BlockBefore

Wright, Wyoming

7 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1955 and the latest in 1974. It stands in the Gillette South census division. It lies in ZIP code area 82718. The Survey maps it on the Little Thunder Reservoir quadrangle. 1,644 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 5,121 feet above sea level.

Wright within Campbell County

Population over time

2 figures

Wright fell from 1,807 to 1,644 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
20101,807
20201,644-163 (-9%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

4 surveys from 7 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

42 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 42 fires within 5 miles of Wright between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,136 acres in total. 11 started naturally. 1 was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Natural11
Equipment and vehicle use7
Missing data/not specified/undetermined7
Debris and open burning5
Fireworks4
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Smoking2
Misuse of fire by a minor2
Arson/incendiarism1
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
5 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreWyoming State Forestrynot named
5 September 2010Smoking10 acresWyoming State Forestrynot named
4 September 2017Fireworks1.0 acresCampbell County508 SUNDANCE CT.
15 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undetermined12 acresMedicine Bow-Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National GrasslandDURHAM 2 FIRE
3 August 2020Naturalunder an acreCampbell CountyDRY FORK
27 August 2012Equipment and vehicle use33 acresWyoming State Forestrynot named
25 August 2020Power generation/transmission/distributionunder an acreCampbell CountyHIGHWAY 387
17 August 2016Natural1.0 acresMedicine Bow-Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National GrasslandLITTLE THUNDER FIRE

Every fire recorded in Campbell County

Mines and quarries near this place

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Wright: 2 producers, 1 past producer. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Durham Neat Co.Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Meadowlark No. 6 PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Wright PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer

Every working recorded in Campbell County

Storms near this place

60 of 157 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wright in 157 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 84 hail, 51 thunderstorm wind, 9 tornado, 6 flash flood. The reports record 2 deaths and 22 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2005Tornado (F2)Wright2 killed, 13 hurt, $5,000,000A tornado touched down 1 mile north of Wright and traveled southeast into the town. It crossed Wyoming Highway 387, slammed into a mobile home park, and dissipated a half mile from the highway before reaching the elementary school and Wright Blvd on the southeast edge of the park. It damaged 120 of the approximately 250 homes in the park; 91 were completely destroyed. Roofs, porches, siding, and trees sustained light damage from the strong wind gusts. Two people were killed and 13 injured; all were in mobile homes.
June 2023Tornado (EF2)Wright8 hurtA tornado developed near the Campbell-Converse County line southeast of Wright, where it snapped wooden power poles and tipped over several empty train cars. It struck the operations area of the North Antelope Rochelle Coal Mine, ripping metal roofs and wall panels from shop buildings; moving and flipping cars, buses, and shipping containers; and overturning empty railroad cars. Damage severity indicated wind gusts were as high as 120 to 130 mph. No track was visible across the vegetation. Seven people sustained mostly minor injuries at the mine. The tornado continued into southwestern Weston County.
June 2010LightningWright1 hurtno account filed
August 2013HailWright$10,000,000Large amounts of ping pong to golf ball size hail fell around Wright. Portions of town had hail drifts three to five feet high. The wind-driven hail caused extensive damage to homes and vehicles.
August 2013Flash FloodWright$150,000Heavy rain flooded road, yards, and basements in Wright after drainage systems became clogged with hail. A dam on Panther Pond was overtopped; the Wright Golf Course was flooded; and some roads, including Wright Boulevard and rural roads on the south side of Wright; were covered with as much as two feet of water.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindWright$100,000The combination of hail and wind damaged automobiles.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindWright$10,000no account filed
June 2015HailWright$2,000Windows were cracked from the large hail.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWright-Confirmed wind gust report.
September 2025Thunderstorm WindWright-WY Mesonet Site measured wind gust.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindWright-WY mesonet recorded wind gust.
July 2023HailWright-Wind gusts to 50 mph accompanied the storm.
June 2023HailWright-Large hail broke through a bedroom window.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindWright-The combination of hail and wind damaged some homes, vehicles, and property in the area. Broken windows, damaged siding, and downed fences were reported.
May 2021Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindWright-The spotter estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.
June 2017HailWright-Wind gusts reached 50 mph with a thunderstorm.
July 2017Thunderstorm WindWright-The spotter estimated wind gusts around 60 mph.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts estimated at 60 mph blew over a propane tank.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
May 2014LightningWright-Lightning struck a truck at a coal mine, causing a tire to explode. The tire smashed through the wall of a nearby building and struck three people inside the building.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 65 to 70 mph.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2013Flash FloodWright-Porcupine Creek, Spring Creek, and their tributaries flooded WY Highway 59 in several locations when runoff from heavy rain overwhelmed culverts. The highway was closed from seven miles south of Wright to the Converse County line.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts to 60 mph were reported.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
August 2011Thunderstorm WindWright-Branches six inches in diameter broke off trees.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindWright-Wind gusts were estimated at 65 mph.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindWright-A 60 mph wind gust was measured at the highway weather station on WY Highway 59 at the Belle Fourche River.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindWright-Estimated wind gusts at 60 mph.
July 2009HailWright-Wind gusts reached 50 mph.
June 2008Tornado (EF0)Wright-A small tornado briefly touched down near the southern edge of the Pumpkin Buttes.
July 2008HailWright-Hail accumulated 6 inches deep in ditches at the intersection of Reno and Payne Roads.
May 2007Tornado (EF0)Wright-A small tornado touched down in sagebrush and did no damage. Path length and width were estimated.
July 2004Flash FloodWright-Flooding at Hilight Road and Breene Road. Breene Road flooded in 5 places.
July 2004Flash FloodWright-Highway 50 was under water.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Wright-Moved over open rangeland. Spotters watched the tornado for nearly 40 minutes before it dissipated.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Wright-Tornado reformed and moved southeast into Converse County.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Wright-Brief touchdown. Tornado width and length estimated.
June 1999Funnel CloudWright-3 Funnel Clouds sighted. Short lived.
June 1999Tornado (F0)Wright-Brief touchdown. Tornado width and length estimated.
July 1998Flash FloodWright-HEAVY RAINS CAUSED A STOCK DAM TO BREACH ON THE IBERLAND RANCH, FLOODING HIGHWAY #387.
July 1998Flash FloodWright-HEAVY RAINS OF SIX INCHES IN AN HOUR CAUSED FLOODING ALONG HIGHWAY #387.
May 1997HailWright-HAIL FELL AT JACOB'S RANCH MINE
August 2024HailWright-no account filed
July 2024Thunderstorm WindWright-no account filed
May 2023Thunderstorm WindWright-no account filed
July 2023Thunderstorm WindWright-no account filed
July 2023HailWright-no account filed
July 2023Thunderstorm WindWright-no account filed
June 2023HailWright-no account filed
June 2023HailWright-no account filed
June 2023HailWright-no account filed
September 2023HailWright-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Campbell County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Teckla14.5 miles6
Turnercrest16.5 miles8
Savageton18.7 miles10
Pleasantdale26.3 miles8
Antelope Valley33.2 miles9
Crestview33.6 miles9
Sleepy Hollow34.2 miles9
Sunburst35.1 miles10

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on WrightAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q1029861The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1605008. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

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.