Wyoming’s China Mary

Posted on February 8, 2021 by ahcadmin

In celebration of Chinese New Year on February 12, we’re featuring the life of Wyoming’s China Mary, a longtime resident of Evanston. Most Americans opted to call the Chinese living among them “John” or “Mary” in lieu of learning their Chinese names. For example, there was also a “China Mary” who thrived in Tombstone, Arizona, as a “godfather” in that town’s Chinese community.

Most likely there were other women in the American West with the moniker “China Mary” but finding accounts of them can be difficult. Racist biases in the 19th century and into the 20th century meant that Chinese were often excluded or unnamed in newspaper or written accounts. Chinese women are even more invisible in the historical record.

We do know that Evanston’s China Mary was also identified as Ah Yuen. Yuen is a Cantonese Chinese surname. Because of the Chinese practice of putting the surname before the given name, Chinese migrants’ surnames were often incorrectly listed as their first names on official documents. “Ah” is a Chinese prefix used with a shortened form of peoples’ names to express familiarity, roughly equivalent to Mister or Miss. Based on this, Ah Yuen is most likely not her given name.

Studio portrait of Ah Yuen known as “China Mary,” ca. 1930.
Photo file: China Mary, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

As Christopher Merritt of the Utah Division of State History explains in a short biography of Ah Yuen, U.S. Federal Census Bureau records show that she arrived in the United States sometime around 1863.  She was likely born in southern China between 1848 and 1854. This would make her quite young when she made the long trip to the United States.

Ah Yuen’s voyage to America was most likely not a pleasant one. Chinese immigrants generally rode in steerage, which is the lower deck of a ship where the cargo is stored. These passengers were often placed by the hundreds in a single large hold. Beds were routinely long rows of large, shared bunks with straw mattresses and no bed linens. Travelers dealt with limited privacy and security, inadequate sanitary conditions, and poor food. The voyage could take several weeks.

Why she came to the U.S. is not known. We do know that people living in China between the 1840s and 1860s were facing violence from a civil war, rampant unemployment, dispossession of land and wealth, famine, and overpopulation of coastal cities. Girls in China were at a further disadvantage.

Because daughters could not provide hard manual labor needed to support the family or carry on the ancestral name, they were considered inferior to sons and therefore expendable. As more and more Chinese men immigrated to the US without their wives, a natural market for prostitution was created. Families in China facing economic hardship and starvation often decided to sell their daughters overseas not only to survive, but in hope of giving them the chance at a better life. Most girls in such circumstances accepted their family’s decision out of filial loyalty and allowed themselves to be sold to “labor contractors” in China. Maybe Ah Yuen was one of these girls? Her birth and emigration dates coincide with the time period.

Instead of forced prostitution, some of the more attractive girls were “lucky” enough to become the concubines of wealthy owners, who might treat them decently, although if they failed to please, their masters could return them to the auction block. However, most of the girls did endure prostitution, ending up in high-class brothels reserved for Chinese men or in “cribs” where they serviced anyone from sailors to teen boys to drunks for 25 to 50 cents. Ah Yuen may have been one of the lucky ones. According to a Works Progress Administration-era biography in the Wyoming State Archives, she had been a woman of unusual beauty.

Photograph reportedly of Ah Yuen. Location and date not known. Image from collection held at the Uinta County Museum, Evanston, Wyoming.

Ah Yuen’s own stories about her life indicate that, like many Chinese immigrants, she started her American journey in San Francisco. At some point she was in Denver, but that part of her history is still a mystery. By 1868, she turns up as a cook in Bear River City, Wyoming Territory. She may have been married by this time, possibly to a railroad worker since Bear River was an end-of-track town during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. She recalled witnessing what is now known as the “Bear River City Riot” on November 19, 1868, that began after the vigilante lynching of a murder suspect who worked for the railroad. Friends of the lynched man revolted against the vigilantes and the town erupted in violence. Sixteen people were killed. Later in life she would show interested parties a long trench where bodies were buried.

By the 1880s she was in Park City, Utah, which had a Chinatown created when the first railroads into the city were constructed in part by Chinese labor. Ah Yuen and a husband opened a shop selling Chinese wares to local laborers and European-Americans alike. Life there may have been uneasy for the couple. According to an article in the Utah History Encyclopedia, the Chinese in Park City were victims of sporadic, racially inspired difficulties well into the first decade of the 1900s.

After the death of this husband, Ah Yuen moved about 65 miles east to Evanston, Wyoming, around 1900. By now she would have been in her late 40s or early 50s. Why Evanston? Perhaps opportunity beckoned. The town had lost its wild edge. By the time Ah Yuen arrived, the Union Pacific, in partnership with Pacific Fruit Company, had developed an icing station between the railroad tracks and the Bear River. The UP had also constructed a brick depot to replace the first wooden one. Soon after, Evanston could boast of a federal courthouse and a post office. The town even had one of the few Chinese temples in the United States, which were known as Joss Houses. It was built in 1894. When Evanston’s Chinatown burned in 1922, the fire took the Joss House with it. Many Chinese had already left Evanston by this time; others left after the fire. Ah Yuen was one of the few who stayed.

Once moving to Evanston, Wyoming, she would marry twice more. Her final husband was a gardener referred to as “Mormon Charlie” who she may have married in the late 1920s. His name was recorded as Lock Long Choong (or Chung) and his birth year as 1862. According to an entry in the Findagrave website, he was given the nickname “because he assimilated well with the locals.” The entry also notes that he migrated to the US in 1881. He was described as a small man who was remembered for carrying large amounts of vegetables around town using two baskets supported by a long pole. Sometimes he would give children rides in the basket. He was well-liked and trusted, to the point that he was allowed to enter people’s homes to leave vegetables while they were out for the evening.

Ah Yuen with her third husband, ca. 1930.
Photo file: China Mary, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

As for Ah Yuen, the WPA biography notes that she had a cheerful spirit, spoke English fluently, and would regale those who listened about her time in San Francisco, Denver, and Park City. She became one of Evanston’s town characters. Tourists asked to take her picture, for which she charged ten cents. She in turn paid Evanston children a dime for bringing her fish from the Bear River. She loved to gamble, to the point she was forced to go on county assistance for many years before her death. The biography states that she had three children, although their names or whereabouts were not mentioned.

Someone most likely paid 10 cents for taking this photo of China Mary.
Photo file: China Mary, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Ah Yuen spent the rest of her life in Evanston, until she died in her small house on January 13, 1939. That she was a loved figure in Evanston is seen by her memorial service that was attended by a number of town residents and overseen by a Presbyterian minister. Although her burial site is in the pauper section of Evanston’s cemetery, her grave is marked, courtesy of the city. There is even a “China Mary Road” today in the town.

Ah Yuen’s story, while mysterious in so many ways, is an example of the grit and endurance of Chinese women in the United States. It is hard to imagine the hardships Ah Yuen must have endured in her home country and then in her adopted country. Somehow, she made the journey in good spirits and with an apparent zest for life.

Post contributed by AHC Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in Asian American history, Chinese Americans, Holidays, Immigration, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

U.S. Senator Gale McGee Buttonholed by Mom and Dad

Posted on January 25, 2021 by ahcadmin

The presidential inauguration last week brings to mind a couple of fun stories told by former U.S. Senator Gale McGee of Wyoming. In 1982, an oral history was conducted with McGee for placement in the John F. Kennedy Library. McGee and Kennedy bonded as young senators and were even considered lookalikes. McGee had a hand in cementing Kennedy’s nomination for the presidential ticket during the 1960 Democratic National Convention.

Once JFK was president, his relationship with McGee remained friendly. That cordiality extended to McGee’s parents. Unlike Kennedy, who was both a Democrat and a Catholic, McGee’s father and mother were stalwart Republicans and staunch Protestants. Each year President Kennedy offered birthday congratulations to Gale and his father, who shared a birthday. In 1961, the birthday greeting was a personal one from the President himself. But I’ll let Gale McGee continue the story.

[President Kennedy’s personal secretary] Evelyn Lincoln set that up, bless her heart. My father is forty years older than I am, but he was born on March 17th and I was born on March 17th and his grandfather was born on March 17th…Yes, it was a fine occasion. Dad was just carried away with it. Both parents were, but Dad let the cat out of the bag, too, while he was there. He confessed to the President, in public, that we really weren’t Irish, we were Scotch-Irish. We’d come from the Orange and he made that as a real point, ’cause he had had to….Well, neither Mother nor Dad voted for Kennedy, but my mother always reminisced with me about how she felt guilty about that, because she really felt it was prejudice—not her Republican party affiliation—but her prejudice that had finally dominated and she said she felt that she had done wrong.

Gale McGee, President Kennedy, and McGee’s parents, 1961.
Box 12, Folder 3, Gale W. McGee papers, Collection No. 9800, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

McGee goes on to relate another story involving his parents.

When my mother and father came back from my inauguration in January 1959 that was when CBS invented the new show which they run every two years, called “Meet the New Senators.” We got together in the Carlton Hotel—they had eighteen of them at that time—and then each senator would get four minutes to tell how he was going to save the world and the whole world would hear about it…I had my mother and father there with us and my kids…[A]fter they got through [Eugene J. McCarthy] alphabetically, why McGee was next. And so, [the announcer] said, “Now we have a very interesting new senator coming up here. He’s a liberal Democrat from Wyoming, a professor, yet, for many years. And his mother and father are with him and there is where the interest lies. They are both Nebraska Republicans. And with that, Senator McGee, tell us how you’re going to save world.” He said, “First, before putting the senator on, I want to ask a question of his mother.” And my mother had never made a speech, has never been on radio or TV. She’s a button-holer and a doorbell ringer and a stamp-licker, you know, all that. She’s a fanatic, but she’s never opened her mouth in public. And [the announcer] turned to her and said, “Mrs. McGee, you’re a Republican. Gale’s a liberal Democrat. What happened to Gale?” That was his question and she—without batting an eye, or flinching or tightening up—she said, “Well, Daddy and I have often talked about that and we decided that we made our mistake when we sent him to college.” And it just brought down the show, you know. I mean, it was a phenomenon. But that’s how they always rationalized me. They hadn’t planned it that way, but she concluded saying, “We have a two-party system, but the Democrats really have to have a few good people,” she said to him. So, they made missionary’s sacrifice.

Gale McGee learning the ropes in 1958 from senior senators Joseph C. O’Mahoney of Wyoming and Carl Hayden of Arizona. Former U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick of Wyoming is shown in the portrait.
Box 390, Folder 33, Joseph C. O’Mahoney papers, Collection No. 275, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

McGee represented Wyoming in the U.S. Senate from 1959 until 1977. To date, he remains the last Democrat to have served Wyoming in the Senate.

The American Heritage Center holds about 597 cubic feet (1088 boxes!) of Gale McGee’s papers that includes materials about his time in the Senate, his career at the University of Wyoming, his service with the Organization of American States, and his personal life.

Post contributed by the AHC’s Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in Political history, Politics, Post World War II, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Carrie Burton Overton, UW’s First African American Female Student

Posted on January 18, 2021 by ahcadmin

Author, Wyoming historian, and sixth generation Laramie native Kim Viner wrote a wonderful article in WyoHistory.org about Carrie Burton Overton, the University of Wyoming’s first African American female student. In this post I’d like to spotlight information that Kim discovered. I encourage you to read Kim’s article for a more complete account of this most interesting woman.

Carrie Burton (1888-1975) prospered despite the odds stacked against her as a young African American woman growing up in Laramie, Wyoming. Her mother, Katie, was born into slavery in Missouri. Katie married three times and had two children, Benny and Carrie. Misfortune marked her first two marriages with the death of her first husband and imprisonment for burglary and attempted rape of her second. Her third marriage to Thomas Price was more long lasting and provided Carrie with a father figure and a mentor as she developed into a piano prodigy. Her talent was remarkable – by age 20, she was performing sophisticated public recitals at the University of Wyoming auditorium, tackling challenging works by Liszt, Mendelssohn, and Gounod-Leybach. The local paper praised her as “the talented young musician,” recognition that was particularly meaningful given the racial barriers of the time.


Carrie Burton, February 11, 1904.
Item 44, Box 11, B.C. Buffum papers,
Coll. No. 400055, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Painful experiences marked Carrie’s early life, including molestation, Benny’s accidental drowning, and an impulsive runaway attempt. Then there were her experiences with racism. In a 1969 oral history interview Carrie remembered being taunted by other children. “They just called me ‘black.’ They’d call me ‘n—–’—some of those kids—and I’d call them any name that I could find to call them and we’d be friends.” Carrie also recalled that after playing piano for Laramie leader Jane Ivinson, the housekeeper would wipe off the keys.

Article regarding a man’s molestation of Carrie Burton, Cheyenne Daily Sun-Leader, March 27, 1900.

At age 15, Carrie entered UW Preparatory School where she became a certified stenographer and honed her piano skills. After graduation, President Aven Nelson was among those at UW who encouraged her to apply to Howard University in Washington, DC. Their glowing recommendations and Carrie’s own acumen gained her acceptance to Howard. Jane Ivinson and others sponsored a 1908 fundraising concert to help pay her college expenses. In the 1969 oral history, Carrie recalled, “I have found there is no place like Laramie for good people. Everybody helped. Everybody in town felt we were family.” (Emphasis in original transcript.)

