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.
He disappeared while trapping in the area in 1821.
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.
The city of Laramie is in Albany County.
Cheyenne is, of course, also the capital of Wyoming.
The Capitol was built in 1886.
Cheyenne’s old Union Pacific Depot (1887) is now the Depot Museum.
Amtrak has no service to Wyoming
Cheyenne Frontier Days, held every summer since 1897, is one of the largest rodeo events in the world.
More than 200,000 people attend.
The Historic Governors’ Mansion was the home of Wyoming’s governors from 1905 to 1976.
It’s now a museum.
St. Mary’s Cathedral dates from 1906.
Built of Wyoming grey sandstone
Sportscaster Curt Cowdy (1919-2006) grew up in Cheyenne. As a high school basketball player, he led the state in scoring.
Curt Gowdy State Park is in the nearby Laramie Mountains.
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.
The largest statue in Wyoming
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