May 18, 1921. Horses, Cars and Trains.

Genrl. Pershing & foxcatcher hunt team horseshow, 1921, 5/17/21

May 17

1921  Laramie's  Elmer Lovejoy patented a Trackage for Ceiling Type of Doors with Door-Openers (Patent No. 1,378,123). Attribution:  On This Day.

Susitna Bridge on the Alaska Railroad with mountains in background, Alaska, May 17, 1921

Today In Wyoming's History: Reviewing the Wounded Knee Medals of Honor.

Today In Wyoming's History: Reviewing the Wounded Knee Medals of Honor.: 

Reviewing the Wounded Knee Medals of Honor.

Sgt. Toy receiving the Medal of Honor in 1891.  Sgt. Toy was cited for "bravery while shooting Indians" at Wounded Knee.  He is known to have shot two during the engagement, which is about all that his citations and the supporting material relates.

 Tribes Want Medals Awarded for Wounded Knee Revoked.

While this isn't a Wyoming item per se, the Battle of Wounded Knee has been noted here before, as its a regional one.

It would likely surprise most readers here that twenty Medals of Honor were awarded to soldiers who participated in the actions at Wounded Knee.  The odd thing is that I was under the impression that the Army had rescinded these medals long ago, and I'm not completely certain that they haven't.  Having said that, I can't find that they were, so my presumption must have been in error.

To put this in context, the medals that were rescinded, if any were, weren't rescinded because Wounded Knee was a massacre.  They were rescinded because they didn't meet the post April 1917 criteria for receiving the award.

The Medal of Honor was first authorized in 1861 by the Navy, not the Army, following the retirement of Gen. Winfield Scott, who was adamantly opposed to the awarding of medals to servicemen, which he regarded as a European practice, not an American one.  The award was authorized by Congress that year, at the Navy's request.  The Army followed in 1862 in the same fashion.  The medals actually vary by appearance, to this day, depending upon which service issues them, and they've varied somewhat in design over time.

During the Civil War the award was generally issued for extraordinary heroism, but not necessarily of the same degree for which it is today.  Because of this, a fairly large number of Medals of Honor were conferred after the Civil War to servicemen who retroactively sought them, so awards continued for Civil War service for decades following the war.  New awards were also issued, of course, for acts of heroism in the remaining decades of the 19th Century, with Army awards usually being related to service in the Indian Wars.  Navy awards, in contrast, tended to be issued for heroic acts in lifesaving, a non combat issuance of the award that could not occur today.  Indeed, a fairly large number were issued to sailors who went over the sides of ships to save the lives, or attempt to, of drowning individuals, often with tragic results to the sailors.

At any rate, the period following the war and the method by which it was retroactively issued may have acclimated the Army to issuing awards as there are a surprising number of them that were issued for frontier battles.  This does not mean that there were not genuine acts of heroism that took place in those battles, it's just surprising how many there were and its clear that the criteria was substantially lower than that which would apply for most of the 20th Century.

Indeed, in the 20th Century the Army began to significantly tighten up requirements to hold the medal. This came into full fruition during World War One during which the Army made it plain that it was only a combat medal, while the Navy continued to issue the medal for peacetime heroism.  In 1917 the Army took the position that the medal could only be issued for combat acts of heroism at the risk of life to the recipient, and in 1918 that change became official.  Prior to the 1918 change the Army commissioned a review board on past issuance of the medal and struck 911 instances of them having been issued.  I'd thought the Wounded Knee medals had been stricken, but my presumption must be in error.

Frontier era Medals of Honor, as well as those issued to Civil War era soldiers after the Civil War, tend to be remarkably lacking in information as to why they were conferred.  This has presented a problem for the Army looking back on them in general.

Indeed, the Wounded Knee medals have this character.  They don't say much, and what they do say isn't all that useful to really know much about what lead them to be awarded.  There is a peculiar aspect to them, however, in that they don't reflect what we generally know about the battle historically.  

Wikipedia has summarized the twenty awards and what they were awarded for, and this illustrates this problem.  The Wounded Knee Wikipedia page summarizes this as follows

·         Sergeant William Austin, cavalry, directed fire at Indians in ravine at Wounded Knee;

·         Private Mosheim Feaster, cavalry, extraordinary gallantry at Wounded Knee;

·         Private Mathew Hamilton, cavalry, bravery in action at Wounded Knee;

·         Private Joshua Hartzog, artillery, rescuing commanding officer who was wounded and carried him out of range of hostile guns at Wounded Knee;

·         Private Marvin Hillock, cavalry, distinguished bravery at Wounded Knee;

·         Sergeant Bernhard Jetter, cavalry, distinguished bravery at Wounded Knee for "killing an Indian who was in the act of killing a wounded man of B Troop."

·         Sergeant George Loyd, cavalry, bravery, especially after having been severely wounded through the lung at Wounded Knee;

·         Sergeant Albert McMillain, cavalry, while engaged with Indians concealed in a ravine, he assisted the men on the skirmish line, directed their fire, encouraged them by example, and used every effort to dislodge the enemy at Wounded Knee;

·         Private Thomas Sullivan, cavalry, conspicuous bravery in action against Indians concealed in a ravine at Wounded Knee;

·         First Sergeant Jacob Trautman, cavalry, killed a hostile Indian at close quarters, and, although entitled to retirement from service, remained to close of the campaign at Wounded Knee;

·         Sergeant James Ward, cavalry, continued to fight after being severely wounded at Wounded Knee;

·         Corporal William Wilson, cavalry, bravery in Sioux Campaign, 1890;

·         Private Hermann Ziegner, cavalry, conspicuous bravery at Wounded Knee;

·         Musician John Clancy, artillery, twice voluntarily rescued wounded comrades under fire of the enemy;

·         Lieutenant Ernest Garlington, cavalry, distinguished gallantry;

·         First Lieutenant John Chowning Gresham, cavalry, voluntarily led a party into a ravine to dislodge Sioux Indians concealed therein. He was wounded during this action.

·         Second Lieutenant Harry Hawthorne, artillery, distinguished conduct in battle with hostile Indians;

·         Private George Hobday, cavalry, conspicuous and gallant conduct in battle;

·         First Sergeant Frederick Toy, cavalry, bravery;

·         Corporal Paul Weinert, artillery, taking the place of his commanding officer who had fallen severely wounded, he gallantly served his piece, after each fire advancing it to a better position

For quite a few of these, we're left without a clue as to what the basis of the award was, at least based on this summation. But for some, it would suggest a pitched real battle.  A couple of the awards are for rescuing wounded comrades under fire.  Others are for combat actions that we can recognize.

Indeed, one historian that I know, and probably only because I know him, has noted the citations in support for "it was a real battle", taking the controversial, albeit private, position that Wounded Knee was a real, pitched, engagement, not simply a slaughter.  This isn't the popular view at all, of course, and its frankly not all that well supported by the evidence either.  But what of that evidence.

A popular thesis that's sometimes presented is that Wounded Knee was the 7th Cavalry's revenge for the Battle of the Little Big Horn.  Perhaps this is so, but if it is so, it's would be somewhat odd in that it would presume an institutional desire for revenge rather than a personal one, for the most part.  Wounded Knee was twenty four years after Little Big Horn and most of the men who had served at Little Big Horn were long since out of the service.  Indeed, some of the men who received awards would have been two young for service in 1890, and while I haven't looked up all of their biographies, some of them were not likely to have even been born at the time.  Maybe revenge was it, but if that's the case, it would demonstrate a 19th Century retention of institutional memories that vastly exceed the 20th and 21st Century ones.  Of course, the 7th Cavalry remains famous to this day for Little Big Horn, so perhaps that indeed is it.

Or perhaps what it reflects is that things went badly wrong at Wounded Knee and the massacre became a massively one sided battle featuring a slaughter, something that the Sioux on location would have been well within their rights to engage in. That is, once the things went wrong and the Army overreacted, as it certainly is well established that it did, the Sioux with recourse to arms would have been justified in acting in self defense.  That there were some actions in self defense which would have had the character of combat doesn't mean it wasn't combat.

And that raises the sticky moral issues of the Congressional efforts to rescind the medals.  Some of these medals are so poorly supported that the Army could likely simply rescind them on their own, as they have many others, and indeed, I thought they had.  Some seem quite unlikely to meet the modern criteria for the medal no matter what, and therefore under the practices established in 1917, they could be rescinded even if they were regarded as heroic at the time.  Cpl. Weinert's for example, unless there was more to it, would probably just merit a letter of commendation today.

