Empire, Wyoming Explained

Empire Wyoming was a black community in Goshen County, Wyoming,^[1] near the Nebraska state border, between 1908 and 1920.

History

It was founded in 1908 by African American families from Custer County, Nebraska.^[2] Russel Taylor applied for the organization of a post office on December 29, 1915.^[3]

Legacy

Today, two historical markers commemorate the homesteaders who lived in Empire. One is located on the Interstate 25's Dwyer Junction Rest Area close to the town of Wheatland, Wyoming.^[4] The second commemoration was placed in Torrington, Wyoming, next to the Goshen County Homesteaders Museum.^[5]

External links

• Extract from article on Empire
• Todd Guenther, “The Empire Builders, An African American Odyssey in Nebraska and Wyoming,” Nebraska History 89 (2008): 176-200 archived on February 10, 2024

42.1653°N -104.064°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Empire Wyoming (U.S. National Park Service) . 2024-02-12 . www.nps.gov . en.
2. Web site: News Release. https://web.archive.org/web/20100613142233/http://nebraskahistory.org/oversite/whatsnew/news/press52.htm. usurped. June 13, 2010. 24 August 2009. Nebraska State Historical Society. 2009-09-11.
3. Web site: Division of Supplies, Post Office Department . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240219215110/https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/dc-metro/rg-028/M1126/M1126-677/M1126-677-0473.jpg . February 19, 2024 . February 19, 2024 . United States Post Office.
4. Web site: Jones . Erin . 2020-11-06 . Wyoming's Black Pioneer Community That Disappeared . 2024-08-16 . Wyoming Public Media . en.
5. Web site: Empire Wyoming (U.S. National Park Service) . 2024-08-16 . National Park Service . en.