Married to the Story: Fay and Michael Kanin’s Life in Scripts

Posted on September 29, 2025 by lwaggen2

In the golden age of Hollywood—a time when stars were larger than life and scripts were golden tickets to silver screens—Fay and Michael Kanin were busily crafting standout, human, funny, and thought-provoking stories in American entertainment. Together, they formed one of the most dynamic husband-wife teams in show business, leaving their fingerprints on Broadway stages, Hollywood scripts, and even the foundations of major film institutions. Their story is not just about writing—it’s about resilience, partnership, and the belief that storytelling matters.

Fay and Michael Kanin with their son, Joel. Box 34, Fay and Michael Kanin papers, Coll. No. 2893, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Their meeting was pure Hollywood. Fay Mitchell, a young New Yorker with degrees in English and Theatre from the University of Southern California, had just scored a job as a script reader at RKO. Michael Kanin, a visual artist-turned-writer and a fellow New Yorker, was already under contract with RKO as a screenwriter. The two crossed paths in California on the RKO lot—and Michael was immediately smitten. His first words to Fay were, “How do you do, will you marry me?” Fay wasn’t looking for a husband, but she later recalled “Michael was that rare bird who would not only support my ambitions but would enrich my life.” ​

They married in 1940. As Michael recounted, “For our honeymoon, I splurged on a house for the summer in the ritzy Malibu Colony… it was the ‘Hollywood’ thing to do.” Fay and Michael immediately started writing together. The project? A boxing boarding house story called Sunday Punch, adapted from a New Yorker short story. They spent six months working on it, sold it to MGM, and just like that, the Kanin’s writing partnership was off and running​.

Publicity still with William Lundigan, Jean Rodgers, and Rags Ragland who appeared in the romantic comedy Sunday Punch (1942). Box 27, Fay and Michael Kanin papers, Collection No. 2893, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The Kanins had a creative chemistry based on trust, compromise, and an honest appraisal of each other’s strengths. Fay once explained their method: “We would make a story outline together with rather detailed descriptions of the scenes. Then we divided up the writing, each taking the scenes we felt strongly about… As an artist, Michael brought a great visual sense to the process. I was a people person who loved the characters and the dialogue.”​

They weren’t just two writers in the same room; they were collaborators who grew and learned from one another. But, as with any marriage, even the most fruitful creative partnerships require space. They were also regularly writing separately. “We find it healthy to do work apart every so often,” Fay said – wisdom forged not just in love, but in the furnace of deadlines and dialogue rewrites.

Publicity still from the film Woman of the Year (1942) with the film’s stars Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Box 27, Fay and Michael Kanin papers, Coll. No. 2893, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

At RKO, Michael wrote furiously, churning out as many as four screenplays in six months. Then in 1941, he joined with Ring Lardner, Jr. on a script written specifically for Katharine Hepburn. The resulting movie, Woman of the Year was nominated for two Academy Awards—one for Best Original Screenplay and a second for Best Actress. Michael recounted, “During the writer’s awards, when the one for Best Original Screenplay was announced, I suddenly hear the names Michael Kanin and Ring Lardner, Jr., for Woman of the Year and was flabbergasted.” It was an amazing accomplishment for a newcomer to the film industry.

Fay, meanwhile, was trying her hand at writing for radio. NBC hired her as a writer-producer for a program called The Woman’s Angle which encouraged women to support the war effort. Fay also acted with the Hollywood Actors’ Laboratory Theatre.

Despite their growing list of credits, the early 1950s were a time of turmoil. The Kanins were swept up in the tide of McCarthyism. Their association with the Hollywood Actors’ Lab, where Fay had taken classes, and the Hollywood Writers Mobilization organization, was enough to land them on the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) blacklist. “We found out when we were traveling in Europe,” Fay said. When they returned to California, they consulted their lawyer who asked them flatly, “Are you communists?” They weren’t. But guilt by association was enough to sink careers. They didn’t work for two years. Eventually, the head of production at MGM broke the silence, hiring them to write the script for the film Rhapsody in 1953.

Hollywood was once again benefiting from the Kanins’ wit and style. Teacher’s Pet (1958), their Oscar-nominated comedy starring Clark Gable and Doris Day, remains one of their most well-known works. A gruff, street-smart newspaper editor (Gable) clashes with an idealistic journalism professor (Day). Bringing a newsroom to the silver screen had its challenges. “We were forced to use all our ingenuity to invent phrases and expletives… that sounded strong but were, according to Code, inoffensive,” Fay recounted.

Page of the script for Teacher’s Pet, a screenplay written by Fay and Michael Kanin, June 27, 1956. Box 11, Fay and Michael Kanin papers, Coll. No. 2893, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The Kanins weren’t just screenwriters; they were also playwrights. Fay’s Goodbye, My Fancy, a Broadway hit, produced by Michael, ran for two years. It centered on a trailblazing congresswoman returning to her alma mater. The story was inspired after Fay’s own return to Elmira College, where she had spent three years as an undergraduate. Countering existing gender roles, Goodbye, My Fancy made a strong statement about working women and freedom of speech in education. Fay’s feminism came out boldly in her writing.

The production of Goodbye, My Fancy was a labor of love. The Kanins mortgaged their home to fund the play and moved to New York with their young son. Their gamble paid off: audiences loved it, and, several years later, Fay even took the lead role in a Pasadena Playhouse production of the show. “The year and a half I spent working on Goodbye, My Fancy was the hardest work I ever did in my life,” she later said. Writing it “was like playing a game of tennis in a telephone booth.”​

Playbill cover for Goodbye, My Fancy, starring Fay Kanin as Agatha Reed, October 1, 1951. Box 34, Fay and Michael Kanin papers, Coll. No. 2893, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Cover of His and Hers, a play by Fay and Michael Kanin, 1954. Box 22, Fay and Michael Kanin papers, Collection No. 2893, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The Kanins’ collaboration spanned decades. Together, they wrote Rashomon for Broadway, inspired by the iconic Akira Kurosawa film and the stories of Ryunosuke Akutagawa. They also co-wrote His and Hers, a comedy about a divorced playwright couple falling back into both love and collaboration—partly a mirror of their own life, perhaps. What held their partnership together? Civility. Patience. And ground rules. “It’s all right to argue, even heatedly,” Fay said, “but couples should be human about it. No insults, no name-calling. You have to learn not to hit below the belt, no matter how angry you are.”​

In the 1970s, Fay Kanin found a new canvas: television. While Michael retired from producing and screenwriting in 1969 to pursue painting and sculpting—Fay pivoted into the world of made-for-TV movies. She wrote hard-hitting dramas like Heat of Anger, Tell Me Where It Hurts, Hustling, and the searing Vietnam-era Friendly Fire.

“You cannot get a play on Broadway that’s about contemporary problems. I cannot do it in the movies… I have found a place in television,” she said. Friendly Fire was based on a real Iowa family’s loss of their son in Vietnam and aired to an audience of 60 million. Fay co-produced it and earned an Emmy for her work. “It’s long and it’s arduous, this writing from your own gut,” she said, “but I’m grateful that it was my background.”​

Fay’s contributions extended far beyond scripts. She became president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from 1979 to 1983 and later joined the Board of Governors. She was also deeply involved with the Writers Guild of America, the American Film Institute, and the Library of Congress’s National Film Preservation Board.

Michael, meanwhile, having decided to focus on sculpture in his later years, created bronze tributes to cultural icons like Louis Armstrong and Charlie Chaplin. “Personal homages,” he called them—evidence of his enduring love for artists and storytelling in all forms. He also established the Michael Kanin Original Playwriting Awards to support emerging playwrights through the Kennedy Center’s American College Theater Festival.

Michael Kanin passed away in 1993. Fay followed two decades later in 2013. But their work—and their story—remains. They were often hyphenated in the public’s mind: “Fay-and-Michael Kanin.” But they each stood strong on their own. In the end, their legacy is more than a collection of credits. It’s a testament to the power of collaboration, the strength of resilience, and the enduring belief that stories can change the world—even if it means writing them during your honeymoon.

Post contributed by AHC Writer Kathryn Billington.

Posted in Broadway, Film History, Hollywood history, Screenwriting, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Snap Together: Larsh Bristol and the American Heritage Center

Posted on September 22, 2025 by lwaggen2

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 Yellowstone Area. His powerful images captured empty lodge lobbies, covered dioramas, and outdoor graduations—visual stories that deserve to be preserved for future generations.

Portrait of Larsh Bristol. University of Wyoming Communication & Journalism Department. https://www.uwyo.edu/cojo/larsh-bristol/index.html

But what happens to student photographers’ work after their fellowship ends? In spring 2025, we worked with the American Heritage Center to help reestablish a mutually beneficial connection between the AHC and the University of Wyoming’s Communication & Journalism (COJO).

As part of the English Department’s inaugural PhD in Public Humanities program, this work was completed for Dr. Nancy Small’s course, Qualitative Methods for Public Humanities. This project focused on qualitative research methods that emphasize community partnerships and relational research. Dr. Small collaborated with University Archivist John Waggener to reestablish relationships with various departments on campus in order to encourage regular departmental donations to the University of Wyoming archives in order to have a rich history of UW history for future researchers.

In an effort to bolster the relationship between the AHC and COJO, we met with several valued faculty members including Justin Stewart, Dr. Shane Epping, and Dr. Cindy Price Schulz. We specifically discussed the Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship and explored how a partnership with the AHC could enhance the visibility of fellows’ work through a dedicated gallery space, while also preserving their contributions in the archive for future researchers and community members.

The Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship provides a $5,500 stipend for University of Wyoming students to showcase strong visual storytelling. Named after UW journalism graduate Larsh Bristol, who died in 2006, the fellowship has supported young Wyoming photojournalists for more than a decade. Bristol was an award-winning photographer who specialized in nature, agriculture and commercial fishing, noted for his photographic portrayals of human emotion. The fellowship was established in 2008 to commemorate his life, work and vision.

You can view past fellows here, many of whom have continued into established careers in photography, photojournalism, and storytelling. Conor Mullen is one fellow who continues to visually tell the stories of Wyoming.

Conor applied for the Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship six times before he received it in 2020. He was funded to document the impact of COVID-19 on the Greater Yellowstone Area; he captured communities, businesses, and the national parks. Due to the pandemic, his work was showcased during an online webinar and in a one night physical exhibition in UW’s Coe Library. Conor noted the importance of gallery exhibitions for emerging photographers and emphasized the importance of archiving his work for future generations to understand the pandemic’s effects in northwest Wyoming.

One of our group members, Aubrey Edwards, had the pleasure of speaking with Conor about his Larsh Bristol award and his present work in visual storytelling. Below you will find excerpts from our interview and images from his project Covid 19 + GYE.

A Yellowstone Lake Lodge employee runs a broom across the hotel’s empty lobby in summer of 2020. In other years the space is filled with furniture, visitors, and at certain times of day the music of a harp player. The hotel welcomed guests that season, but the gift shop, restaurant, and other common spaces were closed. © Conor Mullen
Plastic covers a diorama of the Teton Range at an empty, unlit Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve Center during the summer of 2020. Trails and outdoor spaces surrounding the center were open to the public, but the Center did not open its doors for visitation that season. © Conor Mullen

Conor: We weren’t really sure the extent of the pandemic, its impacts on people, industry, businesses, travel, etc. So, when I applied, it was kind of a big question mark. But as I started documenting that summer and going into the fall, I was taking photos of national park facilities, small businesses, tourist attractions, sites for recreation around different communities in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem. So everywhere from Gardiner, Montana, to Cody to Jackson to Lander, really focusing on the route of travel that tourists use to make their way through Wyoming to Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Without the grant, I would not have, and could not have, pulled off the project.

Show Image
Rafe Rives, owner of Cane Water Family Farm, sells produce grown in the Teton Valley at an outdoor farmers market held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming during the summer of 2020. Agriculture and small businesses encountered hurdles and smaller profits due to the pandemic’s impacts on economies of all scales. © Conor Mullen

Conor: As time goes on, I think people are going to look back with an interest in what life was like in 2020. Photos are a good way to do that. The photos I took in 2020 can help to communicate what things were like for that part of the state, that part of the world. Yellowstone and Grand Teton see around 3 or 4 million people every year from all over the globe. To see photos from the national parks during that time is to see the pandemic’s impacts on an international venue. I find some meaning in knowing that people could access those photos through the AHC archive.

Show Image
An outdoor graduation stage awaits the class of 2020 in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The town gathered on sidewalks and in parks to celebrate young graduates along a parade route ahead of their ceremony in the spring of that year. © Conor Mullen

Conor: I think you never know what can happen with a show. Somebody might come to your reception, or somebody might wander into the gallery when you’re not there and see your work. If they like your work, you might make a sale, or you might make a connection, which could lead to the next project.

Fabric covers historic photos hanging at the back of an unlit diner inside Jackson Lake Lodge’s Pioneer Grill during the summer of 2020. The lodge remained closed for the season that year due to the pandemic and health concerns. © Conor Mullen

By listening to Conor Mullen, John Waggener, and COJO faculty, our team recognized the incredible role that the American Heritage Center and the Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship play in preserving and amplifying western narratives. In bridging the pre-existing relational gap between COJO and the AHC, student fellowship work—such as Mullen’s documentation of the pandemic in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem—will receive the visibility and archival care it deserves.

Through continued collaboration into the future, the AHC, COJO, and the Larsh Bristol fellows will remain incredible stewards of Wyoming visual narratives and history.

Post contributed by: Aubrey Edwards, Shelby Hutson, Chloé Flagg.

Sources

COJO. The Larsh Bristol Photojournalism Fellowship. https://www.uwyo.edu/cojo/larsh-bristol/index.html. Accessed 11 Sept. 2025.

Mullen, Conor. Aubrey Edwards Interviews Conor Mullen. 22 Apr. 2025.

Posted in Student projects, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Following the Manito Trail: New Mexicans of the Cowboy State

Posted on September 15, 2025 by lwaggen2

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 previously covered in our blogs on Laramie’s Latin Club and the Powell Tribune’s 1927 Spanish-language La Pagina Español, Wyoming has both a rich past and rich present of Hispanic and Latine populations. One facet of this is Wyoming’s community of Manitos and Manitas. Drawing from endearing diminutive forms of hermano and hermana, Manito and Manita have come to describe Hispanic New Mexicans who left New Mexico to seek out work in various other states, including Wyoming.

Laying the Roots

As Manito/as spread out and took on jobs in agriculture, the railroad, mines, and sheepherding, to name a few, there developed what poet and University of New Mexico (UNM) academic Levi Romero referred to as a “Manito trail” along Interstate 25, from Albuquerque to Cheyenne. Many of these families have since settled in Wyoming, rebuilding their New Mexican cultures in the Cowboy State.

As a project, Following the Manito Trail began officially in 2015, co-directed by Romero and Dr. Vanessa Fonseca-Chávez, then an Assistant Professor of Latina/o Studies and English at UW. Both shared their own familial Manito/a roots and were spurred on to collect oral histories of Manito/as who came to call Wyoming home, building on interviews previously recorded by Romero’s students in 2007. Another vital member of the project was Manita Dr. Trisha Martínez, then pursuing her doctorate at UNM. The very first oral history she reviewed on the project was miraculously of her own grandmother, Alice Martínez.

Following the Manito Trail’s First Exhibit

Logo for the Following the Manito Trail project and exhibit.

The Following the Manito Trail exhibit debuted in 2017 at the American Heritage Center, weaving a colorful tapestry of Manito/a stories across time and space, and across many mediums. The interweaving stories of the Manito/a communities throughout Wyoming were told by archival documents, oral histories, family and project photographs, and a heritage quilt loaned by Riverton Manita Annie Mejorado.

Nicanor Martínez (L), Elezaida Montoya Martínez (R), and Maximiliana Martínez (Center). Laramie, Wyoming. 1951. Maximiliana was interviewed as a part of the Following the Manito Trail project. Photo courtesy of Following the Manito Trail.

There were additionally three documentaries created for the project. One told the story of the South Park Barrio in Riverton, where Manito/a neighbors, including Mejorado, came together in 1986 to repave the streets of their neighborhood after a lack of response and multiple denials of grants from the city. Another documented the carvings, known as arborglyphs, left behind by Manito sheepherders on the aspen trees of the Sierra Madres in southern Wyoming as early as 1905. The third told the story of a Manito family’s journey to Wyoming through both oral history and song.

An example of an arborglyph found in the Sierra Madre Range. Courtesy of Amanda Castañeda, Wyoming Archaeology.

