Teapot Rock, Rock formation in Natrona County, Wyoming, United States.
Teapot Rock is an eroded sandstone formation in Natrona County, Wyoming, standing about 75 feet (25 m) tall and roughly 300 feet (90 m) in circumference. Its lower part is a blocky base of stacked horizontal layers, from which two uneven pillars rise; the taller right pillar has a projecting ledge below its summit. It lies a few hundred yards east of Wyoming Highway 259, about 19 miles north of Casper, near Teapot Creek.
The formation gained prominence in the 1920s when nearby Teapot Dome oil fields became the center of a major corruption scandal during President Harding's administration. Oil discovery and the ensuing political turmoil made this remote location a symbol of the era's energy policy conflicts.
The rock's outline once resembled a teapot, giving the formation its name and also naming the Teapot Dome geologic uplift and the oil field about 6 miles (10 km) east. Windstorms eroded the handle in 1930 and the spout in 1962, so visitors today see two pillars rather than a teapot.
The formation stands a few hundred yards east of Wyoming Highway 259, about 19 miles north of Casper in the Powder River Basin. The surrounding land is privately owned, so access depends on the landowner's permission; there are no designated parking areas or marked viewpoints.
The rock's shape has changed dramatically over time due to natural erosion. The distinctive handle disappeared around 1930, and the spout vanished later in 1962, fundamentally reshaping the formation's appearance.
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