May 10, 2017
“The Susan Wissler House is important in our history, not only to the old west days but as a reminder of the great role women played in making this country great. The Susan Wissler House is in the center of Dayton with historical buildings to the right, left, and across the street. It is important to keep the community history intact for future generations of locals and visitors alike.”
-Elaine Stevens, Owner of the Dayton Mercantile House
Susan Wissler was born in Broadhead, Minnesota in 1853 and would become the first female mayor in Wyoming. She was also one of the first women in the whole United States to be mayor, following in the footsteps of Susanna Salter, who was the first female mayor, elected in 1887 in Argonia, Kansas.[1] Wissler was appointed to office in May of 1911 on a non-partisan platform that aimed to make Dayton the “cleanest town in Wyoming, morally, physically, financially, and every other way.”[2] She was in office for three years, where she regulated gaming and saloons within the city. Making good on her promise to clean up the city, she installed the city’s first water works, established a five miles-per-hour speed limit for cars, and outlawed shooting of firearms inside city limits.[3] Once her term was over, she moved to Montana.
