Wyoming, one of the Mountain States of the western United States, is the 9th largest state in area but the least populated state in the nation. It extends 443 km (275 mi) from north to south and 587 km (365 mi) from east to west and includes within its four straight borders an area of 253,324 sq km (97,809 sq mi). Montana is to the north, Nebraska and South Dakota to the east, Colorado and Utah to the south, and Idaho to the west. Rich in energy resources, Wyoming became a territory in 1868 and attained statehood on July 10, 1890. Its name derives from a Delaware Indian term meaning "at the big plains," and its nickname, "Equality State," was earned in 1869 when Wyoming women became the first in the United States to win the right to vote. \TCheyenne\t, the capital, was founded in 1867 and is one of the state's earliest permanent settlements. LAND AND RESOURCES Located at an average elevation of 2,042 m (6,700 ft), Wyoming is higher than any other state except Colorado. Two-thirds is occupied by rolling plains at elevations between 1,130 m (3,700 ft) and 1,860 m (6,100 ft); about one-third is part of the rugged \TRocky Mountains\t and rises to more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) and in places to more than 3,900 m (13,000 ft). The plains of eastern Wyoming are broken by the prominent \TBlack Hills\t and Devils Tower volcanic neck and are part of the \TGreat Plains\t. The plains of the Wyoming Basin (southwestern Wyoming) and the Big Horn Basin (north central Wyoming) are similar in appearance and economy to those of the Great Plains but physiographically are part of the Rockies. The Central Rockies dominate Wyoming north and west of the Wyoming Basin and include the Big Horn Mountains and Teton, Absaroka, Wind River, Salt River, and Bear River ranges. The Laramie and Medicine Bow mountains along the southern border are part of the Southern Rockies. The \TContinental Divide\t traverses Wyoming. It divides to enclose the Great Divide Basin near Rawlins and reaches its lowest point of 2,301 m (7,550 ft) at South Pass. Soils Except for strips of alluvial soil in some valleys, which are productive when irrigated, most soils in the mountains tend to be shallow and acidic. More mature and fertile brown earths cover parts of the eastern plains and are often of considerable depth. Alkali soils, unsuitable for farming, are common in desert and semidesert areas. Rivers and Lakes About 4% of Wyoming drains into the Great Divide Basin, a basin of inland drainage; approximately 72% drains into the Missouri River system; 17% into the Colorado River system; 5% into the Columbia River system; and 2% into Utah's Great Salt Lake. Major Wyoming rivers tributary to the Missouri include the \TYellowstone\t, Wind-Big Horn, Powder, Belle Fourche, North Platte, and Laramie rivers. The major tributary to the Colorado is the \TGreen River\t, and Wyoming's major tributary to the Columbia is the \TSnake River\t. Yellowstone and Jackson are the largest natural lakes; numerous artificial lakes, used for power, irrigation, and recreation, control the flow of most larger rivers. Extensive groundwater reservoirs underlie parts of southeastern Wyoming. Climate Wyoming has a cool and dry climate because of its elevation and the "rain shadow effect" that causes most precipitation to fall in the mountains and leaves lowland areas with semidesert and desert conditions. Mean annual rainfall averages 305 mm (12 in) for the state as a whole but ranges from 1,016 mm (40 in) in the mountains to less than 127 mm (5 in) in the Red Desert of the Great Divide Basin. About 60% of all precipitation falls in summer. Mean high temperatures in July reach between 29 deg C (85 deg F) and 32 deg C (90 deg F) and fall to between 10 deg C (50 deg F) and 16 deg C (60 deg F) at night, with cooler temperatures and occasional frosts in the mountains. January temperatures average minus 12 deg to minus 2 deg C (10 deg to 28 deg F). Periodic warm spells give way to cold waves and periods with below minus 18 deg C (0 deg F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Wyoming is 46 deg C (114 deg F) and occurred on July 12, 1900, at Basin; the lowest is minus 53 deg C (minus 63 deg F), recorded at Moran on Feb. 9, 1933. Vegetation and Animal Life About 16% of Wyoming is forested, with lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas fir, and aspen the most valued trees in the mountains. Most of the lowlands are treeless, except along watercourses; natural grasslands cover 40% of the