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Worland
Population, 5,000 (est.)
County Seat of Washakie County
 In 1903, a pioneer camp was established on the west bank of the
Big Horn River, at its confluence with Fifteen-Mile Creek. The camp was on the
Bridger Trail, a route established by mountain man Jim Bridger for miners in
route to the gold fields of Montana. Charles H. (Dad) Worland selected this
location as a halfway point between Basin City and Thermopolis for an overnight
stop for stagecoaches and freighters. His building (a dugout) was also the bar,
bank and post office. In fact, the bank was a cigar box that sat on the bar –
townspeople would make transactions directly from the box themselves.
 As the railroad made its way across the country in 1904, Worland
found itself as a possible destination. Railroad officials, considering a line
to Greybull with an extension through Worland to Thermopolis or into Otto.
Sensing impending doom, CF Robertson, trailed the officials to Omaha and
persuaded them that Worland was the viable destination. Without the railroad,
Worland’s future would be difficult. While Worland had good people, climate,
water and soil, the markets were far too either the north or south – the
railroad was a necessity.
Disquieting news arrived in 1905, however. The railroad was
coming, but it was not coming down the west side of the river as expected There
was nothing to do but let Mother Nature, which had placed the Big Horn River
between the town and the railroad, help out. The settlers waited until the dead
of the winter when the river froze over, gathered all their belongings and moved
Worland to the railroad side (east side) of the icebound river, Worland’s
current location.
 The agricultural products of the area were possible, in large
part, to the Hanover Canal system, which Robertson had surveyed and was manager.
The canal system is still in operation and irrigates about 35,000 acres of land
with water from the Big Horn River. With the canal local agriculturalists were
(and are) able to grow barley, corn, oats, sugar beets, alfalfa and irrigated
pasture. Seeing the profit in adding value to their products, Worland became
home to the Wyoming Sugar plant, which was built in 1916.
Worland is also home to
Fremont Beverages - Pepsi-Cola Bottling.
Started by Newell Sargent in 1947, it began
as a four-person bottling company: they made
soda at 38 bottles/minute, then sold and
delivered it across the region. Today it
employs 1,100 people making bottles at
300/minute and cans at 1,000/minute, which
it sells across seven western states.
Additional manufacturing includes Crown Cork
& Seal, manufacturing aluminum cans, NOCORA,
a bag manufacturer, a number of metal
fabricators and oil field service
fabricators. Creating one of the most
diverse and stable economies in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s Artesian Water
City
The Artesian Fountain next to the Worland-Ten Sleep Chamber of
Commerce is dedicated to the thirsty traveler from near and far. Husky Oil
Company may have been disappointed when they failed to strike oil at the 4,330
foot level, but their discovery was just as precious when the well produced a
record volume of Artesian Water.
Husky Oil, in the finest
Western tradition, gave the well to Worland.
The well is located some 23 miles northeast
of Worland, on the western slope of the Big
Horn Mountains. The flow is 14,000 gpm at
200 psi at temperature of 76 degrees. There
is sufficient pressure to push the water in
the transmission line from the wellhead for
23 miles to Worland.
A second Artesian Well has
been added for backup if needed. The system
storage capacity is 6 million gallons. Local
industry welcomes this fine Artesian Water
supply and looks forward with assurance to a
prosperous and growing economic future for
Worland and Washakie County.
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