 Welcome to Campbell County, a land rich in history and natural resources. Located between the Big Horn Mountains and the Black Hills of Wyoming is this rugged prairie landscape known as the Powder River Basin. Early settlement of the area began in the late 1860s and 1870s when herds of cattle came up the Texas Trail to graze the vast open plains of northern Wyoming. The brutal winter of 1886 and 1887 decimated these herds of cattle and forever changed the settlement of this area. Smaller ranching outfits soon established that used the more managed practices of stringing up fence and growing hay to ensure feed for livestock through the winter months. Land that was once valuable for large cattle enterprises later became sought after as a nationwide energy source. Coal was first mined in Campbell County in 1909. Early coal mining was done with two and four horse teams that pulled earth scrapers known as Fresnos to gain access to the seams of coal. Oil was discovered in the mid 1900s and this in conjunction with coal mining led to major population booms throughout the years. So come visit the energy capital of the nation and discover the cowboy and mining culture that it has to offer. From the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Blake Hotman, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.