According to Bittranslators, US 85 is a US Highway in the US state of Wyoming. The road forms a north-south route in the far east of the state, from the border with Colorado through the capital Cheyenne and the towns of Torrington and Newcastle to the border with South Dakota, across the endless High Plains. The route is 410 kilometers long.

Travel directions

US 85 near Lusk.

Just south of the capital Cheyenne, US 85 crosses the border into Wyoming in Colorado from Greeley. The road is here at an altitude of about 1900 meters and after a few kilometers you reach the city of Cheyenne, the largest city in the state. In Cheyenne, Interstate 80 is crossed, after which US 85 temporarily becomes Interstate 180, a single-storey boulevard to downtown. At the end of it you cross the US 30. US 85 then runs past the airport and merges with Interstate 25 heading north.

Just north of Cheyenne, US 85 again turns off and heads northeast, through a barren and desolate area of ​​praires with no significant elevation changes. Between Cheyenne and Torrington there are only a few hamlets for 115 miles. In Torrington, US 85 merges with US 26, then double-numbered for 15 kilometers with 2×2 lanes. The road then continues its long straight route to the north with sometimes very distant views. After 75 kilometers you reach Lusk, a village where you cross the US 20 and merge the US 18 from Casper, and then go double numbered for 75 kilometers to the north.

At a gas station in the middle of nowhere, US 18 turns east and US 85 continues its long monotonous straight route north, through uninhabited areas of endless barren prairies. After 55 kilometers you reach the town of Newcastle, where you cross the US 16. The road then passes through a more wooded and hilly area, the Black Hills. Near Four Corners then follows the border with South Dakota. US 85 in South Dakota then continues to Spearfish and Belle Fourche.

History

US 85 is one of the original US Highways of 1926 and has always passed through Wyoming.

Between Lusk and Newcastle, US 85 originally ran further east, closer to the South Dakota border. In 1951 a new route of US 85 was built between the hamlet of Redbird and just south of Newcastle. This new route was approximately 40 miles long, one of the major upgrades to US Highways in Wyoming at the time.

In the 1990s, the double numbering with US 26 west of Torrington was widened to a 5-lane road with a center turn lane. On January 14, 2014, a new grade-separated track intersection opened in Torrington, interesting for traffic from US 85 from Cheyenne to US 26 towards Scottsbluff. Through traffic on US 85 benefits less.

Traffic intensities

Every day 2,000 to 2,500 vehicles run between Cheyenne and Torrington, a maximum of 11,500 vehicles in Torrington itself, 5,000 to 7,500 vehicles on the 4-lane section with US 26 west of Torrington and 700 to 900 vehicles further to Lusk. Thereafter, 2,200 vehicles will drive on the double-numbered US 18 north of Lusk and 900 vehicles will continue to Newcastle. After that, 500 vehicles will drive to the South Dakota border.

Wyoming History

Indigenous History

The region where Wyoming is now has been inhabited for about 13,000 years. Several peoples lived in the area, including the Cheyenne and the Arapaho. Several artifacts from this period have been found in and around Yellowstone National Park. The first Europeans searched the north of the state. The south was claimed by Spaniards as part of the Spanish Empire. The Spaniards never actually came here, partly because Latin America was more interesting to them. The Americans searched the region during the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1807. They also discovered the geysers in Yellowstone, but at the time it was believed to have been made up. Robert Stuartwould also visit the region in 1812.

Wyoming as Territory

The region officially came to the United States after the US-Mexican War and negotiations with the British over Oregon territory. Many Americans moved to the western United States and passed through Wyoming (called the Oregon Trail). By 1830 there were already settlements along this route in Wyoming. Later, the first railroad was opened across the state, connecting California and Chicago. Several indigenous peoples already lived in the area. There were tensions between the settlers and these peoples. The peoples attacked the settlers and the settlers attacked the peoples. This was part of the so-called Indian Wars. After 1870, Wyoming became a grain-growing state, making agriculture important in the state. Because Wyoming had far more men than women, they wanted to attract young, single women by giving women more rights in the state. This also included women’s suffrage. Wyoming became one of the first areas where women could vote and run for office in 1868, when it was still a territory.

Wyoming as a state

Wyoming officially became a state on July 10, 1890. Wyoming became the first state with women’s suffrage and was a pioneer in women’s rights. Wyoming, for example, is the first state to allow women to speak on jury trials and the first state to have a female judge. Wyoming also became the first state to have a female governor in 1925, when Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected.