Remember one of the first puzzles you put together as a
kid, sure we all do? It was the wooden map of the United States. Just find the
shape of the state and put it in the correct place, which was properly embossed
into the cardboard or wood backing for young learners. Every state had a unique
shape and this made learning where each state was located fast and easy. But
wait a minute, hold on here, what about Colorado and Wyoming, they are square,
or almost so, properly rectangles. How did they get their rather non-unique
shape? Not sure about Colorado as I am a Wyoming guy, but as for Wyoming.
Wyoming is the only state whose territory was taken from
all four of the major land accusations of the United States. Parts of Wyoming have
been claimed by five different countries and parts of Wyoming came under the
rule of a dozen Spanish kings between 1479 and 1821. Not that it’s important
but there were four kings named, Charles, four Phillips and four named Ferdinand.
France also ruled parts of Wyoming under kings, Francis
One and two, three Henry’s, Charles IX and four guys named Louis. At long last
the little Emperor himself, Napoleon, gave up the French claim to Wyoming when
Jefferson made the greatest land purchase in history, the Louisiana Purchase,
in 1803.
Wyoming was also part of: Utah Territory, Washington Territory, Nebraska
Territory, Colorado Territory, Dakota Territory, and Idaho Territory.
It took thirty boundary changes to come up with the
present day shape of Wyoming, an almost square rectangle- ahh, the government
at work.
Oh- then we named it after a valley in Delaware.
Wyoming where mule deer sleep in your front yard, bear’s
wander through local parks, elk, moose and pronghorn outnumber the people, mountain
views are everywhere and people ski in the morning and play golf in the
afternoon. It really is like no other place on earth.
It’s good to be back.
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