There Is Not Much Left Of Van Tassel Wyoming

AH YES, Van Tassel Wyoming. A lovely place that I hope to visit and vacation in someday... WAIT - Van what Wyoming? Never heard of it.

Van Tassell is a town in Niobrara County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 census, Van Tassell had a population of 22. It is the least populous town in the least populous county of the least populous state in the U.S.

Van Tassell, once a booming little town, has a surprisingly massive footprint in Old West history.

One of those towns that time forgot, it was founded in 1886 and incorporated in 1916, its lore is tied directly to the pioneering cattle industry, the arrival of the railroad, and a major milestone for U.S. military veterans.

With an odd name like Van Tassel you might be wondering how it was named. Yes, it is a person's name. R.S. (Rensselaer Schuyler) Van Tassell, one of the most prominent cattle ranchers in the Rocky Mountain region. Van Tassell moved to the area in the late 1870s and acquired extensive land holdings.

When the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Railroad arrived in 1886, Van Tassell owned the land where the depot was needed, prompting the railroad to name the budding station in his honor.

Chartered on June 28, 1919, this post has the unique historical distinction of being the very first American Legion post organized in the United States.

Incorporated in 1916, Van Tassell rapidly developed into a critical shipping and agricultural hub for Goshen and Niobrara counties.

In its early days, the community supported two stores, two churches, a hotel, cafes, an electric plant, a newspaper (The Van Tassell Pioneer), and even an automobile dealership.

The town is located in eastern Niobrara County along U.S. Route 20, just west of the Nebraska state line. Today, it operates as a quiet, rural outpost. The town's post office officially closed in 2017, but the community remains a proud reminder of Wyoming's frontier persistence. (Wyoming Tales & Trails).

Special thanks to Wyoming Tales & Trails for Van Tassel's back story. Visit their website and the Niobrara Country Library's website for more photos and history of this town.