 As you travel around Wyoming, you may notice a lot of license plates beginning with the number one. You may think that this would signify the largest population or the state capital, however it does not. It signifies Natrona County and it is in the middle of the state. County license plate numbers were assigned based on total property valuation in 1928. Natrona County had the highest valuation because of the belief that it held large amounts of mineral resources. Natrona County does in fact have mineral resources, although maybe not the most in Wyoming. It was named for its deposits of Trona. The county also holds buried treasures of oil, natural gas, and coal. Early prospectors exploited deposits of copper, Trona, and asbestos. However, some of the first businesses in the county were sheep and cattle operations. When Natrona County was carved out of Carbon County, Casper and Bessemer vied for the county seat. Bessemer received more votes, in fact far more than their population. So the election official declared the returns fraudulent and Casper became the county seat. Casper is and always has been a hub for travel and business in Wyoming. Casper Mountain is a major landmark in the area and can be seen for miles away. From the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Ashleigh Garles, exploring the nature of Wyoming.