Big Piney, Wyoming

History

Big Piney is the oldest settlement in Sublette County. It was founded in 1879, when rancher Daniel B. Budd and his partner Hugh McKay came with a thousand head of cattle from Nevada hoping to ship them, but got caught instead in severe winter weather in the Green River Valley. The following year, Dan Budd relocated his family to what became Big Piney.

The town was named after Big Piney Creek. The creek took its name from the pine trees growing along the banks of the creek.

Cattle and oil have traditionally been the two primary industries for the area.

The Wardell Buffalo Trap, a canyon used by Native Americans to trap bison, is in the vicinity of Big Piney. Its potential archeological value led to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Historical documentaries

In 1987, actress Glenn Close, daughter of one of the town's doctors, co-produced a documentary about the vanishing cowboy of the American West, entitled, "Do You Mean There Are Still Real Cowboys?" The film focused on several generations of cattle ranching families in Big Piney. It was first shown in 1988 as part of the PBS television series "The American Experience" and was narrated by actor Robert Redford.

Big Piney was one of four international locations chosen for the 2006 documentary film Comrades in Dreams, about the impact of local movie theaters in four different cultures (North Korea, Burkina Faso, India and Wyoming).

Geography

Big Piney is located at (42.539768, −110.115350).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.45 sqmi, all land.

Climate

Sometimes known as the "Ice Box of the Nation," Big Piney has one of the coldest climates among inhabited locations in the Lower 48. Big Piney experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with long, cold, dry winters and short, warm summers. Because of the high elevation and aridity, large diurnal temperature differences are a regular feature of Big Piney's climate. Precipitation is very low and somewhat concentrated in the warmer months.

|Jan record high F = 48 |Feb record high F = 54 |Mar record high F = 64 |Apr record high F = 75 |May record high F = 84 |Jun record high F = 91 |Jul record high F = 96 |Aug record high F = 93 |Sep record high F = 89 |Oct record high F = 79 |Nov record high F = 67 |Dec record high F = 55

|Jan avg record high F = 42.2 |Feb avg record high F = 44.5 |Mar avg record high F = 54.8 |Apr avg record high F = 67.3 |May avg record high F = 76.2 |Jun avg record high F = 84.0 |Jul avg record high F = 88.3 |Aug avg record high F = 86.7 |Sep avg record high F = 81.8 |Oct avg record high F = 73.3 |Nov avg record high F = 55.7 |Dec avg record high F = 44.1 |year avg record high F = 89.0

|Jan avg record low F = -28.6 |Feb avg record low F = -23.6 |Mar avg record low F = -13.9 |Apr avg record low F = 6.5 |May avg record low F = 17.4 |Jun avg record low F = 26.5 |Jul avg record low F = 29.8 |Aug avg record low F = 24.9 |Sep avg record low F = 14.4 |Oct avg record low F = 3.7 |Nov avg record low F = -12.8 |Dec avg record low F = -25.1 |year avg record low F = -34.9

|Jan record low F = -49 |Feb record low F = -44 |Mar record low F = -32 |Apr record low F = -5 |May record low F = 0 |Jun record low F = 13 |Jul record low F = 23 |Aug record low F = 16 |Sep record low F = 5 |Oct record low F = -23 |Nov record low F = -34 |Dec record low F = -50

| Jan snow depth inch = 5 | Feb snow depth inch = 7 | Mar snow depth inch = 5 | Apr snow depth inch = 1 | May snow depth inch = 0 | Jun snow depth inch = 0 | Jul snow depth inch = 0 | Aug snow depth inch = 0 | Sep snow depth inch = 0 | Oct snow depth inch = 1 | Nov snow depth inch = 2 | Dec snow depth inch = 3 | year snow depth inch =

|access-date = August 7, 2022 WRCC (mean maxima, mean minima, average snowfall, NWS snowy days 1948–2014)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 552 people, 228 households, and 131 families residing in the town. The population density was 1226.7 PD/sqmi. There were 282 housing units at an average density of 626.7 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 92.8% White, 0.9% African American, 1.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 4.0% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.7% of the population.

There were 228 households, of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.8% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.5% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 3.17.

The median age in the town was 35.8 years. 24.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 30.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.8% were from 45 to 64; and 12.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.9% male and 45.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 408 people, 161 households, and 113 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,055.3 people per square mile (403.9/km2). There were 192 housing units at an average density of 496.6 per square mile (190.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.53% White, 0.98% Native American, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.

There were 161 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 31.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,346, and the median income for a family was $50,833. Males had a median income of $41,964 versus $18,750 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,647. About 10.2% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the town of Big Piney is provided by Sublette County School District #9. Schools serving the town include Big Piney Elementary School (grades K-5), Big Piney Middle School (grades 6–8), and Big Piney High School (grades 9–12).

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. (October 25, 2007). "US Board on Geographic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
4. (May 24, 2020). "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau.
5. "Profile for Big Piney, Wyoming, WY". ePodunk.
6. (September 2010). "Wardell Buffalo Trap". Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office.
7. {{NRISref. 2009a
8. "Sundance Channel | Comrades in Dreams".
9. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
11. "Big Piney Page".
12. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
13. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
14. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Sublette County, WY". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].