Thermopolis, Wyoming

"Thermopolis" (/θɜːrˈmɒpəlɪs/) is from the Greek for "Hot City". It is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which mineral-laden waters are heated by geothermal processes. The town is named for the hot springs located there.[7]

The town claims the world's largest mineral hot spring, appropriately named "The Big Spring", as part of Wyoming's Hot Springs State Park. The springs are open to the public for free as part of an 1896 treaty signed with the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian tribes.

Thermopolis is located near the northern end of the Wind River Canyon and Wedding of the Waters, where the north-flowing Wind River becomes the Bighorn River. Thermopolis is ringed by mountains, with the Big Horn Mountains to the northeast, the Bridger Mountains to the southeast, the Owl Creek Mountains to the southwest and the Absaroka Range to the northwest. Thermopolis is the southern-most municipality in the Big Horn Basin.

Torrington, Wyoming

It is the home of Eastern Wyoming College, and is the surrounding region's center of commercial activity. Within this primarily agricultural community, there are several fertilizer plants, a sugar beet factory, and numerous tourist facilities and retail businesses that serve the local and nearby rural populations.[7]

Situated on the historic Mormon Trail and near the Oregon and California trails[8] along the banks of the North Platte River, Torrington was founded in 1900 by W.G. Curtis (1857–1913), and named by him for his home town of Torrington, Connecticut. Originally a watering and coaling station for the CB&Q Railroad, which began passenger service in 1900, the growing city soon became the main source of civilization for nearby farmers and ranchers. In 1905, the first bridge was constructed over the North Platte River, which it had previously been necessary to ford.[9]

A post office called Torrington was established in 1889 on W. G. Curtis' farm three miles west of where the town of Torrington would be in 1900, with W. G. Curtis serving as Postmaster and later as mayor. By 1908 the town was incorporated as a town in Laramie County. It had a bank, three general stores, a pharmacy with a soda fountain, a land office, and two hotels (for one of which the building, although modified, still exists at 1841 Main Street.)[9] It soon became a central place of trade for Goshen County, and for surrounding areas in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska.[9]

Upton, Wyoming

Upton is located at 44°6′12″N 104°37′33″W / 44.10333°N 104.62583°W / 44.10333; -104.62583 (44.103354, -104.625943).[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.96 square miles (7.67 km2), all of it land.[8]

As of the 2010 United States Census[2] of 2010, there were 1,100 people, 467 households, and 303 families residing in the town. The population density was 371.6 inhabitants per square mile (143.5/km2). There were 539 housing units at an average density of 182.1 per square mile (70.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.6% White, 0.2% African American, 1.7% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.3% of the population.

There were 467 households of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.1% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.88.

Wapiti Ranger Station

Wapiti Ranger Station is the oldest United States Forest Service ranger station in the United States.[3] The station is located in Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming, and has been used continuously since it was built in 1903. The station was the first forest service ranger station built with federal funding. Constructed with native forest timber, the structure is maintained regularly, with some recent improvements – such as replacing some rotting timber – implemented in 2005.

A location called Wapiti Station is featured in the 2016 game Firewatch, which is set in the Shoshone National Forest. However, its depiction and location within the forest do not resemble Wapiti Ranger Station.

Wheatland, Wyoming

Before the late 19th century, the area around the future site of Wheatland was a flat, arid landscape with desert-like vegetation. In 1883 local rancher and judge Joseph M. Carey, along with Horace Plunkett, John Hoyt, Morton Post, Francis E. Warren, William Irvine, and Andrew Gilchrist, established the Wyoming Development Company. The company hoped to irrigate in the Wheatland Flats and profit from new development.[7]

By the fall of 1883 an irrigation system was constructed on the Wheatland flats including a 2,380 foot long tunnel to divert water for irrigation into Bluegrass Creek and the first two of the system's canals.[8] The Cheyenne and Northern Railway line reached the Wheatland flats in July, 1887, eventually extending to the Wyoming Central Railway at Wendover. Lots in the town of Wheatland were auctioned in 1894. By 1915 many farms were established in the irrigation district and the population of the flats was 5,277.[7]

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 3,627 people, 1,657 households, and 974 families residing in the town. The population density was 884.6 inhabitants per square mile (341.5/km2). There were 1,879 housing units at an average density of 458.3 per square mile (177.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.1% White, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.4% of the population.

