ABSTRACT
In Wyoming, the names used derive from specific perceptions of the landscape to recognition and admiration for the works of local or national heroes. If modern citizens of Wyoming feel fortunate when they discover the great wealth of natural resources their state possesses, they should perhaps feel doubly fortunate when considering their cultural heritage. Regardless of the origin of cultural items or traits, Wyoming has distinctive rural landscapes, usually composed of both cultural and physical features. Certainly a major set of clues to the culture of a region can be found in the names of the surrounding landscape phenomena. Churches have assumed prominent places in the landscape of many of Wyoming’s towns and cities, but no particular type of church or religious philosophy has dominated the state as a whole. Migration into Wyoming indicates that a century-old trend will continue during the 1980s, bringing more midwestemers and their culture into the state.