Scenes of Carrie Burton’s time at UW. Images are from the B.C. Buffum papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Life in Washington was initially challenging for Carrie. Her letter (below) to the Laramie Boomerang mentions illness and hard work in her new environment. “I … worried myself sick and was under the doctor’s care for three weeks,” she wrote.

Carrie Burton’s letter, Laramie Boomerang, March 26, 1909.

Carrie eventually found happiness. After receiving a music diploma from Howard in 1913 – where she made history as one of just two graduates in the first commencement of Howard University’s Conservatory of Music – she married George Overton, principal of the “colored schools” in Cumberland, Maryland. They moved to New York City in the early 1920s, where Carrie built both her musical and professional life. She made her debut at the prestigious Steinway Hall and studied with Frederick W. Riesberg, who himself was a pupil of Liszt, Reinicke and Scharwenka. While pursuing her musical career, she balanced her artistic pursuits with stenography work and became increasingly active in civil rights causes.

Her name appeared regularly in the New York Age, a prominent Black publication, and she served on the Committee of One Hundred, working alongside notable civil rights leaders. In January 1928, she helped organize an NAACP meeting at Mother A.M.E. Zion Church where Congressman George H. Tinkham of Massachusetts and W.E.B. DuBois spoke against voter disenfranchisement in the South. Throughout her life in New York, she remained committed to community service, regularly performing at benefit concerts. She played for organizations like the Citizens’ Christmas Cheer Committee, which provided food baskets for Harlem’s needy, using her musical talents to support social causes. Her work brought her into contact with major civil rights figures, including A. Philip Randolph, with whom she shared stages at events combining cultural performances with discussions of labor rights and social justice.

Throughout this period, her education continued. She attended the prestigious Juilliard School of Music from 1932 to 1941 and continued her academic studies at Columbia University where she earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. At Juilliard in 1940, her original work—unfortunately, now lost—based on African folk songs was performed to acclaim. She also established herself as a music scholar, giving lectures on music history throughout her career. In one notable program for the Treble Clef Club of Washington D.C., she discussed Russian music, particularly highlighting Alexander Pushkin’s African heritage and his contributions to Russian culture. While pursuing these musical and academic achievements, she balanced her artistic pursuits with professional work, serving as private secretary to Dr. John Haynes Holmes at the Community Church.

Even as she built her life and career in New York, Carrie never forgot her Laramie roots. She returned in 1921 and again in 1960 for that year’s homecoming festivities. In 1972, she assisted in fundraising efforts to turn the Ivinson Mansion into a Laramie museum by writing an account of her association with the Ivinsons. Her story, published in the Laramie Boomerang, fondly referred to Jane Ivinson as the “Lady in the Mansion” and recalled her employment as a stenographer and musician. An effort by UW Professor Robert Burns to secure an honorary degree for Carrie, although met with polite answers from the UW President and Board of Trustees, was never acted upon.

Carrie Burton Overton died in New York City in December 1975 after a long illness. She persevered in the face of early poverty and discrimination. She tied her accomplishments to her upbringing in Laramie. In a 1942 letter to the Laramie paper, she put it this way, “In all these things I have tried to repay the good people of Laramie for the faith they had in me.”

A personal thanks to Kim for allowing me to post from his article, and for all the well-researched and informative historical information he has provided to us through the years. I am also grateful to Phil White for sharing additional research about Carrie’s civil rights activism in New York City.

Post contributed by the AHC’s Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in African American history, Biography and profiles, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, University of Wyoming history, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Marguerite Shepherd: Assistant to “Ace of Aces” Eddie Rickenbacker

Posted on January 11, 2021 by ahcadmin

Marguerite “Sheppy” Shepherd (1894-1983) was the longtime personal assistant to ‘Ace of Aces’ Eddie Rickenbacker (1890-1973), a World War I fighter pilot, race car driver, automotive designer, government consultant in military matters, air transport pioneer, and longtime head of Eastern Air Lines.

Rickenbacker featured on the cover of Knights Templar magazine four years after his death in 1973.
Box 2, Marguerite Shepherd papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Ms. Shepherd was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and, in 1923, became Rickenbacker’s secretary at the Rickenbacker Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan. In later years, she became his executive secretary at Cadillac Motor Company, Fokker Aircraft Company, American Airways, and Eastern Air Lines. Shepherd was for many years a member of the Seraphic Secretaries of America and the Women’s Traffic Club of Greater New York.

