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Big Horn Academy Historic DistrictBig Horn Academy Historic District · Photo: 25or6to4 · CC BY-SA 4.0
–Not graded
History · Cowley

Cowley’s post office opened in 1900, and 22% of its homes were built before 1940

1 place in town is on the National Register, among them a historic district with 2 buildings. Below: maps from 1918 on and the census since 1910.

1900first post office
1on the National Register
22%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Cowley began, and where its name came from

When was Cowley founded?

1900

The Cowley post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name.

First census: 574 in 19102020 census: 762126 years

How did Cowley get its name?

The community was named after Matthias F. Cowley, a leader in.

Founding year: the first Cowley post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Cowley’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Cowley are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1920 and 1970, then more than doubled.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Cowley’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Cowley’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Cowley, census by census

0200400600800192019401960198020002020687 in 1920Low: 366

Lost half of its people between 1920 and 1970, then more than doubled.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Cowley’s Wikipedia page.

The story

How Cowley came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Cowley.

Read it all →

In February 1900 a group was sent by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to create a settlement in northern Wyoming. The group met with William Cody who was building an irrigation canal to help find a site. In May 1900 the first group arrived. They started building the Sidon irrigation canal which was eventually completed in 1904. The post office was established in October 1900 with William W. Graham as postmaster. The community was named after Matthias F. Cowley, a leader in .

A school was built in 1901. Cowley was incorporated in May 1907.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Cowley, 1900 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1900Post officeThe Cowley post office opens
  3. 1966On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  4. 21st century
  5. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 762
By decade

Cowley, decade by decade

Today5 recent
Big Horn Academy2020Big Horn AcademyRMMHS Gymnasium2016RMMHS GymnasiumWelcome sign featuring a covered wagon2015Welcome sign featuring a covered wagonAgricultural scene near Cowley in Big Horn County, Wyoming2015Agricultural scene near Cowley in Big Horn County, Wy…Agricultural scene near Cowley in Big Horn County, Wyoming2015Agricultural scene near Cowley in Big Horn County, Wy…
On the map

Cowley on the map in 1966

The U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Cowley.

Cowley on the 1966 USGS map1966Cowley sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Cowley.

Every building

Cowley, building by building, 1918

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Cowley fire insurance map, 1918, sheet 11918Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Cowley

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1992
Big Horn Academy Historic District
Big Horn Academy Historic District
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Romanesque Revival1
Log1
Big Horn Academy Historic DistrictRomanesque Revival

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Cowley

Nobody well known was born in Cowley itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
D
Darren DaltonAmerican actor, screenwriter and film producer · b. 1965
Chris CooleyPlayer of American football · b. 1982
B
Bobby MallonAmerican actor · b. 1919
J
Jim CrawfordAmerican football player · b. 1935
B
Bill WilkinsonAmerican baseball player · b. 1964
Don G. DespainAmerican botanist · b. 1940

Questions about Cowley’s history

What year was Cowley founded?

The Cowley post office opened in 1900, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

What is on the National Register in Cowley?

One place: the Big Horn Academy Historic District (listed 1992).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (3), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.