Behind the Scenes at the Cone: Photo and Audio at the American Heritage Center

Posted on April 6, 2026 by ahcadmin

This coming fall will mark, by my always-right-humanities-math, just about two years of working here at the American Heritage Center. Although I started my time at the AHC as a lucky intern, I now am one of three Photo/AV Archivist Aides in the Reference Unit, working under our great Photo/AV Reference Archivist, Jessica LaBozetta.

While we have had an awesome past blog post on the overview of Reference Services that you ought to also check out, let me pull the curtain way, way back, and let you in on all the fun I get up to day-to-day with my special formats.

Welcome to the Fourth Floor of the AHC: Reference!

The Reference Unit handles the bulk of patron requests the AHC receives, whether these be off-site queries for folks near and far, or facilitating visits to the Reading Room. While I’m not necessarily always involved in our on-site visits, I do take on a lot of our off-site requests!

A request starts as some form of communication from our patrons, most often an email, but sometimes they can be phone calls taken by the Reading Room’s front desk. In my time on the clock, I’ve seen buckets and buckets of different kinds of requests. Sometimes a patron may only have an inkling of what they may be interested in, and other times I might get details so specific they go right on down to this exact photograph in this exact folder in this exact box in this exact collection! Either which way, big or small, detailed or just starting the journey, all patron requests are like scavenger hunts and, boy, do I like to scavenge, both through boxes and through our finding aids.

While we here in the Reference Unit get plenty of requests concerning manuscript materials (think of just about anything that comes on a sheet of paper), you may have noticed earlier that I have a special little title in front of the “Archivist Aide” role: Photo/AV! Truthfully, this title is just the tiniest bits deceiving, but don’t fret too much. I’ll fill you in on all the juicy details!

So, if I’m a fancy guy with a fancy title, what are the fancy things I work with? Chiefly, the subunit I work in handles patron requests that ask for either photographic or audio material (You may have noticed I didn’t list visual/moving image material in this, and that’s just because that is its very own subunit… Hence the “tiniest bits deceiving”). If you’re a spring chicken, you might be thinking that on one hand I work with dusty old grey photos and then on the other that I work with shiny CDs. To that, I have to give an incorrect buzzer, but I’ll tell you why.

Positives, Negatives & Slides – Oh My!

Okay, yes, I actually do work with old black-and-white or sepia photographic material, but these are not the only kinds of visual material that exist. Apart from photographic positives, I have also gotten my not-grubby, cotton-gloved little hands all over other formats, such as negatives and transparent slides. While photographic material can be found throughout the many collections here at the AHC, we do also have vertical photo files, which I can’t help but love going through, because who doesn’t love a filing cabinet and the satisfying noises it makes when you close it?

With photographic material, I’m usually in the business of providing scans. While, for the most part, this can be done on the same scanners used for manuscript material, sometimes you might need a real high-resolution copy, or you might have a special format! This is where the two scanners in our subunit come in handy. For positives, this all takes place on our big ‘ol Epson archival scanner. Meanwhile, for our other photographic formats, our Epson Perfection V850 Pro comes with all sorts of handy little frames that you can easily scan negatives and transparent slides in.

Where the magic happens and where both photo scanners are located in the Photo/AV office. (Photo courtesy of Marty Murray)

Photographic material is certainly real neat, and I do love working with it a lot. Besides pictures of shopping malls (see our Victor Gruen papers) and the Rat Pack (see my last blog post, nudge nudge), any kind of photography of people doing people-y things are by and far my favorite to work with. It can be hard to think about people in the past as flesh-and-blood, in action and living just like you or me, and while it is true that they’re still flat in a photograph, these little snapshots at least give us a window into the fact that our collective ancestors are not always so different from us!

“Carrie (Hinman) and Mac (Willow Glen)”, 1900. Box 3. Lora Webb Nichols papers, Coll. No. 01005, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming. (I did not personally digitize this photo, but it is one of my favorites!)

Spinning Audio

I said I don’t work with CDs and I mean that. This isn’t because I have a life-long feud with CDs, but because the audio material that I work with is analog. A CD, on the other hand, is what we call a born-digital material, and just like moving pictures, is something that is handled by its own special subunit.

So, if it isn’t CDs, what is it? From our holdings, I work with three major formats: Phonograph records, cassettes, and reel-to-reel tapes. Now, dear reader, whether you’re younger or older, I’m sure you may be familiar with phonograph records and cassettes. Meanwhile, you might be pulling open your prefered search engine to look into the reel-to-reel. Well, stop that! I’ll tell you, because, contrary to popular belief, this is my favorite format!

In layman’s terms, the reel-to-reel is practically the cassette tape’s bigger grandmama. Just like cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes are comprised of magnetic tape, where the audio is recorded and stored, which is then housed on a supply reel. To play the audio, you then, of course, need a reel-to-reel player, of which our subunit has two: The Otari MX-50 and the Akai GX-630D. Once again, like a cassette, accompanying the supply reel is the take-up reel, which starts out empty, but as the magnetic tape threads through the tape head and reproduces the audio held on it, it fills right up. Once the tape plays all the way through, then you’ve got to rethread the tape back onto the supply reel and use the handy-dandy reverse button to spool it back up just the way you found it.

The Akai GX-630D reel-to-reel player with empty take-up reel. (Photo courtesy of Marty Murray)
The Otari MX-50, alongside our archival-quality record player and cassette deck. (Photo courtesy of Marty Murray)

Those are the formats, but what are we playing them for? Obviously, it’s just whilly-nilly, and we just spend aaall day spinning phonograph records and playing tape to our hearts’ contents without a single care in the world…

…I’m a few days late to April Fools’ and I doubt that was very convincing at all. As I mentioned a bit earlier, this is all work in the Reference Unit, so we don’t just play analog audio – We are always digitizing it! This is for two big, big reasons. The first, of course, is to fulfill patron requests. When we digitize audio, we’re able to save it as a special, high-quality audio file known as a .wav file, which we can then share with our patrons for all their research desires. Secondly, it is very important that I impart on you that with every play of any of these formats, it sadly degrades the material itself. I don’t make the rules and we don’t do that on purpose! It’s just how these formats work. Think about it: A needle running along the surface of something and thin tape getting fed along, over and over… Of course we treat these items with the utmost love, respect, and care, but they are unfortunately not as timeless as we’d all hope. So, digitization serves as a two-in-one preservation method. We not only get the audio files out of it, which we can both hold on to as a master copy and share as an access copy, but it also means that if multiple people want to listen to the same materials, we don’t have to put more strain on them than we need to by constantly replaying them. A double, triple, quadruple, etc., win in my book, if you ask me.

Looking Back on 2 Years at the Cone

Every day I come into work, I truly am overjoyed to see what it is I’ll be working with and what it is I’m doing all this for. On one hand, it has been absolutely amazing to learn the intricacies of a variety of specialized formats, both photographic and audial – Apparently so amazing that I now have my own growing collection of albums on cassette, all of which I could confidently perform emergency surgery on if any of them decide to get fussy!

All of my current tapes and my Walkman, “Candy.” All found second-hand in Cheyenne and Laramie! (Photo courtesy of Marty Murray)

On the other hand, I am genuinely always jazzed to see not only what our patrons are interested in, but also what they’re up to. When you think about researching in an archive, the reasons for doing so can obviously bring to mind lots of academic and educational output: Papers, books, documentaries… And we certainly get those in droves! But in my two years at the AHC, I’ve also seen plenty of family research where folks can reconnect with the past through our holdings, and I’ve even seen some folks trying to figure out exactly what make and year of furniture they may have recently acquired by having a gander at something like our Montgomery Ward records. No matter what the request is and what it might be for, I’m always excited to see something new every day.

It has also been a great honor to dabble in some curating here and there, specifically for both the Marian H. Rochelle Gateway Center in the past and for the AHC’s upcoming exhibit that will be a part of the nationwide celebrations of America’s 250th birthday extravaganza. I look forward to doing more and I hope that you’ll be able to come see it all!

I might be graduating from the University of Wyoming in just a month, but my time at the AHC is, I hope, far from over! I have way too many more pictures to scan and so much more audio to digitize. Now that you’ve gotten to know me and what I do a little more, maybe you’ll want to come explore what the AHC has to offer in its audio and visual holdings. And in return, if we’re both super lucky, maybe I’ll get to know a little more about you if your request lands in my lap.

Hey – That’s me! And our Sony TC-277-4, who is on much-earned retirement. (Photo courtesy of Marty Murray)

Post contributed by Audiovisual/Photo Archivist Aide Marty Murray

Posted in American Heritage Center, Archival work, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Fayr Bryght Shynynge Scalyd Fysshes”: How to Fish with Dame Juliana Berners

Posted on March 31, 2026 by ahcadmin

Izaak Walton’s 17th century book, The Complete Angler (1653), has gone down in history as one of the most famous treatises on fish and fishing. However, it was not the first of its kind. That honor goes to Dame Juliana Berners, a 15th century prioress of the Nunnery of Sopwell in Hertfordshire, England. In her introduction to A Treatyse on Fysshynge wyth an Angle (1496) she writes, “To the best of my moderate ability to form an opinion, the finest sport is fishing with a rod, line, and hook…If the angler happens to catch a fish, then surely no man is gladder in spirit than he.” Medieval depictions of fly fishing as a leisure sport can be dated back to the 13th century. Historian Richard C. Hoffmann speculated that the first was in an Arthurian legend. Over 200 years later, Dame Juliana included instructions in her treatise for making a nine-foot-long fishing rod, which kinds of bait to use, and when to use them. Doubts about Juliana’s existence and authorship of the Treatise were raised in the 19th century and she is still often dubbed a myth. However, in Reel Women (1995), Lyla Foggia examines the arguments and quotes Joan Wulff’s take that the treatise carries a distinct womanly perspective. She asserts, “Are we to believe that 500 years ago a woman would be credited with authoring a document she did not write—when it’s extraordinary enough that a woman would be credited at all?”

side by side images of gold tooled cover illustration and Dame Juliana
Reproduced gold tooled cover illustration of a medieval fisherman alongside a portrait of Juliana Berners. A Treatise on Fishing with a Hook, Dame Juliana Berners, SH431 .B522 1933, Toppan Collection, Toppan Rare Books Library. Purported Portrait of Dame Juliana Berners. Image. Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Juliana-Berners

After building a sturdy rod out of willow branch, Dame Juliana goes on to discuss coloring fishing lines: “Aftur that ye have made yowr rodde ye must lern to colur your lynys of heyr in thys wise.” According to Juliana, a fisherman must acquire a round, white horsetail to make sets of six different colors of fishing lines: yellow, green, brown, tan, russet, and “dark colors.” To make a satisfactory green dye for lines to be used in “all clear waters from April to September,” one should simmer part of the horsetail in a quart of ale and a pound of alum. Remove the hair and, while it is drying, simmer two handfuls of wax in two quarts of water for half an hour. When this liquid turns yellow, the hair is again submerged, and a half pound of powdered copperas is added. One should boil this concoction until the hair becomes hard, removing it to cool for five or six hours. The hair proceeds to transform into a fine green shade as it dries.

Juliana notes that adding more vitriol or verdigris will make for an even better green. Verdigris was a green pigment used by artists across the medieval world. It is commonly found in illuminated manuscripts, including those held in the Toppan Rare Books Library collection. Because it is copper-based, studies of verdigris have shown that the color degrades over time. The effects vary depending on humidity levels, storage methods, and environmental conditions. Ironically, medieval artists knew how unstable verdigris green could be, but they used it anyway due to its beauty and vibrancy. Cennino Cennini wrote in The Craftsman’s Handbook, “A color known as verdigris is green. […] it is manufactured by alchemy, from copper and vinegar. This color is good on panel, tempered with size. Take care never to get it near white lead, for they are mortal enemies in every respect. […] it is beautiful to the eye, but it does not last.”

A collection of green pigment swatches
Verdigris green pigment swatch. Color Standards and Color Nomenclature, Robert Ridgway, QC495 .R5 1912, Fitzhugh Collection, Toppan Rare Books Library.

The prioress goes on to scrupulously describe fishing bait and hooks. Throughout this section, she references the use of earthworms and minnows, as well as the merits of bumblebees, butterflies, cherries, toasted brown bread smothered in honey, bacon fat, cheese, and hooks smeared with a paste of “black blood from the heart of a sheep” mixed with flour and honey. Medieval fishermen also constructed their own artificial flies out of wool, silk, hemp, peacock and jay feathers, and thread. These ingredients were mentioned in an anonymous tract titled “Medicina piscium” from the mid-15th century, and examples of artificial fly pattern recipes began to abound after 1490. In the final pages of the treatise, Dame Juliana lists the ingredients for making various fly patterns like the stone fly, wasp, and drake.

A diagram of six types of fishing hooks
A collection of fishing hooks. A Treatise on Fishing with a Hook, Dame Juliana Berners, SH431 .B522 1933, Toppan Collection, Toppan Rare Books Library.

Within the treatise’s last few pages, Dame Juliana writes a final plea. She calls on all anglers to respect a fishermen’s moral code: never steal another man’s fish, respect other’s lands, do not take more fish than one needs, and fish only for the joy of one’s soul. Besides, “…if you act in the way that this treatise instructs you to, you will have no need to take another man’s fish, since you will have enough fish of your own catching…And it will be a great pleasure for you to see the good, bright, shining fishes that have been deceived by your skill and dragged to shore.”

Post contributed by Toppan Rare Books Library Archives Specialist Emma Comstock.

References

Banik, Gerhard. “Discoloration of Green Copper Pigments in Manuscripts and Works of Graphic Art.” Restaurator 10, no. 2 (1989): 61-73.

Berners, Juliana, Dame. An Older Form of the Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle, attributed to Dame Juliana Barnes. Edited by Thomas Satchell. London: W. Satchell & Co., 1883. https://archive.org/details/an-older-form-of-the-treatyse-of-fysshynge-wyth-an-angle-1883

Berners, Juliana, Dame. A Treatise on Fishing with a Hook. Translated by William Van Wyck. New York: The Van Rees Press, 1933.

Cennini, Cennino D’Andrea. The Craftsman’s Handbook. Translated by Daniel V. Thompson, Jr. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1960.

Hoffmann, Richard C. “Trout and Fly, Work and Play, in Medieval Europe.” In Bookcasts: A Global History of Fly Fishing and Conservation. Edited by Samuel Snyder et al. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Posted in Feminism, Toppan Rare Books Library, Uncategorized, Women in History, Women in Publishing, Women Writers, women's history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Confronting Difficult History: Blackface in Wyoming’s Photographic Past

Posted on March 23, 2026 by ahcadmin

When I first encountered these photographs in the American Heritage Center’s collections, I was genuinely jarred. As a white person researching these images from 1920s-30s Wyoming, I found myself uncomfortable and unsettled. My immediate reaction was emotional rather than academic – these images are difficult to view, yet they document a reality of Wyoming’s past that deserves honest examination.

Lovell theater group in blackface, ca. 1930. Box 2, Hugo G. Janssen photographs, Coll. No. 11712, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center.

The Photographers Behind the Lens

These images come from two important Wyoming photographic collections. The Hugo G. Janssen photographs document life in Lovell and surrounding Bighorn Basin communities from 1917 until his death in 1960. Born in Germany in 1893, Janssen arrived in Lovell just before World War I and established his photography studio in 1917. His work provides a comprehensive visual record of the area.

Lora Webb Nichols (1883-1962) offers another remarkable window into early 20th century Wyoming. Beginning with her first camera at age 16, Nichols amassed about 24,000 negatives throughout her lifetime, which was mostly spent in Encampment. Her images chronicle domestic life, industrial development, and social dynamics in south-central Wyoming during the copper mining boom and beyond.

What We’re Seeing

The photographs show community members in blackface, a practice with deep and troubling roots in American entertainment. The “CO 3846 WELCOMES U” banner visible in one image identifies the group as members of Civilian Conservation Corps Company 3846, based in Deaver, Wyoming, located about 20 miles northwest of Lovell. The CCC, Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program that put young men to work on conservation projects from 1933 to 1942, is rarely remembered in connection with this aspect of camp entertainment culture.

Members of Civilian Conservation Corps Company 3846, Deaver, Wyoming, in blackface costume., ca. 1935. Box 2, Hugo G. Janssen photographs, Coll. No. 11712, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center.

What’s particularly striking is seeing blackface performances in Wyoming towns with virtually no Black residents. This reveals how thoroughly minstrelsy had penetrated American culture, reaching even isolated Western communities far removed from the urban centers where such entertainment originated. Lovell, Deaver, and Encampment are no exception to that pattern, but neither are they unique.

Not all of these images are equally difficult to look at, but some are particularly hard. One photograph shows a child in blackface holding a watermelon slice — a layering of racist caricature that is jarring even by the standards of the other images here. I want to name that directly rather than let it pass without acknowledgment.

Boy in blackface in front of the Carbon County courthouse in Rawlins, 1945. Box 18, Lora Webb Nichols papers, Coll. No. 1005, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Carbon County residents in blackface in front of the county courthouse, 1945. Box 18, Lora Webb Nichols papers, Coll. No. 1005, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Historical Context Without Excuses

When these photographs were taken, blackface minstrelsy was mainstream entertainment across America. Beginning in the early 19th century, minstrel shows remained popular well into the 20th century. They featured caricatured portrayals of Black Americans that reinforced harmful stereotypes while appropriating and distorting elements of Black culture.

White participants in small-town Wyoming likely viewed these performances as ordinary entertainment rather than something problematic. The fact that photographers like Janssen and Nichols documented these events without apparent criticism speaks to how normalized such performances were.

This doesn’t excuse the practice, but it helps us understand its pervasiveness across all regions of America, including rural Wyoming. The historical record shows that blackface wasn’t just a Southern phenomenon but was embraced nationwide, regardless of proximity to African American communities.

Why These Photos Matter Today

These photographs document a once-commonplace aspect of American entertainment history that many white Americans have had the privilege to forget — but forgetting is not neutral. The stereotypes minstrelsy embedded in American culture caused real harm, shaping how Black Americans were perceived, treated, and discriminated against for generations. While Black Americans have continued to live with those effects, many white Americans, including those in Wyoming, moved on without ever reckoning with what these performances represented.

By examining these photographs honestly—and asking what it meant for entire communities to participate in this kind of entertainment—we can better understand how racial attitudes were formed and sustained far beyond the places we typically associate with that history. That understanding feels worth the discomfort of looking.

By AHC Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener.

Posted in Collections Highlights, Racism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Krazy George and the Wave

Posted on March 16, 2026 by ahcadmin

This story expands on “‘From Sparti and His Spear to Pete and His Pistol,” a WyoHistory.org article by University Archivist John Waggener that tells the story of the first Pistol Pete mascot, Don Bogdan.

When Don Bogdan handed his San Jose State roommate a drum at a football game in 1967, he had no idea he was launching one of the most unique careers in sports entertainment history.

George Henderson, who would become known worldwide as “Krazy George,” credits Bogdan with transforming his path. “My whole life would have never changed without Don Bogdan,” Henderson recalled in a 2023 oral history interview. “He put me on a whole other track that I never knew.” That track would lead Henderson to become forever associated with one of the most recognizable stadium traditions in the world: the Wave.

In this 2014 autobiography, George Henderson reflects on his life and career. Box 1, Donald Bogdan Pistol Pete papers, Coll. No. 300070, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Henderson’s journey from accidental cheerleader to professional sports icon began simply. Bogdan, already an enthusiastic San Jose State fan, brought a drum and bugle to a football game and convinced his roommate to join him. “I couldn’t play the bugle—that takes talent,” Henderson remembered. “So he handed me the drum. I would hit it once in a while.”

By the third game, they had three student sections following them. When the head cheerleader approached them at season’s end and asked, “Why don’t you guys go out for cheerleader?” Henderson resisted. But Bogdan was, as Henderson describes him, “possessed” and “driven.” Bogdan insisted they try out. Despite Henderson’s admittedly terrible performance at the formal routines, both made the squad for the 1968-69 seasons. While Bogdan went on to create the elaborate fiberglass Sparti costume and later become Wyoming’s first Pistol Pete, Henderson continued cheerleading and became a professional.

Don Bogdan as Pistol Pete as seen in the Branding Iron, February 12, 1971.

Henderson traces the Wave back to his evolution as a crowd-engagement specialist. At San Jose State in 1968, he pioneered a sectional cheer with three student sections standing in sequence to spell out “San-Jose-State.” He refined the concept in 1980 while working for the Colorado Rockies NHL team in Denver, creating a continuous cheer where sections would stand and sit in sequence around the arena.

But Henderson claimed that the technique reached its full form on October 15, 1981, at an Oakland Athletics playoff game. Henderson describes starting the cheer with four sections, watching it die, having those sections boo to embarrass the rest of the crowd, then trying again. On the third attempt, the wave traveled all the way around the stadium. On the fourth, “it was like a freight train,” Henderson recalled. “It just never stopped for like, you know, six, eight times.”

The crowd reaction was so powerful that Henderson marks this as the day he “invented” the Wave, though he acknowledges he had been developing the concept for years. The tradition spread rapidly through professional sports and exploded globally when it appeared at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, where international audiences dubbed it “the Mexican Wave.”

Henderson’s professional cheerleading career spanned more than 100 teams and over 3,000 games across five decades, making him possibly the only person in history to make a living solely by leading crowd cheers at sporting events—no corporate appearances, no mall promotions, just three hours a week firing up fans. His friendship with Don Bogdan remained strong throughout their lives, and in 1987, they even opened a restaurant together called Krazy’s in Aptos, California, featuring eleven TV screens, three satellite dishes, a garden railroad circling the ceiling, and a Formula race car mounted upside down above the dining room.

A 3:45 minute video recorded in 2024 in which “Krazy George” reminisces about inventing the Wave at the Oakland Coliseum.

When Bogdan was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2014, Henderson preserved his friend’s legacy by donating Bogdan’s original Sparti costume to San Jose State University for permanent display. The story of these two San Jose State roommates—one who created Wyoming’s Pistol Pete, the other who created the Wave—reminds us that the innovations that define modern sports culture often begin with simple moments: a drum handed to a friend, an invitation to try something new, and the relentless enthusiasm to make crowds come alive.

This story is based on an oral history interview with George Henderson conducted by John Waggener on September 19, 2023. The interview is part of the Donald Bogdan Pistol Pete papers at the AHC.

Note: The invention of the Wave is disputed, with the University of Washington also claiming to have originated the tradition on October 31, 1981.

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Behind the Mountain: The Story of the Centennial Complex

Posted on March 9, 2026 by ahcadmin

When you approach the University of Wyoming’s Centennial Complex, you’re met with an imposing sight: a massive cone rising from the earth, its dark metal skin catching the Wyoming light. It’s unlike any other building on campus—or frankly, anywhere else. This is exactly what architect Antoine Predock intended.

A Building for Wyoming’s Second Century

The Centennial Complex, which opened in 1993, houses both the American Heritage Center and the University Art Museum. The building’s name commemorates the University of Wyoming’s 100th anniversary in 1986, when planning for this ambitious project began. At 137,000 square feet, it represented the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university’s history to that point, with goals to raise $19 million for construction plus an additional $6 million for endowments.

Drone footage of the Centennial Complex commissioned by the UW Art Museum to celebrate the structure’s 25th anniversary in 2018.

The campaign marked a significant shift in how UW approached building projects. As Dr. Terry Roark, who served as university president during the complex’s development, recalled in a 2021 oral history interview, the Wyoming Legislature had traditionally been the major source of university funding. This new initiative “began a trend of substantial private contributions, bolstered by matching state funds, that kicked off a new era of growth around campus.”

Predock’s Vision: An Archival Mountain

New Mexico-based architect Antoine Predock (1936-2024) won the commission for what would become one of his most distinctive works. Predock, who has described his approach as rooted in landscape and cultural memory, saw the building as emerging from Wyoming’s dramatic geography.

Antoine Predock discussing the schematics of the Centennial Complex using a scaled dissected model in 1989.
Antoine Predock, left, discussing the schematics of the Centennial Complex using a scaled dissected model, 1989. AHC Photo Files.

“Throughout Wyoming there is a sense of landscape in formation,” Predock explained.
The appearance of this ‘archival’ mountain can be thought of as parallel to the slow but certain geologic upheaval.” The cone—which contains the American Heritage Center’s collections and offices—was deliberately aligned with Medicine Bow Peak to the west and Pilot’s Knob to the east, anchoring the building into both campus and landscape.

At the core of this “mountain” is a hearth with timber framing that guides a central flue up through the building to a skylight. This space, known as the Mary Storer Loggia, serves as the building’s spiritual center. Floor levels wind around this hearth in a spiral, rotating as they ascend toward the sky-lit upper reaches.

Early sketch of interior, forest area (now the Loggia) of the American Heritage Center, undated.
Early sketch of interior, forest area (now the Loggia) of the American Heritage Center, undated. AHC Photo Files

The Art Museum, by contrast, resembles “a village at the foot of a mountain,” with galleries arranged in a more horizontal fashion adjacent to the cone. Predock described the overall design as recalling “the gathering of Native Americans, French trappers, and early European settlers. Now it is a place of intellectual and social rendezvous.”

The Road to Completion

The path to opening day was not without challenges. When Dr. Roark arrived as president, the American Heritage Center was housed in Coe Library, while the Art Museum occupied cramped quarters in the basement of the Fine Arts Building. Both institutions desperately needed space and proper facilities.

This was another, much for traditional, design for the Centennial Complex, ca. 1980.
This was another, much for traditional, design for the Centennial Complex, ca. 1980. AHC Photo Files.

The campaign to fund the complex proceeded even as the AHC faced internal turmoil with the controversial dismissal of a longtime director. As Roark recalled, “My main concern was there were good people out there who supported the American Heritage Center and what it wanted to do, what its mission was, but they got tied up in [this director]. Despite this challenge, major donors came forward. The AHC portion of the building was named for Eleanor Chatterton Kennedy, daughter of former Wyoming Governor Fenimore Chatterton, and for Joe and Arlene Watt, cattle ranchers and descendants of Wyoming pioneers.

Roark remembered Kennedy’s substantial gift of Colorado land, though development restrictions limited its ultimate value. He also recalled the memorable moment when Joe and Eleanor Watt gave a million-dollar contribution: “It’s the only time I have ever held in my hand a check for a million dollars, but Joe and Eleanor Watt wrote, just like you’d write a check to the grocery store. Nothing fancy about it. Handwritten and just an ordinary check and for a million dollars.”

At one critical juncture, the UW Foundation considered withdrawing from the project. Roark recalled telling them firmly: “No, you can’t do that, or we don’t have the Foundation.”

Opening Day

Ground was broken on October 6, 1990, with Governor Mike Sullivan and President Roark each holding a side of an old-fashioned dirt scoop hitched to a horse. The Wyoming wind blew Sullivan’s signature hat away during the ceremony—an appropriately Western moment.

Three years later, on September 10, 1993, Sullivan and Roark cut the ribbon to officially open the facility. The dedication ceremony included traditional elements: an elder from either the Arapaho or Shoshone tribe conducted a peace pipe ceremony with the governor, president, and museum and AHC directors seated on a cloth on the ground. Roark, a lifelong non-smoker, took his ceremonial puff and spent the rest of the day trying unsuccessfully to rinse the taste from his mouth.

UW President Terry Roark (middle left with glasses) and Wyoming governor Mike Sullivan (wearing hat) cut the ribbon to officially open the Centennial Complex.
UW President Terry Roark (middle left with glasses) and Wyoming governor Mike Sullivan (wearing hat) cut the ribbon to officially open the Centennial Complex. AHC Photo Files.

A Building That Teaches

Today, the Centennial Complex stands as one of the most distinctive buildings in Wyoming and a landmark of 1990s American architecture. The AHC has become one of the largest and most heavily used non-governmental archives in the United States, drawing approximately 5,000 researchers annually from all 50 states and numerous countries. Its collections have grown to 75,000 cubic feet—the equivalent of 18 miles of material—covering Wyoming and Western history, the petroleum and mining industries, politics, conservation, journalism, transportation, and 20th-century entertainment.

The Toppan Rare Books Library, located within the complex, houses more than 60,000 rare books and manuscripts, serving as an active teaching site unlike most rare book collections. The building’s galleries, classrooms, and reading rooms regularly host UW classes learning to conduct archival research.

Toppan Library book showing fore-edge decoration. This practice is rooted in the 10th century when books were displayed with their edges facing outward rather than inward. One identified a book on the shelf by its unique fore-edge patterns. Book of Common Prayer, Coe Pre-1850 Collection, Toppan Rare Books Library.

The “archival mountain” Predock designed continues to serve its purpose: gathering people together around the stories and materials that illuminate our past and inform our future, all while standing as a striking architectural statement anchored firmly in the Wyoming landscape.

Post contributed by AHC Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener

Posted in American Heritage Center, Architecture, Centennial Complex, Uncategorized, University Architecture, University of Wyoming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Edith “Jackie” Ronne – Antarctica’s First Lady

Posted on March 2, 2026 by ahcadmin

Edith “Jackie” Ronne didn’t plan to spend fifteen months on an Antarctic research expedition. But when her husband Finn Ronne mounted a privately financed exploration of the southern continent, Jackie found herself drawn steadily—and then decisively—into the venture.

Insignia of the 1947-1948 Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition. Box 28, C.O. Fiske papers, Collection No. 9458, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Born in Maryland and a graduate of George Washington University with a degree in history, Jackie had worked for the National Geographic Society and the U.S. State Department before marrying Finn in 1944. The newlyweds spent much of their free time reading and talking about Antarctica, a place that loomed large in Finn’s life. His father had made multiple Arctic voyages and accompanied the First Byrd Expedition, and Finn himself had served on the 1939–1941 U.S. Antarctic Service Expedition.

Jackie later reflected, “When a woman marries a man with such a background, she may as well adapt herself to a life of exploration.” And adapt, she did.

In January 1947, Jackie left home with a small suitcase containing two silk dresses, two suits, one pair of slacks, some nylon stockings, and two pair of shoes with heels. The plan was for her to travel only as far as Texas to help the expedition with last minute details and paperwork.

Yet when it was time for the expedition to depart Texas, there were considerable details yet to be finalized. Finn persuaded Jackie to join the voyage as far as Panama to help with recordkeeping, correspondence, and final checkoffs. By the time they reached Panama, Jackie’s help on the expedition was becoming indispensable, so it was agreed that she would continue onwards to Chile. Then in Chile, Finn convinced her to join the next leg of the journey—to Antarctica—as the expedition’s historian and recorder.

The expedition operated on a shoestring budget of $50,000 along with government-supplied equipment, which included a 183-foot wooden-hulled Navy tugboat that could transport three small Air Force-supplied planes—two were loaded on deck with their wings removed, and one was added later in Panama. This would be the last privately funded U.S. Antarctic expedition.

Photograph of the ship used for the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition. Box 29, C.O. Fiske papers, Collection No. 9458, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The expedition launched from the port of Beaumont, Texas, on January 25, 1947. The ship was loaded down with everything the polar explorers might need for a year and a half. That included a rooster and five hens, to provide the expedition with fresh eggs, and forty-three huskies outfitted to pull sleds. Among the rations on board were 6,500 pounds of frozen filet mignon.

As they departed, Jackie noted, “We watched the home shores of the United States disappear on the horizon with feelings of very mixed emotions. First was concern, because our venture was a somewhat hazardous one…then there was the feeling of anticipation as to what this almost unknown continent held in store.”

When their ship arrived off Stonington Island in the Antarctic’s Palmer Peninsula in March 1947, Jackie was dazzled by the spectacle of mountain after mountain, covered in snow and ice, with glaciers winding their way down between mountain passes. She and the other twenty-two members of the expedition set to work establishing a base camp in buildings that had been left behind by the 1939-1941 Byrd Expedition. Camp consisted of a bunkhouse and mess hall, a machine shop, and a science building, all connected by a series of tunnels. A small shack—twelve-foot square—became the Ronnes’ headquarters. Heating came from a temperamental coal stove.

Edith “Jackie” Ronne next to the stove that warmed their Antarctic hut. Box 29, C.O. Fiske papers, Collection No. 9458, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Inside the shack was a bunk topped with five heavy blankets and a table with a typewriter, where Jackie spent a great deal of time. Bathing and washing were done using a small basin in the shack. Jackie wrote, “cleanliness…was a big hurdle to overcome.” On windy days, she sometimes hung wet garments outside. They froze solid, but within twenty-four hours the wind blew off the ice crystals, leaving the clothes soft and dry.

Daily life at the camp demanded constant adaptation, beginning with how the men—and Jackie—dressed for the cold. Indoor clothes were all made of wool, and dressing in layers was critical. Fur parkas were used outdoors when temperatures were lower than minus twenty. It was the wind rather than the cold that Jackie found most taxing. Wind speeds sometimes reached one hundred miles per hour. At mealtime, she took her place in the chow line along with the many bearded men. They ate well, although the nightly dinner of filet mignon, intended to prevent scurvy, eventually proved tedious.

Jackie authored most of the expedition’s press releases, assisted with reports and memoranda and kept the daily history of the of the expedition’s progress. She wrote regular articles which were transmitted by radio to The New York Times. Beyond her official responsibilities, Jackie also became an informal anchor for the emotional life of the camp. She and Finn hosted a coffee and cookies hour in their shack each afternoon for men who wanted to talk over problems. Tensions sometimes mounted. Jackie observed, “Men of varied backgrounds and temperaments are forced to live closely together in isolation with little out-of-door exercise to use up their energy. Dispositions often become frayed and minor incidents take on major proportions.” In the confined quarters of their polar camp, quiet and solitude for concentration were rare.

By May, winter had settled over the camp and buildings disappeared in the snow. Most of the expedition’s activities shifted inside. Even when the winds blew fiercely for days on end, the huskies still had to be fed. Jackie was grateful that work fell to the men. Despite the monotony and strain of the Antarctic winter, the expedition was not without moments of levity. Movie nights and games of bridge provided welcome distractions, as did husky puppies born during the long winter. When the sun returned in the Antarctic springtime, outdoor activities resumed. Jackie and Finn took skiing trips on the glaciers near camp and helped exercise the sled dogs, which were essential for conducting research away from the main base.

Commander Finn Ronne and Jackie Ronne on skis in the Antarctic. Box 29, C.O. Fiske papers, Collection No. 9458, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

When summer finally came, some scientists gathered geological samples while others took meteorological observations. A series of aerial mapping flights was completed. Jackie assisted with tidal observations and seismograph readings. The Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition made several important scientific discoveries. It explored previously unknown parts of the coastline along the Weddell Sea, from Palmer Land to Coats Land, and concluded that Antarctica was a single continent. The expedition also discovered 250,000 square miles of previously unknown territory, which Finn Ronne named Edith Ronne Land.

Map of the Palmer Peninsula in the Antarctic, showing the location of Stonington Island, Marguerite Bay, and Edith Ronne Land, November 1, 1948. Box 29, C.O. Fiske papers, Collection No. 9458, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

While the expedition was life-changing for Jackie, she later recalled feeling nothing but relief when it finally ended in the spring of 1948. Yet her time in Antarctica left a legacy far greater than personal endurance. As one of the first women to overwinter on the continent, Jackie helped normalize the presence of women in polar science and exploration. Through her writing, recordkeeping, and steadying influence on camp life, she shaped how the expedition was documented and remembered.

What began as a temporary logistical role became an indispensable contribution to a significant twentieth century Antarctic expedition—proof that exploration history is often made not only by those who lead, but by those who adapt, persist, and record the story as it unfolds.

For further glimpses into the Antarctic expedition of Finn and Jackie Ronne, see the papers of C.O. Fiske, who was a climatologist on the expedition.

Post contributed by AHC Writer Kathryn Billington.

