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Wheatland, Wyoming
Downtown Wheatland
Downtown Wheatland
Location of Wheatland in Platte County, Wyoming.
Location of Wheatland in Platte County, Wyoming.
Wheatland, Wyoming is located in the United States
Wheatland, Wyoming
Wheatland, Wyoming
Location in the United States
Country  United States
State  Wyoming
County Platte
Area
 • Total 4.10 sq mi (10.61 km2)
 • Land 4.10 sq mi (10.61 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
4,751 ft (1,448 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 3,627
 • Estimate 
(2019)
3,462
 • Density 844.80/sq mi (326.16/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
82201
Area code(s) 307
FIPS code 56-83040
GNIS feature ID 1609173

Wheatland is a town in and the county seat of Platte County in southeastern Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,627 at the 2010 census.

History

Before the late 19th century, the area around the future site of Wheatland was a flat, arid landscape with desert-like vegetation. In 1883 local rancher and judge Joseph M. Carey, along with Horace Plunkett, John Hoyt, Morton Post, Francis E. Warren, William Irvine, and Andrew Gilchrist, established the Wyoming Development Company. The company hoped to irrigate in the Wheatland Flats and profit from new development.

By the fall of 1883 an irrigation system was constructed on the Wheatland flats including a 2,380 foot long tunnel to divert water for irrigation into Bluegrass Creek and the first two of the system's canals. The Cheyenne and Northern Railway line reached the Wheatland flats in July, 1887, eventually extending to the Wyoming Central Railway at Wendover. Lots in the town of Wheatland were auctioned in 1894. By 1915 many farms were established in the irrigation district and the population of the flats was 5,277.

In 1911 Platte County was created from a portion of Albany County, and Wheatland was selected as the county seat. The Platte County Courthouse was built in Wheatland in 1917.

The Wheatland Irrigation District is still the largest privately owned irrigation system in the country.

Geography

Wheatland is located at 42°3′14″N 104°57′34″W / 42.05389°N 104.95944°W / 42.05389; -104.95944 (42.053917, -104.959460).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.10 square miles (10.62 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 796
1920 1,336 67.8%
1930 1,997 49.5%
1940 2,110 5.7%
1950 2,286 8.3%
1960 2,350 2.8%
1970 2,498 6.3%
1980 5,816 132.8%
1990 3,271 −43.8%
2000 3,548 8.5%
2010 3,627 2.2%
2019 (est.) 3,462 −4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 3,627 people, 1,657 households, and 974 families living in the town. The population density was 884.6 inhabitants per square mile (341.5/km2). There were 1,879 housing units at an average density of 458.3 per square mile (177.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.1% White, 0.1% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.4% of the population.

There were 1,657 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.13 and the average family size was 2.78.

The median age in the town was 45.4 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 28.3% were from 45 to 64; and 22.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

Climate

Wheatland experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cold, dry winters and hot, wetter summers.

Climate data for Wheatland (1971–2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 70
(21)
74
(23)
81
(27)
90
(32)
98
(37)
106
(41)
107
(42)
103
(39)
101
(38)
90
(32)
81
(27)
76
(24)
107
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 41.0
(5.0)
45.5
(7.5)
53.6
(12.0)
61.9
(16.6)
71.1
(21.7)
82.1
(27.8)
89.0
(31.7)
87.5
(30.8)
78.3
(25.7)
66.3
(19.1)
50.2
(10.1)
42.2
(5.7)
64.1
(17.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 28.6
(−1.9)
32.6
(0.3)
39.5
(4.2)
46.8
(8.2)
56.0
(13.3)
65.8
(18.8)
72.1
(22.3)
70.4
(21.3)
60.9
(16.1)
50.1
(10.1)
37.5
(3.1)
29.9
(−1.2)
49.2
(9.5)
Average low °F (°C) 16.1
(−8.8)
19.6
(−6.9)
25.4
(−3.7)
31.6
(−0.2)
40.8
(4.9)
49.5
(9.7)
55.1
(12.8)
53.2
(11.8)
43.4
(6.3)
33.8
(1.0)
24.7
(−4.1)
17.6
(−8.0)
34.2
(1.2)
Record low °F (°C) −36
(−38)
−35
(−37)
−25
(−32)
−22
(−30)
13
(−11)
28
(−2)
35
(2)
35
(2)
12
(−11)
−9
(−23)
−18
(−28)
−39
(−39)
−39
(−39)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.22
(5.6)
.30
(7.6)
0.63
(16)
1.46
(37)
2.47
(63)
1.99
(51)
1.78
(45)
1.25
(32)
1.27
(32)
0.87
(22)
0.52
(13)
0.28
(7.1)
13.04
(331.3)
Source 1: NOAA (normals, 1971–2000)
Source 2: The Weather Channel (Records)

Highways

  • US 87 - north-south route through Wheatland.
  • WYO 310 (Hightower Rd.)
  • WYO 312 (Ferguson Rd.)
  • WYO 316 (Antelope Gap Rd.)
  • WYO 320 (No. Wheatland Hwy.)

Airport

Bucking Horse and Rider logo
Wyoming's Bucking Horse and Rider License Plate Logo

Wheatland is served by Phifer Airfield just east of town on State Route 316 (Gilchrist St./Antelope Gap Rd.)

Attractions/Events

Wheatland hosts the annual Platte County Fair & Rodeo, usually held the second full week of August, at the fairgrounds on the east edge of town at Front Street and Antelope Gap Road.

Steamboat

The horse Steamboat, the model for the bucking horse and rider motif on the Wyoming license, was stabled near Wheatland in a barn owned and maintained as a historical structure by Mike and Linda Holst. Steamboat is also the logo for the University of Wyoming.

Education

Public education in the town of Wheatland is provided by Platte County School District #1. Campuses serving the town include Libbey Elementary School (grades K–2), West Elementary School (grades 3–5), Wheatland Middle School (grades 6–8), and Wheatland High School (grades 9–12).

Wheatland has a public library, a branch of the Platte County Public Library System.

Notable people

  • Benjamin N. Bellis (1924–2019), United States Air Force Lieutenant General
  • Freckles Brown (1921–1987), Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association world champion bull rider
  • Edward Bryant (1945–2017), science fiction writer, fantasy author
  • Jim Geringer (born 1944), former governor of Wyoming
  • Robert Mills Grant (1926–2012), rancher and Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1983 to 1992
  • Jeremy Haroldson, pastor, member of the Wyoming House of Representatives
  • Floyd Shaman (1935–2005), sculptor
  • Dennis Utter (1939–2011), Nebraska state legislator

Images for kids

See also

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