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 by appointment
Office: 356 History Bldg.
E-mail: philr@uwyo.edu
OBJECTIVE:This course will explore the major issues (and myths) involving the people, law, economy, environment and culture in Wyoming history through reading, researching, writing and class discussions. The aim of the course will be to prepare students in specific areas of Wyoming history through substantial reading and research, the specific research paper tailored to each student’s research goal. The course is designed to allow exploration of the various genres in Wyoming history and to explore, through readings, four broad topics in Wyoming history. These will be: law and politics; the land, minerals and agriculture; media; society and culture. During the first class, the class will determine the order in which each topic will be examined (or which of the topics, if any, might be eliminated). Consequently, the three-week segments listed on the syllabus (below) are interchangeable. We might start with, say, law and politics and end with media. Any permutation is possible. In the event of indecision, the instructor will reserve the right to make the final determination of the order. One important feature of the class is exploration of the numerous myths that have arisen over the years about historical events in the state’s history. We will be exploring, as discerning historians, how these myths evolved and whether or not they were/are factual.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:The essential requirement for this course is diligent reading and thinking about Wyoming issues and their history. A major research paper will be required as well as oral contributions to class discussions. As preparation for writing the paper/essay, students will be expected to read significant works on the specific topic as well as to gain familiarity with primary source materials. Because students are expected to understand the breadth of Wyoming history as well as their specific research area, students will be assigned three books, no two on the same general topic EXCEPT for their research area in which an additional four books will be assigned. Several articles/essays will be assigned as common readings during the course of the semester.
Additionally, because the history of the Wyoming involves continuities from the past and contemporary issues are based on earlier events, students are expected to read about Wyoming issues regularly as articles about such issues appear in the national and regional press. Ideally, each student will have a general understanding of the more traditional Western/Wyoming historiography, although readings will be made available to those who wish to either refresh their knowledge of the topic or bring it up to date.
Individually Assigned Readings: These will consist of three books, no two from the same discussion category, for each student, as well as four additional books from the area in which each may elect to write her/his final research paper. The class will be based on discussions derived from individually assigned readings addressing the below-listed specific areas of Western history. The course grade will be derived from the oral reviews and on a final paper, the topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor.
CLASS PROCEDURE: Because this also will be a research and writing seminar, the procedures will vary from standard reading seminars. Specific topics may be examined for three weeks each. The first week, common readings will provide context for the topic and how Wyoming history was affected by it. In the second week, students will report on secondary works focusing on the particular topic in Wyoming history. During each third week, oral reviews will be made of primary source materials on the topic.
Specifically, for each topic, each student will be assigned an individual reading, either a monograph or journal article for each topic. Additionally, students will be asked to examine a primary document collection relating to that topic and be prepared to discuss the findings in class.
RESEARCH PAPER: During the first two sessions, each student will select what specific topic he/she wishes to pursue for the final research paper. Work will continue on that paper throughout the semester.
The research paper MUST: 1) involve a Wyoming topic; 2) must be directly connected to one of the topics examined in this class; 3) must include research in primary sources. Structurally, the formal essay/research paper may take one of several forms, but an emphasis will be made on it being a self-contained article about a particular issue in the history of the Wyoming or short biography of an individual. The product should be the result of careful reading of existing works on the topic as well as sound, careful, original research.
Presentations, from 20-30 minutes, will be scheduled during the last class of the semester (May 3) and, if required, during finals week. This will include bibliographic essays although the form of the presentation likely will be distinct from the research-oriented papers. All students are required to attend the presentation sessions.
PAPERS, EXAMS, GRADES
Final research paper: 40%
Final paper presentation and reading of monographs on topic: 25%
Reports on individually-assigned monographs and secondary/primary documents: 20%
Class participation: 15%
There will be NO final exam in this class.
On or before the first class meeting, students will be provided with lists of possible research topics. Students may choose from the list or determine for themselves a specific aspect of one of the topics.
SOME POSSIBLE TOPICS, 2017
Subjects for extensive research papers in Wyoming and Western history are numerous and diverse. This list provides some general ideas (as well as a few specific topics), by no means exhaustive, of research topics in the general field.
Good history has an element of good story-telling, but historians also analyze and interpret evidence, develop broader theses about events and causation, and utilize relevant theoretical concepts in answering questions and assessing data. Below are a few suggestions, mostly involving Wyoming topics, but there are literally millions of other possibilities. Of the topics listed below, in nearly every instance, your instructor can help locate difficult to obtain source materials or get you in contact with individuals who may shed light on the incident(s) or provide personal recollections or papers.
In the course of working on your projects, I will be discussing strategies for placement of articles in journals as well as monograph publication with a variety of presses. Although many of these topics are “big enough” for more than one investigator, my preference in this class would be for each person to select a different topic. In each of the broader subject areas, I have tried to come up with as many possible topics as we have students. I emphasize once again, however, that these are merely suggestions and many of you already mentioned, last class, that you have topic ideas you wish to investigate in this class.