Posted in Explorers, Uncategorized, Women Adventurers, Women in History | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Field Notes from Wyoming’s Roving Archivist

Posted on February 23, 2026 by ahcadmin

Since starting my position in August 2025, I have been to 19 of the 23 counties, meeting with cultural heritage institutions along the way. Each meeting ranges from a simple “Hi, I’m the Roving Archivist,” to a tour of the site. At each meeting, I always ask one question: “What do you feel are areas of concern for your organization?” The answers vary from place to place, but break down to the same three things: funding, storage, and object preservation.

Wyoming Roving Archivist Morgan Stence. Photo courtesy Morgan Stence.

To help Wyoming’s cultural institutions address challenges in staffing, funding, and storage, the Wyoming State Historic Records and Advisory Board, with the American Heritage Center and the Wyoming State Archives, created the Wyoming Roving Archivist Program (RAP). The program is funded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Launched in 2020 after an NHPRC grant-funded assessment survey, the RAP connects cultural institutions with trained archival professionals to improve collections stewardship statewide. As the Roving Archivist, I travel to various repositories providing advice, sharing best practices, and offering encouragement for the management, arrangement, preservation, acquisition, and access of archival collections.

My job begins where data ends. In 2023, a previous Roving Archivist published the Wyoming Cultural Heritage Needs Assessment Survey Report (WCHNA). While this data tells me that 44.25% of Wyoming’s institutions struggle with staffing, funding, and storage, the only way to shift those numbers is to see them for myself.

From the Tetons to the high plains, Wyoming’s cultural heritage institutions have individuals who need advice or support to continue their collecting practices, including on:

  • Technical Guidance: Providing resources on indexing, archival processing, and policy development.
  • Specialized Conservation: Advising on basic object cleaning, and deferring to an objects conservator when necessary.
  • Grant Support: Identifying funding opportunities for institutions to help bridge the gap in staffing and resources.

Whether through a comprehensive site visit report or a monthly “Quick Tips” webinar, my goal is to provide the professional support needed to lighten the load for Wyoming’s cultural heritage institutions.

Is your organization ready to tackle a collection challenge? The RAP is now accepting site visit applications for 2026. Join the institutions already participating in RAP and let’s work together to preserve your community’s unique story.

Apply for a 2026 Site Visit: rovingarchivist.wyo.gov/site-visits

Contact Me: spcr.rovingarchivist@wyo.gov

Post contributed by Wyoming Roving Archivist Morgan Stence.

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Vera Marshe and the Lucky ‘E’

Posted on February 16, 2026 by ahcadmin

Few performers can claim they’ve danced with Fred Astaire, acted alongside the voice of Winnie the Pooh, and collected autographs from Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Vera Marshe did all three.

Vera Marshe. Box 4, Vera Marshe papers, Coll. No. 08731, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

She was a Minnesota native, and an early performer. She was a vaudevillian, trained by prominent teacher Helen Noble. A mix of music, comedy, and performance, vaudeville provided a strong start for Vera. Due to her beauty, it was often thought that she would do well in romantic roles, but she preferred comedy roles. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Vera began her film career with small roles in productions such as Good News (1930) and Way Out West (1930).

One of Vera’s earliest notable roles offered a return to her vaudeville roots. In 1932, one half of the renowned sibling dance duo, Adele Astaire, left her position in the show The Band Wagon to marry Lord Charles Cavendish. This left her brother Fred without a dance partner. Adele’s understudy just happened to be Vera, who stepped in for the remainder of the shows, capturing the hearts of many and surpassing expectations. Vera gained many fans from this endeavor, evidenced by the fan mail in her collection.

Several letters from fans of The Band Wagon. Box 1, Folder 10, Vera Marshe papers, Coll. No. 08731, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Eagle-eyed readers will notice that early reports of Marshe’s work spelled her name differently: “Marsh.” This was no mistake. In fact, that was her name for the beginning of her career. In May 1930, Vera had a professional astrology reading done. The results of this were clear: the name “Marsh” was unlucky and was sure to bring nothing but disaster. Adding an “e” to the end, however, made the name quite lucky. With a name like Marshe, Vera was sure to find success.

Whether or not one would believe this, there is no denying that Vera evidently did, officially changing her name to Vera Marshe several years later in 1932. Newspaper clippings indicate that the change happened sometime between May and November of that year.

While looking through the history of Vera’s work, one name shows up as a costar more often than any other: Sterling Holloway, the comedian and original voice actor for the beloved Winnie the Pooh. Together, Vera and Sterling made a very reliable comedy duo and starred in several shows together. They were reportedly close friends off the stage as well, forming a bond that lasted several decades.

Newspaper comic strip showing Vera Marshe and Sterling Holloway. Box 1, Folder 1, Vera Marshe papers, Coll. No. 08731, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

As Vera’s career neared its third decade, she began to do more television work. Notably, she was in over 20 episodes of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, playing various characters. This earned her annual Christmas cards from the Nelson family.

A hobby Vera seemingly kept throughout her career was collecting the autographs of her costars. Throughout her decades-long career, she managed to amass quite a collection. Some of the most notable pieces include autographs from Fred Astaire, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and the entire Nelson family.

Fred Astaire’s autograph, Box 1, Marshe papers
Bing Crosby’s autograph, Box 1, Marshe papers

The papers of Vera Marshe (1905-1984) are open to the public and available for research at the American Heritage Center. The collection includes newspaper clippings, photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, memorabilia, and papers related to her work including contracts, scripts, and call sheets. It is a five-box collection that spans the years 1927 to 1973.

Post contributed by Reference Department Archives Aide Julia Wells.

Posted in Collections Highlights, Hollywood history, Performing Arts, Uncategorized, Women in Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Whirlwind Romance of Will and Lulu

Posted on February 9, 2026 by ahcadmin

Louisa’s mad,
And I am glad,
And I know how to please her!

A bottle of wine
To make her fine
And her handsome beau to squeeze her!

So taunted the children on the sidewalk by the home of Louisa Frederici, in the Old Frenchtown community of St. Louis, Missouri, in the spring of 1865. Her suitor, William F. Cody, a young private of the US Army, had come to court her favor.1

The two had been introduced only a few days before by Louisa’s cousin, William McDonald.  The particular circumstances of their first meeting is now in the realm of legend, whereby Will McDonald played a practical joke on his cousin when he found she had nodded off while reading a magazine, perched upon a chair.  Discovering  her chair being pulled out from under her, Louisa managed to whirl about and furiously slap her jokester on the face, only to then realize she had assaulted a stranger rather than her prankster cousin! Despite her cousin’s laughter, he managed to formally introduce Private William Cody to Louisa, only to have him respond:

“I believe—I believe Miss Frederici and I have met before.”

“Where?” I [Louisa] innocently asked.

“In battle,” came the answer, and I flounced out of the room.2

Louisa later recounted her first impression of William Cody, that he was about the most handsome man she had ever seen. She must have been immediately infatuated with him, as she then devised a plan by the three of them to play an additional joke on another of her suitors, Louis Reiber, who had arranged to visit her that very afternoon. She and Cody were to play that they had known one another for a long time, and she began calling him “Will” as a familiar name. When Reiber arrived, he found the three of them acting like old friends, with Will and Louisa seeming quite close. At some point the “joke” went so far as to represent that Louisa was Will Cody’s fiancée. Eventually Reiber departed in exasperation.

