History of Wyoming
Wyoming as a Trail to Somewhere Else: First Residents and Explorers
Sept. 7, 9, 2004
WYOMING AS A TRAIL TO SOMEWHERE ELSE, Part I
I. Prehistoric people
a. evidence of human habitation as early as 11,000 years ago--7,000 years before
pyramids
b. archaeological sites throughout the state indicate varied population types
II. "Historic" period
a. "sheepeaters" (Yellowstone area), date of first incursions unknown
b. Shoshone migrated from Great Basin, approx. 1400 A. D., into Wind River area
c. Crow migrated from northeast into north central Wyoming, approx. 1500
d. Kiowa likely occupied Black Hills area, northeastern Wyoming, c. 1600
e. Pueblo Revolt (1680) introduces the horse to southwest tribes; trade network
f. Sioux, a woodlands tribe until c. 1760, three of the 7 major divisions of the
tribe moved into Powder River Basin area about 1822 (Oglala, Brule, Hunkpapa)
g. Arapaho migrated into southeastern Wyoming from Minn. area, c. 1800
h. Blackfeet migrated from north into northwestern Wyoming, c. 1800.
i. Cheyenne moved from east and southeast to southeastern Wyoming, c. 1830s
III. Possibility of Spanish
expeditions into Wyoming?
a. contradictions of physical evidence
b. Glenn Sweem discoveries, Sheridan County
IV. LaVerendrye brothers, 1742
a. present within what is now Wyoming or simply viewing Wyoming from afar?
b. discerning the "shining mountains": the Big Horns? the Black Hills?
V. Larocque and other French-Canadian trappers, c. 1805
VI. Lewis and Clark expedition, 1804-1806
a. north of Wyoming--never actually stepped foot in the state
b. Sacajawea, her place in Wyoming history
VII. John Colter, 1806-07
a. leaves Lewis and Clark expedition, joins Manuel Lisa fur party
b. sets out south to find trade partners and fur-bearing animals
c. enters what is now Wyoming in northwest, walks south to Stinkingwater River
d. explores Big Horn Basin, upper Wind River area, Jackson Hole, Yellowstone
e. main contribution: map advice to William Clark
f. "expectant
capitalist"--dies on farm
VIII. Other Anglo-American travelers and residents?
a. perhaps Edward Rose; unnamed others
b. absence of written records, physical evidence
IX. The Overland Astorians
a. travel into Wyoming in August, 1811, in Powder River country
b. "lost" in the Wind Rivers, Jackson Hole area; float out on the Snake River
X. Reverse Astorians and "Discovery" of South Pass, 1812-13
a. "War of 1812" outcome not known in Pacific Northwest
b. Fort Astoria directors ask Robert Stuart to lead party back for information
c. across Wyoming, Stuart follows route of what would become Oregon Trail
d. first white-built structure in Wyoming--at Bessemer Bend near Casper
e. winters east of present-day Torrington
Significant Names and Terms
Togwotee Meriwether Lewis John Colter Edward Rose
Chief Washakie William Clark “overland Astorians” Robert Stuart
Sacajawea John Jacob Astor “reverse Astorians”
Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard Wilson Price Hunt South Pass
LaVerendrye brothers Manuel Lisa “Tonquin” Oregon Trail
WYOMING AS A TRAIL TO SOMEWHERE ELSE, Part II: The Fur Trade and First Travelers West; West to Oregon and Utah.
I. The Legacy of Colter and the Astorians
a. fur trapper as "expectant capitalist"
b. the "colonial economy" of the fur
trade
II. The "Invention" of the Rendezvous System
a. answering Ashley's job opening ad: Jedadiah Smith, Jim Bridger, Thomas
Fitzpatrick, James Clyman, Hiram Scott, William Sublette, David E. Jackson
b. first rendezvous, July 1, 1825, on Henry’s Fork on the Green River--two years
after Ashley’s first expedition to the Rockies; 120 men present
c. first rendezvous furs taken by pack train to the Big Horns near present
Thermopolis, by bullboat down the Big Horn and the Yellowstone, keel boat down
Missouri to St. Louis
III. The Rendezvous as a "Crossroads" Meeting Place
a. about 3,000 trappers in total ranged Wyoming during the fur trade period
b. trading companies made annual trips west
c. William Sublette/Robert Campbell locked in "race" with Nathaniel Wyeth to get to rendezvous first
d. Sublette/Campbell established Fort Laramie, first permanent post in Wyoming, 1834.
e. fur trade attracted interesting characters including Capt. B. L. E. Bonneville, Sir William Drummond Stewart, artist Alfred Jacob Miller, Rev. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, and many others
f. importance of fur trade travelers: reported to Eastern audiences on the grandeur and dangers of the "wilderness" in the West
Interior of Fort Laramie when it was a fur trading post. Painting by Alfred Jacob Miller
IV. End of the Fur Trade
a. trappers and traders had to change occupations if they wished to stay in area
b. Jim Bridger and partner Louis Vasquez opened Fort Bridger, southwestern Wyoming
c. other trappers/traders left the area, remaining few eked out existence as guides
d. Bridger's timing was excellent; Fort Bridger became travelers' supply point
V. Western Travelers Bound for Oregon, Utah
a. mostly families
b. middle-class farmers from the Midwest made up most of travelers bound for Oregon
c. expensive to purchase supplies, team, wagon, and pay for tolls along the route
d. Mormon migration to Utah began in 1847 and continued for the rest of the "trails period"
VI. Gold Discovery in California changed composition of trail travelers
a. few families bound for California; mostly young men wanting to "get rich quick"
b. changing attitudes toward native population, environment along the trail
WYOMING AS A TRAIL TO SOMEWHERE ELSE, Part III: West to California
Sept. 14, 16, 2004
I. Goal: making it SAFER
a. safety came with better guidebooks and maps
i. Fremont expeditions of 1842 and 1843. locating good places for forts—chains of forts would provide locations where civilization could grow up around them. Thomas Hart Benton, Manifest Destiny.
ii. Stephan Watts Kearney expeditions 1845—leave all but roads to natives, using cavalry to subdue . major military expedition every 2-3 years.
b. dependable sources of supplies; safer clean water; ferries and bridges across raging rivers.
i. Gruinard Bridge; Reshaw Bridge over Platte
ii. Mormon ferry over Green River
c. safety came with army strategies against Indians
i. purchase or construction of forts by the army—Fort Laramie, 1849.
ii. treaties with Indians
iii. Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 terms:
peace among tribes
territory divided
U S roads and forts allowed
annual annuity payments ($50,000 per year for 50 years—later reduced to 10 years)
d. came to an end with Grattan Massacre, August 1854. Grattan, 29 soldiers and interpreter. Only ten men at Fort Laramie, rest on hay detail. Ushered in Harney expedition, Ash Hollow.
UW class (2003) visiting Fort Laramie, 1st permanent white settlement in Wyoming, established in 1834.
a. better roads—1849 Capt. Howard Stansbury expedition—18 men.. Oregon Trail west and then back along southern route. Laramie Plains.
