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48-799: Although the Great Divide Basin provides a relatively low and easy crossing of the Continental Divide, its aridity and endorheic nature were an obstacle to pioneers during the westward expansion of the United States ; it was known as the Saline Plain around the 1870s. Consequently, the Oregon Trail detoured north over South Pass, and the Overland Trail detoured south over Bridger Pass. In contrast, during

96-399: A crossing of the Continental Divide, although that is a matter of interpretation. At about 41°42′58″N 107°46′55″W  /  41.716°N 107.782°W  / 41.716; -107.782 is the exit for Continental Divide Road, the highest point on I-80 within the Great Divide Basin, at an elevation of 7,130 ft (2,170 m). While this is no longer recognized as a crossing of

144-468: A female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.74. In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 30.9% from 25 to 44, 33.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

192-433: A sizable claim by Virginia. Of the three, only Connecticut seriously pursued its claims, while Virginia is considered to have had the most legitimate claim to the vast northwest, dividing it into counties and maintaining some limited control. The entirety of the new United States was claimed by Great Britain, including Machias Seal Island and North Rock , two small islands off the northeast coast which remain disputed up to

240-477: Is now recognized as the true location of the Continental Divide, although the corresponding highway sign is located about 2.6 miles away at 41°38′02″N 108°15′40″W  /  41.634°N 108.261°W  / 41.634; -108.261 . (The placement of the Divide on the west rim of the basin signifies that this otherwise endorheic region would drain to the east if it were to overflow.) Having finally left

288-685: The Northern Mariana Islands became a U.S. territory, the Marshall Islands , Federated States of Micronesia , and Palau emerged from the trust territory as independent nations. The last major international change was the acquisition in 1904, and return to Panama in 1979, of the Panama Canal Zone , an unincorporated US territory which controlled the Panama Canal . The final cession of formal control over

336-620: The Public Land Strip , or sometimes "No Man's Land". Atafu , Birnie Island , Butaritari , Caroline Island , Fanning Island , Flint Island , Gardner Island , Canton Island , Kingman Reef , Manihiki , Marakei , Nukunono , Palmyra Atoll , Penrhyn , Pukapuka , Rakahanga , Swains Island , Sydney Island , Vostok Island , and Washington Island were all claimed under the Guano Islands Act . Many additional islands were listed as bonded on this date, but based on

384-671: The Rio Grande (as by flooding), for the border to be altered to follow the new course. The sudden changes often created bancos (land surrounded by bends in the river that became segregated from either country by a cutoff, often due to rapid accretion or avulsion of the alluvial channel), especially in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. When these bancos are created, the International Boundary and Water Commission investigates if land previously belonging to

432-551: The Tennessee River ; it is unknown how official or strong these claims were, and they are not mapped as they are in conflict with the other Spanish claim involving the border of West Florida. The acquisition expanded the United States to the whole of the Mississippi River basin, but the extent of what constituted Louisiana in the south was disputed with Spain : the United States claimed the purchase included

480-528: The Treaty of Paris of 1898 had excluded these islands; the new treaty simply ceded "any and all islands belonging to the Philippine Archipelago". The United States recognized the sovereignty of Tuvalu over Funafuti , Nukufetau , Nukulaelae , and Niulakita . The Banco Convention of 1905 between the United States and Mexico allowed, in the event of sudden changes in the course of

528-633: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.41 square miles (3.65 km ), all land. Bairoil is located on the northeast edge of the Great Divide Basin . Wyoming Highway 73 leads approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) east to Lamont . According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bairoil has a semi-arid climate , abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. As of

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576-739: The United States Congress . The cultural endeavor and pursuit of manifest destiny provided a strong impetus for westward expansion in the 19th century. The United States began expanding beyond North America in 1856 with the passage of the Guano Islands Act , causing many small and uninhabited, but economically important, islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean to be claimed. Most of these claims were eventually abandoned, largely because of competing claims from other countries. The Pacific expansion culminated in

