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Indigenous People in Wyoming and the West

Forty years ago, Cheyenne experienced one of the most catastrophic natural disasters in Wyoming’s recorded history. The devastating flood claimed the lives of twelve people, the youngest of whom was only 3 years old, and forever altered the landscape of Wyoming’s capitol. Read more about the most damaging flood in Wyoming history.

Near Death of the University of Wyoming

From 1890-1911, the University of Wyoming faced an existential threat when legislators repeatedly attempted to establish a separate agricultural college in Lander that would receive critical federal funding. Read more about how political maneuvering nearly killed Wyoming’s flagship university before it could fully establish itself.

G.K. Warren: The Explorer of Nebraska Territory

Governeur Kemble Warren explored thousands of miles of Nebraska Territory in the 1850s. This was no small accomplishment, given that the Territory encompassed most, if not all, of the modern states of Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado, Montana and Wyoming. Read more about the explorations of G.K. Warren.

The Gallows That Hanged Tom Horn

Although James Julian is likely not a household name for many, his invention intertwines with some of the biggest names in Wild West legend. Julian’s invention of the hydraulic gallows impacted the way capital punishment was meted out in Wyoming for more than five decades. Read more about this gruesome invention.

With the Pride a Monarch Might View His Kingdom: Martha Waln, Bighorn Basin Homesteader

Martha James, 21, left Wales in 1882 and came to Wyoming as maid to an upper-crust English bride. The next year Martha married a cowboy and came to the Bighorn Basin. Decades later, she told her stories. Her stories illuminate the contours of change in Wyoming at the time.

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Gerry Spence: Wyoming’s Legendary Trial Lawyer

By Leslie Waggener

When Gerry Spence died on August 13, 2025, at age 96, the legal world lost one of its most colorful advocates. But Wyoming lost something more—a native son whose buckskin-fringed jackets made him one of the most recognizable trial lawyers in America.

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February 2025