How To Use This Site




How To Use This Site


This blog was updated on a daily basis for about two years, with those daily entries ceasing on December 31, 2013. The blog is still active, however, and we hope that people stopping in, who find something lacking, will add to the daily entries.

The blog still receives new posts as well, but now it receives them on items of Wyoming history. That has always been a feature of the blog, but Wyoming's history is rich and there are many items that are not fully covered here, if covered at all. Over time, we hope to remedy that.

You can obtain an entire month's listings by hitting on the appropriate month below, or an individual day by hitting on that calendar date.
Use 2013 for the search date, as that's the day regular dates were established and fixed.

Alternatively, the months are listed immediately below, with the individual days appearing backwards (oldest first).

We hope you enjoy this site.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

March 27

1836  Mexico takes the Goliad and executes 417 Texans.

1889   Francis E. Warren was reappointed the Territorial Governor.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1890  A party of "disappointed" Washington emigrants settled on Horse Creek in Laramie County.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1890  The House of Representatives passed the bill for Wyoming Statehood. 

1908  The Trustees of the University of Wyoming fired the university's president.

1916   The Punitive Expedition: Casper Daily Press. March 27, 1916
 

1917   The Cheyenne State Leader for March 27, 1917: Wyoming National Guard Called Back into Service
 

After just a couple of weeks of civilian life, the Guard was called back into service.  A Colorado unit that had never demobilized was being retained at Ft. D. A. Russell.

Things were back on.
The Douglas Enterprise for March 27, 1917: Guard to get a big send off in Douglas
 

Douglas residents were going to gather at the LaBonte, long a hot spot in Douglas, to give Company F a big send off.

I don't know if the LaBonte is open again or not, but its still there.  It was open at least as late as the 1980s, and it might be now.
The Wyoming Tribune for March 27, 1917: State Troops Rushing Back
 

The Wyoming National Guard was in the throws of recovering troops it had only just discharged from active service.

And the Germans, it was reported, were going to sell the Belgians as slaves.  All while Wilson was "dodging war".
The Laramie Daily Boomerang for March 27, 1917. Laramie's troops not yet ordered to Ft. Russell.
 

The Medical detachment of the Wyoming National Guard was expecting orders to return to Ft. D. A. Russell, where they'd been only a couple of weeks ago, but they hadn't yet received them.

In other news, a big air force was being planned and the new Russian government was being reported as "very popular".

1919  March 27, 1919. The Arabia struck, Mary Pickford to visit Casper.
USS Arabia.

She'd been laid down in 1903 as a commercial fishing vessel.  Submarine depredations caused the Navy to take her into service in August, 1918, but with that task complete, she was struck from the Navy's rolls and sold that following November.

Why put this obscure ship in here?

Well, this blog explores trends and changes.  1919 wasn't all that long ago, at least not the way historians think of time, and therefore it wasn't that long ago when commercial operations, and even the Navy, regarded sail as still a viable means of propulsion.

There was big local news.



Mary Pickford was coming to the Irish Theatre in Casper on Sunday.

Mary Pickford in 1916.

Pickford was a huge deal in 1919, and frankly she always would be.  One of the really big early stars of early movies, the Toronto born actress was at that time as big of movie star as anyone could imagine.

Her life wasn't really a happy one.  Married three times, she became a recluse in later years and would only receive Lilian Gish as a personal visitor.  This week in 1919, however, she'd be Casper's visitor.

Casper was also declaring war on vice, the paper proclaimed.  If it was, it wasn't very successful at it.  It wasn't until after World War Two when the strong streak of vice running through Casper would be cleaned up, and the Sandbar district remained all the way into the 1970s.

1964  Earthquake occurred near Van Tassell.

2020  Governor, State Health Officer extend Statewide Public Health Orders through April 17
The announcement this afternoon:
Governor, State Health Officer extend Statewide Public Health Orders through April 17
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon and State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist have extended the three existing statewide health orders through April 17 to slow community transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19) and protect lives.
Current orders closing public places including schools, prohibiting gatherings of 10 people or more in a single room or confined space (including outdoors) and closing bars, restaurants, coffee shops and some personal services businesses will continue through April 17. Food establishments can continue to provide take out and delivery services.

