Wyoming is one of the 50 states of the United States of North America. The state is located in the Western region of the US and has a population of 568,158 (2011). The capital is Cheyenne and the standard abbreviation for the state is WY.
Wyoming is bordered to the north by the state of Montana, to the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, to the south by Colorado and to the west by Idaho and Utah.
The state is bisected by the Rocky Mountains. The highest point is the top of Gannett Peak (4,207 m). To the east is a small portion of the Black Hills, which are surrounded by the flat Great Plains.
Wyoming is three quarters of the Rocky Mountains and covers almost the entire Central Rockies, which consist of a number of large and high-lying basins enclosed by mountain ranges,
In the Wind River Range are Gannett Peak (4,207 m), Fremont Peak (4,185 m), Mount Bonneville (3,821 m), Atlantic Peak (3,884 m).
In the south and southwest of the state lies the large Sweetwater Basin. The eastern fourth part of the state of Wyoming belongs to the Great Plains
Yellowstone National Park
In the northwest of Wyoming lies the Yellowstone Plateau, with the large Yellowstone Lake at 2,373 meters.
The world-famous Yellowstone National Park, which is partly located in the states of Montana and Idaho, is home to post-volcanic phenomena such as geysers and hot springs.
Lakes and Rivers
The main river in Wyoming is the Platte. The southwestern part of the state is part of the Green River area with its tributaries. The north and east belong to the Missouri River Basin.
The largest lakes are Yellowstone Lake, Jackson Lake and the Flaming Gorge Reservoir.
Climate and Vacation
Wyoming has a continental climate. The temperature decreases with the height of the mountains.
An important tourist attraction is the many natural beauty. In the northwest of the state is the famous Yellowstone National Park. Another famous park is the Grand Teton.
North of Jackson is the National Elk Refuge. This is a reserve where thousands of Wapitis spend the winter every year.
Wyoming is home to several ski areas, and numerous trading posts, military forts, and stopping places along historic routes.
Cities Wyoming
In addition to the capital Cheyenne, there are a number of other cities in Wyoming: Casper, Laramie, Gillette, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Green River, Evanston, Riverton, Jackson.
Counties Wyoming
Wyoming is divided into 23 counties.
Pony Express National Historic Trail
The Pony Express courier service operated in America between 1860 and 1861. Its main task was to transport mail from the East Coast to the West Coast. Since there were no railroads at the time, postal lines were the only thing that connected the American coast. The principal mail company at that time was Wells, Fargo & Co., whose stagecoaches, however, could not cover the distance from east to west in less than three months.
The newly formed company Russel, Major and Waddel therefore came up with the idea of replacing stagecoaches with lone horse riders. Their advantage would be speed, which would shorten the shipping time to a few days. However, such a lone rider (even if equipped with a weapon) was an easy target for Indians or marauding bands. A rider’s weekly wage was $25, which was twice the average worker’s wage at the time.
The first rider to be sent along this route was William Richardson on April 8, 1860. However, the most famous rider of the Pony Express was William Frederic Cody, aka Buffalo Bill. The route with a total length of 3000 km led from the city of Saint Joseph in the state of Missouri, continued through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada to Sacramento, California. Each rider was provided with enough food and drink. Mail was carried in four leather bags, so-called mochilas, which were attached to the saddle. One rider usually transported about 15 kg of parcels. His duty was to ride the jet on his horse to the nearest station, where he changed his horse and continued on. The individual stations were 20 km apart.
Since the Pony Express was not supported by the state, this line was heavily loss-making. The only thing that kept her alive was the rapid delivery of breaking news to newspapers on both coasts. In 1861, however, the transcontinental telegraph was built, and therefore the Pony Express ceased operations on October 20, 1861. During its existence, 305 journeys were made here in both directions and 34,753 parcels were transported.
