Platte County is named for the North Platte River which flows through the county, and “platte” is the French for “flat”.

 

Surrounding County Courthouses: 

N – Converse County and Niobrara County

E – Goshen County

S – Laramie County

W – Albany County and Converse County

 

Created:  February 9, 1911                     
County Seat:

Wheatland 1911 – present

County Courthouse – Wheatland

Location:  800 9th Street / Walnut Street

Built:  1917 – 1918
Style:  Classical Revival
Architect:  Baerreson Brothers Architects
Contractor:  Archie Allison of Cheyenne.

Description:  The building faces west and is a two story buff colred brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Wheatland. The building has a raised basement. The west front projects from the main building and has four large stone columns supporting a header with pediment above. The main entrance is recessed and the second story is recessed behind the columns. The roof line extends beyond the building and has white colored trim. In the interior is a staircase with wood railings. The County District Court courtroom is located on the east side of the second story and has a large bison head on the wall. The building houses the County District Court and County Circuit Court of the 8th Judicial District. 

 

See:  The 8th Judicial District includes Converse County, Goshen County and Niobrara County and Platte County.

 

History:  The county was created in 1911 and Wheatland was selected as the county seat in 1912. The first and present courthouse was constructed in 1917 to 1918 at a cost of $85,000.

 

 

County Courthouse – Wheatland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

County District Court courthouse

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site – Guernsey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos taken 2007 and 2015

Big Horn County is named for the Big Horn Mountains which are named after the Big Horn sheep found in the region.

 

Surrounding County Courthouses: 

N – Carbon County, Montana and Big Horn County, Montana

E – Sheridan County and Johnson County

S – Washakie County

W – Park County

 

Created: March 12, 1890                        
County Seat:

Basin 1897 – present

County Courthouse – Basin

Location: 420 West C Street / North 6th Street

Built: 1916 – 1918
Style: Classical Revival
Architect: W N Bowman of Denver, Colorado
Contractor: Monarch Engineering Company

Description:The building faces south and is a three story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on spacious landscaped grounds in the center of Basin. The building has a raised basement. At the south front are four large columns rising to a pediment at the roof line. The entrance is arched with small iron balcony on the second story. The first story windows are arched and there is Bedford limestone trim along the corners. The hipped roof has red colored tile. In the interior is an octagonal shaped entrance lobby. The Commissioner’s Room is located on the first story. The large County District Court courtroom is located along the south side of the second story. The small County Circuit Court courtroom is located on the south side of the basement. The building houses the County District Court and County Circuit Court of the 5th Judicial District. One story additions extend on the east and west sides of the building. In 1976 and 1977, the courthouse was expanded on the north side. The architect was George Tresler of Cody and the contractor was Fred Hanson Construction of Thermopolis. On the north side of the building is the one story buff colored brick and concrete former County Jail constructed in 1966. The architect was John E Toohey and the contractor was Julien Construction Company.

 

See:  The 5th Judicial District includes Hot Springs County, Park County and Washakie County.

 

History:  The county was created in 1890 and Basin was selected as the county seat in 1897 when the county was organized. Several buildings were used as county offices and a two story log building built by W D Smith of Shell, was rented as the first courthouse. The courthouse burned in January 1899. A small one story log building was erected to house the county records. The second courthouse was a one story brick structure built by E E Blakeley in 1901 at a cost of $4,400. A brick addition was built in 1911 to house county offices and part of the courthouse was torn down. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 1916 to 1918 at a cost of $90,000. The cost of the 1976 addition was $452,695.

 

Satellite County Courthouse – Lovell

 

Location:  355 East 5th Street / Pennsylvania Avenue

Built: Unknown
Style: Modern
Architect: Unknown
Contractor: Unknown

Description:The building faces south and is a one story red colored brick and concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Lovell. The rectangular shaped building has a central entrance on the south front. The windows are double windows. The roof is hipped. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 5th Judicial District.

 

 

County Courthouse – Basin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commissioner Meeting Room

 

 

County District Court courtroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

County Circuit Court courtroom

 

 

 

 

 

 

Former County Jail – Basin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos taken 2009 and 2023