The exhibit has since become a traveling exhibit, traveling to locations such as Taos’s Millicent Rogers Museum, and recently, Cheyenne’s CHISPA Festival. With every installation, the project only grows.

Manito Futures: In Conversation with Dr. Trisha Martínez

In pulling this blog together, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to Dr. Martínez (who is now an Assistant Professor of American Cultural Studies here at UW) about both the meaning and the future of Following the Manito Trail. At the heart of the ongoing project is connection and the acknowledgement of complex identities, as well as empowering Manito/as of Wyoming to be seen and valued as integral members of the state’s community.

Another important facet is the theme of place and the power of memory as it weaves into querencia, or one’s sense of a cherished place, where one draws their strength and sense of belonging. At the time of writing, Martínez’s grandmother, Alice, has sadly passed. With her voice being what strongly drew her into Following the Manito Trail in its beginnings, Martínez commented upon how the sense you have of a place can change greatly when those you associate with it are gone. For this reason, it becomes all the more important to document the stories of elders, to preserve and honor those memories and querencias.

Following the Manito Trail is set to return to the American Heritage Center in 2027, from September through February. If you have family stories woven into the Manito trail, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Martínez for more information at tmarti40@uwyo.edu.

For further reading on the Manito trails that extend across the United States, consider visiting the Manitos Community Memory Project’s Digital Resolana. Some of the oral histories from the Following the Manito Trail project can also be listened to online here.

Post contributed by AHC Audiovisual Archivist Aide Marty Murray.

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

Finding Hijab Leadership Stories in Cowboy Country

Posted on September 8, 2025 by lwaggen2

Dr. Sajaudeen Nijamodeen Chapparban, Assistant Professor of Diaspora Studies at Central University of Gujarat, India, was awarded the 2024 Women in Public Life Fellowship to research “The Leadership in Hijab: A Study of Muslim Women Leaders, Writers, and Celebrities in the USA after 9/11.” Here, he shares his experience at the American Heritage Center.

An Unexpected Welcome

My journey began on May 19, 2025, when I left my native Latur, Maharashtra, India, arriving in Laramie three days later after an exhausting trip through Denver. Though the travel was challenging, the warmth I received at the American Heritage Center made it all worthwhile.

Ganjgolai, the heart of Dr. Chapparban’s hometown of Latur. This bustling circular marketplace, built in 1917, connects 16 roads filled with traditional markets selling everything from gold jewelry to local spices. Photo by Sanket Oswal, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International.
Downtown Laramie, Wyoming. The scenes of this historic railroad town offered a completely different world for Dr. Chapparban, and provided a fitting backdrop for exploring new perspectives on Muslim women’s stories in America. Photo from Visit Laramie.

It was only my second day, and I had a splitting headache. Someone suggested the third-floor coffee station, but I stood there hesitantly, unsure how to use it. Just then, a tall, energetic man in a light-colored blazer—somewhere between yellow and beige—walked by. Sensing my confusion, he approached without hesitation and offered help.

“Yes, I need a coffee, but I don’t know how to get it,” I admitted. He guided me patiently, handed me a mug, and helped me get my much-needed cup of coffee.

What stunned me was discovering that this humble, gracious person was Professor Paul Flesher, Director of the American Heritage Center. In that simple gesture, I recalled our friendly email exchanges regarding the Center’s fellowships, and I introduced myself.

Discovering the “Cowboy State”

Before coming to Wyoming, I knew little about the American Heritage Center in the heart of the “Cowboy State.” I saw iron statues of cows and cowboys on the way to the Laramie Walmart, various signboards with quotes about cowboys and cowgirls. This fellowship provided me the opportunity to explore one of the most significant archival repositories of the American West.

A cowboy statue that Dr. Chapparban encountered daily across the street from the American Heritage Center. University of Wyoming image.
The “Breakin’ Through” statue is located just down the street from the AHC. There’s something perfect about a researcher studying women breaking barriers working right next to a cowgirl literally breaking through walls. Photo from Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division.

At the entrance to the AHC’s reading room, I encountered an image of Owen Wister and his novel The Virginian. Having previously read Wister’s work about tensions between Eastern refinement and Western ruggedness, I was now encountering the real voices and records of early migrants through their detailed diaries and letters. These primary sources allowed me to see beyond the literary myth into the lived reality of these east-to-west transitions.

Rich Research Discoveries

My research was divided into two parts. At the AHC, I explored numerous collections about early immigrants, their struggles, Great Plains crossings, and settlement in the USA. The W.W. Morrison collection contained diaries, biographies, autobiographies, letters, and photos of early immigrants—mostly Euro-American migrants, but I also found traces of non-Euro-American migrants including Africans, Arabs, Asians, Chinese, and South Asians.

One particularly powerful account was Cecelia Emily McMillen Adams’ diary, which recounted the brutal realities of overland migration from New York to Oregon, including deaths from cholera and poisoned water. Grace Raymond Hebard’s papers featured milestones in the women’s suffrage movement, as Hebard collaborated with Carrie Chapman Catt in securing the 19th Amendment, emphasizing women’s rights across race and social class. The Tom Anderson papers provided details about racial immigrant policies, white supremacist organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, and early Muslims in the USA including Black Muslims.

Carrie Chapman Catt (center) and Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard (left center) at UW in 1921, celebrating Catt’s honorary degree. Dr. Chapparban studied Hebard’s papers, which documented the two women’s collaboration to secure the 19th Amendment—part of the long history of women fighting for political recognition and equality that connects to his research on Muslim women’s leadership struggles in post-9/11 America. Photo file: Hebard, Grace Raymond, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

At the University of Wyoming’s Coe Library, I focused on contemporary history—Muslims in the US, 9/11, and hijab-wearing women’s experiences in post-9/11 American society. I collected over 100 articles and 30 books on these topics.

A Documentary Discovery

Thanks to The Great Muslim American Road Trip by hijabi rapper Mona Haydar, particularly Episode 2 “A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Tulsa to Albuquerque, New Mexico,” I traced the early presence and evolving identity of Muslims in the United States. This episode follows an American Muslim couple’s journey along Route 66, uncovering vital yet often overlooked narratives of Islam in America, including how African American Muslims played a foundational role in shaping America’s religious and cultural history—long before 9/11.

Future Impact

The archival materials I gathered will contribute to future research papers, including studies on migration and settlement patterns of early immigrants and the fashioning of hijab identity in America.

As a professor of Migration and Diaspora Studies, I observed that while European immigrants saw themselves as “pioneers” or “permanent settlers,” others from different racial and cultural backgrounds are projected with hyphenated identities (African-American, Arab-American, Asian-American), shaping the discourse of color, migration, and belonging.

Two mannequins; one to the left wearing a hijab in the style of a shayla and one to the right wearing a hijab in the style of a niqaab. Photo by Hijabis4ever, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

I have already informed students to apply for this fellowship. I will definitely highlight the scholarly potential of AHC to my students and network. The ocean of material available about early immigrants and their crossing of the great plains is immense—these collections not only provided scholarly data but inspired me to explore themes I hadn’t previously considered.

The People Who Made It Special

Special thanks to Leslie Waggener and the wonderful energetic AHC team including Vicki Glantz, Ginny Kilander, Rob Kelly, Jamie Greene, and others. Leslie was instrumental behind this visit and has been a guiding, encouraging source throughout this successful academic stay.

I’m also grateful to the welcoming community at the Islamic Center of Laramie, which became a spiritual and social home during my stay. Thanks to brother Md Faqrul Islam and his wife, who graciously provided homemade meals for my first three days when dining facilities were closed. Meeting fellow immigrants and scholars—including those with Green Cards—added new insights to my understanding of migration and diaspora in the USA.

The Women in Public Life Fellowship supports a 20-day research stay at the AHC for scholars from graduate students to tenured faculty. Applications for the 2026 fellowship are due March 31, 2026. Learn more at uwyo.edu/ahc. Other fellowship and grant opportunities are also available at the AHC.

Posted in American West, Cultural Studies, Fellowships & Academic Programs, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on September 1, 2025 by lwaggen2

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 establishing Wyoming as one of the world’s most important centers for paleontological discovery. His career bridged the frontier era of fossil hunting and the emerging professionalism of museum science during the Gilded Age, leaving a legacy in the field of paleontology.