1854—Frederick Lander, Puget Sound to Council Bluffs route and in 1858, Fort Kearny, South Pass, Honey Lake Road.
1858—Pacific Railway surveys
b. alternative means of transport—stagecoach routes across Oregon Trail. and Rufus Porter’s balloon proposal
c. About 350,000 people traversed trail by wagons, handcarts, etc., from 1841-1860
d. better communication provided by the Pony Express, 18 months. $5 oz. for mail. 190 stations; 10-15 miles apart. 10-13 days to deliver letter St. Joseph to San Francisco. Made obsolete by telegraph.
e. construction of the transcontinental telegraph line—contract let in 1860, construction completed when wires joined at Salt Lake City in October 1861. John and Edward Creighton were paid $40,000 per year for ten years for construction. Denver refused to pay $20,000 so line laid out north along "Oregon Trail"
f. beginning of Civil War—need for even better communication and transportation. subsidies to Ben Holladay’s stageline along Oregon Trail—home stations, swing stations in 1862.
g. Holladay forced to move South—overland stage route. records destroyed in San Francisco earthquake of 1906, but---
i. 94 stations, 31 of them in Wyoming
ii. 110 coaches in beginning costing $1,500 each, weighing one ton. 9 passengers; 25 lbs. of mail, $1 per pound. 75 drivers.
iii. Virginia Dale, Laramie, etc.
iv. demands federal protection—Fort Collins, Fort Halleck
v. galvanized Yankees.
vi. still traffic on the Oregon Trail and, therefore, protection needed on BOTH trails!.
vii. Platte Bridge Station skirmish—death of young Lt. Caspar Collins.
a. forts established—Fort Reno, Fort Phil Kearny
b. Col. Henry Carrington.. Fort Laramie treaty of 1866. 700 men. summer, 1866.
c. Fetterman fight (Dec. 21, 1866), Capt. William Fetterman disregarded orders, chased Indians over ridge
d. in 15-minute "skirmish," 81 soldiers, Fetterman's entire command, killed. Victorious Sioux led by Crazy Horse, Red Cloud.
e. John “Portugee” Phillips—rode 235 miles, arriving Christmas night at Fort Laramie.
f. Fort Laramie treaty of 1868—for protection of railroad construction.
WYOMING AS A TRAIL TO SOMEWHERE ELSE, Part IV: Coming of Rails
Sept. 16, 2004
I. Early Efforts at Dependable Transcontinental Travel and Communication
a. gold rush "schemes"-- fast coaches, et al (just 1/3 of total to West Coast used Oregon-California Trail)
b. railroads back east: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, first passenger railway in US, 1828, and by 1840, US had 3,328 miles of railroad track, all east of the Mississippi River. By 1860, 28,000 miles.
c. Asa Whitney's plan to speed up shipments to and from China to New York (1844)
d. Theodore Judah's plan to connect California to the eastern U. S. (1850s)
e. Judah died and company went to his partners, the "Big 4" (Crocker, Huntington, Stanford, Hopkins)
II. The Pacific Railway surveys (1853-56)
a. Civil War sectionalism as factor in route location
b. surveys as training grounds for future Civil War officers (Stevens, McClellan, Pope)
i. Central route (Chicago-San Francisco)
ii. Northern route (Lake Superior -Portland, Oregon)
iii. 35th parallel route (St. Louis-West Coast)
iv. two southern routes: Vicksburg, Miss., New Orleans
c. significance of the presence of minerals: the 1849 Capt. Howard Stansbury report
d. Congress unable to make decision on route until South secedes
e. Lincoln's role in route location
III. Other forms of transport and communication established
a. Fort Laramie treaties (1851, 1866, 1868)
b. Pony Express (April 3, 1860)
c. Creighton brothers' telegraph line, completed Oct. 24, 1861 (3 months, 20 days)
d. Ben Holladay's Overland stageline route changes to the South
e. the "Galvanized Yankees" and federal protection of transcontinental travel
f. new stations along southern Wyoming and the "fight" at Platte Bridge Station (Casper)
IV. Financing the Project
a. Pacific Railway Act (1862): 1st mortgage with U S government; land grant
b. Pacific Railway Act (1864): 2nd mortgage; larger land grant, mineral rights
c. "checkerboard sections"
d. establishing the Union Pacific (Iowa west)--Durant, Ames brothers
e. establishing the Central Pacific (Calif. east)--"the Big Four"
f. creative financing and Credit Mobilier
g. the Ames Monument
V. Laying out towns across southern Wyoming
a. Grenville Dodge, surveyor for UP, chose location for Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins
b. contruction delays caused by need to build world's highest trestle, Dale Creek trestle, between Cheyenne & Laramie
c. Cheyenne established as a division point for the railroad; guarantees its continued growth
Sept. 21, 2004
a. Dakota Territory views ("Laramie County," Dakota)
b. population "centers" (South Pass City, the forts, native people)
a. railroad workers enter the area
b. Grenville Dodge lays out Cheyenne, July 1867
c. building the Dale Creek trestle
d. locating Laramie--April, 1868
e. "hell-on-wheels" towns--Benton, Bear River City and others
f. Legh Freeman's "Frontier Index" newspaper--the second in the area
a. the Northwest Ordinance
b. power of Congress over territories
c. Union Pacific land grants and political influence
IV. Naming the territory: origins of "Wyoming"
V. Appointments of government officers
a. territorial officers generally political friends of the president
b. John A. Campbell, governor; Edward M. Lee, secretary
c. Campbell's arrival and designating the "temporary capital"
d. setting up the structures of legislature and courts
a. William Bright, South Pass City legislator, and wife Julia
b. visiting suffragists
c. the "tea party myth" and its perpetrators
a. the Suffrage Bill passes and signed by Campbell
b. reasons Wyoming was first territory to give women equal rights
VIII. The Suffrage Bill in Retrospect: The Lingering Significance of Passage
IX. Flaws of Territorial Status
a. "outsiders" appointed to key positions
b. little self-governance
c. substantial federal government control over local affairs
a. the "newcomers": Campbell, Thayer, Hoyt, Hale, Morgan, Moonlight
b. the "locals": Warren, Baxter, Warren (again)
c. the delegates to Congress
d. the rise of Joseph M. Carey
a. the influence of the Union Pacific on territorial laws and the economy
b. the Rock Springs massacre and territorial politics
a. illegal fencing of government land
b. protecting the interests of the stockgrowers
Pres. Andrew Johnson
Cong. John Ashley
"on the big plain"
Northwest Ordinance (1787)
Pres. U. S. Grant
patronage appointments
Grenville Dodge
survey parties, tie hacks, tracklayers
"hell-on-wheels" towns
Dale Creek trestle
John A. Campbell
Edward M. Lee
South Pass City
William & Julia Bright
suffrage bill (Dec. 10, 1869)
"tea party story"
Esther Hobart Morris
Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard
1st woman to vote (Louisa Swain, Laramie)
1st women on a jury
Wyoming Constitution: Drafting, Passage, Precedents and Modern Changes
Sept. 23, 2004
I. Lengthy, Detailed Constitution
a. 3 times length of U. S. Constitution; 12th longest of all state constitutions