“I have extended these orders in consultation with Dr. Harrist,” Governor Gordon said. “Because we’ve seen cases identified in additional counties and growth in the case numbers, it’s clear how important it is for us to take sustained action. I understand the ongoing strain that these measures are having on businesses, workers and Wyoming communities. But it is imperative that our citizens respond to this public health crisis by staying home whenever possible and practicing proper social distancing when they must go out. This is how we can save lives and protect people’s health.”
Dr. Harrist emphasized the extension of the current orders is necessary because it takes time for social distancing measures to effectively slow the spread of COVID-19 and to monitor the impacts of those measures on the outbreak in Wyoming.

“The best tool we have to reduce the potential burden on our healthcare system and save lives is for all of us to limit our contact with other people as much as possible,” Dr. Harrist said. “Of course it is most important for people who are ill to stay home unless they need medical attention.”
The Governor is in continuous communication with Wyoming Department of Health officials and is prepared to issue updated guidance– including further statewide orders– should conditions warrant.

As of March 27, the Wyoming Department of Health is reporting 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 13 Wyoming counties.
Additional COVID-19 resources are available at the state of Wyoming's COVID-19 website,






Tuesday, March 26, 2013

March 26

1804  The District of Louisiana, including most of Wyoming, established by an act of the U.S. Congress. Attribution:  On This Day.

1882  Frederic Remington's drawings published for the first time.

1890  Territorial Delegate Joseph M. Carey introduced a bill calling for Statehood for Wyoming.

1891  Joel Ware Foster took office as the State's first Bank Examiner. 

1895  The University of Wyoming Alumni Association founded.

1898  Miners in Diamondville formed a union. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society. 

1917   The Wyoming Tribune for March 26, 1917: Guardsmen Return To Service
 

Guardsmen nationwide was the headline in the Wyoming Tribune, as opposed to the State's troops as discussed in the Laramie Boomerang.

Cheyenne's paper was noting that Colorado cavalry, just arrived at Ft. D. A. Russell fresh from border service, was now set not to muster out at all.  Late in the process of mustering out, it didn't look like they were going to.
The Laramie Boomerang for March 26, 1917. The Guard is mobilized again.
 

They'd barely made it home, and now they were being called back into service.  The Wyoming National Guard was mobilized once again.

This time the plan was for one of the battalions to be mounted, in what would prove to be an irony. while cavalry was not obsolete in 1917, a battalion sized cavalry unit would have been of more utility on the border than it would have been in Europe.  Of course, in March 1917 it wasn't clear that the Guard would be serving in Europe, or even that the Army would be.

1918  Elmer Lovejoy of Laramie patented a powered garage door opener.  Lovejoy had previously built his own automobile. 

1918  March 26, 1918. Bad news. Hopeful News. And, what? Me worry?
 

Significant positions were falling.

Romania was giving up.


The Germans were across the Somme. . .and sending reinforcements to their own advancing men.


But the Germans were slowing down, some, and new lines were reported to be forming. . . maybe.  March was telling us now to worry. . . heh, heh.


But in Casper, the economy was doing great!

I wonder what was causing that big increase in the demand for petroleum anyway?
1926  Game and Fish planted 27 pairs of Hungarian Partridges.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1932  A magnitude 6 earthquake happened near Jackson.

1943  Wyoming beat Oklahoma, 53 to 50, in basketball.

1992  Big Horn Academy Building in Cowley added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

1993  The T A Ranch, scene of the siege of the Invaders during the Johnson County War, added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

TA Ranch.

