60°N

30°N

0°

60°S

30°S

90°E

90°S 90°S

0°

90°E

30°N

60°E120°E 150°E 180°W 0°

60°S

90°W

30°S

30°W60°W120°W 30°E

60°N

150°W 90°N90°N

E q u a t o r Pr

ime

M

er

idia

nIn

ter

na

tio

na

l D

at

e

Lin

e (

ap

pr

ox

i ma

t e)

45°N

41°N

104°W111°W

41°N

45°N

111°W 104°W

UTAH

MONTANA

IDAHO

COLORADO

WYOMING

NEBRASKA

SOUTH DAKOTA

Wyoming and the world 7

The state of Wyoming is located in the central part of the North American continent, bounded between 104 and 111 degrees west longitude and 41 and 45 degrees north latitude.

Wyoming straddles the Continental Divide and the Rocky Mountains, with the Great Plains to the east and the Intermountain Basin region to the west. Wyoming shares a border with six surrounding states.

Physiographic features 11

3,100 4.820 5,900 6,850 7,650 9,660 10,920 13,810

973 1,470 1,798 2,090 2,331 2,945 3,330 4,066

Feet

Meters

Elevation

The highest point in Wyoming is Gannett Peak at 13,809 feet (4,209 meters), in the Wind River Range. There are more than 40 other named peaks taller than 13,000 feet in the Wind River Range, including many near Titcomb Basin, pictured below.

The eastern part of Wyoming is dominated by high plains. The middle and western parts of the state have several distinct ranges of the Rocky Mountains, divided by large basins. Even the basins have relatively high elevations, averaging 6,200 feet (1,890 meters). Wyoming’s basins include many remarkable natural features such as the Killpecker Sand Dunes, one of the largest active dune systems in North America.

Highest peak in each mountain range

Other natural landmarks

The lowest point in the state is where the Belle Fourche River flows out of Wyoming into South Dakota, at 3,099 feet (945 meters).

Bear

Riv

er

B i g h or n

Mo

un

ta

ins

G R E A T D I V I D EB A S I N

P O W D E R R I V E RB A S I N

G R E E N R I V E RB A S I N

W

i n d R

i v er R

an

ge

La

ra

mi e

Ra

ng

e

Wy

om

i ng

Ra

ng

e

B I G H O R NB A S I N

Cloud Peak13,167 ft

Te

to

n M

tn

s

Gannett Peak13,809 ft

Bear LodgeMountains

BlackHills

Ab

s a r o k a

Mt n s

Owl Creek Mtns. BridgerMtns.

SierraMadre

Mountains

W I N DR I V E RB A S I N

YellowstonePlateau

HartvilleUplift

RattlesnakeHills

BeartoothMtns

Washakie Mtns.

Rock SpringsUplift

UintaMountains

Green River

North Platte River

Pow

der

Rive

r

Laramie River

Belle

Four

che R

iver

Wind River

Shoshone Rive

r

SnakeRiver

YellowstoneRiver

Sweetwater River

Me d

i ci n

e B

ow

Mt

ns

G r os

V e n t r e

R a n g e

Francs Peak 13,153 ft

LaramiePeak

10,276 ft

Grand Teton13,776 ft

Bridger Peak11,009 ft

WyomingPeak

11,378 ft

Doubletop Peak11,719 ft

SaltRange

Devils Tower

Ayers Natural Bridge

Vedauwoo Rocks

Devil's Gate

Hell's Half Acre

Sinks CanyonPeriodic Spring

Church Buttes

Bigh

orn

Riv

er

BoarsTusk

Killpecker Sand Dunes

Blackwater Natural Bridge

Granite Mountains

Ferris Mtns

Medicine Bow Peak12,013 ft

Native American tribes 24

The arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s brought the domesticated horse into North America. By the 1700s, the horse became an integral part of some Native American cultures and allowed them to migrate deeper into the Great Plains, expand their hunting ranges, and to focus their hunting on bison. Before the arrival of Europeans the dominant Native American groups inhabiting Wyoming were the Shoshone, Crow, Cheyenne, and Arapaho. The Sioux Nation joined this list in the 1830s when they were invited to trade at Fort William (later Fort Laramie).

