Around the 307
News, commentary, and other items of interest from the greater Wyoming landscape.
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We’ve missed a couple of weeks, but as you know spring can be a busy time if you’re a gardener in Wyoming. That said, here are a few news items of interest from around the Cowboy State for the week of May 18th, 2025:
On Monday, May 19th, The Star Valley Independent published this article summarizing state population growth as detailed in the latest Wyoming Economic Analysis Division (EAD) report issued this month. Based on U.S. Census Bureau data, the EAD report notes overall Wyoming’s population has grown from 576,844 (as reported in the 2020 Census) to 587,618 as of July 1, 2024—nearly a 2 percent increase. Interestingly, 68.6 percent or 403,303 of those Wyomingites live in incorporated places and nearly half (49.2 percent) of the state’s residents live in just 11 cities and towns with populations of more than 10,000. Check out the EAD report here to see population changes for your part of the state.
Thursday, May 22nd, Cowboy State Daily published this story letting us know that both the Snowy Range Scenic Byway (Wyoming Highway 130) and the Beartooth Highway (U.S. 212) should be cleared of snow and open for traffic just in time for Memorial Day. At an elevation of 10,800 feet at its tallest point, the Snowy Range Scenic Byway is one of several mountain passes in Wyoming that undergoes seasonal closures, usually from December to late May. The Beartooth Highway is the highest elevation highway in Wyoming at 10,947 feet. Opening both of these beautiful stretches of highway is a Herculean task performed by road crews from the National Park Service (NPS) and Wyoming Department of Transportation. Thanks plow drivers and road crews for all that you do!

And, with the Memorial Weekend upon us, it’s time for the annual Eaton Horse Drive in the Sheridan area. The three-day drive takes place each spring between Eaton’s Bar 11 Ranch on Wild Horse Creek, to the home ranch near Wolf, Wyoming. On Sunday May 25th the herd will travel through Sheridan, right up Fifth Street. Established in 1879, Eaton’s Ranch is the oldest guest ranch in the United States. Read all about this annual event and listen to commentary from Eaton Ranch personnel about the drive at this link published by Sheridan Media.

That’s all for today buckaroos! Thanks for reading and have a great week!
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