Wyoming Almanac and History of Wyoming

HIGHLIGHTED PAGES!

This site features information about Wyoming, much of it based on Phil's research, and news and stories about contemporary Wyoming.  Many of the articles were written for use in classes in the History of Wyoming. Others were written for Annals of Wyoming or other history publications over the years.

 SOME RECENT FEATURED ARTICLES

Flu Epidemic of 1918

Cowboy Health Care: The Fetterman Hospital Association and Health Care Coverage on the Range

 Creating Counties in 1911: What Happened to Warren and Carey Counties? 

Prohibition Agency's 1st Case

Notes on Creation of Wyoming Territory: Impeachment and Women's Suffrage 

"All Americans Are Hero-Worshippers":  American Observations on the 1st U. S. Visit by a Monarch, 1876  (Dom Pedro II of Brazil) Available through UW Repository.

Except for the Immediate Grasshopper": Owen Wister and Medicine Bow 

Hanna Coal Mine Disasters, 1903 & 1908

TIMELY ARTICLES

Sedition Act in World War I in Wyoming 

Great Depression Consultants Hired to Economize Wyoming

Project Wagon Wheel: A Nuclear Plowshare for Wyoming

City Gun Control Ordinances in Pioneer Wyoming

Wyoming Debates Taxation, Sales/Income Tax, Gambling, 1930s

OTHER WORKS OF INTEREST:

WYOMING ALMANAC: The Book (Online Edition) (incomplete)

Cooper House: Citizens Saving a Historic Property (1982, 1983)

The Cheyenne 200 Automobile Race, 1909

Extract from:  Regulating Liquor: Prohibition Enforcement, Official Corruption, and State Efforts to Control Alcohol After Prohibition Repeal

1st Wyoming History Day, 1981

Time Zone Arrives in Wyoming

Choosing Sections for UW's Land Grant: Surveyor F. O. Sawin's Project, 1886

Dr. John Hoyt, 1st UW President and Education Visionary

Readings in Wyoming History (individual articles and essays written by graduate students and other Wyoming historians for use as a text in classes on Wyoming history)

Readings in Wyoming History (complete contents page)

My One Hobby: Grace Raymond Hebard and Americanization in Wyoming

A Harvard Cook in the Wyoming Badlands

The Virginian Meets Matt Shepard

Cheyenne's 100-Octane Fuel Plant

Reflecting Community: Case Studies of Three Wyoming Museums and the Impact of Each on the Community

Home-on-the-Range No More: Boom and Bust in Jeffrey City

Progressivism Comes to Yellowstone: Theodore Roosevelt and Professional Land Management Agencies in the Yellowstone Ecosystem 

Visions Beyond an Arrow of Fire: G. Edward Pendray, Rocket Pioneer

The Chinese in Wyoming

Fired by Conscience: The Black 14 Incident at the University of Wyoming and Black Protest in the Western Athletic Conference

Black 14: Williams v. Eaton

Loving Cecile: The Strange Case of Stanley Lantzer

Ethnicity in Wyoming (1991)

Equality State or Cowboy State? An Essay (2014)

Give Them What They Want: The Selling of Wyoming's Image Between the World Wars 

Lupton's Luckless Location: Fort Platte



The Wyoming Political Scene through the Years

 Wyoming's "Other" Governor Ross and the Severance Tax

Ten Political Myths in Wyoming: Some Accurate, Others Not

Wyoming Responses to Heart Mountain "Relocation" Camp, 1941-43.

Wyoming’s Second Constitutional Convention and the Repeal of Prohibition

Prohibition Agency's 1st Case

Contest for the Capital

Moving Day at the 'Big House'

World War II Internment of Japanese Americans: Wyoming Lessons in Bravery and Cowardice    Policy-makers can learn much from reading history--not only about the events that reflect positively on our past leaders, but incidents when leaders acted with less than bravery. This article contrasts two individuals in Wyoming history--a newspaper editor and a U. S. Senator--who responded very differently to a national crisis in human rights. 



