Laramie, Wyoming
For years the search for precious metals in the Medicine Bow Mountains, 30 miles (48 km) to the west, provided employment. The railroad, cattle and sheep ranches, forest products, and the University of Wyoming (founded there in 1886) are important factors in the economy, as are tourism and cement making. The University Stock Farm is in the city, and the Geological Museum on the main campus exhibits a dinosaur skeleton discovered in the area. The university also maintains an art museum, an anthropology museum, and an insect museum.