Category Archives: Wyoming history

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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The American Heritage Center Provides Original Image for the State’s New Rodeo License Plate

One of the most iconic rodeo photographs ever taken is now featured on Wyoming’s new rodeo specialty license plate. The scene depicted on the license plate comes from an original image by Burt C. Buffum, whose collection of photographs and … Continue reading

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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

AHC and Grand Encampment Museum Unite to Share Lora Webb Nichols’s Remarkable Wyoming Archive

Lora Webb Nichols (1883-1962) was a prolific diarist and photographer who lived most of her life in southcentral Wyoming. She accumulated more than 24,000 negatives, representing the many shades of life in the frontier mining town of Encampment. Today, the … Continue reading

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From Dust to Pavement: The Good Roads Movement in Wyoming

In the late 19th and early 20th century, progressive political movements grew in popularity and in the public consciousness. Causes such as women’s suffrage, the temperance movement, and unionization became forefront political issues, and the impacts of these movements are … Continue reading

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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

Snap Together: Larsh Bristol and the American Heritage Center

Conor Mullen applied for the Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship six times before he received it in 2020. When he finally got it, he used it to document something none of us saw coming: the impact of COVID-19 on the Greater … Continue reading

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Following the Manito Trail: New Mexicans of the Cowboy State

In honor of the beginning of this year’s National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th – October 15th), today we look at the history of the Manito Trail and the interdisciplinary Following the Manito Trail exhibit that tells its story. As … Continue reading

Posted in Community Stories, Culture and heritage, exhibits, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fossils, Fame, and the Frontier: The Story of William Harlow Reed

In the annals of American paleontology, William Harlow Reed occupies a unique place—a self-taught fossil hunter whose keen eye and determination helped shape our understanding of the prehistoric West. Through his groundbreaking work at Como Bluff, Reed was instrumental in … Continue reading

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The Classroom Building – Saving Prexy’s Pasture and Creating the “Standing Rib Roast”

Welcome back to our ongoing series “Designing the University of Wyoming,” which explores the stories behind the campus’s architecture, landmarks, and artistic features that have shaped the university’s identity over the decades. If you’ve ever wondered why one of UW’s … Continue reading

Posted in Architecture, Campus Heritage, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment