Tag Archives: Wyoming history

Cementing a Relationship: How Concrete brought New Mexicans to Wyoming

The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) was one event that led to Hispanics first settling in Wyoming, as it brought the U.S. Army into Wyoming. Only shortly after the war ended, the United States sent the Regiment of Mounted Rifles to occupy … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, Construction, Fort Laramie, Immigration, Local history, military history, Oregon trail, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, Western history, Westward migration, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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

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

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

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

Mileva Maravic remembers Prohibition in Gebo, Wyoming

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

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

Mileva Maravic remembers Gebo, Wyoming

110 years ago, the coal-mining town of Gebo was established about twelve miles north of Thermopolis in Hot Springs County. The town took its name from Samuel W. Gebo, an entrepreneurial developer of the coal mines in Washakie and Hot … Continue reading

Posted in Coal industry, Economic Geology, found in the archive, Local history, mining history, newly processed collections, Western history, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | 41 Comments

Nellie Tayloe Ross: The (First) Governor Lady

On Nov 4, 1924, Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected governor of Wyoming, and became the first woman governor in the United States. Ross was elected a month after her husband, Governor William B. Ross, died suddenly of appendicitis. On the … Continue reading

Posted in Politics, Ross, Nellie Tayloe, western politics and leadership, Women in History, Women in Politics, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Elizabeth Orpha Sampson Hoyt, Notable Woman of the West

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 … Continue reading

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

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 … Continue reading

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

The Rock Springs Massacre, September 2, 1885

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 … Continue reading

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

Farewell to the Old Laramie High School

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 … Continue reading

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