Category Archives: Uncategorized

Remembering and Celebrating Wayman C. Wing

Did you know the University of Wyoming College of Engineering and Applied Science has a Hall of Fame? We want to focus on a specific individual in the Hall of Fame who has had many successes inside and outside of … Continue reading

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“For the Use and Benefit of the People”: Foundations of the University of Wyoming

At moments when public institutions face renewed scrutiny, history offers an important perspective. The founding of the University of Wyoming was not inevitable, nor was it symbolic. It was a deliberate decision made by territorial leaders who believed higher education … Continue reading

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The History of the Union Pacific Big Boy: The World’s Largest Steam Locomotive

The transcontinental railroad was considered the Eighth Wonder of the World, as it was one of America’s greatest achievements at the time, and still holds the title to this day. The completion of a railroad that wedded the East and … Continue reading

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From Vision to Legacy: The Milward L. Simpson Fund’s Enduring Impact on UW Political Science

The University of Wyoming’s Milward L. Simpson Fund for Political Science is more than a scholarship endowment or lecture fund – it’s a living legacy of civic service and academic ambition that has shaped the university for over half a … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

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Behind the Mountain: The Story of the Centennial Complex

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. … Continue reading

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Edith “Jackie” Ronne – Antarctica’s First Lady

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. Born in … Continue reading

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Field Notes from Wyoming’s Roving Archivist

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 … Continue reading

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