b. demonstrates delegates' suspicion of legislatures and possibilities for corruption
II. Motivations for a Constitution
a. self-government (election of governor and other officials, control over laws)
b. control over out-of-state owned industries
c. federal land grants to the state
III. The Delegates
a. elected July 8, 1889, in election called by territorial governor Francis E. Warren
b. 55 men elected delegates; no women. Just 49 delegates participated in deliberations
c. 17 lawyers; 31 Republicans, 18 Democrats
d. met in Cheyenne for 25 days in September, 1889
e. debates were non-partisan but reflected sectional divisions, particularly north-south
f. substantial representation from industry yet delegates suspicious of corporate power
IV. Drafting the document
a. extensive borrowing from other states (almost half of 279 provisions traceable to other states)
b. references in debates to Colorado (10); Penn. (7); Mont & Ill. (5); Neb. & Nev. (4)
c. entire sections borrowed from other states and from U. S. Constitution
V. Main provisions
a. Declaration of Rights extensively borrowed from U. S. Constitution
b. suffrage and equal rights for women
c. water provisions--unique to Wyoming
d. regulation of industries reflects suspicions delegates had of UP and other corporations
e. education:
i. reflects pride in 97 percent literacy rate in 1889
ii. consistent with strong support of territorial legislature for education
iii. compulsory education act passed by territorial legislature in 1873
iv. university established by territorial legislature
f. debate over location of institutions: 10 years set
g. failure of M. C. Brown's "coal tonnage tax" proposal (coal mines paid $1,250 per year in total taxes in 1889)
VI. Statehood
a. Constitution election: constitution accepted by voters 6,272-1,923
b. Carey's role as territorial delegate
c. the population question and the issue of women suffrage
d. Congress passes Wyoming Statehood bill,
d. President Benjamin Harrison signs statehood bill, July 10, 1890
e. land grants from federal government--note Article 18 and Article 21, Sec. 26
i. federal government gave 1.2 million acres to state
ii. federal government gave 500,000 for state institutions, university, agriculture
VI. Amendments over time
a. first amendments proposed in 1909
b. 27 amendments failed over years even though they had majority vote
c. 70 amendments made since adoption in 1889-- (compare to U. S. Constitution: 27
amendments in more than 200 years)
d. "Missouri plan" for judicial selection
e. the income tax: not disallowed, but difficult (1974 amendment--Article 15, Sec. 18)
Significant Names/Terms
Joseph M. Carey
Francis E. Warren
Hayes-Tilden election (1876)
Constitutional Convention (1889)
John Hoyt
"coal tonnage tax"
Union Pacific Coal Company
Melville C. Brown
Wyoming Stockgrowers Association
Admission as 44th State, July 10, 1890
Railroad Land Grants, Homesteading, and the Federal Government
Sept. 28, 2004
I. Promoting the "Jeffersonian Ideal"--building a nation of yeoman farmers
a. agriculture as America's bedrock industry
b. the Land Ordinance of 1785: land into townships 6 miles square, 36 sections
II. Initial Federal gov't. policy on land: give it away as fast as possible to whoever would use it
a. railroad land grants: UP alone received 4,582,520 acres in Wyoming from federal government
b. give away to states in exchange for building public structures and institutions, schools
c. sell cheaply or give away to former soldiers
d. the problem with "veterans' scrip"
e. Preemption Act of 1841: 160 acres for $1.25 per acre
f. "rain follows the plow"--or "trees" or "the rails"
III. The Homestead Act (1862)
a. another example of Union legislation (passed once South seceded)
b. 160 acres, must live on it for at least five years, pay minimal final filing fee
IV. Timber Culture Act (1873)
a. Congressional concern with Great Plains and absence of trees
b. act gave 160 additional acres if settler would plant 40 acres in trees (later reduced to 5 acres)
c. homesteader had to keep the trees surviving at least six of the eight years
d. ultimately failed--subject to massive fraud
V. Desert Land Act (1877-78)
a. John Wesley Powell's "Arid Lands Report": min. size of 2,560 acres and along watercourse
b. Congressional response: increase size of homestead to 640 acres in "desert areas"
c. "desert" defines as places where agriculture impossible without irrigation
d. primary requirement: had to "bring water" to the land within three years of settlement
e. final filing fee of 25 cents per acre
VI. Land Ownership Possibilities prior to Statehood for the individual rancher/farmer
a. possible 1,120 acres under all three homestead acts to 1890
b. open range, if accessible to one's property
VII. The Open Range: no ownership, no leases, no costs, not taxes--free to (almost) all takers
a. the open range cattle companies: Frewen, Swan, Plunkett, Carey
b. James Brisbin and the "Beef Bonanza"
c. buying and selling ranches based on "book count"
VIII. Public Land Office and National Politics
a. William A. J. Sparks and controversy over fencing of government land
b. land commission offers to sell grazing land for 5 cents per acre; most ranchers oppose offer
c. the role of land control in state-federal relations
IX. Enlarged Homestead Act (1909)
a. doubles homestead lands and reduces time required in residence on land
b. introduced by Wyoming Congressman Frank Mondell
X. Stock-raising Homestead Act (1916)
a. 640 acres possible, but no need to demonstrate successful crop agriculture
b. surface rights passed only--federal government retains mineral rights
XII. Taylor Grazing Act (1934)
a. Federal government reverses land policy from giving it away to leasing it
b. as part of New Deal effort to mitigate Depression prices, overcome "dust bowl"
c. origins of "scientific" range management
d. "self-governing" provisions of the act
Wyoming as Cattle Country
Oct. 5, 2004
“Wyoming was a frontier, an area sparse of people, heavy with cattle and abundant in rope.” --Mike Shonsey
I. Origins
a. first use of open range--supplying beef to the army, pioneers John Iliff and Nelson Story
b. southeastern Wyoming ranches--1870s
c. opening of the Powder River country to cattle, late 1870s
d. James Brisbin's book, Beef Bonanza, as incentive
e. forming the "association" (WSGA)
II. Individuals involved in the industry, 1870s-1880s
a. Moreton Frewen (nicknamed "Mortal Ruin" by some friends), Churchill's uncle
b. Alexander Swan--European investors in Swan Company
c. Joseph M. Carey
d. Francis E. Warren
e. Dr. Amos Barber
f. social life of the ranchmen--the Cheyenne Club and "millionaire's row"
III. The open range and its problems
a. overgrazing and overcrowding
b. increasing numbers of homesteaders
c. prices of cattle dictated by world markets
d. innovations in transportation shipment, processing, feeding, sales of cattle
e. ranch sales based on book count--the possibility of fraud or overestimates
IV. The problem of illegal fencing of government-owned land
a. William A. J. Sparks' and the land commission--5-cent per acre land?
