Category Archives: Western history
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
Andrew Bugas’ Account of the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885
Andrew Bugas was not quite 20 years old in 1885 when he arrived in Rock Springs to work in the Union Pacific’s coal mines. Born in Austria, he came to the United States in 1880 to join his father in … Continue reading
Summer Exhibit Series: Highways in Laramie
The railroad is what most of Laramie’s early history is focused on as it allowed new peoples and industries to grow the burgeoning city. Even so, a few decades after the railroad first came to Laramie, a new form of … Continue reading
Who Climbed the Grand Teton First?
One hundred and twenty years ago, on August 11, 1898, William O. Owen (federal surveyor and outdoorsman), Reverend Franklin Spencer Spaulding, and Jackson Hole ranchers Frank L. Petersen and John S. “Jack” Shive reached the summit of Mount Owen of the Grand … Continue reading
Do Feed the Bears – The Arthur E. Demaray Collection
Arthur E. Demaray was a National Park Service Administrator who worked as the liaison between the Park Service and Congress. He worked for the park service from 1917 to 1951. Demaray’s writings offer insights into Yellowstone National Park during the … Continue reading
Summer Exhibit Series: The Military in Laramie
The military, much like the Union Pacific Railroad, has close ties with Laramie’s history. Established two years before Laramie was, Fort Sanders was to protect those that traveled along the Overland Trail in southern Wyoming. When Laramie was established in … Continue reading
Caroline Lockhart Elected to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame
If there was ever a woman who epitomized the saying, “Well behaved women rarely make history,” that person is Caroline Lockhart. She also sought fame—if not infamy—and she recently took one more step closer to her aspiration. It was announced … Continue reading
