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 …
Month: April 2021
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., …
HIST 4990-1 TOPICS: History of Wyoming Law
HIST 4990-1 TOPICS: History of Wyoming Law Students will use the online chapters of History of Wyoming Law for organizing materials chronologically. The chapters will …
Constitution of the State of Wyoming
CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF WYOMING (containing amendments through Dec. 31, 2012) This is an unofficial copy to be used for History of Wyoming and …
Introduction to the Web Edition
INTRODUCTION TO THE WEB EDITION This entirely web-based series of articles is based on the fifth edition of a book consisting of essays relating …
Chapter 1: Earliest Treaties
Three Important 19th Century Treaties Several important treaties were made between the Federal Government and native tribes then occupying Wyoming. Two of the most significant …
Chapter 2: Fur Trade and Rendezvous
Chapter 2: Fur Trade and the Rendezvous System The brief 16-year period of the fur trade rendezvous in Wyoming illustrates enduring truths in the economic …
Chapter 3: Trail to Somewhere Else
Chapter 3: Wyoming as a Trail to Somewhere Else Various travelers came west with rendezvous trading parties and continued on their own. These included the …
Chapter 4: Primary Documents for Chapter 3
Chapter 4: Primary Documents for Chapter 3 Document 1: Extracts from Capt. Howard Stansbury, report to Col. John James Abert, Chief, Corps of Topographical Engineers, …
Chapter 5: Coming of Rails
Chapter 5: Coming of Rails Section 1: Choosing a Route and Financing Construction Horses, oxen and other draft animals had been the transportation mainstays for eons. …
Chapter 6: Building the Rails
Chapter 6: Building the Rails Section 1: Choosing a Route and Financing Construction Horses, oxen and other draft animals had been the transportation mainstays for eons. …
Chapter 7: Women’s Rights
Chapter 7: Establishing the Territory and Granting Women Equal Rights “For the first time in the history of our country, the organization of a territorial …
Chapter 8: Public Lands
Chapter 8: Public Lands From the nation’s beginning, many Americans believed the country’s future was in agriculture. Public officials articulated a continuing policy that …
Chapter 9: Water and Irrigation
Chapter 9: Water and Irrigation By Phil Roberts In the interest of furthering Thomas Jefferson’s agrarian ideal, Congress passed the original Homestead Act in …
Chapter 10: Wyoming Oil
Chapter 10: Wyoming Oil By Phil Roberts New History of Wyoming Chapter 9 This essay was written as part of the readings/lectures for a course …
Chapter 11: Constitutional Convention and Statehood
Chapter 11: Constitutional Convention and Statehood Essays: “Wyoming Becomes a State: The Constitutional Convention and Statehood Debates of 1889 and 1890 — and Their Aftermath” …
Chapter 12: Contest for the Capital:
Chapter 12: Contest for the Capital: The Capital Location Election of 1904 By Phil Roberts Wyomingites organized for statehood in the late 19th century, along …
Chapter 13: Women’s Suffrage
Chapter 13: Creation of Wyoming Territory: Impeachment and Women’s Suffrage by Phil Roberts – 2019 Impeachment played an important, but subtle role in the creation …
Chapter 14: Creating Counties in 1911
Chapter 14: Creating Counties in 1911 Why Two of Wyoming’s “Grand Old Men” Have No Counties Named for Them By Phil Roberts The 1911 …