The Teapot Dome Scandal #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) Wyoming isn’t often associated with a lot of national news, much less a scandal that goes all the way to the president’s cabinet. But on April 16, 1922, a senate investigation blew...
Theodore Roosevelt’s Yellowstone Camping Trip #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) While Wyoming has the distinction of being the one of the least populated states in the country, it has nonetheless enjoyed visits by every single president, except two, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin...
Johnson County War #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) Imagine a large corporation vilifying small business owners in “fake news” articles and then bringing in a large group of hired guns and employees to kill those smaller competitors. That’s essentially what...
Wyoming’s Automaker #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) Wyoming could have been Ground Zero for a transportation revolution. For a brief moment, Wyoming was jumping on the development bandwagon of the horseless carriage. One young innovator in Laramie set out...
The Murdering Poacher #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) To say Earl Durand was not a man who took to game management kindly is an understatement. In 1939, laws requiring hunting licenses were fairly new. Being a mountain man who lived...
When Cattlemen Attack #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) On March 9, 1904, about 300 sheep were destroyed near Laramie, along with the camps of the herders watching over them. It was fortunate no one was killed considering the war that...
The Bad Pardon #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) On Feb. 4, 1889, Wyoming Territorial Governor Thomas Moonlight decided to pardon a man who was incarcerated for stealing a horse, a saddle, and a gun from a ranch near Sundance. It...
Natural Born Killers #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) A lot of people probably remember Oliver Stone’s ultra-violent and notoriously controversial movie Natural Born Killers, which has since become a cult classic. What many may not know is the film was...
When Legislators Attack #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) Our legislature is gearing up for a budget session, and there’s a lot of debate around financial issues in the state. Not everyone agrees with everyone, and the discussions can get tense.
Yet...
Naked Lady Liberty #ThisWeekInWYHistory
(Gillette, Wyo.) On Jan. 11, 1891, the Wyoming Legislature approved a state seal, which was designed by Rep. Hugo Buechner. A Cheyenne jeweler. However, this would not go on to be the state seal...