Ten Sleep, Wyoming
Encyclopedia
ŋ
Ten Sleep is a town in Washakie County, Wyoming
, United States
. It is located in the Big Horn Basin in the western foothills of the Big Horn Mountains
, about 26 miles (42 km) east of Worland
and 59 miles (95 km) west of Buffalo
.
The population was 304 at the 2000 census
.
, a portion of which was one of the largest encampments in the world at 15000 acres (60.7 km²). A part of that site is now owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy as the Tensleep Preserve, with facilities for workshops and seminars.
The area continues to thrive as a ranching community. Other industries include mineral extraction (bentonite
) and tourism. Logging and other small businesses have dwindled, leaving just a handful of small businesses supporting the community. Three cafes/restaurants, two bars, two motels, a historic hardware store, campground, bank, and a gas station/ convenience store offer the primary services for visitors and locals.
With a diversity of outdoor opportunities, locals mingle with tourists everywhere. Beyond the traditional activities such as hunting, fishing and horseback riding, outdoor enthusiasts today are found within a few miles of Ten sleep participating in rock climbing, kayaking, spelunking, mountain biking, off-highway vehicle riding and camping, which draw explorers from near and far. Kids still wade in Ten Sleep Creek at the City Park and catch trout anywhere along the stream as it meanders through town. Mid-summer is celebrated by tubing (floating the creek on inner tubes).
Annual celebrations include a two-day rodeo and parade, hinging on the 4th of July celebration of Independence Day (United States). The town's population temporarily quadruples over this period, as tourists and area residents gather to celebrate. The main street is also closed to through traffic to accommodate live music that lasts into the wee hours of the morning. Another annual tradition is NoWoodStock, held the second weekend of August. An eclectic mixture of folk, bluegrass, swing, jazz and rock makes this wonderful celebration of music a destination for locals, neighbors and worldwide tourists.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²), all of it land.
rest stop, so called because it was 10 days travel, or “10 sleeps,” from Fort Laramie (southeast), Yellowstone National Park
(west-northwest), and the Indian Agency on the
Stillwater River in Montana
(northwest). There are numerous archeological sites throughout the area, with frequent discoveries of artifacts such as arrowheads, pictographs and petroglyphs.
Ten Sleep was also the site of the Spring Creek Raid, one of the last feuds of the West's Sheep and Cattlemen's War. It was there in March, 1909 that cattlemen attacked sheep herders and their flock, killing three men and shooting hundreds of the sheep. Caught and convicted, this was the end of major conflict, although it was many years before the two livestock growers' groups resolved their differences.
of 2000, there were 304 people, 142 households, and 83 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,789.7 people per square mile (690.4/km²). There were 158 housing units at an average density of 930.2 per square mile (358.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.01% White, 0.66% Native American, 0.33% from other races
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 142 households out of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples
living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% 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 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 33.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,250, and the median income for a family was $30,357. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,761. About 2.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 5.8% of those sixty five or over.
. Ten Sleep School, a K-12 campus, serves the town.
Ten Sleep is a town in Washakie County, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in the Big Horn Basin in the western foothills of the Big Horn Mountains
Big Horn Mountains
The Big Horn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a northwest-trending spur from the Rocky Mountains extending approximately 200 miles northward on the Great Plains...
, about 26 miles (42 km) east of Worland
Worland, Wyoming
Worland is a city in Washakie County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,250 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washakie County. The City of Worland is served by the Worland Municipal Airport.-Geography:...
and 59 miles (95 km) west of Buffalo
Buffalo, Wyoming
Buffalo is a city in Johnson County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 3,900 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County...
.
The population was 304 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
Culture
Near the entrance to nearby Ten Sleep Canyon is the former site of the Girl Scout National Center WestGirl Scout National Center West
The Girl Scout National Center West was located just outside Ten Sleep, Wyoming, among the Big Horn Mountains, near the entrance to Ten Sleep Canyon. A portion of the center was one of the largest encampments in the world at of rugged wilderness near the entrance to Ten Sleep Canyon near the...
, a portion of which was one of the largest encampments in the world at 15000 acres (60.7 km²). A part of that site is now owned and operated by the Nature Conservancy as the Tensleep Preserve, with facilities for workshops and seminars.
The area continues to thrive as a ranching community. Other industries include mineral extraction (bentonite
Bentonite
Bentonite is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate, essentially impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite. There are different types of bentonite, each named after the respective dominant element, such as potassium , sodium , calcium , and aluminum . Experts debate a number of nomenclatorial...
) and tourism. Logging and other small businesses have dwindled, leaving just a handful of small businesses supporting the community. Three cafes/restaurants, two bars, two motels, a historic hardware store, campground, bank, and a gas station/ convenience store offer the primary services for visitors and locals.
With a diversity of outdoor opportunities, locals mingle with tourists everywhere. Beyond the traditional activities such as hunting, fishing and horseback riding, outdoor enthusiasts today are found within a few miles of Ten sleep participating in rock climbing, kayaking, spelunking, mountain biking, off-highway vehicle riding and camping, which draw explorers from near and far. Kids still wade in Ten Sleep Creek at the City Park and catch trout anywhere along the stream as it meanders through town. Mid-summer is celebrated by tubing (floating the creek on inner tubes).
Annual celebrations include a two-day rodeo and parade, hinging on the 4th of July celebration of Independence Day (United States). The town's population temporarily quadruples over this period, as tourists and area residents gather to celebrate. The main street is also closed to through traffic to accommodate live music that lasts into the wee hours of the morning. Another annual tradition is NoWoodStock, held the second weekend of August. An eclectic mixture of folk, bluegrass, swing, jazz and rock makes this wonderful celebration of music a destination for locals, neighbors and worldwide tourists.
Geography
Ten Sleep is located at 44°2′5"N 107°26′53"W (44.034724, -107.448023).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²), all of it land.
History
Ten Sleep was an American IndianIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
rest stop, so called because it was 10 days travel, or “10 sleeps,” from Fort Laramie (southeast), Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
(west-northwest), and the Indian Agency on the
Stillwater River in Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
(northwest). There are numerous archeological sites throughout the area, with frequent discoveries of artifacts such as arrowheads, pictographs and petroglyphs.
Ten Sleep was also the site of the Spring Creek Raid, one of the last feuds of the West's Sheep and Cattlemen's War. It was there in March, 1909 that cattlemen attacked sheep herders and their flock, killing three men and shooting hundreds of the sheep. Caught and convicted, this was the end of major conflict, although it was many years before the two livestock growers' groups resolved their differences.
Archeology/Paleontology
Rich in prehistory, fossil specimen of dinosaurs, plants and sealife are prolific throughout the region. One such area ,Big Cedar Fossil Ridge, as described on Page 4 of the link, is open to the public for exploration and collection for personal use.Geology
The yellowish-gray to white sandstone which forms much of Ten Sleep Canyon is named the Tensleep formation, and dominates much of the western slope of the Big Horn Mountains. The prominent red sandstone, such as Signal cliff just west of Ten Sleep, as well as the dirt hills all along the west slope of the Big Horn Mountains are of the Chugwater formation. Called the "Painted Desert" or "Colored Hills" by locals, the Cloverly formation is finely granuled sandstone, clay and "gumbo". The Cloverly formations contains bands of various mineral colors ranging from greens and grays to red and violets, and are closely associated with strata containing dinosaur fossils. Numerous signs along U.S. 16 from Buffalo, through Ten Sleep and west to Worland identify the various geologic formations and their millennia.Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 304 people, 142 households, and 83 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,789.7 people per square mile (690.4/km²). There were 158 housing units at an average density of 930.2 per square mile (358.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.01% White, 0.66% Native American, 0.33% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.66% of the population.
There were 142 households out of which 20.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.5% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% 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 2.90.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 33.2% from 45 to 64, and 23.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $24,250, and the median income for a family was $30,357. Males had a median income of $28,125 versus $16,250 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $15,761. About 2.8% of families and 7.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 5.8% of those sixty five or over.
Education
Public education in the town of Ten Sleep is provided by Washakie County School District #2Washakie County School District Number 2
Washakie County School District #2 is a public school district based in Ten Sleep, Wyoming, United States. With an enrollment of just 94 students , it is the smallest school district in the state of Wyoming.-Geography:...
. Ten Sleep School, a K-12 campus, serves the town.