624-773: The annexation of Hawaii in 1898, after the overthrow of its government five years previously. Alaska , the last major acquisition in North America, was purchased from Russia in 1867. Support for the independence of Cuba from the Spanish Empire , and the sinking of the USS Maine , led to the Spanish–American War in 1898, in which the United States gained Puerto Rico , Guam , and the Philippines , and occupied Cuba for several years. American Samoa

672-452: The census of 2010, there were 106 people, 49 households, and 27 families residing in the town. The population density was 75.2 inhabitants per square mile (29.0/km ). There were 68 housing units at an average density of 48.2 per square mile (18.6/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 84.0% White , 1.9% Native American , 2.8% Asian , 7.5% from other races , and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.7% of

720-435: The poverty line , including 11.1% of under eighteens and none of those over 64. Public education in the town of Bairoil is provided by Carbon County School District #1 . Zoned campuses include Rawlins Elementary School (grades K-5), Rawlins Middle School (grades 6-8), and Rawlins High School (grades 9-12). In 2013 Bairoil Elementary was shut down by Carbon County School District Number 1 due to low enrollment. Bairoil has

768-737: The Divide, it was evidently considered to be just that during the days of the Lincoln Highway and U.S. 30, and a monument to Henry B. Joy , the first president of the Lincoln Highway Association , was placed just south of this point along the old highway. (It was relocated to Sherman Summit in 2001 to protect it from increasing vandalism.) Further west, I-80 crosses to the Colorado River drainage at about 41°37′52″N 108°18′40″W  /  41.631°N 108.311°W  / 41.631; -108.311 . This

816-557: The Great Divide Basin behind, I-80 continues west and at 41°16′30″N 110°48′07″W  /  41.275°N 110.802°W  / 41.275; -110.802 , around 10 miles (16 km) east of Evanston , enters the vastly larger Great Basin , staying within it until the crest of the Sierra Nevada at Donner Summit . The Great Divide Basin is part of the Greater Green River Basin , separated from

864-599: The Green River Basin by the Rock Springs Uplift during Late Cretaceous into the Early Eocene . While usually thought of as a single basin, the Great Divide Basin is actually several contiguous sub-basins, most notably those centered on Circle Bar Lake, Frewen Lake, Lost Creek Lake, Red Lake, and Separation Lake. The interior ridges separating these sub-basins have led to disagreement about

912-601: The Union . In 1912, Arizona was the last state established in the contiguous United States , commonly called the "lower 48". In 1959, Hawaii was the 50th and most recent state admitted. The capital was not specifically established; at the time, the Continental Congress met in Philadelphia . Many states had vaguely defined and surveyed borders; these are not noted as contested in the maps unless there

960-627: The United Kingdom on the other, was clarified by the treaty. In 1816, construction began on an unnamed fort nicknamed " Fort Blunder " on a peninsula in Lake Champlain that, while south of the surveyed border, was discovered to be north of 45° north , which was the border set by the Treaty of Paris and thus in British territory. Consequently, construction on the fort was abandoned. The Webster–Ashburton Treaty specified that section of

1008-552: The United States or Mexico is to be considered on the other side of the border. In all cases of these adjustments along the Rio Grande under the 1905 convention, which occurred on 37 different dates from 1910 to 1976, the transferred land was minuscule (ranging from one to 646 acres) and uninhabited. Bairoil, Wyoming Bairoil is a town in Sweetwater County, Wyoming , United States. The population

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1056-410: The border was to follow the surveyed line, rather than the exact parallel, thus moving the fort's area into the United States, and a new fort, Fort Montgomery , would be built on the spot in 1844. As the earlier line was surveyed, even though it did not match the definition, it was deemed to be the legitimate border. The treaty was vague on which strait should be the border between Vancouver Island and

1104-536: The construction of the first transcontinental railroad, the Union Pacific was laid directly across the southern part of the basin. (The original railroad map labelled one point along this route as Bridgers Pass , giving rise to the still-common misconception that the railroad followed the Overland Trail.) Roughly the same route across the basin was later taken by the transcontinental highways traversing