By the mid-1800s, established emigration routes like the Oregon and Bozeman trails brought increasing numbers of European Americans to settle in Wyoming. As a result, hostilities between the local tribes and settlers often escalated into open disputes where the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Arapaho defended their territories. These disputes led to a number of treaties between the Native Americans and the U.S. government to protect European settlers on what had been tribal lands.

Initially the Fort Laramie Treaty (1868) promised the Cheyenne, Crow, Arapaho, and Sioux all lands of the Powder River area and the Black Hills. The Shoshone were allotted the lands in the Wind River Valley by the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868. By 1877, the U.S. government had seized the lands of northeastern Wyoming from the Sioux and the Crow, and relocated the Arapaho to the Wind River Reservation (1878) to live with the Shoshone, their traditional enemy.

Today, many Shoshone and Arapaho live on the Wind River Reservation in central Wyoming; the Crow and Northern Cheyenne are on reservations in southeastern Montana; and the Sioux Nation is split between reservations in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.

Shoshone Crow Sioux Arapahoe Cheyenne

MONTANA

UTAH COLORADO

NEBRASKA

SOUTHDAKOTA

MONTNTNTNTTTTANANANANANANANANNNNAAAAAAAAAAA

UTTAAHAHHHAUTAHAHAHAH

Shoshone

Bannock

Ute

Approximate territories ofNative American tribes in 1850 Present day native lands

Crow

NNENENENEENENNNNNNEBRB ASKAAAAAAAAA

Cheyenne

COLORADO

Arapaho

SOUTHDAKOTA

Sioux

Wind RiverReservation

Percentage change 2000–2010

40.1%–73%

-2–0%

0% –7%

7.1% –17%

17.1%– 40%

Population change (2000–2010)

Population change 29

Wyoming has a population density of fewer than six people per square mile. Conversely, New Jersey, the U.S.’s most densely populated state, has 1,205 people per square mile. At that density, the entire country’s population could be packed into an area equaling the combined size of Wyoming and Montana.

Sublette and Campbell counties have both experienced rapid growth in recent years due to the presence of oil, gas and coal extraction. From 2000 to 2010, Sublette saw a 73 percent increase, while Campbell grew by 37 percent.

1910

4.3

145,965 total population

4.9

8.5

5.4

9.6

1.8 3.3

2.4

13.1

3.15.1

3.2

12.2

20.2

Numbers correspond to thousands of people

18.2

8.2

10.5

11.412

6.7

7.1

4.8

24.3

10.9

5.3

4.7

4.74.1

11.2

9.7

6.6

5.5

26.8

16.9

11.8

1930

2

2

225,565 total population

38.8

33.7

16.7

23.2

4.8

6.1

61.2

29.4

30.8

11.1

11.2

12.6

5.3

2.5

6.58.4

10.5

8.1

4.8

73.1

23.6

12.4

18.7

1990

453,588 total population

2010

43.8

40.1

15.9

28.2

8.6

75.4

10.2

46.1

36.3

13.8

21.3

18.1

7.1

2.5

7.28.5

11.7

8.7

4.8

81.7

29.1

13.2

21.1

563,626 total population

22

9

19.6

15.7

15.2

2.5

4.8

5.9

2.6 4.7

31.4

19.1

4.7

4.7

6.77.3

13.2

7.9

7.3

5.3

47.7

20.2

12.6

1950

290,529 total population

1970

18.4

28.3

13.3

17.8

3.8

5

5.9

4.8 5.6

8.6

51.3

12.9

26.4

4.5

6.35.6

10.2

6.5

4.1 56.4

2.9

17.9

10.9

332,416 total population

Population density (2010)

People per square mile

Fewer than 1

1–5

5.1–10

10.1–50

More than 50

Natural gas production

Pinedale Anticline

Jonah

Oil production

Salt Creek

Dallas Dome

Natural gas Coalbed natural gas

Total production in millions of cubic feet 1978–2013. Naturalgas is mapped by field, coalbed natural gas is mapped by section.

