A Friday Afternoon with Dr. Agnes (and a Busload of Norwegians)
By Phil Roberts I’m not a specialist on Scandinavian history and biography, but one late spring day, after several heavy downpours during the week, I …
A 42-Year Tie Ends: The Scrapping of a 1979 Chrysler
By Phil Roberts A 42-year odyssey with a white 1979 Chrysler LeBaron came to an end this week when we sold it to a salvage …
Pumping Gas on the Cody Road to Yellowstone
A Reminiscence by Phil Roberts Pumping gas at a filling station was a pretty good job for high school students in those long-ago days before …
Not the Olympics: My Idaho Sheet-throwing Title
By Phil Roberts Olympic records are falling every day… I’m reminded, more than 50 years after becoming “State Champion,” of the time I finally decided …
“Mrs. Barriers” and the Crusade to Make Wyoming Public Buildings Accessible
By Phil Roberts The Americans with Disabilities Act was far in the future when a group of Lusk residents first met to …
Hooray for Laramie?: Wyoming’s Brush with Hollywood Fame
By Phil Roberts In the 1950s, a celebrated veteran in the entertainment business wrote about his memories of Wyoming in his autobiography. He …
28 Events That Happened in Wyoming on the Fourth of July
From Phil, David, Steven Roberts, Wyoming Almanac, 7th ed. (Cheyenne, 2013), p.. 225. 1. Missionary Marcus Whitman led patriotic prayer service at South Pass en …
Soldier Scrip: Transfer of Federal Land in Wyoming
By Phil Roberts An important location in Laramie figures in this story…. In the days before the GI Bill, Congress did provide material thanks …
1935: A Momentous Year in Wyoming History
by Phil Roberts Posted 22 June 2021, but 1st posted 15 February 2015 (The following is an abstract of remarks made to the Laramie County …
The Brief Wyoming Visit by a Reigning Emperor, 1876
By Phil Roberts In these times of ever more curiosity with the antics of the British royals (and former royals), writers have remarked on the …
History of Wyoming Tour
June 2008 Guided by Phil Roberts, author of this brief narrative Day 1: Laramie to Sundance As we leave Laramie, we get a quick …
Diamonds in the Rough: The Great Hoax in Wyoming Territory
By Phil Roberts One day in 1871 two miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack, walked into a bank in San Francisco and asked that their …
LIST OF WYOMING WAR DEAD
(Vietnam War & Korean War) Wyoming soldiers, sailors, Marines, have died in wars since territorial days in the 19th century. Lists of names of those …
Wyoming’s Second Constitutional Convention and the Repeal of Prohibition
This week is the anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in Wyoming. The full story may be found here. https://wyomingalmanac.com/?page_id=360 Chapter 16 On May 25, …
Wyoming’s First Arbor Day, 1888
By Phil Roberts Wyoming law establishes the last Monday in April as Arbor Day. On that day, according to the statute, a “tree …
Everything About Wyoming Webpage Has Moved–To Here! Note New Search-term Name
By Phil Roberts, 2 May 2021 We’ve moved the website, but it is directly reachable through the words “Wyoming Almanac” and no longer from “Everything …
The “Cheyenne 200”: The 1909 Auto Race Rival to Indianapolis
By Phil Roberts During the same week in August 1909, two cities held what each billed as their first annual automobile race. One race–moved to …
Sleeping with the Nuclear Genie
Health Officials Comment on Wyoming-Made Uranium Bags and Pillows, 1955 By Phil Roberts In the middle 1950s, with the advent of radioactivity and the …
The Fountain and the Mural
A seldom-noticed stone drinking fountain intersects and blocks the long, straight sidewalk west of Old Main halfway to University Avenue. Almost hidden among the summer …
Discrimination and Liquor Licensing, 1935: A Brief Extract
Ed. note: This is a brief excerpt from a much longer article about liquor licensing in post-Prohibition Wyoming. This piece focuses on a racial issue …
High Country Shores: The New Immigrants to the Cowboy State
by Albin Wagner Published in Capitol Times (Cheyenne), Vol. 1, #12, September 1983, pp. 17-20. Editor’s Note, February 23, 2018 Wyoming has been a “state of …
Aliens and Slackers: Loyalty, Sedition and Vigilante Justice in World War I Wyoming
By Phil Roberts Wyoming has been the least populated state throughout most of its existence, The small population variously has been a disadvantage, particularly with …
Wyoming Town Ordinances Favored Law and Order
Lots of myths are out there about how local Western towns approached guns in their earliest years. Below is the city ordinance of Cheyenne, 1867. …
12 Wyoming Myths
Myths have surprisingly long lifespans and they are extremely difficult to correct once they’ve been accepted by the popular culture. Following are at least 12 …
UW’s First Chinese Student, 1929
(This article was written by a visiting scholar at UW in 2010, with the goal of publishing in a Chinese journal) The head line on …
Hamlet and the Chicken Thieves
In the 19th century and the first couple of decades in the 20th, many Wyoming towns hosted visits from world-renowned actors. Transcontinental air traffic flies …
Tour of Wyoming, 2016 (Part 1)
(For a look at photos, click on Wyoming Almanac, Tours, 2016).Every two years in the past decade or so, the Laramie Plains Museum has sponsored …
The Partnership Years: The Wyoming State Historical Society and the State of Wyoming, 1966-1994.
