Elizabeth Orpha Sampson Hoyt, Notable Woman of the West

Posted on October 17, 2017 by ahcadmin

Born December 7, 1828 in Athens, Ohio to an adventurous father and a pragmatic mother, Elizabeth Sampson early on displayed qualities of both parents.

A letter to Grace Raymond Hebard from Elizabeth’s son Kepler tells a delightful story from his mother’s youth. He writes that while a young girl, Elizabeth ran away from home and ended up near the property of an astrologer in the Cincinnati area. The astrologer and his wife befriended her and proceeded to chat with her about gardening, horoscopes and fortune telling. This incident, complete with psychic predictions for the future, stayed with Elizabeth her entire life. She preferred dealing on a personal level with the spiritual world rather than seek involvement or association with organized churches, mediums and such.

By the age of 10, Elizabeth had developed such a keen sense of curiosity and an, “…unusual interest in philosophy…” that she was allowed, “…special admission to the class in mental philosophy, taught by President William H. McGuffey of the Ohio University, Athens.”* She went on to study Greek and, by the age of 12, was a regular contributor of verse to the press in her early teens. While still in her youth, she went on to teach philosophy at the Female Seminary in Worthington, Ohio.

Because of her deep love of children, Elizabeth became an avid writer of children’s stories and poems.  One of nine children, she endured while most of her siblings died during early childhood. Elizabeth’s exceptional published works earned her more compensation than her peers and were often considered for illustration. Drawn from her own life, her insightful prose was broad to include historical, romantic, political, sociological, and philosophical subject matter. Many of Elizabeth’s published poems appear in Poets and Poetry of the West by William Coggeshall, published in 1864.

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Photo of Elizabeth Hoyt from Women of Wyoming compiled by Cora Beach and published in 1927. A copy of the book can be found in the American Heritage Center’s Toppan Rare Books Library

Teaching, in Elizabeth’s opinion, was second only to spiritual leadership. Nevertheless, she was a passionate advocate for many issues. Near to her heart were public libraries, all things of a patriotic nature, religious liberty, and the impoverished. She was particularly interested in “…birth control, in women’s higher education, in equal suffrage, and in the general advancement of her sex.”** Although, she considered herself a ‘natural realist’ in all things philosophical, according to Cora Beach, compiler of Women of Wyoming (1927), Elizabeth’s “…life was preeminently one of cheerful sacrifice” (p. 61).

Elizabeth arrived in Wyoming with her husband Dr. John W. Hoyt when he was appointed Wyoming’s Territorial Governor in 1878. He served as governor until 1882. Five years later, John Hoyt became UW’s first president, serving from 1887 to 1890. Elizabeth had married John at the age of 26, already having lived a selfless and dutiful life that was marked by perseverance. Elizabeth’s support and encouragement of her husband was renowned and she was regularly by his side at public events.

Her academic credentials included degrees in philosophy and psychology, which opened additional doors later in her life. From 1887 through 1891, she taught as Professor of Psychology and Moral Philosophy as seen in the UW circular of General Information from 1890-1891 as “Mrs. E. O. Sampson Hoyt, Ph.D., Lecturer”.

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Course Circular 1890-91, UW Presidents Collection, #510000, Box 1, UW American Heritage Center

After John Hoyt left the UW presidency in 1890, he and Elizabeth moved back east to the Washington D.C. area where she kept busy as an active member of the Society for Philosophical Inquiry.

Toward the end of her life, she often recalled lines from a favorite essay by naturalist, John Burroughs:

 I live my life with even pace,

I make no haste, I hail delays;

I stand amid the eternal ways,

And what is mine will know my face.

  – Submitted by Vicki Glantz, UW American Heritage Center Reference Dept.

*Women of Wyoming, p.59

**Women of Wyoming, page 62

Posted in Biography and profiles, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming history, Women in History, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Memorializing the United Air Lines DC-4 Crash on Medicine Bow Peak, October 6, 1955

Posted on October 6, 2017 by ahcadmin

Decades have passed since that fateful day when a United Air Lines DC-4 struck Medicine Bow Peak on the morning of October 6, 1955.

Flight 409, which originated in New York City with a final destination of San Francisco, was on its Denver to Salt Lake City leg when it struck the sheer granite wall west of Laramie in the Snowy Range during a snow storm.

