WAMSUTTER

A short history of Wamsutter

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.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Wamsutter, Wyoming, revision 1373765857 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.