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Category Archives: Western history
Railroad Romance and Reality: Unpacking the Legacy of Railways in America
Documents and photographs found in the American Heritage Center’s collections can be used to explore the ways in which railways have been and are perceived in American society. Examples of these are in an AHC virtual exhibit titled “The Art … Continue reading
Posted in Economic History, exhibits, Railroad History, Toppan Rare Books Library, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Western history
Tagged Burlington & Quincy, Chicago, Ola Stout, Railroadiana, The Art of the Railroad, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad, westward expansion
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A Madam’s Scrapbook: Remnants of Laramie’s Red-Light District
On the corner of the town stands a crazy, tumble-down rookery, full from cellar to shingles of liquors, gambling devices and everything that can be used to corrupt and rob men. Ruffians and tin-horn gamblers make night and day hideous … Continue reading
The “Peculiar Vibrations” of the Sweetwater County Seat
Were some of Sweetwater County’s earliest records stolen from the new county seat and lost in the desert way back in the 1870s? This is a popular story around Green River, the current Sweetwater County seat. It turns out, there … Continue reading
Wrangling the Western Metaphor: Charles Belden’s Wyoming Imagery
Reaching the Pitchfork Ranch in the 1920s wasn’t easy. In fact, it was arduous. Imagine yourself on the trek. After transferring at the Billings, Montana, branch line to the end of the rails in Cody, Wyoming, a light horse-drawn stage … Continue reading
Posted in Digital collections, outdoor recreation, Photographic collections, Ranch history, Tourism, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history
Tagged Charles Belden, Cowboy Culture, Depictions of the West, Dude ranch, Historical Photography, Meeteetse, Pitchfork Ranch, Rural Tourism, Solitaire Coffee, Western Experience, Western image, Wyoming Imagery
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Wyoming Statesman Alan K. Simpson
Al Simpson is pillar of Wyoming politics, a well-known name across the country, and a benefactor of the American Heritage Center. Simpson enjoyed a long political career spanning the years 1964 to 1997. He is both a politician and a … Continue reading
Posted in Biography and profiles, Heart Mountain Relocation Center, Immigration Policy, Interns' projects, Uncategorized, Western history, western politics and leadership, Wyoming history
Tagged Alan K. Simpson, Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership, Ann Simpson, Edward M. Kennedy, Face-Off, George H.W. Bush, Lorna Kooi Simpson, Milward Simpson, Norman Mineta, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Romano Mazzoli, Tyler Rasmussen, U.S. Senate, U.S. Senator, University of Wyoming alumni, Wyoming Senators
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No Room at the Inn: Owen Wister Encounters Wyoming, July – August 1885
In July 1885, Owen Wister visited Medicine Bow in Wyoming Territory as part of his tour of the region, only to discover there were no rooms available in town to sleep. Instead of moving on when he arrived on July … Continue reading
Posted in 19th century, Authors and literature, Biography and profiles, Book history, Uncategorized, Western fiction, Western history, Wyoming history
Tagged Frank Wolcott, Frontier Life, Johnson County War, Medicine Bow, Owen Wister, The Virginian, Western Culture, Western fiction, Western Writers, Wyoming Travel
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Hanna, Wyoming’s 1903 “Frightful Disaster”
It was a normal Tuesday morning in the Union Pacific Coal Company mining town of Hanna, Wyoming, when disaster struck on June 30, 1903. It was about 10:30 in the morning when coal gas in the Hanna No. 1 mine caught … Continue reading
Posted in Coal industry, Mine disasters, mining history, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history, Wyoming History Day
Tagged 1903 Disaster, Hanna Basin Museum, Hanna No. 1 Mine, Hanna Wyoming, Immigrant Workers, Mine Explosion, Mine Safety, Nancy Anderson, Samuel H. Knight, Union Pacific Coal Company, WyoHistory.org, Wyoming Digital Newspaper Collection
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Reclaiming the Colorado: The Differing Visions of the Bureau of Reclamation and the Chemehuevi
In 1931, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California praised plans to build the Parker Aqueduct, which would redirect water from the Colorado River to the rapidly growing Los Angeles metropole. To the engineers and planners of the Metropolitan Water … Continue reading
Posted in environmental history, Environmental policy, Hydroelectric power, Indigenous Peoples, Natural resources, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation history, Uncategorized, water resources, Western history
Tagged Chemehuevi, Colorado River, Colorado River Compact, Environmental Justice, Indigenous Land Rights, John B. Kendrick, Mary Ludwig, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Parker Dam, Sinclair O. Harper, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Water Disputes
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Happy Birthday Hoppy!
William Lawrence Boyd, known throughout the world as “Hopalong Cassidy,” was born June 5, 1895 in Hendrysburg, Ohio, to Charles William Boyd, and his wife, the former Lida Wilkens (aka Lyda). Following his father’s death, Boyd moved to California to … Continue reading
Posted in Animal actors, Biography and profiles, Film History, Hollywood history, Motion picture actors and actresses, Pop Culture, popular culture, television history, Uncategorized, Western Films, Western history
Tagged Clarence E. Mulford, Cowboy Heroes, film history, Hollywood Actor, Hopalong Cassidy, television history, Television Stars, Topper, Westerns, William L. Boyd
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Your Loving Frank: Romance on the Transcontinental Railroad
It might surprise you to find romance amid the story of the back-breaking and dangerous labor involved in building the transcontinental railroad. But we have one for you. We’re commemorating the anniversary of the joining of the Central Pacific and … Continue reading
Posted in 19th century, Biography and profiles, Railroad History, Uncategorized, Western history, Westward migration, women's history, Wyoming history
Tagged Family correspondence, Frances Jennings Casement, Jack Casement, John S. Casement, Love letters, Railroad Construction, Transcontinental Railroad, Union Pacific Railroad
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