Chugwater

History

The Chugwater area, with its proximity to Fort Laramie, was visited by some of the earliest Western expeditions, including that of Stephen Watts Kearny in 1845, and cattle were first wintered in the valley as early as 1859. The first settler in the valley is reported to have been James Bordeaux (1814-1878), who opened a general store in 1868, located at the crossroads where the road from Cheyenne forks into the roads leading to Fort Fetterman and to Fort Laramie. In 1884, the Swan Land and Cattle Co. was established, and in 1886, the Cheyenne and Northern Railway was chartered to serve points north of Cheyenne in Wyoming. It was as a result primarily of the Swan Land and Cattle Co., and the railroad, that the town of Chugwater grew up. State Representative Robert Mills Grant was among those who have drove cattle into Chugwater. The former Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives, Harold Hellbaum, farmed and ranched in Chugwater. He served in the state legislature from 1963 to 1977, with his last term as Speaker. Some historians hold that the name "Chugwater" is derived from a Mandan account of a bison hunt. According to this narrative, a chief was disabled during the hunt and his son took charge of the hunt or "buffalo jump". Under his direction, hunters drove the bison over nearby cliffs; when the animals reached the ground below, a sound of "chugging" was heard by the hunters. The story concludes with an etymology: since a stream was near the base of the cliffs, the site of the stampede has been called "the place" or "water at the place where the buffalo chug." The iconic black horse named "Steamboat", who was the model for the bucking horse and rider motif on Wyoming license plates, came from the Tyrrell ranch located near Chugwater, and was given to…

Geography

Chugwater is located at (41.755797, -104.825482). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. * - north–south Interstate from New Mexico to Wyoming; runs north–south through Chugwater, concurrent with US 87. * - Alternate Interstate Business Route through Chugwater. * - north–south route through Chugwater, concurrent with I-25. * *

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  67
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  49
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  47
• Horned Lark

  Eremophila alpestris (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  44
• Common Grackle

  Quiscalus quiscula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  43
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  42
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  40
• Cliff Swallow

  Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  32

Largest nearby schools

• Chugwater School
  Other · Chugwater · 28 students · 5.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-05-28
  9 km ENE of Glendo, Wyoming
• M 2.7 — 2021-09-12
  19 km ENE of Hartville, Wyoming
• M 2.8 — 2019-11-23
  13 km NNE of Laramie, Wyoming
• M 2.9 — 2019-09-07
  23 km WSW of Esterbrook, Wyoming
• M 3 — 2018-01-06
  7 km SW of Guernsey, Wyoming
• M 2.8 — 2013-12-19
  33 km NE of Rock River, Wyoming