Sheppy Shepherd (left) with Amelia Earhart at the Pittsburgh airport en route to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway 500 Mile Race, May 29, 1935.
Box 2, Marguerite Shepherd papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Group of newspapermen, broadcasters, and others en route to Indianapolis Motor Speedway 500 Mile Race, May 29, 1935. Amelia Earhart just below Dick Merrill, pilot. Sheppy Shepherd is third from right in front row.
Box 2, Marguerite Shepherd papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

By the time Ms. Shepherd became Rickenbacker’s secretary, he was already had a well-established reputation as daredevil par none, but he was also on his way to going bankrupt. He had started the Rickenbacker Motor Company in 1920, selling technologically advanced cars incorporating innovations from auto racing. Probably due to bad publicity from other car manufacturers who feared the competition for their inventory of two-wheel braking autos, the company had trouble selling its cars and eventually went bankrupt in 1927. Rickenbacker went into massive debt but was determined to pay back the $250,000 he owed, despite personally going bankrupt. Eventually, all vehicles manufactured in the U.S. incorporated his four-wheel braking.

Rickenbacker’s career did not want for adventure with at least two near death mishaps, the bold purchase of Eastern Airlines for $3.5 million in 1938 (also $60M in today’s dollars), and a World-War II era fact-finding trip into Russia for the U.S. War Department, and more. Ms. Shepherd was with him during the ups and the downs of his career.

Eddie Rickenbacker with wife Adelaide and sons William and David taken at LaGuardia Airport, December 1942.
Box 1, Marguerite Shepherd papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Shepherd’s papers contain Rickenbacker’s business correspondence; photographs of Shepherd, Rickenbacker, Eastern Air Lines events and personnel, and tributes to Rickenbacker; and programs, speeches, newspaper clippings, and other printed material about Eastern Air Lines. There are also books and magazines by and about Rickenbacker and scripts for radio interviews with Shepherd regarding her secretarial career and her membership in the Seraphic Secretaries of America.

Post submitted by AHC’s Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in aviation history, Biography and profiles, popular culture, World War I | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Check Out the American Heritage Center’s Virtual Exhibits!

Posted on January 4, 2021 by ahcadmin

2020 was a banner year for new American Heritage Center virtual exhibits. Take a look this selection of what we’ve been working on this past year.

“Stampede” by Jerry Palen

During the course of its 43 year run, “Stampede” became the largest weekly syndicated cartoon feature in the agriculture sector of both the United States and Canada, reaching a weekly audience of more than 2 million readers. You can explore a selection of some of Jerry Palen’s best comics.

“Which One is Dotty?” Jerry Palen papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Souvenirs of War

This exhibit offers a variety of images taken by professional and snapshot photographers during the Vietnam War provide an interesting visual portrait of America’s involvement in Vietnam. This exhibit includes images from renowned war correspondent Richard Tregaskis as well as from the personal collection of war veteran Craig Tiernan.

Soldiers on Ground Patrol, 1962-1963. Photograph by Richard Tregaskis. American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, Richard Tregaskis papers.

More Pronghorn Than People

The story of the pronghorn in Wyoming is a story of abundance. This exhibit shows some of the many ways that people and the pronghorn have interacted and highlights the important role the pronghorn maintains in this state as well as around the world.

Boy feeding pronghorn, ca. 1930s. Charles J. Belden photographs, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

University of Wyoming: A Brief History of Campus

The University of Wyoming was opened in Laramie, WY in 1886. A university built on a land grant, it has come a long way from its debut to present day. While many of the original buildings still stand, the infrastructure of the University continues to grow. 

Old Main, 1905. Samuel H. Knight papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

And that’s not all. There are other exhibits available for your viewing pleasure. Check back again as more are being created!

Post submitted by the AHC’s Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in announcements, cartoons, Digital collections, exhibits, found in the archive, Photographic collections, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remembering the Good and the Bad: AHC Collecting COVID-19 Continues into Holiday Season and Spring 2021

Posted on December 14, 2020 by ahcadmin

The holidays starting with Halloween through the Chinese New Year in January have traditionally been a time of celebrations, parties, and gatherings with co-workers, friends, family, and loved ones. With the continued spread of COVID-19 globally, the CDC and Department of Health recommendations for preventing transmitting COVID-19 include limiting in-person interactions, especially with people outside of your residence. The AHC wants to know how you adapted your traditions, celebrations, and normal routine to stay connected with your nearest and dearest through this uncertain time in Wyoming. We’ll preserve your stories for current and future generations.

