Dayton was a stage stop on the Bozeman Trail. It was named after Joe Dayton Thorn (1861-1942) in 1882 because he was one of the founding fathers of the city. The town claims to have had Wyoming's first rodeo held here in the 1890s. By the early 1900s the town had grown substantially, with three general stores, four saloons, a flour mill, and a stucco factory. The state fish hatchery was initially in Dayton until relocating to Story, Wyoming in 1909.
The town's first mayor was Neal Ketcham. In 1911 Dayton elected the first female mayor in Wyoming, Susan Wissler.
Dayton was home to the San Benito Monastery, a Roman Catholic monastery associated with the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, from 1989 to 2014.
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 (1), the Library of Congress (1), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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