Wyoming State History. The U.S. acquired the land comprising Wyoming from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. John Colter, a fur-trapper, is the first white man known to have entered the region.In 1807 he explored the Yellowstone area and brought back news of its geysers and hot springs.. Robert Stuart pioneered the Oregon Trail across Wyoming in 1812–1813 and, in 1834 …