May 2

1670. King Charles II grants a charter to the Hudson's Bay Company, often regarded as the oldest corporation in the world. The company's reach would stretch all the way from the Arctic well down into what is now the Western United States.

In the 18th Century the Hudson's Bay Company was nearly a country unto itself, operating in its vast domain, and existing as a unique wilderness based corporate entity, with the product of its endeavors ultimately going to market in the United Kingdom, and with British products with frontier utility returning to the North American West.  It had its own flag and  forts.  While it is commonly seemingly assumed that the company was mostly a Canadian enterprise, the assumption if false as its network of traders covered vast distances, stretching as far south as Texas and as far north as Alaska.  It's notable that when the Corps of Discovery finally made the Pacific, they were met there by the presence of a Hudson's Bay Company fort, the entire expanse of the "Lewis and Clark" journey covering territory already known and exploited by the Hudson's Bay Company.  Likewise, the first U.S. expedition up the Yukon River after the acquisition of Alaska was met by the arrival of the party at Ft. Yukon, a Hudson's Bay Company fort that was occupying territory in Russian Alaska.

Canadian depiction of activities, at Christmas, at a Hudson's Bay Company post.

1869  The Golden Spike driven at Promontory Point.

1888  Charles Dickens, Jr. delivered an address in Cheyenne. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1898  Wyoming National Guard companies activated for service in the Philippines ordered to report to Camp Richards near Cheyenne.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1900 First party of settlers, Mormon pioneers, settles in Crowley.

1905  Construction began on the rail line from Casper to Lander.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1933 Gillette requested Federal assistance in putting out long burning coal fires. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1974  Wyoming, Rhode Island, added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

May 1

Today is May Day, the International Workers' Holiday, in many localities
Today is Law Day in the United States, an observance created by the American Bar Association in the 1950s which was designed to counter Communist celebrations of May Day with a day dedicated to the rule of law.

1707 Parliament passes the Act of Union forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

1839   An 18 man party from Peoria, Illinois, under the leadership of Thomas J. Farnham, leaves Independence, Missouri, bound for Oregon.

1867  The Cheyenne leader, in boosterism typical for the day, declared Wyoming to be a "cattleman's paradise", citing to the grass and abundant water.

1868  Martha Jane Cannary, "Calamity Jane", arrived in Ft. Bridger.

1869  The Laramie Daily Sentinel starts publication:  Attribution:  On This Day.

1883  William F. Cody put on his first Wild West Show.

1898  The US defeats the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay, in the opening battle of the Spanish American War.  The Philippines would see the deployment of Wyoming volunteers by the end of the year when the Philippine Insurrection rapidly followed the Spanish American War.

1900 The Scofield mine disaster kills over 200 men in Scofield, Utah.

1903  Basin incorporated. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1909  Cheyenne replaces its volunteer fire department with a full time paid department.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1916   Sinclair Oil Corporation founded on this day in 1916
 

 

 Sinclair advertisement in Hudson Wyoming.

Sinclair Oil Corporation, which recently announced a major turnaround at its refinery in Casper Wyoming, was founded on this day in 1916.

The founder of the company, Harry F. Sinclair, created the company by merging the assets of eleven small petroleum companies. 

The company has long had a presence in Wyoming with even a town being named after it.

 

Former Parco Hotel in Sinclair, which was once called Parco.

1918  Casper Daily Press for May 1, 1918.

We return today to the Casper newspaper.

The headline was correct, actually.  The Germans were stalling out massively in the second stage of the 1918 spring offensive.  And they were making a massive effort, commencing on May 1, to move large numbers of troops to the West.

Not that this didn't pose its challenges.  Only yesterday the Germans had help Ukraine take Sevastopol from the putative Crimean soviet republic.  This was accompanied by the Ukrainian navy moving its ships out of harms way for the time being, although the Germans occupied those that were left.  Lenin ordered their commander to scuttle them, and he refused, showing a Ukrainian navy that proved more loyal to Ukraine in 1918 than it did a couple of years back when it basically defected to Russia.  And the Germans were fighting in Finland against the Red Finns for the White Finns.

Nonetheless, they were moving troops west now, which they should have done months ago.  Having taken massive casualties in the spring offensive, they had little choice.

Eddie Rickenbacker, who really was a race car driver, made his appearance in the paper as a fighter pilot on this day, at least in the local paper, for the first time, thereby achieving the role for which he is remembered.

And Mother's Day was coming up.

1920 It was announced that Cheyenne was to become a principal stop on the new U.S. Air Mail service route.

1923   Frances Beard became State Historian.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1980   Fort Sanders was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

2017  A complete freeze on state hiring commences.

Some Gave All: Sun Up Ridge, Natrona County Wyoming

Some Gave All: Sun Up Ridge, Natrona County Wyoming:  For Memorial Day.