1) On August 3, 1804, the Lewis and Clark Expedition explored the area of present-day Wyoming near the North Platte River. They encountered a group of Pawnee Indians and traded with them for much-needed supplies.
2) In 1876, the Battle of Big Hole occurred in Montana, but several Wyoming volunteers from Fort Fetterman were involved in the fight against the Nez Percé tribe.
3) On August 3, 1909, the Shoshone National Forest was established in Wyoming. It is the first federally protected forest in the United States and covers over 2.4 million acres.
4) In 1949, a massive wildfire known as the Mann Gulch Fire broke out in the Helena National Forest in Montana. Fourteen smokejumpers from Wyoming were among the crew battling the blaze, but only three survived.
5) On August 3, 2004, the Rocky Mountain Regional Veteran Affairs Medical Center opened in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The facility serves veterans in the surrounding states and provides a wide range of medical services.