Medicine Bow, Wyoming
Encyclopedia
Medicine Bow is a town in Carbon County
, Wyoming
, United States
. The population was 304 at the 2010 census
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), all of it land.
in 1868. The railroad located a tie boom on the nearby Medicine Bow River and built a depot, water stop, and coal-loading facility. Later, livestock loading-pens were built and Medicine Bow became an important livestock shipping center. The first load of cattle shipped to the Union Stockyards in Omaha came from the Medicine Bow area.
The town grew up around the railroad facilities. In the middle 1880s, Philadelphia lawyer Owen Wister
stopped in town and wrote a description in his journal. He later used the historic setting of Medicine Bow as a backdrop for his novel The Virginian
, which is considered to be the first novel of the "Western" Genre. In the early 1900s Medicine Bow was one of the automobile stops on Old Lincoln Highway
(Junction of Hwys 30/287 and 487). August Grimm built the Virginian Hotel to accommodate travelers. In the early 1970s, the town suffered as a result of the opening of Interstate Highway 80 that bypassed the town, some 35 miles to the south. The town experienced an economic boom in the middle 1970s when uranium mines opened north of town and coal mines west of town expanded production. The original Union Pacific Depot burned in the early 20th century, but it was replaced. In 1978, ownership of the building was transferred to the City of Medicine Bow and the town museum was started in the structure. Two years earlier, as a bicentennial project, local civic groups helped relocate the Owen Wister Cabin, built by the Wister family in the Grand Tetons in northwestern Wyoming, to a site next to the depot. David L. Roberts (b. Lusk, Wyoming, 1954) founded the Medicine Bow Post
newspaper in 1977, editing and publishing the newspaper until the early 1990s. Medicine Bow is one of the windiest places in America. South of town, the first experimental giant wind turbines in Wyoming were built under contract from the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation in the early 1980s. Utility-operated wind farms provide electricity from windy points near Medicine Bow. In December 2007, plans were announced for construction of a large coal gasification plant to be built southwest of town. Completion date is estimated for 2014 as of April 2011 construction will begin on the concrete pad. Expected temporary works to the town is 1500, when the plant is complete they will need 450 workers to operate the plant. The town recently celebrated its 100th anniversary of incorporation June 26, 2009.
of 2010, there were 304 people, 130 households, and 83 families residing in the town. The population density
was 79.3 people per square mile (30.6/km²). There were 184 housing units at an average density of 53.2 per square mile (20.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.81% White, 1.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 129 households out of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 13.9% from 25 to 44, 38.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $35,156. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $20,536 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $16,420. About 10.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.5% of those sixty five or over.
. Zoned campuses include Medicine Bow Elementary School (grades K-6) and H.E.M. Junior/Senior High School http://www.crb2.k12.wy.us/hemshs/ (grades 7-12).
Carbon County, Wyoming
Carbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of 2010, the population was 15,885. Its county seat is Rawlins.- History :Carbon County was organized in 1868....
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 304 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
.
Geography
Medicine Bow is located at 41°53′52"N 106°12′10"W (41.897668, -106.202796).According to the United States 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 town has a total area of 3.5 square miles (9.0 km²), all of it land.
History
Medicine Bow, like many other towns across southern Wyoming, was established as a result of the construction of the transcontinental railroadFirst Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
in 1868. The railroad located a tie boom on the nearby Medicine Bow River and built a depot, water stop, and coal-loading facility. Later, livestock loading-pens were built and Medicine Bow became an important livestock shipping center. The first load of cattle shipped to the Union Stockyards in Omaha came from the Medicine Bow area.
The town grew up around the railroad facilities. In the middle 1880s, Philadelphia lawyer Owen Wister
Owen Wister
Owen Wister was an American writer and "father" of western fiction.-Early life:Owen Wister was born on July 14, 1860, in Germantown, a well-known neighborhood in the northwestern part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father, Owen Jones Wister, was a wealthy physician, one of a long line of...
stopped in town and wrote a description in his journal. He later used the historic setting of Medicine Bow as a backdrop for his novel The Virginian
The Virginian (novel)
This page is about the novel, for other uses see The Virginian .The Virginian is a pioneering 1902 novel set in the Wild West by the American author Owen Wister...
, which is considered to be the first novel of the "Western" Genre. In the early 1900s Medicine Bow was one of the automobile stops on Old Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
(Junction of Hwys 30/287 and 487). August Grimm built the Virginian Hotel to accommodate travelers. In the early 1970s, the town suffered as a result of the opening of Interstate Highway 80 that bypassed the town, some 35 miles to the south. The town experienced an economic boom in the middle 1970s when uranium mines opened north of town and coal mines west of town expanded production. The original Union Pacific Depot burned in the early 20th century, but it was replaced. In 1978, ownership of the building was transferred to the City of Medicine Bow and the town museum was started in the structure. Two years earlier, as a bicentennial project, local civic groups helped relocate the Owen Wister Cabin, built by the Wister family in the Grand Tetons in northwestern Wyoming, to a site next to the depot. David L. Roberts (b. Lusk, Wyoming, 1954) founded the Medicine Bow Post
Medicine Bow Post
The ‘’’Medicine Bow Post’’’ was a weekly newspaper published in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, from September 1977 to mid-1995. David L. Roberts , was founding editor and publisher. The newspaper served a wide area of south-central Wyoming then experiencing economic boom from uranium and coal mining...
newspaper in 1977, editing and publishing the newspaper until the early 1990s. Medicine Bow is one of the windiest places in America. South of town, the first experimental giant wind turbines in Wyoming were built under contract from the U. S. Bureau of Reclamation in the early 1980s. Utility-operated wind farms provide electricity from windy points near Medicine Bow. In December 2007, plans were announced for construction of a large coal gasification plant to be built southwest of town. Completion date is estimated for 2014 as of April 2011 construction will begin on the concrete pad. Expected temporary works to the town is 1500, when the plant is complete they will need 450 workers to operate the plant. The town recently celebrated its 100th anniversary of incorporation June 26, 2009.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 304 people, 130 households, and 83 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 79.3 people per square mile (30.6/km²). There were 184 housing units at an average density of 53.2 per square mile (20.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.81% White, 1.09% Native American, 0.36% Asian, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.73% of the population.
There were 129 households out of which 18.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.6% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.60.
In the town the population was spread out with 18.6% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 13.9% from 25 to 44, 38.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $35,156. Males had a median income of $41,250 versus $20,536 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $16,420. About 10.3% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.5% of those sixty five or over.
Education
Public education in the town of Medicine Bow is provided by Carbon County School District #2Carbon County School District Number 2
Carbon County School District #2 is a public school district based in Saratoga, Wyoming, United States.-Geography:Carbon County School District #2 serves the eastern portion of Carbon County, including the following communities:*Incorporated places...
. Zoned campuses include Medicine Bow Elementary School (grades K-6) and H.E.M. Junior/Senior High School http://www.crb2.k12.wy.us/hemshs/ (grades 7-12).
Further reading
- Barrett, Glen. (1978) The Virginian at Medicine Bow.
- Roberts, David L. (1991) Sage Street: A Collection of Stories.