2020  The Governor of Montana joined other Wyoming neighbors Idaho and Colorado and issued a shelter in place order for his state.  The press release on the order stated:
Governor Bullock Issues Stay at Home Directive to Slow the Spread of COVID-19
Directive asks Montanans to stay home to maximum extent possible except for essential activities, temporarily restricts all nonessential businesses and operations
MONTANA – Governor Steve Bullock today issued a Directive requiring Montanans to stay home and temporarily closes all nonessential businesses and operations to curtail the spread of COVID-19. The order, which goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on March 28, will buy time for health care workers on the front lines and seeks to limit long term impacts to the state’s economy.
“In consultation with public health experts, health care providers, and emergency management professionals, I have determined that to protect public health and human safety, it is essential, to the maximum extent possible, individuals stay at home or at their place of residence,” said Governor Bullock. “There’s no doubt that COVID-19 is causing a lot of hardship. It’s also causing incredible hardships for our front line doctors, nurses and other hospital staff across the country.”
The Directive will be in effect through Friday, April 10 and requires all businesses and operations in Montana, except for essential businesses and operations as defined in the directive, to stop all activities within the state.
The Directive also prohibits all public and private gatherings of any number of people occurring outside a household or place of residence.
“I am taking these measures today because we need to stay in front of this pandemic and slow the growth of infections. In order to have a healthy economy we need a healthy population. We cannot rebuild our economic strength without doing everything we can now to flatten the curve and slow the spread of this virus,” continued Governor Bullock.
Essential services and businesses will remain operational and open. Businesses deemed essential are required to comply with social distancing guidelines when possible including maintaining six feet of distance, having sanitizing products available, and designating hours of operation specifically for vulnerable populations.
Under the directive, Montanans may leave their homes for essential activities, including:
  • For health and safety. To engage in activities or perform tasks essential to their health and safety, or to the health and safety of their family or household members (including, but not limited to, pets), such as, by way of example only and without limitation, seeking emergency services, obtaining medical supplies or medication, or visiting a health care professional.
  • For necessary supplies and services. To obtain necessary services or supplies for themselves and their family or household members, or to deliver those services or supplies to others, such as, by way of example only and without limitation, groceries and food, household consumer products, supplies they need to work from home, and products necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation, and essential operation of residences
  • For outdoor activity. To engage in outdoor activity, provided the individuals comply with social distancing, as defined below, such as, by way of example and without limitation, walking, hiking, running, or biking. Individuals may go to public parks and open outdoor recreation areas, including public lands in Montana provided they remain open to recreation. Montanans are discouraged from outdoor recreation activities that pose enhanced risks of injury or could otherwise stress the ability of local first responders to address the COVID-19 emergency (e.g., backcountry skiing in a manner inconsistent with avalanche recommendations or in closed terrain).
  • For certain types of work. To perform work providing essential products and services at Essential Businesses or Operations or to otherwise carry out activities specifically permitted in this Directive, including Minimum Basic Operations.
  • To take care of others. To care for a family member, friend, or pet in another household, and to transport family members, friends, or pets as allowed by this Directive.
The attached Directive follows federal guidance to determine the businesses and operations deemed essential, which are summarized in the Directive and can also be found here: https://www.cisa.gov/publication/guidance-essential-critical-infrastructure-workforce [cisa.gov].
Businesses with questions can contact a dedicated state line at 1-800-755-6672 and leave messages 24-hours a day and will receive a prompt response.

Monday, March 25, 2013

March 25

1877  Deadwood stage driver and the son of Cheyenne's marshal, Johnny Slaughter, killed by outlaws two miles outside of Deadwood.

1879  Little Wolf surrenders to cavalry commanded by Cpt. W. P. Clark.  Little Wolf had fought in many significant Plains Indians battles including, it is believed, the Fetterman Fight.

Little Wolf, aka Little Coyote (left) and Dull Knife aka Morning Start (right).  January 1873.  

1891  An opium raid was conducted in Newcastle.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1909  A well near Byron came in as a gusher. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society. 

1915  Arminto Wyoming incorporated.  Arminto was a major sheep shipping point in the 20th Century and, at one time, more sheep were shipped from its stockyards, where they were loaded on trains, than any other place in the world.

Today, with the decline in the American sheep industry, Arminto is nearly a ghost town, with just a few remaining residents.  Here's a scene from just outside of the town.  The town's once busy railhead is now just a rail crossing.

1916   The Punitive Expedition: Casper Daily Press, March 25, 1916.
 

 

The papers were correct that Operation Michael was slowing down.  Estimates of losses were overestimated, however.

And a name that was to be famous, Douglas MacArthur, appeared on the front page.


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.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

March 24

1825 Texas officially opened to American settlers.

1834 John Wesley Powell born.

1890 School at St. Stephens opened. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1916   The Punitive Expedition: Casper Daily Press, March 24, 1916
 

1917   The Cheyenne State Leader for March 24, 1917: Germans raising army in Mexico?
 


It's odd to see how focused on Mexico the US remained as it started to rush towards war with Germany.  In today's leader we learn, supposedly, that Germans were flooding in from Guatemala to form an army in Mexico.

Something like that, you'd think, would be fairly easy to notice.
1934 Rodeo promoter, race horse owner, and rancher Charles Irwin funeral in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Gen. Pershing was one of his honorary pallbearers.

Irwin is little recalled today, but he was a major entertainment figure during his lifetime. He is sometimes mentioned as possibly having a role in Tom Horn's attempted escape from the Laramie County jail, but there's little evidence to suggest that is true, and Irwin never commented on it. His weight climbed enormously in his later years, and as a result a special coffin had to be built for the 5'4" 500 lbs Irwin. He died at 59 years of age, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident, with the automobile having been driven by his son in law.

1918.   March 24, 1918. The British holding, and the Paris gun.
 



1939  Earl Durand killed while robbing a bank in Powell.  Durand has been popularized in legend as a latter day mountain man and the "Tarzan of the Tetons".  In reality, he was a Powell area farm kid with a fair degree of woodcraft knowledge, a not atypical set of regional skills then or later. He was arrested in the early spring of 1939 for poaching but broke out of jail and then took a deputy sheriff and town marshal hostage and forced them to  his parents home, where he killed them.  He lived in the mountains for a period of days, and then chose to rob the Powell bank for reasons that remain debated.

1966 The Selective Service announced the enactment of college deferments based on performance.

2020  Governor Gordon issues his Third Closure Order
Governor, State Health Officer issue third closure order

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon and State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist have issued a third statewide order, closing non-essential personal services.  
The order goes into effect tomorrow, March 25, and extends through April 3. The order is focused on businesses where appropriate social distancing measures are not practical.  The closure applies to nail salons, hair salons and barber shops; cosmetology, electrology and esthetic services; massage parlors; and tattoo, body art and piercing shops. Medically necessary services such as physical therapy providers may remain open. 
“While I understand the impact and sympathize with those most affected by these measures, especially small business owners, I support Dr. Harrist’s recommendation because this is about saving lives,” Governor Gordon said. “We have tried to navigate a thoughtful course, but as COVID-19 spreads through our communities, we must take this action now.” 
Dr. Harrist said, “People who are ill with COVID-19 can easily spread this disease to others to anyone nearby if they cough or sneeze. Staying away from others as much as possible helps protect all of us, including those who are most vulnerable to illness complications.” 
This order supplements previous statewide orders issued March 19 and 20 closing certain public spaces and prohibiting gatherings of 10 people or more in a single room or confined space. 
Residents with additional questions about any of the statewide public health orders should inquire with their county health officer.  
A copy of the statewide order is attached and posted on the Governor’s website.

Elsewhere:

1883     Long-distance telephone service was inaugurated between Chicago and New York City.

1944   76 Allied officers escaped Stalag Luft 3, which was later the topic of Paul Brickall's book "The Great Escape."

1975 The North Vietnamese commence the offensive that would defeat the Republic of Vietnam.

Saturday, March 23, 2013

March 23


National Puppy Day



Apparently today is National Puppy Day.

Our new puppy.
1806  Corps of Discovery leaves Fort Clatsop, Oregon.

1882  Oscar Wilde delivered a short speech on the Union Pacific Depot platform in Cheyenne. The UP depot there remains, and is self declared to be the most beautiful depot in the world. Whether or not that is true, it is undoubtedly a beautiful structure.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical sociey

1888  Ella Watson, remembered as Cattle Kate, filed for the patent on her homestead located on the Sweetwater, near the homestead of Jim Averell.

1911 The first insurance company in the state founded.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1916  Teno Roncalio, Wyoming Congressman, born in Rock Springs.  The son of Italian immigrants, he was a decorated veteran of World War Two who graduated with a law degree from the University of Wyoming in 1947.  He served as the prosecuting attorney for Laramie County for many years before entering politics. 

1916   The Punitive Expedition: The Casper Daily Press, March 23, 1916
 
Let's look at the entire evening paper this go around.


This is the first issue of the Casper evening paper in which a story about the troops in Mexico is not on the first page, since the raid on Columbus.



The editor was casting doubts on the distance between Villa and Carranza.


I've never even heard of Wyoming Light Lager.


1918  March 23, 1918. The news of the breakthrough at St. Quentin
 

The news the prior day had been optimistic. The news on March 23 was decidedly not.