The Comparative Approach
A useful means of learning more about particular themes in Western history (or history generally) is to utilize a comparative approach. For instance, one could examine how a particular form of scientific innovation influenced development in the American West and compare it with similar developments in, say, the Middle East, Australia, Africa. Comparative work requires significant study and a clear understanding of cultural/social/political differences as well as the ability to examine a multitude of often greatly dispersed materials. Nonetheless, this is the trend in writing and studying history. An excellent example of work in this area is a book, written a number of years ago, comparing the Zulu wars in Africa with the Sioux wars in the American West. For those of you interested in topics that have been well-studied by earlier historians, applying a comparative angle might provide a distinctive way of examining what might be considered otherwise as replowing old ground.
Society and Culture
1. Women Physicians
In Wyoming Dr. Lillian Heath Nelson of Rawlins started a medical practice in 1893 and until her death in the early 1960s, she held Wyoming medical license number 5. There were several other women in the profession in the early 20th century including Dr. Frances Lane in Cody (the unwilling model for Caroline Lockhart’s “Lady Doc”.) The role of women in Wyoming medicine has not been explored except in general biographical terms.
2. Chicano Heritage
Work has been done on various ethnic groups in the Mountain West (including Jews, African Americans and Basques), but little attention has been paid to Chicano communities (with some exceptions like the regional study of Lovell by Augustin Redwine, the Sarah Deutsch study of Chicana women in Colorado, and occasional biographical pieces in Annals of Wyoming published over the years). In Wyoming, significant amounts of research materials were generated by the “LaCultura” project in the early 1980s. (Your instructor participated in the project of gathering oral histories, etc.) Several articles on specific Chicano families, some based on this project, were written by students in the early 2000s and published as a “theme issue” of Annals of Wyoming. Similar projects were conducted in other states and much material exists for study and interpretation.
3. “The Floating Population”
Occasional studies have been made of boomtowns and the effects of out-of-control growth on local communities. Little has been done on the newcomers–who they were, why they came, where they went, how they were influenced by their time in the “boom” communities. This project may be far beyond the scope of this class, but an exploratory paper on the topic would be doable. A study of Jeffrey City was done by an earlier graduate student here. Nonetheless, much remains to be explored in respect to this topic.
4. Vacation Spots for Eastern Intellectuals
Numerous well-known scholars, intellectuals and writers vacationed in Wyoming. Some were popular authors like Owen Wister, Jack London and Ernest Hemingway. Others included Vladimir Nabokov, Bernard Baruch, Robert Frost, Yale President Howard Lamar, painters Jackson Pollock (b. in Cody), Thomas Hart Benton, Albert Bierstadt. Many famous theatrical companies tarried in Wyoming en route across the state on the railroad. Numerous world-renowned musicians spent time in the state. What role, if any, did these visitors have in providing Wyomingites with a national culture? Were there differences in how these groups impacted varous communities?
5. Art in Public Places
Throughout the West, legislatures authorized state funding for the arts and state arts councils. What influence, if any, did legislation mandating art in public places have on art communities in the West? Who promoted the measure? One individual who was instrumental in this activity was the late State Sen. Thomas Stroock who died a couple of years ago. (His collection is in the AHC)..But did the impulse come from a broader cross-section of artists and art patrons?
6. Artists
There are “Western artists” and there are “artists in the West”? Wyoming has both types. Few studies exist on Wyoming art and its makers, beyond biographical studies of the more famous such as Jackson Pollock. Who were the important ones? Who were the regional or perhaps “second-tier” artists?
7. Philanthropy in Wyoming/West
Can any generalizations be made about the numerous public gifts made by Wyoming residents to schools, museums and parks over the years? (This sounds a bit like American Studies, but….) In terms of education, William R. Coe donated money to UW specifically to form one of the nation’s first “American studies” programs. Other wealthy donors contributed to creation of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the UW Art Museum, the Bradford Brinton Ranch, the Grand Teton Natural History Association, and others. William and Caroline Gottsche represent a group who funded hospitals. Others, more private perhaps, donated money to UW –the late Emmett Chisum, for example.
8. Music in Wyoming
Several Wyoming towns have symphony orchestras. One former student in this class wrote a chapter that evolved into her MA thesis about the history of the Casper Symphony. What about orchestras at other levels? What is the story of the Grand Teton Music Festival? And the Casper Troopers? High school bands? Rock bands? Dance bands of the early days of radio? The Old-Time Fiddlers Association? Wyoming’s “Nashville connection”? What influence, if any, did these musical groups have on contemporary culture?
9. Western Poets
Examples include the late Alan Swallow (the subject of a recent biography by W. Dale Nelson) and numerous others who gained regional, if not national, success.
10. Vacation Spot for Eastern Intellectuals
Numerous well-known scholars, intellectuals and writers vacationed in Wyoming. Some were popular authors like Owen Wister, Jack London and Ernest Hemingway. Others included Vladimir Nabokov, Bernard Baruch, Robert Frost, Yale President Howard Lamar, painters Jackson Pollock (b. in Cody), Thomas Hart Benton, Albert Bierstadt. Many famous theatrical companies tarried in Wyoming en route across the state on the railroad. Numerous world-renowned musicians spent time in the state. What role, if any, did these visitors have in providing Wyomingites with a national culture? Were there differences in how these groups impacted varous communities?