Participating in this project is easy. The AHC wants our community members to express their observations and feelings about the pandemic in a manner that is best suited for them. We encourage our contributors to take photographs, write stories, create artwork, interview friends and family, participate in the AHC survey, and submit essays that tell us what you see, feel, hear and what has changed over the last few months.

How did you celebrate Thanksgiving? Did you trying cooking your first turkey? Did you create menus with friends and family to share the experience via Zoom?

Al Hovey carving the Thanksgiving turkey at Willow Glen, which was the Nichols family home near Encampment, Wyoming, November 24, 1955.
Box 15, Photo #15845, Collection No. 1005, Lora Webb Nichols Papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Will you host a virtual new year’s party? Will it have a theme? Will you play virtual background bingo? Will you be hosting a Netflix party to watch a holiday classic film?

Group of young people at Christmas or New Year’s Party, 1922.
Box 4, Negative #9065a, Collection No. 167, Ludwig & Svenson Studio Photographs, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Will you drive around town to look at the holiday lights? Did you participate in your town’s holiday decoration contest?

Christmas lights at the Albany County Courthouse, Laramie, Wyoming, December 1934.
Box 20, Negative #21894, Collection No. 167, Ludwig & Svenson Studio Photographs, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Did you send holiday cards? Did you send handwritten family letters?

Photograph of children for Christmas cards at the Children’s Home in Stockton California, January 1946.
Box 13, Photo #13400, Collection No. 1005, Lora Webb Nichols Papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Did you finally try making popcorn and cranberry garland? Did you catch your grandpa snooping under the tree at the presents?

Christmas tree, 1900.
Box 91, Negative #D3-3084 & B-31532, Collection No. 400044, Samuel H. Knight Collection, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The AHC encourages you to be creative and express how this pandemic has impacted your life professionally and personally. Gathering these stories now for long-term preservation ensures an accurate and more complete narrative about your experiences.

While the links to the AHC COVID-19 Collection Project and survey have been taken down, the AHC, in partnership with the Wyoming State Archives, Wyoming State Museum, and Wyoming Historical Societies, have created a joint online platform to display the submissions we received. Your stories are now available for others to interact with and may provide a sense of understanding and comfort.

This blog was updated in 2024.

Happy Holidays! #COVID19WY #alwaysarchiving

Union Pacific Christmas trees and decorations at the old stone roundhouse, Laramie, Wyoming, December 1928. When this roundhouse was no longer being used for the railroad’s operation, it was converted into a community center where holiday parties and other events often were held.
Box 12, Negative #15387, Collection No. 167, Ludwig & Svenson Studio Photographs, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming. 

Posted in community collections, Coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19, Current events, Digital collections, Holidays, Pandemics, Public health, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Harry Elmer Barnes: The Father of World War II Revisionism

Posted on December 7, 2020 by ahcadmin

December 7 is National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, marking a time in which Pearl Harbor Survivors, veterans, and others honor and remember the 2,403 service members and civilians who were killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A further 1,178 people were injured in the attack, which permanently sank two U.S. Navy battleships (the USS Arizona and the USS Utah) and destroyed 188 aircraft. 

The USS Arizona (BB-39) burning after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941. USS Arizona sunk at Pearl Harbor. The ship is resting on the harbor bottom. Public domain image.

Over the years, various interpretations of events leading up to the attack have been laid out and argued over. Academic scholar Harry Elmer Barnes held decidedly different views from those in the mainstream.

Until the 1950s Barnes was a highly regarded cultural historian and sociologist. Especially through his book The New History and the Social Studies (1925), he became a leading advocate of the New History, which sought a deeper understanding of the origin and development of Western culture through the integration and cross-fertilization of history and the social sciences. Another of his significant contributions was History of Historical Writing (1937), which was widely recognized as a monument of learning, universally praised in the United States and abroad as an indispensable source for all advanced students of history.

So, what happened to change Harry Barnes’ reputation?

Barnes had already proved himself a controversial figure with his views that the U.S. had fought on the wrong side in World War I. Although initially a strong supporter of the American war effort, interviews he conducted with German soldiers and leaders after the war led him to believe that Germany bore no responsibility for the outbreak of war in 1914 and had been instead the victim of Allied aggression. But it was his World War II perspectives that led to even greater controversy.

A strong ego steered Barnes into unyielding beliefs, including those about the U.S. entry into the Second World War. In the years following the war, he argued that President Franklin D. Roosevelt had deliberately provoked the attack on Pearl Harbor in order to promote his own political ambitions and to promulgate a deceitful foreign policy. Barnes devoted much of the remainder of his life creating a whole body of revisionist scholarship about Pearl Harbor and the origins of the war.

Notes by Harry Elmer Barnes on a statement by Admiral Husband E. Kimmel made in 1958 on a radio broadcast. Kimmel was commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during the Pearl Harbor attack. Box 135, Harry Elmer Barnes papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

A colleague, Commander Charles C. Hiles, assisted Barnes in these efforts. Hiles was a career naval officer serving from 1914 to 1947 and was stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. Hiles believed that Admiral Husband Kimmel, who served as commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during the Pearl Harbor attack, had been scapegoated for the attack by those Hiles believed were really at fault – Kimmel’s superiors in Washington. 

Notes shared between Harry Elmer Barnes and C. C. Hiles regarding “The Kita Message,” a reference to Nagao Kita who was a Japanese Consul stationed in Hawaii. Instructions Kita received in March and September 1941 from the Japanese government regarding the American fleet in Hawaii were intercepted by U.S. Intelligence but did not raise alarms. Box 135, Harry Elmer Barnes papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Barnes last word on the topic was his book Pearl Harbor After a Quarter Century which was completed just before his death in 1968. Barnes never stopped believing that the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was the fault of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the book, Barnes concludes “Roosevelt’s success in producing a surprise attack was an immensely, even uniquely, adroit achievement in piloting an overwhelmingly pacifically-inclined country into the most extensive and destructive war of history without any threat to our safety through aggressive action from abroad.”

You can learn more about these views of the Pearl Harbor attack in the papers of Harry Elmer Barnes and Charles C. Hiles at the American Heritage Center. Additionally, the AHC houses the papers of Husband E. Kimmel.

Post contributed by AHC’s Simpson Archivist Leslie Waggener.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in American history, military history, Pearl Harbor Attack, Political history, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Superman’s Pal – Mort Weisinger

Posted on November 30, 2020 by ahcadmin

After World War II, superhero comics, which had been a welcome diversion for American servicemen, stalwart champions of War Bonds, and other support for the home front during the conflict, largely lost their audience and were gradually replaced by comics with horror, romance, science fiction, war, and western themes.  Following the setbacks to the industry by the establishment of the Comics Code Authority in 1954, superhero comics all but vanished with only Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman continuing to be regularly published.  It wasn’t until 1956 that the genre revived when DC Comics editor Julius Schwartz, published issue #4 of “Showcase” which featured a reimagining of the Golden Age character, “The Flash”.

Mort Weisinger (1915-1978) began writing for pulp magazines while in college and, along with his good friend Julius Schwartz, founded the first literary agency to specialize in the related genres of science fiction, horror, and fantasy.  Weisinger joined National Periodicals (later DC Comics) in 1941 and, much like his contemporary, Stan Lee over at competitor Marvel Comics, he was very much a part of the comics community throughout both the Golden and Silver Ages of Comics.  In addition to editing “Batman” and creating such characters as “Aquaman”, and “Green Arrow, Weisinger was also the editor of the Superman comic books from 1945-1970 and the story editor of “The Adventures of Superman” television show which ran from 1952-1957.

Weisinger’s tenure on Superman was marked with a number of new concepts, story ideas, and supporting characters which became standards in the Superman mythos, which are recognizable today by millions of people who aren’t otherwise familiar with the character.  These include the introduction of Supergirl, Krypto the Superdog, the Phantom Zone, the bottle city of Kandor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, and a variety of types of kryptonite.  It was also under Weisinger that the rationalization that Superman’s powers stemmed from his being from another planet and living under Earth’s yellow sun (instead of Krypton’s red sun) was first used to explain the character’s abilities.

Advertisement for a talk by Mort Weisinger at the University of Kansas, 1974. Box 1, Mort Weisinger papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The Mort Weisinger collection at the American Heritage Center contains materials relating to Weisinger’s work as a writer and editor from 1928-1978. The collection includes correspondence (1932-1978) mostly regarding his work as a writer and editor for “This Week” and other magazines and with companies who were included in “1001 Valuable Things”; the galleys and manuscripts for “The Contest,” “The Complete Alibi Handbook” and “1001 Valuable Things”; the manuscript for an unpublished novel about a U.S. President (ca. 1975); legal agreements between Weisinger and “This Week” and Bantam Books (1954-1978); and photographs of Weisinger, the Weisinger family and various celebrities.  The collection also includes newspaper clippings on Weisinger and Superman (1928-1978); a script for the motion picture version of “The Contest” (1971); 2 16 mm films from “The Adventures of Superman” television show (1957); 5 scrapbooks; comic books; miscellaneous art work for the Superman comic book; and the board game “Movie Millions,” which was developed by Weisinger.