And, surprisingly, Casper was reported to be favoring prohibition.
1923 The start of thirteen minor shocks that were felt  at Kelly from March 23 to April 12, 1923.

1935  The first grazing district formed under the Taylor Grazing Act created, that being Wyoming Grazing District Number 1.

1942     The U.S. government began moving Japanese-Americans from their West Coast homes to detention centers which would ultimately include Heart Mountain, near Cody.

2016  Governor Mead directs the Attorney General of Wyoming to start proceedings to remove the Sublette County Sheriff after the Sublette County Commission requests the same.  Wyoming's governors have this power, but its use is extraordinarily rare.  The most pronounced examples came during Prohibition and a current use of this power is almost unheard of.  The Sublette County Sheriff has been the subject of controversy surrounded some expenditures associated with his office that were incurred for the department but prior to his being officially in office.


2016.  Perhaps showing how contested the election season really is this year, former President Bill Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders both planned whistle stop tours in Wyoming on this day, but both had to cancel due to the massive spring storm that shut down the Interstate and which closed the Denver airport for most of the day.  Clinton was to have campaigned for his wife in Cheyenne, which by early morning was impossible to get in and out of, and Sanders was to have campaigned in Casper and Laramie.  At least Sanders has indicated an intent to return to the state prior to the Democratic Convention taking place.

2016  For the first time since 2000, Wyoming's unemployment rate is higher than the national average.

The unemployment rate only comes in a little above 5%, which shows how high the rate of employment is statistically in the country right now.   This is high enough nationwide that we fit into what used to be regarded as technical full employment.  It's never possible to have 100% employment.  In recent years, however, figures in this area have been regarded in a negative light and some claim the actual nationwide rate of employment is higher.

At any rate, the real unemployment rate in Wyoming is undoubtedly higher.  Natrona County has a 7.2% unemployment rate and Carbon County has a 6% unemployment rate.  Both counties are energy dependent for their economies, as is of course the state generally.  Given as Wyoming had a high migrant employment rate in recent years the high unemployment rate now probably reflects a significant degree of reverse migration, so the actual rate is likely much higher than what we're now seeing reported.

Friday, March 22, 2013

March 22

1836  The Texas schooner Liberty seized the U.S. brig Durango in Matagorda Bay. Attribution:  On This Day.

1881   "Big Nose" George Parott lynched in Rawlins.  He was being held for murder and his lynching followed an attempted jail break in which he injured jailor Robert Rankin.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1881  The first telephone exchange in Wyoming established.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society. 

1882     Congress outlawed polygamy.  Only Utah had recognized it at any point.  In this time in Wyoming's history, the traditional "heart balm" statutes remained, which outlawed, amongst other things, unmarried cohabitation.

1889  President Harrison appointed Francis E. Warren as Territorial Governor, Warren's second period of occupancy of that position.

1916   The Punitive Expedition: Casper Daily Press. March 22, 1916
 

1918  The News of Operation Michael, March 22, 1918.
 

The reporting may have been a bit optimistic.

The British were indeed resisting, but holding would soon prove inaccurate.

And some American officials may have believed the enemy was no "in earnest", but they were.


1933  President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal.

1972  Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment, but it did not become law as it did not acquire the sufficient number of state ratifications.

2007  Grizzly Bears removed from the Endangered Species list.  Attribution:  On This Day.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

March 21

1790     Thomas Jefferson took office as America's first Secretary of State.  


Jefferson, a collection of contradictions, had been opposed to a strong Federal government prior to his presidency but would turn out to be a zealous applicant of Federal power while President.  Amongst his decisions were the purchase of Louisiana, a vast wilderness, which Jefferson thought would take 1,000 years to settle.  Following purchase of the territory he would order the formation of the Corps of Discovery, a military expeditionary force, to explore a route to the Pacific through it.  Contrary to widespread popular belief, the Corps's members were not the "first white men" to arrive in most of the locations that they arrived in, but they were the first official representatives of the United States.  A person has to wonder to what extent his views on U.S. expansion were formed during his period as Secretary of State.

1804     The Code Napoleon adopted in France and its possessions.  A form of the Code applies to this day in Louisiana.

The Code was a codification of then existing French common law, which had been  heavily influenced by Roman law.  It's the model form of law in much of the world.  It was commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte to attempt to resolve the irregular nature of French law, a condition that similarly resulted in the earlier Roman Code Justinian.

