Wyoming became a Territory by an Act of Congress on July 25, 1868. The territorial government formally began on May 19, 1869. The first territorial governor was John A. Campbell. He wasn't elected, but was appointed by President Ulysses S. Grant.

The people who lived in Wyoming Territory started talking about becoming a State that same year. But it wasn't until 1888 when the Territorial Assembly sent Congress a petition for admission into the Union. Bills were introduced in the Senate and the House of Representatives, but did not pass.

Governor Francis E. Warren and others decided to continue as if the bills had passed. On July 8, 1889, Wyoming Territory held an election of delegates to Wyoming's one and only Constitutional Convention. Forty-nine men gathered in Cheyenne during September, 1889, and wrote the constitution. The voters approved the document November 5, 1889, by a vote of 6,272 to 1,923.

READ THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF WYOMING

U.S. Senators and Representatives both introduced bills for Wyoming statehood in December, 1889. The House passed the bill March 27, 1890. President Benjamin Harrison signed Wyoming's statehood bill, and made Wyoming the 44th state. Back to the Facts Page

The cornerstone of the Wyoming State Capitol was laid in Cheyenne on May 18, 1887. It cost $389,569.13 to build.

The building is three and one-half stories tall, about 300 feet long by 83 to 112 feet wide. The height is about 60 feet, but the top of the spire on the dome is 146 feet. The basic material used for building is sandstone quarried at Fort Collins, Colorado, and gray sandstone from quarries at Rawlins, Wyoming.

The Wyoming State Capitol Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in January of 1973. Back to the Facts Page

Dr. Aven Nelson, a University of Wyoming botanist, wanted a state flower that was common and could be grown in flower gardens. He said either the gentian or the columbine should be adopted.

Around 1900, Wyoming school children were asked what flower they would like as the Wyoming state flower. They agreed with Dr. Nelson, and the fringed gentian became Wyoming’s unofficial state flower.

The Wyoming chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution wanted the Indian paintbrush as Wyoming’s state flower. Dr. Grace R. Hebard wrote the state flower bill and found a legislator to sponsor it.

Dr. Hebard hired a New York artist to paint the Indian paintbrush, so that legislators would know what it looks like. The Indian paintbrush was adopted on January 31, 1917, and Dr. Hebard presented the painting to the state.

Dr. Nelson objected to the paintbrush in the Wyoming School Journal in 1917. Although Indian paintbrushes are common in parts of Wyoming, they are not found all over the state. Dr. Nelson said there were many kinds of paintbrushes, and only an expert could tell them apart.

But the legislature thought that the Indian paintbrush was so beautiful, that they adopted it anyway, and Wyoming’s state flower became the Indian paintbrush. Back to the Facts Page

Lewis and Clark first saw this bird on their journey to the West, and wrote on the 21st June, 1805, "There is also a species of Lark, much resembling the bird called the Old Field Lark, with a yellow breast and a black spot on the croup... The beak, too, is somewhat larger and more curved, and the notes differ considerably."

The meadowlark is eight to nine inches high and perches on tall shrubs, fence posts or power lines. i They lay their eggs in nests built on the ground in grassy areas. The dome-shaped nest is completely hidden in tall grass. A family of 5 or 6 babies may be raised in early spring. Meadowlarks feed primarily on caterpillars, grasshoppers and cutworms. Back to the Facts Page

The Wyoming State Flag was designed by Miss Verna Keays of Buffalo.

In 1916, Wyoming did not have an official state flag. Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard suggested to the Daughters of the American Revolution that a flag should be designed for the state. A competition for the design of an official Wyoming state flag was announced, with prize of $20.00.

The competition was noticed by Wilbur Parke Keays and he suggested to his daughter Verna that she submit a design. Verna had studied Design and Decoration at the Art Institute of Chicago.

One night Verna awakened from a sound sleep and a design for the state flag came to her. The next morning Verna recreated the design that had come to her in the night.

Several days after Verna submitted her design, Dr. Hebard called her from Sheridan to inform her that her design had been awarded first place from among the thirty-seven entries. Verna was invited to Sheridan to speak and accept her $20.00 prize.

The original design of the Wyoming flag had the bison facing away from the flagpole, but the design was changed since the bison face into the wind.

The flag has a deep blue field surrounded by white and red borders. A white bison dominates the flag; it has the state seal in the center, representing the custom of branding.. The colors of the State Flag are the same as those of the National Flag. The red border represents the Indian; also the blood of the pioneers who gave their lives reclaiming the soil. White is the emblem of purity and uprightness over Wyoming. Blue, the color of the sky and mountains, is symbolic of fidelity, justice and virility. Back to the Facts Page

The draped figure in the center holds a staff from which flows a banner bearing the words, "Equal Rights," and symbolizes the political status women have always enjoyed in Wyoming. Wyoming was the first state in which women had the right to vote and hold public office. The words "Livestock", "Mines", "Grains," and "Oil" are on two columns that are on either side of the woman; they represent Wyoming's agricultural and mineral wealth. A shield (with stripes and a star) and an eagle are under the woman; they symbolize support for the United States. The two dates on the Great Seal, 1869 and 1890 commemorate the organization of the Territorial government and Wyoming's admission to the Union. The male figures typify the livestock and mining industries of the state. The number 44 on the five-pointed star signifies that Wyoming was the 44th state admitted to the Union. On top of the pillars rest lamps from which burn the Light of Knowledge.

Theodore Roosevelt, in his Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail, said, "From the upper branches of the cottonwood trees overhead -- whose shimmering, tremulous leaves are hardly ever quiet, but if the wind stirs at all, rustle and quiver and sigh all day long -- comes now and then the soft melancholy cooing of the mourning dove, whose voice always seems far away."

In prehistoric times millions of bison roamed the North American Continent. No one knows how many bison there were, but it has been estimated at sixty million when Columbus landed. They were the largest group of wild animals that the world has ever known.

The name buffalo is still used interchangeably with bison, but they are not the same. One of the physical differences between the buffalo and the American bison is the large shoulder hump of the bison. This hump gives the animal its rugged appearance.

Bison can grow to 6 ft tall at the shoulder, and can weigh up to a ton. They can run at speeds of up to thirty-five miles per hour. They eat grass, twigs and shrubs.

Baby bison are called calves. They are usually born in April or May, and weigh about 30 to 70 pounds. They have reddish-brown fur and do not have a hump. After a few months, the fur begins to change to brown and the hump begins to develop.

Nephrite is usually green, but it may range from sea green, gray green, celadon, lettuce green, grassy green, and spinach green. Other colors of nephrite include blue gray, reddish gray, greenish gray, yellow, and black. Wyoming Black Jade is very beautiful, and can be found in the Wind River Range.

Cutthroat trout have a greenish back with black spots. Their sides are olive to silver in color. They have a red "cut-throat" mark on their lower jaw. They can grow up to 19 inches in length, and weigh up to 5 pounds. The State Record is 15 pounds 0 ounces. They can live up to 7 years. Cutthroat trout feed on insects and small fish, and occasionally trout eggs, crustaceans, frogs, and earthworms.

Knightia is a prehistoric type of herring which lived 50 million years ago in a freshwater lake in what is now southwestern Wyoming. Why they disappeared is a bit of a mystery; all we really know is that they died very suddenly, in large groups.

Modern fish populations are known to have been killed by poisonous volcanic gases, temperature fluctuations, lack of food, and algae. Scientists speculate that one or more of these circumstances may have contributed to Knightia's extinction.

Horned toads aren't really toads at all, but lizards. But they do have very wide, flattened, toad-like bodies. Their shape and head armor has given them the nickname "hornytoad" or "horned toad."

Horned Lizards like hot, dry, sandy environments. In the fall, they hibernate by burying themselves in the sand. They come out in the spring when the weather warms.

The first few hours of daylight they find a rock and bask in the sun. As soon as their body gets warm, they go looking for food. They feed on insects, spiders, sow bugs, ticks and sometimes even butterflies. But their favorite food is ants. With a flick of their long, sticky tongue, they scoop up their dinner.

After feeding, when ground temperature becomes hot, they seek the shade of a shrub, where they spend the rest of the day. In the evening, they "dig in" for the night. They bury themselves 3 or 4 inches into the sand, and just leave the top of the head and eyes exposed.

The babies are called hatchlings. They are only about an inch long. The babies receive no care from their parents, so when they emerge, they start to hunt for food. The young are cute, with little horns on their head, and smooth skin.

They grow to about 3 or 4 inches in length.

Triceratops roamed throughout Wyoming and North America about 75 million years ago. It is named for its three large facial horns (two on the forehead and one on the nose). The horns on its forehead were up to 3 feet long. The name triceratops means literally "three-horned face." Triceratops was a plant-eating dinosaur that traveled in herds, feeding on the lush vegetation that existed at the time. The animal attained a weight of 5 to 10 tons and a length of about 30 feet.

The Triceratops was chosen as the state's official dinosaur after a contest and election by Wyoming elementary school children. It was chosen over three other candidates. Wyoming is the only state that has both a state dinosaur and a state fossil.