In the late 1800s, the area now known as Gillette was homesteaded by cattle ranchers. In August of 1891, the Burlington and Missouri Railroad company pulled the first train into Gillette. Edward Gillette, a surveyor for Burlington and Missouri Railroad, suggested building the railroad route through the community—a suggestion that saved the railroad thousands of dollars, and Edward’s reward was to have the town named after him. This also opened new markets to ranches in the rich Powder River Basin.
Gillette was incorporated on January 6, 1892, less than two years after Wyoming became a state. Small coal mines sprung up around Gillette in 1909.