1152-683: The continent, thus causing a dispute over ownership of the San Juan Islands . It specified "through the middle of the said channel and of Fuca Straits, to the Pacific Ocean". A small strip between the Texas Panhandle and Kansas Territory was unclaimed because it fell south of Kansas Territory's border but north of 36°30′ north , which had been established in the Missouri Compromise as the northern limit of slavery, and thus Texas could not have it. This became known as

1200-462: The coordinates they were either phantoms or duplicates. In addition, Sarah Ann Island was claimed, which may have existed and would be sighted as late as 1917, but has since disappeared. Dakota Territory was organized from Nebraska Territory and the unorganized territory north of it. Nebraska Territory's western border was moved to 33° west from Washington, gaining small portions of Utah Territory and Washington Territory . Nevada Territory

1248-458: The correct path of the Continental Divide across or around the basin. The Lucite Hills form part of the western boundary of the basin, featuring Black Rock Butte and Emmons Cone. Alkali Flat and Greasewood Flat are directly to their northeast. Sand dunes lie in the central western part of the basin. In the southern part of the western basin, Red Desert Flat and Red Desert Basin are the major features. These are about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of

1296-643: The federal government. The first great expansion of the country came with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which doubled the country's territory, although the southeastern border with Spanish Florida was the subject of much dispute until it and Spanish claims to the Oregon Country were ceded to the US in 1821. The Oregon Country gave the United States access to the Pacific Ocean , though it

1344-466: The full extent of the British colony. However, the British-American treaty granted the extension of West Florida to the United States, where it enlarged Georgia south to 31° north , indicating that only the original definition of West Florida was to be ceded to Spain. The local Spanish governors also made a move to occupy forts along the Mississippi River , with claims to everything south of

1392-527: The new territories would allow slavery and events such as the Missouri Compromise and Bleeding Kansas . This came to a head in 1860 and 1861, when the governments of the southern states proclaimed their secession from the country and formed the Confederate States of America . The American Civil War led to the defeat of the Confederacy in 1865 and the eventual readmission of the states to

1440-586: The part of West Florida west of the Perdido River , whereas Spain claimed it ended at the western border of West Florida; and the southwestern border with New Spain was disputed , as the United States claimed the Sabine River as the border, but Spain maintained it was the Calcasieu River and others. [REDACTED] The border between New York and Vermont on the one side, and

1488-438: The population. There were 49 households, of which 16.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.9% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

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1536-478: The present. [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Because of ambiguities and poor knowledge of geography, the treaty was unclear in several areas: The Peace of Paris also involved treaties with France and Spain , with Great Britain ceding the Floridas to Spain . During their ownership of West Florida , the British had moved its border north, and the cession to Spain appeared to apply to

1584-604: The region was made to Panama in 1999. States have generally retained their initial borders once established. Only three states ( Kentucky , Maine , and West Virginia ) have been created directly from area belonging to another state (although at the time of admission, Vermont agreed to a monetary payment for New York to relinquish its claim); all of the other states were created from federal territories or from acquisitions. Four states ( Louisiana , Missouri , Nevada , and Pennsylvania ) have expanded substantially by acquiring additional federal territory after their initial admission to

1632-703: The region, namely the Lincoln Highway , U.S. 30 , and Interstate 80 . The basin is also traversed in a north–south direction by U.S. 287 and Wyoming 789 . Even today the basin is very sparsely populated, the only incorporated town being Wamsutter , with a population of 203 at the 2020 census. A westward traveler on Interstate 80 crosses from the Gulf of Mexico drainage to the Great Divide Basin at about 41°47′17″N 107°22′34″W  /  41.788°N 107.376°W  / 41.788; -107.376 , roughly 7 miles west of Rawlins. A highway sign marks this as

1680-621: The resources within the basin and those who wish to see at least parts of it officially designated as wilderness. The British author Arthur Conan Doyle described a romanticized version of the Great Divide Basin, which the novel called the Great Alkali Plain , in his Sherlock Holmes work A Study in Scarlet (1887). Westward expansion of the United States The United States of America