Crash

The tail section of the United Air Lines DC-4 rests on a ledge high up on the granite wall. Most of the wreckage was removed the following summer in 1956, though some pieces still remain scattered across the boulder fields at the base of the cliff. Source: United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash Collection, American Heritage Center.

In the years since that tragic event, there have been numerous efforts to memorialize the tragedy that claimed the lives of 66 passengers and crew members. In 1997, the American Heritage Center hosted an exhibit and panel discussion. Among those on the panel who described the tragedy were rescuers who assisted in the recovery effort.

A year earlier, Mel Duncan, who was a resident of Cheyenne, self-published a booklet that details the crash. It was available in local book stores for many years. A copy of his manuscript resides in the United Flight 409 Crash records and is digitized where it can be viewed online along with many other materials from the collection. Duncan was instrumental in the placement of a memorial plaque placed at the foot of the mountain at the Miners Cabin Turnout on Highway 130. The monument was dedicated on August 25, 2001, where many family members of those who perished were present for the memorial service.

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Mel Duncan speaks to a large group of attendees, including family members of those who perished, during a memorial service held on August 25, 2001, at the Miners Cabin Turnout on Highway 130. Source: United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash Collection, American Heritage Center

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This plaque was dedicated on August 25, 2001, at the Miners Cabin Turnout on Highway 130. The Miners Cabin Turnout provides a spectacular view of the Snowy Range including the crash site. Source: United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash Collection, American Heritage Center

In 2016, a grave marker was placed at the burial site at Laramie’s Greenhill Cemetery. The grave, which contains unidentified remains, was previously unmarked. The marker was paid for by a friend of the pilot’s family.

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A grave marker was placed at the Greenhill Cemetery in Laramie in 2016 that marks the grave containing unidentified remains. Source: John Waggener

Other tributes include newspaper articles that contain interviews with family members.

The United Air Lines Flight 409 Crash Collection is held at the American Heritage Center. The collection includes photographs of the crash site; materials describing the rescue effort by several mountaineering clubs, including detailed sketches of the pulley system used to lower remains off the ledge; newspaper clippings; maps; and other written and published accounts.  There are oral history interviews available in both audio and transcribed formats. A videotape is also included showing the National Guard’s shelling of the mountainside and the use of horses.

Other material includes information about the Douglas Company and the DC-4 as well as written accounts of the November 1, 1955, United Airlines crash south of Laramie, near Loveland, Colorado. Collection material covers dates from 1939 to 2001. Some items have been digitized and are accessible through the collection’s finding aid.

For a visual overview of the recovery operation mentioned throughout this post, explore our Virmuze exhibit “UA Flight 409: The Recovery Effort,” which documents the challenging mountaineering work undertaken in the aftermath of the crash.

– Submitted by John Waggener, Associate Archivist, UW American Heritage Center

Posted in aviation, aviation history, Commercial Aviation, Local history, Memorials, Tragedies, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Snow Chi Minh Trail: The History of I-80 between Laramie and Walcott Junction

Posted on October 5, 2017 by ahcadmin

John Waggener, Associate Archivist at the AHC, has just released a new book, Snow Chi Minh Trail: The History of Interstate 80 between Laramie and Walcott Junction, published by the Wyoming State Historical Society, a non-profit membership-driven educational organization.

The title comes from long-haul truckers who dubbed Interstate 80 (specifically the 77-mile stretch between Walcott Junction and Laramie) the “Snow Chi Minh Trail,” a negative reference to the similarly mountainous roadway used by North Vietnamese soldiers to reach South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

John explains: “Those guys saw a lot of action and relived some of it as they drove across I-80. Not many stretches of highway across America have generated so much interest to fill the pages of a book, but Interstate 80 between Laramie and Rawlins is one of those exceptions.”

This stretch of road in south-central Wyoming is steeped in tragedy, controversy, myth and even conspiracy. On October 3, 1970, the newly constructed stretch of Interstate 80 was dedicated. Residents had warned highway officials of the adverse weather conditions around the area of Elk Mountain and advised them not to build a road there. Wyomingites who knew their history reminded highway officials that the Union Pacific Railroad looked at that same area 100 years earlier when it was planning and constructing the nation’s first transcontinental railroad and decided against the shorter, more direct route. It wasn’t but four days after the road was dedicated that a winter storm wreaked havoc on motorists traveling on the new road.  Wyomingites referred to the road as a “monument to human error.”

