Wamsutter, Wyoming
Wamsutter, Wyoming | |
|---|---|
Panorama of Wamsutter, looking south from I-80 | |
Location of Wamsutter in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. | |
Wamsutter, Wyoming Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 41°40′15″N 107°58′39″W / 41.67083°N 107.97750°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wyoming |
| County | Sweetwater |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.63 sq mi (4.21 km2) |
| • Land | 1.63 sq mi (4.21 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,746 ft (2,056 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 203 |
• Estimate (2023) | 200 |
| • Density | 287.0/sq mi (110.82/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code | 82336 |
| Area code | 307 |
| FIPS code | 56-81300 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1609172 |
Wamsutter is a town in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 203 at the 2020 census.
The original inhabitants of the area were the Shoshone and Ute tribes. Westerners only began to settle in the county with the coming of the railroad in the 1860s. Originally, the town was known as Washakie. Confusion with nearby Fort Washakie prompted an 1884 name change to Wamsutter, after a Union Pacific bridge engineer.
The town, which bills itself as "The Gateway to the Red Desert" is located along Interstate 80 between Rawlins and Rock Springs, on the easternmost border of Sweetwater County. The natural gas industry has exerted great influence on Wamsutter in recent years, through employment opportunities in the area, and by contributing to the community directly.
Wamsutter is the largest settlement, and the only incorporated town in the Great Divide Basin.