b. cases brought against prominent ranchers
c. tearing down the fences: duties of the "buffalo soldiers"
V. The problem of weather for open range ranchers
a. cattle ranching depended on good grass and water
b. dry summer/harsh winter meant disaster--no allowances for feeding hay
c. the winter of 1886-87: "ill luck, mismanagement and greed" (quoting John Clay)
c. problems of labor: cowboys forced to "ride the grub line"
VI. The problem of rustling
a. the Maverick law
b. vigilante enforcement: the Ella Watson-James Averell incident
c. blackballing cowboys who own their own livestock
VII. The Johnson County Invasion: An Inevitability?
Johnson County War, Discussion of War on Powder River
October 7, 2004
READ Helena Huntington Smith, WAR ON POWDER RIVER, with particular attention to the Johnson County
October 12, 2004
a. Chicago and Northwestern (originally Fremont, Elkhorn and Pacific) enters central Wyoming from the east
i. establishes towns of Lusk, Douglas, Glenrock, Casper (on site of abandoned Fort Caspar)
ii. Lusk, Douglas are livestock shipping points; Casper, a wool shipping point originally
iii. aspires to connections to the West Coast, but not realized
iv. in early 20th century, builds west and then north through Wind River Canyon and into Big Horn Basin
v. either establishes or promotes development of Worland, Greybull
b. Chicago, Burlington and Quincy enters northeast Wyoming from the east
i. establishes coal mine at Cambria and the nearby town of Newcastle
ii. establishes Gillette, Moorcroft as livestock shipping points; coal in area of low quality and not immediately exploited
iii. extends lines into Sheridan County and then into Montana
iv. encourages development of coal mines in Sheridan County
v. coal company towns of Acme, Kleenburn, Kooi, Monarch established
II. Carey Act, passed by Congress in 1894, awards federal lands to states for promotion of irrigation projects
a. William F. Cody forms company with friend George Beck to build dam on Stinkingwater River and irrigation project for northern Big Horn Basin
i. organizes company in Sheridan that builds Sheridan Inn
ii. plans new city of Cody, streets named for investors
iii. Cody’s company tries to build dam, but runs out of money; project taken over by federal government
iv. Cody’s company encourages settlement of farmers, including Jews, to area farming communities; Jews settle in nearby community of Irma
v. Cody company builds grand hotel, named for Cody’s daughter Irma
a. town of Powell established as agricultural irrigation town; named for John Wesley Powell who explored the West; Powell never visited the town named for him
b. land taken from Wind River reservation to form irrigation projects in central Wyoming
i. town of Riverton formed on project lands; drawings held for lots (Aug. 15, 1906)
ii. town of Shoshoni formed on northern boundary of project near future site of Boysen Dam
iii. Pavillion, Crowheart, formed on reservation land
c. proposed irrigation projects promote new towns of Eden, Farson; spur growth in existing towns of Guernsey, Glendo
IV. Farmers from Midwestern states homestead in Crook County
a. town of Sundance founded
b. Devils Tower National Monument, the nation’s first national monument, created by proclamation of President Theodore Roosevelt
a. Mormon colony settles in northeast Big Horn Basin, establishes towns of Cowley, Byron; builds Sidon Canal
b. Mormons settle in Star Valley; establish towns of Afton, Thayne
Three Grand Old Men of Wyoming Politics (1890-1933)
October 12, 2004
I. Francis E. Warren, territorial governor, first state governor, elected to U. S. Senate
a. wealthy businessman and rancher
b. one of territory's largest landowners
II. Joseph M. Carey, first territorial attorney, territorial justice, delegate to Congress, elected state’s first U. S. Senator
a. like Warren, very wealthy businessman and rancher
b. supports Carey Act to promote irrigation in the West
c. forms Wheatland Irrigation Company that starts town of Wheatland
d. part of his ranch became site of city of Casper; CY Avenue named for Carey's ranch and brand
III. Johnson County War aftermath helps elect Democrat John Osborne to the governorship
a. Osborne gained notoriety in Rawlins as medical doctor who autopsied Big Nose George
b. Osborne elected to U. S. Congress, later becomes ambassador
a. Warren’s term in U. S. Senate expires; no replacment chosen by legislature
b. Carey’s term expires in 1894, but he expects to be reelected
c. Warren organizes Republicans in legislature that defeats Carey and elects C. D. Clark from Evanston to the U. S. Senate
d. Warren regains his Senate seat
e. Warren’s manuever begins long feud between Carey and Warren
f. In 1910, Carey, out of office for almost 15 years, tries to gain Republican nomination as governor
g. Warren’s friends repudiate Carey and nominate another candidate for governor
h. Carey goes to Democrats who nominate him as their candidate for governor
i. Carey wins governorship; begins term as most progressive in state’s history
a. Warren gets U. S. Supreme Court seat for his friend Willis Van Devanter
b. Warren’s son-in-law, John J. Pershing, gains rapid advancement in his army career
i. Pershing commands troops that chase Pancho Villa in Mexico
ii. his wife (Warren’s daughter) and two children die in fire in officer’s quarters at Presidio in San Francisco
iii. Pershing later becomes general in charge of all American forces in World War I
a. Carey backs third party candidate, Theodore Roosevelt; Democrat Woodrow Wilson wins presidency
b. Carey’s term ends in 1914, with Carey unpopular with both political parties
c. Warren serves in U. S. Senate until his death in 1929, setting record for years of service in Senate
VII. John B. Kendrick, wealthy cattleman who originally came to Wyoming from Texas as a cowboy, elected governor and becomes leader of Democratic Party
a. Kendrick elected to the U. S. Senate
b. Kendrick helps uncover the Teapot Dome scandal
c. Kendrick continues to serve in the U. S. Senate until his death in 1933
Notes on Skott Vigil's lecture, October 14
Important Points.
Absentee ownership of fur trade companies
They came because of natural resources, have little intention to stay.
Want to make money and get out
Typical of boom & bust crowd
Early recognition of environmental problem
Wyoming fur trade ended because of scarcity of animals, 2 decades of Rendezvous
I. The fur companies early 1800’s
The two areas of fur trade,
-Upper Missouri- trade w/ Indians for animal robes
-Rocky mountain – White Mountain men trapped beaver
Rocky Mountain fur companies
-British Hudson Bay Co. – Northern Canada & Oregon territory
-Pacific fur Co. - John Jacob Astor, built fort on mouth of the Colombia, Astor sold fort to French Northwest fur Co. . During war of 1812, fear British would take it.
1814-1819 economic trouble & problems w/ black feet Indians pretty much stopped the trade for U.S.