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In the early years along the Snow Chi Minh Trail, bulldozers were needed to clear drifts like this one at Milepost 274.9 east of Arlington, Wyoming. Source: Ronald Tabler Papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

“I started working on this project in 2004. It is pretty emotional to finally see it published,” John said, adding, “My family made many trips down I-80. Our road trips were full of sightseeing, explanations, and interpretations of the natural, cultural, and historical wonders found along the way.” One of his more vivid memories comes from an introduction to the Snow Chi Minh Trail in 1972 when his parents took him to a Wyoming Cowboys football game on October 7th (he still has the ticket stub). “The road conditions that day were favorable, but I will always remember the near whiteout conditions my dad got us safely through on several other occasions.”

John is a 5th generation Wyomingite, born and raised in the Interstate 80 town of Green River. He attended the University of Wyoming where he earned his undergraduate degree in education and geography and his graduate degree in geography. Since 2001 he has been a faculty archivist at the American Heritage Center where he enjoys preserving historical Wyoming documents and making them available to researchers.

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John Waggener “testing” the rails of a snow fence along I-80, 2008

The book is making its way to local booksellers around Wyoming, or can be ordered directly from the Society by contacting Linda Fabian, Executive Secretary, Wyoming State Historical Society, 307-322-3014 or linda@wyshs.org,

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Documenting Women’s Roles in Hollywood

Posted on September 25, 2017 by ahcadmin

Film and television entertains us all and are significant to American culture.  Whether through comedy, drama, or music, perspectives of our culture can be studied by observing what entertained us in the past.  The American Heritage Center’s vast entertainment collections exemplify multiple facets of American identity, but women in entertainment and their roles in the industry is one I find particularly fascinating.  The educational website “Women and Hollywood” notes that, while it may appear that women contribute equally to the film and television industry, in reality they are still underrepresented in Hollywood.  The Center contains several collections that feature women that were part of the industry or have information about their role in the industry, here are a few examples:

While leading ladies on the silver screen appear to be flawless and their work effortless, the tenacity and hard work it requires to “make it” is often overlooked.  June Knight’s collection features diaries where she describes her daily routine of rehearsals.

June Knight_Box 1_Folder 6_Diary

Entries from one of June Knight’s diaries.  June Knight Papers, #5731, Folder 6, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming

More can be learned about the experiences of actresses from costumes, photographs, diaries, scripts, and other materials housed at the AHC.  From actress’ collections, information about American culture can also be learned.  From costumes, we can glean information about material culture, and from scripts and production materials, we can discover how women were perceived in the mainstream through their portrayal on film.  In addition to June Knight, the American Heritage Center also has the collections of actresses Barbara Stanwyck, Anne Baxter, silent film star Jean “Babe” London, and Carroll Baker. Not to be missed are the records of organizations that study the industry, such as the Women’s History Research Center, a group created by women’s rights activist Laura X.

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Found in the collection of television producer William Dozier, the caption for this photograph of Julie Newmar and Lesley Gore shows the production’s marketing strategy using the beautiful femme fatale.  William Dozier Papers, #6851, Box 18, Folder 6, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

womens history research center

Women & Film was a magazine that had a short run in the early 1970s.  This magazine incorporated second wave feminist theory and the film industry.  Women’s History Research Center resources files, #5879, Box 88, Folder 7, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

The accomplishments of women aren’t just on the screen, but behind it as well.  Women have contributed to writing some our favorite scenes, examples of which can be found in the papers of screenwriters Diana Gould and Camille Marchetta, two women who wrote for the 1980s hit television series Dynasty and other successful programs.

Women in the film and television industry have contributed greatly to American entertainment and culture, and it is exciting that through the Center’s collections their impact is made visible.

Posted in Entertainment history, Film History, television history, Uncategorized, Women in History, Women in Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Rock Springs Massacre, September 2, 1885

Posted on September 8, 2017 by mmarcusse

During the summer of 1885, tensions had been building between Chinese coal miners and European coal miners in Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory. Both groups were employed by the Union Pacific Coal Company and were having a dispute over wages.

