Outline of Wyoming
Wyoming is a state of the United States that is famous for the beauty of its mountains. The peaks of the Rocky Mountains tower over the landscape. They provide the setting for the world's oldest national park-Yellowstone. Wyoming also has the first national monument in the United States, Devils Tower, and the first national forest, Shoshone. Another famous scenic wonder, Grand Teton National Park, includes some of the West's most beautiful mountains. Millions of tourists visit Wyoming each year to enjoy the state's scenery and historic places.
Not all of Wyoming is mountainous. Between the mountain ranges in the state lie broad, flat, treeless basins. Some of these basins are dotted with rugged, lonely towers of rock called buttes. In the eastern part of the state, a flat, dry plain stretches westward toward the mountains.
The federal government owns almost half the land in Wyoming. Since the state depends mostly on its land, this makes the government especially important in Wyoming's economy. Federal agencies control grazing, logging, and mining activities that take place on the government land. The U.S. Air Force operates a nuclear missile base just outside Cheyenne, the state capital.
Wyoming has attracted travelers since the earliest days of white settlement. Three of the great pioneer trails cross Wyoming. The California, Mormon, and Oregon trails all took the covered wagons through South Pass. This pass became famous as the easiest way for the pioneers to travel across the mountains.
Millions of people have crossed Wyoming, but relatively few have stayed. The 1980 United States census reported that Wyoming had fewer people than any other state except Alaska. The 1990 census showed that Alaska had passed Wyoming, leaving Wyoming last among the states in population. Wyoming's largest city, Cheyenne, has only about 50,000 people.
Most of Wyoming's cities are small compared with those in other states. Cheyenne, the capital and largest city, and Casper, the second largest city, both have only about 50,000 people. The next three cities, in order of size, are Laramie, Gillette, and Rock Springs. About a third of the state's people live in cities and towns along a single major highway and rail line in southern Wyoming. The state has only two metropolitan areas, the Casper metropolitan area and the Cheyenne metropolitan area.
Wyoming's tourist attractions rank among the most spectacular in the nation. Each year, several million people visit the state. Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are the chief attractions. They have beautiful mountain scenery and many kinds of animals. Wilderness trails challenge the hiker's skill. Visitors also come to Wyoming to hunt big game animals or to fish in the lakes and streams. In 1904, the Eaton Ranch, near Sheridan, became the first dude ranch in the West. Wyoming's most popular annual event is the Frontier Days celebration in Cheyenne, which has been staged since 1897. The celebration is held for 10 days in July.
The word Wyoming comes from a Delaware Indian word meaning upon the great plain. Wyoming is nicknamed the Equality State because Wyoming women were the first in the nation to vote, hold public office, and serve on juries. In 1870, Wyoming's Esther H. Morris became the nation's first woman justice of the peace. In 1924, Wyoming voters elected the first woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross.
