Wyoming’s history comes alive through the voices of those who lived it. This collection features oral history interviews from repositories across the state, preserving firsthand accounts of Wyoming’s people, places, and events.
Each oral history identifies its source repository and includes audio recordings and transcripts.
This is a growing collection. WyoHistory.org welcomes partnerships with Wyoming repositories to share oral histories with wider audiences.
Edith Thaxton, born in 1898, much later in life recalled the dances of her youth.
Janel Dayton was teaching first grade at Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyo., on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took her and 153 other people hostage at the school, and detonated a bomb inside the school. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived.
Felix Mercado, born in 1940, worked with his family in the sugar beet fields around Worland, Wyo. in his youth.
Emergency Medical Technician Glenna Walker is also the mother of three children who attended Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyo., on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took her and 153 other people hostage at the school, and detonated a bomb inside. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived. At the time of the incident, Mrs. Walker had just received her EMT certification. This was the first time she was called out for an emergency situation.
Kathy Davison was the emergency management coordinator for Lincoln County, Wyo., on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at Cokeville Elementary School and detonated a bomb inside. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived. This was the first emergency Davison encountered in her position.
Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell was attending a basketball game in Rock Springs, Wyo., on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyo., and detonated a bomb inside. Haskell raced to the scene, driving so fast that he ruined his car’s engine. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived.
Golden Allred, born in 1910, trapped beaver, bobcat and other animals for 22 years in and around Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin.
Harold Van Buskirk, born in 1897, worked in a grocery store in his youth in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin.
Reel-to-reel audiotapes sent back and forth from a soldier to his family during the Vietnam War land in a box and are stored in a shed for over 40 years. They were given to the Wyoming State Archives to preserve the story of one Wyoming soldier. The tapes are a living history — not only of the turbulence of the era, but also tell the tale of a family trying to stay connected ... even as they are separated by war.
Public Works Director and Fireman Kevin Walker is the father of three young children who attended Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyo., on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took his children and 151 other people hostage at the school, and detonated a bomb inside. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived.
Carol Petersen was teaching second grade at Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyo. on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took her and 153 other people hostage at the school, and detonated a bomb inside. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived.
Audio and transcript of interview with former Governor Ed Herschler conducted by John Hinckley in 1977.
Rachel Walker Hollibaugh attended third grade at Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyo., on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took her and 153 other people hostage at the school, and detonated a bomb inside. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived.
Ron Hartley was the lead investigator for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in Cokeville, Wyo. on May 16, 1986, when David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at Cokeville Elementary School, and detonated a bomb inside. Hartley is the father of four student survivors of the incident. The Youngs both died that day. Everyone else survived.
University of Wyoming basketball player Kenny Sailors, one of the early popularizers of the jump shot, grew up on a farm south of Hillsdale, Wyo. He was Wyoming’s only three-time All American, and in 1943 led the Cowboys to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. Later he played professionally in the BBA and the NBA, and was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993. In this interview, Sailors also talks about his life after basketball, running a dude ranch in Jackson Hole, and later guiding hunters, teaching high school and coaching high-school basketball in Alaska.
Audio and transcript of interview with former Governor Stanley K. Hathaway conducted by John Hinckley in 1977.
Audio and transcript of interview with former Governor Milward Simpson, conducted by John Hinckley, July 18, 1977, in Cody.
Audio and transcript of Gerry Spence interview conducted by Mark Junge.
Transcript and audio of Clifford Hansen Interview conducted by John Hinckley.
Adam Schneider, born in 1917, was a featherweight boxer in his youth in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin.
The Wyoming Symphony Orchestra (WSO), based in Casper, began as the Casper Philharmonic Orchestra in 1925. It is likely the oldest independent cultural organization in Wyoming. This all-amateur ensemble of local musicians performed its first concert in November 1927, attracting an audience of 1,600 people. The orchestra performed under various names and directors through the 1930s and early 1940s until World War II temporarily halted its activities. In 1947, it was revived as the Casper Civic Symphony.
On May 16, 1986, a man and woman entered Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyoming, took 154 people hostage, and detonated a bomb in a first grade classroom. These oral histories, compiled by the Wyoming State Archives, preserve the remembrances of people involved in one way or another with the Cokeville Elementary School bombing.
On October 17, 1969, University of Wyoming Head Coach Lloyd Eaton dismissed 14 Black football players from the team when they sought to discuss wearing black armbands during an upcoming game against Brigham Young University. The incident drew national attention at a time when the country was already divided over civil rights and the Vietnam War. The negative publicity affected Wyoming’s football program for years.
Wyoming’s governors have shaped the state’s political, economic, and social development since 1869. These oral history interviews capture the perspectives of Wyoming governors who served during pivotal periods in the state’s history. The interviews document their experiences with the Wyoming Legislature, their approaches to executive leadership, and their handling of major policy issues, including water rights, mineral taxation, environmental regulation, and the relationship between state and federal government.
| