1.
Wyoming
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Wyoming /waɪˈoʊmɪŋ/ is a state in the mountain region of the western United States. The state is the tenth largest by area, the least populous, Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, on the southwest by Utah, and on the west by Idaho. Cheyenne is the capital and the most populous city in Wyoming, the state population was estimated at 586,107 in 2015, which is less than the population of 31 of the largest U. S. cities. The Crow, Arapaho, Lakota, and Shoshone were some of the inhabitants of the region. Southwestern Wyoming was included in the Spanish Empire and then Mexican territory until it was ceded to the United States in 1848 at the end of the Mexican–American War. The region acquired the name Wyoming when a bill was introduced to Congress in 1865 to provide a government for the territory of Wyoming. The territory was named after the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania, with the name ultimately being derived from the Munsee word xwé, wamənk, the mineral extraction industry—especially coal, oil, natural gas, and trona—along with the travel and tourism sector are the main drivers behind Wyomings economy. Agriculture has historically been an important component of the economy with the main commodities being livestock, hay, sugar beets, grain. The climate is generally semi-arid and continental, being drier and windier in comparison to the rest of the United States, except for the 1964 election, Wyoming has been a politically conservative state since the 1950s, with the Republican party winning every presidential election. Wyoming is one of three states to have borders along only straight latitudinal and longitudinal lines, rather than being defined by natural landmarks. Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, on the southwest by Utah, and on the west by Idaho. It is the tenth largest state in the United States in total area, 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. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, the state is a great plateau broken by many mountain ranges. Surface elevations range from the summit of Gannett Peak in the Wind River Mountain Range, at 13,804 feet, to the Belle Fourche River valley in the states northeast corner, at 3,125 feet. In the northwest are the Absaroka, Owl Creek, Gros Ventre, Wind River, in the north central are the Big Horn Mountains, in the northeast, the Black Hills, and in the southern region the Laramie, Snowy and Sierra Madre ranges. The Snowy Range in the central part of the state is an extension of the Colorado Rockies in both geology and appearance. The Wind River Range in the west central part of the state is remote and includes more than 40 mountain peaks in excess of 13,000 ft tall in addition to Gannett Peak, the highest peak in the state. The Big Horn Mountains in the central portion are somewhat isolated from the bulk of the Rocky Mountains
2.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
3.
Gillette, Wyoming
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Gillette is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The population was estimated at 31,797 as of 1 July 2013, Gillette is centrally located in an area involved with the development of vast quantities of American coal, oil, and coalbed methane gas. The city calls itself the Energy Capital of the Nation, noting that the state of Wyoming provides nearly 35% of the nations coal, over the last decade Gillette saw a population increase of 48% from the 2000 census of 19,646 residents. Gillette was incorporated on January 6,1892, less than two years after Wyoming became a state, the city was named after Edward Gillette, who worked as a surveyor for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad. Companies based in Gillette include Cloud Peak Energy, in 1974, U. S. psychologist ElDean Kohrs used the town as the basic example of what he called the Gillette Syndrome, the social disruption that can occur in a community due to rapid population growth. During the 1960s, Gillette doubled its population from 3,580 to 7,194 residents, Kohrs proposed that this fast increase of population caused the phenomenon known as Gillette Syndrome, resulting in increased crime, high costs of living and weakened social and community bonds. Gillette is located at 44°16′58″N 105°30′19″W and it is situated between the Big Horn Mountains to the west and the Black Hills to the east, in the Powder River Basin. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 19.00 square miles. As of 2000 the median income for a household in the city was $69,581, males had a median income of $41,131 versus $22,717 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,749, about 5. 7% of families and 7. 9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6. 2% of those under age 18 and 14. 1% of those age 65 or over. As of the census of 2010, there were 29,087 people,10,975 households, the population density was 1,533.3 inhabitants per square mile. There were 12,153 housing units at a density of 640.6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 92. 2% White,0. 4% African American,1. 2% Native American,0. 7% Asian,3. 2% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 9. 5% of the population. 24. 3% of all households were made up of individuals and 4. 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age in the city was 30.6 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18,10. 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24,30. 6% were from 25 to 44,24. 8% were from 45 to 64, and 5. 8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52. 3% male and 47. 7% female, Public education in the city of Gillette is provided by Campbell County School District #1. Gillette is home to Campbell County High School, Gillette College, a two-year college, is part of the Northern Wyoming Community College District
4.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
5.
United States Forest Service
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The United States Forest Service is an agency of the U. S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nations 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass 193 million acres. Major divisions of the include the National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, Business Operations. Managing approximately 25% of federal lands, it is the major national land agency that is outside the U. S. Department of the Interior. The concept of the National Forests was born from Theodore Roosevelt’s conservation group, Boone and Crockett Club, in 1876, Congress created the office of Special Agent in the Department of Agriculture to assess the quality and conditions of forests in the United States. Hough was appointed the head of the office, in 1881, the office was expanded into the newly formed Division of Forestry. The Forest Reserve Act of 1891 authorized withdrawing land from the domain as forest reserves. In 1901, the Division of Forestry was renamed the Bureau of Forestry, gifford Pinchot was the first United States Chief Forester in the Presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. As of 2009, the Forest Service has a budget authority of $5.5 billion. The Forest Service employs 34,250 employees in 750 locations, including 10,050 firefighters,737 law enforcement personnel, and 500 scientists. The mission of the Forest Service is To sustain the health, diversity and its motto is Caring for the land and serving people. As the lead agency in natural resource conservation, the US Forest Service provides leadership in the protection, management, and use of the nations forest, rangeland. The agencys ecosystem approach to management integrates ecological, economic, and social factors to maintain and enhance the quality of the environment to meet current, the everyday work of the Forest Service balances resource extraction, resource protection, and providing recreation.5 billion trees per year. Further, the Forest Service fought fires on 2,996,000 acres of land in 2007, the Forest Service organization includes ranger districts, national forests, regions, research stations and research work units and the Northeastern Area Office for State and Private Forestry. Each level has responsibility for a variety of functions, the Chief of the Forest Service is a career federal employee who oversees the entire agency. The Chief reports to the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment in the U. S. Department of Agriculture, there are five deputy chiefs for the following areas, National Forest System, State and Private Forestry, Research and Development, Business Operations, and Finance. The Forest Service Research and Development deputy area includes five stations, the Forest Products Laboratory. Station directors, like regional foresters, report to the Chief, Research stations include Northern, Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, Rocky Mountain, and Southern. There are 92 research work units located at 67 sites throughout the United States, there are 80 Experimental Forests and Ranges that have been established progressively since 1908, many sites are more than 50 years old
6.
Powder River Basin
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The Powder River Basin is a geologic structural basin in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming, about 120 miles east to west and 200 miles north to south, known for its coal deposits. The region supplies about 40 percent of coal in the United States and it is both a topographic drainage and geologic structural basin. While the Powder River Basin is unified geologically, residents of areas distant from the Powder River proper do not think of themselves as living in a geographic region. Major cities in the area include Gillette and Sheridan, Wyoming and Miles City, outside of these main towns, the area is very sparsely populated and is known for its rolling grasslands and semiarid climate. It is the single largest source of coal mined in the United States, most of the active coal mining in the Powder River Basin actually takes place in drainages of the Cheyenne River. Because of the Powder River Basin, Wyoming has been the top coal-producing state in the United States since 1988. In 2007, the Powder River Basin alone produced 436 million short tons of coal, more than twice the production of second-place West Virginia, the Powder River Basin is the largest coal producing region in the United States. The region is also a producer of natural gas, both conventional natural gas and coal-bed methane. The Powder River Basin contains a section of Phanerozoic rocks up to 17,000 feet thick, the thickest section of the Powder River Basin is composed of Cretaceous rocks, an overall regressive sequence of mostly marine shales and sandstones deposited in the Western Interior Seaway. The coal beds of the region began to form about 60 million years ago when the land rising from a shallow sea. The rise of the Black Hills uplift on the east and the Hartville uplift on the southeast side of the created the present outline of the Powder River Basin. When the coal beds were forming, the climate in the area was subtropical, for some 25 million years, the basin floor was covered with lakes and swamps. Because of the area of the swamps, the organic material accumulated into peat bogs instead of being washed to the sea. Periodically the layers of peat were covered with sediments washed in from nearby mountains, eventually the climate became drier and cooler. The basin filled with sediment and buried the peat under thousands of feet, compressing the layers of peat, over the last several million years, much of the overlying sediment has eroded away, leaving the coal seams near the surface. Powder River Basin coal is classified as sub-bituminous and contains an average of approximately 8,500 btu/lb, contrast this with eastern, Appalachian bituminous coal containing an average of 12,500 btu/lb and high SO2. PRB coal was essentially worthless until air pollution emissions from power plants became a concern, a coal-fired plant designed to burn Appalachian coal must be modified to remove SO2 at a cost estimated in 1999 to be around $322 per ton of SO2. If it switched to burning PRB coal, the cost dropped to $113 per ton of SO2 removed, removal is accomplished by installing scrubbers
7.
Bighorn Mountains
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They are separated from the Absaroka Range, which lie on the main branch of the Rockies in western Wyoming, by the Bighorn Basin. The Bighorns were uplifted during the Laramide orogeny beginning approximately 70 million years ago, there is an unconformity where Silurian strata were exposed to erosion and are missing. Following the uplift, large volumes of sediments, rich in early Tertiary fossils, were deposited in the adjoining basins. Though many cirques, U-shaped valleys and glacial lakes can be found in the range, the only remaining active glacier is the Cloud Peak Glacier. The highest peaks within the Bighorns are located in Wyoming in the 1.12 million acre Bighorn National Forest, two peaks rise to over 13,000 feet Cloud Peak and Black Tooth Mountain. There are a dozen more that rise to over 12,000 feet, from the east the mountains present a vertical relief of over 8,000 feet, rising abruptly from the plains. Overall, the Bighorns are more rounded than their mountain ranges to the west. The Cloud Peak Wilderness is the centerpiece of a block of land around 189,000 acres in size. The Wilderness is surrounded by unprotected acreage of U. S National Forest as well as Bureau of Land Management, state, most of the Cloud Peak Wilderness is above the tree line, the unprotected lands surrounding it are lower in elevation and covered in coniferous forests. Mule deer, elk, moose, black bear, and mountain lion are found throughout the area, two more large roadless areas remained in the Bighorns as of 1992. It is unknown whether these areas have since been reduced in size by road-building, both areas straddle the Montana-Wyoming state line, in the northern part of the range. One area, north of U. S. Route 14A and this little-known region features subalpine terrain cut by steep canyons. Pronghorn inhabit the area, as it includes a portion of the Great Plains, what little human use it receives is from hunters and fishermen. The second roadless area is located mainly on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, in this part of the range, semidesert prairie is cut by steep canyons leading to Yellowtail Reservoir, and high, Douglas-fir cloaked ridges top out at over 9,000. Rocky Mountain juniper and limber pine are scattered on lower elevations, and wildlife includes pronghorn, rattlesnake, golden eagle, ferruginous hawk, the Crow Indians manage a wild bison herd on this portion of the Bighorns. The Crow lands are an area, and thus are off-limits to non-tribal members. The three highways traversing the Bighorns are designated Scenic Byways by the US Forest Service and the State of Wyoming, the range is the location of the headwaters of the Little Bighorn, Tongue, and Powder rivers. Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area consists of approximately 120,000 acres within the Bighorn Mountains and it includes Bighorn Lake, a reservoir damming the Bighorn River
8.
Black Hills
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The Black Hills are a small, isolated mountain range rising from the Great Plains of North America in western South Dakota and extending into Wyoming, United States. Black Elk Peak, which rises to 7,244 feet, is the ranges highest summit, the Black Hills encompass the Black Hills National Forest. The name Black Hills is a translation of the Lakota Pahá Sápa, the hills were so-called because of their dark appearance from a distance, as they were covered in trees. Native Americans have a history in the Black Hills. After conquering the Cheyenne in 1776, the Lakota took over the territory of the Black Hills, however, when settlers discovered gold there in 1874, as a result of George Armstrong Custers Black Hills Expedition, miners swept into the area in a gold rush. As the economy of the Black Hills has shifted from natural resources since the late 20th century, locals tend to divide the Black Hills into two areas, The Southern Hills and The Northern Hills. Attractions in the Northern Hills include Spearfish Canyon, historic Deadwood, the first Rally was held on August 14,1938 and the 75th Rally in 2015 saw more than 1 million bikers visit the Black Hills. Devils Tower National Monument, located in the Wyoming Black Hills, is an important nearby attraction and was the United States first national monument. Scientists have been able to utilize carbon-dating to evaluate the age of tools found in the area, stratigraphic records indicate environmental changes in the land, such as flood and drought patterns. For example, large-scale flooding of the Black Hill basins occurs at a probability rate of 0.01, however, during The Medieval Climate Anomaly, or the Medieval Warm Period, flooding increased in the basins. The Arikara arrived by AD1500, followed by the Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, the Lakota arrived from Minnesota in the 18th century and drove out the other tribes, who moved west. They claimed the land, which they called Ȟe Sápa, the mountains commonly became known as the Black Hills. François and Louis de La Vérendrye probably travelled near the Black Hills in 1743, fur trappers and traders had some dealings with the Native Americans. European Americans increasingly encroached on Lakota territory, in this treaty, they protected the Black Hills forever from European-American settlement. Both the Sioux and Cheyenne also claimed rights to the land, saying that in their cultures, it was considered the axis mundi, an official announcement of gold was made by the newspaper reporters accompanying the expedition. The following year, the Newton-Jenney Party conducted the first detailed survey of the Black Hills, the surveyor for the party, Dr. Valentine McGillycuddy, was the first European American to ascend to the top of Black Elk Peak. This highest point in the Black Hills is 7,242 feet above sea level, during the 1875–1878 gold rush, thousands of miners went to the Black Hills, in 1880, the area was the most densely populated part of the Dakota Territory. Three large towns developed in the Northern Hills, Deadwood, Central City, around these were groups of smaller gold camps, towns, and villages
9.
Weston County, Wyoming
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Weston County is a county located in the U. S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,208 and it is west from the South Dakota state line. Weston County was created by the legislature of the Wyoming Territory on March 12,1890, the county was created out of a portion of Crook County. Weston County was named for John B, Weston, who was a geologist and surveyor. In 1887, John Weston and Frank Mondell found rich coal deposits north of Newcastle which caused a railroad to be built through the area, in 1911, Campbell County was formed from portions of Weston County and Crook County. Since then, the boundaries of Weston County have been stable. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,400 square miles. Crook County Lawrence County, South Dakota Pennington County, South Dakota Custer County, the population density was 3 people per square mile. There were 3,231 housing units at a density of 1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 95. 94% White,0. 12% Black or African American,1. 26% Native American,0. 20% Asian,0. 02% Pacific Islander,0. 93% from other races, and 1. 54% from two or more races. 2. 06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,33. 0% were of German,13. 0% English,8. 9% Irish and 7. 2% American ancestry. 25. 00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88. In the county, the population was out with 24. 10% under the age of 18,7. 40% from 18 to 24,26. 30% from 25 to 44,26. 70% from 45 to 64. The median age was 41 years, for every 100 females there were 103.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.80 males, the median income for a household in the county was $32,348, and the median income for a family was $40,472. Males had an income of $34,321 versus $18,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,366, about 6. 30% of families and 9. 90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11. 30% of those under age 18 and 13. 60% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,208 people,3,021 households, the population density was 3.0 inhabitants per square mile
10.
Converse County, Wyoming
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Converse County is a county located in the U. S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,833, Converse County was created on March 9,1888 by the legislature of the Wyoming Territory. The county was formed from land ceded by Albany County and Laramie County Converse County was named for A. R, Converse, a banker and rancher from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Converse was a partner with Francis E. Warren in a ranch in the eastern part of Converse County. In 1911, Converse County lost territory when Niobrara County was created, the boundaries of Converse County were slightly modified in a special election in 1955, and land from Albany County was added. The elected county commission governs each Wyoming county, former Commissioner David R. Edwards resigned in January 2012 after three years of service because of health problems. He was a Republican who had served in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2001 to 2008. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 4,265 square miles. The population density was 3 people per square mile, there were 5,669 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 94. 72% White,0. 15% Black or African American,0. 91% Native American,0. 27% Asian,0. 02% Pacific Islander,2. 46% from other races, and 1. 47% from two or more races. 5. 48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,26. 6% were of German,13. 5% American,12. 2% English and 11. 1% Irish ancestry. Of 4,694 households,253 were unmarried partner households,228 heterosexual,12 same-sex male,23. 40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9. 00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was out with 28. 50% under the age of 18,7. 00% from 18 to 24,28. 10% from 25 to 44,25. 40% from 45 to 64. The median age was 38 years, for every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.40 males, the median income for a household in the county was $39,603, and the median income for a family was $45,905. Males had an income of $36,443 versus $19,032 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,744, about 9. 20% of families and 11. 60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15. 70% of those under age 18 and 9. 70% of those age 65 or over
11.
Campbell County, Wyoming
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Campbell County is a county located in the U. S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2010 census, the population was 46,133, Campbell County comprises the Gillette, WY Micropolitan Statistical Area. Campbell County was created on February 21,1911 with land detached from Crook County, Campbell County was named either for John Allen Campbell, a governor of the Wyoming Territory or for Robert Campbell, an early trapper, who was a fur trader associated with William Henry Ashley. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 4,807 square miles. The population density was 7 people per square mile, there were 13,288 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 96. 06% White,0. 15% Black or African American,0. 93% Native American,0. 32% Asian,0. 09% Pacific Islander,1. 12% from other races, and 1. 34% from two or more races. 3. 53% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race,30. 3% were of German,11. 4% English,11. 0% Irish,8. 5% American and 6. 2% Norwegian ancestry. Of 12,207 households,785 were unmarried partner households,675 heterosexual,52 same-sex male,20. 20% of all households were made up of individuals and 3. 90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the family size was 3.16. In the county, the population was out with 31. 00% under the age of 18,9. 50% from 18 to 24,32. 30% from 25 to 44,21. 90% from 45 to 64. The median age was 32 years, for every 100 females there were 105.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.10 males, the median income for a household in the county was $76,576, and the median income for a family was $53,927. Males had an income of $41,814 versus $21,914 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,063, about 5. 60% of families and 7. 60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7. 70% of those under age 18 and 12. 40% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 46,133 people,17,172 households, the population density was 9.6 inhabitants per square mile. There were 18,955 housing units at a density of 3.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 93. 2% white,1. 2% American Indian,0. 6% Asian,0. 3% black or African American,2. 7% from other races, and 2. 1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 7. 8% of the population, in terms of ancestry,32. 2% were German,15. 9% were Irish,10. 8% were English,5. 5% were American, and 5. 1% were Norwegian
12.
Niobrara County, Wyoming
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Niobrara County is a county located in the U. S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,484 and it is west from the Nebraska-South Dakota state line. Niobrara County was created on February 21,1911, with land detached from Converse County, the county was named for the Niobrara River, which takes its source near the county seat of Lusk. According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of 2,628 square miles. In comparison to the state of Rhode Island, the county has more than twice the land area, the population density was 1 person per square mile. There were 1,338 housing units at a density of 0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 98. 05% White,0. 12% Black or African American,0. 50% Native American,0. 12% Asian,0. 50% from other races,1. 50% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 35. 1% were of German,18. 7% English,11. 2% Irish and 5. 7% American ancestry,29. 50% of all households were made up of individuals and 14. 10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the family size was 2.81. In the county, the population was out with 22. 60% under the age of 18,6. 10% from 18 to 24,26. 00% from 25 to 44,26. 60% from 45 to 64. The median age was 43 years, for every 100 females there were 95.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.80 males, the median income for a household in the county was $29,701, and the median income for a family was $33,714. Males had an income of $25,909 versus $17,016 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,757, about 10. 70% of families and 13. 40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15. 00% of those under age 18 and 15. 60% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 2,484 people,1,069 households, the population density was 0.9 inhabitants per square mile. There were 1,338 housing units at a density of 0.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 96. 5% white,0. 8% American Indian,0. 4% Asian,0. 2% black or African American,0. 5% from other races, and 1. 6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2. 1% of the population, in terms of ancestry,41. 5% were German,19. 0% were English,17. 7% were Irish,6. 6% were Swedish, and 3. 0% were American
13.
Crook County, Wyoming
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Crook County is a county located in the northeastern section of the U. S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2010 census, the population was 7,083, Crook County was created by the legislature of the Wyoming Territory on December 8,1875, from portions of Albany and Laramie Counties. Crook County was named for Brigadier General George Crook, a commander during the Indian Wars, in 1890, Crook County lost territory when Weston County was created. Campbell County was formed with land ceded by Crook County in 1911, according to the U. S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,865 square miles, of which 2,854 square miles is land and 11 square miles is water. The lowest point in the state of Wyoming is located on the Belle Fourche River in Crook County, devils Tower National Monument is located in the Bear Lodge Mountains in Crook County. The population density was 2 people per square mile, there were 2,935 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 97. 86% White,0. 05% Black or African American,1. 02% Native American,0. 07% Asian,0. 25% from other races,0. 92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 34. 1% were of German,14. 6% English,7. 8% Irish and 6. 8% American ancestry,24. 90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10. 30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was out with 26. 90% under the age of 18,6. 60% from 18 to 24,24. 60% from 25 to 44,27. 20% from 45 to 64. The median age was 40 years, for every 100 females there were 102.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.80 males, the median income for a household in the county was $35,601, and the median income for a family was $43,105. Males had an income of $34,483 versus $18,967 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,379, about 7. 8% of families and 9. 10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9. 90% of those under age 18 and 11. 80% of those age 65 or over. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,083 people,2,921 households, the population density was 2.5 inhabitants per square mile. There were 3,595 housing units at a density of 1.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 97. 2% white,0. 7% American Indian,0. 2% black or African American,0. 2% Asian,0. 6% from other races, and 1. 2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2. 0% of the population, in terms of ancestry,38. 8% were German,16. 5% were English,14. 5% were Irish,9. 5% were Swedish, and 3. 8% were American
14.
Laramie, Wyoming
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Laramie /ˈlærəmi/ is a city and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the 2010 census, located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U. S. Route 287. Laramie was settled in the mid-19th century along the Union Pacific Railroad line and it is home to the University of Wyoming, Wyoming Technical Institute, and a branch of Laramie County Community College. The ruins of Fort Sanders, an army fort predating Laramie, lie just south of the city along Route 287. Located in the Laramie Valley between the Snowy Range and the Laramie Range, the city draws outdoor enthusiasts with its abundance of outdoor activities, and is the home of the University of Wyoming. In 2011, Laramie was named as one of the best cities in which to retire by Money Magazine, which cited its scenic location, low taxes, and educational opportunities. Laramie was named for Jacques LaRamie, a French or French-Canadian trapper who disappeared in the Laramie Mountains in the late 1810s and was never heard from again and he was one of the first Europeans to visit the area. European-American settlers named a river, mountain range, peak, US Army fort, county, more Wyoming landmarks are named for him than for any other trapper but Jim Bridger. Because the name was used so frequently, the town was called Laramie City for decades to distinguish it from other uses. Laramie was founded in the mid-1860s as a tent city near the Overland Stage Line route, the Union Pacific portion of the first transcontinental railroad, the rails reached Laramie on May 4,1868 when construction crews worked through town. A few passengers arrived on that same day, the first regular passenger service began on May 10,1868, by which time entrepreneurs were building more permanent structures. Laramie City soon had stores, houses, a school, and this was due to the threat to the community from three half-brothers, early Old West gunman Big Steve Long, Con Moyer and Ace Moyer. Long was Laramies first marshal, and with his brothers owned the saloon Bucket of Blood, the three began harassing settlers, forcing them to sign over the deeds to their property to them. Any who refused was killed, usually goaded into a gunfight by Long, by October 1868, Long had killed 13 men. The first Albany County sheriff, rancher N. K. Boswell, on October 28,1868, Boswell led the committee into the Bucket of Blood, overwhelmed the three brothers, and lynched them at an unfinished cabin down the street. Through a series of other lynchings and other forms of intimidation, in 1869, Wyoming was organized as Wyoming Territory, the first legislature of which passed a bill granting equal political rights to women in the territory. In March 1870, five Laramie residents became the first women in the world to serve on a jury. As Laramie was the first town in Wyoming to hold an election, on September 6,1870
15.
Douglas, Wyoming
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Douglas is a city in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,120 at the 2010 census and it is the county seat of Converse County and the home of the Wyoming State Fair. Its former railroad depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It served as a point, warehousing and retail, for surrounding cattle ranches, as well as servicing railway crews, cowboys. Douglas was the home of a World War II internment camp, Douglas is located at 42°45′22″N 105°23′4″W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 4.76 square miles. As of the census of 2010, there were 6,120 people,2,546 households, the population density was 1,336.2 inhabitants per square mile. There were 2,788 housing units at a density of 608.7 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94. 4% White,0. 3% African American,0. 8% Native American,0. 2% Asian,2. 2% from other races, hispanic or Latino of any race were 7. 6% of the population. 30. 7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9. 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older, the average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the city was 35 years. 27. 7% of residents were under the age of 18,8. 2% were between the ages of 18 and 24,27. 5% were from 25 to 44,25. 8% were from 45 to 64, and 10. 8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50. 0% male and 50. 0% female, as of the census of 2000, there were 5,288 people,2,118 households, and 1,423 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,035.0 people per square mile, there were 2,385 housing units at an average density of 466.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 94. 12% White,0. 06% African American,0. 78% Native American,0. 13% Asian,0. 02% Pacific Islander,3. 63% from other races, and 1. 27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6. 64% of the population,28. 7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11. 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the family size was 3.04. In the city, the population was out with 28. 5% under the age of 18,8. 0% from 18 to 24,29. 8% from 25 to 44,21. 8% from 45 to 64
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Geographic Names Information System
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It is a type of gazetteer. GNIS was developed by the United States Geological Survey in cooperation with the United States Board on Geographic Names to promote the standardization of feature names, the database is part of a system that includes topographic map names and bibliographic references. The names of books and historic maps that confirm the feature or place name are cited, variant names, alternatives to official federal names for a feature, are also recorded. Each feature receives a permanent, unique feature record identifier, sometimes called the GNIS identifier, the database never removes an entry, except in cases of obvious duplication. The GNIS accepts proposals for new or changed names for U. S. geographical features, the general public can make proposals at the GNIS web site and can review the justifications and supporters of the proposals. The Bureau of the Census defines Census Designated Places as a subset of locations in the National Geographic Names Database, U. S. Postal Service Publication 28 gives standards for addressing mail. In this publication, the postal service defines two-letter state abbreviations, street identifiers such as boulevard and street, department of the Interior, U. S. Geological Survey, National Mapping Division, Digital Gazeteer, Users Manual. Least Heat Moon, William, Blue Highways, A Journey Into America, standard was withdrawn in September 2008, See Federal Register Notice, Vol.73, No. 170, page 51276 Report, Principles, Policies, and Procedures, Domestic Geographic Names, U. S. Postal Service Publication 28, November 2000. Board on Geographic Names website Geographic Names Information System Proposals from the general public Meeting minutes
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United States Geological Survey
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The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its resources. The organization has four science disciplines, concerning biology, geography, geology. The USGS is a research organization with no regulatory responsibility. The USGS is a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior, the USGS employs approximately 8,670 people and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia. The USGS also has major offices near Lakewood, Colorado, at the Denver Federal Center, the current motto of the USGS, in use since August 1997, is science for a changing world. The agencys previous slogan, adopted on the occasion of its anniversary, was Earth Science in the Public Service. Prompted by a report from the National Academy of Sciences, the USGS was created, by a last-minute amendment and it was charged with the classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain. This task was driven by the need to inventory the vast lands added to the United States by the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, the legislation also provided that the Hayden, Powell, and Wheeler surveys be discontinued as of June 30,1879. Clarence King, the first director of USGS, assembled the new organization from disparate regional survey agencies, after a short tenure, King was succeeded in the directors chair by John Wesley Powell. Administratively, it is divided into a Headquarters unit and six Regional Units, Other specific programs include, Earthquake Hazards Program monitors earthquake activity worldwide. The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colorado on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines detects the location, the USGS also runs or supports several regional monitoring networks in the United States under the umbrella of the Advanced National Seismic System. The USGS informs authorities, emergency responders, the media, and it also maintains long-term archives of earthquake data for scientific and engineering research. It also conducts and supports research on long-term seismic hazards, USGS has released the UCERF California earthquake forecast. The USGS National Geomagnetism Program monitors the magnetic field at magnetic observatories and distributes magnetometer data in real time, the USGS operates the streamgaging network for the United States, with over 7400 streamgages. Real-time streamflow data are available online, since 1962, the Astrogeology Research Program has been involved in global, lunar, and planetary exploration and mapping. USGS operates a number of related programs, notably the National Streamflow Information Program. USGS Water data is available from their National Water Information System database
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Protected areas of the United States
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The protected areas of the United States are managed by an array of different federal, state, tribal and local level authorities and receive widely varying levels of protection. Some areas are managed as wilderness, while others are operated with acceptable commercial exploitation, as of 2015, the 25,800 protected areas covered 1,294,476 km2, or 14 percent of the land area of the United States. This is also one-tenth of the land area of the world. The U. S. also had a total of 787 National Marine Protected Areas, covering an additional 1,271,408 km2, some areas are managed in concert between levels of government. The Father Marquette National Memorial is an example of a park operated by a state park system. As of 2007, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, federal level protected areas are managed by a variety of agencies, most of which are a part of the National Park Service, a bureau of the United States Department of the Interior. They are often considered the jewels of the protected areas. Other areas are managed by the United States Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the United States Army Corps of Engineers is claimed to provide 30 percent of the recreational opportunities on federal lands, mainly through lakes and waterways that they manage. The highest levels of protection, as described by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, are Level I, the United States maintains 12 percent of the Level I and II lands in the world. These lands had an area of 210,000 sq mi. A confusing system for naming protected areas results in some types being used by more than one agency, for instance, both the National Park Service and the U. S. Forest Service operate areas designated National Preserves and National Recreation Areas. The National Park Service, the U. S. Forest Service, National Wilderness Areas are designated within other protected areas, managed by various agencies and sometimes wilderness areas span areas managed by multiple agencies. States and local zoning bodies may or may not choose to protect these, the state of Colorado, for example, is very clear that it does not set any limits on owners of NRHP properties. State parks vary widely from urban parks to large parks that are on a par with national parks. Some state parks, like Adirondack Park, are similar to the National parks of England and Wales, about half the area of the park, some 3,000,000 acres, is state-owned and preserved as forever wild by the Forest Preserve of New York. Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska claims to be the largest state park by the amount of protected land, it is larger than many U. S. National Parks. Many states also operate game and recreation areas. S, State and tribal wilderness areas Various counties, cities, metropolitan authorities, regional parks, townships, soil conservation districts and other units manage a variety of local level parks. Some of these are more than picnic areas or playgrounds, however
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Federal government of the United States
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The Federal Government of the United States is the national government of the United States, a republic in North America, composed of 50 states, one district, Washington, D. C. and several territories. The federal government is composed of three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U. S. Constitution in the Congress, the President, and the courts, including the Supreme Court. The powers and duties of these branches are defined by acts of Congress. The full name of the republic is United States of America, no other name appears in the Constitution, and this is the name that appears on money, in treaties, and in legal cases to which it is a party. The terms Government of the United States of America or United States Government are often used in documents to represent the federal government as distinct from the states collectively. In casual conversation or writing, the term Federal Government is often used, the terms Federal and National in government agency or program names generally indicate affiliation with the federal government. Because the seat of government is in Washington, D. C, Washington is commonly used as a metonym for the federal government. The outline of the government of the United States is laid out in the Constitution, the government was formed in 1789, making the United States one of the worlds first, if not the first, modern national constitutional republics. The United States government is based on the principles of federalism and republicanism, some make the case for expansive federal powers while others argue for a more limited role for the central government in relation to individuals, the states or other recognized entities. For example, while the legislative has the power to create law, the President nominates judges to the nations highest judiciary authority, but those nominees must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court, in its turn, has the power to invalidate as unconstitutional any law passed by the Congress and these and other examples are examined in more detail in the text below. The United States Congress is the branch of the federal government. It is bicameral, comprising the House of Representatives and the Senate, the House currently consists of 435 voting members, each of whom represents a congressional district. The number of each state has in the House is based on each states population as determined in the most recent United States Census. All 435 representatives serve a two-year term, each state receives a minimum of one representative in the House. There is no limit on the number of terms a representative may serve, in addition to the 435 voting members, there are six non-voting members, consisting of five delegates and one resident commissioner. In contrast, the Senate is made up of two senators from each state, regardless of population, there are currently 100 senators, who each serve six-year terms
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Grand Teton National Park
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Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park in northwestern Wyoming. At approximately 310,000 acres, the park includes the peaks of the 40-mile-long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. It is only 10 miles south of Yellowstone National Park, to which it is connected by the National Park Service-managed John D. Rockefeller, in the early 19th century, the first White explorers encountered the eastern Shoshone natives. Between 1810 and 1840, the region attracted fur trading companies that vied for control of the beaver pelt trade. U. S. Government expeditions to the commenced in the mid-19th century as an offshoot of exploration in Yellowstone. Efforts to preserve the region as a national park commenced in the late 19th century, against public opinion and with repeated Congressional efforts to repeal the measures, much of Jackson Hole was set aside for protection as Jackson Hole National Monument in 1943. The monument was abolished in 1950 and most of the monument land was added to Grand Teton National Park, Grand Teton National Park is named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The naming of the mountains is attributed to early 19th-century French-speaking trappers—les trois tétons was later anglicized and shortened to Tetons. At 13,775 feet, Grand Teton abruptly rises more than 7,000 feet above Jackson Hole, almost 850 feet higher than Mount Owen, the second-highest summit in the range. The park has numerous lakes, including 15-mile-long Jackson Lake as well as streams of varying length, though in a state of recession, a dozen small glaciers persist at the higher elevations near the highest peaks in the range. Some of the rocks in the park are the oldest found in any U. S. National Park and have been dated at nearly 2.7 billion years. Grand Teton National Park is an almost pristine ecosystem and the species of flora. More than 1,000 species of plants, dozens of species of mammals,300 species of birds, more than a dozen fish species. Grand Teton National Park is a destination for mountaineering, hiking, fishing. There are more than 1,000 drive-in campsites and over 200 miles of hiking trails provide access to backcountry camping areas. Noted for world-renowned trout fishing, the park is one of the few places to catch Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout, Grand Teton has several National Park Service-run visitor centers, and privately operated concessions for motels, lodges, gas stations and marinas. Paleo-Indian presence in what is now Grand Teton National Park dates back more than 11,000 years, along the shores of Jackson Lake, fire pits, tools and what are thought to have been fishing weights have been discovered. One of the tools found is of an associated with the Clovis culture
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Yellowstone National Park
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Yellowstone National Park is a national park located in the U. S. states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. It was established by the U. S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1,1872. Yellowstone was the first National Park in the U. S. and is widely held to be the first national park in the world. The park is known for its wildlife and its many features, especially Old Faithful Geyser. It has many types of ecosystems, but the subalpine forest is the most abundant and it is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion. Native Americans have lived in the Yellowstone region for at least 11,000 years, aside from visits by mountain men during the early-to-mid-19th century, organized exploration did not begin until the late 1860s. Management and control of the park fell under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior. However, the U. S. Army was subsequently commissioned to oversee management of Yellowstone for a 30-year period between 1886 and 1916, in 1917, administration of the park was transferred to the National Park Service, which had been created the previous year. Hundreds of structures have been built and are protected for their architectural and historical significance, Yellowstone National Park spans an area of 3,468.4 square miles, comprising lakes, canyons, rivers and mountain ranges. Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest high-elevation lakes in North America and is centered over the Yellowstone Caldera, the caldera is considered an active volcano. It has erupted with tremendous force several times in the last two million years, half of the worlds geothermal features are in Yellowstone, fueled by this ongoing volcanism. Lava flows and rocks from volcanic eruptions cover most of the area of Yellowstone. The park is the centerpiece of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, the largest remaining nearly-intact ecosystem in the Earths northern temperate zone, hundreds of species of mammals, birds, fish, and reptiles have been documented, including several that are either endangered or threatened. The vast forests and grasslands also include species of plants. Yellowstone Park is the largest and most famous location in the Continental United States. Grizzly bears, wolves, and free-ranging herds of bison and elk live in the park, the Yellowstone Park bison herd is the oldest and largest public bison herd in the United States. Forest fires occur in the each year, in the large forest fires of 1988. Yellowstone has numerous opportunities, including hiking, camping, boating, fishing and sightseeing
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National Monument (United States)
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Historically, some national monuments were managed by the War Department. National monuments can be so designated through the power of the Antiquities Act of 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt used the act to declare Devils Tower in Wyoming as the first national monument. The Antiquities Act of 1906 resulted from concerns about protecting mostly prehistoric Native American ruins, the Act authorized permits for legitimate archaeological investigations and penalties for taking or destroying antiquities without permission. Among the next three monuments he proclaimed in 1906 was Petrified Forest in Arizona, another natural feature, in 1908, Roosevelt used the act to proclaim more than 800,000 acres of the Grand Canyon as a national monument. In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Katmai National Monument in Alaska, Katmai was later enlarged to nearly 2,800,000 acres by subsequent Antiquities Act proclamations and for many years was the largest national park system unit. Petrified Forest, Grand Canyon, and Katmai were among the national monuments later converted to national parks by Congress. Substantial opposition did not materialize until 1943, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Jackson Hole National Monument in Wyoming. He did this to accept a donation of lands acquired by John D. Rockefeller, roosevelts proclamation unleashed a storm of criticism about use of the Antiquities Act to circumvent Congress. A bill abolishing Jackson Hole National Monument passed Congress but was vetoed by Roosevelt, the proclamation authority was not used again anywhere until 1996, when President Bill Clinton proclaimed the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. This action was unpopular in Utah, and bills were introduced to further restrict the presidents authority. To date, none of them have been enacted, presidents have used the Antiquities Acts proclamation authority not only to create new national monuments but to enlarge existing ones. For example, Franklin D. Roosevelt significantly enlarged Dinosaur National Monument in 1938, lyndon B. Johnson added Ellis Island to Statue of Liberty National Monument in 1965, and Jimmy Carter made major additions to Glacier Bay and Katmai National Monuments in 1978. Marine National Monument List of U. S. National Forests List of areas in the National Park System of the United States List of U. S
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Devils Tower
