What the record shows
Site of first cabin built in WY in 1812; community est in 1888. Once vied with Casper to be the seat of Natrona Co. and later the State capitol. Named by WY Improvement Co. for Henry Bessemer, Englishman who in 1854 invented a process to make steel from cast iron. 1891 co. took over bridge over North Platte River for unpaid tax, community soon abandoned.
Bessemerappears in the U.S. Geological Survey's place-name archive as a historical populated place — a settlement that once carried a name and no longer does. Our editors are verifying its full story against census records, newspaper archives, and county histories; this record will grow as sources are confirmed.
Before you visit
Unverified sites may sit on private land, and coordinates from historical records can be imprecise. Verify land status and access before traveling. Take photographs, leave nails — removing artifacts from federal land is a crime.
See it in context on the national atlas map.
From the field
The most valuable part of this record is the part only visitors can write.
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