1806  The Corps of Discovery started their trip back east.

1836     Mexicans capture Copano, Texas.

1862  Ben Holladay bought the Russell, Majors & Waddell stage line.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1874  My Western Home, better known as Home On The Range, was published by Dr. Brewster Higley, a Kansas homesteader, in the The Kirwin Chief.  It was shortly set to music by a friend of his.

My Western Home
by Dr. Brewster Higley

Oh, give me a home where the Buffalo roam
Where the Deer and the Antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the sky is not cloudy all day.

Chorus:
A home! A home!
Where the Deer and the Antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word,
And the sky is not clouded all day.

Oh! give me a land where the bright diamond sand
Throws its light from the glittering streams,
Where glideth along the graceful white swan,
Like the maid in her heavenly dreams.

Chorus

Oh! give me a gale of the Solomon vale,
Where the life streams with buoyancy flow;
On the banks of the Beaver, where seldom if ever,
Any poisonous herbage doth grow.

Chorus

How often at night, when the heavens were bright,
With the light of the twinkling stars
Have I stood here amazed, and asked as I gazed,
If their glory exceed that of ours.

Chorus

I love the wild flowers in this bright land of ours,
I love the wild curlew’s shrill scream;
The bluffs and white rocks, and antelope flocks
That graze on the mountains so green.

Chorus

The air is so pure and the breezes so fine,
The zephyrs so balmy and light,
That I would not exchange my home here to range
Forever in azures so bright.

Chorus

1904 Version of the text
by William and Mary Goodwin:

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
There seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the sky is not cloudy all day.

Chorus:
A home, a home
Where the deer and the antelope play,
There seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the sky is not cloudy all day.

Yes, give me the gleam of the swift mountain stream
And the place where no hurricane blows;
Oh, give me the park where the prairie dogs bark
And the mountain all covered with snow.

Chorus

Oh, give me the hills and the ring of the drills
And the rich silver ore in the ground;
Yes, give me the gulch where the miner can sluice
And the bright, yellow gold can be found.

Chorus

Oh, give me the mine where the prospectors find
The gold in its own native land;
And the hot springs below where the sick people go
And camp on the banks of the Grande.

Chorus

Oh, give me the steed and the gun that I need
To shoot game for my own cabin home;
Then give me the camp where the fire is the lamp
And the wild Rocky Mountains to roam.

Chorus

Yes, give me the home where the prospectors roam
Their business is always alive
In these wild western hills midst the ring of the drills
Oh, there let me live till I die.

Chorus

1910 Version of the Text
by John A. Lomax

Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Chorus:
Home, home on the range,
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Where the air is so pure, the zephyrs so free,
The breezes so balmy and light,
That I would not exchange my home on the range
For all of the cities so bright.

Chorus

The red man was pressed from this part of the West
He’s likely no more to return,
To the banks of Red River where seldom if ever
Their flickering camp-fires burn.

Chorus

How often at night when the heavens are bright
With the light from the glittering stars
Have I stood here amazed and asked as I gazed
If their glory exceeds that of ours.

Chorus

Oh, I love these wild prairies where I roam
The curlew I love to hear scream,
And I love the white rocks and the antelope flocks
That graze on the mountain-tops green.

Chorus

Oh, give me a land where the bright diamond sand
Flows leisurely down the stream;
Where the graceful white swan goes gliding along
Like a maid in a heavenly dream.

Chorus

1890  Gen. George Crook, age 61, died while lifting weights.  Crook was a legendary Indian Wars' general, and later in life an advocate for Indians.  By most accounts, he was one of the most successful and thoughtful of the Indian Wars' campaigners, although he does have his critics.   Crook County Wyoming is named after him.

Crook, seated in middle, during the Civil War while serving under Sheridan, second from left.  Also depicted, General Wesley Merritt, far left, General James Forsyth second from right and General Custer far right.  All of these officers went on to post Civil War careers in the Army.

1899  The Wyoming Historical Society Museum in Cheyenne opened.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1916   The Punitive Expedition in the Press: Casper Daily Press for March 21, 1916.
 


Note how the horror of World War One has made its way back onto the front page of the newspaper.

