State of Wyoming History

Into the region that is now the State of Wyoming came explorers, daring fur traders and trappers, friendly and hostile Indians, travel-weary emigrants, and missionaries.

Scientists, gold-seekers, frontier soldiers, pony express riders, telegraph operators, and stagecoach drivers, English and French nobility bent on big game hunts, railroad builders, cattle barons and cowboys, sheep owners and herders, bandits and rustlers, diamond swindlers, courageous homeseekers, and settlers. All were in search of a new life, a new adventure to enhance their quality of life. Some were successful, and others faced much hardship. Regardless, they are forever engraved in the State of Wyoming history.

Wyoming has a long history, with archaeological evidence of more than 12,000 years of prehistoric occupation. Among these groups were Clovis, 12,000 years ago, Folsom, 10,000 years ago, and Eden Valley, 8,000 years ago. Unfortunately, there is little known of these inhabitants. The latter were the big game hunters of the Early period. Following these, and remaining until about 500 A.D. were groups mixed of hunters and gatherers. The historic Indians followed until the white man.

In the early 19th century, travelers to the new land encountered Arapaho, Arikara, Bannock, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kiowa, Nez Perce, Sheep Eater, Sioux, Shoshone and Ute tribes. These are the historic Indians in Wyoming, the nomadic tribes known as the Plain Indians. The Plain Indians lived primarily on buffalo and other large game. Early on as fur traders and trappers entered the territory, the Indians acted as partners in hunting big game, but as time went on, the relationship became increasingly hostile as the Indians began to see their hunting lands were diminishing. Out of all the tribes, the Cheyenne and Sioux were the last of the Indians to be controlled and placed on reservations.

One of the earliest explorers to Wyoming was John Colter in 1807. In exploration of the new land, he discovered the land of steaming geysers and towering water falls and nicknamed the unusual area "Colter's Hell". After further expeditions sponsered by the President of the United States, the land like no other was set aside forever as a place to be enjoyed by all. In 1872, Yellowstone became the world's first national park.

In 1865, a bill was introduced to Congress to provide a temporary government for the territory of Wyoming. The territory was to consist of portions of the Dakota, Utah and Idaho territories. The bill was introduced to the Unites States Senate in 1868. The name "wyoming" was adopted from the Delaware Indian word meaning "mountain and valleys alternating". On July 10, 1890 the State of Wyoming was admitted into the union.

Wyoming is also known as the "Equality State" because of the rights women have traditionally enjoyed here. Wyoming women were the first in the nation to vote, serve on juries and hold public office. In 1869, Wyoming's territorial legislature became the first government in the world to grant "female suffrage" by enacting a bill granting Wyoming women the right to vote. Less than a year later, Ester Hobart Morris became the first woman ever to be appointed a justice of the peace. In 1894, Estelle Reel became one of the first women in the United States elected to a state office, and in 1924, Nellie Ross was the first elected woman governor to take office in the United States.

The State Capitol of Wyoming is located in the heart of Cheyenne, in the southeastern region of the state. The construction of the classically designed building of Corinthian architecture began in 1886, and on May 18, 1887 the Capitol Building was completed. Additional wings on each side of the original structure were completed in 1890, and the final two wings were finished in 1917. The murals in the Senate and House chambers were painted by Allen T. True. They depict industry, pioneer life, law and transportation.

The great State of Wyoming offers a rich and diverse beauty in its history and its grand landscape. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, comprised of a large plateau broken by significant mountain ranges. The State of Wyoming is the ninth largest state in the united states. Containing 97,914 square miles, the state's population is less than 500,000. Vast open spaces support a large and diverse population of wildlife. Wyoming is a truly remarkable state, like no place on earth!