11. First Professional Baseball in the West
The Colorado State Baseball League was formed in 1910. What influenced professionalization of sports in the Mountain West? With teams in the Pioneer League and semi-professional leagues over the years, what was the significance of baseball in the region’s history?
Law, Politics and Government
1. Ferries, Streetcars, Trams
Development of highways, their routing and the political influence exerted on getting them to run where they did, is a topic worth considering. There were, once upon a time, city bus systems in various towns. For Wyoming, the numerous “Mormon” ferries are a possibility, as well as the various city transit systems operating in the early 20th century in places like Sheridan, Cheyenne, and Casper. The Jackson Hole aerial tramway is one of the later works put into service by a famous Estes Park, Colo., aerial tramway company. What did the demise of rail passenger service have on mobility between Wyoming towns? What long-term implications arise from the near absense of public transportation in the present day in contrast to the vibrant public transportation systems existing in earlier times? Is the car culture a factor? Government subsidies?
2. City buses 1920s-1950s
Public transportation was significantly more important in mid-sized Western towns in the first half of the century than later. What created these lines, why were they able to operate successfully, and what led to their decline? A few studies exist as to larger cities but little has been written on public transportation in smaller cities in the West.
3. Government and Air Transport
The WPA had an entire division dedicated to construction of local airports. Recently, I did a cursory examination over the weekend of possible source materials and I’m fairly confident they exist in sufficient quantity to warrant further examination.
4. Building Missile Silos in the West
During the 1950s and again in the 1980s, the federal government spent millions constructing missile silos in the West. How were these brought to the West, what impact did they have nationally and on the local economies? How about cultural and environmental influences from these projects?
5. Branch banking
Many Western states passed laws outlawing branch-banking in the early 20th century. What impact did this have on the evolution of finance in various Western states? Is this a factor in Wyoming’s slower economic development in the 20th century?
6. Chain stores, catalog sales, internet sales in Wyoming
Throughout history, communities have fought chain stores. One method was through passage of anti-chain store legislation in various states. Wyoming had such laws. Paradoxically, J. C. Penney started his chain in Wyoming and David Kruger in UW Libraries has written a book about Penney’s successes in several Western states. But there are other businesses with similar interesting histories..
7. Hotels
During the 19th century and into the early 20th century, most Wyoming towns of any consequence had at least one multi-story hotel in the downtown core. As auto traffic replaced train travel, many of these establishments fell on hard times. This change can be explored either broadly through examining industry trends or more narrowly by researching specific case studies.
8. Trading Stamps
Commonplace throughout the West and Wyoming into the 1960s, trading stamps either fell on hard times or were outlawed in many places, including Wyoming. Why did this occur? What does the phenomenon of trading stamps say about the users and the opponents of them? A minor story, but useful in examining broader societal issues of the times.
9. “Occupational histories”
Useful for this sub-genre would be stories of various occupations in the West. Examples might be studying the odd 19th century phenomena of lawyers who practiced at the same time they edited/published newspapers in the community. They were numerous. So were bar owners who became town mayors…..and even chiefs of police who branched out into a variety of legal (or not so legal) endeavors. Examples include several who were removed from office for violating Prohibition laws in the 1920s and general corruption in other decades. (I’d be happy to provide examples).
10. W. Edwards Deming
A good Wyoming-based biography of the famous Wyoming-educated management expert needs to be done.
11. League of Women Voters
The well-known non-partisan watchdog group, formed early the 20th century, was late in coming to the West. For instance, the state chapter was founded in Wyoming in the 1957, considerably later than in most states. Why did this occur? What influence, if any, has the organization had on Western government? (Unfortunately, one primary source, the Wyoming founder of the organization, died a few years ago at the age of 102. Nonetheless, research materials are available both here at the AHC and at the State Archives).
12. City/County Planning and the City Manager v. Mayor/Council Form of Government
Planning and professionalism were the hallmarks of American progressivism in the early 20th century. How did these principles affect local politics in Wyoming towns? Excellent studies exist on this topic in relation to several major cities. For smaller cities, however, the question has not been explored in any depth.
13. Right-wing Radical Groups in 1960s West
Best known of these small but vocal groups was the John Birch Society. Remnants of the organization remain, but their main power perhaps was exerted in the 1964 election when they were unable to help defeat either Lyndon Johnson, or popular Democratic senators in Montana, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming. This subject could be explored either by looking at how Wyoming Sen. Gale McGee might have responded (materials held in the McGee collection in AHC) or from the point of view of various Birch partisans.
