129 Year Old Sourdough Starter Is Still Growing In Newcastle, Wyoming
In the tiny town of Newcastle, there is a jar of sourdough that's older than the state of Wyoming.
The story begins in 1889, one year before Wyoming became a state, when a camp of sheepherders in Kaycee first grew the sourdough starter. The culture was handed down over several generations and eventually made its way to Lucille Dumbril.
Dumbrill inherited the starter from her late father, who got it from one of his students at the University of Wyoming in the 1950s. The sourdough has been growing in Lucille's refrigerator for decades and she has sent samples all over the world. In 2011, the culture was recognized with an award from the Wyoming State Historical Society.
Over the years, Dumbrill's pancakes have become almost as legendary as the 129-year-old sourdough starter she used to make them.
"It was a friendly way to entertain. The conversations were always about Wyoming, its history, and sourdough starters,” she told the Gillette News Record last year.
Now 90, Dumbrill plans to pass down the family heirloom to her daughter. Hopefully, her children and their children will keep Wyoming's oldest sourdough starter alive for generations to come.