Big Piney, Wyoming
Page Summary: With a population of approximately 400 people, Big Piney is the oldest community in Sublette County, Wyoming.
About Big Piney, Wyoming
Big Piney is a rural ranching community which also supports the oil and gas industry of the nearby Jonah Field. Big Piney is home to the Green River Valley Museum. The famous Green River and the Wyoming Range mountains are just a short distance from this community. Big Piney is just a mile from the town of Marbleton, which is a story in itself. Between Big Piney and Marbleton, the population is approximately 1,500. Services include food, fuel and lodging.
Events:
Each year the community hosts the 4th of July Chuckwagon Days parade and barbecue, rodeo & fireworks. The Big Piney/ Marbleton Volunteer Fire Department hold their Annual Catfish Fry in July.
More visitor information is available at the Sublette Visitor Center kiosk at the Sublette County Library go west off US 189 on Budd Avenue 3 blocks on your left.
History
Big Piney is the oldest settlement in Sublette County with a population of approximately 400 people. The town was named by Dan B. Budd for the Piney Creeks which run through town. In 1879, Daniel B. Budd and his partner Hugh McKay brought a thousand head of cattle from Nevada hoping to ship them at Point of Rocks. But winter caught up to them here in the Green River Valley. The following year, Dan Budd moved his family here and that is how the settlement of this town began. Big Piney was called "Ice Box of the Nation" when it was officially made a weather station in 1930 and had the coldest year-round average temperature of any place in the nation.
In 1987, actress Glenn Close co-produced a documentary about the vanishing cowboy of the American West, entitled, "Do You Mean There Are Still Real Cowboys?" The film focused on several generations of cattle ranching families in Big Piney, originally shown as part of the PBS television series, "The American Experience." It was narrated by actor Robert Redford.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 408 people, 161 households, and 113 families residing in Big Piney.
External Links
The following web sites have more information on Big Piney:
