Wyoming History

United States &gt; Wyoming &gt; Wyoming History Wyoming is a Delaware Indian word meaning "mountains and valley alternating". The vast state of Wyoming was first inhabited by the Arapaho, Bannock, Cheyenne, Comanche, Crows, Cree, Dakota, Gros Venutreno or Chumashan, Gosiute, Kiowa, Kiowa-Apache, Menominee, Numa, Paiute, Pawnee, Shoshoni, Sioux, Ute (Southern) Indians. For more information see the Indians of Wyoming page.

In the early 1800's explorers, pioneers, fur traders (mountain men), fort builders like Jim Bridger and emigrant trails began to cross the land. John Jacob Astor worked to establish a cross continental route for fur trade. This would be followed by missionaries, fortune seekers, soldiers, pony express riders, telegraph operators, and cattle drivers. Big game hunts lured in the English and French nobility. Railroad builders, coal miners, cattle barons, cowboys, sheep owners and herders, outlaws and rustlers, diamond swindlers, brave homesteaders, and settlers all had either success or tragic results in their quest to make a new life out of this land rich in resources and expanse.

The Flag for Wyoming features the words "Livestock", "Mines", "Grains" and "Oil" representing Wyoming's wealth of resources.

Time Line
The following events affected political boundaries, record keeping, and family movements in Wyoming.

1834: Fort Laramie was established as a supply depot on the  Oregon Trail fur trade route. It became an army post in 1849, and remained in use until 1890. A map of Fort Laramie Treaty Landis available online.

1840's-1850s: Emigrants went west over the Oregon Trail through what is now central Wyoming. In 1850, more than 40,000 emigrants passed through Fort Laramie.

1843: Fort Bridger was established.

1847: Mormon migration to Utah. Mormon ferry established on North Platte River.

1849-1950: Gold fever also hit the Cherokee Indians. Many Cherokees left their reservation in Oklahoma and headed west with hopes to find fortunes of gold in California. The Cherokee trail began in Tahlequah, Oklahoma then though Colorado before joining the California/Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger, Wyoming.

1851: A treaty was signed near Fort Laramie, the Indians would allow access to wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, the building of roads, and forts.

1853: Ft. Supply, first agricultural settlement, established by Mormons near Ft. Bridger. Deserted and burned in 1857.

1856:Martin and Willie Handcart Company disaster near Devil's Gate and South Pass.

1861: The pony express was started leaving many stations along the way. One station was "The Great Register of the Desert," it is a 193-foot-high granite boulder. Names were engraved on it by explorers, trappers, adventurers, scientists, missionaries, soldiers, and emigrants,leaving an estimated more than 5,000 name carvings. The other name for this boulder is Independence Rock.

1862: Ft. Halleck (1862-1866) established on Overland Trail. Overland stage line changed route from Oregon Trail to Overland (Cherokee) Trail in southern Wyoming.

1863 - Bozeman Trail established as a shorter route to the gold fields of Montana, through the Northern Plains Indians last and best hunting grounds.

1861-1868: The Dakota Territory was established. It included all of present-day North and South Dakota and most of Montana and Wyoming. In 1867 all of the Wyoming portion was included in Laramie County, which was divided early in 1868 by the creation of Carter County (later renamed Sweetwater County). 1866: Fort Pillip Kearny Massacre, Also known as The Fetterman Fight

1867-1869:The Transcontinental Union Pacific Railway was built through southern Wyoming. The towns of Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Green River, and Evanston sprang up along its route.

1868: April 29, the Fort Laramie Treaty was signed by chiefs and headmen of the bands from the Sioux nation.

1868: Wyoming Territory was created, primarily from Dakota Territory. It included small portions from Utah and Idaho territories.

1875: Chinese labor brought in by coal companies.

1876: Cheyenne-Black Hills stage line launched and Ft. McKinney was established.

1876: Battle of Little Big Horn

1876-1880s: The Arapaho and Cheyenne Indians were moved to the Wind River Reservation. With the defeat of the Sioux soon afterward, northern Wyoming was opened to cattle grazing. The cattle boom reached its height in the 1880's.

1880: Wyoming's population is 20,789.

1890: Wyoming became a state. 1898: Soldiers from Wyoming served in the Spanish American War for more information see Wyoming Military Records.

1902: Yellowstone Forest Reserve (Shoshone National Forest) is the first national forest in the country.

1906-1909:  Troops stationed at the Wind River Reservation to prevent hostilities between the Shoshoni Indians and the homesteaders during allotment of the reservation.

1895-1910: The Carey Act of 1894 provided for the reclamation and homesteading of desert land, and stimulated new settlements in northern Wyoming. Mormons established towns in the Big Horn Basin.

1917–1918: Soldiers from Wyoming served in World War I, for more information see Wyoming Military Records

1918: Uranium discovered in Wyoming, near Lusk.

1930's:  The Great Depression had an effect on the strong people of Wyoming.

1940–1945:  Soldiers from Wyoming served in World War II, for more information see Wyoming Military Records.

1950–1953:  Soldiers from Wyoming served in Korean War, for more information see Wyoming Military Records.

1950's–1960's  The building of interstate highways made it easier for people to move long distances more quickly across the state.

1964–1972:  Soldiers from Wyoming served in Vietnam, for more information see Wyoming Military Records.

1979: Cheyenne hit by tornado.

1988: More than one million acres burned during Yellowstone Park Fires.

Historical Content
Histories are great sources of genealogical information. Many contain biographical information about individuals who lived in the area, including:

Local Histories
Some of the most valuable sources for family history research are local histories. Published histories of towns, counties, and states usually contain accounts of families. They describe the settlement of the area and the founding of churches, schools, and businesses. You can also find lists of pioneers, soldiers, and civil officials. Even if your ancestor is not listed, information on other relatives may be included that will provide important clues for locating your ancestor. A local history may also suggest other records to search. Local histories are extensively collected by the Family History Library, public and university libraries, and state and local historical societies. The United States Research "History" page cites nationwide bibliographies of local histories which include histories of Wyoming.


 * The Bozeman Trail has historical accounts of the blazing of the overland routes into the northwest, and the fights with Red Cloud's warriors.

State Histories Useful to Genealogists
Good genealogists strive to understand the life and times of their ancestors. In this sense, any history is useful. But certain kinds of state, county, and local histories, especially older histories published between 1845 and 1945, often include biographical sketches of prominent individuals. The sketches usually tend toward the laudatory, but may include some genealogical details. If these histories are indexed or alphabetical, check for an ancestor's name. Some examples for the State of Wyoming:


 * History of Wyoming.

Family History Library Helps
To find more books and articles about Wyoming 's history use the Internet Google search for phases like "Wyoming history." Family History Library Catalog Surname Search lists many more histories under topics like:
 * WYOMING - HISTORY
 * WYOMING, [COUNTY] - HISTORY
 * WYOMING, [COUNTY], [TOWN] - HISTORY
 * WYOMING, BIBLIOGRAPHY

Web Sites

 * The American Local History Network's Wyoming Website offers not only numerous links to a large variety of websites about Wyoming's life and history but also contains a number of exclusive articles.
 * Genealogy Trails Wyoming contains, obits, histories, information about forts and Japanese internment plus much more.
 * History of Wyoming
 * The WYGenWeb Project
 * Wyoming Memory
 * Wyoming History Homepage
 * Wyoming State Archives
 * Wyoming Tales and Trails