A Chance Encounter with Prehistory

Reed’s introduction to paleontology came almost by accident. Known as “Bill” to his friends and contemporaries, Reed initially moved west to shovel snow for the Union Pacific Railroad but later worked as a hunter and angler. In 1877, near Como Bluff, he stumbled upon massive, fossilized bones on the hillside. His discovery occurred during a pivotal moment in American science, when the professional rivalry and competition between paleontologists Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope—commonly referred to as the “Bone Wars”—was at its height.

William Harlow Reed in fossil quarry, 1894. S.H. Knight papers, Coll. No. 400044, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

After his discovery, Reed and Como Station agent William Edwards Carlin wrote to Marsh at Yale University about the fossils. Reed soon found himself drawn into the highly publicized and contentious competition between the scientists. Reed continued to excavate fossils for Marsh for six years and helped to unearth some of the most remarkable prehistoric specimens of the 19th century, many of which remain on display today.

Como Bluff: A Fossil Treasure Trove

Stretching for roughly eight miles along the Union Pacific Railroad between Rock River and Medicine Bow, the Como Bluff site would become one of the most significant fossil beds in North America. Its sandstone and shale layers date back more than 140 million years to the Late Jurassic, a time when giant sauropods, predatory theropods, and early mammals roamed.

The site’s discovery in the late 1870s opened an unprecedented chapter in paleontology. Fossils from Como Bluff included not only famous giants like Diplodocus, Apatosaurus, and Stegosaurus, but also rare specimens that shed light on prehistoric ecosystems as a whole. The richness of the fossil beds meant that even eroded fragments could lead to major scientific breakthroughs—in fact, Reed discovered a number of prehistoric mammals. The sheer quantity and diversity of material excavated here transformed museum collections around the world, cementing Como Bluff’s place as a cornerstone of paleontological research.

Highway sign about seven miles from Medicine Bow noting “Dinosaur Graveyard” in Como Bluffs. AHC Photo Files, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Como Bluff yielded an extraordinary range of Late Jurassic and early Cretaceous fossils, from enormous, long-necked sauropods to massive marine reptiles like the Baptanodon. Reed’s knowledge of the region was instrumental in bringing these specimens to light, expanding scientific knowledge of the Mesozoic. Even today, the site is recognized as a landmark in paleontology for its richness and historical importance.

For Reed, Como Bluff was both a livelihood and a lifelong connection. He returned many times over the years, often guiding expeditions or revisiting earlier sites to locate more complete skeletons. His knowledge of the terrain—and his willingness to endure the remote and often harsh conditions—helped fuel the site’s continued productivity. A renowned angler, he even found the time to fish during his work. In a 1955 letter, Reed’s son-in-law recalls that Reed’s daughter, Dorothy Reed Patterson, once remarked that her father “always located fossil fields near a promising trout stream, convinced, no doubt that dinosaurs discriminated in their choice of a cemetery.”

From the Field to the Museum

Reed’s fieldwork, largely conducted in the many quarries at Como Bluff, eventually led to a new chapter in his career. After three years of collecting fossils and paleontological specimens for the University of Wyoming, Reed was appointed as a curator of the University’s newly established natural history museum in 1897 by Wilbur Knight.

Undated inventory of the fossils held in the University of Wyoming Museum, written on W.H. Reed’s letterhead, S.H. Knight papers, Coll. No. 400044, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

There, Reed oversaw the preparation and display of specimens for research and education. His practical experience made him an invaluable resource for both scientists and students, and he began teaching paleontology courses at the university—passing on his knowledge to the next generation of students. In fact, the Allosaurus on display in the University of Wyoming Geology Museum today was excavated by Reed.

William Harlow Reed in the museum’s workroom, 1907. S.H. Knight papers, Coll. No. 400044, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

A letter from Reed’s son-in-law recounts that Reed “stocked [the University of Wyoming Museum] with an enormous brontosaurus, a huge skull of a triceratops, a pterodactyl, and numerous other specimens… He was employed at the University of Wyoming from the year 1902 to April 1915, the date of his death.” Reed’s time at the University of Wyoming was interrupted only briefly for a time when he was hired to assist the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, where he was instrumental in the discovery, excavation, and assembly of the infamous Diplodicus carnegii.

The Diplodocus carnegii

Among Reed’s many accomplishments, one stands out for its scale and spectacle: his role in the famous scientific drama of the Diplodocus carnegii skeleton. The long-necked sauropod—discovered by Reed in a quarry near Sheep Creek in 1899 and named for industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie—became one of the most celebrated fossils in the world.

A great impetus was given to the work about this time when an article appeared in one of the New York Daily newspapers telling of the discovery in Wyoming by ‘Bill Reeder’ of some of the leg bones of an immense dinosaur.

Undated Pamphlet from the Carnegie Museum. William Harlow Reed papers, Coll. No. 400038, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

After news broke of Reed’s 1898 discovery of a sauropod thigh bone near Medicine Bow, Wyoming, Andrew Carnegie became determined to acquire the specimen. A pamphlet from the Carnegie Museum in Reed’s papers explains that Carnegie “is said to have torn [the article] out and mailed it to Dr. W. J. Holland, then Director of the Carnegie Museum, with a terse annotation: ‘Dear Doctor: Buy this for Pittsburgh! —A.C.’”

Although this initial discovery was unrelated to the specimen later nicknamed “Dippy,” the discovery brought Reed to the Carnegie Museum’s attention. Reed was soon offered a position at the Carnegie Museum, where, in 1899, he discovered and excavated a Diplodocus near Sheep Creek, just north of Como Bluff. Reed’s knowledge of fossil quarries in the region was essential in not only the discovery of the dinosaur, but in preparing and mounting the skeleton. In a 1955 letter from Reed’s son-in-law to Dr. Carl O. Dunbar at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, “The huge diplodocus mounted at the Carnegie Institute was discovered, quarried and shipped to Pittsburgh by Mr. Reed, who spent two years there… assembling and mounting it.”

Under the supervision of Arthur S. Coggeshall, casts of the Diplodocus would go on to be displayed in museums across Europe and the United States, making it a fixture in American and European natural history museums.

A Lasting Legacy

Reed’s career reflected the transformation of paleontology from a frontier pursuit to a structured scientific discipline. His work at Como Bluff, his role in building the University of Wyoming’s fossil collections, and his efforts in education left an enduring legacy for the state and for science. Through his discoveries, curatorial work, and teaching, William Harlow Reed helped ensure that the prehistoric past would be preserved—and that Wyoming’s fossil heritage would remain central to the story of paleontology.

Post contributed by AHC Audiovisual Archivist, Jessica LaBozetta.

To learn more about the Bone Wars and “Dippy,” Carnegie’s famous dinosaur discovered by William Harlow Reed, the author recommends the excellent work by Tom Rea, Bone Wars: The Excavation and Celebrity of Andrew Carnegie’s Dinosaur.

Sources:

  • Breithaupt, B. H. (1990). Biography of William Harlow Reed: The story of a frontier fossil collector. Earth Sciences History, 9(1), 6–13.
  • Rea, T. (2001). Bone Wars: The excavation and celebrity of Andrew Carnegie’s dinosaur. University of Pittsburgh Press.
Posted in American West, Biography and profiles, Paleontology & Fossils, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beer Busts and Student Behavior: A Look Back at the University of Wyoming’s Social Committee

Posted on August 25, 2025 by ahcadmin

A fraternity dance imbued with alcohol. A Christmas party where alcohol was given as gifts, and whose recipients were required to chug it on site. A “beer bust” involving seventeen sorority members at a formal dinner dance. An 18-year-old boy found passed out in the rain at the door of the post office.

Sound familiar? No, they’re not headlines or case notes from last weekend’s police blotter. They’re incidents brought to the Social Committee of the University of Wyoming. From the 1950s.

Although not from the 1950s, students were partying way before then. Here are UW students at a ’49er dance during the 1925-1926 school year. Image ah301073, Ludwig & Svenson Studio Photographs, Coll. No. 167, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Unfortunately for interested students, the Social Committee abolished the ’49er dance the next year in 1927. This is an excerpt from Social Committee meeting minutes, March 8, 1927. Box 2, University of Wyoming. Division of Student Affairs records, Coll. No. 541000, American Heritage Center.

As a graduate student in a qualitative research methods class, I went to the American Heritage Center (AHC) to gain experience conducting archival research. I wasn’t sure what I was looking for or what I might find, but having worked for seventeen years at UW in the Division of Student Affairs, I decided to see what archival records might exist about student life.

