Wyoming in World War II
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 brought 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 and others 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: Wyoming Transformed?
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
Nels Smith United Aircraft Frontier Refinery
Thurman Arnold Lester Hunt ration stamps and tokens
Joseph C. O'Mahoney Casper Army Air Base scrap metal salvage
Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941) Douglas POW camp U. S. war bonds (savings bonds)
Fort Warren German/Italian POWs Dr. George "Duke" Humphrey
segregated military Japanese "relocation" NCAA championship, 1943
discrimination incidents "no-no boys" War Memorial Stadium/Fieldhouse
"war censorship" Judge T. Blake Kennedy Casper College
Wyoming National Guard Bill Hosakawa Milward Simpson
quartermaster training center Heart Mountain Sentinel Frank A. Barrett
UW ROTC 442nd Regimental Combat Team GI bill