state, predominating in semiarid areas, and sagebrush and greasewood cover more than 40%, mainly in drier regions. The grizzly bear is now an endangered species, but still relatively abundant are brown and black bears, moose, elk, deer, bobcats, mountain lions, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, mountain sheep, prairie dogs, weasels, and beavers. Resources Wyoming has the world's largest known deposit of trona (source of sodium carbonate) and abundant energy resources, including petroleum, natural gas, coal, oil shales, and uranium. The state's coal reserves have a low sulfur content and are suitable for strip-mining. Other minerals found in Wyoming include bentonite, sulfur, iron ore, phosphate, gypsum, and feldspar. PEOPLE Wyoming's growth rate was rapid during the 1970s but slowed dramatically during the 1980s; by 1990 the state's population had declined by 3.4%. About half of the inhabitants live in the southeast quadrant of the state. The largest cities are \TCasper\t, \TCheyenne\t, \TLaramie\t, Rock Springs, Gillette, and \TSheridan\t; all but Casper and Cheyenne had fewer than 40,000 inhabitants in their cities proper in 1990. According to the 1990 census, 94% of the population is white, 2.1% is American Indian, and less than 1% is black. Indians residing in Wyoming include about 2,000 Shoshoni and 3,000 Arapaho living on the Wind River Reservation. Less than 2% of the total population is foreign born. Most in-migrants come from Nebraska and Colorado, and most out-migrants leave for California and Colorado. Protestants make up the largest religious group, followed by Roman Catholics, then Mormons. Education Tax support for education was first enacted by the territorial legislature in 1869, and six years later Wyoming's first high school was established in Cheyenne. In recent years the traditional "little red school house on a country road" has been replaced almost entirely by modern town and city schools, and school districts have been consolidated throughout the state. All institutions of higher learning are publicly controlled (see \TWyoming, University of\t). The principal libraries are in Cheyenne and at the University of Wyoming at Laramie. Cultural Institutions Museums are located in nearly every large city and in many smaller towns. The more important include the State Museum and Art Gallery in Cheyenne, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, the Pioneer Museum in Douglas, and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art in Cody. Cheyenne and Casper both support symphony orchestras; Casper also has the well-known Casper Drum and Bugle Corps. Laramie has a theater at the university. Cheyenne has the state's largest rodeo during the Frontier Days in July. Historical Sites Important historical sites include the remains of a fur-trading and military fort of the Old West at Fort Laramie National Historic Site (near Torrington), restorations at Fort Bridger State Historic Site, and remains of old Fort Fetterman northwest of Douglas. Ruts and other remains of the old Oregon, Overland, and Bozeman trails can be seen in places. Communications Wyoming has numerous radio and television stations as well as cable television systems in many communities. Major daily newspapers include the Caspar Star Tribune and Cheyenne's Star Tribune and Wyoming Eagle. ECONOMIC ACTIVITY The fur trade, Wyoming's first industry, declined after 1840, and provisioning of westward-bound travelers and wagon trains crossing the state became the primary activity. The Union Pacific Railroad reached Wyoming between 1867 and 1869 and stimulated livestock ranching, mining, and tourist activities; these continue to be Wyoming's principal sources of income. Ranking last among the states in value added by manufacture, Wyoming is sometimes said to have a colonial-type economy, exchanging coal, petroleum, uranium, iron ore, electricity, natural gas, cattle, wheat, sugar, and wool with other states for needed manufactured goods. Mining Petroleum is the most valuable mineral product, followed by coal, natural gas, sodium carbonate (from trona), and uranium. The largest petroleum fields are in the Big Horn, Powder River, and Wyoming basins. Coal strip mines are concentrated near Gillette and in the southwest. Wyoming's coal attracted much attention in the 1970s as a national energy alternative to imported petroleum, and production subsequently increased. Wyoming is the leading producer of uranium, found in Fremont county, and trona. Other valuable minerals