Upton, WY

Upton is a Weston County town whose history can be read through three names: Iron Town, Merino, and Upton. The settlement began in the late nineteenth century, when ranching, sheep, and railroad plans met in northeastern Wyoming. The railroad arrived in 1890, the community became Merino in honor of the sheep breed, and the name changed to Upton in 1901 for railroad surveyor George Upton. That sequence gives the town a strong working-landscape story, with stockyards, rail cars, ranches, and Main Street all tied together.

The Red Onion Museum, housed in Old Town just west of present-day Upton, keeps that story tangible. Its cabins, sod houses, windmill, wagons, and exhibits cover pioneers, ranchers, miners, railroaders, and local families. Weston County School District No. 7 operates Upton Elementary, Middle, and High Schools, and the Weston County Gazette has served as the town newspaper for nearly a century. Lakes, streams, and abundant wildlife fill out the surrounding country. Upton's slogan may be playful, but the local case is easy to see: a small Wyoming town with a museum, a railroad past, and a full county-service role.