Category Archives: oral histories

The Sky is the Limit: The UW Atmospheric Science Department and an Oral History Project

Donald Veal is a name that many University of Wyoming employees and citizens of the state remember. Veal had many “firsts” at UW. He earned the first Ph.D. from the College of Engineering when he completed his Civil Engineering degree … Continue reading

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James Watt: From Wyoming’s Landscapes to Political Stances, Faith as a Driving Force

James “Jim” Watt, the former Interior Secretary, passed away on May 27, 2023, at the age of 85. While his tenure as Interior Secretary during the Reagan administration defined him, his career spanned various roles and contributions. Born and raised … Continue reading

Posted in American history, conservation, Economic Geology, energy resources, environmental history, Natural resources, oral histories, Political controversy, Political history, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Wyoming Women’s History: Choices and Changes Oral History Project

In the United States, the generation born post-Depression, or about 1939 to the end of World War II in August 1945 have been named “War Babies.” The Baby Boomer generation soon followed, beginning in 1946, and has been credited with … Continue reading

Posted in oral histories, Post World War II, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Art of the Hunt: Jake Korell’s Story

Jacob “Trapper Jake” Korell (1914-2013) was a legendary Wyomingite who had a bright personality and a passion for trapping. He was skillful and thoughtful in his work and held great respect for the animals he caught. He began trapping when … Continue reading

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Archive Your Wyoming Coronavirus Story with the American Heritage Center!

The University of Wyoming’s American Heritage Center (AHC) wants to hear from you! The AHC is initiating a COVID-19 Collection Project to gather experiences from across Wyoming. Your submissions will document for future generations the impact that this pandemic has on your work, education, personal life, community, along with any additional observations you may wish to make. These stories tell us what’s happening from an individual perspective, providing a personal and in-depth look at the impact of COVID-19 on our community. For more information go to https://forms.gle/h9GTC9YjSUYUJdgX8 Continue reading

Posted in community collections, Coronavirus outbreak, Current events, Digital collections, Economic History, Family history, Flu, Local history, medical history, oral histories, Pandemics, Public health, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

New Finding Aids: August 2019

We’ve had a busy and productive summer processing collections! Here’s another round of finding aids we’ve published so you can see what we’ve been up to. As a reminder, Finding Aids act as a table of contents for our collections. … Continue reading

Posted in Digital collections, Hollywood history, Laramie, LGBT, LGBTQIA+, Local history, military history, Motion picture actors and actresses, motion picture history, Natural resources, newly digitized collections, newly processed collections, oral histories, Out West in the Rockies, popular culture, University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming history, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Folklife in Wyoming

Folklife is a complex, important and large component of culture. It encompasses the art, traditions and knowledge that passes down among a group of people and can be seen through dance, music, artwork, storytelling, ceremonies and belief sharing. While sometimes … Continue reading

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Nguyen Cao Ky Papers and the Vietnam War

Primary sources are incredibly valuable to historians studying specific topics. Those who would like to understand the myriad of perspectives from the Vietnam War may wish to turn their gaze to the American Heritage Center. Nguyen Cao Ky was the … Continue reading

Posted in International Collections, International relations, military history, oral histories, Politics, Uncategorized, Vietnam War | Tagged | Leave a comment

Privy to Scandal: The Ralph O. Dietler Papers

One of the biggest scandals to ever rock the petroleum industry was the fraudulent leasing of United States oil reserves at Wyoming’s Teapot Dome, and the discovery of the Continental Trading Company, a Canadian corporation organized in 1921 to funnel … Continue reading

Posted in Economic Geology, energy resources, found in the archive, mining history, oral histories, Politics, Scandals, Teapot Dome scandal, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

All Things Wyoming: The Wyoming Pioneers Oral History Project

In 2014, the American Heritage Center completed a project funded by a generous grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund. The largest part of the project was to digitize the Wyoming Pioneers Oral History interviews which were recorded during the … Continue reading

Posted in Digital collections, found in the archive, Local history, oral histories, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming, Western history, Wyoming history | Leave a comment