Just as colorful as its history is the contemporary life with many things to see and do. Wyoming keeps visitors busy and wanting to come back for much more.

Capital: Cheyenne

Population: 453,588

Area: 97, 914

Time: Mountain Time

Geography: The state us surrounded by 6 other fairly large states. Colorado is to the south as is Utah. Idaho is directly to the west and Montana to the north. Both South Dakota and Nebraska are to the east. The state is a geological wonder having a generous proportion of mountains, valleys and plains. It is home to hundreds of geysers, mud pots, hot springs and lakes.

South Central Wyoming

Cheyenne - The "Old Cheyenne Gunfight" help almost every day during the summer months reflects more of the character of Wyoming than the casual passer by realizes. Here, the reenactment of old gunfights reveal a piece of Cheyenne and Wyoming's past that has found its way into countless western novels such as "The Virginian" and "Shane." Gunslingers aside, Cheyenne is now a very peaceful place, if you ignore the nuclear missile base outside of town. Cheyenne came into existence of land speculation and the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1867. From that time, history wove its way past many events and stories that can be recalled at the Wyoming State Museum. Equally as good is the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum which even has some old steam engines, historic photos and memorabilia devoted to Cheyenne Frontier Days which takes place every year in late July. Above all, Cheyenne, as is the rest of the state, is cowboy country.

Laramie -About an hour's drive south of Cheyenne is the unassuming town of Laramie which with its charming Victorian facades, add texture to the old west image. Of course behind the facade you'll find, bookstores, antique shops, record stores, cafes and alternative food emporiums all waiting to be discovered. The University of Wyoming is just down the street. Not far from town is the old territorial prison which is located in the Wyoming Territorial Park. One of the "guests" who served a year and a half from 1896 was Butch Cassidy for cattle rustling. Not far from Laramie begins the Medicine Bow Mountains which are quite beautiful.

Saratoga - The very quiet village of Saratoga hosts the Hebo Hot Springs which is fed by 115 F hot springs. Surrounding the town are the Snowy and Sierra Madre mountain ranges.

Southwest Wyoming

Rawlins - This is a small frontier town that is home to the Wyoming Frontier Prison. As dark and as creepy as any incarceration facility could be, this one has one ominous feature - a gas chamber. In use until 1965, the execution device was well used. Stories and anecdotes about its "short term occupants" make for fascinating listening.

Rock Springs - The town's luck dried up when the last mining boom ended in the 80s. The people here are friendly.

Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area - This is a beautiful spot in an otherwise empty area of vast acreage. The brilliant orange rocks and artificial lake make for a wonderful panorama. The area is close by to Rock Springs and the village of Green River.

Fossil Butte National Monument - Fish swimming in the prehistoric lake here did not expect to have their images intact 50 million years later. The Monument is home to countless thousands of fish fossils, well preserved in the limestone strata that can bee seen by hikers or even better by stopping by the Visitor's Center and looking at pictures and actual rock sections that were removed and brought to the center for visitors to examine up close.

Kemmerer - This pleasant little town's claim to fame is that the world's first J.C. Penny store open here in the downtown area and remains open to this day.

Casper - Casper is located where the Oregon Train crossed the Platte River. Today, reconstructed Fort Caspar (intentional spelling) sits where the old one stood in the 1860s providing some protection and a stop for settlers moving west. In the 1890s, oil became important here and still has a firm impact on the economy. The Nicolaysen Museum is rather interesting in that is located in a former power station. The museum shows off very good art works by Wyoming artists both old and new.

Wind River Indian Reservation - The reservation sits on a huge area of land in central Wyoming and is bordered in the east by Thermopolis which is a natural spring and Dubois in the west. Created for the Shoshone Indians in 1863, it soon included Northern Arapaho as well. There is an oddity at the nearby Sinks Canyon State Park. Here the Pogo Agie River disappears underground and reemerges a half mile later as a huge spring.

Dubois - (Pronounced 'doo -boys') after the last sawmill closed here in 1987, the town saw that its best hope was tourism. Given its proximity to Grand Teton National Park, it was a natural choice and a good one. The town is well organized to accommodate visitors and although it does not have a lot of touristy Activities & Interests, the town is quite pleasant and the people friendly. The one major item of interest is the National Bighorn Sheep Center short drive from town which features the fact that Dubois is home to the largest herd of bighorn sheep in the lower 48 states.

Pinedale - Once a significant logging center on the western side of the Wind River Range, Pinedale is a well heeled community of second homes and wilderness lovers. The town hosts the Museum of the Mountain Man - the name says it all. The museum shows how fur trappers in the early 1830s used the town as a meeting point. Seneca Lake is nearby and is worth a visit.

Northwest & Central Wyoming

Devil's Tower National Monument - This spot really is not a creation of Steven Spielberg. It took Mother Nature centuries to make this strange 867 ft. volcanic oddity which Congress recognized in 1906. It looks like a gigantic tree stump in the middle of nowhere hovering over the peaceful Belle Fourche River. Beginning from the Monument's Visitor's Center, four trails circle the tower. The tower is sacred to Indians and so people are strongly discouraged from climbing it.

Buffalo - This is really a pleasant town of frontier styled stores. The Jim Gatchell Museum is filled with professional paraphernalia from Indians. ranchers, soldiers and loads of old west treasures. The Visitor Center has information for the area and much of the state.

