Wyoming Facts and Figures

1876 artwork by Henry Mitchell, via Wikipedia Commons

 Wyoming ranks 30th among states and provinces with markers in this database. Wyoming is a state in the United States of America located in the American West. It is also in the Mountains region. Wyoming is some 98 thousand square miles in size with a population of around 578 thousand people. The state is divided into 23 counties and all of them have entries in this database. In Wyoming we have discovered historical markers in 124 cities and towns lying in 116 different ZIP Codes.

How many historical markers are there in Wyoming? There are least 1,238 of them, by our count. We have cataloged 1,237 historical markers and 16 war memorials—each individually presented on 1,254 illustrated, annotated, and searchable pages of the Historical Marker Database. In addition, we are reasonably certain of another historical marker in Wyoming that we don’t yet have, and instead show on our Want List. Our correspondents have been finding and adding hundreds of markers a month to the database from all over the world, so next time you visit this page you will probably find that the numbers here have changed.

The first Wyoming marker in the database, Devils Tower, was added December 17, 2007. It was photographed near Devils Tower in Crook County. The last one added was submitted on March 30, 2019, and titled I.O.O.F. Building. It is in Lander in Fremont County and had been erected in 2017. Keeping in mind that the erection date of many markers in the database is not known, the earliest historical marker we know of in Wyoming was erected in 1906. It was this one: Old Oregon Trail, and one of our correspondents found it near Lander in Fremont County on January 27, 2015.

Wyomingites don’t want to forget their Roads and Vehicles history. How do we know? Because there are more historical markers in the database from Wyoming about Roads and Vehicles—259 of them—than about any other historical category. A close second is Settlements and Settlers with 240 markers.

The first marker added to the database with the Roads and Vehicles category was Cheyenne – Deadwood Trail, added December 19, 2007. It had been erected near Newcastle in Weston County. The last one submitted was submitted on December 10, 2016, and titled The First Engines: Oxen, Mules, and Horses. It had been erected near Big Piney in Sublette County. The earliest marker erected with the Roads and Vehicles category that we have listed was erected in 1906. It is Old Oregon Trail, was found near Lander in Fremont County on January 27, 2015.

What is the most interesting historical marker in Wyoming? What we know is that Oregon Trail Ruts is the most viewed entry in the database from Wyoming since it was added in 2008. It is located in Guernsey in Platte County. This year so far, the most viewed Wyomingite entry is also located near Guernsey. It is Rifle Pit Hill.

The Wyoming county with the most historical markers listed in this database is Park County, with 182 of them. It is followed by Natrona County with 98 markers. The Yellowstone National Park area of Park County has the highest number of markers within its limits, 115. In Natrona County the area with the most markers, 42, is Casper.

Checking the database for the city or town in Wyoming with the most markers we again find Yellowstone National Park at the top of the list with 115 markers in or near it. It is followed by Cheyenne in Laramie County with 61 markers. For the ZIP Code with the most markers it’s 82190 at the top of the list with 125 markers in its delivery area. (ZIP Code 82190 is assigned to Yellowstone National Park WY including the Mammoth, and Mammoth Hot Springs delivery areas.) It is followed by ZIP Code 82520 with 64 markers. (82520 is assigned to Lander WY including the Atlantic City, Ethete, South Pass City, and Sweetwater Station delivery areas.)

Getting back to Park County, the first marker added to the database from there, Captive Tourists, was added January 4, 2011. in Yellowstone National Park. The last one submitted was uploaded on March 27, 2019, and is titled First National Bank of Meeteetse, in Meeteetse. The earliest marker erected in Park County that we have listed was erected in 1961. It was The Pony Express, found in Cody on November 27, 2015.

Latest Entry from Wyoming
“I.O.O.F. Building”

And finally the first, last, and oldest markers from Cheyenne. The first: Mt. Sinai Congregation, was added February 1, 2010. It had been erected in 2007. The last: Cheyenne's Heritage at a Glance added on August 1, 2016. The earliest marker erected was erected in 1917: Suffrage Tablet, added on June 15, 2016.

Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites is currently in charge of official historical markers found all over the state. You will also find official markers erected by the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, a predecessor. We have 200 of their markers in the database.

In addition, E Clampus Vitus—not government affiliated—also erected numerous historical markers in Wyoming, and we have 201 of their Wyoming markers in the database. Also, a number of counties have erected historical markers on their streets and roads and within their public areas, as have some cities and towns.

By Cosmos Mariner, July 9, 2018

A Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites Historical Marker

Then there are federal government agencies that put up historical markers, especially in national parks and other areas under their jurisdiction. And finally, there are the numerous public and private organizations and individuals that erect markers. Some do this as a continual endeavor, and others once in a while, to mark something, someone, or someplace they find important or interesting. When one of our correspondents comes across one that satisfies our criteria, we add it to the database.

You’ll find that even the smallest, least populated, or most rural areas of Wyoming have been marked with history. Check out Weston County, Washakie County and Campbell County. We've only found, respectively, 17, 15, and 2 historical markers there. Visiting one or more of these parts of Wyoming might make for a pleasant road trip, and maybe you’ll discover more historical markers while you’re there. If you do, perhaps you’ll take the time to photograph them and, when you get home, become an HMdb correspondent by adding them to the database. Happy Hunting!