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Devils Tower is a laccolithic butte composed of igneous rock in the Bear Lodge Mountains near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River. It rises dramatically 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River, the summit is 5,112 feet above sea level. Devils Tower was the first declared United States National Monument, established on September 24,1906, the Monuments boundary encloses an area of 1,347 acres. In recent years, about 1% of the Monuments 400,000 annual visitors climbed Devils Tower, the name Devils Tower originated in 1875 during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, when his interpreter reportedly misinterpreted a native name to mean Bad Gods Tower. All information signs in that use the name Devils Tower. Native American names for the monolith include, Bears House or Bears Lodge, Aloft on a Rock, Tree Rock, Great Gray Horn, and Brown Buffalo Horn. In November 2014, one Arvol Looking Horse again proposed renaming the geographical feature Bear Lodge, a second proposal was submitted to request that the US acknowledge the offensive mistake and to rename the monument and sacred site Bear Lodge National Historic Landmark. The formal public comment period ended in fall 2015, local state senator Ogden Driskill opposed the change. The landscape surrounding Devils Tower is composed mostly of sedimentary rocks, the oldest rocks visible in Devils Tower National Monument were laid down in a shallow sea during the Triassic period,225 to 195 million years ago. This dark red sandstone and maroon siltstone, interbedded with shale, oxidation of iron minerals causes the redness of the rocks. This rock layer is known as the Spearfish Formation, above the Spearfish formation is a thin band of white gypsum, called the Gypsum Springs Formation. This layer of gypsum was deposited during the Jurassic period,195 to 136 million years ago, created as sea levels and climates repeatedly changed, gray-green shales were interbedded with fine-grained sandstones, limestones, and sometimes thin beds of red mudstone. This composition, called the Stockade Beaver member, is part of the Sundance Formation, the Hulett Sandstone member, also part of the Sundance formation, is composed of yellow fine-grained sandstone. Resistant to weathering, it forms the vertical cliffs which encircle the Tower itself. During the Paleocene Epoch,56 to 66 million years ago, the Rocky Mountains, magma rose through the crust, intruding into the existing sedimentary rock layers. Geologists Carpenter and Russell studied Devils Tower in the late 19th century, modern geologists agree that it was formed by the intrusion of igneous material, but not on exactly how that process took place. Several believe the molten rock comprising the Tower might not have surfaced, in 1907, scientists Darton and OHarra decided that Devils Tower must be an eroded remnant of a laccolith. A laccolith is a mass of igneous rock which is intruded through sedimentary rock beds without reaching the surface
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Fossil Butte National Monument
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Fossil Butte National Monument is a United States National Monument managed by the National Park Service, located 15 miles west of Kemmerer, Wyoming, United States. The other two lakes were Lake Gosiute and Lake Uinta, Fossil Butte National Monument was established as a national monument on October 23,1972. During the Eocene this portion of Wyoming was a sub-tropical lake ecosystem, the ‘’’Green River Lake System’’’ contained three ancient lakes, Fossil Lake, Lake Gosiute, and Lake Uinta. These lakes covered parts of southwest Wyoming, northeast Utah and northwestern Colorado, Fossil Butte is a remnant of the deposits from Fossil Lake. Fossil Lake was 40 to 50 miles long north to south and 20 miles wide. Over the two years that it existed, the lake varied in length and width. Fossil Buttes National Monument contains only 13 square miles of the 900-square-mile ancient lake, the ancient lake sediments that form the primary fossil digs is referred to as the Green River Formation. In addition to this fossil-bearing strata, a potion of the Wasatch Formation, river. The Wasatch Formation represents the shoreline ecosystem around the lake and contains fossil teeth, among these are early primates and horses. Coal mining for the led to the settlement of the nearby town of Fossil. When the fossils were discovered, miners dug them up to sell to collectors, in particular, Lee Craig sold fossils from 1897 to 1937. The Fossil Butte National Monument Visitor Center features over 80 fossils and fossil casts on exhibit, including fish, a 13-minute video is shown about the fossils found at the site and what scientists have learned. Interactive exhibits let visitors create fossil rubbings to take home, and a computer program discusses fossils, geology, during the summer, lab personnel prepare fossils in public. Summer activities also include programs, hikes, paleontology and geology talks. A Junior Ranger program can be completed by children aged 5–12 in 3–4 hours. S
25.
National Historic Site (United States)
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A National Historic Site is a protected area of national historic significance in the United States. An NHS usually contains a historical feature directly associated with its subject. As of 2015, there are 50 NHPs and 90 NHSs, most NHPs and NHSs are managed by the National Park Service. Some federally designated sites are owned by local authorities or privately owned, one property, Grey Towers National Historic Site, is managed by the U. S. Forest Service. As of October 15,1966, all areas, including NHPs and NHSs. There are also about 80,000 NRHP sites, the majority of which are neither owned nor managed by the NPS. Of these, about 2,500 have been designated at the highest status as National Historic Landmark sites, National Historic Sites are generally federally owned and administered properties, though some remain under private or local government ownership. There are currently 90 NHSs, of which 78 are official NPS units,11 are NPS affiliated areas, one is managed by the US Forest Service, and one by the Bureau of Land Management. Derived from the Historic Sites Act of 1935, a number of NHSs were established by United States Secretaries of the Interior, in 1937, the first NHS was created in Salem, Massachusetts in order to preserve and interpret the maritime history of New England and the United States. There is one International Historic Site in the US park system, the title, given to the site of the first permanent French settlement in America, recognizes the influence that has had on both Canada and the United States. The NPS does not distinguish among these designations in terms of their preservation or management policies, in the United States, sites are historic, while parks are historical. The NPS explains that a site can be intrinsically historic, while a park is a legal invention. As such, a park is not itself historic, but can be called historical when it contains historic resources and it is the resources which are historic, not the park. Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park was formally established in 1998 by the United States and Canada, the park comprises Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Washington and Alaska, and Chilkoot Trail National Historic Site in British Columbia. It was this trail which so many prospectors took in hopes of making their fortunes in the Klondike River district of Yukon, list of World Heritage Sites in the Americas Designation of National Park System Units
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Fort Laramie National Historic Site
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It was founded in the 1830s to service the overland fur trade during the middle 19th century. It sat at the bottom of the long climb leading to the best and lowest crossing point at South Pass into western descending valleys and so was a primary stopping point on the Oregon Trail. Along with Bents Fort on the Arkansas River, the trading post, Fort William was a private fur trading post founded by William Sublette in 1834. In 1841 it was purchased by the American Fur Company and renamed Fort John, the name Fort Laramie came into gradual use, likely as a convenient shortening of Fort John at the Laramie River. The remaining structures are preserved as the Fort Laramie National Historic Site by the National Park Service, in 1815 or 1816, Jacques La Ramee and a small group of fellow trappers settled in the area where Fort Laramie would later be located. He went out alone to trap in 1819 or 1820 and was never seen again, arapahoe Indians were accused of killing La Ramie and putting his body in a beaver dam. The river was named “Laramie” in his honor, and the name would later be given to the Laramie Mountains, the fort, one of the early principal owner-trappers was William Sublette, and the fort was therefore called Fort William. For a period of time until it was sold to the American Fur Company in 1841 and it was later named Fort John after John B. The 1846 treaties established new desirable stable western territories just after viable routes west had become well published. By the time the migration by occasional wagon trains along the Oregon Trail became regular annual flood of migrants. The fort was located along the northward running Laramie River just south of its mouth out-letting onto the North Platte River. The forts site is located on the bank of the location of the town of Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Geographically the site is situated just east of the steeper, much more challenging, in 1845 the nearby Fort Bernard was established about 8 miles east farther down the North Platte River in hopes of cutting into the growing Emigrant Trail trade with western bound wagon trains. This much smaller fort undersold the Laramie trading operation, and did excellent business, fortunately for Fort Laramie, Fort Bernard burnt down in 1866, and was never rebuilt. The fort was purchased from Bruce Husband, a member of the American Fur Company, three companies of cavalry arrived at the fort that same month, and Company ‘G’, 6th Infantry, which was the post’s permanent garrison for many years, arrived on August 12,1849. The fort was taken over by the Army largely to protect, during the increasing strife of the 1860s, the fort took on a more military posture. Fort Laramie was never threatened by Indian attacks during the quarter-century of intermittent warfare sparked by the Grattan massacre. However, a number of civilians were killed in the immediate area, the last known death occurred in March 1877 on the Big Bitter Cottonwood Creek
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California Trail
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The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about 3,000 miles across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. In the present states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah, by 1847, two former fur trading frontier forts marked trailheads for major alternative routes through Utah and Wyoming to Northern California. The first was Jim Bridgers Fort Bridger in present-day Wyoming on the Green River, from Salt Lake the Salt Lake Cutoff went north and west of the Great Salt Lake and rejoined the California Trail in the City of Rocks in present-day Idaho. From Fort Hall the Oregon and California trails went about 50 miles southwest along the Snake River Valley to another parting of the trail junction at the junction of the Raft. The California Trail from the junction followed the Raft River to the City of Rocks in Idaho near the present Nevada-Idaho-Utah tripoint, the Salt Lake and Fort Hall routes were about the same length, about 190 miles. From the City of Rocks the trail went into the present state of Utah following the South Fork of the Junction Creek. By following the crooked, meandering Humboldt River Valley west across the arid Great Basin, emigrants were able to get the water, grass, the water turned increasingly alkaline as they progressed down the Humboldt, and there were almost no trees. Firewood usually consisted of broken brush, and the grass was sparse, few travelers liked the Humboldt River Valley passage. Humboldt is not good for man nor beast, an alternative route across the present states of Utah and Nevada that bypassed both Fort Hall and the Humboldt River trails was developed in 1859. In addition to immigrants and migrants from the East, after 1859 the Pony Express, Overland stages, the main routes initially were the Truckee Trail to the Sacramento Valley and after about 1849 the Carson Trail route to the American River and the Placerville, California gold digging region. Starting about 1859 the Johnson Cutoff and the Henness Pass Route across the Sierras were greatly improved and developed and these main roads across the Sierras were both toll roads so there were funds to pay for maintenance and upkeep on the roads. The Johnson Cutoff, from Placerville to Carson City along todays U. S. Route 50 in California, was used by the Pony Express year-round and in the summer by the stage lines. It was the overland route from the East to California that could be kept partially open for at least horse traffic in the winter. After about 1848 the most popular route was the Carson Route which, while rugged, was easier than most others. The trail was used in the summers until the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 by the Union Pacific. Trail traffic rapidly fell off as the trip was much quicker and easier by train—about seven days. The economy class fare across the western United States of about $69 was affordable by most California-bound travelers, the trail was used by about 2,700 settlers from 1846 up to 1849. These settlers were instrumental in helping convert California to a U. S. possession, fremonts California Battalion assisted the Pacific Squadrons sailors and marines in 1846 and 1847 in conquering California in the Mexican–American War