Wilson, Wyoming

Wilson is a census-designated place (CDP) in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,482 at the 2010 census, up from 1,294 in 2000. It is part of the Jackson, WY–ID Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Wilson was pioneered in 1889 by Elijah Nicholas Wilson, known for having lived with the Shoshone Indian tribe as a boy in the 1850s. He later wrote a book[4] about his experiences, including his time as a rider for the Pony Express. The town was later named in his honor.[5] It sits at the base of Teton Pass, just northwest of Jackson, on State Highway 22.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 23.44 square miles (60.7 km2), of which, 22.96 square miles (59.5 km2) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) of it (2.05%) is water.

Worland, Wyoming

Worland is a city in Washakie County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,487 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washakie County.[6] It is located within the Big Horn Basin and along the Big Horn River in northwestern Wyoming.

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 5,487 people, 2,310 households, and 1,479 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,203.3 inhabitants per square mile (464.6/km2). There were 2,473 housing units at an average density of 542.3 per square mile (209.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 89.9% White, 0.3% African American, 1.3% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 5.3% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 16.6% of the population.

There were 2,310 households of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95.

Shoshoni, Wyoming

Shoshoni is a town in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 649 at the 2010 census. The town is named for the Shoshone tribe of Native Americans, most of whom live on the nearby Wind River Indian Reservation.

Shoshoni's closest body of water is Boysen Reservoir which is also the confluence of the Wind River, Badwater Creek and Poison Creek. As the water exits the dam it flows into the Wind River Canyon and joins the Big Horn River at the Wedding of the Waters at the canyon egress.

Established as a railroad and mining town, Shoshoni lies at the intersection of U.S. Routes 20 and 26, which together were formerly known as the "Yellowstone Highway." Shoshoni has a dramatic increase in visitors in the summer, when roads to Yellowstone National Park are open. Visitors also stop to camp and fish at nearby Boysen Reservoir and the surrounding Boysen State Park. Anglers participate in fishing derbies at the reservoir, including an ice fishing derby in the winter.

Smoot, Wyoming

Smoot is located at 42°37′15″N 110°54′45″W / 42.62083°N 110.91250°W / 42.62083; -110.91250 (42.620784, -110.912454).[4] It's located in the Star Valley Wyoming it sits at 6,611 feet above sea level 8 miles south of Afton.[5]

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 182 people, 55 households, and 44 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 106.4 people per square mile (41.1/km²). There were 63 housing units at an average density of 36.8/sq mi (14.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.60% White, 0.55% Native American, 1.10% from other races, and 2.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.95% of the population.

There were 55 households out of which 43.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.5% were married couples living together, 1.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 3.84.

Story, Wyoming

The region around Story was part of the history of the American Frontier and the Old West, and of the conflicts between early settlers and the Plains Indians. The historic Bozeman Trail passed nearby in the mid-1860s, and Fort Phil Kearny, now a State Historic Site, lies just 5 miles south of town. Fort Sheridan was just to the north, near what is now the city of Sheridan.

Fort Phil Kearny, known to the Plains Indians as the "hated post on the Little Piney", played an important role in Red Cloud's War (1866-1868), and the area around the fort was the site of the Fetterman massacre and the Wagon Box Fight.[4] The Fetterman Fight (with 81 men killed on the U.S. side) was the worst military defeat suffered by the U.S. Army on the Great Plains, until the Battle of the Little Bighorn ten years later.[5]

The 1866 Fetterman Fight marked a key victory of the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Indians over soldiers of the United States Army, and the 1867 Wagon Box Fight involved Lakota Sioux and soldiers from nearby Fort Phil Kearny.[6] Fort Phil Kearny, including the nearby sites of the Fetterman engagement and the Wagon Box Fight, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960.[7]