ON THIS DAY: Wyoming Became the 44th State of the Union

On July 10, 1890, President Harrison signed the Statehood Bill to make Wyoming the 44th state admitted to the Union.

That makes the Equality State 133 today. Happy Birthday, Wyoming.

The U.S. acquired parts of the the land in three movements: the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, a treaty with Great Britain in 1846, and territory ceded by Mexico in 1848.

Wyoming was organized from pieces of the Dakotas, Idaho, and Utah on July 25, 1868, with generally the same square shape it has today.

Census data from 1920 figures the population of Wyoming was about 194,402--a 33% increase from 1910.

The earliest Census state-wide was taken in 1900.

You can see that from 1890 to 1920, Casper grew an astonishing 333.8% !

Nowhere else in Wyoming saw that kind of growth after the turn of the century during those first few decades.

In a 1918 publication on the state, editor I.S. Bartlett begins, writing:

"The History of Wyoming, in all its details and phases, presents a story of gripping human interest. Sixty years ago great herds of antelope and buffalo roamed over the plains, elk and deer by thousands found shelter in the foothills and mountain ranges, while predatory animals, such as timber wolves, bears and mountain lions, held undisputed possession of the forests.

"The soil was then untouched by the plow of the husbandman, the groves and forests had not yet echoed the sound of the woodman's ax, the rich treasures of coal and ore had not felt the stroke of the miner's pick...

"Then came the cry of the 'Westward Ho!' and the spirit of Wyoming's dream was changed. Brawny, red-blooded men came flocking in from the older states and began a work of development unparalleled in the nation's history."