Meeteetse is a town in Park County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 census, Meeteetse had a population of 309.

History

The area that would become Meeteetse was occupied by the Shoshone and Crow people. The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty placed the Crow Reservation to the north and Wind River Reservation to the South leaving the area open for white settlers. Around 1878 Otto Franc began Pitchfork Ranch near what is now Meeteetse. William McNally arrived around 1886 and built a blacksmith shop. It was located on the Meeteetse Creek. When Park County was split from Big Horn County in 1909, Meeteetse became part of Park County.

In 2023 the town council voted to annex 390 acres into the town. The town previously was 557 acres. There were no immediate plans for the land, though the mayor said it could be used for light industrial companies or residential.

In 2025 the city annexed 78 acres. Also in 2025 there were plans to build a bronze foundry.

Geography

Meeteetse is in the Bighorn Basin next to the Greybull river. The Absaroka Mountains are to the west and the Bighorn Mountains to the east.

Climate

Sunshine 3NE is a weather station near the Lower Sunshine Reservoir, a lake nearby to the south of Meeteetse.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 327 people, 153 households, and 94 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 177 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.6% White, 0.6% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.6% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 153 households, of which 20.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.6% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.74.

The median age in the town was 51.3 years. 20.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 16% were from 25 to 44; 35.1% were from 45 to 64; and 23.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.7% male and 48.3% female.

2000 census

As of the census The positions are non-partisan and the terms are four years. J.W. "Bill" Yetter is mayor. His term ends in 2026. It is located in the restored Mercantile. The Meeteetse Museums have local history, the Charles Belden Museum of Western Photography, and various historical buildings.

Meeteetse has a public library, a branch of the Park County Library System.

Education

Public education in the town of Meeteetse is provided by Park County School District #16. Meeteetse School, a K–12 campus, serves the town.

Nature

Meeteetse was where the last known wild population of black-footed ferrets was discovered in 1981. All black-footed ferrets on earth are descended from this group of about 130, which had dwindled to 18 individuals by 1985. They were all captured, and seven of those managed to breed, thus saving the species.

See also

  • List of municipalities in Wyoming

References

  • Meeteetse Branch Library
  • Meeteetse Visitors Center
  • Park County School District 16, Meeteetse, WY