Fremont County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the U.S. state of

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 39,234, making it the fifth-most populous county in Wyoming. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Lander. The county was founded in 1884 and is named for

John C. Frémont Major general (United States), Major-General John Charles Frémont (January 21, 1813July 13, 1890) was a United States Army officer, explorer, and politician. He was a United States senator from California and was the first History of the Repub ...

, a general, explorer, and politician. It is roughly the size of the state of

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. Fremont County comprises the Riverton, WY Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Fremont County was created on March 5, 1884, by the legislature of the

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The ...

. The county was created with land ceded by

Sweetwater County Sweetwater County is a County (United States), county in southwestern Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 42,272, making it the List of counties in Wyoming, fourth-most populous county in Wyoming. Its ...

. In 1890, Big Horn County was carved out of Fremont,

Johnson Johnson may refer to: People and fictional characters *Johnson (surname), a common surname in English * Johnson (given name), a list of people * List of people with surname Johnson, including fictional characters *Johnson (composer) (1953–2011) ...

, and Sheridan Counties. Hot Springs County was created in 1911 from parts of Fremont, Big Horn, and

Park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

counties. In 1921, Sublette County was created from parts of Fremont and Lincoln counties, leaving Fremont County's boundary at its present configuration. Fremont County was named for John Charles Frémont, an explorer of the

American West The Western United States (also called the American West, the Western States, the Far West, the Western territories, and the West) is census regions United States Census Bureau As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the mea ...

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, and 1856 Republican presidential candidate. Fremont County is the site of the Wind River Indian Reservation, home of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes of Native Americans.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in Wyoming, as well as in the six Rocky Mountain States. Elevations and climate range from desert at Boysen State Park to glaciers at Gannett Peak, the highest point not only in Wyoming but in the three Central Rockies states of

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

. The southern end of the county is traversed by the

Oregon Trail The Oregon Trail was a east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and Westward Expansion Trails, emigrant trail in North America that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon Territory. The eastern part of the Oregon Trail crossed what ...

and in the northwest corner lies Dubois, a gateway town for

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

and Grand Teton National Park. Although the county seat is Lander, the largest community is Riverton, home of Central Wyoming College and the economic hub of the region. A large portion of the western edge of the county follows the

Continental Divide A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...

at the crest of the Wind River Range of the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

, known for its wilderness areas and home of the largest

glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...

s in the American

Adjacent counties

Major highways

U.S. Highway 20 * US 26

U.S. Highway 26 * US 287

U.S. Highway 287 * Wyoming Highway 28 * Wyoming Highway 131 * Wyoming Highway 132 * Wyoming Highway 133 * Wyoming Highway 134 * Wyoming Highway 135 * Wyoming Highway 136 * Wyoming Highway 138 * Wyoming Highway 789

Transit

Express Arrow Express, The Expresss or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * '' Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * '' The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid * The Ex ...

* Wind River Transportation Authority

National protected areas

* Bridger National Forest (part) * Shoshone National Forest (part) * Teton National Forest (part) The Bridger National Forest and the Teton National Forest have been administratively combined into the Bridger–Teton National Forest. Fremont County contains portions of both originally-designated forests.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 35,804 people, 13,545 households, and 9,481 families in Fremont County. The population density was . There were 15,541 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup was 76.49%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.12%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 19.68% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.16% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. 4.37% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 22.1% were of German, 9.9% English, 8.2% Irish and 6.3% American ancestry. There were 13,545 households, out of which 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.00% were non-families. 25.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.10. The county population contained 27.40% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 98.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,503, and the median income for a family was $37,983. Males had a median income of $30,620 versus $19,802 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,519. About 13.30% of families and 17.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 23.70% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 40,123 people, 15,455 households, and 10,360 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 17,796 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.3% white, 21.2% American Indian, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 1.0% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 21.7% were German, 13.5% were English, 12.2% were Irish, and 7.7% were American. Of the 15,455 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.0% were non-families, and 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 38.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $46,397 and the median income for a family was $55,531. Males had a median income of $44,087 versus $27,751 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,173. About 10.3% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the

, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Wyoming Department of Corrections Wyoming Honor Farm is located in Riverton. The Wyoming Department of Health Wyoming Life Resource Center (WLRC), originally the Wyoming State Training School (WSTS), a residential facility for physically and mentally disabled people, is located in Lander. Both facilities were operated by the Wyoming Board of Charities and Reform until that agency was dissolved as a result of a state constitutional amendment passed in November 1990. Fremont County voters have been reliably Republican for decades. Since 1936, in only one national election did the county voters select the Democratic Party candidate (as of 2024). Despite the county's strong Republican lean, a few Democratic-leaning precincts exist west of the county seat of Riverton, in the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Communities

Cities

* Lander (county seat) * Riverton

Towns

* Dubois * Hudson * Pavillion * Shoshoni

Census-designated places

* Arapahoe *

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

* Boulder Flats * Crowheart * Ethete * Fort Washakie * Jeffrey City * Johnstown

Unincorporated communities

* Dunoir * Kinnear * Lost Cabin * Lysite * Midval *

Moneta In Roman mythology, Moneta (Latin Monēta) was a title given to two separate goddesses: It was the name of the goddess of memory (identified with the Greek mythology, Greek goddess Mnemosyne), and it was an epithet of Juno (mythology), Juno, ca ...

* St. Stephens * Sand Draw * South Pass City *Sweetwater Crossing (Sweetwater Station) * Willow Creek

Former communities

* Miner's Delight (Hamilton City)

In popular culture

In his poem ''The Ballad of Jesus Ortiz'', Dana Gioia describes how his great-grandfather, a Mexican immigrant from

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, worked as a

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

cow-puncher and was later murdered by a disgruntled and

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

patron while working as a saloon keeper in the Fremont County town of Lost Cabin, Wyoming in 1910.John Zheng (2021), ''Conversations with Dana Gioia'', University of Mississippi Press. Pages 234–238. The movie '' Wind River'' is set on the Wind River Indian Reservation, which is inside Fremont County. Scenes from the movie ''

Taking Chance ''Taking Chance'' is a 2009 American historical drama television film directed by Ross Katz, from a screenplay by Michael Strobl and Katz, based on the journal of the same name by Strobl, who also serves as military consultant. Kevin Bacon's p ...

'' were set in Dubois, a town within Fremont County. The real-life Chance Phelps from the film was born in Riverton and is buried in Dubois, both in Fremont County.

References

{{Coord, 43.03, -108.63, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-WY_source:UScensus1990 1884 establishments in Wyoming Territory Populated places established in 1884