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Top 10 Facts about Wyoming state

Wyoming has beautiful landscapes, lush wilderness, and breathtaking mountains with incredible rock formations.

This State has the least population in the United States and the 10th biggest by land area. The vast rugged lands in this state create beautiful vistas as you drive, making you feel one with nature.

There are several other attractions in this state like the famous national parks, diverse wildlife, pampas and cowboy towns, pioneer museums, and hot springs.

Wyoming attained statehood in 1890, becoming the 44th state to join the union. It has 23 counties and the capital city is Cayenne. The states at its borders include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Utah.

The state has three popular nicknames Cowboy State, Equality State, and Park State.

There is a lot more to learn about Wyoming’s history, geography and people.

Read them below in the top 10 facts about Wyoming State.

1. Wyoming has two extreme climates

The climate in Wyoming has a sharp contrast between summer and winter. On the western part of the state are the ranges and rangelands whereas the eastern end is the highly elevated prairie.

This disparity makes Wyoming more dry and windy compared to the other 49 states. One part of the state is arid while the other has varying extreme temperatures.

Summers in Wyoming are warm with averaging temperatures between 80 and 90 °F in most of the state. Although winters are usually cold, some locations get warm temperatures brought by Chinook winds.

As the elevation increases, the temperature drops to around 70 °F in areas that are 9,000 feet. It gets much cooler at night with temperatures ranging between 50–60 °F.

2. Wyoming was the first state to extend the right to vote to women

Photo by Arnaud Jaegers on Unsplash

On December 10, 1869, John Allen Campbell, the then territorial Governor, extended the right to vote to women. On September 6, 1870, Louisa Ann Swain of Laramie, became the first woman to cast a vote in a general election in Wyoming.

This bold move made Wyoming the first territory to grant suffrage to women. After it was admitted into the union, it became the first state to do so.

Additionally, Wyoming was the first state to welcome women into politics. The first lot of women served as jurors, court bailiff, governor Nellie Ross and justice Esther Hobart Morris.

Its civil-rights history earned Wyoming the nickname The Equality State and the official state motto is Equal Rights.

3. Wyoming was the first State to have a female governor

Photo sourced from Wikimedia

The first female governor, Nellie Ross, in American history was elected in Wyoming. Nellie Ross was the wife of Wyoming governor, William Bradford Ross.

She was elected into office after her husband died while in office. Her nomination was done to let her finish his tenure. Although she refused to campaign, she was the favourite candidate o many voters.

Part of her responsibilities included pushing for tax cuts, government assistance for poor farmers, banking reform, and laws protecting children, women workers, and miners.

Governor Nellie Ross also advocated for the ratification of a pending federal amendment prohibiting child labour.

Ross the state from 1925 to 1927 as the 14^th governor of Wyoming. To date, Nellie is the only female governor in Wyoming history.

4. The name Wyoming means large plains

The name Wyoming is derived from the Dakota word mscheweamiing which means at the big flats or large plains.

The state acquired the name in 1865 after a bill was introduced to Congress to provide a temporary government for the territory of Wyoming.

Before this, the name had been used for the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania from the Munsee word xwé:wamənk meaning at the big river flat.

The region had been purchased from the Iroquois by a Connecticut land company.

5. There is a mysterious pattern of stones in Wyoming State

Photo by U.S. Forest Service – Wikimedia

Have you heard of Stonehenge in England and the mystery around its origin and existence? Well, there is a similar one in Wyoming.

This mysterious pattern of stones is found at the summit of Medicine Mountain. It is approximately 10,000 feet above the Bighorn Range in Wyoming.

The stones are covered by heavy snow for most of the year but are visible during the summer months.

Known as the Medicine Wheel, the 80-foot-diameter circle of stones, is found in the Bighorn National Forest on the western peak of Medicine Mountain.

This Wheel is made up of 28 radial rows of rocks extended from a centre point to the outer rim of the wheel.

Although there are no indigenous people that have publicly claimed it, it remains to be a sacred site to many.

The location is under the registry for National Historic Landmark and Sacred Site status.

6.  The bighorn wheel in Wyoming has astronomical alignment

Photo by U.S. Forest Service – Wikimedia

Still, on the Big Horn Medicine Wheel, this ‘man-made’ wonder is one of four or five astronomically complex wheels publicly known to exist in the Rocky Mountain region.

This particular one has been grouped under Subgroup 6 which is a noticeable central stone cairn surrounded by a stone ring. There are two or more inner stone lines that connect the stone ring to the cairn.

There have been several discoveries made around the Medicine Wheel. One is that a section of the stones aligned in the direction of summer solstice sunrise.

The other sections were aligned in the direction of summer solstice sunset.

Further, it was discovered that the Bighorn Medicine Wheel is no more than 220 years, roughly dating to the mid-18th century.

7. Wyoming has several islands

It may be incomprehensible to think that one can find an island in a land-locked state. There is not just one but 32 islands in Wyoming.

As the 10th largest state in the country, Wyoming is the 6^th largest state to not have an ocean coastline on any of its borders.

These islands are found in Jackson Lake, Yellowstone Lake and the Green River area. A majority of the islands are found in Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. 

The Green River and several other rivers contain numerous river islands. These islands can be accessed via canoe, kayak, or even boat.

8. Yellowstone National Park is at the border of Wyoming State

Photo by Greg Willis – Wikimedia

A big percentage of this park (96%) is found in Wyoming. The remaining part of the park is found in Montana and in Idaho.

The Yellowstone National Park is the United States’ oldest park was established in 1872 by President Ulysses S. Grant.

About 4 million people visit the park every year to marvel at its beauty. In the park’s lake are 16 species of fish, 5 species of amphibians, at least five species of reptiles, 67 species of mammals, and more than 250 species of birds.

There are other natural phenomena here like hot springs, mud pots, fumaroles, travertine terraces and geysers.

9. Wyoming State is nicknamed the Equality State

One of Wyoming’s nicknames is Equality State. The nickname came from the state’s early progression of women’s rights. Some of these rights were ratified before its statehood.

The first women to vote, become governor, work in the justice system and act as a juror and court bailiff all came from Wyoming

It is known as the state of pioneering women like Nellie ross, Annie Oakley and Louisa Ann Swain. They championed equal rights and made a mark in history.

10. Wyoming State is the largest producer of coal

Photo by Peabody Energy – Wikimedia

Wyoming is one of America’s largest producers of coal. Two of the largest coal mines in the United States are found here.  

The first coal mine company in Wyoming is Black Thunder mine in Wright. The other big mine is North Antelope Rochelle Mine, which is the largest coal mine in the world, found in Campbell County.

Roughly, 40% of the United States’ coal supply comes from Wyoming. This state has been producing coal since 1986.

I hope you have enjoyed your read of the Top 10 facts about Wyoming State. Read more about other states here.