Statehood The 44th state July 10, 1890 Captial Cheyenne State Motto Equal rights Origin of State Name The name is a contraction of the Native American word mecheweamiing or "at the big plains." State Nickname The Equality State In 1869, it became the first state to specifically give women the right to vote. Interesting Facts After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, people of Japanese descent living on the Pacific Coast were relocated to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming. In 1925 Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected governor of Wyoming, becoming the nation's first woman governor. The restored Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie is a popular attraction for visitors with an interest in the Old West.