Wyoming Homeland Security and Emergency Services Resources

The United States acquired Wyoming as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

In 1807, while exploring the Rocky Mountains, John Colter discovered a region with steaming geysers and tall waterfalls. He nicknamed the region "Colter's Hell", this region later became Yellowstone, the worlds very first national park.

In 1834, Robert Campbell and Lewis Sublette built the first permanent settlement in Wyoming, Fort Laramie. The American Fur Company bought the fort in 1835 and sold it to the United States government in 1849. Fort Laramie became the second military post along the Oregon Trail.

There were less than 1,000 white settlers in the state until the late 1860's. A rich deposit of gold was discovered in 1867, mines began opening and with the completion of the railroad in 1868, settlers began flooding the area. Makeshift towns were built along the railroad tracks and the population quickly jumped to 11,000. Wyoming became the 44th state on July 10, 1890.

Wyoming is definitely cattle country, livestock makes up around 86 percent of the states agriculture revenues and around 78 percent of that is from beef cattle and calves. The remaining 8 percent is made up from hogs and sheep. And, the state is among the leading producers of wool in the nation.

While manufacturing only plays a minimal role in the economy, the state does produce several products including metal products, wood products and refined sugar. Mining is one of the most important industries in the state. It's a leading producer of coal, uranium, natural gas and petroleum. It also produces several types of clay and has the largest deposits of sodium carbonate in the world.

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