Katelyn Moorman – Staff Writer
Film cameos, world records, and odd laws—weird facts about Wyoming.
From Nate Pedersen’s article, “The State of Absaroka,” in The South Dakota Magazine: In 1939, some citizens in northern Wyoming attempted to join sections of Montana and South Dakota to form a new state. “Absaroka,” as they planned to call it, would have Sheridan, Wyoming as their capital. New license plates were designed, and a “Miss Absaroka” was named before their plans to form a new state failed.
Wyoming, known for being the “Equality State,” elected the first female governor in the history of the United States. According to the Center for American Women and Politics, Nellie T. Ross was elected after her husband died in office. She continues to be the only female governor in Wyoming’s history. Ross was the 14th governor from 1925 to 1927. After holding office in Wyoming, Ross was appointed as the director of the United States Mint under Franklin D. Roosevelt.
According to the Louisa Ann Swain Foundation, Louisa Ann Swain was the first woman to cast a vote in a general election in both Wyoming and the United States. Swain was walking downtown to purchase yeast when she passed the polling place and decided to cast her ballot. She was 69 years old when she cast her ballot on September 6, 1870.
Film facts:
Wyoming has appeared in numerous films, one of the most notable being Rocky IV. A training scene that was meant to be Russia was filmed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Part of Dances with Wolves was also shot in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Another notable film features Devil’s Tower, a national monument in Wyoming. Shortly after Close Encounters of the Third Kind debuted in 1977, movie buffs flocked to Wyoming to see Devil’s Tower in person. Flicka, a 2006 coming-of-age film, was filmed in Sheridan, Wyoming (source: https://www.travelwyoming.com/article/beyond-western-6-movies-filmed-wyoming).
Facts about the University of Wyoming:
The Cowboy Country Swing Club, a student organization at the University of Wyoming, gained national attention in April 2015. They organized a swing dance that consisted of 1,184 participants. They hold a Guinness World Record for this achievement. The University of Wyoming opened in 1886 and Wyoming became a state in 1890, which means that the University of Wyoming is older than the state of Wyoming (source: https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-swing-dance).
Facts about nature and Wyoming:
Yellowstone National Park, of which the majority is located in Wyoming, contains more geysers than anywhere else on Earth. Yellowstone also has 1,000-3,000 earthquakes annually, and the tallest waterfall near a road (source: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/parkfacts.htm). Wyoming, despite being a land-locked state, has 32 named islands according to Steve Cooper of JackFM. In Wyoming, it is illegal to take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit. It’s also illegal to wear a hat that obstructs people’s view in a public theater or place of amusement (source: http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/wyoming).
State statistics facts:
According to State Symbols USA, Wyoming is one of six states that have an official state dinosaur, which is the triceratops. Wyoming is also one of three states whose names begin with two consonants. Because of Wyoming’s small population, Wyoming was the most represented state per capita in the 2012 London Olympics with two athletes from Wyoming. And, unsurprisingly, for every 1,000 residents, there are 195.7 guns in the state (source: https://thefactfile.org/wyoming-facts/).
