1. On December 9, 1936, the Union Pacific Depot in Laramie was destroyed by a fire. The original depot was built in 1924 but suffered extensive damage in the 1936 blaze. The cause of the fire was never determined, but fortunately, no one was injured.

2. In 1965, the first stretch of Interstate 80 was opened in Wyoming. The 35-mile stretch of highway from Cheyenne to Laramie was a major milestone in the development of the United States' interstate highway system.

3. On December 9, 1974, Wyoming's first licensed horse racing track, Wyoming Downs, opened in Evanston. The track was short-lived, however, closing its doors just six years later due to financial troubles.

4. The Wyoming State Capitol building was completed on December 9, 1890, just months after Wyoming became the 44th state in the Union. The building is designed in a Renaissance Revival style and has undergone several renovations and additions over the years.

5. December 9, 1903, saw the beginning of construction on the Buffalo Bill Dam in Cody. The dam, which was completed in 1910, created the Shoshone Reclamation Project and provided irrigation water for thousands of acres of farmland in Wyoming. Today, it is still one of the state's most impressive engineering feats.