14. Teno Roncalio: Vietnam Dove in Hawk Country
Roncalio, who died a few years ago in Cheyenne, served in the Congress from Wyoming from 1965-67 and from 1971 until his retirement from office in 1979. During his career in public service, he sponsored Wyoming’s Civil Rights Act while in the state legislature, was Democratic Party chairman during the administration of his friend John F. Kennedy and served as special master on the Wind River water rights adjudication. Roncalio, who had been awarded the Silver Star for his D-Day action as an infantryman, became one of Wyoming’s leading spokesman against American involvment in the Vietnam War. Numerous aspects of his career would be appropriate for study. Other individuals around which such topics can be developed include: Gov. Ed Herschler, Sen. Milward Simpson, James Watt, Sen. Gale McGee, Sen.-Elect Keith Thomson, Rep. John Wold, Gov. Mike Sullivan, Sen./Gov. Cliff Hansen, Gov. J. J. Hickey, Gov./Sen./Cong. Frank Barrett, Gov. Leslie Miller….many others.. Watt, Wold, and Sullivan are still living. Hansen (the grandfather of our current governor) died a few years ago. Papers exist for most of them in the collections of the AHC.
15. The Thomson-Hickey Matter, 1960
Histories of high politics aren’t the most marketable these days. Nonetheless, interesting events still remain unexplored by academics. Keith Thomson, the popular young Republican Congressman, was elected to the U. S. Senate from Wyoming in the November, 1960, election. Weeks later, he was dead from a sudden heart attack he suffered before taking the oath of office. He was succeeded by Gov. J. J. Hickey, a Democrat, who resigned the governorship so that his successor, Secretary of State Jack Gage (the acting governor) could appoint him to the Senate seat so recently won by Thomson. What influence, if any, did the incident have on politics in the 1960s? How different/similar was the incident compared to events in other states?
16. Labor Unions and Race/Ethnicity
Nationally, organized labor was ambivalent about race. Do Wyoming or neighboring Western states follow the national pattern in this respect? In what ways, if any, did labor unions further or hinder integration in Western industry?
17. The Politics of Hunting and Fishing
The Wyoming Game and Fish Department dates from territorial days. Since about 1937, the department has enjoyed relative independence from the legislature and from electoral politics. How was this accomplished? Is it simply an example of what other states were doing or was it unique to Wyoming? During his term, Gov. Nels Smith attempted to fire game wardens with whom he had personal grudges. How did the commission respond to such political pressures? Either topic could be handled in a short article.
18. Velma Linford and VISTA
The former State Superintendent of Public Instruction was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to head the VISTA program. What influence did she have over the policies of the agency? What is her legacy in relation to VISTA?
19. Wyoming’s POWs
During most American wars, Wyoming soldiers have been among prisoners of war. While studies exist of the broader population of POWs in various wars, how have Wyomingites figured in the story? Were their experiences notably influenced by their Wyoming origins?
20. C. H. King
King, a pioneer resident of Douglas and Casper, was the state’s best known banker as well as owner of a transportation company and lumberyards. His career is overshadowed by that of his grandson who became President of the United States. A friend of the department who owns one of King’s ranches would be interested in collaborating on a lenghty biography of this relatively unknown pioneer businessman/rancher.
21. Milward Simpson topics from his papers
Hundreds of potential topics await researchers in the Simpson papers. Active in local politics and law in the early 20th century, a member of the UW Board of Trustees, governor and U. S. Senator, many facets of his career intersect with national events. Most of his papers are now open to researchers.
22 Tom Stroock, Guatemalan Ambassador/Republican Party Official
Stroock, a Yale-educated oil man, was a Republican chairman and influential legislator. Later, he was appointed U. S. Ambassador to Guatemala. A friend of the Bush family, he was instrumental in Dick Cheney’s public career. His papers are now open at the AHC along with extensive interviews conducted by two UW professors. The interviews have been transcribed and are available at the AHC..
23. The Forging of Reputation and Historical Memory
While biographies exist, often in abundance, for such individuals as Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok and Wyatt Earp, for example, fewer historians have dealt with how they have been remembered
24. Biographies of the Less Famous
History is the story of people in all walks of life–not just the “famous” and the “infamous.” By examining the life of relatively unknown individuals, one can open windows onto various issues affecting families and communities in earlier times. Historians do not deal with this as genealogists might, yet significant historical themes reside in the generational stories of families.
25. Wyoming People in Various Business Roles/Government Positions
Education
1. Co-education in the Equality State
Women were hired as faculty at UW from the earliest days and women frequently outnumbered men as part of the student population in the 19th century. How was co-education viewed in Wyoming? Where did the women come from? What did they do when they graduated? How many stayed in Wyoming? What impact, if any, did coeducation have on the university and the state?.
2. Community Colleges
Wyoming had no community colleges until after World War II. Some historians have pointed to the growth of community colleges as a national post-war phenomenon. Were there local factors prompting such moves in post-war Wyoming? Why were the colleges located where they were? What role, if any, did UW play in their development?
3. Foundation Program
(Don’t yawn….) The legislature approved the Foundation Program in 1955 as an attempt to set a minimum level of educational services among state districts. The program established “classroom unit” values and distributed state funds to districts. Its establishment and implementation have not been explored.
4. To Build a Great State University: UW Master Plans
Numerous plans have been drafted for future university expansion. How are they indicative of their time and to other events occurring nationally and in Wyoming during the times?
5. Prayer in Schools in Wyoming
This issue seems like ancient history now, but it was simmering in the early 1960s, even in states like Wyoming where religious groups had very little influence in politics. How did it play out in Wyoming particularly in areas where one religious group or another held the majority? What did the controversy say about the “spirit of the times”?
6. Governing a University: The Role of the Trustees
How has the role of the Board of Trustees changed since the body first formed in the late 1880s? How has its membership influenced its growth and strengths in various disciplines? A surprising number of UW presidents have been fired–including John W. Hoyt, the university’s first president. What does this imply about board authority over the university?
7. Minority Teachers/Faculty
Many argue that university faculties in the West fail to represent diversity. What are the historical roots of diversity in education in the West?
8. Organizing Educators and Parents: National Education Association, Wyoming Education Association, PTA, etc.
An “official history” of the NEA exists. Are there similar studies of state branches? I’m not aware of any….
9. Teacher Certification and the Influence of “No Child Left Behind”
Yes, this could be a “history topic.”
10. The Mythology of the “One-Room Schoolhouse”
Or was education “better” back then? How were country schools influenced by crops, industries, seasons, ethnicities? This topic has been treated by a variety of historians, but comparative possibilities spring to mind.
11. Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard
Dr. Hebard has been the subject of various articles, but there are a number of interesting angles that would shed additional light on her career.
The Land: Minerals and Agriculture
Subjects in this area abound. Specific crops, agricultural settlements in the West, and specific irrigation projects can be studied. Such diverse subjects as Resettlement Administration and urban/rural rivalries can be usefully examined. For many of the Western states rooted in the agricultural tradition, the topics in this area are practically unending.
1. Oil and Gas in Wyoming
Significant collections exist in the American Heritage Center focusing on these important energy industries. Many have not been examined for analytical histories. I have explored the economic and social history of a natural gas field and the community nearby, but I did it for expert testimony in litigation between competing companies. In the course of research, I noticed that little emphasis is paid to the social history in such communities.
2. Hot Clouds Over Wyoming
Other Western states, other than Washington and Utah, have “downwinders,” including Wyoming. Do government reports indicate any connection between fallout clouds passing over parts of Wyoming and any medical difficulties peculiar to area populations? (There may be nothing here but it might be worth exploring nonetheless.. In fact, uncovering the mythology may be a worthwhile exercise.)
3. Malcolm Wallop: Environmentalist in the 1976 Campaign
The 1976 Wallop campaign against Gale McGee ended in McGee’s defeat at the hands of the little-known Sheridan County rancher. Political observers have speculated that Wallop’s upset victory might have been owed to support from the environmental community. Was such support present? Significant? How did the Wallop campaign deal with environmentalists’ questions? How did McGee’s campaign? Other campaigns of interest could include the 1974 gubernatorial campaign, the first Cheney house race in 1978, and the 1994 gubernatorial, Senate, and House elections. (The one most interesting to me, but not significant, was the 1998 gubernatorial election). Pivotal elections in other times can be examined, too.
4. County fairs/State Fairs
Much has been written of rodeos, but little study of county fairs in Wyoming has been made.
5. Jackson Hole ski resorts or those elsewhere in the state
Some recent work has been done, but no comprehensive history of the Wyoming resorts has been done.
6 The First Sagebrush Rebellion: Wyoming in the 1920s
The Wyoming legislature memorialized Congress in 1925, seeking return of federal lands to the states. The movement presaged the 1970s movement. Dr. Gregg Cawley has written extensively on the topic; so has your professor, but there re angles still remaining to be explored. Any long-term influences? Probably not, but issues might be similar.
7. Valley Ranch and Dude Ranchers Association
Larry Larom was president of the organization for many years. He operated the Valley Ranch and hosted hundreds of celebrities there. Various issues of commodification of nature and professionalization of guiding could be explored in relation to this and similar topics.
8. Wyoming Uranium: Chernobyl and Three-Mile Island
What was the impact of nuclear disasters on Wyoming’s uranium industry? Did those incidents influence local views of uranium mining in Wyoming? Storage of nuclear waste (such as the 2002 gubernatorial campaign)?
Media
1. Cable TV in Wyoming
Casper was the first town in America (1953) to have microwave cable television. Entreprenuer Bill Daniels, who died a couple of years ago, was one of the operators. No complete history of the builders and the system exists. This is probably true elsewhere in the broadcast business.
2. Women as Publishers
The Huntington sisters began editing the Platte County Lyre in Saratoga in June 1888. Cora Wanamaker edited the Rock Springs Miner early in the 20th century. Women also edited newspapers in other Western towns at the turn of the century. Caroline Lockhart owned and edited the Cody Enterprise in the 1920s until a libel suit brought by the county attorney forced her to sell.
3. Wyoming in Silent Film
In the days of silent movies, Wyoming was frequently the setting for western films. From “Wyoming Roundup” to Tim McCoy’s films, the state was the backdrop for various epics. Why? Why didn’t such filming continue with the advent of “talking pictures”? (Interpretive biographical pieces on various Wyoming “stars” might be of interest, too. Although Tim McCoy’s life and career have been well documented and, recently, the life of Mildred Harris was the subject of a study, little is known of lesser actors such as Isabel Jewell or Burnu Acquanetta as well as the careers of others who wrote for film or worked in production).
4. Locally-owned newspapers, radio stations
Until the late 1980s, most newspapers and radio stations were locally owned and operated. A few locally-organized chains started buying papers and by the 21st century, few independently-owned papers existed in Wyoming. Likewise, with radio stations and Wyoming’s few television stations. This wss part of a national trend, but how did these changes influence “main street” and local community cohesion?
5. The Rise of “Big-Time” Sports in Wyoming
Many universities in the West made the leap into major college athletics in the post-World War I era. Others “joined” a bit later. For instance, was the University of Wyoming’s national basketball championship in 1943 the impetus for establishing nationally competitive sports programs at UW? What role did Pres. George (Duke) Humphrey play in this decision? Did it simply evolve from more humble origins? Organization of sports conferences is another interesting topic for investigation.
Law
1. Legal History, the Sensational or the Significant
The sensational would include such cases as the Harry Hynds murder trial in Salt Lake City and the Alferd Packer cannibalism case in Colorado. Yet two more books on the Tom Horn case were released recently. More than specific cases may be explored, however, such as those that involve Wyoming’s development of comparative negligence rules and the reputation as a breeding ground for personal injury lawyers.
2. Death Penalty Cases
Although executions in Wyoming history are rare, particularly in the past half century, some have been explored casually by historians and journalists. What influence did these have over Wyoming politics and culture? Broadly defined other issues could be similarly explored.
3. Legalizing Gambling
Since gambling was first outlawed in 1901, various attempts have been made to reinstitute it, including efforts to legalize lotteries. In Wyoming, Gov. Miller vetoed a full gambling bill in 1935. Legalization was raised again by Jackson residents in the 1950s. Gov. Simpson ordered a crackdown on illegal gaming in Jackson in the 1950s, but there are numerous other incidents that would be interesting to explore concerning this topic. Dr. Moore has done work on the early period, but little has been done on post World War II gambling, specifically the scandals arising from the gambling activities in Jackson during that period. How have the tribal casinos changed the conversation on these topics?
4. The Green River Ordinances
These ordinances, passed by city councils in order to control door-to-door sales, first came into existence in Green River, Wyoming, in the 1930s. While some brief legal papers have been written on this, the social aspects have been largely ignored. Why in Green River? Why, at this particular time in history? How did such a case wind up in the Supreme Court of the United States?
5. Various Wyoming Lawyers and Judges
Thurman Arnold has been widely studied, but others are less obvious but perhaps significant to the development of Western law. Until late last year, M. C. Brown had not been the subject of biographical inquiry despite a remarkable career. Not only was he Laramie’s first mayor and president of the Wyoming Constitutional Convention, he also was a federal judge in Alaska who resigned after a financial scandal chronicled by writer Rex Beach. An article on his life will be published later this year and a local historian is completing a longer book-length biography of him. But there are numerous others..
Meeting Schedule:
Week 1: (Jan. 25) Introduction: We will begin by discussing some of the “mythology” of Wyoming history and how we will be exploring the many ways they originated and evolved over time.
Week 2 (Feb. 1): Law and Politics
Overview
Week 3 (Feb. 8): Law and Politics
Readings
Week 4 (Feb. 15): Law and Politics
Primary documents/materials
Week 5 (Feb. 22): Land: Agriculture and Minerals
Overview
Week 6 (March 1): The Land: Agriculture and Minerals
Readings
Week 7 (March 8): The Land: Agriculture and Minerals
Primary documents/materials
Week 8 (March 15): NO CLASS. SPRING BREAK.
Week 9 (March 22): Media
Overview
Week 10 (March 29): Media
Readings
Week 11 (April 5): Media
Primary documents/materials
Week 12 (April 12): Society and Culture
Overview
Week 13 (April 19): Society and Culture
1st drafts/outlines/bibliographies due
Week 14 (April 26) Society and Culture
Primary documents/materials
Week 15 (May 3): Presentation of final paper
Week 16 (May 10): Finals week meeting (if required)
FINAL RESEARCH PAPER DUE.
Reading Lists for the Four Segments:
Segment 1: Law and Politics
Monographs: Law
Thurman Arnold, Folklore of Capitalism. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1937).
Thurman Arnold, Fair Fights and Foul: A Dissenting Lawyer’s Life. (New York: Harcourt, Brace and World, 1965).
Charlotte Babcock, Shot Down!: Capital Crimes of Casper. (Glendo: High Plains Press, 2000). HV6534.C29 B33 1999
Gordon Bakken, The Development of Law on the Rocky Mountain Frontier: Civil Law and Society, 1850-1912. (Westport: Greenwood, 1983).
