Learn The Origins Of Weird Wyoming Town Names

To be fair, if you travel to any state you'll find strange names that will confuse you and make you wonder where that name came from.

Wyoming has a few oddball town names with origins that can be just as weird as the name itself.

Dubois, Wyoming (Pronounced Do-boys)

It's actually a French that would traditionally be pronounced "Do-Bwa." But the people of the town were upset that the Utah Senator, who had been sent to help them officially become a town, rejected the name they wanted and named it after himself. So, to this day, the people of Dubois intentionally mispronounce the name of the town.

Chugwater, Wyoming

When white people arrived in the area they asked the Indians what they called this beautiful place. The Indians would run buffalo off the buttes above to their deaths below. Those big animals made a "CHUG" sound when they hit the ground near the river that flowed below. Hense the name CHUG-WATER.

Bags, Wyoming

Named after George Bags, this place was a famous outlaw hangout at one time.

Bar Nunn, Wyoming

Bar Nunn was named after Romie Nunn. The town was built using an abandoned airport so the streets, which were runways and taxiways, looked a little odd. There is a great restaurant there called The Hanger. It was the old airport hangar.

Encampment, Wyoming

If you're thinking the place started as an encampment, you would be correct.

Lingle, Wyoming

Lingle was founded in 1886 and was originally known as “Cactus.” The name was later changed to Lingle in honor of William Lingle.

Manville, Wyoming

The post office called Manville has been in operation since 1887. The town was named for H. S. Manville, a cattleman.

Lost Springs, Wyoming

Lost Springs received its name from railroad workers who could not find the springs shown on survey maps of the area.

Lost Cabin, Wyoming

Lost Cabin received its name from a pioneer incident in which a party of prospectors escaped from Indians, only to find later their cabins had disappeared from the site.

Ten Sleep, Wyoming 

This town gets its name from older days when Native Americans frequented the area as a place to rest—it's "ten sleeps" from Yellowstone in the northwest and Laramie in the southeast.