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History · Opal

Opal’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Opal. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Opal is a town in Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 64 at the 2020 census.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 96 to 64 (-33%). Half of its homes were built before 1990.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Opal yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Opal’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Opal’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Opal

See all 5 →
RRReed C. RollinsLyman · 30 miEdgar HerschlerEdgar HerschlerKemmerer · 12 miJohn BuckJohn BuckKemmerer · 12 miMerrill BradshawMerrill BradshawLyman · 30 miAHAugust de Belmont HollingsheadLyman · 30 mi
By decade

Opal, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Opal is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Opal has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Penney, J. C., Historic District in Kemmerer, 11.1 miles away.

Opal and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Opal. Tap a dot.
Penney, J. C., Historic DistrictJ. C. Penney HouseUS Post Office-Kemmerer MainLincoln County CourthouseETD Bridge over Green RiverFossil Oregon Short Line Depot

Closest to Opal

Penney, J. C., Historic DistrictKemmerer · District11.1miJ. C. Penney HouseKemmerer · Building11.1miUS Post Office-Kemmerer MainKemmerer · Building11.2miLincoln County CourthouseKemmerer · Building11.3miETD Bridge over Green RiverFontenelle · Structure20.5mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Penney, J. C., Historic District’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Opal?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Opal’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Diamondville📜 Kemmerer📜 Granger📜 Lyman
The door’s open

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Opal, WYView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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