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MEMORIALS AND RESOLUTIONS

OF THE

TERRITORY OF WYOMING,

PASSED AT THE FIRST SESSION

OF THE

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY,

CONVENED AT

Cheyenne, October 12th, 1869,

AND ADJOURNED SINE DIE, DECEMBER 11TH, 1869,

TO WHICH ARE PREFIXED

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, CONSTITUTION
OF THE UNITED STATES, AND THE ACT
ORGANIZING THE TERRITORY,

TOGETHER WITH

EXECUTIVE PROCLAMATIONS.

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY.

CHEYENNE, W. T.

S. ALLAN BRISTOL, PUBLIC PRINTER, TRIBUNE OFFICE.

1870.

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TERRITORIAL OFFICERS.

Governor-JOHN A. CAMPBELL.
Secretary-EDWARD M. LEE.

United States Attorney-JOSEPH M. CAREY.

Collector of Internal Revenue-THOMAS HARLAN.
Assessor of Internal Revenue-EDGAR P. SNOW.
Chief Justice-JOHN H. HOWE.

Associate Justices-Wm. T. JONES.

JOHN W. KINGMAN.

Surveyor General-SILAS REED.

Register of Land Office-CHARLES C. CROWE.
Receiver of Public Moneys-FRANK WALCOTT.
Delegate to Congress-STEPHEN F. NUCKOLLS.

Treasurer-JOHN W. DONNELLAN.

Anditor-BENJAMIN GALLAGHER.

Commissioners of Penitentiary-FRANK B. EDMONDS.

J. H. HAYFORD.

EDWARD IVINSON.

Marshal-CHURCH HOWE.

PREFACE.

The Organic Act of Wyoming was approved July 25th, 1868. The first Governor and Secretary were appointed and qualified April 15th, 1869, and on the 19th of May the Judicial officers reported for duty, and the territorial organzation was complete.

A census was ordered to be taken, and an election directed to be held for the first legislative assembly, the result of whose labors are given in this volume. Among other acts, a law was passed enfranchizing women; thus, by a single step, placing the youngest territory on earth in the vanguard of civilization and progress. Wyoming is rectangular in form, and extends from the twenty-seventh to the thirtyfourth meridian of longitude, and from the forty-first to the forty-fifth degree of longitude, embracing an area of some 97,600 square miles, or about 72,464,000 acres. The territory was formed from the southwestern portion of Dakota, together with a few square miles taken from the territories of Utah and Idaho. By the first legislative assembly it was divided into counties, running across the territory from north to south, and named as follows, commencing with the eastern boundary: Laramie, Albany, Carbon, Sweetwater and Uinta, with county seats in the same order, as follows: Cheyenne, Laramie City, Rawlings, South Pass City and Merrill. The first two of the above named counties possess unequaled grazing facilities and excellent agricultural resources. The grasses are cured upon the stalk by natural causes, for winter use, in such a manner as to retain a larger per centage of starch, gluten and other fattening properties than when cured with man's assistance. Thus, cattle and all kinds of stock can be

fattened without being housed or foddered in winter time. With these extraordinary facilities, Wyoming can successfully compete with all the world in the matter of stock growing, and upon her plains there is room and sustenance for millions of cattle and unnumbered herds of wool-bearing animals.

In the southeastern portion between the Laramie plains or table lands, and the eastern boundary south of the North Fork of Platte river, and north of the Union Pacific Rail Road, there lies one of the richest iron regions yet discovered; mountains of brown hematite iron, assaying 90 per cent. are found on the Chug water, about thirty-five miles north of Cheyenne. South of the railroad, extending into Colorado are inexhaustable supplies af red hematite that will assay from forty to sixty per cent. of metal. Carbon and Uinta Counties are also rich in iron ore of the qualities above mentioned.

This vast region of country embracing the Laramie plains and the counties aforesaid, with the surrounding hills and mountains extending from the Black hills, westward to the Wasatch mountains, is an immense field of lignite coal of excellent quality. It is estimated by geologists who have recently conducted careful investigations here, that these coal beds cover an area of 30,000 square miles, or more than one-third of the entire territory. Experiments have demonstrated that this coal is capable of smelting all kinds of iron ore. Near Rawlins on the Pacific Railroad, copper ore of unusual purity has been discovered and developed.

Sweetwater County embraces the celebrated gold region of that name, located, adjacent to the South Pass of the Rocky mountains. These mines discovered in 1867, are operated by stamp mills, twenty in number, and averaging ten stamps each. The ledges are well defined, and the quartz is of a hard vitreous nature, free from base metal. Gulch mining is also successfully prosecuted, in many instances yielding twenty-five to thirty dollars per day to each man.

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