Reprints from Capitol Times

Refugee Resettlement and Immigration in Wyoming   Reprint of article from Capitol Times (Cheyenne), September 1983

The Case of Niobrara County v. the League of Women Voters. Reprint of article from Capitol Times (Cheyenne), January 1983

What is Happening in Downtown Cheyenne? Reprint from Capitol Times (Cheyenne), October 1982

Cooper House: Citizens Saving a Historic Property  Reprint from Capitol Times (Cheyenne), Dec. 1982; Oct. 1983

Media History

Media History: Characteristics of 20th Century Newspapers:  Predictions by Editors 125 Years Ago 

Court Reform and the Muckrakers: C. P. Connolly, Theodore Roosevelt and Exposes of the Courts

Quest for Public Television

Other Articles on This Site 

Brief History of Wyoming Oil

When Wyoming Almost Repealed Women Suffrage

1st Cases Ever Heard by Women on Juries, March 1871, Laramie, Wyoming

A Tramp, Fossil Dealers and the Vampires: Occupations in 1880 Wyoming

Sedition Act in World War I in Wyoming 

Emperor Dom Pedro Crosses Wyoming, 1876

The Flu Epidemic of 1918 in Wyoming

Thanksgiving in Frontier Wyoming

Christmas Stories, 19th Century

Edison, the Lightbulb and the Eclipse: A Scientist's Journey to Wyoming, 1878



Middle East History and Commentary

 "Egypt's Vietnam" 

Cairo Letter, Dec. 13, 2011

Sometimes, you just have to take the initiative and buy pizzas for the Egyptian army: A Memoir of Alexandria 



Classes Phil teaches/taught at UW, 2016-2020  (other syllabi, not linked on this page, are available on request)

History of Oil (HIST 4535/5535), Spring 2020

History of Wyoming (HIST 1251): Fall 2017

History and Cultural Impact of Railroads on Wyoming (HIST 2500): Fall 2017

American Environmental History (HIST 4475/5475): MWF, 1:10-2 p.m., 209 College of Business 

American Legal History (HIST 4515/5515): Fall, 2016

History of Oil (HIST 4535/5535): (Spring 2017) T, Th, 1:20-2:35 p.m., Half Acre Gym 115

Topics: History of Wyoming Law (HIST 4990-1)  Spring 2016

More Information and Articles:

Phil Roberts Wyoming History (UW) website is no longer accessible (after June 20, 2018)

1935 was momentous year in Wyoming

Edison, the Light Bulb and the Eclipse

List of Wyomingites Killed in America's Wars

 "Hooray for Laramie!": Hollywood on the Plains

Wyoming's First Auto Fatality, Rawlins, 1906

Road Tours of Wyoming:

2016 Laramie Plains Museum "History of Wyoming on-the-road" tour

2014 Laramie Plains Museum "History of Wyoming on-the-road" tour

 School children on Easter Sunday, Hat Creek, Wyoming, c. 1918. (Photo from Phil Roberts' family collection)

HISTORY

The Day Every Wyoming Clock Was Set to Mountain Standard Time

Standard time came to the country largely because of the needs of transcontinental railroads requiring dependable time schedules. The Wyoming territorial legislature designated adoption of standard time in Wyoming in 1884 (L. 1884, c.95, sec. 9). Following is the report on the new law published in the Democratic Leader (Cheyenne), April 3, 1884, p. 10

Standard Time

"At the recent session of the territorial legislature an act was passed to the effect that 'the mean local time of the one hundred and fifth meridian west of Greenwich be and the same is hereby adopted and declared to be the standard time for all points in Wyoming, and computations of legal time shall be made thereby, using such standard time as a basis, the same to take effect and be in force from and after the first day of April next.'

