Wyoming
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State flag
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WYOMING,
one of the Mountain states of the U.S., bounded on the N by
Montana; on the E by South Dakota and Nebraska; on the S by Colorado and Utah; and on the W by Utah, Idaho, and Montana.
Wyoming entered the Union on July 10, 1890, as the 44th state.
It has a wealth of mineral and agricultural resources, and in the
early 1990s mining and agriculture still played major roles in the
state’s economy. Tourism is also important, and each year
increasing numbers of visitors are attracted by the state’s unspoiled
scenic wonders. Its name, taken from the Wyoming Valley of NE Pennsylvania,
is an Anglicized form of a Delaware Indian term meaning “place
of the big plain.” Wyoming is called the Equality State and the Cowboy State.
| WYOMING STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
July 10, 1890; 44th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Cheyenne |
| MOTTO: |
Equal rights |
| NICKNAMES: |
Equality State; Cowboy State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Wyoming” (words by Charles E. Winter; music by G. E. Knapp) |
| STATE TREE: |
Cottonwood |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Indian paintbrush |
| STATE BIRD: |
Western meadowlark |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
493,782; 50th among the states |
| AREA: |
253,349 sq km (97,818 sq mi); 10th largest state; includes 1848 sq km (714 sq mi) of inland water |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Gannett Peak, 4207 m (13,804 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
945 m (3100 ft), along the Belle Fourche River |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
3 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 1 representative |
| GOVERNOR: |
Dave Freudenthal (Dem.) Took office January 2003 |
Wyoming, with an area of 253,349 sq km (97,818 sq mi), is
the tenth largest state in the U.S.; 46.5% of the land
area is owned by the federal government. The state is nearly rectangular
in shape, and its extreme dimensions are about 445 km (about 275
mi) from N to S and about 585 km (about 365 mi) from E to W. Elevations
range from 945 m (3100 ft) along the Belle Fourche R. in the NE
corner of the state to 4207 m (13,804 ft) atop Gannett Peak in the
Wind River Range. The approximate mean elevation is 2042 m (6700
ft).
Ranges of the Rocky Mt. system radiate from the NW corner
of the state. Among the most prominent are the rugged Teton Range
along the W border; the granite-cored Wind River Range, which extends
SE from the Yellowstone Plateau; and, in the N central part of the
state E of the Bighorn Basin, the Bighorn Mts. The Laramie Mts.,
a component of the Southern Rockies, extend N from Colorado into
the SE part of the state. Most of the S central section of the state
is part of the Wyoming Basin. This region is actually a series of
basins lying between mountain ranges. The E quarter of Wyoming is occupied
by the Great Plains. A portion of the granite-cored Black Hills
lies in the NE corner of the state. The Great Plains region has
the most fertile soils in the state.
The continental divide runs diagonally across the state
from
the NW to the SE. The area W of the divide (about one-quarter of
the state’s area) drains to the Pacific Ocean, primarily
by the Snake and Green rivers and their tributaries. The major rivers
E of the divide are the North Platte, in the S, and the Belle Fourche
in the N, both of which flow to the Mississippi R.; and the
Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Powder rivers, all of which flow NE into the
Missouri R. Many
of the state’s rivers have cut deep canyons; most notable
are the Grand Canyons of the Snake and Yellowstone rivers and the
Laramie and Wind River canyons. The Yellowstone R. is also known
for its two large waterfalls. The largest natural bodies of water
in Wyoming are Yellowstone and Jackson lakes, both in the NW. Among
the large artificial lakes, which are formed behind dams on the
state’s rivers, are Flaming Gorge, Glendo, Seminoe, Pathfinder, and
Boysen reservoirs.
