Lost Springs, Wyoming | |
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Town | |
![]() Road Sign in Lost Springs, 2007
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Location of Lost Springs, Wyoming |
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Coordinates: 42°45′57″N 104°55′37″W / 42.76583°N 104.92694°WCoordinates: 42°45′57″N 104°55′37″W / 42.76583°N 104.92694°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Wyoming |
County | Converse |
Year of incorporation | 1911 |
Government | |
• Mayor | Leda Price |
Area | |
• Total | 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2) |
• Land | 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2) |
• Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
Elevation | 4,997 ft (1,523 m) |
Population (2010) | |
• Total | 4 |
• Estimate (2012) | 4 |
• Density | 44.4/sq mi (17.1/km2) |
Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
• Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
ZIP code | 82224 |
Area code(s) | 307 |
FIPS code | 56-47805 |
GNIS feature ID | 1597388 |
Lost Springs is a town in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4.
Lost Springs was first inhabited in the 1880s, when it received its name from railroad workers who could not find the springs shown on survey maps of the area. The town was incorporated in 1911, and it originally had 200 residents, most of whom worked at the nearby Rosin coal mine. After the coal mine closed around 1930, the population of Lost Springs steadily declined.
By 1960, the population of the town had dropped to five. In 1976, both the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Bicentennial Commission designated Lost Springs as the smallest incorporated town in America; its population was then eleven.
In 1983, Lost Springs became involved in a court battle with the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company. The railroad, which ran adjacent to the town, attempted to seize 5.2 acres (2.1 ha) of land to build a 22-foot (6.7 m) railway embankment. Lost Springs Mayor Leda Price alleged that the embankment, which would lie between the town and U.S. Highways 18 and 20, would separate the town from traffic on the highway. A Wyoming district judge ruled in the town's favor, and the railroad ultimately agreed to build an unobstructing track bed and use its own land for track.
Lost Springs is located on the High Plains. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2), all of it land.
Lost Springs has a semi-arid climate under the Köppen Climate Classification. The town experiences cold, dry winters and warm, slightly wet summers.
As of the census of 2010, there were 4 people, 3 households, and 0 families residing in the town. The population density was 44.4 inhabitants per square mile (17.1/km2). There were 3 housing units at an average density of 33.3 per square mile (12.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 100.0% White.