Anyone interested in the history and inner workings of the comics industry in the United States is invited to explore both the Mort Weisinger and Stan Lee collections at the American Heritage Center to learn more about this fascinating aspect of American popular culture.

Post contributed by AHC Collections Manager Bill Hopkins.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in Comic book history, commercial art, Fantasy, Hollywood history, Pop Culture, popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Finis Mitchell (and Matthew Troyanek) Trailing through the Wind Rivers

Posted on November 15, 2020 by ahcadmin

In my preparations to become a backpacker seeking adventures in Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains, my research led me to take the footsteps of a man from the golden age of American mountaineering, whose chronicles and photographs bade me to these mountains with a romantic charm. 

Finis Mitchell drew on decades of experience in the Wind Rivers, describing the trails, routes, wildlife, glaciers, lakes, and streams in Wyoming’s fabulous two-and-a-quarter million acre Wind River Range, published into a guidebook called Wind River Trails.

Over the course of his life, Mitchell climbed 244 of the 300 peaks in the range, with four ascents of Gannett Peak, the highest mountain in the state.


Front and back of a postcard illustrating a view of the Cirque of the Towers taken by Finis Mitchell from Mitchell Peak in the Wind River Range.
Finis Mitchell papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

As a vigorous wilderness advocate, he put together breathtaking slide presentations showing people their own public lands. Mitchell would pour out his philosophy at the public meetings with amazing attention to detail.

Of the 105,345 pictures he took as a hobby, 8,884 have been digitized for your viewing pleasure. For more of Mitchell’s stunning Wind River photography, explore our Virmuze exhibit “Finis Mitchell, Lord of The Winds,” which features additional images from his collection. To learn more about Mitchell, see the Finis Mitchell papers at the American Heritage Center.

Post contributed by AHC staff member Matthew Troyanek.

#alwaysarchiving

Posted in environmental history, Mountaineering, outdoor recreation, Photographic collections, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating UW Veterans

Posted on November 9, 2020 by ahcadmin

Being a land-grant university, the University of Wyoming is no stranger to military service. Currently home to the Army ROTC Cowboy Battalion and the Air Force ROTC 940th Cadet Wing, military service at UW stretches back to the university’s early days including a School of Military Science and Tactics established in 1891 and the establishment of ROTC on campus in 1916.

As early as the Spanish-American War, students from UW served their country in war. With the onset of both World War I and World War II, military training that occurred on campus changed to deal with the necessities of war time. The campus reflected this change as more of those that walked campus made their way overseas.

UW, proud of the men and women that represented the brown and gold, recognized those that had served their country through pamphlets released on campus.

543001 Box 3 Folder 4-page-001

Dedication to UW’s World War I military personnel by UW President Aven Nelson, University of Wyoming Department of Military Science Records, Accession #543001, Box 3, Folder 4, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

The pamphlets created for both World Wars included brief histories of the conflicts.

300002 Box 27 Folder 10.1-page-001

Pages from a UW pamphlet regarding American entry into World War II and subsequent UW reaction, University of Wyoming War Activities Council Records, Accession #300002, Box 27, Folder 10.1, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

300002 Box 27 Folder 10.2-page-001

Pages from a UW pamphlet regarding American entry into World War II and subsequent UW reaction, University of Wyoming War Activities Council Records, Accession #300002, Box 27, Folder 10.2, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

The pamphlets also included a listing of every student, professors, and alum that had served in any capacity with special recognition for those that paid the ultimate price.

300002 Box 27 Folder 10.3-page-001

List of UW students and personnel who died in World War II, University of Wyoming War Activities Council Records, Accession #300002, Box 27, Folder 10.3, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

While these pamphlets serve as reminders of those that served their country with ties to UW, on Veteran’s Day we celebrate those from across the country that have donned the uniform in the name of the United States Armed Forces.

– Originally submitted in 2017 by Katey Myers, American Heritage Center student aide.

Posted in University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming history, World War I, World War II, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment