A Few of FR's Finest...Every Day...03-30-04...Wyoming ~ Like No Place On Earth

Mama_Bear

[Mama_Bear]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997. Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Mama_Bear, dansangel, dutchess, Aquamarine ~

Please join us as we make a cyber-visit to another great state in this Union of ours.

Over the past several months each "Finest" hostess has profiled her home state and I will be presenting the other states in random order. Please FReepMail me if you would like to participate in spotlighting your state. I would love to have your input on what you would like to see highlighted.

Today we are visiting the beautiful state of Wyoming. Saddle up and come on along.

These are the states we have presented to date:

05-23-03 Alabama 06-27-03 Maryland 07-11-03 Vermont 07-25-03 Utah 08-05-03 Texas 08-22-03 Nevada 08-26-03 Wash DC 09-05-03 Tennessee 09-17-03 Florida 09-19-03 Minnesota

10-03-03 New Mexico 10-14-03 Georgia 10-17-03 Louisiana 10-22-03 Michigan 11-04-03 South Dakota 11-14-03 California 01-09-04 South Carolina 02-06-04 West Virginia 02-20-04 Oregon 03-09-04 Pennsylvania

The "Equality State",
The "Cowboy State"

Since long before the area known as Wyoming became a state in 1890, civilization has been using the Southern corridor of this state for transportation, creating a rich heritage to be shared with visitors.

From dinosaur tracks to wagon tracks to railroad tracks to modern interstate highways, join us for a tour of an area rich in history called "the corridor".

What is the "Wyoming Corridor?"

The corridor is a significant historic transportation route containing rich resources from Wyoming's past. Prehistoric animals roamed the expanse, the mountain men explored the region and historic trails (Oregon, Overland, Mormon and Pony Express) crossed the landscape. Fossils, stage stops, railroad depots, roundhouses, seven National Register downtown areas, mining and timber camps and historic ranches all tell the story of the exploration and settlement of the state. The Old Lincoln Highway, Route 30, and today's Interstate 80 connect the resources of the auto age. Present day mines, oil fields, commercial areas, modern public facilities, and our people continue the saga.

The first tracks across Wyoming were American Indian trails connecting villages with hunting grounds. In the early 1800s, fur trappers and mountainmen refined these dim trails into a travel network between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River, then the western boundary of the United States.

In 1841, the first of the great Covered Wagon Trains ventured west along the fur trade route. Mountainman Jim Bridger built his trading post beside the wagon road in 1843. During the next 25 years some 500,000 Americans would "go westering" along the famed Oregon, California and Mormon trails.

Other tracks would follow. Members of the Cherokee Nation joined the 1849 California Gold Rush, pioneering a new route across southern Wyoming. Their Cherokee Trail would become the Overland Stagecoach Trail in the late 1850s. The Pony Express thundered its legendary track across Wyoming in 1860-61.

In 1868-69, the tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad replaced the covered wagon trails. The 2,000-mile journey to the west coast could now be made in days instead of months. In 1913, the Lincoln Highway made transcontinental automobile travel a reality along a route that would become US-30 and, finally, I-80, completing Wyoming's long and rich transportation history.

Click here for a brief account
of Wyoming's Rip-Roaring Past....
Railroads and Outlaws.

Evidence of all the old Trails can be found in Tracks Across Wyoming country. Visit historic Fort Bridger and the museums in every city or town. Or simply stop at any of the countless road-side historic sites to contemplate the wonder-filled past. Sometimes you can almost hear the rumble, shout and bawl of a distant wagon train.

Wyoming's southwestern desert country was once a vast inland sea. Lake Gosiute was the home of a great variety of fish, amphibians, birds reptiles and mammals that are now perfectly fossilized in the shale layers of the ancient sea bed. Fossil Butte National Monument west of Kemmerer explores and presents the flora and fauna of this long gone semi-tropical wonderland.

Wyoming boasts the first major find of dinosaur fossils at Como Bluff near Medicine Bow. Como Bluff bone quarries supplied dinosaur displays to most of the worlds museums during the late 1800s. New discoveries are being made every year. Visitors can experience Wyoming's Jurassic Park at the University of Wyoming Geology Museum in Laramie, the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne and at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs.

Sparsely populated Wyoming has the smallest population of any state, and almost two thirds of the residents live in urban areas.

"Wyoming" and "Cowboy" are synonymous. You can't have one without the other. Cowboys drove their great herds of cattle north along the old Texas Trail to the grass-rich prairies of eastern Wyoming in the 1860s. Flocks of sheep were not far behind, heading for the high, semi-desert country of south-central Wyoming.

Huge ranching operations were established, with land holdings measured in thousands of sections, not acres. The Swan Land and Cattle Company, headquartered in Cheyenne and Chugwater, once ran cattle from central Wyoming to west-central Nebraska. Sheep ranches prospered near Rawlins and Rock Springs. At one time, more sheep were sheared at the Wolcott pens than anywhere else in the United States.

