Wyoming State Information

Capital

Cheyenne

Nickname

Big Wyoming, Equality State, Cowboy State

Motto

“Equal Rights”

Admitted To Union

July 10, 1890 – 44th State

Size

97,914 square miles

Highest Point

Gannett Peak; 13,804 feet

Lowest Point

Belle Fourche River; 3,100 feet

Geographic Center

Fremont, 58 miles northeast of Lander

Topography

Great Plains rise to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains; Continental Divide crosses the state from northwest to the southeast.

Population

(2000) 493,782

Wyoming State Flower

Indian Paintbrush (Castilleja linariaefolia)

Wyoming State Mammal

Bison

Wyoming State Bird

Meadowlark

Wyoming State Tree

Plains Cottonwood (Populus sargentii)

Song

Wyoming

State Gemstone

Jade

State Fish

Walleye

State Reptile

Horned Toad

State Fossil

Knightia (prehistoric fish)

Largest Cities

Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, Gillette, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Green River, Evanston, Riverton, Cody

Economy

Agriculture: Cattle, sugar beets, sheep, hay, wheat

Industry

Coal mining, oil and chemical products, lumber and wood products, tourism.

Flag

A bison on a blue field bordered in white and red. The state seal branded on the bison. The woman represents the state motto “Equal Rights” and the two men represent cattle ranchers and miners. The words “Livestock”, “Mines”, “Grains” and “Oil” represent Wyoming’s wealth. The eagle and shield show support for the United States. The dates 1869 and 1890 tell when Wyoming organized as a territory of the United States and when it became a state.
Origin of state’s name – Based on an Algonquin or Delaware Indian word meaning “large prairie place”

Famous Wyomingites

James Bridger

Trapper, guide and storyteller

John Colter

Trader

June Etta Downey

Educator

Thomas Fitzpatrick

Mountain man and guide

Curt Gowdy

Sportscaster, Green River

Tom Horn

Detective

Isabel Jewell

Actress

Velma Linford

Writer

Ted Olson

Writer

Jackson Pollock

Painter, Cody

Alan K. Simpson

Former U.S. senator

Francis E. Warren

First state governor

Chief Washakie

Chief of the Shoshone

James G. Watt

Former secretary of the Interior