1822- Astor formed a branch of the American fur Co. Went back to the Rocky Mountains
British Hudson Bay Co. & Northwest fur Co. merged. Gain control of Columbia river William H. Ashley began Rocky Mountain fur co. which created free trapper system and rendezvous system, he hired men by posting an add in the newspaper
Post system vs. rendezvous system
II. Rendezvous
The 1st Rendezvous July 1, 1825 on Henry’s fork of the Green River, 120 men present Nov 3 the previous year (1824) William Ashley dispersed his men in Rocky Mountains
- they agreed to meet the next
- Account by Jim Beckwourth of 1st Rendezvous
-
… On arriving at the rendezvous, we found the main body of the Salt Lake party already there with the whole of their effects. The general would open none of his goods, except tobacco, until all had arrived, as he wished to make an equal distribution; for goods were then very scarce in the mountains, and hard to obtain.
When all had come in, he opened his goods, and there was a general jubilee among all at the rendezvous. We constituted quite a little town, numbering at least eight hundred souls, of whom one half were women and children. There were some among us who had not seen any groceries, such as coffee, sugar, & c., for several months. The whisky went off as freely as water, even at the exorbitant price he sold it for. All kinds of sports were indulged in with a heartiness that would astonish more civilized societies.
- Price of trade items.
Coffee- &1.50 per pound
Sugar- $1.50 per pound
Tobacco- $3.00 per pound
Powder - $ 2.00 per pound
Fish hooks - $ 1.50 per dozen
Flints- $ 1.00 per dozen
Scissors – $2.00 each
Knives- $ 2.50 each
Blue cloth- $ 5.00 per yard
Scarlet- $ 6.00 per yard
Lead- $1.00 per pound
Blankets- $9.00 each three point North West blanket
Buttons- $1.50 per dozen
Price of goods Fur Company paid 3.00 per pound for beaver, Fur Company made 40,000 to 50,000 in furs
- The formal rendezvous only lasted 1 day, but mountain men stayed several days
- - the furs were taken by pack train to the big horn mountains, they made boats and took the furs up the bighorn then yellow stone river, down the Missouri to st. Louis,
- The last rendezvous was in 1840
- 1834 fashion in Europe turned to silk- beaver prices fell
The beaver were pretty much trapped out
III. William H. Ashley
- born in Virginia
- tried a variety of businesses- lead mining, surveying , military, black powder making, fur trade
- 1821 demand for fur in Europe
- Ashley sold some property to outfit a fur expedition
- Had trouble going up the Missouri, boat sunk, ¼ crew killed by Ree (Arikara) Indians
- Political concerns
1. Fed. Gov. feared that Ashley might cause trouble with the Indians because previously fur trade was done through the Indians but Ashley wanted to bypass them. Ashley argued that his method would not change existing trade structure the Indians already had.
Ashley had to get a license to trade from the federal government. The fed. Gov. wanted Ashley to establish relations with tribes that were contrary to fed. Gov.
2. British had control of Oregon territory and had the alliance of many tribes, US wanted Ashley’s group to compete with the British fur company.
- 1826 Ashley sends an expedition that reaches the Great Salt Lake
- Retires a wealthy man, sells his company to other mountain men
- 1837 Ashley is elected to congress
- Ashley’s fare well
Mountaineers and friends! When I first came to the mountains, I came a poor man. You, by your indefatigable exertions, toil, and privations, have procured me an independent fortune…. For this, my friends, I feel myself under great obligations to you… I shall always be proud to testify to the fidelity with which you have stood by me through all danger… I now wash my hands of the toils of the Rocky Mountains. Farewell.
IV. Jim Bridger 1804-1881
- 17 years old when he signed on with General Ashley’s upper Missouri expedition
- Hugh Glass, Tom Fitzpatrick, Jedediah Smith also signed on
- Knew a young chief Washakie
- 1st white man to see Great Salt Lake (Spanish explores)\
- Loved to tell wild stories of Glass mountains, petrified birds, pikes peak used to be a hole in the ground
- Discovered Bridgers pass, route from Evanston to salt lake valley
- Guide and knew Indian languages
- Told the Mormons that the a person could not farm the salt lake valley
V. Jim Beckwourth
-African American descent
-Mother was a slave in Virginia father was English
-Apprenticed to a black smith in St. Louis
-1824 signed with Gen Ashley
-Known to exaggerate stories
-1828 while trapping w/ Bridger, he was captured by Crow Indians
-Beckwourth said he was mistaken for a long lost son of the chief, and adopted in the tribe
-Others say he was adopted by the tribe so they would have a trade connection with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company
-Spent 6 to 8 years w/ Crow
-He rose in the ranks to war chief, Beckwourth said he was chief of the whole Crow nation
-had 10 crow wives
-1836 went to St.. Louis, didn’t like it, returned to the Crow in 1837
- was accused of deliberately bringing small pox to the plains Indians
Whatever the story the fur company decided not to re-hire him
-fought in Florida in the Seminoles wars
-Santa Fe trail- agent in charge of Cheyenne
-involved in the California revolt
-Mexican American war -49 er/gold rush
Mid-term Exam, Oct. 21, 2004
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Wyoming in the 1920s:
Depression, Prohibition and the First Woman Governor
Oct. 26, 2004
a. World War I boom led to boom in homesteading--11,000 filed in Wyoming in 1920
b. small towns grow rapidly with banks in nearly every town
c. banks lend money to returning veterans; thinly capitalized and heavy with mortgages
d. wartime prices begin to stabilize, but euphoria nonetheless
e. oil boom fuels increasing prosperity in Casper and elsewhere
f. Union Pacific profits from hauling war material brings prosperity to southern tier
II. Politics in Wyoming in the 1920s
a. end of the Warren-Carey feud: began in 1895.
b. feud ends with election of Robert Carey as governor (1918)
c. Warren, Kendrick remain political powers
d. Robert Carey backs Prohibition; sets up law enforcement mechanisms
e. Democrats nearly extinct in 1920; Thurman Arnold only Democrat in House of Rep.
f. Carey loses primary election, 1922; William Ross, Democrat, elected
g. Ross favors Prohibition, too; advocates a mineral severance tax
h. death of Ross, age 51, on Oct. 2, 1924
i. special election set for Nov. 4; Democrats nominate Nellie Tayloe Ross
j. Ross becomes first woman elected governor of any state
III. "Economic Depression" starts in Wyoming, 1920
a. agricultural prices dip; hardships for new farmers on marginal lands
b. drought, poor weather conditions exacerbate poor prices
c. no FDIC, no way to get back deposits in case of bank failure
d. 17 banks fail, 1920-1923: Arvada, Lusk, Meeteetse, Garland, Guernsey, Moorcroft (2), Powder River, Upton, Gillette, Basin, Medicine Bow, Rock River, Wheatland, LaGrange, Marbleton, Manville
e. in 1924, an additional 25 banks fail, five on one day (July 9, 1924)
f. of 133 banks operating in 1920, just 32 remained in 1936
IV. Prohibition: "The Noble Experiment"
a. Wyoming, last state in region to adopt Prohibition (Colo., 1914; Idaho, 1915; Neb., S. D.,
Mont., 1916; Utah, 1917. Wyoming: July 1, 1919.
