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Washakie County, Wyoming

42 topographic sheets cover 11 settlements here, and 7 properties are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Research this county

From the record

7 National Register listings published here.

Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service

Wyoming within the United States
Washakie County within Wyoming

What the record shows

  • 109 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
  • 7 properties here are on the National Register of Historic Places: 5 buildings, 1 structure and 1 district.
  • The Geographic Names Information System records 11 populated places in this county; 11 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.

Places on the National Register

7

Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.

Photograph PropertyType ListedReference
Ainsworth Housebuilding198686002321
Emerson Parks Housebuilding201616000265
James T. Saban Lookoutstructure201616000781
Ten Sleep Mercantilebuilding198686002324
West Side Schoolbuilding2021100007002
Worland Housebuilding198686000310
Worland Ranchdistrict199292000123

Wildfire, 1992 to 2020

890 fires

Every wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 890 of them, burning about 166,269 acres. 304 started naturally and 8 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.

Reported cause Fires
Natural304
Missing data/not specified/undetermined236
Fireworks147
Debris and open burning100
Equipment and vehicle use42
Recreation and ceremony20
Power generation/transmission/distribution18
Arson/incendiarism8
Smoking6
Railroad operations and maintenance4
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Firearms and explosives use1

The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 July 2018Natural42,267 acresWorland Field OfficeTEREK FIRE
25 August 1996Natural38,858 acresWorland Field OfficeBATES
14 July 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined17,559 acresWind River / Bighorn Basin DistrictNEIBER
13 August 2018Natural4,905 acresWorland Field OfficeDENVER JAKE
25 August 1996Natural4,793 acresWorland Field OfficeWILLOW
17 August 1996Natural4,525 acresWorland Field OfficeCEDAR RIDG
26 June 2012Natural3,926 acresWorland Field OfficeUPPER BEE
28 July 2018Natural3,856 acresWorland Field OfficeZIMMERMAN

Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.

Storms, 1962 to 2025

60 of 144 shown

The NOAA Storm Events Database holds 144 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 1 injury and about $764,700 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.

Kind of event Reports
Thunderstorm Wind59
Hail49
Funnel Cloud12
Flood10
Tornado8
Flash Flood6