The archivist in the AHC’s fourth floor reading room directed me to several boxes on a cart they had retrieved for me in reference to “student affairs.” I opened up a small blue box—labeled Box #2—and was excited to find it full of manilla file folders. They were labeled in pencil with dates ranging from 1925 to 1958. The folders held meeting minutes, notes, and notebooks from “Associated Women Students,” “Mortar Board,” “Panhellenic Council,” “Record of Events/Developments During Dean E. Luella Galliver’s Tenure,” and “Social Committee.”

Curious about the “Social Committee,” I removed the folder and peeked inside. There were probably 100 or so papers, mostly typed, but some handwritten in flowery cursive. The paper was thin, nearly translucent, and I was almost afraid to touch it. I imagined the clicking sound of an old typewriter as I scanned the meeting notes, looking for anything interesting. It didn’t take me long to realize that this folder was what I had been looking for – reading through the Social Committee file was going to be fun.

Diving into the UW Social Committee

The early papers from the 1920s were minutes from what was then called the Social Committee. At some point, the name was changed to “Faculty Social Committee.” From what I could gather, the Social Committee or Faculty Social Committee wasn’t necessarily about planning for or engaging in social events. Instead, it was more about regulating activities and events, and reviewing student conduct concerns. Meeting minutes listed the members present and members absent. Several members appeared to be deans – Dean Galliver, who was the Dean of Women, and whose photo was also in the box; Dean Bishop; Dean Hill; and Dean Soulo, to name a few. Other members included Miss Hussey, Mrs. McKitterick, Mrs. DeKay, and Miss Weed.

E. Luella Galliver was the Dean of Women at the University of Wyoming from 1933-1964. Many of her files can be found in the American Heritage Center archives. Box 2, University of Wyoming. Division of Student Affairs records, Coll. No. 541000, American Heritage Center.

In December 1925, the committee discussed dances hosted by the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming (ASUW). A guest at the meeting, Mr. Corbett, requested that two janitors be hired for cleaning up after a dance. The committee agreed that $2.50 per janitor would be a fair price. They also discussed the question of wax on the gymnasium floor. “This is a vexatious question with the whole Physical Education department, as a slippery floor is very dangerous for all types of physical education activity.” A discussion ensued about a need for a “floor committee” for ASUW dances.

The committee heard a request that “university girls be permitted to attend a DeMolay dance” in November 1933. Social Committee members approved the request, with the condition that they follow university rules about “chaperonage.” In the same meeting, significant discussion occurred about a request from the Interfraternity Council (IFC) to abolish the requirement of having a doorman at fraternity functions. Students argued that the “presence of doormen at fraternity parties conveys a humiliating sense of surveillance and excites the ridicule of guests from other colleges.” Committee members discussed the request and ultimately voted to make the hiring of a doorman optional.

Alcohol-Fueled Student Behavior

During the 1950s, the committee saw more alcohol-related conduct issues. On December 15 (year unclear), the committee discussed a student who went into the dorms on a Thursday night. He was “drunk, wanting to fight everyone, [and] using abusive language.” After threatening another student with a straight edge razor, he was taken to the county jail to “sleep it off.” The committee discussed the circumstances of how the student had become so intoxicated and found that he had been at a fraternity party where he received alcohol as part of a gift exchange. The committee discussed the role and responsibility of the fraternity in the incident and ultimately voted to place the fraternity on social probation for the rest of the year. “We are attempting to make it a warning to other groups on campus” said one of the Social Committee members.

Faculty Social Committee members discuss illegal alcohol consumption at a fraternity dance and vote to suspend future social privileges. Excerpt from Faculty Social Committee meeting minutes,
December 9, 1952. Box 2, University of Wyoming. Division of Student Affairs records, Coll. No. 541000, American Heritage Center.

In another Social Committee meeting, an 18-year old fraternity pledge and his parents were guests. They were there to discuss an incident that occurred on November 13, 1954. The young pledge had “imbibed excessively at a cocktail party” and was later “found unconscious by the police and was put in jail.” It was unclear how he ended up on the rear ramp of the US Post Office. The cocktail party was an unofficial function but had been organized and attended by about 30 fraternity members and their dates.

Social committee members brought up that other organized groups had been “doing a lot of drinking at their dances” and that perhaps UW should try to regulate them. A motion to suspend all social privileges from the fraternity in question for the winter quarter 1955 was unanimously passed.

Social Committee members hear testimony from guests about a cocktail party with underage fraternity members. Excerpt from Faculty Social Committee meeting minutes, November 13, 1954. Box 2, University of Wyoming. Division of Student Affairs records, Coll. No. 541000, American Heritage Center.

Reading through old UW Social Committee meeting minutes in the AHC was a treat. I enjoyed learning about the escapades and concerns of students from the 1920s through the 1950s. It was also interesting to learn that the escapades and concerns didn’t seem all that different from the escapades and concerns of students and university administrators today.

I encourage anyone interested in a historical perspective of UW student life to visit the AHC and spend some time going through the Student Affairs Social Committee archive.

Post contributed by Lena Newlin, a PhD student in the University of Wyoming’s Public Humanities program.

Explore More UW History

Interested in learning more about the University of Wyoming’s past? Check out these American Heritage Center exhibits: University of Wyoming: A Brief History of Campus explores how UW’s campus developed over the decades, while Keeping History Alive: 136 Years of Progress compares historical campus photographs with images taken in 2023, showing how the buildings where these Social Committee meetings and student incidents occurred have changed and endured over time.

Posted in Campus culture, Student Life, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on August 18, 2025 by ahcadmin

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 most distinctive buildings looks like a concrete spaceship that landed on the west side of campus, you’re looking at the Classroom Building—affectionately dubbed the “standing rib roast”1 by students who clearly had dining hall food on their minds. But this architectural curiosity has a story worth telling, involving ambitious planning, a community uprising, and 1960s optimism about the power of modern design to transform education. Oh, and not to forget—more than a million tiny ceramic tiles.

The Great Prexy’s Pasture Panic of 1965

The Classroom Building’s journey began in 1962 as part of an ambitious Science Center project. The multi-building complex was designed to include biological and physical science buildings, a science library, computer center, and planetarium—all connected by underground facilities in what would become the most significant building project in the university’s history.2

There was just one problem: the trustees initially sought to build it right on Prexy’s Pasture. Concerned, UW President Duke Humphrey carefully leaked the decision to the Laramie Boomerang’s editor. The subsequent reveal of that choice accounts for the survival intact of the central campus square. Storms of protest battered the trustees from around the state—from alumni, students, legislators, and others.3 The outcry was loud enough that the trustees wisely decided to find a new location between 9th Street and the Arts and Sciences Building. Campus lost the Graduate School Building and the Post Office-Art building but gained a modern science complex—and democracy in campus planning proved it could work.4

View of campus looking east, 1982. The trustees’ original plan was to build the new science complex on the west end of Prexy’s Pasture, immediately east of the Arts & Sciences building. Wiser minds prevailed and the location of the round Classroom Building can be seen in the foreground. Aerial views photo file, American Heritage Center collections. Image ah002532.

Building the “Circle on a Square”

Construction of the complex began in late summer 1966, with the Classroom Building taking the lead. Designed by local firm Hitchcock and Hitchcock, the building was intended to accommodate 2,700 students at once in rooms ranging from 21-seat seminar spaces to 240-seat lecture halls.5 For context, that’s about the size of a decent concert venue.

Architect’s model of the classroom building. Photo from The Branding Iron, July 8, 1966.

The architects created what they called a “circle on a square” design, which solved a very practical problem: The circular interior layout helped prevent students from getting lost in what could have been a maze-like building. The building came equipped with all the latest 1960s educational technology: air conditioning, dimming lights, closed-circuit television,6 and deliberately few windows in many areas.7 The theory was that windows were distracting—whether this actually helped students learn or just made them feel like they were in a bunker is open to debate.

Construction of the Classroom Building. The Laramie Daily Boomerang, November 15, 1967.

The Million-Tile Marvel

The building’s most impressive feature isn’t its concrete bulk—it’s the spectacular murals adorning the open staircase entrances. Created by four UW Art Department faculty members (James Boyle, Richard Evans, Joseph Deaderick, and Victor Flach), these murals use more than one million one-inch ceramic tiles.8 That’s a staggering number of tiny squares, and someone definitely earned their paycheck installing them all.

