 Welcome to Bighorn County. You can see the beautiful Bighorn Mountains behind me in agriculture all around. Bighorn County occupies the northeast corner of the Bighorn Basin, known for its fertile fields and warm weather, making it an agricultural hub of Wyoming. This area has been occupied by humans for over 10,000 years, as is evidenced by numerous petroglyphs. In more recent history, ceramics made by Crow Indians, dating back to the mid-1700s, have been found. White settlers arrived in the 1870s and raised cattle and sheep. At the end of the century, a large party of Mormons came to the area to begin digging canals for farming. Sugar beets have always been a staple crop in the county. The Great Western Sugar Company built a beet processing plant in Lovell in 1916, ensuring a solid market for this locally grown crop. Ag production had twice the gross revenue of oil and gas before 1950. Bighorn County originally covered about 8 million acres, or one-eighth of the state, but was subdivided into what is now Hot Springs, Washkey Park, and Bighorn Counties. The Bighorn River was dammed in 1967 and provides power, water for irrigation, and world-class recreation opportunities. So come to Bighorn County for the recreation and leave with an appreciation of the history and numerous agricultural products produced right here in Wyoming. From the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Mae Smith, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.