b. advocates: WCTU, many politicians including Carey, Kendrick, Warren, W. Ross, N. T. Ross
c. opponents: Caroline Lockhart and many civic leaders
d. scandals mar record of State Dept. of Law Enforcement
e. by 1925, growing violence in enforcement; increasing opposition in many towns
f. repeal finally comes in 1933, effective March 1, 1935
V. Other events in the 1920s
a. Colorado River compact agreed to by western states (1922); Wyoming share of 7%
b. KFA radio, Laramie, Feb. 3, 1926
c. Emerson defeats Nellie Ross for governor, 1926; Mondell loses to Kendrick for Senate
d. 1920s end as decade of severe economic depression in Wyoming; prosperity elsewhere
e. stock market crashes, Oct. 29, 1929--beginning of "Great Depression" in United States
Significant Terms, Names
wartime prosperity Warren-Carey feud William Ross KFA radio
post-war depression Robert Carey Nellie Tayloe Ross Frank Emerson
Union Pacific reorganization Thurman Arnold Caroline Lockhart “Great Crash” (Oct. 29, 1929)
decline of small towns temperance
The Great Depression and New Deal in Wyoming
Nov. 2, 4, 2004
I. The Great Depression in the U. S.; economy worsens in Wyoming after Oct. 1929
a. price of oil drops to 15-19 cents per barrel at Salt Creek
b. when gasoline stations exchange a fill-up for a chicken, farmer and station owner both lose money
c. enrollment declines at UW; migration out of state to the West Coast accelerates
d. Wyoming unemployment rate hovers at level of 25 percent (1931)
e. President Herbert Hoover promises return to prosperity but no federal role in process
II. Wyoming Politics: Deaths of the Grand Old Men
a. Joseph M. Carey dies 1924; Francis E. Warren, 1929; John B. Kendrick, Nov. 1933
b. former state engineer Frank Emerson is Republican leader; Joseph C. O'Mahoney leads Democrats
III. The election of 1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt, the New Deal and Leslie Miller
a. Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt elected President in huge landslide (1932)
b. Democrats elect all five state officers; control both houses of legislature; Miller becomes governor
c. Nellie Tayloe Ross, FDR supporter, named director of U. S. Mint, remains until 1953
d. Roosevelt administration begins "first 100 days"; flurry of activity to get economy moving
IV. Wyomingites make attempt to overcome "Great Depression" without federal help
a. cities, counties given responsibility for welfare; strains budgets and brings suffering; UW problems
b. legislature authorizes study of state finances in order to reduce costs to weather depresssion
c. Griffenhagen Co. of Chicago study points out ways to cut costs, consolidate functions
d. special legislative session (1933) rejects Griffenhagen study
e. Miller reluctantly allows New Deal programs into Wyoming; "self-help has failed"
f. legislators debate income tax/sales tax in state legislative sessions, 1933, 1935, 1937
V. New Deal programs bring jobs to Wyoming; stability to economy
a. FDIC -- "guarantees" bank deposits; brings back confidence to banking system
b. WPA -- hires writers, historians, artists--the guidebook; sidewalks in front of A&S Building
c. PWA -- constructs numerous public buildings--student union, A&S building, two examples
d. CCC -- introduces young men from around nation to Wyoming; many stay; 19 camps
e. REA -- revolutionizes agriculture in Wyoming; brings electricity to thousands of ranches
f. AAA -- attempts to regulate agricultural commodity prices
VI. New Deal and the U. S. Supreme Court
a. numerous New Deal programs struck down by Supreme Court as unconstitutional
b. after 1936 general election landslide, FDR proposes increasing size of Supreme Court
c. critics attack FDR's plan as "court-packing"; O'Mahoney leads Senate opposition; Van Devanter retires
VII. Issues of self-image and sectionalism in the 1930s
a. Prohibition repealed (beer legal in 1933; other liquor in 1935)
b. state gains influence over liquor sales with state liquor commission
c. state of Absaroka proposed as result of discontent in northern Wyoming
d. Lester Hunt, as Secretary of State, hires artist Allen True to draw bucking horse for license plate
e. "Tulsa-plus" gasoline pricing system attacked by both Democrats and Republicans
VIII. Wyoming tires of New Deal; world moves toward war
a. sales tax made permanent
b. Miller defeated for reelection in 1938
c. poor management methods of Gov. Nels Smith, Republican from Crook County
d. Smith-Crane feud; Crane, "the builder," had been UW president for almost 20 years
e. Crane elected Secretary of State; later becomes acting governor
Significant Terms/Names
Franklin D. Roosevelt Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Griffenhagen report state of Absaroka
Gov. Leslie Miller Rural Electrification Administration (REA) state income tax Lester Hunt
John B. Kendrick Public Works Administration (PWA) state sales tax (1935) Allen True
Joseph C. O'Mahoney Works Progress Administration (WPA) Willis Van Devanter Nels Smith
"guidebook series" Agricultural Adjustment Admin. (AAA) "court-packing" plan Dr. Arthur G. Crane
Francis E. Warren Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Tracy McCraken
"Tulsa-plus" pricing reclamation projects "bucking horse" symbol
World War II and the Aftermath: Wyoming Transformed?
Nov. 11, 16, 2004
I. Wartime brought changes
a. economic recovery from the Great Depression
b. enlistments, the draft (Selective Service System) take men from state
c. military bases established in state bring people into state
d. increased prices for agricultural products, petroleum, coal--return to full prosperity
e. war conditions introduced more women into the workplace
II. The Federal Government presence
a. Fort Warren--major transportation and quartermaster training base
b. Casper Army Air Base--trained B-17 and B-24 bomber crews
c. Douglas Prisoner of War Camp--2,500 prisoners were Germans, Italians
d. Heart Mountain "Relocation Center"--Japanese-Americans, most were US citizens
i. moved from West Coast under control of War Relocation Authority
ii. initial plan: open-gated way station with eventual assimilation into communities
iii. WRA changed plan because Gov. Nels Smith opposed "open camps"
iv. locals initially opposed placement, but later liked economic benefits, labor force
v. internal conditions--3rd largest "city" in Wyoming, 11,000 residents
vi. response to draft, military service, war effort: groups of war heroes and draft resisters
III. Effects of "War Economy" on Wyoming
a. 100-octane fuel plant (Cheyenne)
b. airplane reconditioning (Cheyenne)
c. rationing programs: stamps, tokens required (along with money) to purchase commodities
d. salvage drives--railroad spikes, statues, any form of metal, grease, silk
e. war bond drives
f. of 35,000 Wyomingites in uniform, 1,095 killed in the war
IV. After the War: Transformation?
a. Gerald Nash concept of the "West transformed by World War II"
b. Wyoming transformed? Wyoming as "hole in the donut"?
i. more diverse population?
ii. greater industrialization?
iii. home-owned financial institutions?
iv. cultural growth with orchestras, art museums, etc.?
v. highly skilled labor force?
vi. mega-university?