The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 1995Thunderstorm WindWorland1 hurtStrong thunderstorm winds downed tree limbs in Worland. One 3 inch diameter branch was blown 60 feet, striking a person in the head.
March 2014Flood(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar$250,000Ice jam flooding caused damage in Worland. Neighborhoods near the river north and south of the Highway 789 bridge reported flooding of some homes. The water extended 100-200 yards from the river's edge at a depth of 12 to 18 inches.
February 2017FloodWorland$100,000Rapidly warming temperatures after a prolonged cold spell, rapidly melted snow in the Big Horn Basin. This, combined with the frozen Big Horn River breaking up, produced flooding in Washakie County, especially in the vicinity of Worland. Over 100 homes were evacuated in the low lying residential areas along the river. Some residents were out of their homes for three days before finally being allowed back as the water receded on February 14th. The water receded after February 15th as the ice jam moved northward into Big Horn County.
June 2011FloodTen Sleep Arpt$100,000Temperatures approaching 70 degrees around 9,500 feet melted snow and caused the water level on Tensleep Creek to quickly rise during the overnight hours of June 29 and 30. The flood waters washed out a road leading to the Wigwam Fish Rearing Station and to a private residence near the mouth of Tensleep Canyon east of town. Several residents also reported flooding of their yards and at least one reported an out-building being inundated by water.
August 2010Tornado (EF1)Ten Sleep Arpt$70,000A tornado swept through Juniper trees on a high ridge before descending the hillside into the Nowood River Valley southeast of Ten Sleep. The tornado destroyed several well-built out buildings and downed at least 20, century-old Cottonwood trees on ranches in the valley.
March 2014FloodDurkee$50,000Flooding of two ranches occurred along the Nowood River north of Ten Sleep. The ice jams formed on several bends in the serpentine river flooding ranch lands. At least one resident evacuated their residence as the water level climbed.
August 2010Thunderstorm WindTen Sleep$50,000Ping pong ball sized hail driven by wind gusts estimated to be around 85 mph damaged roofs, rain gutters, windows, and siding of several homes in the Nowood River Valley south of Ten Sleep. The wind also ripped metal roofing from a garage, while another garage was significantly damaged by a toppled Cottonwood tree. A rear flank downdraft associated with a nearby supercell thunderstorm was responsible for the damaging wind.
August 2007Flash FloodWinchester$35,000Heavy rain caused mud, rocks, and water to spread from higher terrain south across Little Cottonwood Creek Road. At least one culvert and part of the road were to be replaced following the flash flood. The basement of one ranch house about six miles west of Winchester was inundated by the flood waters and mud.
August 2010HailTen Sleep$30,000Ping pong ball sized hail fell for several minutes at ranches just west of State Highway 434. Substantial damage was done to the sorghum crop at one ranch.
June 2018Tornado (EF2)Ten Sleep$20,000An EF-2 tornado with maximum winds at 130 mph touched down in Northeast Washakie county in a heavily forested area at around 8000 feet. The tornado downed and snapped off around 1,000 trees near ground level during its short path.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindWorland$20,000Thunderstorm outflow wind toppled 15 to 20 power poles in the town of Worland. A fence at the Bureau of Land Management office was also blown over.
June 2011FloodTen Sleep Arpt$15,000The waters of Tensleep Creek rose rapidly during the early morning hours of Friday, June 24. The basements of several homes east of Ten Sleep were impacted by the flood waters.
June 2017Thunderstorm WindWorland$10,000The Worland airport reported a thunderstorm wind gust to 69 mph. This led to many trees and power lines being blown down in the city of Worland. The hardest hit areas were between South 10th and South 15th street as well as between Culbertson and Washakie Streets. A gust of 65 mph was measured at the Leigh Creek RAWS site.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindTen Sleep$10,000no account filed
June 1976Tornado (F0)not stated$2,500no account filed
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWorland$2,000A weather station 12 miles east of Worland reported a wind gust of 70 mph. In Worland, trees and power lines were reported down. A 5 inch limb fell on a home.
August 1995Thunderstorm WindWorland$200Thunderstorm winds blew down trees and limbs and tangled some power lines in tree branches around Worland.
July 2025Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-A 59 mph wind gust was reported at the Pistol Draw RAWS site.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindWorland-Wind gusts as high as 71 mph were reported east of Worland.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindWorland-Wind gusts as high as 71 mph occurred near and to the east of Worland.
June 2024Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-The Washakie County emergency manager reported numerous trees down to the southwest of Worland.
August 2024Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-Wind gusts as high as 62 mph were reported at the Worland airport. The strong wind gusts brought down tree limbs in the city of Worland.
April 2023Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-A 61 mph wind gust was reported at the Worland airport as a line of thunderstorms passed.
September 2023Flash FloodNowood-Deputies reported some minor flooding over roadways in southeast portions of Washakie county.
June 2023Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-A 63 mph wind gust was reported at the Worland airport.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindWorland-Please see episode for narrative.
May 2021Funnel CloudNeiber-See episode for description.
July 2021Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-A 64 mph wind gust was recorded by the ASOS at Worland Municipal Airport.
August 2020Thunderstorm WindWinchester-Tree limbs 5 to 7 inches in diameter were downed in Winchester.
May 2019Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-The ASOS at the Worland airport reported a wind gust of 58 mph.
May 2019FloodWorland-The Washakie County emergency manager reported street flooding in portions of Worland.
May 2019FloodTen Sleep-The Washakie County emergency manager reported two small mudslides in Ten Sleep Canyon.
May 2019FloodTen Sleep Arpt-A trained spotter reported minor flooding along Ten Sleep Creek. The water remained in low lying areas and caused no damage.
July 2019HailNeiber-Trained spotters reported nickel sized hail near Worland.
July 2019Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-The ASOS at the Worland, Wyoming airport reported a wind gust of 66 mph.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindBig Trails-A trained spotter reported a wind gust of 64 mph at Big Trails, Wyoming.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindWorland-A trained spotter reported tree and roof damage in Worland, Wyoming. Several tree limbs were blown down to the north-northwest of Ten Sleep, Wyoming.
August 2019Flash FloodWorland-Over an inch of rain along with small hail fell in Worland in only 25 minutes and brought street flooding. The water closed some streets for a while and water also backed into some buildings, including the city shop.
June 2018HailWinchester-The public reported nickel size hail in Winchester.
June 2018HailTen Sleep-The CO-OP Observer near Big Trails reported half dollar to ping pong ball size hail 3 miles north of Big Trails.
July 2018Flash FloodDurkee-A combination of very heavy rain, large amounts of small hail and a clogged culvert brought flash flooding east of Worland. Around 2 feet of water was running over US 16. The flooding was alleviated after the clog in the Culvert was cleared.
May 2018FloodTen Sleep-Washakie County sheriff deputies reported flooding around the Ten Sleep Creek bridge along Highway 16. The water flooded several campsites. The water also got close to surface of the bridge but never topped it.
August 2018Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-The ASOS at the Worland airport reported a wind gust of 59 mph from a collapsing thunderstorm.
June 2018Funnel CloudWorland-Trained spotters reported a funnel cloud northwest of Worland.
June 2018HailTen Sleep-A storm chaser reported ping pong ball size hail near Ten Sleep.
June 2017HailTen Sleep-The public reported quarter size hail to the east of Ten Sleep.
July 2015Thunderstorm WindNowood-Weak convection and a strong pressure gradient combined to produce a peak wind gust of 76 mph shortly before 1500MST at the Split Rock Creek RAWS.
September 2014Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-The ASOS at the Worland Municipal Airport clocked a 58 mph wind gust from the west at 1224MST as a thunderstorm rolled east across Washakie County.
May 2014HailWorland-Hail to the size of pennies was reported in Worland.
May 2014Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-The ASOS at the Worland Airport reported a wind gust of 65 mph from a weak shower sweeping northeast.
May 2014Thunderstorm WindTen Sleep Arpt-Shingles were blown off the roof of a ranch house north of Ten Sleep.
June 2014HailWinchester-The community of Winchester was hit with three to four minutes of nickel to quarter sized hail.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindDurkee-Wind gusts estimated at 60 mph combined with one-half inch diameter hail to devastate barley and corn fields in northern Washakie County. There were a few cottonwood trees downed by the wind, one of which fell across State Highway 433. The same thunderstorm caused one irrigation ditch to fill quickly and produce minor flooding of a nearby road.
June 2013HailTen Sleep Arpt-A trained spotter reported nickel sized hail along the Nowood River Road northwest of Ten Sleep.
May 2013HailWinchester-A trained spotter reported hail the size of quarters covering the ground.
May 2013Funnel CloudDurkee-A trained spotter reported several funnel clouds as well as a rotating wall cloud north of Worland.
May 2013HailTen Sleep Arpt-Hail up to one inch in diameter fell at a ranch 9 miles northwest of Ten Sleep.
May 2013Funnel CloudWorland-A funnel cloud was observed 12 miles west of Worland.
June 2012Thunderstorm Wind(Wrl)Worland Muni Ar-Thunderstorm outflow produced a 64 mph wind gust at Worland Municipal Airport.
June 2011HailTen Sleep-A trained spotter reported quarter sized hail at a ranch southeast of Ten Sleep.