According to Dudley Gardner in his article “The Wyoming Experience; Chinese in Wyoming” he states the following about growing tensions in the mines, “Growing anti-Chinese sentiment, coupled with Union Pacific’s wage-cutting policies, led to a volatile situation. Warnings of this sentiment came to the attention of the management of the Union Pacific, but they went unheeded.  Seemingly, little was done to avoid events that eventually erupted in violence.

                One of the contributing factors that led to the anti-Chinese movement in the coalmines was a perception that Chinese miners were treated better than whites.  This false perception grew in part from cultural misunderstanding.  In fact, on the average, Chinese coal miners made less and paid more for goods and services.  For example, in the late 1880s Chinese miners earned between $1.73 and $2 a day for their labors underground.  By comparison, white miners earned $2.50 to $3 each day. Meanwhile, Chinese coal miners rented their homes for between $5 and $7 each month.  Union Pacific rented similar houses for $2.50 a month to white miners.  Interestingly, for September 1885, when the Chinese miners only lived two days in the Union Pacific homes, they were charged either $1 or $2 rent.  Meanwhile, the head of Union Pacific Coal Company, D. O. Clark, who lived in one of the finest houses in town in the years leading up to the tragedy in Rock Springs, paid only $5 a month rent.

                Despite these facts, many whites felt that the Union Pacific granted the Chinese extra privileges.  The major complaints of the white miners in the 1880s included the statement that “Chinese miners were favored in the assignment of rooms in the mines,” where the actual extracting of coal took place.  The coal miners in Rock Springs thought that the Chinese miners were given the easiest “workings” where they could more easily extract coal and make more money each day.  To this end, white miners accused J. M. Tisdel, mine superintendent in Rock Springs, of selling “privileges to Chinamen.”  Adding to their discontent was the fact that Union Pacific coal miners were “compelled to trade at the Beckwith, Quinn and Company store.” Trade at Beckwith and Quinn was especially objectionable to the white miners since this company had brought the Chinese miners into Wyoming.”

On the morning of Sept. 2, 1885, growing tensions turned violent when a mob of European coal miners attacked their Chinese co-workers at the mine. Later that afternoon, an angry mob had formed which led to more violence within the Chinatown community of Rock Springs. At the end of the tragedy, the community learned that 28 Chinese miners had been killed and 15 more were wounded. Seventy-nine homes were set ablaze and the bodies of many of the dead were thrown into the flames. Several hundred Chinese workers were chased out of town and property damage was estimated at $150,000.

In the days and weeks following the riot, newspapers across the country reported on the event, including the Las Vegas Daily Gazette on Sept. 4, 1885 as seen here from the Library of Congress: “Worse Than Reported.”

Close up of headline on front page of the newspaper Las Vegas Gazette from September 4, 1885. Reads "Worse than reported. Instead of having been exaggerated, as is usually the case in places where riots have occured, it seems that the reports sents out yesterday were meagre in comparison with the real state of affairs - hundreds of Chinaman in the mountains in a starving condition, afraid to go in search of food - the attack a preconceived affair."

Headline from the front page of the Las Vegas Gazette, September 4, 1885, reporting on the extend of the Rock Springs Massacre. Image from the Library of Congress, Chronicling America project.

Front page of the newspaper, Las Vegas Gazette, on September 4, 1885. Second column is a story describing the Rock Spings Massacre in an article titled "Worse than Reported."

Las Vegas Gazette front page from September 4, 1885. Second column shows reporting on the Rock Springs Massacre. Image from the Library of Congress, Chronicling America project.

“Rock Springs Massacre” illustration, seen below, is archived at the American Heritage Center and the Library of Congress. This illustration of the massacre was published in the Sept. 26, 1885 edition of Harper’s Weekly and was drawn by Thure. de Thulstrup from photographs by Lieutenant C.A. Booth of the Seventh United States Infantry. https://www.loc.gov/item/89708533/

Black and white drawing of Chinese men fleeing a group of armed white men behind them. The background has smoke from fires and guns.

Illustration of the massacre from the Sept. 26, 1885 edition of Harper’s Weekly. The massacre of the Chinese at Rock Springs, Wyoming drawn by Thure. de Thulstrup from photographs by Lieutenant C.A. Booth, Seventh United States Infantry.