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Mormon Trail
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The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1, 300-mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, known as the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. From Council Bluffs, Iowa to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, the trail follows much the same route as the Oregon Trail and the California Trail, the Mormon pioneer run began in 1846, when Young and his followers were driven from Nauvoo. After leaving, they aimed to establish a new home for the church in the Great Basin, along their way, some were assigned to establish settlements and to plant and harvest crops for later emigrants. In the spring of 1847, Young led the company to the Salt Lake Valley. During the first few years, the emigrants were mostly former occupants of Nauvoo who were following Young to Utah, later, the emigrants increasingly comprised converts from the British Isles and Europe. The trail was used for more than 20 years, until the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, among the emigrants were the Mormon handcart pioneers of 1856–60. Two of the companies, led by James G. Willie and Edward Martin. However, the Saints were driven out of each of them in turn and this included the actions of Governor Lilburn Boggs, who issued Missouri Executive Order 44, which called for the extermination of all Mormons in Missouri. The Latter-day Saints were finally forced to abandon Nauvoo in 1846, Although the movement had split into several denominations after Smiths death in 1844, most members aligned themselves with Brigham Young and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Under Youngs leadership, about 14,000 Mormon citizens of Nauvoo set out to find a new home in the West, as the senior apostle of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles after Joseph Smiths death, Brigham Young assumed responsibility of the leadership of the church. He would later be sustained as President of the Church and prophet, Young now had to lead the Saints into the far west, without knowing exactly where to go or where they would end up. He insisted the Mormons should settle in a no one else wanted. Young also organized a company to break trail to the Rocky Mountains, evaluate trail conditions, find sources of water. The Quincy Convention of October 1845 passed resolutions demanding that the Latter-day Saints withdraw from Nauvoo by May 1846, a few days later, the Carthage Convention called for establishment of a militia that would force them out if they failed to meet the May deadline. To try to meet this deadline and to get a start on the trek to the Great Basin. The departure from Nauvoo began on February 4,1846, under the leadership of Brigham Young and this early departure exposed them to the elements in the worst of winter. After crossing the Mississippi River, the journey across Iowa Territory followed primitive territorial roads, Young originally planned to lead an express company of about 300 men to the Great Basin during the summer of 1846
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Oregon Trail
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The Oregon Trail is a 2, 170-mile historic east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail spanned part of the state of Kansas. The western half of the trail spanned most of the states of Idaho. The Oregon Trail was laid by fur traders and traders from about 1811 to 1840, by 1836, when the first migrant wagon train was organized in Independence, Missouri, a wagon trail had been cleared to Fort Hall, Idaho. From the early to mid-1830s the Oregon Trail and its offshoots were used by about 400,000 settlers, farmers, miners, ranchers. The eastern half of the trail was used by travelers on the California Trail, Mormon Trail. Use of the trail declined as the first transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869, making the trip west substantially faster, cheaper, and safer. Today, modern highways, such as Interstate 80 and Interstate 84, follow parts of the same course westward and pass through towns originally established to serve those using the Oregon Trail. Although Lewis and William Clark found a path to the Pacific Ocean, it was not until 1859 that a direct and practicable route, the first land route across what is now the United States was mapped by the Lewis and Clark Expedition between 1804 and 1806. On the return trip in 1806 they traveled from the Columbia River to the Snake River and they then traveled overland up the Blackfoot River and crossed the Continental Divide at Lewis and Clark Pass and on to the head of the Missouri River. This was ultimately a shorter and faster route than the one they followed west and this route had the disadvantages of being much too rough for wagons and controlled by the Blackfoot Indians. They did show the way for the men, who within a decade would find a better way across. Founded by John Jacob Astor as a subsidiary of his American Fur Company in 1810, two movements of PFC employees were planned by Astor, one detachment to be sent to the Columbia River by the Tonquin and the other overland under an expedition led by Wilson Price Hunt. Hunt and his party were to find possible routes and trapping territories for further fur trading posts. Upon arriving at the river in March 1811, the Tonquin crew began construction of what became Fort Astoria, the ship left supplies and men to continue work on the station and ventured north up the coast to Clayoquot Sound for a trading expedition. While anchored there, Jonathan Thorn insulted an elder Tla-o-qui-aht who was elected by the natives to negotiate a mutually satisfactory price for animal pelts. Soon after the vessel was attacked and overwhelmed by the indigenous before being blown up, killing all the crew, from there they went over the Teton Range via Teton Pass and then down to the Snake River into modern Idaho. They abandoned their horses at the Snake River, made dugout canoes, after a few days travel they soon discovered that steep canyons, waterfalls and impassable rapids made travel by river impossible
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Pony Express
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The Pony Express was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, and mail. Waddell, all of whom were notable in the freighting business, during its 19 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days. The idea of a fast mail route to the Pacific coast was prompted largely by Californias newfound prominence, after gold was discovered there in 1848, thousands of prospectors, investors and businessmen made their way to California, at that time a new territory of the U. S. By 1850, California entered the Union as a free state, by 1860, the population had grown to 380,000. The demand for a way to get mail and other communications to. In the late 1850s, William Russell, Alexander Majors, and they were already in the freighting and drayage business. At the peak of the operations, they employed 6,000 men, owned 75,000 oxen, thousands of wagons, and warehouses plus a sawmill, a plant, a bank. Russell was a prominent businessman, well respected among his peers, Waddell was co-owner of the firm Morehead, Waddell & Co. After Morehead was bought out and retired, Waddell merged his company with Russells, in 1855 they took on a new partner, Alexander Majors, and founded the company of Russell, Majors & Waddell. They held government contracts for delivering supplies to the western frontier. The initial price was set at $5 per 1⁄2 ounce, then $2.50, the founders of the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government mail contract, but that did not come about. Russell, Majors, and Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express in two months in the winter of 1860, the undertaking assembled 120 riders,184 stations,400 horses, and several hundred personnel during January and February 1861. Alexander Majors was a man and resolved by the help of God to overcome all difficulties. He presented each rider with a special edition Bible and required this oath, the Pony Express demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system of communications could be established and operated year-round. When replaced by the telegraph, the Pony Express quickly became romanticized and its reliance on the ability and endurance of individual young, hardy riders and fast horses was seen as evidence of rugged American individualism of the Frontier times. From 1866 until 1889, the Pony Express logo was used by stagecoach and freight company Wells Fargo, the United States Postal Service used Pony Express as a trademark for postal services in the US. Freight Link international courier services, based in Russia, adopted the Pony Express trademark, in 1860, there were about 157 Pony Express stations that were about 10 miles apart along the Pony Express route. At each station stop the rider would change to a fresh horse
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National Wildlife Refuge
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National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of lands and waters set aside to conserve Americas fish, wildlife. National Wildlife Refuges manage a range of habitat types, including wetlands, prairies, coastal and marine areas. Among these hundreds of national refuges are home to some 700 species of birds,220 species of mammals,250 reptile and amphibian species and more than 1000 species of fish. Endangered species are a priority of National Wildlife Refuges in that nearly 60 refuges have been established with the purpose of conserving 280 threatened or endangered species. National Wildlife Refuges are also places where visitors can participate in a variety of outdoor recreational activities. The National Wildlife Refuge System welcomes nearly 50 million visitors each year, hunters visit more than 350 hunting programs on refuges and on about 36,000 Waterfowl Production Areas. Opportunities for fresh or saltwater fishing are available at more than 340 refuges, there is at least one wildlife refuge in each of the fifty states. The agency has created Comprehensive Conservation Plans for each refuge, developed through consultation with private and these began a review process by stakeholders beginning in 2013. The CCCPs must be consistent with the Fish and Wildlife Service goals for conservation, the CCPs outline conservation goals for each refuge for fifteen years into the future, with the intent that they will be revised every fifteen years thereafter. Additionally, NEPA requires FWS planners and refuge staff to engage the public in planning process to assist them with identifying the most appropriate alternative. Completed CCPs are available to the public and can be found on the FWS website, equally important is an intimate understanding of the social and economic drivers that impact and are impacted by management decisions and can facilitate or impede implementation success. Consideration of these contributes to the success of the Service’s mission to protect wildlife. The Refuge System works collaboratively internally and externally to leverage resources, according to the Services 2013 Banking on Nature Report, visitors to refuges positively impact the local economies. Prevention and control of fires is also a very active part of refuge management. Completion of controlled burns to reduce fuel loading, and participation in the wildland fire suppression efforts, are vital for management of refuge lands. A considerable infrastructure of physical structures is also essential to management of refuge lands. As of September 30,2015 there were 13,030 roads, bridges and trails,5,284 buildings,8,007 water management structures, the overall facility infrastructure is valued at nearly $30 billion
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Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge
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Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in Wyoming. It is managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, other bird species known to inhabit the refuge include white-faced ibis, snowy egret, long-billed curlew, great blue heron, American bittern, and black-crowned night heron. Bald and golden eagles as well as peregrine falcons nest on the refuge in spring, Cokeville Meadows is currently closed to the public except for a wildlife viewing station, because it is new and has no visitor services. Less than a third of the refuge lands are under U. S. Government administration. The refuge is managed from the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge, the refuge is located adjacent to U. S. Route 30,1 mile south of Cokeville, Wyoming. Wyoming, Cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, archived from the original on 2008-11-20
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Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
