Category Archives: Sports and Recreation

A Night to Remember: Wyoming’s First-Ever Night Football Game

On September 1, 1988, Wyoming hosted BYU for what would be the 59th meeting between the teams, but this matchup was much more than a game against an old rival. This one required something extra special. Two days before the … Continue reading

Posted in College Sports, Sports and Recreation, Sports Technology, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bucking Stereotypes: Celebrating Trailblazer Abe Morris for Black History Month

How did a young man from New Jersey become one of the first Black bull riders on the professional rodeo circuit? The story of rodeo pioneer Abe Morris is one of determination in the face of obstacles. Born in 1956, … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Biography and profiles, Black history, Black History Month, Rodeo history, Sports and Recreation, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Black 14: Protests and Reactions

Martin Luther King Jr. Day—observed yearly on the third Monday of January—honors the achievements of Dr. King, a prominent civil rights leader who played a vital role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination in public … Continue reading

Posted in Athletics, Black history, Interns' projects, Political history, Racism, Social justice, Sports and Recreation, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming History Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Towards a Definition of Backcountry Skiing

Recently while researching at the American Heritage Center, I discovered the papers of a living legend who, nearly fifty years ago, attempted to describe one of the more significant modern developments in outdoor recreation. I am referring to William Morse … Continue reading

Posted in Mountaineering, outdoor recreation, Sports and Recreation, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pearl Harbor’s Role in Popularizing Surfing

We all have our hobbies, ranging from knitting to metalworking, reading the classics, or computer programming, and many, many more. However, we do not always know the origins of our hobbies. Granted, the majority probably emerged in mundane circumstances, but … Continue reading

Posted in Authors and literature, military history, Pacific Islander history, popular culture, Post World War II, Sports and Recreation, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Opening Chutes and Closets – Gay Rodeo

The chute flies open and out comes a bucking bronc, with a rugged cowboy astraddle, trying their best to stay mounted – this iconic image is associated with rodeos across the West. And since 1975, a similar scene has played … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, LGBTQIA+, Out West in the Rockies, Rodeo history, Sports and Recreation, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, Western history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

E. Deane Hunton – The Man Behind Wyoming’s Iconic Steamboat Logo

E. Deane Hunton was born in Virginia in 1885. When he was three years old his family moved out around Wheatland, Wyoming. E. Deane Hunton attended the University of Wyoming where he obtained a degree in mining engineering. During his … Continue reading

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Isberg collection digitized

The AHC has completed a grant project to digitize photographs, glass plate negatives, glass lantern slides, and stereo cards from the Isberg Family papers, a collection of a Laramie family with material dating from 1884 to 1930. Continue reading

Posted in grants, Local history, newly digitized collections, Photographic collections, Photography, Sports and Recreation, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who Gets License Plate Number 1?

The State of Wyoming began issuing motor vehicle license plates in 1913.  Who got plate number 1?  The man who wrote the motor vehicle licensing law, state senator Jacob M. Schwoob of Park County. Schwoob continued to apply for, and … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, found in the archive, newly processed collections, outdoor recreation, Sports and Recreation, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Americans on Mt. Everest

In 1963, 19 Americans, 32 Sherpas, and 909 porters set out to climb Mount Everest. The first successful assault on the summit had occurred just 10 years before under the command of Englishman Sir Edmund Hillary, but no American had … Continue reading

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