Where The HECK Is Otto Wyoming?

Every so often, we come across a Wyoming town name that either has not been heard before or was heard once but is now forgotten. Like Otto, Wyoming.

Otto is an unincorporated community in Big Horn County, Wyoming. It was named for Otto Franc, a local cattle baron, sheriff, and judge in the Big Horn Basin.

The community is located along the Greybull River on Wyoming Highway 30 between Basin and Burlington.

The area was initially dominated by large, open-range operations, most notably the nearby Pitchfork Ranch founded by German immigrant Otto Franc von Lichtenstein in 1878.

By the winter of 1901, Otto was a thriving community with several hundred people, acting as a center for settlers moving into the Big Horn Basin.

You know it's bad when Google Maps refuses to go up and down the streets in your town. Actually, they did go up and around two of the streets in Otto, and the Google car was chased by a couple of dogs who had nothing better to do.

Early life in the area was defined by agricultural efforts, with residents, including many LDS families, building irrigation systems and establishing homes on the high sagebrush plains.

The history of Otto and the nearby town of Burlington is detailed in the book 'Sagebrush and Roses'.

Today, Otto is a small, quiet community, having transitioned from its early, bustling homestead era to a rural, agricultural focus.

I went to YELP to find the '10 Best Things to Do in Otto, Wyoming.'

The answer was not to be in Otto, Wyoming.

I'm sure there are nice people there.