Each mural represents one of Wyoming’s four quadrants, though the artists took creative liberties with their interpretations. Professor Deaderick described his northeast mural as an “optical illusion” depicting “the environment of the northeast part of Wyoming—the history, the wildlife and the landscape.” According to Deaderick, while “the drawing of the design was not too difficult,” enlarging and proportioning the design proved challenging.9 Professor Flach, who designed the Yellowstone section, explained his approach: “Given limits in theme, how is it possible to achieve universality?” His solution was to create spiral designs that worked on multiple levels, from realistic to symbolic.10

The murals extend two and a half stories and can be viewed from multiple floors. They’re among the more ambitious ceramic installations of their era.

This mural, designed by UW Professor Richard Evans, is, like the other three, designed to illustrate part of Wyoming’s past, present and future. In addition to the fish, seen in the lower right of this picture, the mosaic also pictures a hawk, a bear and large horse’s skull. Photo by Greg Ray, Branding Iron, March 14, 1969.

Modern Marvels and Missing Windows

When the Classroom Building opened on September 6, 1968, just in time for fall classes, the architectural world took notice: McGraw-Hill’s College and University Business magazine named it “College Building of the Month” in 1967, recognizing the university and architects for functional design excellence.11

The Classroom Building’s automatic doors were both a marvel and a hazard when the building opened. As student Monica Miller noted in her tongue-in-cheek piece for The Branding Iron, entering the building meant “trying to outsmart the electric eye doors” where “you risk your life each time you enter.” From The Branding Iron, October 11, 1968.

Students, however, had their own ways of honoring the building. The “standing rib roast” nickname stuck, reflecting both the building’s distinctive silhouette and the eternal student preoccupation with food. The trustees, meanwhile, went with the straightforward “Classroom Building” when they officially named it on April 25, 1968.12 After all that architectural innovation and artistic effort, they chose maximum clarity over poetry.

Not everyone embraced the bold design, though. In 1975, a heated debate erupted in the campus newspaper between critics who found the building uncomfortable and poorly engineered, and defenders who argued it was one of the few buildings on campus with genuine “artistic and architectural value.”13 The exchange captured the broader tensions about modern architecture’s place on campus—was it a functional marvel or a concrete eyesore?

A Concrete Legacy

The building became part of the George Duke Humphrey Science Center, honoring the former president who had championed the science initiative. The formal dedication didn’t happen until February 6, 1971, with President Humphrey himself present to see his vision finally realized.14

(From left to right) Clinton A. Hitchcock, architect; Bob Arnold, Director of UW Physical Plant; Glenn Mullens, structural consultant; and W. Eliot Hitchcock, architect, stand outside the Classroom Building circa 1971. Box 114, Hitchcock & Hitchcock records, Coll. No. 9921, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming. Image ah003194.

The building’s story didn’t end with its dedication, however. Like many aging buildings, it faced both literal and figurative storms. In 1996, a broken water main flooded the lower level, causing significant damage to the planetarium and requiring extensive cleanup.15 As enrollment declined in the 1990s, the university found creative uses for classroom space—by 1997, former classroom CR 301 had been converted into a Grab-N-Go convenience store, leading one student columnist to quip about the building becoming “Laramie’s new mall.”16

The building received a major technological upgrade through a renovation completed in 2007, bringing it into the digital age with Internet access, smart boards, and modern projection equipment while carefully preserving its distinctive murals and architectural character.17

Architect Keith Seebart gives the UW Board of Trustees a tour a tour of the stadium-style rooms in the renovated Classroom Building. The wires were for Internet access. Photo by Aaron LeClair, Laramie Boomerang, May 9, 2007.

More than fifty years later, the Classroom Building continues to serve thousands of students annually. The circular corridors still help with navigation (mostly), the murals still catch the eye, and the building still looks like it could launch into space if someone found the right controls. It stands as a monument to 1960s confidence in modern design and a reminder that sometimes listening to public opinion—like saving Prexy’s Pasture—leads to better outcomes for everyone.

Whether you call it the Classroom Building, the standing rib roast, or just “that round building with all the tiles,” it remains one of UW’s most recognizable landmarks. And unlike some architectural experiments of the era, it has aged reasonably well, proving that bold design choices can actually work out in the long run.

Explore More Campus History

Want to see how the Classroom Building fits into the broader story of UW’s transformation? The American Heritage Center offers two online exhibits that bring this architectural evolution to life. “University of Wyoming: A Brief History of Campus” chronicles the development of the campus landscape, while “Keeping History Alive: 136 Years of Progress” presents a striking then-and-now photographic comparison, featuring 2023 images of campus buildings alongside historical photos to show how dramatically the university has changed over the decades.

Sources

  1. “Classroom—western, psychedelic…” The Branding Iron, University of Wyoming, October 11, 1968, 11. ↩︎
  2. “Dr. Humphrey Outlines UW Future,” Laramie Daily Boomerang, January 26, 1962; Vern Shelton, “Dr. Fey Outlines His Program,” Laramie Daily Boomerang, December 12, 1964. ↩︎
  3. Deborah Hardy, Wyoming University: The First 100 Years, 1886-1986 (Laramie: University of Wyoming, 1986), 175. ↩︎
  4. Harold Sohn. “Progress is education.” The Summer Roundup, published by The Branding Iron, University of Wyoming, July 8, 1966, 1. ↩︎
  5. “Partially completed buildings to see activity this  semester,” Branding Iron, September 13, 1968, 4; “University Building Featured in Magazine, Boomerang, August 16, 1957, 3. ↩︎
  6. “’Form follows function,’” Branding Iron, October 4, 1968, 12. ↩︎
  7. “Center Construction to Start This Spring,” Branding Iron, October 29, 1965, 10. ↩︎
  8. Steve Singleton. “’Art is the communication with the exterior,’” Branding Iron, May 17, 1968, 9; Greg Ray, Branding Iron, March 14, 1969, 1. ↩︎
  9. “Classroom mosaic mural called an optical illusion,” Branding Iron, October 29, 9. ↩︎
  10. Singleton, “’Art if the communication with the exterior,’” 9. ↩︎
  11. “New structure receives honors,” Branding Iron, September 15, 1967, 8. ↩︎
  12. American Heritage Center, “Keeping History Alive: 136 Years of Progress,” online exhibit, Virmuze, created January 23, 2023. ↩︎
  13. Don Polson, “CR Has Value,” letter to the editor, Branding Iron, March 18, 1975, 2. ↩︎
  14. American Heritage Center, “Keeping History Alive.” ↩︎
  15. Dustin Bleizeffer and Marc Ethier, “Flood damages UW structures,” Laramie News Service, Branding Iron, April 19, 1996, 2. ↩︎
  16. Gregory Delzer, “Classroom building to Laramie’s new mall,” Branding Iron, June 26, 1997, 4. ↩︎
  17. Aaron LeClair, “Classroom Building nearly ready,” Boomerang, May 9, 2007, 6. ↩︎
Posted in Architecture, Campus Heritage, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rethinking Ranchers and Government: A Fresh Look at an Old Debate

Posted on August 11, 2025 by ahcadmin

For decades, the conventional wisdom has portrayed Western ranchers as caught in a paradox—an industry built on independence that criticized federal regulation while relying on government programs. It’s become the accepted narrative—and according to Dr. Tim Gresham, it misses the real story.

Dr. Tim Gresham, Professor of History at St. Mary’s College.

The St. Mary’s College history professor spent ten days at the American Heritage Center examining extensive meeting minutes and correspondence, funded by the Alan K. Simpson Fellowship. What he discovered helps to reshape our understanding of how the meat industry really worked with government from the 1930s through the 1950s.

His findings join scholarship by Karen Merrill, Leisl Carr Childers, and Michelle Berry in painting a more nuanced picture of the American West—one where ranchers weren’t simply for or against government, but engaged in constant negotiation about what their relationship should look like.

Dr. Gresham challenges what he calls the “hypocritical rancher” perspective that dates back to Jimmy Skaggs’ 2000 book Prime Cut: Livestock Raising and Meatpacking in the United States. This long-standing interpretation portrays ranchers as simultaneously resisting federal presence while accepting government subsidies. But his examination of the actual records reveals something far more interesting—a sophisticated partnership between the meat industry and government that operated largely out of public view.

