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Area,

WYOMING.

Population in 1870,

about 88,000 Square Miles.
9,118

THE Territory of Wyoming lies between 41° and 45° N. latitude, and between 104° and 112° W. longitude. Its extreme length, from east to west, is about 390 miles, and its breadth, from north to south, about 275 miles. It is bounded on the north by Montana, on the east by Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado and Utah, and on the west by Utah, Idaho, and Montana.

A large part of the Territory is mountainous. The Rocky Mountains cross the western part from northwest to southeast. The Rattlesnake and Big Horn Mountains occupy a considerable part of the northern and western parts, and the Black Hills lie along the eastern border and extend into Dakota.

The principal river is the North Fork of the Platte, which rises on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and pursues a generally eastward course into Nebraska. The Gallatin Fork of the Missouri, the Yellowstone and its tributaries, and the Little Missouri, take their rise in the northern part of the Territory, and the northeastern portion is drained by the headwaters of the Shyenne and its branches.

Much of the land of Wyoming is suited to cultivation. Other sections, however, suffer from a scarcity of water. The whole Territory is well supplied with timber, and in the southern portion the supply is inexhaustible. The pine, spruce, hemlock, and cedar, are the principal trees. The Territory offers superior advantages for stock raising, the prairies being covered with a spontaneous growth of an excellent and nutritious grass.

The climate is healthful and delightful. The winters are mild and

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open, and in many parts, from November to April, the cattle can be kept without shelter, and find excellent food in the standing grass of the prairies.

Gold has been found in considerable quantities within 25 miles of the Pacific Railway. Immense beds of iron and coal have been discovered within a short distance of the same road. Lead and copper are also found in some portions of the Territory, and others contain valuable oil wells, while lime and gypsum are abundant. It is believed that in the course of a few years Wyoming will be one of the principal mining regions of the country. The Pacific Railway offers unusual facilities for prompt communication with the Eastern markets.

The country south of the North Fork of the Platte is the only part settled as yet. The Pacific Railway passes almost through the centre of this portion, and is doing much towards improving and settling it.

The government is similar to that of the other Territories. In Wyoming women possess the right of suffrage, and the right to sit on juries. A grand jury, consisting of men and women, was empanelled at Laramie City on the 7th of March, 1870. Women also have the right to hold office. At the Territorial election of September 7, 1870, the women very generally voted. Women were nomi

nated by the Republican party at Cheyenne for the offices of county clerk and school superintendent, but were defeated with the rest of the local ticket.

The Territory of Wyoming was organized on the 25th of July, 1868, out of portions of Dakota, Idaho, and Utah, the larger part consisting of the western portion of Dakota.

CHEYENNE, the capital, and largest and most important town in the Territory, has now a population of from 3000 to 5000. Much of it is "floating," and the population of the place varies more than that of most mining towns. It is situated on the Union Pacific Railway, 516 miles from Omaha, and is a place of considerable trade. Two newspapers are published here. "The first stake was driven at Cheyenne on the 13th of July, 1867, and in one month there was a town of 8000 inhabitants on the spot. These were, however, made up in a large measure of adventurers and disreputable characters. No sooner was a new station of the Pacific Railway established at Laramie than a large part of this population departed from Cheyenne, but the more respectable portion remained, and a permanent city has been founded."

THE END.

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