 "The above provision is certainly one of much merit in face of the fact that the time-pieces of Cheyenne, and, perchance, the remainder of the watches and clocks throughout the territory, have long been observing the very pernicious method of each one running for itself with little regard for the-says-so of its neighbor's dial. The standard time will reduce our 'o'clock' to a certainty, providing the 'tickers' be reliable and in good repair.

"This 'reckoning' is four minutes and a half faster than, the old sun time of the jewelers. Heretofore, the latter and the railway time have varied thirty-five minutes, the latter being just that much faster. Mr. Miller, the jeweler, has already adopted the time of the 105th meridian, or 'mountain time.' The other gentlemen in the same line of business as himself, will soon adopt it getting their pointers both by electricity from Denver and by transit observation at home, thus making....doubly sure.

"The Union Pacific road is still running upon its old schedule time, but within a brief period, when the new time table is issued, it will adopt the mountain, or meridian time for running between Omaha and Ogden. Our city is but a few seconds' variation from the actual 105th longitudinal line. In time, we are to have standard time, and ere long a town clock, in a central position, may point to it most prominently."



Laramie hosted many travelers crossing the country on the newly completed transcontinental railroad. Few had a more exciting ride than those in this account from a local newspaper. (Don't try this at home!) 

Riding the Cow-Catcher

Laramie Daily Sentinel, May 26, 1870:

    "One of the excursions today from the east met with a very singular adventure and a narrow escape, withal. A young lady, Miss Mattie L. Evarts, a correspondent of the Chicago Evening Journal, in company with Charles Whited of the telegraph construction corps and E. E. Ludlow, an operator, got upon the cow-catcher, or pilot of the engine at Sherman for a novel ride. They had it.   

    "When about half way down the mountains to this city, it commenced to hail and rain pouring down in torrents. When within about two miles of this place, the engine ran into a steer that stood upon the track. The creature was instantly killed at their feet; but fortunately was thrown from the pilot and track instead of being piled up on the party, or throwing the engine from the track as might have been expected. 

    "The train was running at great speed and it was a thrilling adventure and narrow escape. We were at the depot when they came in still maintaining their ground, but we were informed the young lady was the coolest and least excited of the party."

Smoot-Hawley Tariff and Impact on Wyoming Commodity Prices, 1930

When the ill-advised protectionist, nationalist Smoot-Hawley tariff wa enacted by the Herbert Hoover administration, the wide-ranging impact on Wyoming commodity producers generally was disastrous. The tariff went into effect on June 17, 1930.

Here are some prices paid to Wyoming commodity producers less than a year later: wheat, 14 cents/bushel; cattle, $4.14/hundred (about 4 cents a pound); oil, 19 cents/barrel (a barrel is 42 gallons, thus oil was going for less than a half-cent per gallon). To call it ruinous to Wyoming's main industries would be an understatement.

Sometimes, Presidents can learn a thing or two from history; sometimes, not. Today's news (June 19, 2018), in many ways, show this President's ignorance of history as to trade and his inherent evil by his immigration child-separation policy. 

First Commercial Computer in Wyoming Operated in the Casper Office of Pan American Petroleum, 1960

Shown below is sample computer card that was used to input data into Wyoming's first commercial computer, an IBM 1401 card system, installed in September 1960, in the offices of Pan American Petroleum in Casper. Vince Siren, who was the first full-time computer programmer in Wyoming, said the computer was about 4'x4' and stood about 7' high. It had 4,000 characters of memory and was connected by cables to a card-reader punch and to a 132-character printer. Siren graduated from the University of Wyoming where he learned computing on the academic computers at UW, the first non-commercial computers in the state. (Source: Wyoming Almanac, 7th ed., 2013, p. 162)

An interesting detailed history of computers at the University of Wyoming may be found on the UW IT website. Written by Jim Kirkpatrick, an employee at IT for many years, it tells the story of the various systems and how they evolved at UW. The article can be found at: https://www.uwyo.edu/infotech/aboutit/history/ 

First Woman to Vote in America Lived in Laramie

Louisa Swain was the first woman to vote in a general election in the United States. She voted on Sept. 6, 1870, in Laramie.

Born Louisa Gardner in Norfolk, Va., in 1801, she was the daughter of a sea captain who was lost at sea while she was a child. She and her mother moved to Charleston, S. C., where her mother died. Orphaned, Louisa went to Baltimore to live with an uncle, Ephraim Gardner. While in Baltimore, she met and, in 1821, married Stephen Swain who operated a chair factory. When their fourth child was six weeks old, Stephen Swain sold the chair factory and the family moved, first to Zanesville, Ohio, and later to Indiana. Soon after their son Alfred and his young family moved to the new town of Laramie, Wyoming, in 1869, the Swains joined them.

On Sept. 6, 1870, Louisa Swain rose early, put on her apron, shawl and bonnet, and walked downtown with a tin pail in order to purchase yeast from a merchant. She walked by the polling place and concluded she would vote while she was there. The polling place had not yet officially opened, but election officials asked her to come in and cast her ballot. She was described by a Laramie newspaper as "a gentle white-haired housewife, Quakerish in appearance." (Laramie Daily Sentinel, September 7, 1870). She was 69 years old when she cast the first ballot by any woman in the United States in a general election.

Soon after the election, Stephen and Louisa Swain left Laramie and returned to Maryland to live near a daughter. Stephen died Oct. 6, 1872, in Maryland. Louisa died Jan. 25, 1880, in Lutherville, Maryland. Her body was buried in the Friends Burying Ground, Harford Road, Lutherville. A statue in her honor, by sculptor John Baker, was dedicated in front of the Women's History House, Laramie, Wyoming, in 2005.

Memorial Day List of Wyomingites Killed in War

Who We Are

Wyoming Almanac and History

The opinions expressed here are the views of Phil Roberts and do not represent the views of his university, his family, or any political party, interest group or candidate.

For in-depth information about Wyoming history, check Phil's University webpage: http://www.uwyo.edu/ROBERTSHISTORY/

Books by Phil Roberts

Cody's Cave: National Monuments and the Politics of Public Lands in the 20th Century West. By Phil Roberts (2012)

Most Americans believe national monuments are sacrosanct--kept safe for future generations and open to public visitation. This book points out that national monuments, along with all other public lands, are not permanently protected from privatization or other exploitation. The book considers the specific history of Shoshone Cavern National Monument, created by Presidential proclamation in 1909, and delisted as a national monument May 17, 1954. The site was a demonstration of "returning public lands" to the states and local communities. The resulting city-owned park closed in 1966 and the site was returned to the federal government a decade later. The book is available for $15 plus applicable sales tax from most Wyoming bookstores and museum shops.

Readings in Wyoming History, edited by Phil Roberts, is a book consisting of essays by numerous historians covering various aspects of Wyoming history. It is primarily designed as a book for instruction in Wyoming history. The 5th revised edition will be available soon.

A Penny for the Governor, A Dollar for Uncle Sam: Taxation History of Washington. (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2002). The book tells the story of why Washington is one of just seven states not having an income tax and how politics has influenced tax policy in that Northwest state since the Civil War. 

Wyoming Almanac, now in its seventh revised edition, is a book of facts about the Equality State/Cowboy State. Phil Roberts is a co-editor of the book, along with his two brothers, David L. Roberts and Steven L. Roberts.

David retired recently as professor of journalism at Missouri Valley College. He formerly served as publisher/editor of the Medicine Bow Post, a prize-winning weekly newspaper he founded in 1977 in Medicine Bow, Wyoming. Steven L. Roberts retired from the U. S. Postal Service. He formerly taught high school and coached in Wyoming high schools. He now lives in Cheyenne.

Wyoming Almanac is a website featuring comment and opinion about everything involving Wyoming. Some pages contain factual data, history, or feature stories about the state. The site also presents observations and analysis of Wyoming politics, mostly from a historical perspective, written by a long-term observer of that subject.