Douglas, Wyoming

Douglas is a city in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,120 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Converse County[6] and the home of the Wyoming State Fair.

Douglas, Wyoming
City
Center Street (city center), view to the west
Motto(s): 
"Home of the Jackalope"
Location of Douglas in Converse County, Wyoming.
Douglas, Wyoming
Location of Douglas, Wyoming
Coordinates: 42°45′22″N 105°23′4″W
Country United States
State Wyoming
County Converse
Government
 • MayorRene Kemper
Area
 • Total6.66 sq mi (17.25 km2)
 • Land6.50 sq mi (16.84 km2)
 • Water0.16 sq mi (0.41 km2)
Elevation
4,836 ft (1,474 m)
Population
 • Total6,120
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
6,364
 • Density978.63/sq mi (377.87/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP code
82633
Area code(s)307
FIPS code56-21125[4]
GNIS feature ID1587750[5]
WebsiteCity of Douglas Wyoming

Its former railroad passenger depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History
Center St., looking east (1920s)

Douglas was platted in 1886[7] when the Wyoming Central Railway (later the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company) established a railway station; the settlement had been in existence since 1867 when Fort Fetterman was built and was first known as "Tent City"[8] before it was officially named "Douglas", after Senator Stephen A. Douglas.[9] It served as a supply point, warehousing and retail, for surrounding cattle ranches, as well as servicing railway crews, cowboys and the troops of the U.S. Army stationed at Fort Fetterman.

Douglas was the home of a World War II internment camp.

Geography

Douglas is located at 42°45′22″N 105°23′4″W (42.756008, -105.384555).[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.76 square miles (12.33 km2), of which 4.58 square miles (11.86 km2) is land and 0.18 square miles (0.47 km2) is water.[11]

Climate

Douglas has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk).

Climate data for Douglas, Wyoming
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)		 69
(21)		 77
(25)		 86
(30)		 93
(34)		 103
(39)		 103
(39)		 101
(38)		 97
(36)		 88
(31)		 76
(24)		 68
(20)		 103
(39)
Average high °F (°C) 37.4
(3.0)		 41.6
(5.3)		 49.2
(9.6)		 57.5
(14.2)		 67.2
(19.6)		 79.0
(26.1)		 86.4
(30.2)		 85.3
(29.6)		 74.8
(23.8)		 62.2
(16.8)		 46.3
(7.9)		 38.6
(3.7)		 60.5
(15.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 23.7
(−4.6)		 28.3
(−2.1)		 35.9
(2.2)		 43.5
(6.4)		 53.1
(11.7)		 63.5
(17.5)		 70.3
(21.3)		 68.8
(20.4)		 58.1
(14.5)		 46.2
(7.9)		 32.9
(0.5)		 25.0
(−3.9)		 45.8
(7.7)
Average low °F (°C) 9.9
(−12.3)		 14.9
(−9.5)		 22.5
(−5.3)		 29.5
(−1.4)		 39.0
(3.9)		 47.9
(8.8)		 54.2
(12.3)		 52.2
(11.2)		 41.3
(5.2)		 30.1
(−1.1)		 19.5
(−6.9)		 11.4
(−11.4)		 31.0
(−0.5)
Record low °F (°C) −38
(−39)		 −33
(−36)		 −19
(−28)		 −12
(−24)		 16
(−9)		 28
(−2)		 34
(1)		 29
(−2)		 11
(−12)		 −6
(−21)		 −24
(−31)		 −41
(−41)		 −41
(−41)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.38
(9.7)		 0.42
(11)		 0.78
(20)		 1.64
(42)		 2.50
(64)		 1.42
(36)		 1.56
(40)		 0.91
(23)		 1.07
(27)		 0.80
(20)		 0.74
(19)		 0.36
(9.1)		 12.58
(320.8)
Source 1: NOAA (normals, 1971–2000)[12]
Source 2: The Weather Channel (Records)[13]

Education

Public education in the city of Douglas is provided by Converse County School District #1. Zoned campuses include Douglas Primary School (grades k-1), Douglas Intermediate School (grades 2-3), Douglas Upper Elementary School (grades 4-5), Douglas Middle School (grades 6-8), Douglas High school (grades 9-12). Douglas is also home to the branch campus of Eastern Wyoming College, one of the state's seven community colleges.

Douglas has a public library, a branch of the Converse County Library[14]

Culture
Part of the exhibition at the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center
(left: the CB&Q dining car #196; right: the CB&Q steam locomotive #5633.)

Douglas is located on the banks of the North Platte River, and is named for Stephen A. Douglas, U.S. Senator. The city grew after it was designated a stop on the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad. Railroads brought settlers and pioneers west; some stayed and others continued on. Douglas' location affords excellent access to nearby sights. Medicine Bow National Forest is located nearby, as is Thunder Basin National Grassland and Ayres Natural Bridge. In 1996 Douglas was listed by Norman Crampton as one of The 100 Best Small Towns in America.

The former Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot in Douglas is included on the National Register of Historic Places.[15] The Douglas Chamber of Commerce, part of the Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center is located in the depot. The free of charge exhibition outside contains eight railroad vehicles, one steam locomotive with tender and seven cars.[16]

Horse culture

Since Fort Fetterman days, Douglas has been a center of American horse culture. The remains of the first winner of American racing's Triple Crown, thoroughbred Sir Barton, are buried here. Today, Douglas is the location of the Wyoming State Fair, held every summer and known for its rodeo and animal competitions. Also on the fairgrounds is the Wyoming Pioneer Memorial Museum, a collection of pioneer and Native American relics pertaining to the history of Converse County.

Jackalopes
Jackalope Square

In 1932, the jackalope legend in the United States was attributed by The New York Times to Douglas Herrick (1920−2003) of Douglas, and thus the city was named the "Home of the Jackalope" by the state of Wyoming in 1985. Douglas has issued Jackalope Hunting licenses to tourists. The tags are good for hunting during official Jackalope season, which occurs for only one day, June 31.

According to the Douglas Chamber of Commerce, a 1930s hunting trip for jackrabbits led to the idea of a Jackalope. Herrick and his brother had studied taxidermy by mail order as teenagers. When the brothers returned from a hunting trip, Herrick tossed a jackrabbit carcass into the taxidermy shop, which rested beside a pair of deer antlers. The accidental combination of animal forms sparked Douglas Herrick's idea for a jackalope.[17]

Wyoming State Fair
Wyoming State Fair Main Entrance

Each August Douglas hosts the Wyoming State Fair, not to be confused with Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo held in late July. The fair includes a carnival midway, live entertainment, and its own rodeo. On August 12, 2009, the fair hosted country music star John Anderson. The centennial fair in 2012 attracted sixty thousand persons, large by Wyoming standards; the Dierks Bentley concert was the first ever sold-out show in the fair.[18]

The 101st fair opened in Douglas on August 10, 2013; it corresponds with the centennial of the Wyoming State 4-H Club, an active group in the annual fair. Fair performers will include country musicians Hunter Hayes and Brantley Gilbert.[18]

Transportation

Highways

Airport

Air service is available 58 miles west of Douglas at Casper/Natrona County International Airport. The airport is located west of Casper, just off of US Highway 26. Passenger flights are offered by United Express (SkyWest Airlines), Delta Connection (SkyWest Airlines), and Allegiant Airlines.

Radio stations

Notable people

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  6. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. Chicago and North Western Railway Company (1908). A History of the Origin of the Place Names Connected with the Chicago & North Western and Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railways. p. 65.
  8. American Automobile Association (2002) Tourbook: Idaho, Montana & Wyoming AAA Pub;ishing, Heathrow, Florida, p. 148 ISSN 0363-2695
  9. "Profile for Douglas, Wyoming". ePodunk. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
  10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  11. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  12. "Climatography of the United States NO.81" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  13. "Monthly Averages for Douglas, WY". The Weather Channel. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  14. "Wyoming Public Libraries". PublicLibraries.com. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  15. Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad Passenger Depot in Douglas, Wyoming. Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. Includes a photograph.
  16. Douglas Railroad Interpretive Center, Visitor Guide, 2004, Jeff Derks, p. 16
  17. Archived February 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  18. "Wyoming state fair grows its crowds". Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2013.
  19. Maintenance Staff (February 15, 2013). "2013 Maintenance Section Reference Book" (PDF). Wyoming Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  20. Google (September 22, 2014). "Overview of I-25 Bus. in Douglas" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  21. "David Richard Edwards". wyomingnews.com. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
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