Wyoming Trivia & Tidbits - Page 20

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

Much of Shane, the classic 1953 Western movie starring Alan Ladd, was filmed in the area around Jackson (pop. 4,472), with the Tetons serving as the film’s backdrop.

first appeared: 4/29/2001

At 8,640 feet above sea level, Sherman Hill near Laramie is the highest point crossed by the transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869.

first appeared: 4/22/2001

The first jury in recorded American history to have women as members was seated in Laramie (pop. 26,687) in 1870, contributing to Wyoming’s reputation as “The Equality State.”

first appeared: 4/22/2001

Cody (pop. 12,472) is named after western showman Col. William “Buffalo Bill” Cody who, with several others, founded the town in 1895. Cody went on to buy a ranch in the area and build the Irma Hotel, named after his daughter.

first appeared: 4/15/2001

Thermopolis (pop. 3,247) claims the world’s largest mineral hot springs, which is at Hot Springs State Park.

first appeared: 4/15/2001

During the debate in the U.S. Senate over Wyoming organizing a territorial government, other possible names suggested included Cheyenne, Shoshoni, Arapaho, and Yellowstone. “Wyoming” was already commonly used and remained the popular choice when the area became a territory in 1869. The name was adopted from two Indian words, mecheweami-ing, meaning “at the big plains,” or “on the great plain.”

first appeared: 4/8/2001

Wyoming boasts an official state dinosaur: the triceratops. One of the most common dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period, the triceratops is named for three prominent horns on its head. It was named the state’s official dinosaur in June 1994 following legislation providing for a contest and election by Wyoming elementary school children.

first appeared: 4/1/2001

The 2.2 million-acre Yellowstone National Park was formed by three violent volcanic eruptions. The last occurred 600,000 years ago, blasting 240 cubic miles of ash into the atmosphere. After that eruption, the central part of the park collapsed, leaving a basin filled with geysers, mudpots, and other geothermal features as signs of continued volcanic activity.

first appeared: 3/25/2001

Old West outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid both got their nicknames from stays in Wyoming. Robert LeRoy Parker became “Butch” because of his work as a butcher in Rock Springs (pop. 19,050) and took the name “Cassidy” from the man who taught him about horse rustling, Mike Cassidy. Harry Alonzo Longabaugh earned his nickname by spending 18 months in a prison in Sundance (pop. 1,139) for stealing a horse.

first appeared: 3/18/2001

The first movie in which actor John Wayne had a speaking part, The Big Trail, was filmed at Moran Junction, south of Jackson (pop. 4,472) in 1930.

first appeared: 3/18/2001

The Wind River changes its name in midstream, becoming the Big Horn River at the north end of the Wind River Canyon, a site known as “The Wedding of the Waters.”

first appeared: 3/11/2001

The cherry-wood bar from the Hole-In-The-Wall Saloon is a popular exhibit at the Hot Springs County Historical Museum. Members of the famous outlaw gang of that name raised a glass with the locals at the bar.

first appeared: 3/11/2001

The grand Teton rises to 13,770 feet above sea level, more than a mile above the valley known as Jackson Hole. Twelve Teton peaks are more than 12,000 feet tall. About 4.1 million people visit Grand Teton National Park each year.

first appeared: 3/4/2001

The official mascot of Douglas, Wyo., (pop. 5,076) is the jackalope. Supposedly a cross between a jackrabbit and antelope, the animal is most often sighted in truck stops and tourist traps—wherever an unsuspecting visitor might be convinced it really exists. In 1960, the state of Wyoming granted the Douglas Area Chamber of Commerce use of the jackalope as a registered trademark. An 8-foot statue of a buck jackalope graces the town square. The animal is featured prominently in the town symbol.

first appeared: 3/4/2001

James Cash Penney founded the J.C. Penney department store chain in Kemmerer, Wyo. Penney opened a Golden Rule dry goods store in Kemmerer in 1902. He invested in the store, bought out his partners, and by 1924 had 500 stores.

first appeared: 2/25/2001

Ten Sleep’s name came from the way some American Indians measured distance by the number of “sleeps” between different locations. Ten Sleep (pop. 320) is 10 nights (sleeps) between the Sioux Camps and the Platte River to the south and the northern camp located near Bridger, Mont.

first appeared: 2/18/2001

Devils Tower was designated the country’s first national monument Sept. 24, 1906. The monument was featured in the movie Close Enounters of the Third Kind.

first appeared: 2/18/2001

Francis E. Warren, a Medal of Honor winner in the Civil War who moved from Massachusetts to Cheyenne in 1868, would later be elected Wyoming’s first state governor in 1890. But he served only until the state legislature elected him a U.S. senator a few weeks later. Warren’s daughter Frances was married to Gen. John J. Pershing.

first appeared: 2/11/2001

The mountain men’s first Rocky Mountain rendezvous—an event where they gathered to socialize and sell their pelts—was held in Sweetwater County in 1825.

first appeared: 2/4/2001

Sheridan (pop. 14,730) was founded in 1882 by an early area pioneer, John D. Loucks, who named his town after Philip H. Sheridan, his commanding general in the Civil War.

first appeared: 2/4/2001

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.