Burns, Wyoming

Burns was an empty railroad siding until 1907 when a group of German Lutherans decided to build a town beside the tracks. The Union Pacific had named the siding "Burns" after an early telegrapher (J.J. Burns). The Lutherans tried to name the site after Martin Luther. In 1910, the town reached the population where a local post office became feasible. The Union Pacific installed one of their prefabricated railroad depots that same year. The question of the town's name came up. As the railroad had always used the name "Burns" in their communications in regards to the area, that name won out over the Lutherans' choice and the post office was named "Burns." By 1920, the population was up to 300.