Category Archives: Wyoming history

Privy to Scandal: The Ralph O. Dietler Papers

One of the biggest scandals to ever rock the petroleum industry was the fraudulent leasing of United States oil reserves at Wyoming’s Teapot Dome, and the discovery of the Continental Trading Company, a Canadian corporation organized in 1921 to funnel … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Geology, energy resources, found in the archive, mining history, oral histories, Politics, Scandals, Teapot Dome scandal, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ted and Johanna Gostas: Resilience Amidst Adversity

Johanna Gostas served as Wyoming coordinator for the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. Her husband, U. S. Army Maj. Theodore W. Gostas, was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese during the Tet Offensive … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, military history, Politics, Prisoners of War, Uncategorized, Vietnam War, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Celebrating a Wyoming Irishman: U.S. Senator Joseph C. O’Mahoney

Joseph O’Mahoney (1884-1962) was a journalist, lawyer, and politician. A Democrat, he served four complete terms as a U.S. Senator from Wyoming on two occasions, first from 1934-1953 and then again from 1954-1961. O’Mahoney was Irish to the core. He was born … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Uncategorized, western politics and leadership, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

All Things Wyoming: The Wyoming Pioneers Oral History Project

In 2014, the American Heritage Center completed a project funded by a generous grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund. The largest part of the project was to digitize the Wyoming Pioneers Oral History interviews which were recorded during the … Continue reading →

Posted in Digital collections, found in the archive, Local history, oral histories, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Votes for Women! Remembering Carrie Chapman Catt, Suffragist

Agnes Wright Spring (1894-1988), a protégé of University of Wyoming professor and librarian Dr. Grace Raymond, published a wonderful set of anecdotes in 1981 titled Near the Greats. Through her years as a prominent historian in both Wyoming and Colorado, … Continue reading →

Posted in American history, Local history, Suffrage -- United States, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Western history, Women -- suffrage, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Wild Bill” Carlisle: Last Train Robber of the American West

Train passengers leaving Green River, Wyoming, on February 9, 1916 riding the Union Pacific Railroad’s Portland Rose found themselves confronted by a young man hiding his face with a white kerchief who demanded their money at gunpoint. But the youngster … Continue reading →

Posted in Biography and profiles, Digital collections, found in the archive, Local history, oral histories, Outlaws--West (U.S.), Railroad History, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Mileva Maravic remembers Prohibition in Gebo, Wyoming

The coal-mining town of Gebo was established in 1907 about twelve miles north of Thermopolis in Hot Springs County. It was named after Samuel Wilford Gebo who established the Owl Creek Coal Company and the first mine in the area after … Continue reading →

Posted in Economic Geology, Family history, Local history, mining history, newly cataloged collections, Prohibition, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In the Midst of McCarthyism: Wyoming Senator Edward Crippa’s Brief Senate Stint

Though a small collection, the Edward D. Crippa papers are of historical interest.  Crippa (1899-1960), who had served in World War I and been Wyoming state highway commissioner from 1941 to 1947, was appointed to represent Wyoming in the U.S. … Continue reading →

Posted in Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership, Cold War, Communism, Politics, Uncategorized, western politics and leadership, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering UW’s Preparatory School: A Historical Retrospect

The Preparatory School at UW was organized “for the benefit of students from counties not provided with complete high school courses.” The 1887-1898 University Catalogue also states, “As soon as the various towns of the state possess well equipped high … Continue reading →

Posted in Education, K-12 education, Local history, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mary O’Hara: “My Heart is in Wyoming”

Could successful screenwriter and socialite Mary O’Hara exchange her glitzy lifestyle for that of a Wyoming ranch wife? Her friends didn’t think so. But by 1930 Mary had hit her mid-forties and was fed up with her gilded life. She … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors and literature, Biography and profiles, Children's literature, Local history, motion picture history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, writers and poets, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments