View of Fremont Peak in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming

© Don Paulson/Danita Delimont

View of Fremont Peak in the Bridger Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming

On this day in 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state in the US, which is good news for wilderness fanatics. Wyoming is home to iconic outdoor spaces such as the Teton Range, Devils Tower, the Black Hills and Yellowstone National Park. Shown here is Bridger Wilderness, part of Bridger-Teton National Park, named for Jim Bridger, one of the foremost frontiersmen in the American Old West. Bridger was a trapper, explorer and wilderness guide who is credited with discovering Wyoming’s Bridger Pass as well as the Great Salt Lake. And it’s not just the state’s spectacular landscape that sets it apart – Wyoming Territory granted women the right to vote in 1869, earlier than anywhere else in the US. And in 1924, the people of Wyoming elected the nation’s first female governor. Here’s to you, Equality State!