Wyoming has a generally cold, semiarid climate. Summers
tend
to be short and hot, and winters cold and relatively long; temperature
differences between summer and winter are extreme. The average annual
temperature ranges from about –1.7° C (about 29° F)
in the Rocky Mts. of the NW to about 10° C (about 50° F)
along the SE border. The recorded temperature has ranged from –52.8° C
(–63° F) in Jackson Hole in 1933 to 45.6° C
(114° F) in the Bighorn Basin in 1900. Wyoming is one of
the driest states of the U.S. Even the highest mountain ranges seldom
receive more than 635 mm (more than 25 in) of annual precipitation.
The Wyoming and Bighorn basins, which lie in the rain shadow of
mountains, have average annual precipitations of 254 mm (10 in)
or less; the Great Plains region has an annual average of 381 mm
(15 in), and the Black Hills region receives slightly more.
Thunderstorms and hailstorms are relatively frequent in summer. The
annual snowfall
ranges from about 508 mm (about 20 in) in the Bighorn Basin to well
over 5080 mm (200 in) in the higher mountains. A distinctive climate
feature is the high and persistent winds of the Wyoming Basin, which
lacks sheltering mountain ranges.
| WYOMING AVERAGE CLIMATE |
| |
Cheyenne |
Casper |
| Average January temperature range |
–9.4° to 3.3° C |
15° to 38° F |
–10.6° to 1.1° C |
13° to 34° F |
| Average July temperature range |
12.8° to 28.9° C |
55° to 84° F |
12.8° to 30.6° C |
55° to 87° F |
| Average annual temperature |
7.8° C |
46° F |
7.2° C |
45° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
381 mm |
15 in |
279 mm |
11 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
1321 mm |
52 in |
1854 mm |
73 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
96 |
91 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
41% |
46% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
106 |
112 |
Forests cover about one-sixth of the total land area of
Wyoming. Less
than half of this is of commercial value. Most of the state’s
forests are found in the Rocky Mts. and the Black Hills. Lodgepole
pine dominates at lower elevations, and spruce and firs are found
on higher slopes. Animal life in the mountain areas is diverse and
includes elk (wapiti), moose, mountain sheep, mountain goat, black and
grizzly bear, and mountain lion. Birdlife includes hawks and
eagles, and trout are found in the mountain streams.
Natural vegetation in the Wyoming and Bighorn basins is dominated
by sagebrush and greasewood. Short grasses, primarily grama and
buffalo grass, cover the uncultivated areas of the Great Plains.
Wildlife in these areas includes pronghorn antelope, coyote, badger,
rabbit, and prairie dog. Birdlife includes such raptors as the hawk,
falcon, and eagle.
Wyoming is rich in mineral resources. The principal minerals are
petroleum, coal, natural gas, and sodium compounds. Petroleum and
natural gas are found in the Great Plains, the Bighorn Basin, and
the Wyoming Basin. Sodium salts are mined in the Wyoming Basin.
Coal is strip-mined in the Powder R. Basin, E of the Bighorn Mts.
The Wyoming Basin has valuable deposits of oil shale. Other mineral
resources include iron ore, uranium, phosphate, and clays.
According to the 2000 census, Wyoming had 493,782 inhabitant,
an increase of 8.9% over 1990; however, the previous census
showed a decrease of 3.4% from 1980, while during the 1970s
Wyoming was one of the fastest-growing states in the country. The
average population density in 2000 was 5.1 people per sq mi of land area,
lower than any other state except Alaska.
Whites made up 92.1%% of
the population and blacks 0.8%; additional population groups
included 11,133 American Indians, 2771 Asians, and 302 Native Hawaiian
and other Pacific Islanders. (These figures do not include the 1.8% of
the population who reported more than one race.) The principal Indian
groups in the state were the Shoshoni and Arapaho. A total of 31,669
persons, or 6.4%, reported being of Hispanic background.
The state’s largest cities were Cheyenne, the capital;
Casper; Laramie; Gillette; and Rock Springs.
According to the 1990 census, leading religious groups in
Wyoming included Roman Catholics (18%), Methodists (9.9%),
Mormons (8.8%), Presbyterians (8.7%), and Baptists
(8.6%). In 1990 about 65% of all Wyoming’s
residents lived in areas defined as urban, and the rest lived in
rural areas.
| POPULATION OF WYOMING SINCE 1870 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1870 |
9,000 |
0% |
| 1890 |
63,000 |
34% |
| 1900 |
93,000 |
29% |
| 1920 |
194,000 |
29% |
| 1940 |
251,000 |
37% |
| 1950 |
291,000 |
50% |
| 1960 |
330,000 |
57% |
| 1970 |
332,000 |
61% |
| 1980 |
470,000 |
63% |
| 1990 |
453,588 |
65% |
| 2000 |
493,782 |
-- |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN WYOMING |
| |
2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Cheyenne |
53,011 |
50,008 |
| Casper |
49,644 |
46,742 |
| Laramie |
27,204 |
26,687 |
| Gillette |
19,646 |
17,635 |
| Rock Springs |
18,708 |
19,050 |
| Sheridan |
15,804 |
13,900 |
| Green River |
11,808 |
12,711 |
| Evanston |
11,507 |
10,903 |
| Riverton |
9,310 |
9,202 |
| Cody |
8,835 |
7,897 |
Wyoming has a comprehensive statewide educational system.
Because of the low population density, however, the state’s
foremost cultural facilities are concentrated in its few major cities.
The first school in Wyoming was established in 1852 at Fort
Laramie. In 1869 the first school law in the territory was passed,
providing that schools should be maintained by general taxation.
Four years later the legislature reviewed the state’s educational
system and sponsored a uniform course of study for elementary and
secondary schools. In the late 1980s Wyoming had 404 public elementary and
secondary schools with a combined annual enrollment of about 70,100
elementary pupils and 27,000 secondary students. About 2500 children
attended private schools. In the same period Wyoming had 9 institutions
of higher education with a combined enrollment of approximately
29,200 students. Among the most notable of these schools were the
University of Wyoming (1886), in Laramie; Casper College (1945),
in Casper; Eastern Wyoming College (1948), in Torrington; and Sheridan
College (1948), in Sheridan.
Many of Wyoming’s museums feature the art and artifacts
of both the early Indian inhabitants and the pioneers. Among these
are the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, in Cody, which contains
the Buffalo Bill Museum and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art;
the Wyoming State Museum, in Cheyenne; and the Wyoming Pioneer Memorial
Museum, in Douglas. Also of note are the University of Wyoming Geological
Museum, in Laramie, and the western art collection of the Bradford Brinton
Memorial Museum, in Big Horn.
Wyoming has preserved much of its western frontier
heritage. Among
the early fortifications that can be seen are those now included
in Fort Laramie National Historic Site, in Fort Laramie; Fort Bridger
State Museum, in Fort Bridger; Fort Fetterman (1867), in Douglas; and
Fort Caspar, in Casper. Other points of interest include the
Oregon Trail Ruts State Historical Site and Register Cliff State
Historic Site, both in Guernsey, and Independence Rock, near Casper.
Wyoming’s mountains, plains, forests, lakes, and
streams offer ideal conditions for all types of outdoor recreation.
Hiking, hunting, camping, boating, fishing, horseback riding, golf, and
tennis are popular activities. Two recreational areas of particular
note are Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.
Trapshooting, rifle, and pistol clubs are common, and skiing has
developed into a major recreational activity. Wyoming’s
major ski areas include Jackson Hole, in Teton Village; Snow King
Mountain, in Jackson; and Meadowlark, in Worland. Dude ranches and
rodeos are also popular.
In the early 1990s Wyoming had 32 AM and 37 FM radiobroadcasting
stations and 14 television stations. The state’s first
radio station, KDFM in Casper, was founded in 1930. KFBCTV in Cheyenne,
Wyoming’s first commercial television station, began operation
in 1954. The Daily Telegraph, the state’s
first newspaper, was first published in Fort Bridger in 1863. In
the early 1990s Wyoming had ten daily newspapers with a combined
daily circulation of about 95,650. Influential dailies were the Casper
Star-Tribune, published in Casper, and the Wyoming
State Tribune, published in Cheyenne.