Rodeo is Wyoming's favorite pastime. All along the corridor, communities celebrate the heritage of the cowboy with rodeos of all sizes. Leading the list is Cheyenne Frontier Days, "The Daddy of 'em All." The world's largest outdoor rodeo has been happening for ten days every July for over 100 years. You'll find smaller, "up close and personal" rodeos in places like Pine Bluffs, Laramie, Encampment, Rawlins, Rock Springs, Kemmerer and Evanston, to name a few.

America's First National Park

Long before any recorded human history in Yellowstone, a massive volcanic eruption spewed an immense volume of ash that covered all of the western U.S., much of the Midwest, northern Mexico and some areas of the eastern Pacific. The eruption dwarfed that of Mt. St. Helens in 1980 and left a caldera 30 miles wide by 45 miles long.

That climactic event occurred about 640,000 years ago, and was one of many processes that shaped Yellowstone National Park--a region once rumored to be "the place where hell bubbles up." Geothermal wonders, such as Old Faithful, are evidence of one of the world's largest active volcanoes. These spectacular features bemused and befuddled the park's earliest visitors, and helped lead to the creation of the world's first national park.

Fur trappers' fantastic tales of cauldrons of bubbling mud and roaring geysers sending steaming plumes skyward made their way back east. Several expeditions were sent to investigate, opening the West to further exploration and exploitation. In 1871, Ferdinand Hayden led an expedition that included artist Thomas Moran and photographer William H. Jackson. They brought back images that helped convince Congress that the area known as Yellowstone needed to be protected and preserved.

In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed a law declaring that Yellowstone would forever be "dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people."

Old Faithful, the most famous of all geysers, erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers, although it is not the largest or most regular geyser in the park. Its average interval between eruptions is about 91 minutes, varying from 65 - 92 minutes. An eruption lasts 1 1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700 - 8,400 gallons (14,000 - 32,000 liters) of boiling water, and reaches heights of 106 - 184 feet (30 - 55m).

The largest active geyser in the world is Steamboat Geyser in the Norris Geyser Basin.

Old Faithful WebCam

Other Interesting Wyoming Links

Wyoming Ghost Towns
Ridin', Ropin', Ranchin' Cowboy School
Wyoming Pony Express Stations



And lastly, a few important
facts about our featured state....

Wyoming is known as the "Equality State" because of the rights women have traditionally enjoyed there. Wyoming women were the first in the nation to vote, serve on juries and hold public office.

In 1869, Wyoming's territorial legislature became the first government in the world to grant "female suffrage" by enacting a bill granting Wyoming women the right to vote. The act was signed into law on December 10 of that year by Governor A.J. Campbell.

Capital. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cheyenne
Nickname. . . . . Big Wyoming, Equality State, Cowboy State
Motto. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ."Equal Rights"
Admitted To Union. . . . . . . . . . . . July 10, 1890-44th State
Size. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97,914 square miles, 9th largest state
Highest Point. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gannett Peak, 13,804 feet
Lowest Point. . . . . . . . . . . . .3,100 feet Belle Fourche River
Average Annual Precipitation. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14.5 inches
Population (2000 Census). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493,782



The following websites provided information
and graphics for this presentation...

Tracks Across Wyoming
United States Resources: Wyoming
Wyoming, General Information

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 03-29-04...Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' The guy's good, folks!

Thanks, Mixer!

1) Click on the graphic to open the Calendar.
2) Once there you can click on any month and even click to the right to go into next year. Once you are in the month that you joined FR you will need to click on the number in the calendar and then an add item screen will come up.
3) In the next box enter your name in the "Calendar Text" field and then click on submit.
4) If any of the screens fail to load simply click on refresh in your browser and that will usually fix it.
5) If all else fails or simply if you want me to do this for you send me a FReepmail and I will gladly do it for you. ~Mixer

[Diver Dave]

Beautiful presentation, Mama Bear.
Those folks in Wyoming have a lot to be proud of - ooops, there I go again ending a sentence with a preposition but I fixed it with a run-on sentence. :)

[LadyX]

I suppose I should do like my hero, T Man, and accord you some 'kind' words in my reply - but I cannot, missy!

You tossed down the gauntlet with these words:

"It would be fair to say that The Thin Man has expended more calories reading your various posts -- not that we don't love them, mind you -- then he would in this pancake line.

"Hee hee hee. Ball's in your court."

Firstly, thou tosseth the ball like a - well - damsel?! (hehehe)
rather than like a hand grenade, as I shall..:))

Secondly, my words do not cause his hackles to rise defensively, not dreading what I am going to say, and therefore it does not unduly drain him.

I, with the fair warning, know he would have ceased reading at that point and not gone to the links in question. He thus was not debilitated, as was your obvious intention.

**LadyX dusts off hands and resumes a dignified pose**

(This gif's for you, TC..:))

[TexasCowboy]

"(This gif's for you, TC..:))"

I grabbed it!
Thank you!

[Billie]

Smart aleck!
mean
'devious'

Am NOT!

Congratulations, Louie! You finally see the real Billie. LOL!

Oh, pfffffft! :)

[LadyX]

While we always know your threads are going to be wonderful,
, you always manage to exceed our expectations - -

Your graphics are always so - well - Right On !!

[ST.LOUIE1]

Smart aleck!
mean
'devious'

Congratulations, Louie! You finally see the real Billie. LOL!

Uh.....I retract those statements.

She threatened to take a baseball bat to my good knee if I didn't. : (

[ST.LOUIE1]

Soon I'll be able to post to you and the others in the evenings from my new computer!

GRRRRRREAT!!!! : )

(((((((Pip))))))))

[Mama_Bear]

Good afternoon, and thank you, thank you for this wonderful thread!

You're welcome. I enjoy presenting the states. I particularly like learning about the history of an area. I would love to go and explore all of the states I have presented.

Thank you for coming by and participating in our salute to Wyoming. :-)

[ST.LOUIE1]

Oh, pfffffft! :)

She has a bad temper too. LOL

[Mama_Bear]

they served over 10,000 people a free pancake breakfast within two hours.

That is an amazing amount of pancakes!

I went to the website that you linked. Sounds like a great time. I love rodeos. I think we might just plan a vacation around the Cheyenne Pionier Days, maybe next year.

[ST.LOUIE1]

Good evening, lovely Ladies. : )

[Mama_Bear]

Maybe a family member or friend that knows a bit about computers can help ya figure out which driver is driving ya round and round ?

My husband fiddled with it, but isn't able to fix it. My son could probably have it fixed in no time, but he is a couple hours away. Anyway, I have a computer tech guy who I can probably get to come over tomorrow and troubleshoot this problem.

My computer was fine this morning. No crashes at all. I actually thought maybe it had repaired itself, but since I have come back from lunch I have crashed 5 times. So exasperating!

[dutchess]

Hi Lori, finest sistahs and friends. Still here Lori????? Am FINALLY getting a break but Mr. D. reminded me we have a banquet to go to tonight.... Was looking forward to a fun evening of freeping at the finest :o(

Anyway, looks like you all have been having fun today. Brotha Wolfie....what's this obsession with your knee????? Have to stop back and "read all about it". Anyway have missed you brotha AND your hugs

((((((((WOLFIE))))))))

Aqua...will freepmail you in a minute and I WILL GET TO WORK TOMORROW!

[Mama_Bear]

Cheyenne is over a thousand feet higher in altitude than Denver. This meant several things - one was that a three martini man at sea level, suddenly became a one martini man upon arrival there. This was a source of great mirth for the nurses assigned to the hospital at FEW AFB, as they drank these new arrivals under the table at the club on base.

LOL!! That's funny.

Frontier Days, as noted by other posters, is a real hoot. It must be seen to be believed.

I fully intend to plan a trip to Wyoming during Frontier Days. I want to see that "Daddy of 'em all" rodeo. :-)

Your post made me smile. Thanks for sharing your recollections and helping us celebrate Wyoming.

[Mama_Bear]

Still here Lori?????

I am for now, but I never know when my computer is going to decide to reboot on me. Grrrrrrr....I am trying to keep smiling, but it isn't easy.

Enjoy your banquet this evening. :-)

[Mama_Bear]

We have been to Yellowstone a couple of times. Also FriendAnn and I attended a football game in Laramie a few years ago. The day after the game we drove to Cheyenne. Wyoming is beautiful.

It sure looks like it is. All I can remember seeing is the Grand Tetons (from a car window) and Old Faithful. I sure would like to go there for their Pionier Days. Sounds like lots of fun.

Thanks, Amy. I always appreciate when you stop by over here, I know how busy you are at Amy's Place.

[Mama_Bear]

Beautiful page as usual.

Thank you. ((((((((jk)))))))))

I know that you did an especially good job knowing that Dad was from Wyoming. :-)

Yes, I did. I know your dad was proud of being from Wyoming.

[Mama_Bear]

Beautiful presentation, Mama Bear.

Thank you, Dave.

Those folks in Wyoming have a lot to be proud of - ooops, there I go again ending a sentence with a preposition but I fixed it with a run-on sentence. :)

LOL!! That always works. Run-on sentences disguise many a grammatical error.........but it doesn't matter anyway. We have no grammar or spelling cops around these parts....thank goodness!

[Mama_Bear]

While we always know your threads are going to be wonderful, you always manage to exceed our expectations - -

What a sweet thing to say! You make me smile.

[MeekOneGOP]

Oh, jeepers ! I'm sorry. What a bummer. I've been there.
Computer problems are so exasperating alright.

I hope you can get it fixed soon.