include bentonite, gypsum, sand and gravel, and clays. Agriculture Livestock and livestock products account for more than 80% of all farm income in Wyoming. Cattle are the state's leading commodity, followed by sheep, hay, and wheat. Some wheat and barley grown in eastern Wyoming are dry-farmed; most other crops, including sugar beets, hay, beans, and potatoes, are irrigated. Tourism Tourism is a leading source of income in Wyoming. Major attractions are \TYellowstone National Park\t and \TGrand Teton National Park\t. Other attractions include Devils Tower National Monument; Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area; Horseshoe Bend and Big Sandy recreation areas; and Boysen, Buffalo Bill, Glendo, Guernsey, Hot Springs, Keyhole, and Seminoe state parks. Resorts are in and around the \TJackson Hole\t, Cody, Wind River Range, Big Horn Mountains, and Saratoga Valley. Transportation Wyoming's main highways are Interstate 80, which crosses southern Wyoming via the Wyoming Basin and is the nation's least elevated route across the Rocky Mountains; and Interstates 90 and 25, which serve eastern parts of the state. The first railroad in Wyoming was the Union Pacific, built in 1867-68. Today the state is served primarily by the Union Pacific, which crosses southern Wyoming; the Burlington Northern; and the Chicago and Northwestern railroads. There has been no rail passenger service in Wyoming since 1983, when Amtrak discontinued its passenger trains through Wyoming. Casper, Cheyenne, and Riverton-Lander are the principal airports. High-voltage transmission lines, which carry Wyoming's exports of electricity, are integral parts of the transportation network. In recent years plans to build several large-scale coal slurry (coal-and-water mix) pipelines were canceled due to cost and marketing problems and legal and political opposition by the railroad industry. Energy Almost all of Wyoming's electrical energy needs are produced from coal-burning plants at Kemmerer, Glenrock, Gillette, Rock Springs, and Wheatland. Hydroelectric power is also located at Alcova, Fremont Canyon, Glendo, Kortes, and Seminoe dams. Much of the electricity generated in Wyoming is transmitted to nearby states. Wyoming's stringent antipollution laws limit water pollution and stack emissions by the industry. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS Wyoming is governed under the original constitution of 1890, which has been amended many times. The legislature consists of a 30-member senate and a 64-member house of representatives. The governor is elected for a 4-year term; the state has no office of lieutenant governor. The judicial system consists of justice of peace courts, seven district courts, and a supreme court. Local government is in the hands of 23 counties and 90 municipalities. Wyoming is represented in the U.S. Congress by two senators and one representative. Throughout the years Wyoming voters have nearly always elected Republican legislatures, but governors and congressional representatives have been split between Democrats and Republicans. The state has 3 electoral votes in national presidential elections. HISTORY Archaeological findings indicate that Wyoming was occupied as early as 7000 BC, but little is known of the state's inhabitants before 1800. During the early 19th century travelers encountered \TCrow\t, \TBlackfoot\t, \TUte\t, \TFlathead\t, \TShoshoni\t, \TCheyenne\t, and \TArapaho\t Indians; and \TSioux\t moved in during the 19th century. All were nonagricultural and lived primarily on buffalo and other hunted animals. The Indians were important partners in the early \Tfur trade\t but became increasingly hostile as their hunting lands were destroyed. Except for the Shoshoni and Arapaho, now on the Wind River Reservation, all were driven from the state by 1878. Early explorers were fur traders. Some historians question whether Francois and Louis Joseph de La Verendrye were the first to arrive when they explored parts of the West in 1742-43. In 1803 the Louisiana Purchase transferred Wyoming to the United States, and in 1805 the French-Canadian fur trader Francois Antoine Larocque became the first authenticated visitor, trading furs with the Indians in the Powder River region. John \TColter\t became the first explorer of western Wyoming in 1807. Other early explorers were Wilson Price Hunt, who led the Overland Astorians westward through Wyoming in 1811; Robert Stuart, who led the first party eastward across Wyoming in 1812 via the South Pass; and Jacques