Wyoming is governed under its original constitution, as amended.
The constitution was adopted in 1889 and put into effect in 1890.
An amendment to the constitution may be proposed by the legislature
or by constitutional convention. To become law, an amendment proposed
by the legislature must be approved by a majority of the persons
voting in a general election.
The chief executive of Wyoming is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a 4-year term and who may be reelected any number of
times. The same regulations apply to the secretary of state, who
succeeds the governor should the latter resign, die, or be removed
from office. Other elected state officials include the treasurer,
auditor, and superintendent of public instruction. The governor
appoints the attorney general as well as other important executive
officers for the state.
The bicameral Wyoming legislature is made up of a senate and
a house of representatives. The 30 members of the senate are popularly
elected to 4-year terms, and the 64 members of the house are elected
to 2-year terms.
Wyoming’s highest tribunal, the supreme court, is
made up of five justices who serve 8-year terms. The state’s
principal trial courts, the district courts, have a total of 17
judges who serve 6-year terms. Judges of both courts are appointed
by the governor but must run for retention at the first election
after they have served one year in office.
In the early 1990s Wyoming had 23 counties and 97 incorporated
cities and towns. Each county was governed by a three-member board
of commissioners, and most cities in the state employed the mayor-council
form of government.
Wyoming elects two senators and one representative to the
U.S. Congress. The state has three electoral votes in presidential
elections.
In both state and national politics the Republican
party has usually dominated in Wyoming; however, Democrats held the
governorship from the mid-1970s through the early 1990s and reclaimed
the governor's office in the election of 2002. In presidential voting
since 1952, Wyoming has been one of the most dependable supporters of
Republican party candidates. Richard B. (Dick) Cheney, who was elected
U.S. vice-president in 2000, held Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House
of Representatives from 1979 to 1989.
Since its early settlement in the mid-19th century,
Wyoming
has had an economy based on the exploitation of natural resources.
Cattle ranching and coal mining became major economic activities
in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century farming grew
in importance, and mining became diversified as deposits of petroleum
and natural gas were discovered. Today, services and mining are
the most important sectors of the state economy, followed by government
and agriculture. Employment in government, mining, and construction
has increased markedly since the late 1960s and is of substantial
importance to many of the state’s local economies. Wyoming’s
manufacturing sector, however, remains relatively undeveloped.
| WYOMING STATE ECONOMY (early 1990s) |
| STATE BUDGET |
|
| General revenue |
$1.7 billion |
| General expenditure |
$1.5 billion |
| Accumulated debt |
$938 million |
 |
| STATE AND LOCAL TAXES, PER CAPITA |
$2204 |
| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$12,311 |
| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
11.9% |
| ASSETS, INSURED COMMERCIAL BANKS (71) |
$4.4 billion |
|
| LABOR FORCE (CIVILIAN NONFARM) |
194,000 |
| Employed in government |
28% |
| Employed in wholesale and retail trade |
23% |
| Employed in services |
19% |
| Employed in manufacturing |
5% |
|
| MAJOR INDUSTRIES |
% CONTRIBUTED TO GSP* |
| Commercial, financial, and professional services |
36% |
| Mining |
23% |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
14% |
| Government |
13% |
| Manufacturing and construction |
11% |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries |
3% |
Gross State Product = total value of goods and services produced in a year.
