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Gillette, Wyoming began when
three men filed homestead rights in Rockpile Draw. The new
railroad crossed these homesteads, so the Lincoln Land & Livestock
Company bought them. In July, 1891, the Livestock Company
planned the town of Gillette and sold lots. The town grew with
the arrival of the railroad in August of that same year. The
city of Gillette was named after Edward Gillette because his survey
saved the railroad money. Starting in 1909, small mines were
built around the county. The first major coal mine in Campbell
County was Wyodak, east of Gillette. The first oil exploration
began in the 1940's. Wright, Wyoming is located in the
heart of the Powder River Basin. It sits 36 miles south of
Gillette on State Highway 59 and 387 West. Wright was
established in 1976 as a company town by Atlantic Richfield and
developed through an agreement between a community development group
and the corporation's Black Thunder Mine. |
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Campbell County residents and visitors find the sight of
coal trains common. "On average, 65 unit trains leave the
Powder River Basin each day." states the Wyoming Coal Information
Committee report A Concise Guide to Wyoming Coal 2003
. "Wyoming coal mines led the nation in 2002 for the 15th
consecutive year producing 373 million tons of coal". Of this
amount Campbell County coal mines produced 332.8 million tons of coal.
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Time
Zone: Mountain/ Area Code: 307 |
Proximity to Major Cities/ Recreation Areas in Miles
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Gillette |
Wright |
Cheyenne, WY |
244 |
206 |
Chicago, IL |
1,049 |
1,086 |
Dallas, TX |
1,126 |
1,089 |
Denver, CO |
342 |
305 |
| Devils
Tower |
60 |
98 |
Salt
Lake City, UT |
532 |
495 |
Phoenix, AZ |
1262 |
1213 |
Big
Horn Nat'l Forest, WY |
70 |
107 |
Keyhole
State Park, WY |
35 |
72 |
Yellowstone Nat'l Park, WY |
301 |
281 |
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Northeast Wyoming Economic Development Coalition
P.O. Box 3948 Gillette, WY 82717
307- 686-2603
800-376-0848
307-686-7268 (fax)
Email: newedc@vcn.com
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