Category Archives: Immigration

Wyoming’s Chinese Dragon

For more than twenty years, the communities in Rock Springs’ and Evanston’s Chinatowns shared and displayed a large, colorful dragon during their Lunar (Chinese) New Year Parade. The soon-to-be famous dragon first made front page news in 1895, when it … Continue reading

Posted in Asian American history, Chinese Americans, Immigration, Racism, Railroad History, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Buffalo Bill Dam – Discover the Story of Wyoming’s Tallest Dam

The Buffalo Bill Dam was designed by engineer Daniel Webster Cole and built between 1905 and 1910. It was one of the first projects undertaken by the U.S. Reclamation Service (later known as the Bureau of Reclamation). The dam sits … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, Construction, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Immigration, Irrigation, Shoshone Dam, Uncategorized, water resources, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Powell Tribune’s La Pagina Español

National Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans the period from September 15 to October 15, was first observed as a heritage week under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968 then became a federally recognized heritage month under President Ronald Regan in 1988. … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, community collections, Digital collections, Hispanic Heritage Month, Immigration, Immigration Policy, Mexican-American history, Racial bias, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

The month of May is a time to celebrate the history, traditions, cultures, and contributions of all Asian American and Pacific Islander immigrants and citizens in the United States. This month was chosen because it commemorates the immigration of the … Continue reading

Posted in Asian American history, Immigration, Japanese internment, Racism, Uncategorized, Western history, World War II, Wyoming history | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Laramie’s Latin American Club

September 15 through October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. Wyoming has a historically significant Hispanic and Manito population, some of whom came and went for work while others made Wyoming their home. Spanish-speaking people from northern New Mexico, called … Continue reading

Posted in Immigration, Laramie, Local history, Manitos, Mexican-American history, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Celebrating the Stars and Stripes – Flag Day

June 14th marks the celebration of Flag Day in the United States. The date is significant in that the Second Continental Congress had, on that day in 1777, adopted the “Stars and Stripes” as the flag of a budding nation. … Continue reading

Posted in Holidays, Immigration, Immigration Policy, Political history, Uncategorized, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dirty and Difficult: Laboring in Wyoming’s Early Sugar Beet Industry

Like many American industries, the sugar beet trade grew from perceived opportunity and weakening in other formerly profitable U.S. markets. A decline in mining and agriculture in the 1890s led some entrepreneurs to seek their fortunes elsewhere. The sugar beet … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, Economic History, Immigration, Immigration Policy, Latin American history, Migrant labor, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Wyoming’s China Mary

In celebration of Chinese New Year on February 12, we’re featuring the life of Wyoming’s China Mary, a longtime resident of Evanston. Most Americans opted to call the Chinese living among them “John” or “Mary” in lieu of learning their … Continue reading

Posted in Asian American history, Chinese Americans, Holidays, Immigration, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Amigos de la Comunidad of Torrington, Wyoming

In box 9 of the Lawrence Cardoso papers housed at the American Heritage Center is a booklet dating to the mid-1970s titled “Amigos de la Comunidad.” I was leafing through that particular box searching for something totally unrelated. But the … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, community collections, Immigration, Latin American history, Local history, Mexican-American history, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Lovell’s Latin American Colony

In 1916, the sugar beet industry brought the first serious wave of Mexican-speaking migrants to Lovell: betabeleros, the beet workers, to hoe the fields and help with the harvest. Yet most were not Mexican nationals, but rather Spanish-speaking people from … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, community collections, Immigration, Local history, Mexican-American history, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, Western history, Wyoming history | 1 Comment