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Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern Albany County in the U. S. state of Wyoming and includes 1,968 acres. The refuge is managed by the U. S. Fish, the refuge is located at higher altitudes over 7,000 feet and has a total of five natural alpine lakes that are named, as well as associated wetlands. The refuge was set aside in 1932 to protect habitat for bird species and other indigenous plants. Hutton Lake NWR is administered by the Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado
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Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge
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Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southern Albany County in the U. S. state of Wyoming and includes 1,776 acres. The refuge is managed by the U. S. Fish, mortensen Lake NWR is a high altitude refuge and has several small alpine lakes of which Mortenson Lake is the largest. At 7,256 feet above sea level, the refuge provides protection for numerous bird species. In 1984, the Wyoming Toad was listed as a species and was widely believed to be extinct in the wild. A small population of the toad was rediscovered in 1987 in the area surrounding Mortenson Lake which led to the establishment of the refuge in 1993, since 1995, offspring from captured examples of this extremely rare amphibian have been released into the wild to help stabilize the remaining population. The refuge is closed to all public access to aid in efforts of this endangered species. Mortenson NWR is administered by Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in Colorado
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Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge
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Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge of the United States located in western Sweetwater County in the state of Wyoming. It covers 26,400 acres managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Shoshone people inhabited the region since the year 1300. The name Seedskadee is derived from the Shoshone language word sisk-a-dee-agie, the area was first visited by white explorers in 1811 and was later a crossroads for the Oregon and Mormon Trails, many of the original wagon tracks left by early pioneers can still be seen. The refuge includes 36 miles of the Green River, which is a source for shrubs. The refuge was established in 1965 to mitigate wildlife habitat loss resulting from the construction of Fontenelle Dam upstream,220 species of birds have been identified on the refuge including migratory bird species that use the refuge for nesting. Trumpeter swans, bald eagles, sage grouse, and numerous species of ducks can be found, dozens of species of mammals including coyote, porcupine, pronghorn, mule deer, bobcat, and moose are indigenous to the region and are protected under law. The Green river hosts Snake River fine-spotted and Bonneville cutthroat trout, visitors access the refuge by taking Interstate 80 west from Green River, Wyoming, for 6 miles to Wyoming Highway 372. The entrance is 27 miles to the north, cokeville Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, operated as a satellite of Seedskadee NWR Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge - U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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National Elk Refuge
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The National Elk Refuge is located in the U. S. state of Wyoming and was created in 1912 to protect habitat and provide sanctuary for one of the largest elk herd on Earth. The refuge borders the town of Jackson, Wyoming on the northeast while Bridger-Teton National Forest is to the east and it is home to an average of 7,500 elk each winter. The refuge is managed by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, during the spring, the herd would follow the retreating snows back into the Yellowstone National Park region. The original size of the elk herd has been estimated to have been in excess of 25,000. The expansion of the town of Jackson blocked off the route by the end of the 19th century. A movement to protect and enlarge the remaining herd was commenced in the early 1900s, the elk herd is kept alive during the hard winters of Jackson Hole through feeding and culling of the herd, a lottery based hunting permit program, which is highly regulated. Ten to eleven pounds of antlers are auctioned each year. The increase in value has resulted in a rise in antler theft. The refuge also provides horse drawn sleigh rides to the public during the winter months so that visitors have the opportunity to see portions of the herd up close. The furthest consistent migration of elk to the refuge is currently from the portion of Yellowstone National Park. The refuge is nearly 25,000 acres of meadows and marshes along the floor, sagebrush. The largest single herd of bison under federal management, comprising 1,000 plus individuals, also winter on the refuge. Bighorn sheep can be here, along with pronghorn, mule deer and even a few trumpeter swans along Flat Creek. Rare sightings of wolves and grizzly bears have occurred, and a total of 47 mammal species and 147 bird species have been documented on the refuge, united States Fish and Wildlife Service. National Elk Refuge, Refuge Road Wildlife Viewing Guide U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Jackson National Fish Hatchery
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Jackson National Fish Hatchery is a National fish hatchery in Jackson, Wyoming. The hatchery is run by the U. S. Fish, the hatchery is physically located on the National Elk Refuge, a protected feeding ground for elk that winter in the Jackson Hole valley. The fish hatchery produces fish for a 18, 000-square-mile distribution area in Wyoming, the Jackson National Fish Hatchery rears one species of fish, the Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout. List of National Fish Hatcheries in the United States Jackson National Fish Hatchery, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
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Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area
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Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area is a national park unit established by an act of Congress on October 15,1966, following the construction of the Yellowtail Dam by the Bureau of Reclamation. It straddles the border between Wyoming and Montana, the dam, named after the famous Crow leader Robert Yellowtail, harnesses the waters of the Bighorn River by turning that variable watercourse into Bighorn Lake. The lake extends 71 miles through Wyoming and Montana,55 miles of which lie within the recreation area. About one third of the unit is located on the Crow Indian Reservation. Nearly one-quarter of the Pryor Mountains Wild Horse Range lies within the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Afterbay Lake, located below Yellowtail Dam, is a popular spot for trout fishing as well as for viewing ducks, geese and other animals. The Bighorn River below the Afterbay Dam is likewise a world-class trout fishing area, in addition, the area features many archeological and historical resources. Visitor centers and other developed facilities are located in Fort Smith, Montana and near Lovell, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area has four historic ranches within its boundaries, L Slash Heart Ranch was owned by Caroline Lockhart, a notable journalist and novelist in the early 1900s. Two of her books were made into silent films in the 1920s, mason-Lovell Ranch was operating during the open range days of the 1880s, the ranch once had 25,000 cattle roaming the entire Bighorn Basin. Cedarvale Ranch, located in the ghost town of Hillsboro, Montana, was a ranch owned by native New Yorker Grosvener W. Doc Barry. Visitors included Doc Barrys friend President Teddy Roosevelt, but attracting other vacationers proved more difficult, ewing-Snell Ranch is a former family ranch started by Erastus Ewing. Ewing went west to get rich in mining, but he was not successful in the gold fields. Erastus instead tried his hand at ranching, north of Lovell along the Sullivan Knobs Trail is one of the national recreation areas more unusual claims to fame. There a visitor can stand in a spot on the canyon rim, shout across the canyon. The Bad Pass Trail runs through the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, for thousands of years, this trail was used by prehistoric indigenous peoples, who may also have been following paths made by migrating game. During the winter, the people would travel southward on the trail to reach the caves in the canyon. In the spring, they would travel northward to hunting grounds in what is now called Montana, the trail is considered a cultural or sacred site by Native Americans, and in the 21st century, no one is allowed to walk or drive on it. In the mid-19th century, fur trappers and traders known as mountain men used the trail when they were in the area and they named it as the Bad Pass Trail because of its ruggedness. Jim Bridger, a mountain man of this period, was the first person known to float a boat down the Bighorn River
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Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area
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Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located in the states of Wyoming and Utah. The recreation centerpiece of the area is the 91 miles long Flaming Gorge Reservoir, the Flaming Gorge reservoir was created by the 1964 construction of the Flaming Gorge Dam across the Green River. Flaming Gorge Dam is used to generate hydroelectric power, three turbines and generators at the base of the dam have the capacity to produce 50,650 kilowatts of electrical power each. Flaming Gorge National Recreation area is administered by the Ashley National Forest, activities in the recreation area include camping, hiking, boating and fishing on the Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and rafting on the portion of the Green River downstream from Flaming Gorge Dam. Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area USFS website usgs. gov, Geology of the Flaming Gorge area
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United States National Forest
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National Forest is a classification of protected and managed federal lands in the United States. The National Forest System was created by the Land Revision Act of 1891, abbot Kinney and forester Theodore Lukens were key spokesmen for the effort. In the United States there are 155 National Forests containing almost 190 million acres of land and these lands comprise 8.5 percent of the total land area of the United States, an area about the size of Texas. Some 87 percent of National Forest land lies west of the Mississippi River in the ranges of the Western United States. Alaska has 12 percent of all National Forest lands, the U. S. Forest Service also manages all of the United States National Grasslands, and around half of the United States National Recreation Areas. There are two different types of forests within the National Forest system. Those east of the Great Plains in the Midwestern and Eastern United States were primarily acquired by the government since 1891. The land had long been in the domain and sometimes repeatedly logged since colonial times. These are mostly lands that were kept in the domain, with the exception of inholdings. Land management of these areas focuses on conservation, timber harvesting, livestock grazing, watershed protection, wildlife, unlike national parks and other federal lands managed by the National Park Service, extraction of natural resources from national forests is permitted, and in many cases encouraged. National Forests are categorized by the U. S. as IUCN Category VI protected areas, however, the first-designated wilderness areas, and some of the largest, are on National Forest lands. There are management decision conflicts between conservationists and environmentalists, and natural resource extraction companies and lobbies, over the protection and/or use of National Forest lands, many ski resorts and summer resorts operate on leased land in National Forests
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Ashley National Forest
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Ashley National Forest is a National Forest located in northeastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming. Within the Forest’s bounds are 1,382,346 acres of vast forests, lakes, the Forest covers portions of Daggett, Duchesne, Summit, Uintah, and Utah counties in Utah and Sweetwater County in Wyoming. Some of the most popular landmarks located in the Forest include the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and the Uinta Mountains, the Forest also includes 276,175 acres, or about 60. 5%, of the High Uintas Wilderness. The headquarters for the Ashley National Forest are located in Vernal, Utah with ranger district offices in Vernal, Duchesne, Utah, Roosevelt, Utah, Manila, Utah, and Green River, Wyoming. Petroglyphs found throughout the Forest suggest that the land had been hunted for centuries by Indians before being discovered by white Europeans, the first white men believed to have set foot in Ashley National Forest were the Spanish explorers Dominques and Escalante, in 1776. General Ashley and his team making their way up the Green River in the spring of 1825. After passing through the Flaming Gorge, General Ashley was convinced by the local Indians to turn around, many other explorers would come and explore the Forest, and eventually the first settlement in Ashley National Forest was made in 1872. It was settled by Captain Pardon Dodds, who brought about 2,000 cattle into the Uintah Basin, in a few years, all of the surrounding ranges were completely stocked with cattle and horses. On July 1,1908, by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. The general boundaries of the Forest remained unchanged until 1953, the entire north slope of the Uinta Mountains was transferred to the Wasatch National Forest, while Ashley National Forest received the Rock Creek and Duchesne River drainages. President Lyndon B. Johnson added approximately 120,000 acres to the Forest when he established the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area as part of Ashley National Forest in 1968, since then, there have only been slight boundary changes to the Forest. With over 2.5 million visitors each year, Ashley National Forest offers many different recreational activities to its guests. The Forest contains four main byways to drive on, which take visitors through many different landmarks found in the Forest, for people who prefer to walk, the Forest contains over 1,000 miles miles of hiking trails. These trails cover the entire Forest, taking hikers from extensive forests to rugged mountains, many of these trails are designated for off-road vehicles as well, such as motorcycles, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Along the trails there are campgrounds available to visitors. During the winter months, there are two facilities located in the Forest called Yurts that provide cross-country skiers with overnight room rentals to escape the cold, there are also many lakes and rivers found throughout Ashley National Forest, which allows guests to take in some fishing while visiting. There are also bodies of water in the Forest that are designated for motorized water-crafts. Occupying a large piece of Ashley National Forest are the Uinta Mountains, with a main crest stretching more than 60 miles and surrounded by massive secondary ridges extending north and south, this mountain range is the largest alpine area located in the Intermountain west
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Bighorn National Forest
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Bighorn National Forest is located in northern Wyoming, United States and consists of over 1.1 million acres. Around 99% of the land is above 1,500 metres, the forest is named after the Bighorn River, which is partially fed by streams found in the forest. Streams in the range are fed primarily by snowmelt and snowmelt mixed with driving rainfall, within the forest is the Cloud Peak Wilderness area in which no motorized or mechanical equipment is allowed. The only access into the 189,000 acre wilderness is on foot or horseback, there are 1,500 miles of trails in the forest, along with 32 improved campgrounds, lodges, and three scenic vehicular byways. U. S. Highway 14, also known as the Bighorn Scenic Byway, the forest is primarily lodgepole pine, along with several species of spruce, fir, and aspen. While grizzly bears have not inhabited the forest since the early 20th century, other large mammals include cougars, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and moose. Coyotes are also present in this forest, numerous lakes are found within the forest and most are naturally stocked with trout and at least 100 other fish species. Meadowlark Lake is a recreation area created by the construction of a dam built by Company 841 of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936. Water quality sampling from the shows the highest acid rain deposition of any mountain chain in the Rockies. The forest headquarters is located in Sheridan, Wyoming, there are local ranger district offices in Buffalo, Lovell, and Sheridan. In the shadow of the Bighorns, A history of early Sheridan, Sheridan, Wyoming, Sheridan County Historical Society,2010. ISBN 978-0-9792871-7-6 Bighorn National Forest - U. S. Forest Service
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Bridger-Teton National Forest
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Bridger-Teton National Forest is located in western Wyoming, United States. The forest consists of 3.4 million acres, making it the third largest National Forest outside Alaska, the forest also extends southward encompassing the Salt River Range and Wyoming Range mountains near the Idaho border. Located within the forest are the Gros Ventre, Bridger and Teton Wildernesses, other points of interest contained in the forest include Gannett Peak, the tallest mountain in Wyoming, and the Gros Ventre landslide, which is one of the largest readily visible landslides on earth. All of the forest is in turn a part of the 20-million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, while Gannett Peak is the highest summit in the forest, another 40 named mountains rise above 12,000 feet. The high altitudes and abundant snowfall, exceeding 600 inches at some locations, provides a constant supply of water for streams,1,500 lakes also help provide water for the Yellowstone, Snake and Green rivers, which all have their headwaters in the forest. Seven of the largest glaciers outside of Alaska are located within the forest boundaries, route 287]] cross over the continental divide at Togwotee Pass and enter the forest from the north, and U. S. Highways 89 and 191 provide access to the forest in the vicinity of Jackson, Wyoming, the primary tree species include lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas-fir, subalpine fir, aspen and whitebark pine. Willows, grasses and sagebrush are found on the lower altitudes, threatened and endangered species found within the forest boundaries include grizzly bears, wolf, black-footed ferret and peregrine falcon. Most of the mammals that existed in the prior to European settlement can still be found here. Elk, moose, mule deer, bighorn sheep, bison, coyote, marmot, pronghorn, four subspecies of cutthroat trout also are found here including the Snake River cutthroat trout. 355 species of birds have been sighted including bald eagles, trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, hawks, over 2,000 miles of hiking trails are located in the forest providing access into wilderness areas and interlinking with trails in Yellowstone National Park. There are several dozen vehicle accessible campgrounds that have picnic tables, nighttime temperatures can be below freezing any time of the year and mosquitos in the late spring and early summer are common. Summertime high temperatures average in the 70s and the lows can drop below -50 degrees. Bridger-Teton National Forest is a combination of Bridger and Teton National Forests. The Bridger National Forest itself absorbed Wyoming National Forest in 1923, the Wyoming National Forest had been created as the Yellowstone Forest Reserve in 1904, then renamed in 1908. The Teton Forest Reserve was created at the time, destined to become Teton National Forest. Ranger district offices are located in Pinedale, Kemmerer, Big Piney, Moran, the forest headquarters is located in Jackson. In descending order of area the forest is located in parts of Sublette, Teton, Lincoln, Park
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Shoshone National Forest
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Shoshone National Forest is the first federally protected National Forest in the United States and covers nearly 2,500,000 acres in the state of Wyoming. Shoshone National Forest is one of the first nationally protected land areas anywhere, native Americans have lived in the region for at least 10,000 years, and when the region was first explored by European adventurers, forestlands were occupied by several different tribes. Never heavily settled or exploited, the forest has retained most of its wildness, Shoshone National Forest is a part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a nearly unbroken expanse of federally protected lands encompassing an estimated 20,000,000 acres. The Absaroka and Beartooth Mountains are partly in the section of the forest. The Wind River Range is in the portion and contains Gannett Peak. Yellowstone National Park forms part of the boundary to the west, south of Yellowstone, the eastern boundary includes privately owned property, lands managed by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management and the Wind River Indian Reservation, which belongs to the Shoshone and Arapahoe Indians. Custer National Forest along the Montana border is on the northern frontier, the Oregon Trail, the 19th century covered wagon route, passes just south of the forest, where broad and gentle South Pass allowed the migrants to bypass the rugged mountains to the north. Shoshone National Forest has virtually all the animal and plant species that were there when white explorers such as John Colter. The forest is home to the Grizzly bear, cougar, moose, the streams in the forest are considered to have some of the best game species fishing opportunities in the U. S. including Yellowstone cutthroat trout. More than 1,300 miles of hiking trails,32 campgrounds and adjacent forests, there are four wilderness areas within the forest, protecting more than half of the managed land area from development. From sagebrush plains through dense spruce and fir forest to craggy mountain peaks, archeological evidence suggests that the presence of Indian tribes in the area extends back at least 10,000 years. The forest provided an abundance of meat, wood products. Portions of the mountainous regions were frequented by the Shoshone and Sioux for spiritual healing. By the early 1840s, Washakie had become the leader of the easternmost branch of the Shoshone Indians, at the Fort Bridger Treaty Council of 1868 Washakie negotiated with the U. S. Government for 44,000,000 acres ) to be preserved as tribal lands. Subsequent amendments to the treaty reduced the acreage to approximately 2,000,000 acres and is known today as the Wind River Indian Reservation. In 1957, Mummy Cave was rediscovered by a resident on the north side of the North Fork Shoshone River. Routes 14/16/20,15 mi east of Yellowstone National Park, subsequent archeological excavations in the 1960s produced evidence that the cave had been occupied for over 9,000 years. The oldest deposits in the cave yielded prismatic stone blades and other created by paleoindians
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Caribou-Targhee National Forest
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Caribou-Targhee National Forest is located in the states of Idaho and Wyoming, with a small section in Utah in the United States. The forest is broken into separate sections and extends over 2.63 million acres. To the east the forest borders Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, most of the forest is a part of the 20-million-acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Caribou and Targhee National Forests were combined from original forest lands created in 1891, two designated wilderness areas are located in the easternmost sections of the forest, bordering on National Park lands. The 123, 451-acre Jedediah Smith Wilderness is adjacent to Grand Teton National Park on the slope of the Teton Range. Known for karst limestone formations, the wilderness has many caves and provides excellent views of the often seen west face of the Teton peaks. The smaller 10, 715-acre Winegar Hole Wilderness borders Yellowstone National Park and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway, and was set aside primarily to protect prime grizzly bear habitat. While western sections of the forest have a mixture of sagebrush and grasses, the elevations in the east support lodgepole pine. In addition to grizzlies most of the major megafauna associated with Yellowstone National Park can be found in Caribou-Targhee National Forest. Mammalian species of bear, wolf, elk, moose, mule deer, bison, cougar. An active peregrine falcon recovery program was begun to return this bird species to some of their ancestral range, cutthroat trout, brook trout and pike are found in the streams and lakes and the forest is considered one of the best fishing areas in the world for cutthroat trout. Dozens of campgrounds and 1,600 miles of trails allow access to much of the forest, there are two trails that access the high altitude Alaska Basin immediately west of the main Teton Range peaks and allow access to trails in Grand Teton National Park. Caribou National Forest, the smaller and more southerly of the two, is located in southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and northern Utah, and has an area of 987,221 acres. There are local district offices located in Malad City, Montpelier, Pocatello. The larger and more northerly Targhee National Forest is located in eastern Idaho and northwestern Wyoming, there are local ranger district offices located in Ashton, Driggs, Dubois, and Island Park in Idaho. In Island Park is Big Springs, a spring that is the source of the South Fork of Henrys Fork. Linkage of limited habitat, through ecological corridors, is the current, most favored, many such corridors have been identified where wildlife conservation is a concern. The montane nature of the Caribou National Forest and its juxtaposition make it an important, fragile
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