Evanston, Wyoming
| Evanston, Wyoming | |
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| City | |
Looking north into Evanston
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| Motto: Fresh air, freedom and fun | |
 Location in Uinta County and the state of Wyoming |
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 Evanston, Wyoming
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| Coordinates: 41°15′48″N 110°57′53″W / 41.26333°N 110.96472°WCoordinates: 41°15′48″N 110°57′53″W / 41.26333°N 110.96472°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Wyoming |
| County | Uinta |
| Area | |
| • Total | 10.32 sq mi (26.73 km2) |
| • Land | 10.27 sq mi (26.60 km2) |
| • Water | 0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,749 ft (2,057 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 12,359 |
| • Estimate (2012) | 12,262 |
| • Density | 1,200/sq mi (460/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP codes | 82930-82931 |
| Area code | 307 |
| FIPS code | 56-25620 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1588345 |
| Website | evanstonwy.org |
Evanston is a city in and the county seat of Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2010 census. It is located on the border with Utah.
Evanston was named after James E. Evans, surveyor for the Union Pacific Railroad. Another source maintains it is named for John Evans, second Governor of the Territory of Colorado. The town was founded during the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad. The railroad arrived in the area in November 1868, and Harvey Booth opened a saloon/restaurant in a tent near what is now Front Street. By December the rails had reached Evanston and the first train arrived December 16. However, Orders were later handed down by the railroad managers to move the end of the line 12 miles west, to Wasatch. Within three days most all of Evanston had moved to Wasatch, it appeared that Evanston would become another "end of the tracks" town. Luckily, in June 1869 headquarters returned to Evanston and it continued to grow. Later in 1871, a machine shop and roundhouse were constructed, giving Evanston a longevity not shared with many other railroad towns.
Abundant timber and water along the Bear River made Evanston a refueling station for cross-country locomotives. Coal was mined a few miles north of Evanston in Almy. Similar to other railroad towns in Wyoming, early Evanston had a large population of Chinese railroad workers – in Evanston they lived on the north side of the railroad tracks in a small "China town." Over time, the Chinese population dwindled, disappearing completely in the 1930s.
Evanston was a major stop on the Lincoln Highway. The highway ran east to west from East Service Rd to Bear River Dr, on Front St to Harrison Dr, to Wasatch Rd southwest to Echo Canyon in Utah. It can still be seen along Interstate 80, which follows the railroad tracks in this area.
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Wikipedia