Wamsutter, Wyoming

History

The town was founded in 1868 as a vital service stop for the Union Pacific Railroad. During the construction of the Transcontinental railroad, steam locomotives required regular stops for water and coal, and Wamsutter provided an essential oasis in the water-scarce Red Desert. Initially, the settlement was named Washakie, in honor of the prominent Shoshone Chief Washakie. However, this caused significant logistical confusion for the railroad and the government, as freight intended for the nearby Fort Washakie was often misdirected to the rail stop. To resolve this, the town was renamed Wamsutter in 1884. Wamsutter was incorporated in 1914. In the latter half of the 20th century, Wamsutter’s economy shifted toward resource extraction. Natural gas was discovered in the Wamsutter Arch in 1946, with major reserves found at Desert Springs in 1958. This sparked several boom-and-bust cycles. By the early 2000s, the "Wamsutter Field" became one of the largest tight gas reservoirs in Wyoming, attracting major energy companies and causing the population to peak at 451 in 2010 before declining again during industry downturns.

The town was a stop on the Lincoln highway, U.S. Route 30, largely superceeded by Interstate 80.

Geography

Wamsutter is located at (41.670839, –107.977457).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.45 sqmi, all land.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Wamsutter has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Wamsutter was 105 °F on July 28, 1897, while the coldest temperature recorded was -40 °F on January 1, 1979, and February 2, 2011.

|Jan record high F = 52 |Feb record high F = 59 |Mar record high F = 71 |Apr record high F = 78 |May record high F = 90 |Jun record high F = 104 |Jul record high F = 105 |Aug record high F = 100 |Sep record high F = 90 |Oct record high F = 87 |Nov record high F = 71 |Dec record high F = 79

|Jan avg record high F = 41.0 |Feb avg record high F = 46.7 |Mar avg record high F = 60.8 |Apr avg record high F = 71.5 |May avg record high F = 79.4 |Jun avg record high F = 88.0 |Jul avg record high F = 92.5 |Aug avg record high F = 90.3 |Sep avg record high F = 85.3 |Oct avg record high F = 74.5 |Nov avg record high F = 58.3 |Dec avg record high F = 44.4 |year avg record high F = 91.0

|Jan avg record low F = -14.8 |Feb avg record low F = -10.9 |Mar avg record low F = 1.4 |Apr avg record low F = 11.6 |May avg record low F = 21.4 |Jun avg record low F = 31.5 |Jul avg record low F = 39.0 |Aug avg record low F = 36.0 |Sep avg record low F = 24.5 |Oct avg record low F = 9.7 |Nov avg record low F = -3.2 |Dec avg record low F = -13.5 |year avg record low F = -19.9

|Jan record low F = -40 |Feb record low F = -40 |Mar record low F = -26 |Apr record low F = -8 |May record low F = 10 |Jun record low F = 19 |Jul record low F = 24 |Aug record low F = 23 |Sep record low F = 5 |Oct record low F = -21 |Nov record low F = -27 |Dec record low F = -33

|access-date = August 20, 2022 |access-date = August 20, 2022

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 451 people, 189 households, and 112 families residing in the town. The population density was 311.0 PD/sqmi. There were 286 housing units at an average density of 197.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 82.7% White, 0.7% African American, 2.9% Native American, 11.1% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.7% of the population.

There were 189 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the town was 38.3 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 33.6% were from 45 to 64; and 6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 58.1% male and 41.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 261 people, 100 households, and 65 families residing in the town. The population density was 198.7 people per square mile (76.9/km2). There were 148 housing units at an average density of 112.6 per square mile (43.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.87% White, 0.77% Native American, 3.07% from other races, and 2.30% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.03% of the population.

There were 100 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $34,643 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,943. About 11.4% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the town of Wamsutter is provided by Sweetwater County School District #1. Students in grades K–8 attend Desert School in Wamsutter, which is divided into elementary (grades K–6) and middle school (grades 7–8) campuses. Upon the completion of 8th grade, students attend Rawlins High School (grades 9–12; part of Carbon County School District #1) by agreement of the respective boards of trustees.

Wamsutter has a public library, a branch of the Sweetwater County Library System.

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 1609172
4. (May 24, 2020). "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau.
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6. "Wamsutter, Wyoming".
7. http://casperstartribune.net/articles/2008/09/17/news/wyoming/567cba04cbcc32f9872574c70006245c.prt {{Dead link. (February 2022)
8. "Wamsutter, WY {{!}} Things to Do". Sweetwater County, Wyoming.
9. (November 8, 2014). "Industry, Politics and Power: the Union Pacific in Wyoming". WyoHistory.org.
10. (September 19, 2019). "Geology and Occurrence of Gas and Oil, Wamsutter Arch". AAPG Bulletin.
11. "Sweetwater County - By-Passed: The Lincoln Highway Across Wyoming". Lincoln Highway Association.
12. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
13. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
14. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
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