V. Changes after World War II; post-war politics
a. GI Bill and effect on growth of University of Wyoming
b. community colleges established
c. VA loans for housing create new neighborhoods
d. ranching consolidation; changes in population centers
Significant Names/Terms
Fred Goodstein Nels Smith United Aircraft
Lance Creek pipeline Frontier Refinery "black-out" drills
Thurman Arnold Lester Hunt ration stamps and tokens
Joseph C. O'Mahoney Gen. R. L. Esmay scrap metal/salvage drives
Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941) Casper Army Air Base U. S. war bonds (savings bonds)
Fort Warren German/Italian POWs Dr. George "Duke" Humphrey
segregated military Japanese "relocation" NCAA championship, 1943
Sammy Davis, Jr. "no-no boys" War Memorial Stadium/Fieldhouse
"war censorship" Judge T. Blake Kennedy Casper College
discrimination incidents Bill Hosakawa Milward Simpson
quartermaster training center Heart Mountain Sentinel Frank A. Barrett
UW ROTC 442nd Regimental Combat Team GI bill
Be sure to finish the readings about World War II in Readings in Wyoming History
November 16, 2004
I. Intellectual Origins of Conservation
a. "Easterners"--Henry David Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh
b. "Westerners"--John Wesley Powell, John Muir
c. the political rise of conservation: "Progressives" and Pres. Theodore Roosevelt
II. The state of the Western environment, 19th century-- "development"
a. George Catlin's proposals
b. Great Plains buffalo, from 100 million-500 million before 1800
i. as late as 1850s, "a sea of brown"--Jim Baker in 1858 near Savery saw thousands
ii. "Buffalo Bill"--feeding railroad construction crews--relatively small "harvest"
iii. Cody's record: 250 killed per day, 120 in less than 45 minutes
iv. Sir George Gore and other "hunters"
c. forests: rapid disappearance for railroad construction, housing
d. rivers and streams: pollution from mining activities
III. The movement for national parks-- "preservation"
a. America's first national park, Yellowstone (1872)
i. John Colter (1806-7); Osborne Russell (1830s); Capt. W. F. Raynolds (1868)
ii. first homestead in Yellowstone, 1868
iii. expeditions through area: Folsom, Henry, Washburn, Hayden
iv. Hayden expedition--Thomas Moran and William Henry Jackson
v. Nathaniel Langford, Northern Pacific Railroad
b. protecting the resource: the army's duty as Yellowstone guardian
c. National Park Service established (1916)
IV. The movement for national forests-- "conservation"
a. George Perkins Marsh theories of forest destruction
b. "scientific forestry" & forest reserves: Yellowstone Forest Reserve (1892)
c. Gifford Pinchot and the Forest Service
d. Theodore Roosevelt as American conservationist
V. National monuments
a. Theodore Roosevelt signs Antiquities Act (1906)
b. Devils Tower National Monument, America's first (1906)
VI. The California controversy over Hetch-Hetchy dam: clash of Progressives
a. Muir: "keep Yosemite free of reservoirs"
b. Pinchot, et al: "San Francisco needs public power/water"
c. the result and the compromise
Be sure to finish the articles on conservation in Readings in Wyoming History
Nov. 18, 2004
I. Congress allows for creation of National Monuments
a. archaeologists lobby for legislation to protect sites from “pothunters”
b. Congress passes Antiquities Act, designed to allow President to set aside areas of scientific, archaelogical value without having to get consent of the U. S. Congress
c. President Theodore Roosevelt signs Antiquities Act (1906)
b. Devils Tower National Monument in northeast Wyoming becomes America's first national monument (1906)—NOT an “scientific or archaeological site”—TR’s means of saving the tourist attraction from private exploitation
II. The Case of Grand Teton National Park
a. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., joins with others to promote a national park in the Tetons
b. Horace Albright, supt. of Yellowstone, and Stephen Mather, NPS director, agree park is needed
c. U. S. Forest Service officials don’t want a national park in the Tetons—want it to remain forest under their jurisdiction
d. Congress sets aside only the mountain tops into Grand Teton National Park (1929)
e. park supporters want to increase size so that “viewscape” won’t be impaired
f. Park Service wants expansion; Forest Service opposes expansion
g. local businesspeople oppose expansion; dude ranchers want expansion
h. many local people fear loss of property tax revenue if private land returned to federal government as part of the national park
a. since government doing nothing for expansion, Rockefeller forms the Snake River Land Company to buy up ranches; he plans to donate land to federal government to expand the park
b. after a while, word gets out that Rockefeller is behind the purchases
c. local opposition in Jackson Hole; local support in Jackson Hole
d. Rockefeller offers land to federal government as a gift; Congress refuses to accept it
a. after nearly ten years, Rockefeller is ready to give up and sell off the property
b. Rockefeller makes one last effort to give land to the federal government; Interior Secretary talks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. Franklin Roosevelt, knowing Congress would never support expansion, uses his power under the Antiquities Act to accept the gift from Rockefeller
d. Franklin D. Roosevelt makes presidential proclamation for "Jackson Hole National Monument"
e. opponents of expansion are angry; launch protest demonstrations
a. finally, a compromise in 1951—between Congress and the President over Grand Teton National Park
b. the Park Service, the President and Congress agree to the following terms:
i.) national monument lands become part of Grand Teton National Park
ii). grazing leases made earlier are honored for life of the leasees
iii). dam is allowed to stay inside park borders, but Park Service has veto over extensions
iv). Teton County given “in lieu” payments from federal government to offset loss of property tax revenues from what had been private land
v). Wyoming is exempted from the terms of the Antiquities Act—the President must have the consent of Congress to establish a national monument in Wyoming—no need to do that elsewhere in the U.S.
c. only a couple of grazing leases remain active in the Park
d. most former opponents to expansion now agree that the expansion was good for Jackson and Teton County—in lieu payments have helped build schools, roads, public buildings e. tourism becomes leading industry in Teton County—cattle ranching less profitable than elsewhere
Additional Names and Terms
Antiquities Act (1906) Devils Tower National Monument Grand Teton National Park (1929)
Gifford Pinchot John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Jackson Hole National Monument (1943)
National Park Service Struthers Burt Clifford P. Hansen
Frank Barrett U. S. Forest Service The Grand Teton Joseph C. O'Mahoney Horace Albright
Be sure to finish the reading in Crucible for Conservation!
