Encampment, Wyoming, a small town with a population of approximately 500 year-round residents, has a rich history that dates back to the late 1800s. Once called Grand Encampment by French-Canadian trappers who rendezvoused along the Encampment River, this town played a significant role in the mining industry. In 1897, copper was discovered in the Sierra Madre Mountains just above the settlement, attracting hundreds of people to the area to try their luck in the mines.