The City Of Casper Was Founded 130 Years Ago Today
Happy birthday, Casper. The Oil City was officially incorporated on May 6, 1889. Named after Army Lt. Caspar Collins, a mistake was made when the town name was registered which changed the spelling to the modern-day version.
The town of Casper was founded 40 years after Fort Caspar was established as a trading post along the Oregon Trail. Developers originally came to the area in anticipation of the Wyoming Central Railway, which became an important shipping point for ranchers.
Although is now the second-largest city in Wyoming, Casper grew slowly for three decades until the discovery of oil in the nearby Salt Creek Field led to rapid growth early in the 20th century. Between 1910 and 1920, the population went from 2,639 to 11,447. Casper continued to grow for the next six decades. After a brief oil bust in the early 1990s, the population rebounded and is currently estimated at nearly 58,000.
Several professional athletes, actors, and politicians have called Casper home over the years, notably former Vice President Dick Cheney, Senator John Barrasso, Representative Liz Cheney, football players Taven Bryan and Zane Beadles, baseball players Tom Browning, Mike Devereaux, and Mike Lansing, author C.J. Box, and actor Jim J. Bullock.