Louisa Frederici Cody later in life in 1881. Portrait by Mosher Studios, Chicago. P.69.0795. Courtesy McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Cody returned several times. His pet name for her was Lulu, or sometimes just Lou. She kept a love poem from him, after he had spied her out on a walk, her face covered in veils to avoid sunburn:

The blazing sun of brilliant day
        May veil the light of stars above,
But no amount of heavy veils
        Can e’er deceive the eyes of love.

William F. Cody, in his own autobiography, later stated that while he was a soldier in 1865 he had met Louisa Frederici while stationed briefly in St. Louis. After his discharge at close of the Civil War later that year, he returned to St. Louis on a mission: “…to capture the heart of Miss Frederici, whom I now adored above any other young lady I had ever seen.” Louisa had been raised in a comfortable economic class, attended a Catholic convent for schooling, and was skilled in sewing. She was fully prepared to be a traditional housewife and mother. That she was at least two years older than William Cody did not seem to bother her.

On March 6, 1866, the two were wed at her father’s home. A mere hour after their wedding, the newlyweds embarked on a steamboat on the Missouri River, headed to Kansas. Cody’s reputation as an abolitionist Kansas jay-hawker in the early years of the Civil War caught up with him almost immediately, leading his new bride to wonder just how dangerous her new husband might actually be. At one riverboat landing there was a scuffle and gunshot, which caused Louisa to faint into her husband’s arms. Yet that did not seem to dampen their ardor, as their daughter Arta was born nine months later in December.4

William F. Cody with his wife Lousia and their daughter Arta, c. 1875. P.69.0239. Courtesy McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Lulu very quickly learned that life on the frontier West was not what she had prepared for, and that her new husband did not have the kind of regular employment folks in Old Frenchtown were accustomed to. Eventually, William F. Cody found personal and economic success as Buffalo Bill—scout, hunter, and showman extraordinaire. But Louisa did not shine on the world stage, being much more comfortable in her own home raising her family and managing her household and, eventually, ranches and other properties in both Nebraska and Wyoming.

She did try to adapt to the West, and her husband taught her to shoot and how to ride. Perhaps her greatest effort was when she described her own buffalo hunt in Kansas, just days after Buffalo Bill’s much heralded hunting contest against William Comstock:

I gave the word to Brigham [Cody’s experienced buffalo hunting horse] and while Arta, strapped to my lap, laughed and gurgled and clapped her little hands, we galloped forward. One great, heavy humped buffalo had moved out a few yards from the rest of the stragglers, and Will waved an arm to me to indicate that this was the one I should shoot down. I turned Brigham toward him, and the chase began…. Only a few rods separated us, and I raised my revolver as though to fire. But Will anxiously waved me down.

“Closer!” I could not hear the word, but I could see his lips as he framed it. Even old Brigham seemed to understand that I was about to make a mistake, for he suddenly plunged forward with a new speed, cutting the distance between the speeding bison and me. Soon the distance was cut in two. Now to a third. Again I raised my revolver, and this time Will did not object. There was a puff of smoke, the booming of the heavy gun, and then— Then, with a thrill I never again shall know, I saw the buffalo stumble, stagger a second, and fall headlong….5

Alas, the early charm of their courtship and marriage did not long survive the wear and tear of everyday frontier life in the West, nor of extended separations necessitated by a life of worldwide showmanship. Both Will and Lulu later wrote their biographies, not as simple memoirs, but as carefully constructed public images designed to immortalize what they wished to be their own best qualities. Accepted as such, their stories rank among the early legendary tales of the West.6

Contributed by Nathan E. Bender, Research Assistant, McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Co-published with WyoHistory.org, where this post will appear on February 13, 2026.

Sources:

  1. Louisa Frederici Cody and Courtney Ryley Cooper, Memories of Buffalo Bill by His Wife (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1919), 31. See also Louisa Frederici Cody, Courtney Ryley Cooper, and Sherry L. Smith, Memories of Buffalo Bill (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2025), 18.
  2. Cody and Cooper, Memories of Buffalo Bill, 3-4.
  3. Cody and Cooper, Memories of Buffalo Bill, 12.
  4. William F. Cody and Frank Christianson, The Life of Hon. William F. Cody, Known As Buffalo Bill (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2011), 161-65, 175; Cody and Cooper, Memories of Buffalo Bill, 40-41.
  5. Cody and Cooper, Memories of Buffalo Bill, 142-143.
  6. See, for example, comments by Louis S. Warren, Buffalo Bill’s America: William Cody and the Wild West Show (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), 80-81.

Posted in American West, Biography and profiles, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The American Heritage Center Provides Original Image for the State’s New Rodeo License Plate

Posted on February 2, 2026 by ahcadmin

One of the most iconic rodeo photographs ever taken is now featured on Wyoming’s new rodeo specialty license plate. The scene depicted on the license plate comes from an original image by Burt C. Buffum, whose collection of photographs and other documents is preserved at the American Heritage Center, the archive of the University of Wyoming.

A Cowboy, a Horse, and a Photographer Come Together to Create a Lasting Moment

The cowboy was Guy Holt; the horse’s name was Steamboat; and the photographer was Burt C. Buffum. They came together for one brief but lasting moment that led to an iconic scene captured on film more than a century ago. Buffum titled the image “Guy Holt Pulling Leather on Steamboat.”1

That spectacular moment occurred at the Albany County Fairgrounds in Laramie on the afternoon of September 23, 1903 (the fairgrounds later became the site of the Washington Park neighborhood). Guy Holt was the reigning world champion in bronc riding. A few weeks earlier, he rode Young Steamboat, the younger half-brother of Steamboat, to capture the title at Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Photograph of Guy Holt on Steamboat taken by B.C. Buffum at the Albany County Fairgrounds on September 23, 1903. Box 35, B. C. Buffum papers, Coll. No. 400055, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

On that late fall afternoon in Laramie, University of Wyoming Professor Burt Buffum wanted to capture the action in the arena on his large-format camera. An agriculture professor and horticulturist by training, he considered himself an amateur photographer, though to operate a large-format camera and develop glass plate negatives in the early 1900s hardly could have been considered an amateur hobby. Taking photographs, developing glass plate negatives, and creating photographic prints required tremendous skill and time.

Portrait of Burt C. Buffum photographed on February 25, 1898. Box 17A, Aven Nelson papers, Coll. No. 400013, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Soon after arriving at the University of Wyoming in 1891, Buffum took an interest in photography and set up a darkroom in the corner of his office on campus where he could develop negatives and produce photographic prints.2 His primary interest in photography was for agricultural field work as part of his position at UW, which included visiting the experiment stations across the state and meeting with farmers to inspect crops. Buffum was instrumental in creating a camera club on campus in 1897 for university students and employees.3

University of Wyoming’s Camera Club on the step of Old Main, October 21, 1897. Box 12, B. C. Buffum papers, Coll. No. 400055, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Holt and Steamboat both entered the rodeo scene just after the turn of the century. They were recent arrivals to the growing sport. Guy Holt was born on December 5, 1883, on a ranch outside  Cheyenne. He worked at several cattle operations in the Cheyenne area and quickly earned recognition as a top rodeo cowboy. In 1903, he was working on a ranch at Hecla west of Cheyenne.

