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Wyoming Counties

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Wyoming Counties

There are 23 Counties in the state of Wyoming. There were originally five Counties in the Wyoming Territory: Laramie and Carter, established in 1867; Carbon and Albany established in 1868; and Uinta, an annexed portion of Utah and Idaho, extending from Montana (including Yellowstone Park) to the Wyoming-Utah boundary. On July 10, 1890, Wyoming was admitted to the Union with thirteen counties.

Converse County, Wyoming

Converse County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Douglas
Year Organized: 1888
Square Miles: 4,265

Court House:

107 North 5th Street, Suite 114
County Courthouse
Douglas, WY 82633-2448

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Named for A. R. Converse, a Cheyenne banker and stockman.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Converse County was organized in 1888. Converse County was established March 9, 1888. It was named after Amasa R. Converse, a Wyoming pioneer and Cheyenne banker. Converse County was carved from Albany and Laramie Counties. On May 18, 1888 Douglas was voted the county seat.

It was stated in the 1907 anniversary edition of "Bill Barlow's Budget" that there was 6,624 square miles of land in Converse County. The land extended a distance of 170 miles east and west, and 92 miles north and south at its widest parts. In 1911 Niobrara County was carved out of Converse County. Presently the county covers approximately 4,200 square miles.

The First Elected County Officials

The first county officers were elected in 1888, right after Converse became a county. Malcolm Campbell was the Sheriff, C. M. Garver was the Clerk, Ed J. Wells was the Treasurer, F. H. Harvey was the Attorney; F. E. Wolcott, George H. Cross and E. T. David were Commissioners; W. R. Renwick was the Coroner, S. Slaymaker was the Assessor, and A. T. Seymour was the Surveyor.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,265 square miles (11,047 km²), of which, 4,255 square miles (11,020 km²) of it is land and 10 square miles (27 km²) of it (0.24%) is water

Neighboring Counties:

Campbell County, Wyoming - north
Weston County, Wyoming - northeast
Niobrara County, Wyoming - east
Platte County, Wyoming - southeast
Albany County, Wyoming - south
Carbon County, Wyoming - southwest
Natrona County, Wyoming - west
Johnson County, Wyoming - northwest

Cities and Towns:

- Douglas (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Glenrock	town	Incorporated Area
- Lost Springs	town	Incorporated Area
- Rolling Hills	town	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Converse County, Wyoming

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."