Wyoming’s first state prison was located in Rawlins, Wyo., and housed inmates for 80 years, beginning in 1901. In 1988, a joint powers board turned the abandoned building into a museum and renamed it the Wyoming Frontier Prison. Visitors today can tour the cells and see the grounds where 13,500 prisoners, including 11 women, served time.

During Francis Warren's second term as Territorial Governor, Wyoming was granted statehood on July 10, 1890. Territorial Governor Warren was then elected Wyoming's first State Governor September 11, 1890.

In 1951, Frank A. Barrett was elected Governor and served two years until he was elected to the U.S. Senate. He served one term as Senator from 1953 to 1959.

Frank Emerson was elected Governor for two terms. He served one full term and until his death one month and two weeks into his second term.

Frank Houx became Acting Governor with the resignation of Governor Kendrick. Governor Houx served two full years of Kendrick's term from February 26, 1917 to January 6, 1919.

William Henry Jackson’s artistic passions began during childhood in upstate New York. By age 15, he was retouching photographs for professionals. His photos of the West, especially Yellowstone Park, many of them made in the 1870s with the Hayden survey, had an enormous influence on public perceptions of the American West.

Frank Lucas took over as acting Governor upon Governor Ross' death and filled that post until the election of 1925.

Fremont County, created in 1884 and named for famed explorer John C. Frémont, is still as diverse both economic factors and population as it was in the early days. Members of the Shoshone and Arapaho tribes continue to live and work on the Wind River Indian Reservation. Former reservation land north of Wind River was first opened to homesteaders in 1906. Ranching and irrigated farming have provided steadying influences over the decades to a local economy tied closely to booms and busts in gold, coal, uranium, iron-ore, oil and gas production.

W. Edwards Deming grew up in difficult financial circumstances in Powell, Wyo., early in the 20th century. Still, he worked his way through the University of Wyoming and Yale and became absorbed by statistics as a way to solve problems. After World War II, he shared his ideas on efficiency with Japanese manufacturers eager to rebuild their shattered economy. The Japanese used that knowledge to flip the global economy on its head and beat U.S. industry at its own game.

Delegates to Wyoming’s Constitutional Convention had to work quickly in 1889 to get a constitution adopted while Congress was still in session. Still, they managed to adopt some innovative ideas, especially in water law. The biggest stumbling block to statehood, in Congressional debate the following year turned out to be whether Wyoming had enough people. It was a close call.