Steamboat was foaled on the Frank Foss Ranch near Chugwater in 1896. Foss sold a group of horses that included Steamboat to the Swan Cattle Company. Steamboat’s eventual owner, John Coble, began entering the horse in rodeo competitions. Coble is steeped in frontier history. As a rancher in the Iron Mountain area northwest of Cheyenne, Coble used the services of stock detective Tom Horn. Legend has it that Coble also shot a painting of a cattle scene with his .45 revolver at the Cheyenne Club, a private social club for cattlemen, in 1895. The painting survived and is displayed in the Wyoming State Capitol where the bullet hole is visible in the lower left corner of the painting. Coble eventually operated a ranch north of Laramie near Bosler when he purchased Steamboat.

On September 23, 1903, Steamboat, Guy Holt, and Burt Buffum descended on the rodeo grounds for the annual Albany County and Inter-Mountain Fair. A reporter from the Laramie Boomerang described Steamboat as looking “fat and saucy.”4 Steamboat’s unique bucking style that day was described as one that did “…not rise far from the ground, in as much as he twists every time when in the air, and gives a jerk that few horses ever learn.”5 As for Holt, “He lost his right stirrup the second jump” and had to contend with a problematic saddle.6 Though Holt still held on for a spectacular ride, the saddle no doubt affected his overall performance. When the scores of the rides were tallied, Guy Holt had earned a respectable second place.

Holt’s popularity in the rodeo circuit led him to being named the state’s most popular cowboy in 1905.7 Eventually, Holt moved to Sublette County where he operated a ranch near Pinedale. He passed away in Jackson on June 26, 1946. In 2014, Holt was honored again when he was inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class.

When the Holt family learned about their ancestor appearing on the new license plate, they were thrilled. Robert Holt, the great grandson of Guy, said of his great grandfather’s appearance on the new rodeo plate, “It is very cool that they [WYDOT] used the actual original Buffum image on the plate…Our family is thrilled to see both horse and rider honored in this way.”8

New license plate issued by the State of Wyoming in January 2026. Image courtesy Wyoming Department of Transportation.

Steamboat became part of the C. B. Irwin Show and traveled around the nation performing in front of crowds, making him one of the most famous bucking horses in the nation. He continued bucking until 1914, when he died in Cheyenne on October 14. In 1975, Steamboat was honored as the first bucking horse to be inducted into the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.9

For the state to have a rodeo license plate made sense to Wyoming Senator Brian Boner of Douglas. The scene depicted on the plate recognizes rodeo as Wyoming’s official sport while also creating a revenue source for the rodeo teams across the state (UW along with most of the community colleges have a rodeo team). Boner sponsored legislation to approve the new plate during the 2025 legislative session.

After the bill was approved authorizing the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) to issue the new plate, the effort began to design the plate. The final image and design was selected in July by a committee that included representatives from Laramie County Community College, University of Wyoming Media Relations and the UW Rodeo Team, a member of the public, and a representative from law enforcement (to approve design for readability).10 The plate was released on January 2, 2026.

The image that Buffum took of Holt riding Steamboat has an element that few other rodeo scenes have—one that shows the Western prairie rising to meet rugged foothills. It is the entire scene with horse and rider framed in a classic Western landscape that sets the image apart. The landscape format of the image with the horse and rider positioned to the left instead of being centered, is ideal for use on a rectangular license plate. No doubt this was a factor WYDOT considered when selecting images.

Buffum’s image also served as the basis for the university’s use of a bucking bronco logo on an athletic uniform. The horse and rider first appeared on a baseball uniform in the spring of 1920. The idea came from UW alum and former athlete E. Deane Hunton, who returned to UW to become a professor of commerce. He was familiar with the image and worked with the Athletic Department to place the image on the uniform. Hunton traced a modified version of Buffum’s image that eventually was used on the uniform. Hunton may also have been the inspiration for the bucking horse and rider that appears on the Wyoming license plate.

University of Wyoming Baseball Team, 1920 (detail from panoramic photograph). E. Deane Hunton (wearing a suit), head of the Commerce Department and business manager, stands next to coach and athletic director John Corbett (far left). Hunton was a 1911 UW graduate who served as class president, played football and basketball, and was secretary of the athletic association. Box 517, Ludwig & Svenson Studio Photographs, Coll. No. 167, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

According to a newspaper article, as the year 1936 approached, Hunton wanted to recognize the University of Wyoming’s 50th anniversary and contacted Secretary of State Lester Hunt to pitch the idea. What better way to commemorate the milestone than to include the logo on the state’s license plate. Though many rodeo images would have been consulted for the artist’s final rendering, Buffum’s image of Guy Holt on Steamboat no doubt was one that artist Allen True would have referenced.11

In addition to appearing on athletic uniforms, the theme for the University of Wyoming’s 1923-1924 WYO yearbook was based on Buffum’s photograph. The image appears on the cover of the yearbook as well as on numerous pages throughout the yearbook. The tribute that appears in the WYO perhaps sums up best why the State of Wyoming has issued a license plate featuring a bucking horse and cowboy. The foreword includes the following passage:

It is the aim of the 1924 “WYO” to incorporate and perpetuate our most valuable heritage – the tradition of the cowboy. As the frontier and the open range become things of the past, the cowboy becomes more and more of a memory, but it is the memory which we should cherish, which will mean more to each succeeding generation.

Buffum left the university in 1908 but not before capturing another popular image of a horse and rider. Several months before he photographed Guy Holt on Steamboat, he also took an image of President Theodore Roosevelt. The president was in Laramie on May 30, 1903. After delivering an address on campus, Roosevelt joined a group on horseback and rode east over the hills to Cheyenne. Buffum captured the president and group in the hills between Laramie and Cheyenne.

President Theodore Roosevelt (center, with glasses) in a photograph taken by B.C. Buffum during his famous 65-mile horseback ride from Laramie to Cheyenne. On May 30, 1903, Roosevelt made the journey, changing horses four times, and riding with Wyoming prominent citizens. Box 5, B. C. Buffum papers, Coll. No. 400055, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Buffum, who grew up in Buffum Canyon near Fort Collins, Colorado, eventually started his own company to patent grains, first in Worland and later in Denver. He passed away on March 25, 1944. Around the time of his death, his original glass plate negatives were donated to the American Heritage Center. Many of them have been scanned and are available for viewing on the AHC’s digital website.

Post contributed by University of Wyoming Archivist John Waggener.

Sources:

  1. Eduma Buffum Boyne, unpublished biography of Burt Buffum, June 1964, B. C. Buffum Papers, box 1, folder 1, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, Laramie.
  2. Ibid.
  3. “University,” Laramie Boomerang, May 25, 1897, 2.
  4. “Champion Holt Dethroned,” Laramie Boomerang, September 24, 1903, 1.
  5. Ibid.
  6. Ibid.
  7. “Guy Holt the High Man,” Wyoming Tribune (Cheyenne), September 5, 1905, 1.
  8. Robert Holt, email message to author, January 15, 2026.
  9. “Hall of Fame Will Honor Steamboat,” United Press International, Laramie Daily Boomerang, December 10, 1975, 2 (also published in other newspapers).
  10. Wyoming Department of Transportation, email message to author, January 14, 2026.
  11. Details on E. Deane Hunton’s logo design for UW Baseball and Wyoming license plates: Branding Iron (University of Wyoming), January 17, 1946, 2, corroborated by author’s research.

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