Kemmerer has a rich and nationally significant history. Kemmerer was established in 1897 and incorporated in January of 1899. It is a community with a mining past that is emblematic of the development of the industry in the American West. Kemmerer is the seat of Lincoln County, and it is located in a region of the country very near the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Pony Express routes. It is also home to JC Penney's mother store. Kemmerer was founded by Patrick J Quealy, originally from Ireland, and Mahlon S. Kemmerer of Mauch Chunk, PA. It was Mr. Quealy that insisted the town be called Kemmerer. Mr. Quealy and Mr. Kemmerer also started the Kemmerer Coal Company.

One of Wyoming's unsolved mysteries is that of the murder of Anna Byers Richey, a rancher in Fossil, Wyoming, 12 miles west of Kemmerer. Annie, daughter of a wealthy rancher and known locally as Queen Anne, was the first woman to be convicted of cattle rustling in the state of Wyoming. She was, as the locals said, "thirty, purty, and full of life." After her conviction and while she was at home getting her affairs in order in May of 1922, Anna Richey was poisoned. Whether it was murder or suicide still remains a mystery today. She was about 26 years of age.

The Eocene Epoch gave Kemmerer and the region a major reason for its current international significance. The rich deposits of fossils in the area have long been a point of interest for paleontologists and geologists, amateur and professional. As early as 1856, Dr. John Evans, a geologist, collected specimens. People come from all over the world to visit and explore the area.

During the 1920s, Kemmerer became a national center for bootlegging and a major supplier of liquor for Chicago. Kemmerer "moon" was a favorite of speakeasies. Kemmerer winemakers ordered grapes by the trainload to keep up with the demand. A1931 bust near Kemmerer found 24,000 gallons of liquor! All this ended when prohibition was repealed in 1933.

The town has grown and prospered, through boom and bust. Its main industry is mineral based, coal, gas, sulfur, helium, etc. Kemmerer's past is an important element as it plans its future.