Wyoming Trivia & Tidbits - Page 2

Looking for Wyoming trivia? Try our list Wyoming little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

When workers were excavating for a street project last year in Rawlins (pop. 8,538), they unearthed pieces of the town’s history, specifically sections of a waterline made of slats of wood held together with metal bands. The waterline is said to date from 1910 to 1918.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—A lone pine tree growing out of a boulder has been a landmark in the Buford area since the Union Pacific railroad passed near the tree 140 years ago. According to legend, locomotive operators stopped to water the tree as they passed. Today, drivers on Interstate 80 can see the tree in a small parking area located in the median.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

Works of art grace the sidewalks of Gillette (pop. 19,646) for both residents and visitors to enjoy. The exhibit is part of the town’s Avenues of Art Program, which invites artists from around the country to submit outdoor sculptures for display for one year.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—One of the guest cabins at the UXU Ranch near Wapiti is a former stage stop that once served visitors en route to Yellowstone National Park. The log cabin was dismantled and moved to the ranch, which is 17 miles from the park. The town of Kaycee (pop. 249) got its name from “KC,” the cattle brand used by the area’s first homesteader, John Nolan, in the 1800s.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—The town of Bar Nunn (pop. 936) was built on the runway of the former Casper (pop. 49,644) airport. After settling in 1894 near Jackson (pop. 8,647), William Menor built a ferry with a cable system for crossing the Snake River. The cable kept the ferry from floating downstream, while allowing it to move sideways. Menor charged 50 cents for a wagon and team to cross, and 25 cents for an individual and horse. When the area became popular with tourists in the 1920s, ferry owner Maude Noble increased the price to $1 for automobiles with local license plates and $2 for out-of-state plates. A replica of Menor’s ferry operates today.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—Located on the Continental Divide in the West Thumb area, Isa Lake is noteworthy for draining—backward—into both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The drain on the east side ends up running west to the Pacific, while the west drain flows east toward the Atlantic.

first appeared: 11/16/2008

––The Laramie County Library System in Cheyenne (pop. 53,011) was named 2008 Library of the Year. The library’s cutting-edge technology, dedicated staff, new main building and the fact that 80 percent of the residents the library serves have library cards were cited in Library Journal magazine.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—The Charles J. Belden Museum of Western Photography in Meeteetse (pop. 351) exhibits the work of Charles J. Belden, who in the 1920s and 1930s documented the lives of cowboys, particularly on the Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse. The building also houses the Meeteetse Museum, which has a wildlife display and artifacts from the Pitchfork Ranch.

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—Old Trail Town in Cody (pop. 8,835) features a collection of 26 frontier structures, including a saloon, a livery stable and cabins, dating from 1879 to 1901. The town is the brainchild of Bob Edgar, whose mission is rescuing historic Wyoming buildings, moving them to the town and filling them with artifacts gathered throughout the state.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—Grand Teton National Park’s first ranger-naturalist was Fritiof Fryxell, a geologist, teacher and mountaineer who served as park naturalist from 1929, when the park was established, until 1934. His book, The Tetons: Interpretations of a Mountain Landscape, is considered a classic on the Tetons’ geology.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

—A former Atlas missile silo south of Chugwater (pop. 244) is home to Frontier Astronautics, which builds and tests rocket engines for the private space tourism industry. Company officials hope the budding industry will lead the way to space tourism.

first appeared: 9/7/2008

—Started in 1957, the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps of Casper (pop. 49,644) is the only competitive junior drum and bugle corps in the state. The corps has won 11 national titles and performed for several presidents.

first appeared: 8/24/2008

The Rawlins Uplift, several miles north of Rawlins (pop. 8,538), is a geological formation in which layers of rock representing millions of years are visible, exposing fossils of prehistoric plants and animals.

first appeared: 8/24/2008

—Nineteen 8-foot-tall fiberglass cowboy boots dot Cheyenne’s (pop. 53,011) downtown sidewalks. The boot sculptures were painted by local artists to depict aspects and periods of Cheyenne and Wyoming history.

first appeared: 8/10/2008

—A bat fossil that Kemmerer (pop. 2,651) fossil hunter Bonnie Finney found in 2003 is considered to be the “missing link” in bat evolution. Discovered in the state’s Green River Formation, the fossil provides evidence that the mammals could fly before the species developed the ability to use sound to navigate and locate prey at night.

first appeared: 7/27/2008

Dubois (pop. 962) originally was known as Never Sweat, either for the work ethic of the local men or because of the area’s dry winds. But when it came time for a post office, officials in Washington, D.C., decided to name the town for Idaho U.S. Sen. Fred Thomas Dubois, a member of the Postal Committee.

first appeared: 7/27/2008

—The state egg at this year’s White House Easter egg exhibit was designed by Cheyenne (pop. 53,011) artist Jules Webb. Wyoming’s first lady, Nancy Freudenthal, selected the egg, decorated using the Pysanky method, a Ukrainian technique that uses wax to keep parts of the shell from absorbing dye.

first appeared: 7/13/2008

—Basketball took a leap forward when Kenny Sailors invented the jump shot in 1934. He started leaping toward the basket to avoid having the ball batted away by his taller brother. Sailors, who was raised in Hillsdale and attended high school in Laramie (pop. 27,204), guided the University of Wyoming to the NCAA championship in 1943. He went on to play professionally for several seasons.

first appeared: 6/29/2008

The six-room cottage of James Cash Penney (1875-1971), founder of the J.C. Penney Co., is preserved as a national landmark in Kemmerer (pop. 2,651). The homestead is furnished with period items, including a cradle and christening gown used by Penney’s children.

first appeared: 6/29/2008

—Register Cliff State Historic Site near Guernsey (pop. 1,147) is a sandstone cliff where pioneers traveling west on the Oregon Trail carved their names. Many of the inscriptions were made in the mid-1800s and still are visible today. Because of its position on the Oregon Trail, Guernsey also is known as the “Hub of the Oregon Trail” and the “emigrants’ washtub” because pioneers on the trail stopped at nearby Warm Springs to bathe and wash their clothes.

first appeared: 6/15/2008

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