Mines and quarries

61 recorded

The Survey's mineral resources record lists 61 workings inside this county. 5 still produce and 56 are closed or unrecorded. Each settlement page carries the workings within five miles of it.

Commodity Workings
Sand and Gravel, Construction17
Uranium14
Gypsum-Anhydrite14
Bentonite6
Titanium-Heavy Minerals1
Iron, Zirconium, Thorium1
Thorium, Zirconium, Iron, Titanium, Metal1
Talc-Soapstone1
Tungsten1
Titanium, Iron1
Nitrogen-Nitrates1
Asbestos1
Magnesite1
Manganese1

The least common of them first, because a county's hundredth gravel pit says nothing its first ten did not.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Canyon Creek ClaimAsbestosProspect
Canyon Creek TalcTalc-SoapstoneOccurrence
Dugout CreekTitanium-Heavy Minerals, Iron, Zirconium, ThoriumOccurrence1955
Dugout CreekTitanium, IronOccurrence1955
Gheen Nos 1 and 2 ClaimsManganeseProspectPyrolusite, Psilomelane, Braunite
Mud CreekThorium, Zirconium, Iron, Titanium, MetalOccurrence1906, 1920, 1955
Tensleep CanyonMagnesiteOccurrence
UnknownTungstenProspect
UnknownNitrogen-NitratesOccurrence
Worland Betonite MillClayProducer
Bentonite MineBentoniteProducer
Bud Kimball CreekBentoniteOccurrence
North Ten Sleep MineBentoniteProducer
Northwest of TensleepBentoniteOccurrence
Nowood River #5BentoniteOccurrence
UnknownBentoniteProspect
Anderson Claims and Adjacent ClaimsUraniumOccurrence
Big Trails AreaGypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
Canyon CreekUraniumOccurrence
Gag ClaimsUraniumOccurrence
Gay ClaimsUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
Nowood River #1Gypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
Nowood River #2Gypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
Nowood River #3Gypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
Nowood River #4Gypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
Packer GroupUraniumPast Producer
Scorpion ClaimsUraniumPast Producer
Spring Creek AreaGypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
Ten Sleep AreaGypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
UnknownUraniumProducerStratabound
UnknownUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
UnknownUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
UnknownUraniumOccurrenceStratabound
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteProspect
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteProspect
UnknownUraniumUnknown
UnknownUraniumUnknown
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteProspect
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteOccurrence
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteProspect
UnknownUraniumUnknown
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteProspect
UnknownUraniumUnknown
Big Horn FeedersSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
County PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Daugherty PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Davis Pit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Davis Pit #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Extended Breeder #2Sand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
FrisonSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
GeeSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
HonkSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Howard PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Mccormac Pit #1Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
MileskiSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Neiber PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Star PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
State Mat PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Tomis PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Wyoming Game & FishSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every populated place in the county

11

Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.

Provenance

  • Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
  • Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
  • Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.