There are legends of Spanish exploration of Wyoming, but so far they are unconfirmed by documentary evi dence. Verendrye, a French explorer, coming overland from the Saskatchewan river, may also have reached the State's borders in 1743, but the vagueness of his journals makes it impossible to determine the fact with certainty. John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition who left that body on their homeward trip and plunged back into the wilderness as a free trapper, is the first white man known definitely to have entered the State. Doubt less there were similar wanderers before him whose tales are for ever lost. Colter trapped to the east and south of Yellowstone park, and finally, in 1807, crossed that wonderland itself and brought to the world the first news of its strange phenomena. Four years later an expedition of more than 5o men, commanded by Wilson Price Hunt and bound overland to the mouth of the Columbia to begin the American fur trade in that region, entered north-eastern Wyoming, proceeded south and west around the Big Horn mountains, up the Big Horn and Wind rivers, across the divide by Sherman pass, and on by the Snake river valley into Idaho. In 1812 several of the same party, led by Robert Stuart, returned over a more southern route, discovering, it seems almost certain, the famous South pass, through which the Oregon and California trails were later to pass, and exploring for the first time the valleys of the Sweetwater and Platte rivers.
In the following years a number of free trappers and employees of the various St. Louis fur companies trapped in eastern Wyoming but not until the spring of 1824 was the continental divide again crossed, this time by Thomas Fitzpatrick, leading a detachment of William Henry Ashley's fur traders across to new grounds. Fitzpatrick is usually given the credit for the discovery of South pass, and was the first to make it known. After 1824 several hundred traders crossed it each year, the annual rendezvous of the Americans being held on the other side of the divide, either in the valley of the Green river or in Jackson's Hole. The rendezvous was a colourful frontier gathering of Indians, fur traders and company employees for the purpose of meeting the pack trains of the company and exchang ing the furs for next year's supplies. Hundreds of tents and tepees would dot the river bottoms during the frontier's one great social event. In 1834 Ft. Laramie was built by the traders at the con fluence of the Laramie and North Platte rivers in eastern Wyo ming, and it served as a centre for the fur trade until 1849 when the U.S. Government purchased it to use as a military post for the protection of emigrants.
through Wyoming began in 1842 when Fitzpatrick piloted the first train over the Oregon trail. Movements increased steadily during the next few years, and in 1847 they were swelled by the Mormon emigration which followed the Oregon trail over the pass and then branched south-west past Ft. Bridger, built by James Bridger on Black's Fork.
The first rush to California came in 1849, the "Forty-niners" following the Oregon trail through Wyoming, and branching south west after they entered Idaho. The first stage-coach line, over this route, a monthly service to Salt Lake City, started in 1851. In 1858 a daily line from Atchison to San Francisco was travelling the trail. In 186o the famous Pony Express was established. In 1861 the first telegraph line to the Pacific was constructed across Wyoming along this route.
In 1862, however, Shoshone and Sioux depredations were so constant that it became necessary to move the stage line to a southern route nearly parallel with the present Union Pacific railway. Government troops were detailed to pro tect the stage stations, emigrant trains and freighting trains.
Indian hostilities increased in 1863, 1864 and 1865 and came to a climax in 1866, known as "the bloody year on the plains." That year Government troops were constantly on the move, and there were numerous engagements in which many soldiers were lost.
In attempting to keep open the Bozeman road, a cut-off from Ft. Laramie to the gold mines of Montana, Col. Fetterman and his entire company of 8o men were surprised and massacred. War with the Sioux continued until peace was made in 1868 with their chief, Red Cloud.
The Union Pacific railway com menced to build across the State in 1867 and pushed rapidly for ward. Cheyenne and Laramie were founded at this time. In order to protect and govern new settlements along the railway the Territory of Wyoming was organized in 1868, though terri torial officials were not appointed until 5869. At the first territorial legislature, held in Cheyenne in Dec., 1869, women of Wyoming were given the right to vote at all elections. This right was confirmed by an equal suffrage clause in the State Constitution drawn up in 1889. Wyoming was the pioneer State of the United States, and perhaps of the world, to grant woman suffrage. Gold discoveries in the South pass region in 1867 and 1868 brought additional settlers to the new territory. The first land office was opened in Cheyenne in 1870 and the first homestead entry com pleted in 1871.
But Wyoming did not at first prove attractive to homesteaders except in the best valleys along the Union Pacific. Instead it was discovered that the bunch and buffalo grass of the plains made excellent feed for cattle. Not only did they fatten on it in the summer, but the thick ripe bunches, retaining all their nutritious food elements, penetrated the thin snows of the wind-swept plains, enabling the herds to live and thrive all winter without extra food or care. Also cattle could be grazed at a distance from the railroad and when ready for market transported themselves. Soon great herds were on the way north from the overstocked ranges of Texas, cowboys driving them up the "long trail" to the tune of : and other trail songs. By the late '7os the ranges of Wyoming were well stocked. Herds increased rapidly and almost without expense. Only a "home ranch" for headquarters was necessary, and the herds ranged far and wide on the public domain. Once or twice a year they were rounded up, the calves branded, and the steers for market cut out from the herd and started on the "drive." The cattle industry sprang suddenly into full bloom in Wyoming and declined almost as suddenly because the cattlemen overreached themselves. The ranges were so overstocked that there was no longer grass left for winter feeding. Thousands upon thousands of cattle perished during severe and long-continued storms of the winters of 1886, 1887 and 1888 so that many "cattle barons" were financially ruined while others were left with only a shadow of their former herds. Disease also broke out among the herds and brought down the market price to less than one-half what it had been.