Joan Jacobs Brumberg. Kansas Charley: The Story of the 19th Century Boy Murderer. (New York: Viking, 2003). HV6248.M4975 B78 2003
Chip Carlson, Tom Horn: Blood on the Moon. (Glendo: High Plains Press, 2001). E83.88.H67 C37 2001
Barbara Cosens and Judith Royster (eds.), The Future of Indians and Federal Reserved Water Rights: The Winters Centennial. (Albuquerque: UNM Press, 2012). KF8210.N37 W56
John W. Davis, Vast Amount of Trouble: A History of the Spring Creek Raid. (Niwot: University Press of Colorado, 1993). KF224.B75 D38 1993
John W. Davis. The Trial of Tom Horn. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2016). KF 223 H63 D38 2016
Ronald Diener, The Jackson Hole Indian War of 1895:The Fort Hall Indians Confront the Jackson Hole Settlers. (Wendell, N.C.: Crestline Books, 2006). F767.T28 D546 2006
Debra L. Donahue, The Western Range Revisited: Removing Livestock from Public Lands to Conserve Native Biodiversity. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000).
Gene Gressley, Voltaire and the Cowboy: The Letters of Thurman Arnold. (Boulder: Colorado Associated University Press, 1977).
John D. W. Guice, The Rocky Mountain Bench: The Territorial Supreme Courts of Colorado, Montana and Wyoming, 1861-1890. (New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 1972).
Tom Horn, Life of Tom Horn, Government Scout and Interpreter, written by himself. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1979). (with an intro. by Dean Krakel). E83.88.H67
George Hufsmith, The Wyoming Lynching of Cattle Kate. (Glendo: High Plains Press, 1993). F761.C39 H84 1993 ISBN: 978-0-81297-337-2 (paper)
Marion McMillan Huseas, Legacy of Fear: Mark Hopkinson and the Bridger Valley Murders. (Cheyenne: Marimac Publishing, 2006). HV6533.W8 H87 2006
T. Blake Kennedy, Memoirs (unpublished manuscript, in the collections of the American Heritage Center)
Joe LeFors, Wyoming Peace Officer: An Autobiography. (Laramie: Laramie Printng Co., 1953) F761. L5 1953
Laton McCartney. The Teapot Dome Scandal: How Big Oil Bought the Harding White House and Tried to Steal the Country. (New York: Random House, 2009).
Rodger McDaniel, Dying for Joe McCarthy’s Sins: The Suicide of Wyoming Senator Lester Hunt. (Cody: WordsWorth, 2013). F765.22.H86 M333 2013
Ann Meadows, Digging Up Butch and Sundance. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2003). F595.C362 M42 2003
Jerred Metz, The Last Eleven Days of Earl Durand. (Glendo: High Plains Press, 2005), HV6653.D8 M48 2005
Eric Muller, Free to Die for Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001). D810.C82 M85 2001
Robert Righter, Crucible for Conservation: The Creation of Grand Teton National Park. (Boulder: Colorado Associated University Press, 1982). F767.T3 R53 1983
Vera Saban, He Wore a Stetson: The Story of Judge Percy W. Metz. (Privately printed, 1980).
Duane Schillinger. In Wyoming’s Prison, Hungry Men May Become Vicious Men, 1901- 1981. (Bloomington, Ind.: Author House, 2004). HV 9475.W82 W96 2004
Craig Storti, The Incident at Bitter Creek: The Story of the Rock Springs Massacre. (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 1991). F769.R6 S76 1991
Gerry Spence and Anthony Polk, Gerry Spence, Gunning for Justice. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1982). KF 373 S64 A34 1982
Gerry Spence. Trial by Fire: The True Story of a Woman’s Ordeal at the Hands of the Law. (New York: Morrow, 1986). KF 228 P76 S63 1986
Stratmoen, Mark R. Murder, Mayhem and Mystery: Coroner Inquests in Fremont County, Wyoming, 1885-1890. (Riverton: Lenore Wyoming Publications, 2010). KF221.M8 S77
Spencer Weber Waller, Thurman Arnold: A Biography. (New York: NYU Press, 2005). KF373.A7 W35 2005
James Whiteside, Regulating Danger: The Struggle for Mine Safety in the Rocky Mountain Coal Industry. (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990).
L. Milton Woods, Asmus Boysen and His Dam Problems. (Bloomington, Ind.: AuthorHouse, 2013).
Articles: Law
Barbara Bogart, “The Hospital on the Hill,” Annals of Wyoming 79 (Winter, 2007), pp. 2-10.
Carol Bowers, “School Bells and Winchesters: The Sad Saga of Glendolene Myrtle Kimmell,” Wyoming History Journal. www.uwyo.edu/robertshistory/school_bells_and_winchesters.htm
Carol Bowers, “Loving Cecile: The Strange Case of Stanley Lantzer,” Wyoming History Journal. www.uwyo.edu/robertshistory/loving_cecile.htm
Alan Brinkley, “The Antimonopoly Ideals and the Liberal State: The Case of Thurman Arnold,” Journal of American History 80 (Sept. 1993), pp. 557-79.
Larry Brown, “Seventy Times Seven,” Annals of Wyoming 75 (Summer 2005), pp. 24-33.
Clifford Bullock, “Fired by Conscience: The Black 14 Incident at the University of Wyoming and Black Protest in the Western Athletic Conference,” Readings in Wyoming (Laramie: Skyline West, all eds.)
C. G. Coutant, “Thomas Jefferson Carr: A Frontier Sheriff,” Annals of Wyoming 20 (July 1948), pp. 165-176.
Daniel Davis, “Elwood Mead, Arid Land Cession, and the Creation of the Wyoming System of Water Rights,” Annals of Wyoming 77 (Summer 2005), pp. 2-14.