By Phil Roberts. The decades of the 1960s through the 1980s marked a maturation of public interest in Wyoming history. In 1951 Wyoming laws designated …
Two Wyomingites Who Tried to Fly, 1880s
By Phil Roberts It was a winter day in Kitty Hawk, North Caroline, in 1903 when Wilbur and Orville Wright’s flying machine launched the air …
Wyoming Corral of Westerners Held 65th Year in 2018
The first “corral” of Westerners International established in Wyoming is more than 65 years old. The organization was formed nationally by Black Hills-born historian Leland …
A Memoir Account of Running for Congressional Office in Wyoming, 1954
A Report to Peripatetics in 1955 by John F. Sullivan Edited with annotations by Phil Roberts, July 2016 The following transcription is from a …
Wyoming Almanac Book
Stories, Facts and People of Wyoming. Since 1987, Wyoming Almanac has been a mainstay for information about the State of Wyoming — it’s people, environment, …
DAY 3: Johnson County
DAY 3: Johnson County After a bus drive-by of the Three Crowns golf course remediation site where the Standard Oil refinery once stood, the tour …
20th Century History
Sept. 21: Western Travel and Transportation Guidebooks and Travel Accounts. Following are two types of works: contemporary accounts of early travel and travel guidebooks relied …
American Legal History
Instructor: Dr. Phil Roberts Class Meeting Time: M, W, F, 2:10-3 p.m., 208 Business Bldg. Office: 356 History Bldg. E-mail address: philr@uwyo.edu Office Hours: M, W, 10-Noon, and …
Comparing Frontiers (HIST 5605/HIST 5650, Spring 2005)
COMPARING FRONTIERS HIST 5605/HIST 5650, Spring 2005 Instructors: Kristine T. Utterback Office: History 258. Phone: 766-6259 Office Hours: M, 2-3; W, 2-4, or by …
American Environmental History (History 4475/5475)
AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY History 4475/5475 Autumn Term, 2017 Instructor: Dr. Phil Roberts Time: M, W, F, 1:10-2 p.m. …
HISTORY 1251 History of Wyoming
Note: This syllabus was for a class taught in 2017. This is an “open source” syllabus and open to anyone who may wish to utilize …
History of Oil (HIST 4535/5535)
History of Oil (HIST 4535/5535) Spring 2017 Instructor: Dr. Phil Roberts Time: T, Th, 1:20-2:35 p.m. Place: Class will meet in Room 115 of the Half …
Revised Oil Syllabus
Updated Special Message (Posted March 16) The course will be switched from face-to-face to online for the rest of this term (Spring 2020). Watch this page …
List of Phil’s Courses
From 1990-2017, Phil taught dozens of different classes at the University of Wyoming. During that same time period, he taught the History of Wyoming freshman …
Seminar History of American West (Hist 5630)
Seminar History of American West (Hist 5630) Autumn Term, 2015Phil Roberts …
Seminar Topics in Wyoming History (HIST 4610) Spring 2017
Seminar Topics in Wyoming History (HIST 4610) Spring 2017 Time: W, 6-8:30 p.m. Place: History 155 Instructor: Phil Roberts Office hours: T, 11-noon; Wed, 1-2:30 p.m., and …
Wyoming History (HIST 1251)
SYLLABUS FOR FALL, 2014 M, W, 9-9:50 a.m., 133 Classroom Bldg. Discussion Sections: F Dr. Phil Roberts Office: 356 History Bldg., 766-5311 Office Hours: Mon., Wed., 10 …
History of Wyoming (HIST 1251)
Instructor: Phil Roberts E-mail: philr@uwyo.edu Place: 133 Classroom Building Time: T, Th., 9:35-10:50 a.m. (no discussion sections) Office: 356 History Bldg. Phil’s Office Hours: Mon., 2-3 p.m., Tues., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., and …
Mass Communication Law (COJO 4500)
Mass Communication Law (COJO 4500) Fall, 2015 Instructor: Phil Roberts Time: T, Th, 1:20-2:35 p.m. Place: Engineering 3102 Office: 356 History Bldg. Email: philr@uwyo.edu Office Hours: M, 2-3 p.m.; T, 11 …
HISTORY 1251 Spring 2017
HISTORY 1251 Spring 2017 Instructor: Phil Roberts E-mail: philr@uwyo.edu Place: CR 133 Time: T, Th, 9:35-10:50 a.m. Office: 356 History Bldg. Phil’s Office Hours: T, 11 a.m.-noon; Wed., 1-2:30 p.m., …