49 - River's Edge RV Park, Casper Wyoming
On Monday 9/12, we went to Casper Wyoming. As we were driving, I kept being amazed at how much "high plains desert" that there is in Wyoming. The good news is that we are down to 5,000 feet for the first time in about 6 weeks maybe more.
On Tuesday we went to the National Historical Trails Interpretive Musuem which detailed information about The Oregon Trail, The Mormon Trail, The California Trail and the Pony Express. As always for these types of places it was very interesting, and we learned a lot.
Not a lot to say from this stop, so I'll go into facts about Wyoming. We have one more stop in Wyoming at Devils Tower then the Badlands in South Dakota. After that we are basically finished our tourist stops and the next 3 weeks will be visiting, hunting for Mike, and service on the RV.
Facts about Wyoming
With a population of 576,851 in the 2020 census, Wyoming is the least populous state despite being the 10th largest by area, with the second-lowest population density after Alaska. The state capital and most populous city is Cheyenne, which had an estimated population of 63,957 in 2018.
It is the tenth largest state in the United States in total area, containing 97,814 square miles. From the north border to the south border it is 276 miles; and from the east to the west border is 365 miles at its south end and 342 miles at the north end.
Wyoming's western half is covered mostly by the ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the eastern half of the state is high-elevation prairie called the High Plains. It is drier and windier than the rest of the country, being split between semi-arid and continental climates with greater temperature extremes. Almost half of the land in Wyoming is owned by the federal government, generally protected for public uses.
- The official state motto of Wyoming is “Equal Rights”.
- Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote.
- The nation’s first woman to serve on a jury was Eliza Stewart Boyd.
- The state’s 14th Governor, and first woman in the nation to become governor of a state, was Nellie Tayloe Ross. At the time of her death in 1977, Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876-1977) was 101 years old. That made her the oldest former state governor in the USA.
- Estelle Reel became one of the nation’s first women to be elected to a state office in 1894. She was elected as the Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction.
- Coal is a major industry in Wyoming, with about 40% of the nation’s domestic supply coming from the state.
- Tourism is the 2nd most important sector in the state’s economy. Over 6 million visitors travel to Wyoming every year.
- The famous department store JCPenney was founded in Kemmerer, Wyoming in 1902.
- In 1918, Uranium was discovered near Lusk, Wyoming. Wyoming is a leading uranium producer and has the largest amount of known uranium reserves in the country.
- On April 30 2015, some folks in Laramie, Wyoming danced their way into the Guinness Book of World Records. This event took place at the Fieldhouse at the University of Wyoming. One thousand one hundred and eighty-four swing dancers hit the floor at the same time.
- The training scenes in Rocky IV were shot in Jackson’s Hole, Wyoming. The other scenes supposedly showing the frozen landscapes of Russia were shot in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming.
- By mean elevation, Wyoming is the second highest state just after Colorado.
- After Utah and Idaho, Wyoming has the third-largest population of Mormons in America.
- A law remains on the books in Cheyenne, Wyoming that prohibits all residents from taking a shower on any Wednesday. 🤣🤣🤣
- Rocky Mountain Oysters are a delicacy in Wyoming, and many visitors aren’t aware that they are really bull testicles. 😉