0–266

267–2,256

2,257–4,231

0–1.4

1.5–5.3

5.4–14.5

Gas plant

Oil and gas resources 39

Wyoming ranks fifth in the nation in the production of natural gas. Recent advancement in drilling technology may mean significant numbers of new wells in Wyoming’s Green River and Wind River basins, in addition to the large Pinedale Anticline (pictured) and Jonah fields. Coalbed natural gas production in the Powder River Basin has declined since 2009 after a decade-long boom.

The first oil well drilled in Wyoming was at Dallas Dome in 1883, followed by Salt Creek. Salt Creek is the most productive field in Wyoming’s history, producing over 696 million barrels since 1889. Wyoming’s oil boom peaked in 1970, but production has been increasing again since 2009, in part due to enhanced oil recovery. Wyoming ranks ninth in production of crude oil in the nation.

Total production in millions of barrels 1978–2013. Production is mapped by “fields,” areas which have a high density of wells.

Oil refinery

12.7–56.0

0–12.6

56.1–206.9

Wyoming’s Western heritage 45

Cheyenne Frontier DaysNicknamed the “Daddy of ‘em All,” Cheyenne Frontier Days has been a staple of Wyoming rodeo culture since its inception in 1897. The Frontier Days Rodeo is one of the biggest events on the professional rodeo circuit, attracting some of the world’s best competitors.

Guest ranches (2014)Guest ranches allow tourists to experience the bygone days of the “Old West” and rural lifestyle aspects of Wyoming. Guest ranches vary in accommodations and to whom they cater, ranging from working cattle ranches to upscale resorts or spas.

Buffalo Bill Historical CenterThis complex of five museums is named after Buffalo Bill Cody (1846–1917), who gained fame with his “Wild West Show,” a theatrical embellishment of the mythic Wild West.

Western-themed museums

Major recurring rodeos

Percentage of total guest ranchesin state (88 total) 6–8%

9–15%

1–5%

0

Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum

Johnson County/Jim Gatchell

Memorial Museum

StagecoachMuseum

Colter BayIndian ArtsMuseum

WrightCentennialMansion

WyomingState

Museum

Buffalo BillHistoricalCenter

Wyoming PioneerMemorial Museum

Museum of Flightand AerialFirefighting

CivilianConservationCorps Museum

National Historic TrailsInterpretitive Center

AnnaMiller

Museum

Museum of theMountain Man

Museum of theNational Park Ranger

St. Stephen IndianHeritage Center

RockpileMuseum

ChuckwagonDays Rodeo

JohnsonCountyFair Rodeo

CollegeNationalFinals Rodeo

CheyenneFrontierDays

CodyStampedeRodeo

CodyNightRodeo

State FairRodeo

EvanstonRodeoSeries

EnergyTown Rodeo

Deke LathamMemorialRodeo

LaramieJubilee DaysRodeo

Double Bar G RodeoSeries

Green RiverRendezvousDays Rodeo

FremontCountyFair Rodeo

SheridanWyo Rodeo

LincolnCountyFair Rodeo

PlatteCountyFair Rodeo

Big HornCountyFair Rodeo

Teton CountyFair Rodeo

NiobraraCounty FairRanch Rodeo

WestonCounty FairRanch Rodeo

CrookCountyFair Rodeo

HulettRodeo

WoodchoppersJamboreeand Rodeo

Ten SleepFourth ofJuly Rodeo

Red DesertRoundupRodeo

Snake RiverLions ClubRodeo

ThermopolisCowboy

Rendezvous

ShoshoniLabor DayRodeo

Jackson HoleRodeo

American Heritage Centerand UW Art Museum

Carbon County Fair Rodeo

National Museum of Wildlife Art

King’s Saddleryand Museum

Frontier PrisonMuseum

FishingBridgeMuseum

Chinese Joss HouseMuseum

Green RiverValley Museum

TexasTrail

Museum

WyomingDinosaurCenter

Rodeos across the state are a lasting legacy of Wyoming’s ranching roots. Wyoming’s many museums—a selection of which are mapped on this page—further illustrate the diverse nature of its Western cultural landscape.