We begin our tour of Wyoming’s 23 counties in Laramie County, in the southeast corner of the state. This is the route that we’ll be taking.
The county was named for Jacques La Ramee, a French-Canadian fur trader.
Laramie County has existed since 1867, when it was part of the Dakota Territory. Seven other counties were eventually formed from Laramie County; it has had its present borders since 1911.
Laramie County’s population in the 2010 census was 91,738 – the largest in Wyoming. The county seat, Cheyenne (pop. 59,466), is the largest city in the state.
Cheyenne is, of course, also the capital of Wyoming.
Cheyenne’s old Union Pacific Depot (1887) is now the Depot Museum.
Cheyenne Frontier Days, held every summer since 1897, is one of the largest rodeo events in the world.
The Historic Governors’ Mansion was the home of Wyoming’s governors from 1905 to 1976.
St. Mary’s Cathedral dates from 1906.
Sportscaster Curt Cowdy (1919-2006) grew up in Cheyenne. As a high school basketball player, he led the state in scoring.
The town of Pine Bluffs (pop. 1,129), east of Cheyenne, has a 30-foot statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary (built in 1998) along Interstate 80.
NEXT: GOSHEN COUNTY