What’s In A Wyoming Name? – Johnson County

Like many of Cheyenne’s early settlers, Edward Payson Johnson came from Denver, where he’d worked as a lawyer after serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. Johnson became a prosecutor, then served as US attorney for the Wyoming territory. He was such a prominent figure that when he died in 1879, the council charged with naming new counties rejected the name Pease County and decided to honor him. He laid down the law in the state’s formative years – and gave a name to Johnson County, Wyoming.