Sources: U.S. government publications |
| PRINCIPAL PRODUCTS OF WYOMING (early 1990s) |
| |
Quantity Produced |
Value |
| FARM PRODUCTS |
|
$883 million |
|
| CROPS |
|
$273 million |
| Hay |
1.9 million metric tons |
$161 million |
| Sugar beets |
1.0 million metric tons |
$51 million |
| Barley |
201,000 metric tons |
$31 million |
| Wheat |
166,000 metric tons |
$14 million |
|
| LIVESTOCK AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS |
|
$610 million |
| Cattle |
213,000 metric tons |
$559 million |
| Sheep, lambs |
23,000 metric tons |
$20 million |
| Milk |
53,000 metric tons |
$16 million |
| Hogs |
3400 metric tons |
$4 million |
|
| MINERALS |
|
$5.0 billion |
| Petroleum |
109.1 million barrels |
$1.8 billion |
| Coal |
155.6 million metric tons |
$1.5 billion |
| Natural gas |
18.9 billion cu m |
$825 million |
| Clays |
2.2 million tonstons |
$75 million |
|
| |
|
Annual Payroll |
| MANUFACTURING |
|
$197 million |
| Petroleum and coal products |
|
$38 million |
| Chemicals and allied products |
|
$28 million |
| Industrial machinery and equipment |
|
$25 million |
| Lumber and wood products |
|
$23 million |
| Food and kindred products |
|
$21 million |
| Printing and publishing |
|
$20 million |
| Stone, clay, and glass products |
|
$16 million |
|
| OTHER |
|
$3.4 billion |
| Government |
|
$1.2 billion |
| Services |
|
$485 million |
| Retail trade |
|
$348 million |
| Transportation, communications, and public utilities |
|
$280 million |
| Construction |
|
$189 million |
| Wholesale trade |
|
$138 million |
| Finance,insurance, and real estate |
|
$134 million |
| Sources: U.S. government publications |
Farming and ranching account for about 2% of the
annual gross state product in Wyoming. The state has some 9000 farms
and ranches, which average 1565 ha (3867 acres) in size. Livestock and
livestock products make up about 69% of the value of
the state’s farm output. The principal livestock industries
are the raising of beef cattle and sheep, important in nearly all
parts of the state, and the production of dairy goods. Wyoming is
a leading national producer of sheep and wool.
Crops provide about 31% of the annual value of agricultural
production. The state’s leading crops are hay, sugar beets,
barley, and wheat. Grain production is concentrated in the E part
of the state. The most important farmlands are irrigated areas of
the major river valleys; the total irrigated area in Wyoming is
about 6140 sq km (about 2370 sq mi).
The annual income from forestry in Wyoming is relatively small.
More than three-quarters of the state’s forestland is under
the jurisdiction of the federal government. Nearly all of the timber
cut is softwood, and most is shipped to pulp mills in other states.
The principal commercial species are lodgepole pine and Douglas
fir.
The mining industry accounts for 23% of the annual
gross state product in Wyoming and has long been one of the state’s
leading industries. Indeed, Wyoming ranks among the country’s
leading mineral-producing states. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal
are by far the most valuable, but clays and sodium carbonate are
also extracted in sizable quantities. During the 1970s and early
1980s, mining of the state’s energy resources underwent
a dramatic growth as higher energy costs made the exploitation of
new deposits profitable. Many communities, especially those located
in the NE and S central parts of the state, became virtual boom
towns during this period.
Enterprises engaged in manufacturing account for only
about
4% of the annual gross state product in Wyoming and employ
some 9000 workers. Although the manufacturing sector remains small,
it has grown considerably since the early 1970s. The leading
manufactures
are petroleum and coal products, chemicals, industrial machinery, and
lumber and wood products. Also of economic significance are
the manufacture of food products and printing and publishing. Most
industrial enterprises in the state are small and depend on local
resources for their activities. The principal centers of industrial
employment are Cheyenne, Casper, Cody, and Laramie.
Each year several million visitors produce more than $1.5
billion for the Wyoming economy. The most popular among the areas
in the state that are administered by the National Park Service
are Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. Also
popular are several major wildlife refuges and the winter sports
facilities near Jackson that attract skiers from all over the U.S.
