Personal Challenge 2018 - Week 44

This is the 44th week of my personal 50-week States of the Union Challenge. Each week I research one of the 50 United States (in the order they attained statehood). I share tidbits of information about the state here on my blog and I create a card that is inspired by something about that state.

This week's state (the 44th one to attain statehood) is...

Wyoming

Date of Statehood: July 10, 1890

Wyoming is the least populous state in the country, even though it’s the 10th largest by area.

The biggest city in Wyoming is smaller than the smallest city in California.

No state touches more other states than Wyoming.

Wyoming was originally going to be named West Dakota.

Wyoming is tied with New York and New Jersey for most y’s in its name.

You can still see wagon wheel ruts all over the state of Wyoming, dating back to the 19th century.

President Theodore Roosevelt declared Devils Tower the nation’s first National Monument as a part of the Antiquities Act of 1906.

All of the street signs in Wyoming are printed in both English and American Sign Language.

Wyoming may be landlocked, but it's still home to dozens of islands. There are 32 named islands within the state’s borders, most of which are located in Green River, Yellowstone Lake, and Jackson Lake.

The Red Dessert, in Wyoming, is a high altitude desert that is separated by the Continental Divide which also surrounds the desert on all sides. This creates a unique drainage basin that does not allow water to flow out of the desert naturally. Instead, the water must be absorbed or evaporated.

Within Yellowstone National Park a famous cone shaped geyser, named Old Faithful, it erupts about every 91 minutes.

The Wyoming territory became first in the nation to grant women over the age of 21 the right to vote in 1869. Historians believe that legislators passed the bill for several reasons, including a genuine conviction that women should have the same rights as men, a desire to attract new settlers to the territory by making it appear more modern, and because some legislators voted for it just to be able to say they did, believing (mistakenly) that the bill did not have enough traction to pass.

The country’s first female governor was also elected in Wyoming. After Nellie Tayloe Ross's husband, Governor William Bradford Ross, passed away, she was elected to finish his term. She served as the 14th governor of the state from 1925 to 1927, and was later appointed by FDR to serve as the director of the United States Mint.

Laramie County Library System is the oldest county library system in the United States. It was started in 1886.

Wyoming is home to the largest coal mine in the United States. It is called Black Thunder and is located near Wright, Wyoming.

Wyoming has more bronco-related festivals than any other state.

Residents of Wyoming are 14% more likely to have tried beef jerky than the average American.

The outlaw Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, a.k.a. The Sundance Kid, took his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was jailed at the age of 15 for stealing a horse.

There are reportedly only two escalators in the entire state, and both are located in the town of Casper. Okay - now I have to admit I wonder about this one because it just seems too far-fetched to believe. Is it still true? I'd love for someone from Wyoming to either verify it or say no, there are now more escalators than that. 

James Cash Penney opened his first store on April 14, 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

The famous training scene from Rocky IV (which was supposed to be in the Soviet Union), was actually shot in Wyoming. The farm where Stallone trained was in Jackson Hole and some of the other outdoors shot were of the Grand Teton National Park.

On April 30, 2015, Laramie, Wyoming danced its way into the Guinness Book of World Records when 1184 swing dancers took to the floor of the University of Wyoming’s Fieldhouse at the same time.

This may very well be the strangest law-type of thing I've discovered about any state so far this year. Wyoming is the only state with the constitutional right to egg Colorado.

The Wyoming governor is legally obligated to pose with you for a picture if you ask politely.

All new buildings that cost over $100,000 to build must have 1% of funds spent on artwork for the building.

Any person who fails to close a fence is subject to a fine of up to seven hundred and fifty dollars.

It is illegal to wear a hat that obstructs people’s view in a public theater or place of amusement.

You may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit.

I decided to go with this bit of Wyoming information for my card's inspiration... In 2013, the tiny outpost of Buford, Wyoming—population one—was sold for $900,000 after its only resident decided to move away to be closer to his son. Pham Dinh Nguyen, a businessman from Vietnam, purchased the town in an online auction, and renamed it PhinDeli Town Buford, after the coffee brand he hoped to introduce to the area.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today!

Stamp Set: North Coast Creations Warm My Heart stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black Ink and colored with Copic Makrers

Papers: SU Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, and Natural 'ivory CS and Authentique Pioneer and Paper Studio Fall Leaves DP

Embellishments: Studio G Acrylic Leaves