1918  

The Kaiserschlacht Commences. March 21, 1918. Operation Michael


Afternoon edition of Cheyenne's Wyoming Tribune, March 21, 1918.
It was a momentous day, to be sure.
Excellent map showing all five expressions of the Kaiserschlacht, the massive German campaign to end the war in 1918.  Every single part of the offensive was a tactical success for the Germans. . . but not enough of a success to win the war.
And so, on this day, the German Army began its last great, and nearly successful, offensive the Great War.  An offensive, however, whose result was foreordained by the lack of German horsepower.

 What the Germans were lacking by this point of World War One.
There will be a lot of "100 Year Ago" type history venues on this event, as it is a big one.  It was, truly, the German's last big gasp of World War One.  It wrecked the offensive abilities of the German Army for the duration of the war, but it was something they had to try. After the Kaiserschlacht the Germans could only defend and their strategy changed to that.  It wouldn't work long as the home front crumbled behind the German front, to include the crumbling in moral of the German Army and Navy at home.

The offensive, made up of a series of operations that would take place over the next two months, commenced with Operation Michael, a massive offensive against the British Expeditionary Force.

Operation Michael
 
Repeat of the map above.  Operation Michael is the "First German Drive" of the mpa.
The Kaiserschlacht, it not Operation Michael, was somewhat obvious in that it had been known for months that the Germans would try a giant 1918 offensive.  As early as February the American soldier's newspaper Wadsworth Gas Attack and Rio Grand Rattler had published an issue was a drunk Mars "waiting for spring".  It was coming, and everyone knew it.

Everyone with any military savvy also knew that with Russia having now surrendered to the Germans, and the Germans having been sensible enough to accept a negotiated peace, something they failed to do in World War Two, millions of German troops should have now been available to fight in the West.  However, what hadn't been counted on with Trotsky's blundering, which delayed the onset of peace by a month, and German avarice, which caused t he German's to use Trotsky's error to absorb huge areas of Russian territory and former Imperial territory they were now left garrisoning as if they had the spare manpower to do it.


The Germans should have poured out of the East, taking every horse they could "conscript" with them.  German troops did come, but not in the numbers they could have.

So the Allies braced for an offensive they knew was coming.  They were not idle.  The British, operating partially on intelligence gathered from two German deserters, not only anticipated the attack, but placed the probable date of the attack on this very day, although they anticipated it could be slightly earlier.  As a result, the British had been engaged in nightly artillery strikes on German positions since March 18.
On this day, the offensive commenced with the assault on the BEF.

A closer view of the successful German drive on the Somme.  Over a three week period the Germans wiped out British gains on the Somme and seriously threatened the position of the BEF in Europe.

The Battle of St. Quentin, the Somme Crossings and the First Battle of Bapaume

It commenced with an artillery barraged at 0435 on British positions near St. Quentin (and it also saw the commencement of German artillery strikes on Paris). While our memory of it has become skewed due to the intense British focus on World War One, the British were a small army compared to the French, but they were also in much better fighting shape than the French overall.  While the bombardment was massive, it did not leave the British incapable of resisting.  Nonetheless, after extremely intense infantry combat, which started with a German assault at 0940, the British had yielded in some places and began to retreat. Already on March 21 the British had lost ground.  This continued to be the case through March 23.

British artillery in retreat.
The British broke at St. Quentin, but their resistance had already worked a toll on the German forces which had begun to slow down. Nonetheless the British lost their lines on the Somme on March 24.  The same day the British lost the town of Bapaume and the French began to be concerned that the British had been irretrievably beaten.  Ironically the German capture of British supplies caused despondency in the German rank as German troops realized, from what they captured, that the British were very well supplied and even had stocks of Champagne in their stores.  The French, however, began plans for an offensive operation against the Germans out of a fear that the British situation could not be restored.

By the 25th the French were in fact engaged, but in defensive operations, and the overall situation was confused. Fighting was occurring everywhere but what was occurring was not clear to anyone.  British cavalry was in action in rearguard operations slowing German advances and the RAF was busy as well, as both the oldest and newest forms of mobile warfare combined against the Germans.

 British 6 Inch Gun firing on March 26 near Ancre.

Nonetheless a council of war was held on the 26th with the result that General Foch of the French Army was made the supreme Allied commander.