On September 8, 1885, the Springfield Globe Republic newspaper (Springfield, OH) reported that the sheriff of Sweetwater County arrested 22 of “the supposed” rioters in Rock Springs, as seen here from the Library of Congress: “Arresting the Rioters.”

Image of newspaper article from the front page of the Springfield Globe-Republic from September 8, 1885. Headline reads "Arresting the rioters. Twnety-two of the supposed Rock Springs leaders jailed. A Member-Elect of the Legislature among the prisoners - A formidable array of charges - more arrests to follow - a Chinaman describes the massacre."

Front page of the Springfield Globe-Republic (Springfield, OH), from September 8, 1885, reporting on the arrest of “the supposed” rioters. From the Library of Congress, Chronicling America project.

Black and white photograph of men in uniform standing in a line along a street. All are holding rifles.

Photograph from the National Archives, depicts Federal Troops on South Front Street in Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory, 1885.

Federal troops arrived in Rock Springs one week after the murders to restore order. They would remain in Rock Springs for 13 years, until 1898.

Although the killing and rioting had been done in broad daylight, law enforcement was unable to get any members of the community to attest to what they saw and the crimes that were committed. No European miners or community members were ever put on trial for the murders or looting.

Thomas Nast, one of the most prolific illustrators of the time, created the following editorial cartoon in 1885 to depict the massacre in Rock Springs.

Cartoon shows two men in traditional Chinese clothing looking down at large groups of violence below them. Area showing the massacre contains lots of men attacking Chinese men. Caption says "Here's a pretty mess! (In Wyoming.) Chinese Satirical Diplomatist. There's no doubt of the United States being at the head of enlightened nations!"

Cartoon drawn by Thomas Nast in 1885 that depicts the massacre in Rock Springs. From the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Illustration by Frederick B. Opper in 1885 that shows Uncle Sam preparing a list of places in China where “Americans [have been] killed by Chinese” and a Chinese man preparing a list of places in America where “Chinese [have been] killed by Americans” including the latest incident in “Wyoming Territory”. From the Library of Congress: https://www.loc.gov/item/2011660543/

Front cover of Puck Magazine from September 16, 1885. Color cartoon shows Uncle Sam at a desk writing list of places where Americans have been killed in China and a Chinese man sitting at another desk writing a longer list of places in the U.S. where Chinese people have been killed. Credit underneath reads "Keeping account. China - Taking in the late massacre of my people in Wyoming Territory, there seems to be a slight balance to my credit!"

Cover of Puck Magazine, September 16, 1885. Illustration shows Uncle Sam preparing a list of places in China where “Americans [have been] killed by Chinese” and a Chinese man preparing a list of places in America where “Chinese [have been] killed by Americans” including the latest incident in “Wyoming Territory”. Illustration by Frederick B. Opper.

Several resources are available and accessible to learn more about the events that occurred in early September 1885 in Rock Springs, WY Territory. “Incident at Bitter Creek, the Story of the Rock Springs Chinese Massacre” by Craig Storti is a work of non-fiction, originally published in 1991. Numerous newspaper articles from Chronicling America, part of the Library of Congress, have been gathered together about the topic of the Rock Springs Massacre. In 2003, young adult author, Laurence Yep wrote a book of historical fiction to add to his Golden Mountain Chronicles, which documents the fictional Young family from 1849 in China to 1995 in America. The Traitor is a juxtaposition of two perspectives; Joseph Young, a 12-year-old Chinese-American coal miner and Michael Purdy, an outcast both living in Rock Springs. They become friends and live through the tension filled summer of 1885 and the events which led to the massacre of 28 Chinese miners.  Tom Rea, editor of WyoHistory.org, wrote an article for Wyoming’s online encyclopedia, titled “The Rock Springs Massacre“.

Posted in Asian American history, Local history, mining history, resources, Under-documented communities, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We did it! Repairs and Plaque at Lowell O’Bryan Monument

Posted on August 31, 2017 by ahcadmin

On September 15, 2017, a dedication ceremony took place at the site of a monument to Lowell O’Bryan, a University of Wyoming student killed in 1922 while participating in a UW campus event. The stone monument is located on the UW campus, on the walkway leading to 9th street just west of the front entrance to Old Main.

