826 



WYOMING. 



N. Morgan ; Treasurer, F. G. Warren ; Audit- 

 or, Jesse Knight ; Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction, John Slaughter. Supreme Court: 

 Chief -Justice, James B. Sener; Associate Jus- 

 tices, J. B. Blair and S. C. Parks. 



Resources and General Condition. The area of 

 Wyoming is nearly 100,000 square miles. Its 

 population is about 35,000, more than half of 

 whom are in the towns on the line of the Union 

 Pacific Railroad and its branches. 



.The mean elevation is 6,400 feet above the 

 sea-level. The Kooky mountains traverse the 

 territory from the northwest to the southeast 

 in irregular ranges. The air is pure, light, and 

 dry. The average rainfall is not one fourth 

 that in the Mississippi river basin ; irrigation 

 is therefore depended upon for the raising of 

 crops. The winters are open ; there are but 

 few snow-storms, and the strong winds which 

 form a feature of the climate usually clear away 

 the fallen snow in a few days. 



The precious and superior metals are found 

 widely distributed over Wyoming. The mines 

 are, however, not far developed. 



More than one fifth of the territory is cov- 

 ered with timber. 



Cheyenne, the capital, has a population that 

 is estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000. The 

 stockmen of the territory make it their head- 

 quarters, and many of them have built hand- 

 some residences in the city. 



Laramie City is the county town of Albany 

 county, and the center of trade for the Lara- 

 mie plains. Its population is about 4,000. The 

 Union Pacific Railroad operates large rolling- 

 mills in Laramie, and is now building works 

 for the preparation of soda for the market. 



Cattle. In round numbers, the statistics of 

 Wyoming's cattle business for 1883 may be put 

 down thus: Stock, 800,000 head; value, $30,- 

 000,000 ; shipments, 200,000 head ; value, $9,- 

 000,000 to $10,000,000. 



Sheep. It is safe to estimate the number of 

 sheep now in Wyoming at upward of 750,000. 

 Next to the cattle business ranks sheep hus- 

 bandry. Very little loss is sustained on ac- 

 count of disease. The dryness of the soil not 

 only prevents foot-rot, but sheep affected with 

 it when brought here are readily cured. 



Horses. Of late years many Wyoming ranch- 



men have been turning their attention to horse- 

 raising. The business can be conducted here 

 cheaply, horses being allowed to graze all the 

 year round. The number of horses assessed 

 in 1883 was 26,863. 



Miscellaneous Statistics. In the following table 

 the first column of figures represents the popu- 

 lation of Wyoming as ascertained by the census 

 of 1880. The second is the population of 1 882, 

 as estimated on a comparison of the vote cast 

 at every election precinct in 1880 and 1882: 



The number of schools in 1883 was 76; pu- 

 pils enrolled, 3,371. The assessed value of 

 property the same year was $21,566,993.50. 



At the close of business on Dec. 31, 1883, 

 on a levy of 1 mill on the dollar, the balance 

 in the hands of the treasurer was $49,782.68. 



In 1882 Morton E. Post, Democrat, was 

 elected delegate to Congress by a vote of 5,813 

 against 4,702 for his Republican opponent. 



Indians. Although there have been no hos- 

 tilities with Indians for several years in Wy- 

 oming, the settlers in the northern part of the 

 territory have been annoyed by bands of reser- 

 vation Indians roaming at large over the pub- 

 lic lands, professedly on hunting expeditions. 

 The stockmen of northern and northeastern 

 Wyoming have Indian reservations on three 

 sides of their grazing country. They assert 

 that the Indians live for protracted seasons in 

 localities where there is little or no game, and 

 that the losses to herd-owners, through having 

 their cattle killed by them for food, are increas- 

 ing every year, and are now so great that or- 

 ganized bodies of stockmen will take stringent 

 measures to check the evil if no action is taken 

 with that end in view by the Indian Bureau. 



ZFLVL1ND. See CAPS COLONY AND SOUTH 

 AFRICA. 



