Wyoming's western half consists mostly of the ranges and rangelands of the
Rocky Mountains; its eastern half consists of high-elevation
prairie, and is referred to as the
High Plains. Wyoming's climate is
semi-arid in some parts and
continental in others, making it drier and windier overall than other states, with greater temperature extremes. The
federal government owns just under half of Wyoming's land, generally protecting it for public uses. The state ranks sixth in the amount of land—and fifth in the proportion of its land—that is owned by the federal government. Its federal lands include two national parks (
Grand Teton and
Yellowstone), two national recreation areas, two national monuments, and several national forests, as well as historic sites, fish hatcheries, and wildlife refuges.
Indigenous peoples inhabited the region for thousands of years. Historic and currently federally recognized tribes include the
Arapaho,
Crow,
Lakota, and
Shoshone. Part of the land that is now Wyoming came under American sovereignty via the
Louisiana Purchase, part via the
Oregon Treaty, and, lastly, via the
Mexican Cession. With the opening of the
Oregon Trail, the
Mormon Trail, and the
California Trail, vast numbers of pioneers travelled through parts of the state that had once been traversed mainly by fur trappers, and this spurred the establishment of forts, such as
Fort Laramie, that today serve as population centers. The
Transcontinental Railroad supplanted the wagon trails in 1867 with a route through southern Wyoming, bringing new settlers and the establishment of founding towns, including the state capital of Cheyenne. On March 27, 1890, Wyoming became the union's 44th state. (Full article...)
Image 6On July 10, 1940, the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of Wyoming statehood. The engraving depicts the Wyoming state seal, which features a central figure of a woman in front of a banner reading 'equal rights' (from Wyoming)
Image 7The Rocky Mountain Herbarium at the University of Wyoming (from Wyoming)
Image 8An enlargeable map of the 23 counties of Wyoming (from Wyoming)
Image 32The first
Fort Laramie as it looked before 1840 (painting from memory by Alfred Jacob Miller) (from Wyoming)
Image 33On July 10, 1940, the U.S. Post Office issued a postage stamp commemorating the 50th anniversary of Wyoming statehood. The engraving depicts the Wyoming state seal, which features a central figure of a woman in front of a banner reading 'equal rights' (from Wyoming)
Image 36Annual aggregate coal mine production in Wyoming from 2001 to 2022. (from Wyoming)
Image 371859 map of route from Sioux City, Iowa, through Nebraska, to gold fields of Wyoming, partially following old Mormon trails. (from History of Wyoming)
Image 45State flower of Wyoming: Indian paintbrush (from Wyoming)
Image 46Since 2016, Wyoming license plates feature
Squaretop Mountain in the background. (from Wyoming)
Image 47Autumn in the Bighorn Mountains (from Wyoming)
Image 48Wyoming territory
historical coat of arms (illustrated, 1876). This territorial design was re-adopted at statehood (1890) until a complete redesign in 1893. (from History of Wyoming)
... that Paul Roach became so popular for coaching the
Wyoming Cowboys football team that people voted for him to be the state's governor even though he was not a candidate?
... that after a dispute emerged over the terms of its lease, the owner of its broadcast tower forced Wyoming radio station KNWT off the air by disconnecting its power?
... that a retired man with no previous broadcasting experience was offered a job by a Wyoming TV station after winning an "Anchorman for a Day" contest?
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