Category Archives: women’s history

Legacy 101: How Wyoming Remembers Nellie Tayloe Ross

On December 20, 1977, The Wyoming Eagle marked Nellie Tayloe Ross’ death with a simple but powerful headline: “Nellie Tayloe Ross Dies at 101.” Beneath it, the paper summarized her lifetime of public service and listed her achievements as first … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, Political history, Uncategorized, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Breaking the “Grass” Ceiling: Women Ranchers of Wyoming

When University of Wyoming graduate student Josie Corbett arrived at the American Heritage Center in 2024 as a Women in Public Life Fellow, she came with a mission: to investigate the “multifaceted contributions of women ranchers in Wyoming to the … Continue reading

Posted in Agriculture, Oral history, Uncategorized, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Big Bertha of Literary Agents: Building an International Empire One Client at a Time

This is Part 2 of our series on Bertha Klausner, Missed Part 1?  Read it here to learn how she built her literary agency from the ground up. Building a Literary Empire After closing her Hollywood office in 1960 and … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, International relations, Literary History, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

From Brooklyn to Broadway: How Bertha Klausner Built America’s Most Innovative Literary Agency

This is Part 1 of a two-part series exploring the remarkable life of Bertha Klausner, one of America’s most influential literary agents. Read Part 2 here. Bertha Klausner was among one of the most influential literary agents in the United … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, Literary History, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Murder, Memory, and Victorian Gender: The Florence Maybrick Case

“Deep in the heart of the American Heritage Center lies a small but rich series of archival puzzle pieces that tell the story of Mrs. Florence Maybrick, the American lady found guilty of murdering her husband in 1889 Victorian England.” … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Student projects, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Felicia Gizycka and Cissy Patterson: The Relationship that Defined a 20th Century Life

Felicia Gizycka was born in 1905 to Count Josef Gizycki and his wife, Countess Eleanor “Cissy” Patterson. Her early years were colored by her father’s kidnapping of her and her mother’s aloofness. Her adult life was one of “international flapper,” … Continue reading

Posted in 1920s America, American history, American Social History, Biography and profiles, Journalism, Uncategorized, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Wyoming Quilt Project: Preserving History Through Quilts

In 1994, a small but dedicated group of Wyoming women came together to start documenting the state’s quilts. The Wyoming Quilt Project was created with a mission of photographing and recording details about Wyoming’s quilts—those that were made in the … Continue reading

Posted in American Heritage Center, Culture and heritage, Oral history, Textile Arts, Uncategorized, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Video Series Brings Union Pacific Railroad Stories to Life

When you think of the Union Pacific Railroad, you might picture massive locomotives or endless stretches of track crossing the plains. But for a recent American Heritage Center oral history project, it’s the people and their stories that take center … Continue reading

Posted in American Heritage Center, American history, Community Stories, Labor History, Oral history, Railroad History, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Union Pacific Railroad, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Two Pull Better Than One”: The Love Story of Grace and Agnes

In the early days of Wyoming statehood, when Laramie was still finding its footing as a frontier town, two extraordinary women found each other. Grace Raymond Hebard and Agnes Wergeland would go on to become pivotal figures in the University … Continue reading

Posted in LGBTQIA+, Queer history, Uncategorized, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beyond Prissy: The Literary Ambitions of Butterfly McQueen

In a small collection at the American Heritage Center – apparently the only archival collection of her papers anywhere – actress Butterfly McQueen preserved a series of typescript works that made me wonder: of all her experiences, why did she … Continue reading

Posted in American Social History, Black History Month, Collections Highlights, Entertainment history, Uncategorized, women's history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment