Bucknum | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 43°01′15″N 106°37′34″W / 43.02083°N 106.62611°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Wyoming |
County | Natrona |
Elevation | 5,440 ft (1,660 m) |
Time zone | UTC-7 ( Mountain (MST)) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
ZIP codes | 82604 (Casper, WY) |
GNIS feature ID | 1597236 [1] |
Bucknum is a place and former community in Natrona County, in the U.S. state of Wyoming. [2] It is located about 24 miles west by road from Casper.
As the Chicago and North Western built a rail line through the area west from Casper to Lander, it opened a station called Seminole by late December 1905, about 22.4 miles west of Casper by rail. [3] [4] The "Seminole" name, however, started causing confusion with another Seminole located on the Union Pacific rail line in Wyoming. [5] [6] Therefore, the station was renamed Bucknum in December 1907 by the railroad for Charles K. Bucknum, a Wyoming legislator and former mayor of Capser who owned land near the site. [7] [8] [9] [10]
A post office was established in Bucknum in 1908, and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1924. [11] [12]
Bucknum's reported population was 18 in 1917 and 25 in 1924. A school was reportedly established there by 1922. [13]
As the Chicago and North Western abandoned its line, the communities in this area including Bucknum declined. [14] Rail continues to serve the area, however. A Spanish company bought the bentonite mine in the area formerly owned by U.S. Bentonite (off Bucknum Road) in 2015. [15] [16] [17] The Bucknum area now falls under the Casper zip code 82604.