[Curiosities] 7 Wonderful Facts About Wyoming

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Officially nicknamed the “Equality State” but also known as “Big Wyoming,” the “Park State,” and the “Cowboy State,” Wyoming was the 44th state to join the United States of America on July 10, 1890. Wyoming has a po[CENSORED]tion of 578,759 people (as of 2019), making it the least po[CENSORED]ted US state. It’s bordered by the states of Utah, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. With a total of 97,914 square miles (253,600 square kilometers) of land and water, it is the 10th largest state. The capital of Wyoming is Cheyenne, which is tucked away in the southeast corner of the state. That’s enough fast facts about the Equality State for now; we’re here to learn the more unusual facts!

 

1. Wyoming has been inhabited for at least 13,000 years.

 

 

According to modern theories, the Paleo-Indians were the first settlers to explore and settle in North America. They were hunter-gatherers who entered modern-day Alaska from the far east of what is now Russia sometime between 15,000 to 13,000 BC. The Paleo-Indians slowly spread out over North America and settled wherever they found reasonable hunting grounds.

 

Their presence is clear from the uniquely shaped stone spearheads that have been found all over the continent. By around 11,000 BC, they reached modern-day Wyoming and settled there over time. There were over ten Native American tribes living in Wyoming when Europeans first arrived. Arapaho people

 

2. There were over ten Native American tribes living in Wyoming when Europeans first arrived.

 

 

Over the next few thousand years, the descendants of the Paleo-Indians came to live increasingly stable sedentary lives. This change in lifestyle resulted in increases in technology, culture, and complexity of society. With this, unique cultures and tribes developed, although many still lived semi-nomadic lives. By the time Europeans arrived in modern-day Wyoming, the tribes that lived in the region included the Arapaho, Kiowa, Shoshone, Bannock, Crow, Nez-Perce, Cheyenne, Blackfeet, Ute, Gros-Ventre, Sioux, Arikara, and the Tukudeka (sometimes known as the Mountain Sheep-Eaters). The only tribes which remain in Wyoming today are the Shoshone and Arapaho, who live on the Wind River Reservation. That being said, many living in Wyoming still identify with many other tribes.

 

3. The first European explorers to reach Wyoming were French Canadian.

 

 

Unlike much of the coastal areas of North America, the region now known as Wyoming was completely unknown to Europe until the mid-18th century.

The sons of the famed French Canadian explorer Pierre La Vérendrye, Louis-Joseph, and François, were the first to document their travels into the northeast of the region while on a failed journey to strike a path through to the Pacific Ocean. The next Westerner to document their exploits in Wyoming was John Colter, a Lewis and Clark Expedition member who split off and spent some time trapping for fur there at the beginning of the 19th century.

 

4. Wyoming changed hands a few times before it became a part of the US.

 

 

The first European nation to lay claim to Wyoming was Spain, despite none of Spain’s explorers ever setting foot there. In 1804 the southwest was claimed as a part of the Alta California region of New Spain, but due to its northern location, it was completely ignored. Later, when Mexico gained independence from Spain, the region fell under Mexican control, but they also never made moves to settle it. The eastern portion of the region was under French control but was sold to the US in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. Control of the western parts was disputed at first by Britain and the US at the beginning of the 19th century but eventually became a part of Oregon Territory in 1848.

 

5. Most of Wyoming was a part of the Idaho Territory.

 

 

The US control of Wyoming was all over the place in the early years, with parts of it being incorporated into the Dakota Territory, Nebraska Territory, Oregon Territory, and Washington Territory. Much of it was eventually incorporated into Idaho Territory when it was formed in 1863, except for a small portion in the southwest which was claimed by Utah Territory in 1851.

However, Idaho Territory’s control was relatively short-lived, as much of its claim to the region was formed into Dakota Territory in 1864. Finally, in 1868 Wyoming Territory was created, with land from Utah, Idaho, and Dakota territories.

 

6. Wyoming was the first US state to give women the right to vote.

 

 

From the 1840s, women from all over the US began to fight for their rights to vote, but it would be nearly another century before their rights were finally cemented with the 19th Amendment in 1920. Not every state or territory had the same opinion, which complicated the issue significantly. The people of Wyoming were forward-thinking and progressive, and from the very outset of the territory, they made moves to legalize female voter’s rights. Just one year after its formation, women over the age of 21 were allowed to vote in Wyoming. When the territory began to make moves towards statehood, they insisted that Wyoming women should retain their right to vote. In 1890 the state of Wyoming was formed, becoming the first US state to give women the right to vote.

 

7. Wyoming is home to the first National Park in the world.

 

 

This is, of course, none other than Yellowstone National Park, which became the first National Park in the world when President Ulysses S. Grant established it on March 1, 1872.

 

People have known about the wonders of Yellowstone for much longer than that, though, as there is evidence of Native American presence there that dates back as far as 11,000 years ago! In fact, many different tribes hunted there, lived there, and had trade routes that passed through this stunning part of Wyoming. Today the National Park covers an immense 3,468 square miles (8,983 square kilometers) and is home to the Yellowstone Caldera, the largest supervolcano in North America. While the Yellowstone Caldera is dormant, the region is full of thermal activity and is home to half of the world’s geysers!