Red Scare and Yellow Stripes: The 1950s in Wyoming
I. Post-war politics and society in Wyoming
a. economic prosperity, "urbanization" of small towns, returning veterans
b. construction booms in housing, schools, public buildings, business
c. prosperity in the "oil patch," depression in the coal fields
II. The national scene: beginning of the "Cold War"
a. UW textbook controversy, 1947-1948
b. national "McCarthyism"
c. the campaign of 1952--Joseph C. O'Mahoney defeated for Senate
d. Hunt's dilemma in 1954; suicide and aftermath
e. O'Mahoney returns to the U. S. Senate, 1954
f. Atlas missiles located at Warren Air Force Base
III. University of Wyoming as a political force in Wyoming
a. Dr. Arthur G. Crane, acting governor
b. "big-time" athletics and the 1943 national championship
c. Duke Humphrey, public television, politics
d. Tracy McCraken and J. B. Griffith, publishers and political spokesmen
e. Milward Simpson as governor--millions for UW, elected governor in 1954
IV. The "Silent '50s"
a. Teno Roncalio and Civil Rights Act, 1957
b. preservation activities in the 1950s
i). "rediscovering" the past: Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, Historical Landmarks Commission
ii). formation of Wyoming State Historical Society
iii) creation of Wyoming State Archives; UW archives
iv). state parks and the Wyoming Recreation Commission
c. Democratic resurgence: Gale McGee, history professor to U. S. Senator, election of 1958
d. Simpson loses reelection to governorship to Hickey
i). the role of the death penalty and highway location
ii). Milward Simpson as "fiscal liberal" in governorship; archconservative in U. S. Senate
e. Joe Hickey and the "yellow stripe" controversy of 1959
V. The End of the 1950s: Political Turmoil and a "Changing of the Guard"
a. Keith Thomson, age 41, runs for U. S. Senate; Tracy McCraken and JFK nomination
b. Thomson's death; the Hickey-Gage arrangement to send Hickey to the U. S. Senate
c. Thyra Thomson elected Secretary of State; Milward Simpson elected to U. S. Senate
VI. 1950s in Retrospect: Prosperity for Some, Stagnation for Others, Quiet Years for All
Significant Names, Terms
Lester Hunt Dr. George "Duke" Humphrey Joe McCarthy Jack Gage
W. Edwards Deming Dr. T. A. Larson Joseph C. O'Mahoney Thyra Thomson
Tracy McCraken Dr. Gale McGee Frank Barrett Clifford Hansen
William R. Coe J. J. Hickey Milward Simpson Keith Thomson
The 1960s: Economic Change, Severance Tax, Vietnam War and the "Black 14"
I. Minerals, tourism, agriculture still central to Wyoming economy
a. Uranium strikes in the 1950s
b. "Mission '66" --National Park Service plans to make parks more "tourist friendly"
c. Interstate highway construction continues
d. coal towns nearly disappear--locomotives entirely diesel-powered
e. oil fields, refineries once locally or regionally controlled, become "multinational"
II. Labor-management issues in the 1960s
a. labor unions had strong membership in Wyoming until the 1950s
i). strongest unions: railroad brotherhoods, United Mine Workers
ii). unionization in coal; non-union in oil fields
iii). few local strikes but participation in national strikes
iv). responsible for Labor Day, mine safety, 8-hour day, higher wages
v). labor unions politically active in the 1930s and 1940s
b. railroad consolidation reduces employment in state
c. mines close due to lesser demand for coal as locomotive fuel
d. state adopts so-called "right-to-work" law
III. Taxing minerals: the debate over severance taxes
a. continuing malaise in economy
b. attempts to tax minerals made in 1889; 1924; early 1950s--all ended in failure
c. election of 1966--central issue is adoption of a severance tax on minerals
d. Ernest Wilkerson, advocate for severance taxes, loses election to Stan Hathaway
e. Hathaway reverses position; supports severance tax (1969)
f. severance tax transforms Wyoming's financing of government/education
IV. Calls for state role in economic development and state agency reform
a. Department of Planning and Economic Development: another try at state help
b. centralized state services: DAFC (Dept. of Administration and Fiscal Control)
IV. National issues overlay Wyoming society/politics
a. Wyomingites in the civil rights movement
b. Vietnam War divides Wyoming
i. Democrats Gale McGee favors war; Democrat Roncalio opposes
ii. UW drops ROTC requirement, but enlistment rates in Wyoming are high
iii. Wyomingites at war in Southeast Asia, 5,700 serve; 137 killed
iv. UW becomes anti-war center for state (flagpole incident)
c. the "Black 14" incident: athletics, civil rights, free speech
Significant Names and Terms
Jeffrey City severance tax Dept. of Planning and Economic Development
Gov./Sen. Clifford Hansen election of 1966 Permanent Mineral Trust Fund
"right-to-work" law Ernest Wilkerson President Lyndon Johnson
labor unions Gov. Stan Hathaway "domino theory" Tony McGee
Sen. Gale McGee Mining Act (1872) anti-war protests Lloyd Eaton
Rev. James Reeb mineral royalties Cong. Teno Roncalio William Carlson
Be sure to complete the assigned articles in Readings in Wyoming History!
Into the 1970s: Wyoming Deals with Boom Times and "Impact"
I. Wyoming in 1970: On the edge of development/change
a. nationally, Vietnam War still dominated political debate
b. in Wyoming, economy in malaise--emphasis on economic development efforts
c. Sen. Gale McGee, Gov./Sen. Cliff Hansen, Cong. Teno Roncalio--politics in the '70s
d. Stan Hathaway's governorship: increasing size of state government
e. election of Ed Herschler (1974)
f. Stan Hathaway appointed Secretary of the Interior by Pres. Ford; resigns after six weeks
II. Arab Oil Embargo, Dec. 1973-1974, and aftermath
a. oil prices rise rapidly; American industrial economy falters
b. oil exploration increases in Wyoming; Overthrust belt
c. coal returns as significant fuel--strip mining, very little underground mining
i. mining efficiencies: big equipment, few employees
ii. decreasing power of labor unions
d. growth: Powder River Basin, Campbell, Carbon, Sweetwater, Uinta, Lincoln counties
e. Wyoming power plants
i. Laramie Basin Electric Power plant, Wheatland
ii. Jim Bridger Power Plant
iii. Other power projects
f. contradictions of "prosperity"--winners and losers in "boom times"
i. the "secondary" booms
ii. overbuilding and the results
III. Wyoming political responses to oil boom
a. significance of the severance tax (1969-early 1980s)
b. "Permanent Mineral Trust Fund": banking money for a "rainy day"
c. proposals for mine expansion and government response
d. Department of Environmental Quality
e. Powder River Basin Resource Council; High Country News
f. Dept. of Planning and Economic Development
g. Industrial Siting Act
h. ETSI plan for a coal slurry pipeline
IV. Social issues of "impact"
a. "Gillette syndrome"
b. huge population increases; another "boom" era
c. financing impact--state government provides assistance to cities, counties
c. "crime and corruption in Rock Springs"
d. Cantrell murder trial: "fast-draw defense"
Names and Significant Terms
Arab oil embargo black-footed ferret
severance tax Tom Bell
Ed Herschler Warren Morton
"Overthrust" belt "Gillette syndrome"
"impact" State Farm Loan Board
coal slurry pipeline Permanent Mineral Trust Fund
trona Dept. of Environmental Quality