Mining the Archives for Answers

Dr. Gresham’s research arsenal at the AHC was impressive. He pored over National Live Stock & Meat Board minutes—some biannual meetings generated hundreds of pages of detailed conversations between industry titans and government scientists that had previously gone unexplored. The National Cattlemen’s Association records revealed heated internal debates about the industry’s future. Papers from Wyoming politicians Joseph C. O’Mahoney and Lester C. Hunt showed how elected officials navigated between their ranching constituents and federal agencies.

A 1941 Meat Board poster contest encouraged high school students to promote “Meat and the Nation.” Such campaigns demonstrated the Board’s sophisticated public outreach efforts. Box 289, National Live Stock and Meat Board Records, Coll. No. 11744, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

But perhaps his most surprising discovery came from the Wyoming Hereford Ranch (WHR) records—a collection he hadn’t initially planned to examine. He came across references to dwarfism in other collections and knew that “the WHR was ground zero for the outbreak.” In the early 1950s, this devastating crisis threatened the entire Hereford breed. Government scientists discovered the method of transmission and “possibly saved the Hereford breed from ruin.”

A comparison chart showing the difference between standard cattle and those affected by dwarfism. The 1950s dwarfism crisis at Wyoming Hereford Ranch demonstrated the high stakes of industry-government cooperation when public scientists helped identify the genetic cause and saved the Hereford breed. Source: Bucking V Outfit, Donna Vickery, “Dwarfism ~ Chondrodysplasia in miniature cattle.”

“The Meat Board leaders used public sector scientists essentially as a research arm that would appear to the public as an impartial third party,” Dr. Gresham explains. Rather than conducting their own research, “its leaders chose to provide grants to top scientists throughout the country, and pressured universities to create meat departments, thus creating more centers for research.”

When Beef Became a Belief System

The archives revealed an unexpected ideological split within the meat industry itself. While the Meat Board embraced what sociologist Gyorgy Scrinis calls “the ideology of nutritionism”—essentially holding “that only the nutrients mattered, not the type of meat”—the National Cattlemen’s Association developed something Dr. Gresham terms “beef fundamentalism.” As he puts it, “they viewed beef as a unique food that is valuable for qualities beyond its nutritional composition.”

Winners of the Meat Board’s Third National Meat Story Contest in 1929. The Board offered university scholarships to shape the next generation’s understanding of meat’s nutritional value. Box 289, National Live Stock and Meat Board Records, Coll. No. 11744, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

This philosophical divide had real consequences. The groups clashed over funding priorities after World War II, with the NCA demanding separate beef promotions. Even as NCA leaders proclaimed that “free markets make free men” in a 1953 executive meeting, they simultaneously called for increased USDA beef purchases for school lunch programs.

Rather than simple hypocrisy, Dr. Gresham sees something more complex: industry leaders believed they were fixing problems created by earlier government interventions like wartime price controls. They weren’t abandoning free-market principles so much as trying to work within a system already shaped by decades of federal involvement.

During World War II, the Meat Board’s 1943 essay contest framed meat as a “Weapon of War,” offering war bonds as prizes. The contest reveals how the industry leveraged patriotic sentiment to promote consumption. Box 289, National Live Stock and Meat Board Records, Coll. No. 11744, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Beyond the Archives

Over the next two years, Dr. Gresham will present his findings at major history conferences and submit articles to leading journals. His ultimate goal is a book that reveals the hidden architecture of cooperation between industry and government that shaped not just the meat on American tables, but the political identity of the West itself.

The Alan K. Simpson Fellowship made this research possible by covering Dr. Gresham’s travel, lodging, and meals during his archival work. “Because the records at the AHC are central to my project,” he explained, “the Simpson fellowship is easily the most important grant I will receive.”

The Alan K. Simpson Fellowship in Western Political History is one of several research opportunities offered by the American Heritage Center. For more information about grants and fellowships, visit the AHC Grants and Fellowships page.

The fellowship honors retired U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson of Wyoming, who passed away in March 2025. The AHC’s Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership continues his legacy of fostering understanding of Western political history and civic engagement.

Posted in Agricultural history, Agriculture, American history, American West, Cattle industry, Ranch history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Logbook of a Legend: Jack Knight and the Birth of All-Weather Airmail

Posted on August 4, 2025 by ahcadmin

Aviation in the 1920s was unpredictable. Pilots flew routes that few had successfully flown before, with untested technologies and in all weather conditions. These risks went hand in hand with being a pilot for the airmail service.

None embody this better than James H. Knight, who went by the name of Jack and whose exploits frequently graced newspapers across the West. The newspaper record remembers Knight as a pioneer, pushing the boundaries of aviation. Despite the dangers of flying Western airmail routes during the 1920s, Knight’s advancements to the service are a testament to his courage, skill, and, to some extent, luck.

James H. “Jack” Knight. Photo from San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive.

The Dangerous Life of an Airmail Pioneer

Jack Knight kept a log book that detailed all of his flights for much of his airmail career service, and it relates the dangers of this pioneering profession. Housed at the American Heritage Center, the log book reveals at the beginning that Knight recorded three entries under the title “Record of Forced Landings, Smashes, Crashes, ETC,” all within the span of two years. Entries of “forced landing,” “motor trouble,” and even “crash” are repeated frequently throughout the book alongside remarks about the weather. There is a surprising number of these notes. Despite the many malfunctions and accidents faced, he continued to fly, advancing airmail and aviation to new heights. He was seemingly undeterred even after so many forced landings and outright crashes.

Breaking Speed Records

Airmail pilots flew for relatively long hours considering the limited distances they covered on each leg of the transcontinental air route. On December 13, 1920, Knight is reported to have gone about 385 and 8/10 miles an hour, traveling forty-five miles in  seven minutes due to a gust of wind.1 This would be relatively slow for a modern airplane, but at the time it was considered a possible record-breaking speed. The Laramie Boomerang stated that Knight “probably traveled faster than ever a human being moved before.”2 Spectators and news reporters found Knight’s speed flight to be an exciting moment to witness. Airplanes were on the forefront of technological developments.

The Night Flight That Made History

One of Knight’s most well-known achievements occurred during a test of a 24-hour transcontinental airmail flight with different pilots flying small routes in 1921. Jack flew at night from North Platte, Nebraska, to Chicago, Illinois. Originally scheduled to fly only to Omaha, he decided to continue on to the next leg when the pilot assigned to the Chicago route refused to fly during a storm.3

Despite having never flown the Omaha-Chicago segment and having already completed his assigned portion with a broken nose, he still successfully navigated two sections of the route in poor weather. The Omaha Bee reported that Jack Knight was “the man who flew with the mails from Cheyenne to Chicago in a single night.”4 His successful completion of this challenging night flight, especially when another pilot had deemed it too dangerous, proved that airmail could be delivered safely after dark—a crucial advancement for the service.

When Knight returned to Cheyenne in a new plane, his down-to-earth personality was evident. Despite accomplishing one of aviation’s most heroic feats, his immediate concern was simple: “I’m famished,” he told the welcoming crowd. “Nothing since breakfast, and that a darned early one.”5

Jack Knight after completing his record-breaking transcontinental air mail flight on February 26, 1921, with a broken nose. Cheyenne State Leader, February 27, 1921.

Behind Every Great Pilot

A 1921 newspaper article about Jack’s wife Lois portrays her as being confident in her husband’s skill and supportive of his work in the U.S. Airmail Service. She is depicted in the newspaper article as being calm despite the risks that were inseparable from her husband’s career.6 Regardless of her likely concerns about those risks, her interview does not focus greatly on her worry. The only times she stated that she frequently worried was when Jack flew in poor weather or when he flew over the mountains.7 The article’s author is more focused on Jack, even while interviewing his wife for her opinions, reflecting Jack Knight’s status as a celebrity of sorts.

Jack Knight with his wife at their Cheyenne home, 1921. Wyoming State Tribune and Cheyenne State Leader, May 15, 1921

Innovations in Communication

Knight tested a “Hush-A-Phone,” which was designed to limit outside noise so that pilots could hear radio transmissions. Knight’s radio was equipped with “a hushaphone [sic] to shut out the sound of his motor.”8 In an open-air cockpit, the Hush-A-Phone allowed clear two-way communication despite the constant roar of both engine and wind. Despite the historic significance of this test, Jack only wrote the words “radio,” “radio test,” and “night radio” in his log book on the days of the test. No further information is provided to suggest his experiences or opinions. Perhaps it was truly a routine test for him, unlike the article which raised public anticipation for the coming test.