During the fall semester of 1922, a new “prexy” was to arrive at UW. In October, Dr. Arthur G. Crane was set to begin his tenure as the school’s 12th president. Students and faculty devised a “wild west” welcome for the Easterner in which they would dress as cowboys and, on horses, meet Crane as he neared Laramie and “abduct” him into a waiting stagecoach for the drive onto campus.

Their prank went off smoothly, except for one tragic exception. Earlier in the day, one of the best horsemen on campus, Lowell O’Bryan, a junior studying agriculture, was critically injured as he helped ride out the mounts for the Crane reception—meaning that he rode them until they calmed down and stopped bucking. O’Bryan intentionally made one mount buck; then, suddenly, the horse broke toward a wire fence. Fearing the horse would break through and into a group of students, O’Bryan tried to dismount to head off the horse, but the saddle slipped and he was thrown underneath the horse, badly kicked and dragged about 30 yards before being rescued. He died a week later. He was 23.

O'Bryan from 1923 yearbook

Lowell O’Bryan. Photo from the 1923 University of Wyoming yearbook

O’Bryan’s death cast a pall of sadness over the university. By 1927, friends and classmates of O’Bryan had raised the necessary funds to construct the memorial fountain we now see just west of Old Main’s front entrance. For many years, the only commemoration was a cryptic bronze plaque over the fountain basin that states: “He gave himself to insure the safety of others” along with an epitaph etched into stone reading “In Memory of Lowell O’Bryan October 10, 1922.”  As the years went by, the story of O’Bryan faded until few were left who knew his story. Also, the monument steadily fell under disrepair; the stonework chipped, effloresced, and faded over time.

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Monument as it looked when installed in 1927. It was originally located where the Biological Sciences building now stands. At one time, it was a functioning fountain. Photo from the AHC’s Ludwig-Svenson Collection.

In the fall semester 2015, Leslie Waggener and Rick Ewig of the American Heritage Center introduced the prospect to their First-Year Seminar of raising awareness and finding funds to repair the monument and to add a plaque explaining its significance. Through class efforts, more than $1,500 was raised. In the summer of 2017, thanks to the efforts of UW’s Facilities Engineering Project Manager Charlie Jahner and others, the monument has been repaired and an explanatory plaque installed. The story of Lowell O’Bryan is a secret no longer.

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AHC’s First-Year Seminar (fall 2015) initiated the process of repairing the monument and placing a plaque explaining the monument’s significance.

For more information, contact Leslie Waggener at lwaggen2@uwyo.edu or 307-766-2557.

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

Farewell to the Old Laramie High School

Posted on August 11, 2017 by mmarcusse
Color photo showing an aerial view of the former Laramie High School looking east.

Color photo showing an aerial view looking east. Photo taken by Allan H. Krafczik around 1960-61. From Box 98, Folder 9C of the Allan H. Krafczik papers, American Heritage Center.

With an increasing student population in Laramie in the 1950s, the Albany County School District began efforts to construct a new high school to serve the growing needs of the community. In 1957, the architectural firm of Hitchcock & Hitchcock was hired to design a new high school. The site of 11th Street between Reynolds Street and Shield Street was selected, and Spiegelberg Lumber & Construction Company was hired to build the school. Construction began by 1959, and the school was completed in time for the 1960 school year. The first graduating class was the Class of 1961. As Laramie continued to grow, the school district once again had to consider a new facility. As construction of the new facility at the east end of the city neared completion, the final graduation occurred on May 29, 2016, marking the end of a total of 57 classes to graduate from the 11th Street School. The current facility was dedicated on August 11, 2016, with the first graduating class being the Class of 2017. At the same time, demolition commenced on the old school, and by August 2017, all that remained were piles of rubble.

The photos below are from Box 98, Folder 9C of the Allan H. Krafczik Collection. Krafczik operated the Easel Studio, located at 5th and Grand, from the 1950s through the 1980s.

Black and white photo looking east towards the Laramie Mountains. Houses are visible on all sides of the former Laramie High School, except for east. East of the former high school is an empty field with the Laramie Mountains in the background.

View east looking towards the Laramie Mountains. Photo taken by Allan H. Krafczik around 1960-61.

Black and white photo looking southwest toward the downtown area and showing Deti Stadium, named in honor of Coach John Deti Sr. From this view there are houses and buildings visible in much of the shot, including West Laramie.

