Review Questions for Wyoming History Mid-term, October 2005
The exam will consist of three parts:
1. essay question (you may choose one of three or four questions to answer)
2. brief identifications (you may choose five names/terms to identify, indicating the significance to Wyoming history
3. a question on the two books (Letters of a Woman Homesteader, War on Powder River)
Sample Essay Questions:
1. In a cogent essay (not an outline), compare and contrast the “fur trade boom-and-bust” with the “cattle boom-and-bust.”
2. Who formed the rendezvous system and how was its formation a change from earlier practices? Who invested in the fur trade?
3. Identify at least three of the trails through Wyoming and describe the types of emigrants primarily utilizing each. How did each trail influence the development of military/trading posts, towns, and later transportation routes through Wyoming? What effects did each have on the Indians, if any? Take into account various army/Indian encounters in your answer.
4. Gov. John A. Campbell said territorial government “was rendered necessary by the building of the railroad.” Based on the facts from lectures, analyze why this might have been true.
5. Why has Wyoming been nicknamed the "Equality State"? Describe the main events leading to this designation and identify people involved in key points. What role, if any, did Esther Hobart Morris have in passage of the Suffrage Bill? What was her significance to Wyoming history?
6. What influence, if any, did the federal government and national events have on the location, construction, and financing of the transcontinental railroad. Be sure to take into account such factors as wars, sectional rivalries and fuel requirements.
7. Describe the "boom and bust" in the cattle industry in Wyoming in the 19th century. What factors led to the boom? What factors led to the bust? How did the boom and bust affect Wyoming history? What influence did federal land policies have over the boom and bust?
8. Who were the investors in the cattle industry in Wyoming in the 19th century? What were the goals of most cowboys and investors in the cattle industry? Be sure to use examples in your answer
9. John Clay once said that the demise of the cattle industry in the 1880s was the result of “ill luck, mismanagement and greed.” Comment, utilizing evidence from lectures and readings in your answer.
10. Describe the methods used by the federal government to pass federal land into private hands. Take into account land grants, homestead laws, and disposals of land to newly created states.
11. What influence did railroads have on the development of towns in northern Wyoming? Identify specific railroads and describe their routes.
12. What were the various factors leading to establishment of towns in northern Wyoming (including northeastern Wyoming, central and north central Wyoming, and the Big Horn Basin)? Give specific examples.
13. Who were the "Three Grand Old Men of Wyoming Politics" and what influence did they have over early Wyoming history?
14. Describe the "economics" of the fur trade. How did it reflect patterns of "boom-and-bust" and relations of whites to Native people?
15. What was the “Americanization movement”? What role did Dr. Grace Hebard play in “Americanizing” Wyoming residents? How successful were her efforts?
Possible Book Questions (to be answered with an essay)
1. What were the causes of the Johnson County War/Invasion? Explain the incident and how it influenced the cattle industry and Wyoming history. Be sure to identify specific individuals and indicate their roles in the incident.
2. "The Johnson County War was a classic dispute between big landowners and small operators." How valid is this statement? Comment, making reference to specific facts from your reading in War on Powder River.
3. Based on your reading of Letters of a Woman Homesteader as well as the "suffrage debates" in Wyoming, describe the role and influence of women in territorial and early statehood Wyoming. Be sure to use examples in your answer.