mountain from the perspective of Japanese and Japanese American people incarcerated there during World War II. The center is off Highway 14A, about ten minutes from Powell.
The Setsuko Saito Higuchi Interpretive Trail offers another way to engage with history: this paved walking trail is ¼ mile long, leads through key moments in Heart Mountain’s history, and points out surviving features of the camp. At Heart Mountain National Historic Site, some landmarks from the former Heart Mountain Relocation Center remain; other landmarks there date from the center’s operation in the 1940s.
Parks, Trails, and Swimming
Powell has ten city parks covering about 125 acres. Together, the parks include 1.5 miles of paved trails for walking and biking, as well as a fishing pond. For planning an outdoor outing, you can choose between the trails and a place to fish as distinct park amenities.
The Powell Aquatic Center is an indoor aquatic recreation facility in Homesteader Park on Highway 14A. Its leisure pool has a beach entry, a splash pool, a lazy river, a water walk, and a seating area for relaxing. There is also a 25-yard lap pool with eight lanes and a diving board. The options are distinct: the city parks offer paved outdoor trails, while the Aquatic Center has pools and other aquatic areas.
Agriculture and the Park County Fair
The Park County Fair is an annual event in Powell, held during the last full week of July. It showcases the region’s agricultural heritage through livestock, youth exhibits, artists, and food. If you plan to time your stay around the fair, check the specific event dates as you plan.
Powell’s Interpretive Agriculture Tours give visitors the opportunity to learn how farming works in the desert and meet local producers. The tours and the fair offer different insights: the tours focus on learning about agriculture and local producers, while the fair features livestock, youth exhibits, art, and food.
Art and Golf as Further Highlights
At Northwest College, the “Landform Journey” sculpture is integrated into the two-story fireplace in the Student Center. It was inspired by the topography of nearby Heart Mountain and the Bighorn Basin. The landscape is also the subject of an artwork at the college.
Powell Golf Club is seven miles east of town. Its 18-hole golf course is designed for all skill levels. Along with the trails in the city parks, it offers another way to shape your stay around your personal interests.
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