WYOMING

Equality State

Origin of state's name: Based on an Algonquin or Delaware Indian word meaning "large prairie place"

A bison on a blue field bordered in white and red. The state seal branded on the bison. The woman represents the state motto "Equal Rights" and the two men represent cattle ranchers and miners. The words "Livestock", "Mines", "Grains" and "Oil" represent Wyoming's wealth. The eagle and shield show support for the United States. The dates 1869 and 1890 tell when Wyoming organized as a territory of the United States and when it became a state.

Entered Union: July 10, 1890; 44th State
Capital: Cheyenne
Motto: Equal Rights
Flower: Indian paintbrush
Bird: Meadowlark
Tree: Cottonwood
Song: Wyoming

A LITTLE HISTORY
Frances Francois and Louis La Verendrye were the first Europeans to visit Wyoming. John Colter, an American, was first to traverse Yellowstone Park, 1807-1808. Trappers and fur traders followed in the 1820s. Forts Laramie and Bridger became important stops on the pioneer trail to the West Coast. Indian wars followed massacres of army detachments in 1854 and 1866. Population grew after the Union Pacific crossed the state in 1869. Women won the vote, for the first time in the U.S., from the Territorial Legislature in 1869.

FACTS AND TRIVIA ABOUT WYOMING
Old Faithful is located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming.

Wyoming ranks second in wool production, and has over 810,000 sheep.

In 1925, Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected governor of Wyoming and became the first woman governor in the United States.

The flag of Wyoming is a bison (or buffalo) with a seal on it. If you look closely at the seal, you will see that it represents the custom of branding..

Wyoming was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803..

Wyoming is the 9th largest state, but has the fewest people (475,000).

In 1869, Wyoming's territorial legislature became the first government in the world to grant "female suffrage" by enacting a bill granting Wyoming women the right to vote. The act was signed into law on December 10 of that year by Governor A.J. Campbell.

In 1924, Mrs. Nellie Tayloe Ross was the first elected woman governor to take office in the United States. She took office on January 5, 1925, 20 days before "Ma" Ferguson of Texas (elected on the same day) took office.

In 1894, Estelle R. Meyer (Mrs. Cort F.) became the first woman in the United States elected to a public office, that of Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

First Business West of the Missouri River: In 1834, Fort William was erected at the confluence of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers by veteran fur traders William Sublette and Robert Campbell. Thus, the first trading post west of the Missouri River was established.

First Women to Vote: John A. Campbell, Wyoming’s first Territorial Governor, signed a bill December 10, 1869 making Wyoming the first state to grant women the right to vote.

First Woman Justice of the Peace: Esther Hobart Morris was appointed February 17, 1870 in South Pass City.

First All Woman Jury: The first all woman jury was sworn in March 7, 1870 in Laramie.

First Woman Bailiff: In 1870, Mary Atkinson of Albany County was appointed the first woman bailiff in the world.

First National Park: In 1872, Congress named Yellowstone National Park in northwestern Wyoming as the first national park in the world.

First State to Have a County Public Library System: The Laramie County Public Library System was organized in August of 1886.

First National Forest: By an Act signed by President Benjamin Harrison in 1891, Shoshone National Forest became the first national forest. Wyoming now has 9 national forests.

First Ranger Station: Wapiti Ranger Station was established in the Shoshone National Forest in 1891.

First Woman Statewide Elected Official: Estelle Reel was elected as Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1894.

First National Monument: Devils Tower in northeastern Wyoming was designated the first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.

First Town in America to be Governed Entirely by Women: The city of Jackson, from 1920 to 1921, had a woman mayor, town council and town marshall. One of the councilwomen defeated her husband for her council seat.

First Artificially Lit Evening Football Game: The first interscholastic football game to be played under artificial light took place in Midwest, Wyoming in 1925.

First Woman Governor in the U.S.: Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected to complete the term of her husband who died in office. She served from 1925 to 1927. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed her the first woman to head the U.S. Mint, a position she held until 1953.

The world's largest single mineral hot spring is located in Wyoming's Hot Springs State Park. Millions of gallons of water containing at least 27 different minerals flow through the spring every 24 hours, always at a constant temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

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