Knight testing early air-to-ground radio. Photo from San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive.

Flying Into History

Knight’s importance to the advancement of airmail and aviation was so significant that when he retired in 1937, the Wyoming State Tribune featured an article about his work. The newspaper claimed that “veteran” had become synonymous with Jack’s name, describing him as one of seven volunteers who flew mail through the night to prove it was possible, and who “could and had flown everything from a crate to a luxury liner.”9 Though clearly exaggerated, the fact that Knight’s retirement warranted news coverage more than a decade after his most prominent achievement reveals his lasting recognition in aviation history and his importance to the development of airmail service.

Jack Knight’s work in the airmail service, despite its dangers, allowed for advancements in the aviation industry. He was involved in many of the advancements of the 1920s which made airmail, and aviation as a whole, safer and less uncertain. In his own log book, however, his accomplishments are noted alongside all other flights without more than a few words of commentary. Jack was only one of many airmail pilots who pushed the limits of aviation, becoming a true pioneer in the process.

We share his story to commemorate the beginnings of this vital service, which saw its first official experiment under the US Post Office Department on September 23, 1911.

Post contributed by Lilly Graham, student in the Spring 2025 course “20th Century American West” (HIST 4540) taught by Toppan Rare Book Curator Dr. Mary Beth Brown.

  1. “Pilot Flies Plane at Rate of 385 Miles an Hour, is Claim,” The Laramie Boomerang, December 13, 1920, 7. ↩︎
  2. Ibid. ↩︎
  3. “Jack Knight Returns to This Station,” Cheyenne State Leader, February 27, 1921, 1. ↩︎
  4. “Flight of the Night Mail,” The Omaha Bee, February 24, 1921, 6. ↩︎
  5. Cheyenne State Leader, February 27, 1921. ↩︎
  6. Eyre Powell. “When ‘Their’ Ships Come In, Wyoming State Tribune and Cheyenne State Leader, May 15, 1921, 7. ↩︎
  7. Wyoming State Tribune and Cheyenne State Leader, May 15, 1921. ↩︎
  8. “Hushaphone Test Made By Air Mail Pilot Jack Knight,” Wyoming State Tribune and Cheyenne State Leader, November 22, 1923, 1. ↩︎
  9. “Veteran Pilot Retires After Twenty Years,” Wyoming State Tribune, November 19, 1937, 1, 11. ↩︎
Posted in 1920s America, aviation history, Postal Service History, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Franklin Statue: Wyoming’s Bronze Founding Father and a Touch of Controversy

Posted on July 28, 2025 by ahcadmin

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.

Standing proudly on the lawn south of the Arts and Sciences Building, the bronze figure of Benjamin Franklin has been watching over UW students for more than six decades. But this isn’t just any campus statue—it’s a piece of Wyoming history with an intriguing backstory, complete with artistic vision, generous benefactors, and even a bit of journalistic satire.

A Revolutionary Idea Takes Shape

The story begins in 1955, when the approaching 250th anniversary of Franklin’s birth sparked an ambitious idea. UW professor and sculptor Robert Russin (1914-2007) joined forces with Wyoming rancher and oilman Warren Richardson to create something special for the university. Richardson, along with his siblings Clarence and Valeria, saw the University as the perfect home for a commemorative statue of one of America’s most versatile founding fathers.

In a letter to UW President George Duke Humphrey on February 18, 1956, Richardson described their vision:

It is therefore particularly appropriate that a commemorative statue of this foremost American be placed on the grounds of our great state university as a guiding inspiration to the youth of Wyoming.

From The Branding Iron, March 23, 1956.

The trustees were convinced. At their March 9 meeting, they approved the proposal and accepted a check from the Richardson family for $17,500—equivalent to over $200,000 in today’s dollars—a substantial sum that would bring Russin’s artistic vision to life.1

From Clay to Bronze

Russin had already created a model, and the process of completing the seven-foot statue began in earnest. The bronze figure would rest on a large, polished granite base, positioned prominently where students, faculty, and visitors could encounter Franklin’s presence daily.

After considering several locations around campus, the trustees settled on the lawn south of the Arts and Sciences Building—a fitting spot for a polymath who embodied the spirit of learning and discovery. Long-time campus visitors might remember this area as the site of the beloved Peanut Pond, where students once gathered for fly-casting contests and tug-of-wars before the small cement-lined pond was filled in during 1962.

Dedication Day and Words of Wisdom

The statue was installed on April 1, 1957, and formally dedicated on May 24. At the dedication ceremony, sculptor Russin delivered remarks that captured both his artistic philosophy and Franklin’s enduring relevance to university life:

My remarks will be brief, and since the statue must speak for itself, in effect, I have already said my say. It is especially appropriate that a monument to Franklin be placed on a campus of learning…He was a student, in the truest sense, for all of his life. In his own words, ‘The doors of wisdom are never shut,’ and this applies truly to this campus.2

From The Branding Iron, April 5, 1957.

A Western First

What makes UW’s Franklin statue particularly special is its distinction as the first statue of Benjamin Franklin erected west of the Mississippi River. For the Richardson family and the university, this represented an opportunity to bring a piece of foundational American history to the frontier state.3

A Journalistic Jab with a Point

Not long after the statue’s installation, the campus newspaper The Branding Iron published a satirical piece that would become part of the statue’s lore. In a clever article titled “Inscription on Franklin Statue Hacks Stranger,” student journalists created a fictional encounter between a student and a mysterious figure named “Silence Dogood”—a reference to one of Franklin’s own pseudonyms.

The fictional Dogood character complained that the statue’s inscription listed Franklin as “scientist, man of letters, economist, politician” but failed to mention what he considered Franklin’s most important identity: “Printer and journalist!” The character argued passionately that Franklin’s career in printing and journalism was the foundation for all his other achievements.4

This playful critique highlighted an important aspect of Franklin’s legacy while demonstrating the kind of critical thinking and spirited debate that Franklin himself would have appreciated.

Franklin contemplates his key in this 1968 photo—perhaps deciding whether to unlock scientific secrets or just tell someone to go fly a kite. Photo from The Branding Iron, July 26, 1968.

Weathering Modern Controversies

The statue’s peaceful existence was briefly disrupted in September 2017, when a student group staged a mock protest to make a point about the national conversation surrounding historical monuments. The group organized a fake petition drive asking students to sign a petition to remove the Franklin statue. Students who signed were then given a flyer explaining that the group wasn’t actually trying to remove the statue, but rather protesting what they saw as the troubling trend of tearing down historical monuments across the country.5

The incident sparked conversations about historical memory, the role of monuments on campus, and how universities should navigate politically charged discussions about public art and commemoration.

Franklin has not only weathered controversy, he’s weathered… well, weather. Here he is in a University of Wyoming Foundation Facebook post from January 2025.

A Continuing Presence

More than sixty years after its installation, Franklin’s bronze form continues to occupy its prominent spot on campus. The statue has become part of the daily rhythm of university life, a familiar landmark that has appeared in countless graduation photos and served as an informal meeting spot for generations of students. Whether viewed as an inspiration, a conversation starter, or simply as a piece of campus history, Franklin remains a constant presence in the ever-changing landscape of the University of Wyoming.

Explore More UW History

Want to see how dramatically the University of Wyoming has transformed over time? The American Heritage Center offers two online exhibits that bring campus history to life. “University of Wyoming: A Brief History of Campus” takes you on a visual journey through the university’s evolution, while “Keeping History Alive: 136 Years of Progress” offers a then-and-now comparison, pairing 2023 photographs of campus buildings and features with historical images to reveal how much the landscape has changed. These exhibits provide a great backdrop for understanding how landmarks like the Franklin statue fit into the university’s ongoing story of growth and transformation.

Sources

1. American Heritage Center, “Benjamin Franklin Statue,” in Keeping History Alive: 136 Years of Progress, Virmuze, January 23, 2023.

2. Ibid.

3. “UW to Get Bronze Franklin in 1956,” Branding Iron (University of Wyoming), March 23, 1956, 6.

4. Silence Dogood and Dick Bohrer, “Inscription on Franklin Statue Hacks Stranger,” Branding Iron (University of Wyoming), April 5, 1957, 3.

5. Shannon Broderick, “Faux-test,” photograph, Laramie Boomerang, September 14, 2017, A5.

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