WYOMING 



6369 



WYOMING 



form the group in the northwest, in the midst 

 of which lie Yellowstone Lake and Yellowstone 

 National Park. This region of scenic grandeur, 

 with its snowy peaks, waterfalls and great for- 

 ests, is described in detail in the article YEL- 

 LOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. 



The Medicine Bow, Laramie, Seminole, Rat- 

 tlesnake, Sheep and Snow ranges form the 

 southeastern group; the Black Hills enter the 

 northeastern section from South Dakota; the 

 Bighorn Mountains extend into the central 

 part of the state from the north, and the Salt 

 River Range lies on the west. The loftiest 

 mountain is Fremont Peak, whose snow- 

 crowned summit rises to a height of 13,790 

 feet. It is in the Wind River Range, a de- 

 tached spur extending from northwest to south- 

 east across the western part of the state. 



The Great Divide enters the south-central 

 part of the state and forms a broad pass be- 

 tween the Northern and Southern Rockies, 

 through which lay the route of the old Oregon 

 Trail. The Red Desert, an arid region in 

 whose salty soil only greasewood and salt sage 

 will grow, lies near the southern boundary. 



Rivers and Lakes. Many of the head 

 streams of three great river systems of the 

 United States the Mississippi, the Columbia 

 and the Colorado rise in the lofty mountains 

 of Wyoming. The northern part of the state 

 is drained into the Missouri River by the Yel- 

 t one and its branches, the Bighorn and the 

 Powder rivers. The North Platte, fed by the 

 Laramie and the Sweetwater rivers, and the 

 Cheyenne and the Little Missouri, all of which 

 drain the eastern part of the state, are other 

 rivers of the Mississippi system. 



The western and northwestern sections are 

 drained principally by the Snake River, which 

 rises in Shoshone Lake and cuts through the 

 Teton and Salt River mountains in a magnifi- 

 << -nt canyon. The Green River, the principal 

 head stream of the Colorado, flows through the 

 southwest corner of the state. These streams 

 have carved splendid canyons in the moun- 

 tains, and they descend over rocky precipices 

 in magnificent cascades. 



The largest of the beautiful mountain lakes 

 are Yellowstone, Jackson and Shoshone, all in 

 the northwestern ranges. They are surrounded 

 by forested precipices, and reflect in their clear 

 waters the snow-capped summits of the moun- 

 tain walls. 



Climate. The dry and sunny climate of 

 Wyoming is healthful and pleasant. The pe-. 

 riods of intense cold and heat which exist in 

 399 



January and July are not so keenly felt, owing 

 to the low humidity. The extreme tempera- 

 tures recorded are 116 above and 44 below 

 zero. However, these extremes are unusual; 

 the highest temperature generally does not 

 exceed 100, and the lowest is rarely more than 

 30 below zero. 



The snowfall is light, and with an annual 

 rainfall averaging but thirteen inches, Wyoming 

 is one of the most arid states in the Union. 

 Although the mountain snows and springs feed 

 many streams and support forests, irrigation is 

 necessary in all localities except along the river 

 banks. 



Agriculture. The larger part of the great ele- 

 vated plains, which are covered with nutritive 

 grasses, is occupied by sheep ranches and cat tit 

 ranges. Owing to this abundance of natural 

 pasture land, the raising of live stock is the 

 most important branch of agricultural indu 

 In 1916 the total value of the live stock in the 

 state exceeded 66,250,000, more than half of 

 which was in cattle. Horses of hardy stock are 

 raised in great numbers, and in sheep raising 

 Wyoming is one of the leading states. The 

 total number of sheep reported in 1916 was 

 4,338,000, valued at $24,293,000. Poultry raising 

 is growing in importance; between the census 

 reports of 1900 and 1910 the poultry holdings 

 increased 221 per cent in value. 



The extension of irrigation has caused con- 

 siderable growth in the stock-raising industry 

 as well as in farming, since ninety per cent of 

 the hay and forage acreage is irrigated land. 

 Ditches have been dug in all sections where 

 water is available, and they extend long dis- 

 tances from the sources of supply. In this way 

 immense tracts have been converted into till- 

 able land. Including works completed and 

 under way, the Shoshone project waters an area 

 of 149,360 acres. 



Only a little more than one-eighth of tin- 

 land area is in farms, and only about two per 

 cent of the total area is improved farm land. 

 Unreserved lands cover over 30,929,000 acres, 

 an area exceeded in only two other states 

 Nevada and Utah. The most imfx>rtant crops 

 arc hay and forage, chiefly alfalfa and wild 

 grasses, oats, wheat, potatoes, vegetables, rye 

 and barley. Corn is grown in sheltered and 

 well-irrigated sections. Apples and small fruits 

 are important crops, and plums, prunes and 

 cherries are successfully grown. 



Forests, Up to the timber line the moun- 

 tains are covered with coniferous (cone-bear- 

 ing) trees. On the mountains east and south 



