Towns in Fremont County - Past and Present

Fremont County Home Page

Alta

see Hudson

Anderson

Discontinued post office named for Laura Anderson

Arapaho

The post office was established in 1880 by Indian Service and named for the tribe of John Burnet who served as the postmaster. Arapaho is also a train station.

Atlantic City

Atlantic City was founded in 1868 by gold miners from South Pass City.   In the 1870's, Atlantic City's population was more than 2,000.  At that time, it had an opera house and the first beer garden and brewery in Wyoming. 

It was here that Willie's Company of Mormons perished in a blizzard in 1857.

Bonneville

The Bonneville past office and railroad station was named for Captain B. L. E. Bonneville who lead the first wagons through South Pass in 1832.

Brownsville

Discontinued post office named for James Brown

Burris

The first postmistress, a Mrs. Morrison, named this place for her first husband, not for "Dutch Charley" Burris, who was hung by vigilantes on his way to Rawlins to be tried for attempted train robbery and the murder of two deputies.

Crowheart

Dubois

Ethete

Fort Washakie

Hudson

Jeffrey City

Kinnear

Lander

Lost Cabin

Lysite

(RIVERTON RANGER-50YR-1956)

                                                LYSITE-STOCK TOWN FROM THE BEGINNING

On a small hill overlooking the town he founded and loved so well, is the grave of David Schoening, pioneer of the early days of eastern Fremont county, a man with his eyes forever toward the future.

Hoping to start a town after the Chicago Burlington and Quincy railroad started construction through that area. Mr. Schoening sent out word that he would give from his vast holdings, each woman in the surroundings territory, one lot of ground on which to build a home. He gave the railroad land for a right-of-way, he set aside land for a school house; and as people began taking advantage of his generous offers, the town of Lysite was established, in about the year 1913.

Lysite, with a population of about 75 people, was and is essentially a stockmen and ranchers town. It has for many years been the center of fall shipping activities, when cattle and sheep ranchers drive their stock in from summer ranges for the railroad journey to the markets in Omaha and points east.

In 1914 when Lysite was still an infant town, the first full-fledged passenger train made its first run through, and among its first passengers were Floyd Logan and his bride, the former Minnie Swaim, returning from their wedding in Casper.

That same year Sidney Willoughby decided Lysite was a good location for his hotel business, so the attempt was made to move the old Willoughby Hotel from Lost Cabin to the new town. Troubles arose when the whole building collapsed as they crossed Badwater Creek at the site of Old Lost Cabin. It took a lot to daunt those hardy pioneers; Mr. Willoughby razed the remains, and used the lumber over again in the new establishment in Lysite, where it stood in active use for many years.

Among the earliest residents of Lysite are some who still live there; Mrs. Ed Knapp, a niece of Mr. Schoening, whose husband owned a large sheep outfit for many years; Mrs. Frank Philip, whose husband also was a sheep rancher; Mr. and Mrs. W. I. Lewis, Frank Pfaff, Mr. and Mrs. Don Robson, Floyd and Belle Root Logan.

In Lost Cabin and nearby communities are others; Mr. and Mrs. Frank Rate, Douglas Fuller, Sr., Leonard and Myrtle Bader Lybyer; some members of the family of William Ramage, long time stock raiser; Harold Day, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Day; Mrs. Edna Woolf Allen; the William Hendry family; Harry Gourley; names of many of these people will go down as makers of history.

Moneta

Morton

Pavillion

Riverton

Shoshoni

South Pass City

Three Crossings

Wind River Indian Reservation

The Wind River Indian Reservation is the only Indian reservation in Wyoming.  The headquarters are at Fort Washakie.  The land was allotted to Shoshones by the treaty of 1868, signed at Fort Bridger.  The government bargained with Chief Washakie to get him and his Indians out of Bridger Valley so the railroad could come through.

In 1878 the United States government broke this treaty with a faithful and friendly Indian, Chief Washakie, and moved Arapaho onto the Shoshone Indian reservation.   These two tribes were traditional enemies and neither tribe was happy about the situation.  Washakie gave his consent for the Arapaho to stay the winter of 1878-79 only but the government never moved them off.   Eventually the Shoshones brought suit against the government for giving their land away and received more than $4,000,000 in damages.

In 1896, a section of the reservation (55,000 acres) was ceded by the Shoshones to the government.  This tract included the Thermopolis and Hot Springs area and the land of the Riverton Project.  The reservation now contains about 2,000,000 acres.  More than 2,000 Arapaho live on the eastern part and more than 1,500 Shoshone live on the western part.

More about:

Sacagawea

Go to the Wind River Project - Part of the USGenWeb project.

Bad Medicine Butte

Diamond G Ranch, Fort Augur, Ft. Thompson, Ft. Stambaugh

 Do you have information you'd like to share?  Or would you like to help us?  Please volunteer to help the WYGenWeb Project.

The WyGenWeb Project
Colleen Pustola, State Coordinator
Billie Walsh, Assistant State Coordinator
Rebecca Maloney, Assistant State Coordinator

AVAILABLE – County Coordinator

Being a County or State Administrator is fun and rewarding. If you have an interest in the history of Wyoming and the genealogy of it's residents please consider it. If you think "there is no way I can do this" there are many people ready, willing and able to help you. It's not near as difficult as you might think.
©2010 - Present All Rights Reserved