In addition, the state maintains a system of 31 state parks and
historic sites.
During the mid-19th century, one of the most important overland trails
to the western U.S. passed through Wyoming. The first transcontinental
railroad route also passed through the state. Today the state is
served by about 2890 km (about 1795 mi) of Class I railroad track.
Some 63,110 km (some 39,215 mi) of federal, state, and local roads
link all but the most rugged mountainous areas of Wyoming. This
figure includes 1468 km (912 mi) of interstate highways, which cross
the state from N to S and from E to W. Wyoming has 85 airports and
12 heliports. The busiest airports are located in Casper and Cheyenne.
Electricity generating plants in Wyoming have a
combined capacity
of 5.8 million kw and produce some 39.4 billion kwh of electricity
each year. More than 98% of this power comes from conventional
steam-powered plants that burn fossil fuels; virtually all the rest
is generated in hydroelectric facilities. Both installed capacity and
electric power production increased substantially during the
1970s.
The Indian peoples who lived in what is now Wyoming
before
the coming of the Europeans included the Shoshoni, Crow, Cheyenne, and
Arapaho. In 1803 the land east of the continental divide, except
for a portion of what later became the western part of the state,
was acquired by the U.S. from France as a part of the Louisiana
Purchase. The first white man definitely known to have entered the
Wyoming region was John Colter (1775?–1813), a fur trapper
who traveled up the Bighorn River in 1807.
In 1811 the region was explored by a fur-trading expedition
led by Wilson Price Hunt (1782?–1842); the following year
some members of the same expedition returned to the region and,
probably, crossed the South Pass through the mountains; the pass
later became an important part of the Oregon Trail. By 1834, when
Fort Laramie was built in eastern Wyoming, the pass was used by hundreds
of fur traders, and, in the 1840s, by immigrants and gold seekers
headed for Oregon, California, or Salt Lake City, Utah. In 1845
another piece of what later became Wyoming joined the U.S. when
the vast republic of Texas became the 28th state and gave up its
far-northern territory. The next year the northwestern corner of
the Wyoming region, which had been part of the disputed Oregon Country,
was relinquished by the British.
After the Mexican War (1848) southwestern Wyoming was
ceded
to the U.S. by Mexico. Indian resistance to white encroachment abated,
and in 1868, Wyoming, with a population of 60,000, became a territory.
The next year Wyoming became the first political division in the
nation and possibly in the world to grant women the right to vote.
The construction of the Union Pacific Railroad across the territory
in 1867 and 1868, the discovery of gold in the same years, and the
availability of cheap land through the Homestead Laws stimulated
settlement of the territory. In the ensuing years Wyoming became
an important cattle-raising region. Settlers under the Homestead
Laws came into conflict with the stockworkers as a result of disputes
over range land, and the disputes culminated in the Cattle War of
1892 in Johnson Co., when representatives of the large stock owners
invaded the county intending to fight the settlers on the pretext that
they were rustlers, or thieves. Order was restored by a detachment
of U.S. troops. Sheep raising had also become important in the
territory, and conflict over grazing lands between cattle and sheep
workers
persisted for a number of years. This conflict frequently resulted
in bloodshed.
Wyoming was admitted to the Union as a state in 1890. It was
the first state to have a woman governor when Nellie Tayloe Ross
(1876–1977) was elected to complete her deceased husband’s
term of office (1925–27).
From the start, the underpopulated vastness of Wyoming has
produced enormous wealth in agriculture, livestock, lumber, and
oil. An already booming economy enjoyed redoubled growth with the
post-World War II discovery of the minerals trona (a source of sodium
compounds) and uranium. In 1960 an important missile base was established
in the Cheyenne area. Since the 1970s water conservation has been
a major issue. The economy was given a boost in the late 1970s and
early ’80s when prices for the state’s oil and
other energy resources increased sharply. The boom subsided by the
late 1980s, however, and the state actually lost population during
the decade.