La Ramie, for whom Fort Laramie and the city of Laramie were later named. The fur trade expanded rapidly during the 1820s and brought to Wyoming William H. \TAshley\t and such colorful \Tmountain men\t as James ("Jim") \TBridger\t, Jedediah \TSmith\t, William L. ("Bill") Sublette, David E. Jackson, and Robert Campbell. Increasing competition with the Hudson's Bay and American Fur companies depleted the beaver catch and brought an end to the fur trade by 1840. Westward-bound traffic became important after John C. \TFremont\t led a government expedition across Wyoming in 1842, and many mountain men found work as guides and supply men on newly developing trails to the West. The principal trail followed the Platte and Sweetwater rivers and crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass. This became known as the \TOregon Trail\t and, after Brigham Young led the Mormon migration through Wyoming into Utah in 1847, as the Mormon Trail. It became known as the California Trail after 1849 and was used by the pony express (1860-61) and by stagecoaches until the Overland Trail opened farther south. Treaties with the Indians and cavalry stations at Forts Bridger, Laramie, Fetterman, and elsewhere protected the early travelers, but attacks increased during the Civil War after the \TBozeman Trail\t in northeastern Wyoming was blazed across Indian hunting grounds in 1863. Two major Wyoming battles during the ensuing hostilities were the Fetterman Massacre of 1866, in which Lt. Col. W. J. Fetterman and 81 men from Fort Phil Kearny were killed by Sioux Indians under Chief Red Cloud, and the Wagon Box fight of 1867, in which more than 1,000 Sioux were driven back by Capt. James Powell. Territorial status and the name Wyoming were first proposed in 1865 by Ohio congressman James M. Ashley. In 1868, after defeat of efforts to name the territory Lincoln, the new territory of Wyoming was created from lands once part of the Oregon, Dakota, Utah, and Idaho territories. Permanent settlement began with the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad across the southern part of the state in 1867-69. A string of communities sprang up to serve the rail construction crews, some of which--including Cheyenne, Laramie, Green River, and Evanston--developed as early urban centers. Early pioneer settlers concentrated on running the railroad, exploiting coal and other minerals, and running livestock on the open range. Cattle ranching became big business, despite large losses of stock in the severe winter of 1887-88. Violent range wars developed between cattle and sheep men, and increased cattle rustling brought violent reprisals such as those of the Johnson County War in 1892. Few farmers settled in Wyoming under the Homestead Act of 1862, but ranchers and cowboys began filing claims to and fencing the better range and waterholes legally and illegally toward the end of the century. In 1890, after nearly 22 years as a territory, Wyoming became the 44th state to join the Union. No large industries or population centers developed. Petroleum (first produced during the 1880s and a boom industry after 1910), trona (discovered in 1938), and uranium (discovered in 1918 and important since the 1950s) were, along with tourism, the principal activities until coal exploitation and power generation gained prominence during the 1970s. Some Wyoming residents expressed concern over industry's destruction of the state's scenic and environmental assets and use of water resources, but the "colonial-type economy" is likely to continue well into the 21st century. Robert Harold Brown Bibliography: Bragg, Bill, Wyoming's Wealth: A History of Wyoming (1976); Brown, Robert H., Wyoming Occupance Atlas (1970) and Wyoming: A Geography (1980); Hedgpeth, Don, Spurs Were A'Jinglin': A Brief Look at the Wyoming Ranging Country (1975); Lain, Gayle and Sheryl, Wyoming: The Proud Land (1968); Larson, Taft A., Wyoming: A Bicentennial History (1977); Leonard, Peg Layton, West of Yesteryear: Profiles of Early Wyoming People and Places (1976); Morgan, William E., et al., Demographic Study of Wyoming Population in Transition, 2 vols. (1969); Munkres, Robert L., Saleratus and Sagebrush; The Oregon Trail through Wyoming (1974); Phillips, Clynn, et al., Wyoming Data Book (1972); Richard, John B., Government and Politics of Wyoming, 3d ed. (1974); Spencer, Charles F., Wyoming Homestead Heritage (1975); Urbanek, Mae, Wyoming Place Names, 3d rev. ed. (1974); Woods, Lawrence M., The Wyoming Country before Statehood (1971).