Granger is a town along Blacks Fork near the western edge of

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 ...

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 ...

, United States.} The population was 139 at the 2010 census. It is located near the confluence of the Blacks Fork and the Hams Fork rivers. The geography of the area is flat with semi-arid scrub.

Early history: 1834–1868

Although the population has always been small, the site is located at the intersection of 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 the Overland Stage Trail and it was chosen for a

stage coach A stagecoach (also: stage coach, stage, road coach, ) is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by ...

station. The station, which was built of stone and

adobe Adobe (from arabic: الطوب Attub ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for mudbrick. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is use ...

in 1856, was in operation when

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Fau ...

passed through, and still stands today. The

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

used this station as a stopover in 1861-62. Later, in 1868, it became a stop on the railroad, which was when it started to be called Granger. The area of what is present-day Granger had significance to the mountain men who trapped in the early years of the American West. It was chosen as the site of their annual rendezvous in 1834 (the rendezvous was still somewhat spread out, as each supplier set up camp at different location along the river). The

American Fur Company The American Fur Company (AFC) was a prominent American company that sold furs, skins, and buffalo robes. It was founded in 1808 by John Jacob Astor, a German Americans, German immigrant to the United States. During its heyday in the early 19th c ...

, among other suppliers, were present, and American Indians and trappers traded furs for goods. Several weeks were spent recounting events from the previous year and reveling in assorted amusements, while lubricated with liquor. The records show that the event occurred at the junction of the Hams Fork and Blacks Fork rivers.

Geography

Granger is located at (41.594036, -109.966607). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 139 people, 57 households, and 38 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 72 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 88.5%

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 ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 9.4% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

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 were 15.1% of the population. There were 57 households, of which 24.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% 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, 3.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 8.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the town was 39.5 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.8% were from 25 to 44; 38.1% were from 45 to 64; and 7.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.7% male and 45.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 146 people, 54 households, and 40 families living in the town. The

was 59.0 people per square mile (22.8/km²). There were 76 housing units at an average density of 30.7 per square mile (11.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.19%

, 8.22% from other races, and 9.59% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 22.60% of the population. There were 54 households, out of which 35.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were

living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.18. In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 18.5% from 25 to 44, 33.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $46,563, and the median income for a family was $52,083. Males had a median income of $45,750 versus $19,375 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 town was $17,764. There were 10.5% of families and 12.3% of the population living 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 5.7% of under eighteens and 21.1% of those over 64.

Education

Public education in the town of Granger is provided by Sweetwater County School District #2. Granger has a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

, a branch of the Sweetwater County Library System.

References

External links

{{authority control Towns in Sweetwater County, Wyoming Towns in Wyoming Stagecoach stops in the United States Overland Trail