View looking southwest toward the downtown area and showing Deti Stadium, named in honor of Coach John Deti Sr. Photo taken by Allan H. Krafczik around 1960-61.

Black and white photo of Laramie High School and Deti Stadium looking northeast toward W Hill, there is a W visible on the hill. Houses are visible on the south and west sides of the former Laramie High School, while there are empty fields to the north and east sides.

View looking northeast toward W Hill (the W can be seen on the hillside). Photo taken by Allan H. Krafczik around 1960-61.

A color photo of the entrance to the former Laramie High School. There is snow on the ground in front of the building.

Color photo of the former Laramie High School. Photo taken by Allan H. Krafczik around 1960-61.

– John Waggener, Reference Archivist

Posted in architectural history, Laramie, Local history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Post and Carpenter – The Television Sound

Posted on July 24, 2017 by

The history of television in the 1980s cannot be told without discussing the music of Mike Post and Pete Carpenter. The team of Post and Carpenter first rose to fame in the 1970s with the music for The Rockford Files, and they even scored a pop chart hit with the theme to The Greatest American Hero. But their work for 1980s TV, especially the cop and detective dramas (such as Hunter) created by producer and writer Stephen Cannell, made their musical style the default sound of American television. They also worked with Cannell on shows like The A-Team, which was decidedly not in the cop/detective mold. Mike Post furthered his influence on the procedural genre after Carpenter’s death with his work on Dick Wolf’s Law and Order franchise, complete with the iconic “dun-dun” sound.

In the American Heritage Center, the Mike Post and Pete Carpenter Collection documents this work and is a great asset to researchers who want to look into this key moment and team in the history of television music. This collection collects the full scope of Post and Carpenter’s work in the 1970s and 1980s, from early shows like Toma and The Rockford Files, continuing on with A-Team and many shows they worked on for Cannell Productions in the 1980s that are not as well remembered, such as Riptide and Hardcastle and McCormick. Also included is Post’s solo efforts on the classic and influential police drama Hill Street Blues, co-created and produced by Stephen Bochco.

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Page 2 of The A-Team main title. From Box 119 of the Mike Post and Pete Carpenter Collection.

The collection mainly consists of the scores and parts used for recording, with most of them also including a cue sheet. These cue sheets are a valuable source of information on the many composers and arrangers who worked in the Post and Carpenter offices and who wrote many of the cues credited to Post and Carpenter, mimicking their iconic style.

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A typical cue sheet, this from an episode of Riptide, note the presence of the many orchestrators, including Walter Murphy. From Box 69 of the Mike Post and Pete Carpenter Collection.

This is not surprising considering that the team were scoring hundreds of hours of television each season. Included on these scores and cue sheets are names such as Ron Jones and Walter Murphy, both of whom have long composition careers of their own, with both even working together on the animated show Family Guy. Ron Jones also worked extensively on Star Trek: The Next Generation and even parodied his music from the show in later work on Family Guy.

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The first page of a cue from The A-Team by Ron Jones in the style of Post and Carpenter. Note the placement of his name first as composer and also orchestrator. From Box 119 of the Mike Post and Pete Carpenter Collection.

While the bulk of the collection is the scores, parts, and cue sheets, there are a limited number of “music timing” guides for the 1970s materials, including dozens of such guides from The Rockford Files. These are typed versions of spotting session notes and were used by Post and Carpenter as they went to work on crafting the scores for each episodes. There are a limited number of guides for other, short lived shows, along with some pilots that never went to series.

These materials provide a rich source of research material for film and television music scholars who wish to research the music for one of the most prolific composition teams ever, and whose music accompanied some of the shows that helped set the stage for today’s television landscape.

– Michael Harris, graduate intern

Posted in Composers, music, television history, Television Music | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering Barbara Stanwyck – A Life in Film and Scrapbooks

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

“She wanted to be a dancer or a missionary, but eventually she decided to become an actress… She has intelligence, sincerity, and much charm. She is devoted to her husband and her home interests, and loves little children. Only recently she and her husband adopted a baby boy. She likes pretty clothes, too, and gypsy colors like this brown and bittersweet costume with its cute Ascot tie.” — Warner Brothers, scrapbook in Stanwyck collection number 3787, box 48

Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Biography and profiles, Hollywood history, Interns' projects, motion picture history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment