Casper

History

The city was established east of the former site of Fort Caspar, in an area that grew for European settlers during the mid-19th century mass migration of land seekers along the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails, where several nearby ferries offered passage across the North Platte River in the early 1840s. In 1859, Louis Guinard built a bridge and trading post near the original ferry locations, allowing overland travel to continue through the area. The government also posted the military garrison to protect telegraph and mail service. It was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel William O. Collins. where homesteader Joshua Stroud lived prior to the actual construction of the train station for the Chicago and North Western Railway. The site was laid out by the Pioneer Town Site Company in 1888 and was known as Strouds, but the name Casper soon prevailed. While the name is derived from Fort Caspar and Lt. Caspar Collins, it is officially named "Casper" due to a typo occurring during the official registration. Casper was an early commercial rival to both Bessemer and Douglas, Wyoming. The absence of a railhead doomed Bessemer in favor of Casper, while Douglas, also a railhead, survives to the present day. This rail presence also made Casper the starting off point for the "invaders" in the Johnson County War, since the chartered train carrying the men from Texas stopped at Casper. In more recent history, the city received a significant influx of visitors during the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, due to its position along the path of totality.

Geography

Interstate 25, which approaches Casper from the north and east, is the main avenue of transportation to and from the city. The towns immediately adjacent to Casper are Mills, Evansville, and Bar Nunn. Unincorporated areas include Allendale, Dempsey Acres, Red Buttes, Indian Springs, and several others. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Casper, as with most of the rest of Wyoming, has a continental semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk), with long, cold, but dry winters, hot but generally dry summers, mild springs, and short and crisp autumns. Normal daily maxima range from in January to in July. Snow can fall heavily during the winter and early to mid-spring months, and usually falls in May and October. Precipitation is greatest in spring and early summer, but even then it is not high. Highs reach on 37.8 days per year and fail to surpass freezing on 41.3. Lows drop to on an average of 14.6 nights annually. The highest temperature recorded in Casper was on July 12, 1954, July 16, 2005, and July 29, 2006, while the lowest temperature recorded was on December 22, 2022.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Kelly Walsh High School
  High · Casper · 2,051 students · 15.9:1 ratio
• Natrona County High School
  High · Casper · 1,794 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Centennial Middle School
  Middle · Casper · 796 students · 14.7:1 ratio
• C Y Middle School
  Middle · Casper · 795 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Dean Morgan Middle School
  Middle · Casper · 711 students · 13.7:1 ratio
• Casper Classical Academy
  Middle · Casper · 466 students · 15:1 ratio
• Lincoln Elementary School
  Elementary · Casper · 459 students · 15.3:1 ratio
• Verda James Elementary
  Elementary · Casper · 444 students · 17.8:1 ratio