1728-599: The town of Wamsutter. In the northeast part of the Great Divide Basin is Chain Lakes Flat, southwest and downslope from Bairoil and Lamont . The basin is a high desert dominated by sand dunes , bluffs and alkali flats . Flora and fauna include small trees in some ravines and the occasional shrub , along with many birds and pronghorn , mule deer , feral horses , and a desert elk herd. The basin includes uranium ore deposits and many oil and natural gas wells. There has been debate between those who wish to exploit

1776-434: The town. The population density was 109.0 people per square mile (42.1/km ). There were 78 housing units at an average density of 87.7 per square mile (33.8/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.12% of the population. There were 42 households, out of which 23.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.3% were married couples living together, 7.1% had

1824-425: Was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age in the town was 49 years. 17% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 41.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.7% male and 45.3% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 97 people, 42 households, and 30 families residing in

1872-413: Was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 86.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 37,917, and the median income for a family was $ 31,875. Males had a median income of $ 38,125 versus $ 26,667 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 20,030. There were 8.0% of families and 4.6% of the population living below

1920-599: Was 68 at the 2020 census . Bairoil was formed by former sheep rancher Charles M. Bair around 1916. Bair was the first to drill oil in this area and started the Bair Oil Company for which the town was named. The post office was established in 1924 and the town was eventually incorporated in 1980. A hang-gliding world record was set in 1989 by Kevin Christopherson, who rode an updraft 287 miles (462 km) from Bairoil to North Dakota. According to

1968-658: Was acquired by the United States in 1900 after the end of the Second Samoan Civil War . The United States purchased the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917. Puerto Rico and Guam remain territories, and the Philippines became independent in 1946, after being a major theater of World War II . Following the war, many islands were entrusted to the U.S. by the United Nations , and while

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2016-480: Was an active dispute. The borders of North Carolina were particularly poorly surveyed, its border with South Carolina having been done in several pieces, none of which truly matched the spirit of the charter, and its border with Virginia was only surveyed roughly halfway inland from the sea. Several northeastern states had overlapping claims: Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, and New York all claimed land west of their accepted borders, overlapping with each other and with

2064-559: Was erroneously left behind on the western side of Wyoming Territory. The North-Western Territory was transferred by the United Kingdom to Canada , thus transferring its portion of the Alaska boundary dispute . On this same date several islands, Cagayan de Sulu and Sibutu among them, were purchased from Spain and assigned to the Philippines, which was then being governed as a U.S. insular area . The borders specified in

2112-701: Was formed after thirteen British colonies in North America declared independence from the British Empire on July 4, 1776. In the Lee Resolution , passed by the Second Continental Congress two days prior, the colonies resolved that they were free and independent states. The union was formalized in the Articles of Confederation , which came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states. Their independence

2160-484: Was organized from Utah Territory west of 39° west from Washington . North Carolina proclaimed its secession from the Union, withdrawing from Congress. Caroline Island was claimed by the United Kingdom . Wyoming Territory was organized from portions of Dakota , Idaho , and Utah Territories. The territory would remain under the jurisdiction of the Dakota Territory until its own government

2208-409: Was organized on May 19, 1869. The act organizing Wyoming Territory became law on this date, but it is unclear if the territory could be considered "organized" until May 19, 1869, as the act specifies it was not to take effect until a government is organized; however, all sources use this date as the creation, and most use it for the organization, of the territory. A tiny portion of the Dakota Territory

2256-597: Was recognized by Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris of 1783, which concluded the American Revolutionary War . This effectively doubled the size of the colonies, now able to stretch west past the Proclamation Line to the Mississippi River . This land was organized into territories and then states, though there remained some conflict with the sea-to-sea grants claimed by some of the original colonies. In time, these grants were ceded to

2304-554: Was shared for a time with the United Kingdom . The annexation of the Republic of Texas in 1845 led directly to the Mexican–American War , after which the victorious United States obtained the northern half of Mexico 's territory, including what was quickly made the state of California . As the development of the country moved west, however, the question of slavery became more important, with vigorous debate over whether

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