Global Sports: Things To Do In Wind River WY

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Things To Do In Wind River WY

By Leslie Ball


It may sound like a fictitious town in a superhero comic book, but Thermopolis is a real place. Located near Wind River WY, it has two nicknames, Thermop and T-Town. Thermopolis is derived from the Greek words for Hot City, because it is situated near a hot springs, as the name Hot Springs County would imply. The nearby state park encompasses the largest hot spring on the planet, complete with nearly a dozen mineral pools. The public have access to the springs for free, thanks to a treaty signed with the local Indian tribes.

As if hoards of visitors clamoring to get into the hot springs weren't enough, the Dinosaur Museum at Thermopolis houses the only fossil specimen of Archeopteryx outside Europe. Part reptile, part bird, this extinct animal has profound evolutionary significance.

Archeopteryx lived around 150 million years ago during what geologists call the Jurassic Period. With its small size (about the size of a magpie or raven) and the presence of broad, feathered wings, scientists have inferred that Archeopteryx was able to fly. However, it shares more features with other dinosaurs of the time than it does with modern birds.

You can get to Thermopolis from the north via Highway 789, which joins Colorado with the state of Montana, or you can get there via Highway 120, which approaches from the Montana state line via Highway 72. Hot Springs County has a single school district, which provides elementary, middle, and high school services. Medical care is provided by Hot Springs Hospital, which is capable of offering the full spectrum of medical care, as well as a moderately-sized intensive treatment unit.

Wyoming has the distinction of being the country's least populous state, with a population density of 5.85 per square mile. The state motto is, "Equal rights, " and the state nicknames are Big Wyoming, the Cowboy State and the Equality State. The state is bordered by Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Utah. The capital of Wyoming is Cheyenne.

Nearby towns are few and far between, so make sure you take everything with you to last a full day's driving. Among the cities that are within this distance are Green River, Jackson, and Casper. Jackson is the county seat of Teton County in Jackson Hole Valley. Some people mistakenly refer to Jackson as Jackson Hole; please don't. It is a popular ski town and made infamous by the C&W tune sung by June and Johnny Carter.

Casper WY is the seat of Natrona Country and "only" a two-hour drive from Thermopolis. Casper goes by the nickname, Oil City. According to Forbes Magazine, Casper is the No. 1 small town in the west for being family-friendly and the 8th best city in the entire country. Casper is synonymous with cowboys and oil booms.

The capital of the southwestern county, Sweetwater, is Green River. Green River has a low population density of 911 residents per square mile. Among the notable residents from Green River are Tom Schalow, scheduled to be the first man to place his feet on Mars; Helen Moody, an Olympic silver and gold medal-winner; and Curt Gowdy, television sports broadcaster.




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