The Battle of Rosieres and the Battle of Arrars

On the 26th and 27th the British fought the Battle of Rosieres in which the British committed tanks. Nonetheless the Allies continued to lose ground and lost the town of Albert during the night.  Throughout the retreat phase that went  through the 27th Tommies occasionally panicked and took up defense positions at the report of German cavalry being just over the horizon.  Still, while they retreated continually they did not disintegrate and both the British and the French remained in action throughout.  On the 28th a German assault only a handful of miles, showing that the Germans were slowing.  A primary factor was that the German cavalry that was needed to exploit the breakthroughs in the Allied lines that continually occurred simply didn't exit.
There wasn't any. The Germans were now, in terms of fighting at the front, an infantry force only.  They'd lose the war as a result.  The could exploit gaps in the British lines no quicker than a man could advance, and with each days advance the German troops became more and more fatigued until, at last, they simply refused to move, even under threat of death.

The First Battle of Villers-Bretonneux and the Battle of Moreuil Wood

On March 30 the Germans none the less tried again, launching an assault south of the new Somme salient towards Amiens.  The Germans gained some ground but it was slight, and German troops lost discipline when they hit Allied supply depots.  This phase of the German offensive saw the remarkable Canadian cavalry charge in the Battle of Moreuil Wood in which the Canadian Cavalry Brigade conducted a mounted assault near the village of Moreuil, taking the wood against the prediction of failure of a nearby French unit, receiving assistance from the RFC in the assault.  The Germans retook the wood the following day, March 31, but the Canadians then took it back. The Germans ultimately retook the wood, showing the intense nature of the fighting, but the overall offensive was called off shortly after that.  Operation Michael had gained a lot of ground, but it had ground to a halt.  By April 5 the Germans were exhausted and an effort to resume the offensive against the British failed.

 The charge at Moreuil Wood.

The initial German advance had been significant, but equally significant is that the  Germans had failed to take any of their objectives and by April 5 they were halted.  The German advance was impressive, but far short of achieving a knockout blow.  German and British losses were nearly equal at 250,000 men but the British were able to make up material shortages so rapidly that loss of material turned out to be relatively inconsequential.  German manpower losses, however, were catastrophic as it had lost a significant number of elite troops in the effort, which it would not be able to replace.

Many of the German troops lost were Stoßtruppen

 German Stoßtrup, Spring 1918.  Trained in individual and small unit combat, this soldier is carrying a MP18 and a P08.  Submachineguns were a brand new weapon at the time.

Stoßtruppen were a late war German innovation created to attempt to restore mobility to the battlefield.  Highly trained light infantrymen, these "Storm Troops" were in some ways the first of their kind. Predecessors of units like the later American Rangers and other similar elite infantry units, they were trained to storm enemy positions and overwhelm them in violent rapidly moving assaults.  They were equipped accordingly, carrying pistols, K98a's, and as seen above, submachineguns.

They were also a bit of a desperate effort on the part of the Germans to make up for the lack of cavalry, something which is evident but rarely discussed.  Unable to take a concentrated enemy position by a mounted charge, the Germans had to resort to infantry, something that had proven to be a failure since 1914.  They sought to overcome this through highly trained specialized infantry.  It worked in part, but only in part.  Stoßtruppen could penetrate. . . but they really couldn't advance.  And by April 5, the Germans weren't advancing.

But they couldn't stop.  To do so was to conceded an inevitable defeat. So, ground to a halt against the British though they were, they determined to renew the offensive elsewhere.   
 
1931  University of Wyoming geology professor S. H. Knight took these photographs of the Grand Canyon.

1954  Cheyenne's KFBC-TV Channel 5 started broadcasting.  Attribution:  On This Day.

2012  American Heritage Center, UW, Wyoming History Day  District 6 (Hot Springs, Fremont, and Teton Counties) competition in Dubois and District 7 (Uinta, Sweetwater, Lincoln, and Sublette Counties) in Pinedale.

Elsewhere:

1943  The second military conspiracy plan to assassinate Hitler in a week fails.  A week earlier, German military conspirators attempted to blow up an airplane in which Hitler was traveling, but the fuses failed to work.  On this instance, a volunteer officer was to carry bombs and get next to Hitler as he reviewed memorials,  Hitler's visit to the memorials turned out to be too short for the fuses to ignite, so the plat was not carried off.

2016:  University of Wyoming basketball coach Larry Shyatt resigned.