 The town was established in the 1880s by Mormon settlers, and was initially known as Youngtown, after John Willard Young.The town is generally held to be named after Jay L. Torrey from Pittsfield, Illinois.Torrey was a member of the Wyoming legislature, who, upon the advent of the Spanish–American War, achieved national attention by proposing the creation of what became three volunteer cavalry regiments, made up of cowboys and stockmen.