Records of Wyoming Cities &Towns (Municipalities)

The Wyoming State Archives accepts for preservation selected records from Wyoming’s municipalities.  These records series are principally those from which we have ongoing requests for information.  The main types of records we maintain are:

• Municipal court records:  these are records from some of the state’s larger cities.  To request these, you will generally need to contact the court first and ask for the docket number of the case file
   
• School, land, and marriage records (though most of these are from counties not cities or towns.)

Please contact us to inquire about which records we have for particular cities and towns.  Keep in mind that many such records are housed in our offsite facility and may need 24-48 hours retrieval time.

Records of Wyoming Counties

The Wyoming State Archives accepts for preservation selected records from Wyoming’s county governments. These records are principally those from which we have ongoing requests for information. The main types of records we maintain are:

• Court records: District, Circuit and Probate. To request these, you will generally need to contact the court first and ask for the docket number of the case file
   
• Some marriage records, particularly before 1941, when the state began keeping track of marriages. See our guide to vital records for help determining which records are kept by which state agency
   
• Land records: records from county clerks
   
• School records: records from county school districts

Some of these records have been microfilmed, but most are housed in our offsite storage facility. Contact us to ask how to locate and retrieve them for you to use.

County Records

This inventory lists the county level records that are available with us.

Historical Collections

Explore this image in the Archives Photo Database!

In addition to the records of Wyoming government, the Wyoming State Archives has collected a small but significant group of manuscript collections documenting various aspects of life in Wyoming.  These include personal papers (letters, diaries, photographs, scrapbooks, writings), business records, and records of clubs and organizations.  A small library of books, pamphlets, and other published items about the state is also maintained as a reference collection to aid in the study of Wyoming history.

Historical collection strengths include oral histories of Wyoming lives and subjects, women’s clubs and organizations, maps, photographs, newspapers from around the state, city and state directories and phone books, histories of Wyoming towns and counties,  genealogical publications and locally-produced obituaries indices.

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Find It in the Archives

Click drawers to find out more.

FAQs Ask an Archivist Forms Get a Copy Visit the Archives

Ways to Find Things

 

Card Catalogs 

• Search for historical collections (not from government offices) and for photographs in these catalogs in our public reading room.  Cards list authors, topics, and location information.
   

Finding Aids.  

• These documents describe each group of archival records (government files) or historical collections (papers of individuals, families, businesses or organizations.)
   
  • WyoCOMET. This searchable online database lists finding aids for a growing number of our collections (e.g. the records of the Governor’s office; the records of the Secretary of State).  Each finding aid describes the collection and gives a box and folder listing.  Some of the finding aids include links to actual digitized documents within the collections.
     
  • Printed finding aids for each collection.  Housed in notebooks in our public reading room.
     
  • Digital copies of finding aids for each collection.  Ask our staff if you would like a copy of a finding aid downloaded or sent to you from our internal files.
     

Wyoming’s Statewide Online Catalog

• ​Soon you can search here for our books, city directories, phone books, and more.
   

Databases

• ​Search separate online databases for photographs, maps, microfilm holdings, newspapers, death certificates, Wyoming cities, Wyoming history, and finding aids for our archival collections and manuscript collections.
   

Wyoming Blue Book Wiki  

• ​Search through this online encyclopedia on Wyoming’s history, government agencies and state officials.
   

Guides to Topics  

• See Guides and topic lists below.
   

Vertical File  

• These folders of newsclippings and small print items, arranged by topic, are available in our public reading room.

 

 

What We Have - COLLECTIONS

 

State and local government records:    

• Records of State Agencies:  historically significant records of Wyoming state agencies are preserved for research use.
   
  • Archived websites and social media for state agencies
     
  • The finding aids for many State Agency records can be found in the WYO COMET.
     
• Records of Counties 
   
• Records of Cities and Towns 
   
• School Records – (go to the School Life section towards the bottom of the page)
   
• Vital Records ( link opens in new tab/window)
   
• Court Records - (go to Crime and Criminals section on this page)
   

Historical Collections 

• Papers of individuals, families, businesses and groups. Many of the historical collections can be found in WyoCOMET.

 

Oral Histories  ( links open in new tab/window)

• Lists of interview projects by topic, and audio files online.
   

Photos
 

Maps
 

Published sources

• Books and other publications  ( link opens in new tab/window) – Soon you can search online for our books, city directories, phone books, and more.
• Wyoming newspapers  - search online ( link opens in new tab/window) up to 1923; read on microfilm ( link opens in new tab/window) up to the current year in our reading room.
   
• Phone Books
   
• State Directories - 1906-1911, 1914, 1916-1932, 1937, 1939-1942, 1950, 1953-1955, 1989-1991.  
   
• City Directories (“Coming Soon”) These will be in WYLDCat.
   

Digital Collections

 

Guides and Topic Lists

 

Looking for a topic for a paper, or a place to start your search?  Try our guides!
 

• Research topics
   
• Genealogical Resources
   
• History Day
   
• Researching Historic Homes and Property (link opens in new tab/window)
   
• Searching for Vital Records (link opens in new tab/window)
   
• Women's Organization Collections
   
• Tom Horn (link opens in new tab/window)
   
• Women’s Suffrage in Wyoming (link opens in new tab/window)
   
• World War I and Wyoming (link opens in new tab/window)
   
• African American History in Wyoming (link opens in new tab/window)
   
• List of Incorporated Cities of Wyoming 
   

 

Ways to Find Things

Explore this photo in our Photo Database.

Card Catalogs 

• Search for historical collections (not from government offices) and for photographs in these catalogs in our public reading room.  Cards list authors, topics, and location information.
   

Finding Aids.  

• These documents describe each group of archival records (government files) or historical collections (papers of individuals, families, businesses or organizations.)
   
  • WyoCOMET. This searchable online database lists finding aids for a growing number of our collections (e.g. the records of the Governor’s office; the records of the Secretary of State).  Each finding aid describes the collection and gives a box and folder listing.  Some of the finding aids include links to actual digitized documents within the collections.
     
  • Printed finding aids for each collection.  Housed in notebooks in our public reading room.
     
  • Digital copies of finding aids for each collection.  Ask our staff if you would like a copy of a finding aid downloaded or sent to you from our internal files.
     

Wyoming’s Statewide Online Catalog

• ​Soon you can search here for our books, city directories, phone books, and more.
   

Databases

• ​Search separate online databases for photographs, maps, microfilm holdings, newspapers, death certificates, Wyoming cities, Wyoming history, and finding aids for our archival collections and manuscript collections.
   

Wyoming Blue Book Wiki  

• ​Search through this online encyclopedia on Wyoming’s history, government agencies and state officials.
   

Guides to Topics  

• See Guides and topic lists below.
   

Vertical File  

• These folders of newsclippings and small print items, arranged by topic, are available in our public reading room.

What We Have - COLLECTIONS

Explore this image in the Archives Photo Database!

State and local government records:    

• Records of State Agencies:  historically significant records of Wyoming state agencies are preserved for research use.
   
  • Archived websites and social media for state agencies
     
  • The finding aids for many State Agency records can be found in the WYO COMET.
     
• Records of Counties 
   
• Records of Cities and Towns 
   
• School Records – (go to the School Life section towards the bottom of the page)
   
• Vital Records ( link opens in new tab/window)
   
• Court Records - (go to Crime and Criminals section on this page)
   

Historical Collections 

• Papers of individuals, families, businesses and groups. Many of the historical collections can be found in WyoCOMET.

Oral Histories  ( links open in new tab/window)

• Lists of interview projects by topic, and audio files online.
   

Photos
 

Maps
 

Published sources

• Books and other publications  ( link opens in new tab/window) – Soon you can search online for our books, city directories, phone books, and more.
• Wyoming newspapers  - search online ( link opens in new tab/window) up to 1923; read on microfilm ( link opens in new tab/window) up to the current year in our reading room.
   
• Phone Books
   
• State Directories - 1906-1911, 1914, 1916-1932, 1937, 1939-1942, 1950, 1953-1955, 1989-1991.  
   
• City Directories (“Coming Soon”) These will be in WYLDCat.
   

Digital Collections