Chugwater, Wyoming

Chugwater is a town in Platte County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 175. The High Plains town is located 45 miles north of Cheyenne and 25 miles south of Wheatland.

History

The Chugwater area, with its proximity to Fort Laramie, was visited by some of the earliest Western expeditions, including that of Stephen Watts Kearny in 1845, and cattle were first wintered in the valley as early as 1859.

First settlers & the coming of the railroad

The first settler in the valley is reported to have been James Bordeaux (1814-1878), who opened a general store in 1868, located at the crossroads where the road from Cheyenne forks into the roads leading to Fort Fetterman and to Fort Laramie. In 1884, the Swan Land and Cattle Co. was established, and in 1886, the Cheyenne and Northern Railway was chartered to serve points north of Cheyenne in Wyoming. It was as a result primarily of the Swan Land and Cattle Co., and the railroad, that the town of Chugwater grew up.

State Representative Robert Mills Grant was among those who have drove cattle into Chugwater.

The former Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives, Harold Hellbaum, farmed and ranched in Chugwater. He served in the state legislature from 1963 to 1977, with his last term as Speaker.

Etymology of the town's name

Some historians hold that the name "Chugwater" is derived from a Mandan account of a bison hunt. According to this narrative, a chief was disabled during the hunt and his son took charge of the hunt or "buffalo jump". Under his direction, hunters drove the bison over nearby cliffs; when the animals reached the ground below, a sound of "chugging" was heard by the hunters. The story concludes with an etymology: since a stream was near the base of the cliffs, the site of the stampede has been called "the place" or "water at the place where the buffalo chug."

The Chugwater horse called "Steamboat"

The iconic black horse named "Steamboat", who was the model for the bucking horse and rider motif on Wyoming license plates, came from the Tyrrell ranch located near Chugwater, and was given to the Cheyenne Frontier Days organization by the ranch's general chairman, Ace V. Tyrrell. As a young horse, Steamboat sustained a nose injury, requiring removal of a bone fragment from a nostril, and as a result, developed a sound resembling the whistling of a steamboat whenever he bucked.

Steamboat was first ridden at a Frontier Days rodeo in 1909, by Clayton Danks (1879 – 1970) who was then working as a ranch hand in the Chugwater area, and was stabled for many years south of Chugwater near Cheyenne, in an historic barn owned and maintained by Mike and Linda Holst.

Geography and climate

Chugwater is located at (41.755797, -104.825482).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.

Highways

- north–south Interstate from New Mexico to Wyoming; runs north–south through Chugwater, concurrent with US 87.
- Alternate Interstate Business Route through Chugwater.
- north–south route through Chugwater, concurrent with I-25.

Demographics

thumb|Chugwater's Legacy [[Windpump|Windmill, an unusual vaneless model built circa 1910. Restored for Wyoming's Centennial Celebration, 1991.|upright]]

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 175 people and 111 households in the town. The population density was . There were 101 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 89.8% White, 0.5% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race made up 5.9% of the population. The town did not have any Asian, African American, or Native American residents.

There were 111 households, of which 73.9% were married couples living together, 17.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 9.0% had a male householder with no wife present. The average family size was 1.74.

The median age in the town was 69.9 years. 10.8% of residents were under the age of 20; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 4.2% were from 25 to 44; 19.9% were from 45 to 64; and 60.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 55.4% male and 44.6% female.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,934. Only 1.1% of the population fell below the poverty line, all of whom were above the age of 65 years.

2010 census

As of the census

Economy

thumb|right|Grain elevator in Chugwater

In 2005, a promotion to attract new residents to the town offered building lots for $100, provided the new owner built a house within a year, and lived on the property for at least two years. Four lots were sold.

Chugwater lost its only grocery and gas station when an SUV crashed into Horton's Corner on December 30, 2012, resulting in a fire that burned the convenience store.

Area attractions

The Diamond Ranch, established near Chugwater in 1878 by George Rainsford, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 28, 1984. Unfortunately, it no longer functions as a guest ranch.

Notable people

Clayton Danks (1879–1970), famous Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo rider, cowboy & ranch hand
Robert Mills Grant (1926–2012), Wyoming State Representative
Ted Prior (actor) (born 1959), actor who portrayed Mike Danton in the biographical film Deadly Prey