The backbone of the North American continent, the Continental Divide, or Crest of the Rockies, weaves across Wyoming. It was a challenge for hundreds of thousands of pioneers from the East. In 1850 alone some 50,000 emigrants trekked through the wide open spaces of Wyoming on their way to the fertile land on the other side of the Great Divide. Most of the historic traces to the Pacific coast, including the Oregon, Mormon, Overland, and Bozeman trails, passed through the region. The mail route of the legendary Pony Express crossed the territory in 1860-61 and helped keep California in the Union camp. The Union Pacific Railroad tracks, which linked the East and West coasts, also went through Wyoming, but few people got off the trains to stay. Among those who opened up the Wyoming frontier were fur trappers like Jim Bridger and Jedediah Smith, scouts like Jim Baker and Kit Carson, and explorers like John Bozeman and John C. Fremont.
The first area in the country to be set aside from commercial exploitation was Yellowstone National Park, most of which lies within the Wyoming rectangle. The park was created in 1872, when Wyoming was still a territory. The natural grandeur of the 44th state in the Union was further recognized in 1906 with the designation of the first national monument in the United States. Devils Tower is an immense lava outcropping near the Belle Fourche River in the northeastern corner of Wyoming. Another national monument, in the southwest, Fossil Butte preserves one of the world's largest fossil fish beds in rocks laid down some 60 million years ago.
Although Wyoming has long been associated with livestock, mineral resources play a more important part in the state's economy. The revenue from oil is almost triple that from livestock production. Most of Wyoming's small industrial work force is employed in oil refineries. The state also has large coal reserves and ample supplies of iron ore, silver, and copper. Uranium production has steadily risen in value.
Dedication to women's rights is reflected in Wyoming's nickname, the Equality State. The Cowboy State, the Sagebrush State, and the Big Wyoming State are other nicknames. Reportedly the territory was almost called Cheyenne, the name given to the first large settlement (named for one of the Native American tribes that lived in the area). Instead the territory was named for the Wyoming Valley of northeastern Pennsylvania, where other Native Americans in the region had formerly lived. The original term comes from a Delaware Indian word meaning large plains or large meadows.
The Equality State lies about midway between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. Here the Great Plains of the West merge with the towering Rocky Mountains. The massive Rockies sweep across Wyoming from northwest to southeast and reach their greatest width in this state. As a result of this, Wyoming composes a vast upland, with an average elevation of about 6,700 feet (2,040 meters)--higher than that of any other state except Colorado. Wyoming is bounded on the north and northwest by Montana. To the west is Idaho. Utah lies to the southwest and Colorado to the south. Wyoming's eastern neighbors are Nebraska and South Dakota. The rectangular state is bounded by two meridians, 104o and 111o W longitude, and two parallels, 41o and 45o N latitude. Its greatest length, from east to west, is 367 miles (591 kilometers). From north to south its greatest width is 278 miles (447 kilometers). The total area is 97,809 square miles (253,324 square kilometers), including 820 square miles (2,124 square kilometers) of inland water surface.
