Wyoming History

150 years ago today, on December 10, 1869, legislators in the newly founded Wyoming Territory approved a bill granting women the right to vote. Voting rights were one of many historic milestones for women in what would later become the "Equality State".

December 5, 1944, a Japanese balloon bomb landed just outside of Thermopolis, Wyoming. Around 6:15 p.m., four coal miners heard a whistling noise overhead, followed by an explosion that sent flames parachuting across the night sky.

Park tells the story of Frank Emi, a second-generation Japanese American who was interred at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in North-Central Wyoming.

The Battle Pass Byway is one of the most scenic drives in the Cowboy State. The 11-mile stretch of WY-70 from Encampment to Slaughterhouse Gulch may also be the most haunted road in Wyoming.

September 6, 1887, the University of Wyoming officially opened, welcoming 42 students and five faculty members.

August 1, 1985, a tragic flash flood in Cheyenne claimed 12 lives and caused over $60 million in property damage.

141 years ago today, on July 29, 1878, Thomas Edison attempted to photograph a total solar eclipse in Rawlins. According to legend, Edison's trip to Wyoming later played an important role in the invention of the light bulb.

In "The Girl Guards of Wyoming: The Lost Women's Militia", Cheyenne author and historian Dan Lyon recounts the legendary tale of Company K, the first all-female military troop in American history.

The Capitol was originally built in 1887 for $150,000, the modern-day equivalent of $4 million. The cost to renovate just the Capitol building was $116 million in 2017.

It took Wyoming nearly 30 years after becoming a state until it adopted a state flag. Today one of the original flags hangs with pride in this museum in Buffalo.