Crook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wyoming

Wyoming

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...

. As of 2010, the population was 7,083, up from 5,887 in 2000. Its county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 is Sundance

Sundance, Wyoming

Sundance is a town in Crook County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,161 at the 2000 census. The town is named for the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by several North American Indian Nations.-Sundance in popular culture:...

.

History

Crook County was created by on the legislature of the Wyoming Territory

Wyoming Territory

The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital...

 on December 8, 1868, from portions of Albany and Laramie

Laramie County, Wyoming

Laramie County is the most populous of the 23 counties of the U.S. state of Wyoming. The county is located in the southeastern corner of the state. The county's population was 91,738 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Cheyenne, the state capital...

 Counties.

Crook County was named for Brigadier General

Brigadier General

Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

 George Crook

George Crook

George R. Crook was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars.-Early life:...

, a commander during the Indian Wars

Indian Wars

American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...

. In 1890, Crook County lost territory when Weston County was created. Campbell County was formed with land ceded by Crook County in 1911.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the county has a total area of 2871 square miles (7,435.9 km²), of which 2859 square miles (7,404.8 km²) is land and 12 square miles (31.1 km²) (0.42%) is water. The lowest point in the state of Wyoming is located on the Belle Fourche River

Belle Fourche River

The Belle Fourche River is a tributary of the Cheyenne River, approximately long, in the U.S. states of Wyoming and South Dakota. It is part of the Mississippi River watershed via the Cheyenne and Missouri rivers....

 in Crook County, where it flows out of Wyoming and into South Dakota

South Dakota

South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...

.

Devils Tower National Monument

Devils Tower National Monument

Devils Tower is an igneous intrusion or laccolith located in the Black Hills near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River...

 is located in Crook County.

Major highways

Interstate 90

Interstate 90

Interstate 90 is the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It is the northernmost coast-to-coast interstate, and parallels US 20 for the most part. Its western terminus is in Seattle, at Edgar Martinez Drive S. near Safeco Field and CenturyLink Field, and its eastern terminus is in...

U.S. Highway 14

U.S. Highway 16

U.S. Highway 212

‎ Wyoming Highway 24

Wyoming Highway 24

Wyoming Highway 24 is a State highway in Wyoming. Spanning from US 14 to the Wyoming-South Dakota state line as SD 34, it passes by Devils Tower National Monument.- Route description :...

‎ Wyoming Highway 51

Wyoming Highway 51

Wyoming Highway 51 is a east-west Wyoming State Road located in Campbell and Crook Counties, between Gillette and Moorcroft.-Route description:...

‎ Wyoming Highway 111

Wyoming Highway 111

Wyoming Highway 111 is a State highway in Wyoming located in eastern Crook County.- Route description :Wyoming Highway 111 begins its south end at I-90/US 14 . From there the highway travels north to Wyoming Highway 24 in Aladdin. Highway 111 is long and provides a connection between I-90 and WYO...

‎ Wyoming Highway 112

Wyoming Highway 112

Wyoming Highway 112 is a state highway in north-central Crook County, Wyoming that runs from Hulett to the Montana-Wyoming State Line.- Route description :...

‎ Wyoming Highway 113

Wyoming Highway 113

Wyoming Highway 113 is a east-west Wyoming State Road located in southwestern Crook County north of Moorcroft that provides travel to Pine Haven and Keyhole State Park that surrounds the Keyhole reservoir.-Route description:...

‎ Wyoming Highway 116

Wyoming Highway 116

Wyoming Highway 116 is a north-south Wyoming State Road located in central Weston and southern Crook counties, and travels from Wyoming Highway 450 south of Upton north to U.S. Route 14 at Sundance.-Route description:...

‎ Wyoming Highway 585

Wyoming Highway 585

Wyoming Highway 585 is a north-south Wyoming State Road located in Weston and Crook counties in northwestern Wyoming.- Route description :Wyoming Highway 585 starts it south end at US 85 in Four Corners, and from there, travels north-northwest through the northeastern corner of Weston County and...

>

Adjacent counties

• Campbell County, Wyoming - west
• Weston County, Wyoming - south
• Lawrence County, South Dakota
  Lawrence County, South Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 21,802 people, 8,881 households, and 5,559 families residing in the county. The population density was 27 people per square mile . There were 10,427 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
  
   - east
• Butte County, South Dakota
  Butte County, South Dakota
  As of the census of 2000, there were 9,094 people, 3,516 households, and 2,468 families residing in the county. The population density was 4 people per square mile . There were 4,059 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile...
  
   - east
• Carter County, Montana
  Carter County, Montana
  -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,360 people, 543 households, and 382 families residing in the county. The population density was -Demographics:...
  
   - north
• Powder River County, Montana
  Powder River County, Montana
  -Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,858 people, 737 households, and 524 families residing in the county. The population density was -Demographics:...
  
   - northwest

National protected areas

• Black Hills National Forest
  Black Hills National Forest
  Black Hills National Forest is located in southwestern South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. The forest has an area of over 1.25 million acres and is managed by the Forest Service. Forest headquarters are located in Custer, South Dakota...
  
   (part)
• Devils Tower National Monument
  Devils Tower National Monument
  Devils Tower is an igneous intrusion or laccolith located in the Black Hills near Hulett and Sundance in Crook County, northeastern Wyoming, above the Belle Fourche River...
  
  
• Thunder Basin National Grassland
  Thunder Basin National Grassland
  The Thunder Basin National Grassland is located in northeastern Wyoming in the Powder River Basin between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills. The Grassland ranges in elevation from feet to and the climate is semi-arid. The Grassland provides opportunities for recreation, including hiking,...
  
   (part)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,887 people, 2,308 households, and 1,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km²). There were 2,935 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.86% White

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.05% Black

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.02% Native American

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.07% Asian

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.25% from other races

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.75% from two or more races. 0.92% of the population were Hispanic

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or Latino

Race (United States Census)

Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race. 34.1% were of German

German American

German Americans are citizens of the United States of German ancestry and comprise about 51 million people, or 17% of the U.S. population, the country's largest self-reported ancestral group...

, 14.6% English, 7.8% Irish

Irish American

Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...

 and 6.8% American ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 2,308 households out of which 32.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.30% were married couples living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.70% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.90% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 24.60% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $35,601, and the median income for a family was $43,105. Males had a median income of $34,483 versus $18,967 for females, indicating a relatively high level of income inequality based on gender. The per capita income for the county was $17,379. About 7.8% of families and 9.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.90% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.

Towns

• Hulett
  Hulett, Wyoming
  Hulett is a town in Crook County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 408 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Hulett is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles , all of it land. The Belle Fourche River bisects the town...
  
  
• Moorcroft
  Moorcroft, Wyoming
  Moorcroft is a town in Crook County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 807 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Moorcroft is located at ....
  
  
• Pine Haven
  Pine Haven, Wyoming
  Pine Haven is a town in Crook County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 222 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Pine Haven is located at ....
  
  
• Sundance
  Sundance, Wyoming
  Sundance is a town in Crook County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,161 at the 2000 census. The town is named for the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by several North American Indian Nations.-Sundance in popular culture:...
  
  

Other communities

• Aladdin
  Aladdin, Wyoming
  Aladdin is an unincorporated community in eastern Crook County, Wyoming, United States. It lies at the junction of WYO 24 and WYO 111 northeast of the town of Sundance, the county seat of Crook County. Its elevation is 3,688 feet , and it is located at...
  
  
• Alva
  Alva, Wyoming
  Alva is an unincorporated community in north central Crook County, Wyoming, United States. It lies along WYO 24 34.9 miles north of the town of Sundance, the county seat of Crook County and 9.7 miles away from Hulett, Wyoming. Its elevation is 3,993 feet , and it is located at...
  
  
• Beulah
  Beulah, Wyoming
  Beulah is an unincorporated community in eastern Crook County, Wyoming, United States, along a tributary of the Belle Fourche River. It lies along local roads near Interstate 90, northeast of the town of Sundance, the county seat of Crook County. Its elevation is 3,520 feet , and it is...
  
  

Politics

Crook County is historically Republican in Presidential elections. The last Democratic candidate to carry the county was Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...

 in 1932. In the last five Presidential elections the Democratic candidate has consistently received less than 24% of the county's vote.

In the Wyoming Senate

Wyoming Senate

The Wyoming Senate is the upper house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 30 Senators in the Senate, representing an equal amount of constituencies across Wyoming, each with a population of at least 17,000. The Senate meets at the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne.Members of the Senate...

 the county is represented by Republican Ogden Driskill since 2011. In the Wyoming House of Representatives

Wyoming House of Representatives

The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal amount of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of at least 9,000. The House convenes at the Wyoming...

it has been represented by Republican Mark Semlek since 2003.