John W. Davis, “The 1902 Murder of Tom Gorman,” Annals of Wyoming 76 (Winter 2004), pp. 15-30.
Rick Ewig, “E. T. Payton: Savior or Madman?” Annals of Wyoming 79 (Winter 2007), pp. 18-36.
Rick Ewig, “Wyoming Women Jurors,” Annals of Wyoming 62 (Summer 1990), pp. 140-42.
Michael Golden, “Journey for the Pole: The Life and Times of Fred Blume, Justice of the Wyoming Supreme Court” (pts. 1&2), Land and Water Law Review 28 (1993), pp. 195, et seq. & 511 et seq.
George Gould, “Access to Public Lands Across Intervening Private Lands,” Land and Water Law Review 8 (1973), pp. 149-173.
Burton S. Hill, “Frontier Lawyer: T. P. Hill,” Annals of Wyoming 34 (April 1962), pp. 43-49.
M. Paul Holsinger, “Willis Van Devanter: Wyoming Leader, 1884-1897,” Annals of Wyoming 37 (October 1965), pp. 170-206.
W. Turrentine Jackson, “Railroad Relations of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association, 1873-90,” Annals of Wyoming 19 (January 1947), pp. 3-23.
Joseph Joffe, “John W. Meldrum, Part II,” Annals of Wyoming 13 (April 1941), pp. 105-127.
Loren Jost, “Murder in Fremont County,” Wind River Mountaineer 21 (Aug. 2011), pp. 12-18.
Reagan Joy Kaufman, “Discrimination in the Equality State: Black-White Relations in Wyoming History,” Annals of Wyoming 77 (Winter 2005), pp. 13-27.
Timothy G. Kearley, “Justice Fred Blume and the Translation of Justinian’s Code.” http://www.uwyo.edu/lawlib/blume-justinian/_files/docs/blumellj.pdf
Theodore E. Lauer, “Goodbye 3-Card Monte: The Wyoming Criminal Code of 1982,” Land and Water Law Review, 19 (1984) pp. 107-134.
Shenandoah Grant Lynd, “No Soliciting Allowed: Green River Ordinances,” in Gordon M. Bakken, Law in the Western United States (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2000), pp. 390-398.
Ester Johansson Murray, “Bert Lampitt and the Big Horn Basin Murders, 1909 and 1921,” Annals of Wyoming 75 (Winter 2003), pp. 7-15.
Thomas R. Ninneman, “Wyoming’ Senator Joseph C. O’Mahoney,” Annals of Wyoming 49 (Fall 1977), pp. 193-222.
Philip Gardner Nordell, “Pattee, the Lottery King: The Omaha and Wyoming Lotteries,” Annals of Wyoming 34 (October 1962), pp. 193-211.
Michael O’Neill, “The Removal of Chief Justice Maginnis: Politics and the Judiciary in Wyoming Territory,” Annals of Wyoming 79 (Summer-Autumn 2007), pp. 50-72.
Donald L. Painter and Robert H. Johnson, The Wyoming Education Code of 1969,” Land and Water Law Review 5 (1970), pp. 531-77
Report in the Matter of Investigations of Charges that the Interior Department Permitted the Unlawful Fencing and inclosure of 46,339 Acres of Public Lands in Wyoming and 1,120 Acres in Colorado by the Warren Live Stock Co., (Washington: GPO, 1913). House Report 13335 (Serial 6334), 62d Congress, 3d Sess.
Phil Roberts, “The Prohibition Agency’s First Case: Official Zeal, Mistaken Identity and Murder in Wyoming, 1919,” Western Legal History 11 (1999), pp. 1-17.
Phil Roberts, “Murder in the Freeze-outs: Loyalty, Sedition, and Vigilante Justice in World War I Wyoming,” Annals of Wyoming 85 (Winter 2013), pp. 2-21.
Phil Roberts, “Regulating Liquor: Prohibition Enforcement, Official Corruption, and State Effort to Control Alcohol after Prohibition Repeal,” Wyoming Law Review 12 (2012), pp. 389-451
Ann Rochelle, “Public access across formerly UP land to get to Seminoe Reservoir. Land and Water Law Review 15 (1980), pp. 119-137.
E. George Rudolph, “An Income Tax for Wyoming: Problems and Possibilities,” Land and Water Law Review 3 (1968), pp. 479-577.
John W. Shields, “Elwood Mead’s Establishment of the Constitutional Foundations of Wyoming’s Water Law,” Annals of Wyoming 85 (Winter 2013), pp. 22-42.
Rebecca Wunder Thomson, “History of Territorial Federal Judges for the Territory of Wyoming, 1869-1890,” Land and Water Law Review 17 (1982) pp. 567-619.
Rick Tilman, “A Cross Between Voltaire and a Cowboy with the Cowboy Predominating,” Annals of Wyoming 80 (Winter 2008), pp. 15-28.
Barton R. Voigt, “The Lightning Creek Raid,” Annals of Wyoming 49 (Spring 1977), pp. 3-22.