1. Wyoming is more than just a larger-than-its-state federal district or a meeting site for Close Encounters. This week on #50Weeks50Constitutions we examine the constitution of Yellowstone’s home.
2. Before Congress recognized its territorial status (& current borders) in 1868, Wyoming had been in a whole heck of a lot of political entities. In addition to Native American polities, parts were at times claimed by Spain, France, Britain, Mexico, & even the Republic of Texas! 
3. Even once it was firmly established that what is now Wyoming was US land, parts of it were at times in the Louisiana, Missouri, Oregon, Utah, Nebraska, Washington, Dakota, & Idaho territories. And that’s just the ones Congress recognized.
4. Quickly after it became a territory, there was a push for statehood. But it had to wait over 30 years. That didn’t prevent them from giving women the vote in the territorial legislature, the first* US entity to do so. (The * is b/c of New Jersey …)
5. Eventually the political logjam preventing new states broke in 1889, w/ 4 states admitted that year. Sensing their time was near, and not even waiting for permission from Congress, Wyoming’s territorial governor called a constitutional convention, which began Sept 2, 1889.
6. A looming force in the convention was the Union Pacific railroad, which ran through the southern part of the territory & employed a sizeable chunk of its population. This manifested itself more in fear of the power of large corporations than kowtowing to the railroad’s wishes.
7. Another BIG issue was water rights. In the course of settling this issue it was reported neighboring Colorado (which had been a state for 14 years) was having trouble defining the word “appropriate” in the water-use context. So the delegates agreed ... to not define it either.
8. As part of the populist response against large corporations, the delegates followed Montana’s lead & adopted a provision prohibiting groups of armed men (aimed at preventing strike-breaking gangs).
9. Oddly, although the delegates continued the tradition of women’s suffrage, they restricted the right to vote for illiterates. This was because of fears that clerks in counties along the Union Pacific line were registering illiterate transients coming to work in the mines.
10. Fearing capture by the more populous southern counties, delegates from the ranchlands of the northern counties pushed for legislative representation on the federal model, with each county having the same # of state senators. But it was rejected in favor of 1-person-1-vote.
11. There also was a dispute over whether to have state supreme judges distinct from trial judges. Some argued the supreme court would have little to do & be a waste of $$$. But b/c otherwise the same judges would “review” lower court rulings, the constitution made them distinct.
12. The delegates put their constitution together swiftly, in just 25 days. They copied much from the various neighboring states, many of whose constitutions were fresh of the press themselves. The draft went to the people & it passed overwhelmingly.
13. Congress & President Harrison followed suit, and Wyoming earned its statehood. Since then the constitution has been amended over 80 times, but the people of the Equality State have never replaced it wholesale.
14. Sources:
Keiter, The Wyoming State Constitution (2017)
wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/w…
uwdigital.uwyo.edu/islandora/obje…
Keiter, The Wyoming State Constitution (2017)
wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/w…
uwdigital.uwyo.edu/islandora/obje…
