CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office is currently accepting applications for this year’s Centennial Farm and Ranch recipients.
The program annually honors families who have owned and operated the same farm or ranch for 100 years or more.
Each year, the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office and its program partners host a celebration to honor these families.
More than 300 families have been honored through the program since it was reestablished in 2006. An annual yearbook is published and features the histories and photos of the centennial families.
The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office partners with the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Wyoming Rural Electric Association, Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Wool Growers Association and Wyoming Livestock Roundup to honor centennial families at a ceremony each year during the Wyoming State Fair.
Families receive a framed certificate signed by the governor and a large centennial sign to display on their property. The honorary award does not place any requirements or expectations on the family.
The stories and histories of Wyoming’s Centennial Farms and Ranches are published in the Centennial Farm and Ranch program yearbooks.
Yearbooks have been published since 2006 by the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office to celebrate and highlight Wyoming’s agricultural heritage. Each centennial family is invited to submit its family history and photographs and is provided with a free copy. All yearbooks are available to download for free. Printed yearbooks can also be purchased at the office’s location in Cheyenne or by mail.
The history of Wyoming’s farms and ranches is the history of Wyoming, and its people and centennial families have played a key role in preserving Wyoming’s heritage. A centennial farm or ranch embodies the story of a landscape that is uniquely tied to a family’s history.
For more information about the program and the application, go to https://wyoshpo.wyo.gov/ and follow the Centennial Farm and Ranch program link.
Call Bethany Kelly at 307-777-7530 or email bethany.kelly@wyo.gov for more information.