Indeed, save for two examples that reference rescuing wounded comrades, I don't know that any of these would meet the modern criteria. They don't appear to.  So once again, most of these would appear to be subject to proper unilateral Army downgrading or rescission all on their own with no Congressional action.

But what of Congressional action, which has been proposed. The Army hasn't rescinded these awards and they certainly stand out as awards that should receive attention.  If Congress is to act, the best act likely would be to require the Army to review overall its pre 1917 awards once again.  If over 900 were weeded out the first time, at least a few would be today, and I suspect all of these would.

To simply rescind them, however, is problematic, as it will tend to be based neither on the criteria for award today, or the criteria of the award in 1890, but on the gigantic moral problem that is the Battle of Wounded Knee itself.  That is, these awards are proposed to be removed as we regard Wounded Knee as a genocidal act over all, which it does indeed appear to be.

The problem with that is that even if it is a genocidal act in chief, individual acts during it may or may not be. So, rushing forwards to rescue a wounded comrade might truly be heroic, even if done in the middle of an act of barbarism.  Other acts, such as simply shooting somebody, would seem to be participating in that barbarism, but here too you still have the situation of individual soldiers suddenly committed to action and not, in every instance, knowing what is going on.  It's now too late to know in most cases.  Were they acting like William Calley or just as a regular confused soldier?

Indeed, if medals can be stricken because we now abhor what they were fighting for (and in regard to Wounded Knee, it was questioned nearly immediately, which may be why the Army felt compelled to issue medals to those participating in it, to suggest it was a battle more than it was), what do we do with other problematic wars?

Eighty six men, for example, received the Medal of Honor for the Philippine Insurrection.  In retrospect, that was a pure colonial war we'd not condone in any fashion today, and it was controversial at the time.  Theodore Roosevelt very belatedly received the Medal of Honor for leading the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry up Kettle Hill during the Spanish American War, and he no doubt met the modern criterial, but the Spanish American War itself is morally dubious at best.  

Of course, none of these awards are associated with an act of genocide, which takes us back to Wounded Knee.  As noted above, maybe so many awards were issued there as the Army wanted to to convert a massacre into a battle, and conferring awards for bravery was a way to attempt to do that.

Certainly the number of awards for Wounded Knee is very outsized.  It's been noted that as many awards have been issued for heroism at Wounded Knee as have been for some gigantic Civil War battles.  Was the Army really more heroic at Wounded Knee than Antietam?  That seems unlikely.

Anyway a person looks at it, this is one of those topics that it seems clear would be best served by Army action.  The Army has looked at the topic of pre 1917 awards before, and it removed a fair number of them.  There's no reason that it can't do so again. It was regarded as harsh the last time it occurred, and some will complain now as well, but the Army simply did it last time.   That would honor the medal and acknowledge the history, and it really shouldn't be confined to just Wounded Knee.

Dead men and horses at Wounded Knee following the conflict.

Today In Wyoming's History: Updates for April, 2021

Today In Wyoming's History: Updates for April, 2021: 

Updates for April, 2021

April 8:  Girls high school softball comes to Casper.

February 15, 1921. The Centennial of Teton and Sublette Counties.

Today In Wyoming's History: February 15, 1921: 

1921 Teton County formed.

1921  Sublette County formed.

To add to this a bit, Teton County was formed out of what had been part of Lincoln County.  Sublette County was formed out of parts of Lincoln County and Fremont County, the latter of which remains an enormous sized county.

Followers of Gasoline Alley were on day two of the dramatic plot line.

The monument to suffragist was dedicated in the Capital Rotunda.  Photographs of it have appeared in earlier installments of this series.  Almost immediately, however, it was moved to the basement, where it would remain until 1997 when it was restored to the Rotunda.

The New York Post ran a cartoon about Harding.

A publication called Good Morning ran a scathing cartoon associating war with a variety of extra evils.

Good Morning (a journal), February 15, 1921: " The dollar-a-year patriotic profiteers, including the fifty seven varieties of Trust presidents, with Charlie Schwab sprinkling the street. Ku Klux Klan, bodyguard for the profiteers and standard bearers of race hatred, reaction and private vengeance."

Georgian Bolsheviks asked for Soviet assistance in their efforts which resulted in the Soviets dedicating the Red Army to the subjugation of the country.

Eight train passengers were killed, and ten wounded, when the IRA attempted to ambush a train at Upton in Cork, and a resulting gun battle with a British Army unit developed.

The Columbian Air Force was founded on this day.  All of its early aircraft were extremely primitive, even by the standards of the day.

January 20. 1941. The Third Inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt

Today In Wyoming's History: January 20: 

January 20

1941.  Third inauguration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In his inaugural address that year he eulogized Thomas Jefferson

Men in New Bedford, Massachusetts, were photographed going to work in a textile mill, when the US had such things.

Benito Mussolini consented to German troops having transit through his country.  Italy was already proving itself not up to the conditions of the Second World War and was being beaten in North Africa and in Greece.  Once the senior partner in the Axis, it was now rapidly becoming a liability.

Life magazine featured a soldier of the new 10th Mountain Division in winter gear on its cover.

More on what was going on, on this day in 1941 in World War Two.

Day 508 January 20, 1941

Today In Wyoming's History: A New Sidebar: Wyoming Myths

Today In Wyoming's History: A New Sidebar: Wyoming Myths: 

A New Sidebar: Wyoming Myths

In the next couple of days we're going to premier a new sidebar series on this site, that being Wyoming Myths. The focus of the series is probably obvious.

It's not like it'll be an exhaustive series with vast numbers of entries.  By and large, Wyoming's history has been pretty accurately recorded and portrayed.  But every state's story includes some myths, some simply frequently repeated, and some that are in fact cherished.

Indeed, it's just one such myth that causes this series to come about.  It's a myth that I've known about for a long time and its simply not true.  But it is a beloved one in certain quarters.  I've avoided writing on it as deflating a beloved myth can provoke ire, particularly one like we're going to start off with, but things that aren't true, aren't true.  And preserving a falsehood doesn't do anyone any good.

One thing on this, which I'll note right from the onset, this thread won't be "revisionist".  I'll occasionally take positions on some things, although not so much on this blog, which are "revisionist" in nature, but only where they are in need of revision based upon the facts of a matter.  Indeed, one likely teed up "myth" we'll address is a revisionist myth seeking to "correct" an earlier history which, at least based upon what we currently know about the matter, was likely correct.

Indeed, that would tend to be true about the first myth we'll deal with here as well, which was the product of an early 20th Century revision.

The first entry is almost ready to go.  We hope you'll enjoy the series, or at least read it, and of course should you choose to defend the myth, well you certain are welcome and encouraged to comment on it.  And if you are relieved, surprised, or whatever when a post comes up, well please feel free to note that as well.

Today In Wyoming's History: October 16, 1940 . R Day

Caption reads:  "Delegates of N.Y. Youth Congress present petition at White House opposing compulsory conscription. Washington, D.C., June 20. A delegation from the New York Youth Congress called at the White House today with a petition opposing President Roosevelt's proposed plan to regiment the young men and women of American in compulsory military training and forced labor. The delegation shown on the steps of the White House are, left to right - Wesley Nelson, Church of the Master; Tom Jones, Brooklyn Negro Youth Federation; Jean Horie, Executive Secretary of the New York Youth Congress; and David Livingstone, United Wholesale and Warehouse Employees Union, N.Y. Local 65"

Today In Wyoming's History: October 16: 1940  "R Day", the deadline for all men aged 21 to 36 years old to register for conscription.

September 3, 1920. Stepp appointed postmaster.

1920 Alonzo Stepp was appointed the postmaster of Fontenelle, Wyoming.  He was an area rancher.

That may not seem remarkable, but Stepp was an African American who was exceptional for his era in numerous ways, one of which was that he was one of few black ranchers in the state at the time, with there remaining few today.  The Kentucky born Stepp was college educated, having received a classical education, but immigrated to Wyoming with his wife, whom he'd met in college, to pursue ranching after having worked on a Wyoming ranch one summer while in college. That introduction to ranching came through the invitation of a college friend, who was a white student.  Lon Stepp ultimately moved back to Wyoming and into ranching, working on area ranches and purchasing land over the years until he had a full time operating ranch.  By 1920, he's already served as an elected district road supervisor.  He occupied the postmaster position until December 15, 1941, when he died.

The Stepps would continue to ranch in the area until their ranch was one of the ones that was taken over by the government for Fontenelle Reservoir in 1963.  The Stepps fought the condemnation for the reservoir in court but ultimately lost.  

Fontenelle Reservoir in 1972.

Perhaps ironically, the dam for the reservoir on their land which they had opposed has proven to be leaky and the reservoir has had to been hurriedly drained twice.  Irrigation from the reservoir never really developed due to the difficulties of doing that in a high desert region, and therefore the lake has principally been used for recreation.

Stepp family members remain prominent in the area today.

More on the Stepps can be found on the WyoHistory.org page on them.  This entry is based on that one.

From here.

Also on this day, Way Down East was released.

You've seen part of it at least. The scene with the protagonist, played by Lillian Gish, on ice flows heading toward a waterfall.

Today In Wyoming's History: August 16, 1920. First airplane landing. . . and crash, at Kemmerer

Today In Wyoming's History: August 16: 1920  The first airplane to land at Kemmerer crashed into a tree during the process of landing. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

Today In Wyoming's History: The Rock in the Glen, Glenrock, Wyoming.

Today In Wyoming's History: The Rock in the Glen, Glenrock, Wyoming.:

The Rock in the Glen, Glenrock, Wyoming.

The Rock in the Glen, in Converse County, Wyoming is one of the numerous places along the Oregon Trail that served as a register and a marker for those traveling on the Oregon Trail.  It shows up in the earliest guide books for the trail and like other sites in Wyoming, those who camped here often carved their names into the rock.

The location is near the North Platte River, as the trail itself is in this portion of Wyoming, and ultimately the areas features lead to the foundation of the town in the late 19th Century.  Upon formation, the town was named for the rock.

The actual location of the rock belonged to the Continental Pipeline Company up until 1982, when it donated the land to the Town of Glenrock.

The location today is a town park which is currently undergoing improvements.

Today In Wyoming's History: March 25, 2020. Staying At Home, Orders and Suggestions.

Today In Wyoming's History: March 25:2020

2020  Governor Gordon suggested Wyomingites stay at home.  The states press release stated:

Governor
Gordon, top officials call for all Wyoming citizens to stay home

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon issued a plea to Wyomingites to stay home to slow the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic during a press conference today.

“I am here today to urge Wyoming citizens to stay home whenever possible, only going out when absolutely necessary,” Gov. Gordon said. “It is imperative to flatten the curve by staying home.”

The governor emphasized the need for public cooperation in order for Wyoming to make strides in slowing the spread of the virus. Public participation could alleviate the need to implement more stringent measures, he added

“Your voluntary actions and discipline are going to make the difference as to whether we can slow the spread of COVID-19. You can make a difference in Wyoming for you, your family and your neighbors,” Gov. Gordon said. “We must keep our hospital facilities functional, not just for COVID-19 but to help people with regular health emergencies like a stroke or a broken leg.”

Additional sample collection kits developed by the Wyoming Department of Health will be distributed to counties later this week, increasing testing capabilities. As of March 25, there are 44 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 10 Wyoming counties. More robust testing data is also available on the Department of Health’s website.

“We need to take the Governor’s words seriously,” said Mike Ceballos, Director of the Wyoming Department of Health. “The orders Wyoming has in place are intended to keep people separated so the virus has limited opportunity to spread. It is most important to stay at home as much as possible. If we work together, we will be able to reduce illness and the burden on our health care system.”

Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan reinforced the state’s essential role in meeting public needs and protecting public safety.

“Wyoming citizens deserve continued public service, and we are working to protect our most vulnerable populations - people who are sick, have disabilities or who are elderly - as well as our employees who are providing those services,” Buchanan said. “My task force will continue to work with local governments and our tribal nations across the state, giving them what they need to serve people and stay safe.”

Wyoming Department of Workforce Services Director Robin Cooley provided an update on the agency's efforts to expand call capacity to meet public demand. The agency is continuing its efforts to streamline unemployment benefit applications. Currently, unemployment claims are being processed within 2 days from the date of filing with no waiting period.

“We stand ready to help businesses and employees,” Director Cooley said. “Employers are still hiring and workers are still looking for jobs.”

First Lady Jennie Gordon has mobilized her Wyoming Hunger Initiative to specifically address challenges created by COVID-19 and help keep Wyoming residents fed. Today, the first lady launched a one-stop-shop for food resources in every county in Wyoming. Further, Wyoming Food Bank of the Rockies will be offering mobile food pantry sites starting next week in Worland on March 31, Torrington on April 1, Star Valley on April 2 and Evanston on April 3. More sites will be announced in the coming days.

Gov. Gordon continues to meet regularly with the Wyoming Department of Health and other stakeholders to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on Wyoming’s communities.

Additional guidance for schools districts, state agencies, businesses and public spaces will be updated by the end of the week.

Additional COVID-19 resources are available at the state of Wyoming's COVID-19 website,

In issuing this recommendation, the Governor did not make it an order.  However, by this date, two of Wyoming's neighbors, Colorado and Idaho, had done just that. Colorado's order provided:

CENTENNIAL - Today Gov. Polis announced a statewide stay-at-home order beginning on Thursday, March 26 at 6:00 a.m. and will last until April 11, 2020. The Governor also provided an update on the state’s response to COVID-19 and actions taken to limit the spread of the virus. 

“Coloradans are living through a global pandemic and this decision was made to help save lives,” said Governor Jared Polis. “We will continue doing everything we can to get the resources Colorado needs to address COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of all Coloradans. In true Colorado spirit, we’re seeing our friends, family and neighbors rise to the challenge, donating their time, money or extra supplies to support relief efforts at the state and local levels. We are in this together and this is the season to stay at home to save lives.” 

This executive order means Coloradans should not be leaving their homes except for critical activities including: 

• Obtaining food and other household necessities including medicine
• Going to and from work if you are a critical employee
• Seeking medical care
• Caring for dependents or pets
• Caring for a vulnerable person in another location
• Cannabis and liquor stores will remain open 
• Or participating in outdoor recreation at a legally-mandated safe distance of six feet or more from other parties

Read the full order here. Read the FAQ here. Read the public health order here. Watch the press conference here. 

Colorado continues facing a shortage of resources in addressing this pandemic, which is why the Governor sent a letter to the Trump administration urging the president to declare a Major Disaster for the State of Colorado. A major disaster declaration would free up resources for medical care, housing, unemployment assistance, crisis counseling, hazard mitigation and more. California, Washington and New York have received these declarations. Read the request here. 

While the state is facing a shortage of resources, Coloradans are stepping up to try and fill the gap. More than 7,000 Coloradans have already signed up to volunteer on www.helpcoloradonow.org, nearly 1,300 of which have medical training. The Colorado COVID Relief Fund has also raised more than $7 million since launching late last
week. 

Gov. Polis requested and received dual-status commander authority to ensure unity of command, allowing regular, federal military units to be controlled by a single commander representing the Governor. This will help to eliminate confusion and conflict and allow the state to streamline the utilization of military personnel in this response.

The Governor announced that the state lab has eliminated its backlog and there will be new labs coming online at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, University Hospital, and Children’s Hospital. The Governor thanked CSU and CU for their willingness to test the personal protective equipment the private sector
is ramping up that the state needs now. 

Governor Polis also provided an update on the federal stimulus package which included $377 billion for small business loans and grants, $1200 in direct cash assistance to Americans based on income
eligibility.

The Governor also provided an update on the Innovation Response Team, introducing two new members: Lucy Sanders and Tim Miller. Lucy is the CEO and a co-founder of the National Center for Women & Information Technology and will head up Isolation Services. The objective is to provide people who are in self-isolation or home
quarantine with critical supplies like food and access to health care, and also ancillary services to make their at-home experience as comfortable as possible. Tim Miller is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rally Software and will head the Software Development Team.
The objective is to build applications and web sites for both government and citizens to manage all aspects of the crisis, and provide the state with key data. 

The Governor also noted that the Innovation Response Team is working as hard as they can to identify manufacturers and supply chains, but urged the private sector to help in this effort.

Today In Wyoming's History: March 9

Today In Wyoming's History: March 9: 2020.  Governor Gordon issues the following statement.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 9, 2020 CONTACT: Michael Pearlman, Communications Director Governor Gordon issues statement on Wyoming legislators who attended a conference where an attendee tested positive for coronavirus CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has issued the following statement about members of the Wyoming Legislature who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). An attendee of the conference was subsequently diagnosed with coronavirus.  It has come to my attention that several Wyoming legislators attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 29 where an attendee was subsequently diagnosed with coronavirus. I am given to believe that House and Senate leadership is aware of the issue. At this time it does not appear that any members of the Wyoming legislature had contact with this individual. Our state health officer has been notified and has identified these legislators as low risk. She advised that these individuals should continue to monitor their health closely at this time. I urge Wyoming citizens to recognize that as Covid 19 becomes more widespread, it is likely that many of us will eventually cross paths with someone with symptoms of the disease and people who are later diagnosed. We should continue to follow recommendations from healthcare professionals, including regular hand washing, covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and staying home when sick.

Today In Wyoming's History: February 25, 1920

Today In Wyoming's History: February 25:

February 25

1920  Woodrow Wilson signed the Minerals Leasing Act of 1920. This act created the modern system of leasing Federal oil and gas  and coal interests, which previously had been subject to claim under the Mining Law of 1872.  

 Grass Creek Wyoming, 1916

The extent to which this revolutionized the oil, gas and coal industries in economic terms can hardly be overestimated.  Prior to 1920, these fossil fuels could be exploited via a simple mining claim, and the land itself could be patented after the claim was "proved up."  The 1920 act ended this practice as to these resources (the 1872 Act continues on for other minerals, in a very modified form, to the present day).  The leasing system meant that the resources never left the public domain in absolute terns, and the payment of the lease was a huge economic boon to the state and Federal government.

Today In Wyoming's History: January 20, 1920.

Today In Wyoming's History: January 20: 1920  Bert Cole, who was the pilot in the incident that resulted in the loss of the life of Maude Toomey on the January 14, was already back in the air, piloting for a stunt.

I'm frankly a little shocked. That seems awfully soon.

Today In Wyoming's History: December 12, 1919

Today In Wyoming's History: December 12:

December 12

1919  Fourteen Spanish Flu deaths were reported in Washakie County for this week, which of course occurred during the Spanish Flu Pandemic.

The Spanish Influenza was a disaster of epic proportions which managed to impact nearly the entire globe.  While accounts vary, some accounts indicate that the flu epidemic first broke out, at least in its lethal form, in Camp Funston, Kansas. 

Today In Wyoming's History: In recognition of 150 years since . . .

Today In Wyoming's History: In recognition of 150 years since . . .:

In recognition of 150 years since . . .

the following, which occurred on this day in 1869;

1869  Territorial Governor John Campbell signed a bill giving full suffrage and public rights to women in Wyoming.  This was the first law passed in the US explicitly granting to women the franchise.  The bill provided that:  ""Every woman of the age of eighteen years residing in this territory, may, at every election cast her vote; and her right to the elective franchise and to hold office under the election laws of the territory shall be the same of electors."  Gov. Campbell's comment, in signing the bill into law, was:  "I have the honor to inform the Council that I have approved 'An act to grant to the Women of Wyoming Territory the right of Suffrage and to hold office.'" 

the Casper Star Tribune has been running features in a separate edition on notable Wyoming Wyoming.

Additionally, the University of Wyoming has been giving a series of seminars of women's suffrage this semester as well.

Today In Wyoming's History: November 15, 1919

Today In Wyoming's History: November 15:

1919.  William Carlyle, train robber, escaped from the Wyoming State Penitentiary.

Sunday Morning Scene: Churches of the West: First Catholic Mass in Wyoming

Churches of the West: First Catholic Mass in Wyoming:

First Catholic Mass in Wyoming

This entry would also probably make more sense in our Today In Wyoming's History entries, but here is the location of the first Catholic Mass in Wyoming, which was offered by Father Pierre DeSmet in 1840.

Sunday Morning Scene: Churches of the West: Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spalding at the 1836 Redezvous

Churches of the West: Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spalding at the 1836 Re...:

Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spalding at the 1836 Rendezvous

This entry more likely belongs at our Today In Wyoming's History blog, as it isn't so much of a church item (well maybe it is) as a history item.  Note how particularly early this Oregon Trail event was, 1836.  Well before the big flood of travelers starting going over the trail in the late 1840s.

Today In Wyoming's History: November 2, 1919. E. G. (Gerry) Meyer, born.

Today In Wyoming's History: November 2: 1919  E. G. (Gerry) Meyer, Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and former Dean of College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Wyoming was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  As of the date of this entry (2019) Professor Meyer was a alive and still occupying the noted position.