Cowley, Wyoming

Geography

Cowley is located at 44°52′58″N 108°28′5″W (44.882684, -108.468193).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.84 square miles (2.18 km²), all of it land.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 655 people, 229 households, and 169 families residing in the town. The population density was 779.8 inhabitants per square mile (301.1/km²). There were 250 housing units at an average density of 297.6 per square mile (114.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.4% White, 0.5% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.0% of the population.

There were 229 households of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.2% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.41.

The median age in the town was 36.9 years. 31.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.3% were from 25 to 44; 23.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 560 people, 200 households and 160 families residing in the town. The population density was 796.5 per square mile (308.9/km²). There were 223 housing units at an average density of 317.2 per square mile (123.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.32% White, 0.18% Asian, 2.14% from other races, and 0.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.39% of the population.

There were 200 households of which 41.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.0% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the city the population was spread out with 31.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $39,722. Males had a median income of $31,848 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,964. About 3.8% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The current mayor as of November, 2014 is local businessman Joel Peterson. Council members are David Banks, Dexter Woodis, Nick Sponsel and Scott Crosby. The town maintains an informational website at http://cowleywyoming.com/.

History

The town of Cowley was settled by a group of Mormon pioneers called to settle Wyoming's Big Horn Basin. The town was named in honor of Matthias F. Cowley, one of the Apostles of the LDS Church at the time. The first company of pioneers arrived in the area on May 2, 1900, and began the construction of the Sidon Canal to bring water to the town from the Shoshone River. The canal was over 30 miles long and was not completed until 1904.

By winter 1900, there were approximately 18 log houses built in the area. Those original homes were built by Robert Baird, John Black, John Burke, Hyrum Cook, John Dickson, Robert Fraser, William Graham, David Lewis, Gilbert Marchant, Alfred Nebeker, William Partridge, William Simmons, George Taggart, Henry Tucker, Franklin Turnbow, Lemuel Willis, W. W. Willis and George Harston.

The first school was opened in a log house in January 1901, and the first teacher was Eliza R. Black. There were about 24-30 students.

On September 26, 1910, the Big Horn Academy was opened in Cowley, as the first High School. The first class to graduate from the Big Horn Academy was the class of 1912, consisting of 13 students. The first four-year graduating class was in 1915.

A new stone building was erected to house the Big Horn Academy in 1916. In 1925, the name was changed to the Cowley High School. The school's mascot was the Jaguars. The Cowley High School remained in the Big Horn Academy building until 1983, when the last class was graduated. There were only six students in the class of 1983, John Barnes, Ernesto Campos (a visiting student from Mexico), Gilbert Fisher, Greg Marchant, Randy Marchant and Bart Stevens. Due to the declining enrollment, the school in Cowley was closed.

Beginning in 1984, the town's students began attending the consolidated Rocky Mountain High School in Byron, Wyoming, with students from Byron, Deaver and Frannie. Rocky Mountain High School was moved to Cowley beginning in the fall of 2010, after a new High School was built in Cowley.

(Information for the History section was taken primarily from With Book And Plow, by Mark N. Partridge, published 2003 by Family History Publishers, Bountiful, Utah, Copyright Cowley Pioneer Museum History Center.)

Education

Public education in the town of Cowley is provided by Big Horn County School District #1. High School students attend Rocky Mountain High School in Cowley. Middle School students attend Rocky Mountain Middle School also here in Cowley and Elementary students attend Rocky Mountain Elementary School in Cowley.

The Big Horn Academy Building, built in 1916, is located in Cowley. The building was home to Cowley High School from 1925-1983.

Big Horn Co. School District #1

Cowley Pioneer Day and the Cowley Pioneer Museum

Each July, Cowley hosts an annual celebration, known locally as "Cowley Pioneer Day", which is held on the Weekend closest to July 24, to commemorate the town's pioneer heritage. The celebration usually packs in a range of activities including a parade, pioneer heritage program, rodeo, dance, and town barbecue. Cowley's pioneer heritage is also remembered year-round in the Cowley Pioneer Museum, located on Main Street in Cowley, in the same building as the town hall. In addition to the town's official website, information on Cowley history, and Cowley people can be found on a website accessible through http://www.cowleywyoming.com. The website includes thousands of pictures, scans of high school yearbooks, memorial pages for Cowley people who have died, and other family history information.