Fort Phil Kearney - This unknown and obscure fort only operated from 1866 to 1868. During its extremely short life, it was constantly under attack by the Cheyenne, Sioux and Apache who did not much like its presence. When the fort was abandoned in 1868, the overjoyed Sioux quickly destroyed it. The museum there also relates the drama of Captain William Fetterman who bragged that he and his eighty men could whip any number of Indians. Over a thousand Sioux Indians proved him quite wrong in what was to be called the Fetterman Massacre. General Custer would eight years later make the same mistake.

Sheridan - This is a pleasant Victorian styled town worth at least a quick visit.

Cody - In 1896 a group of investors convinced "Buffalo Bill" Cody to become part of the emerging development company which they were organizing. This was a very shrewd move as they knew that Cody's name would attract swarms of visitors and even homesteaders. It worked. They made their money, the town still exists, homesteaders built the city and tourists still flock here - particularly in the summer months. The town has a relaxed feeling with a nice blend of western country life. Between June and August, there is a rodeo every night with the annual Cody Stampede held on the July 4th weekend. The huge Buffalo Bill Historical Center actually is an amalgamation of several different museums which feature various Buffalo Bill Cody memorabilia including clothing, wildwest shows, guns and gifts from heads of state collected during his highly successful European performance tour. Also in the center of town is the Plains Indians Museum and the superb Whitney Gallery of Western Art.

Wapiti Valley - This is beef country and is not far from Cody and is on the way to Yellowstone. The area is filled with numerous guest ranches and lodges.

Northwest Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park - It was in 1807 that John Colter, who had been part of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, happened upon seething caldrons and exploding geysers. "Colter's Hell" began the words of ridicule that he received at such an outrageous story. But his experience was soon followed by hunters, trappers and prospectors who told stories of fantastic circumstances. It was over 60 years after Colter first set eyes on what was to become Yellowstone National Park, that Congress sent out survey teams in 1870 to access the area. In 1872 the Congress set aside Yellowstone an America's first national park. Things did not run smoothly with stagecoaches almost routinely being held up by bandits and killings of some tourists by Indians. The park is home to half of the geysers in the world.

Park Features - Geysers (Yellowstone N.P.)

Old Faithful - This is the best known and most popular geyser in the National Park. Its regular and greater frequency of eruptions than other large geysers in the park, make it the most sought after feature in Yellowstone. Approximately every 78 minutes an eruption is heralded by a soft hissing as water begins to splash over the rim. Within minutes a column of water rises from 100- 180 ft. to the delight of everyone around.

Grand Geyser - This is larger than Old Faithful but not anyway near as regular. The geyser sets off a spectacular display about twice a day for 10-20 minutes with a series of energetic bursts climbing to 200 ft.

Steamboat - The world's tallest geyser id completely unpredictable. It has often produced mind boggling performances with the boiling water reaching 300 ft into the sky. Unfortunately, these events are not common with only 10-20 ft spurts occurring a few times a day.

Echinus Geyser - Every 30-80 minutes the vinegar smelling geyser spews itself into the sky creating the world's largest acid-water geyser. Eruptions normally are 40-60 ft.

Park Features - Springs (Yellowstone N.P.)

Emerald Spring - The 25 ft deep pool has strikingly blue water which contrasts against the yellow crater for a stunning visual effect.

Mammoth Hot Springs - The hot waters of the spring bring up various dissolved minerals which leave yellows, grays, greens, browns and numerous other colors in deposits in multilevel, beautifully colored steps.

Other Features (Yellowstone N.P.)

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone - The Yellowstone Rise cuts through a piece of land forming a canyon which is over 1500 ft. deep. The course of the river produces two pretty falls. The upper falls is about 110 ft and the lower falls is over 300 ft. high.

Yellowstone Lake - This lake is frozen over half of the year with the other half overtaken by tourists in boats.

Odd Features (Yellowstone N.P.)

Big Gumper - This is a mudpot which came in to existence only in the 1970s. The great globs of smelly mud are not very pretty but is a very good performance to witness.

West Thumb Geyser Basin - Hot pools of water flow into quiet water and steam away to nothing.

Mud Volcano Area - This is the "ugliest" part of the park which smells and looks more like a hazardous chemical dump than a preserved area. The board walk runs along about a mile of bubbling pools of brown mud and by trees that have been tortured to death by steam. "Sour Lake" smells as its name suggests.

Grand Teton National Park - The Indians knew the mountain of the Teton as the "Teewnut" meaning many pinnacles. It was actually a fur trader that would eventually give it its present name. The park is simply beautiful! The best way to see it is along two routes. The Jenny Lake Scenic Loop and another which takes the traveler up Signal Mountain. Both trips offer very scenic and differing views and sights.

Jackson - The "Old West" styled boardwalks carry visitors to the delightful shops of Jackson and well over 30 galleries. In the winter months, you can get a horse drawn sleighride through a herd of 10,00 elk or in the summer witness a once an evening shootout in the town square. If you are a skier, you know how good the sport is in Jackson Hole and environs. In the summer the chair lifts are used to provide tourists with a surprising vista of the mountains and valley.

Climate

The state is cold and snow covered during the entire winter which comes early and stays late. Spring and fall are pleasant but at times a little frosty. Summers are warm and mild with occasional days when it may get hot - particularly at lower elevations. The air is simply wonderfully clean and clear!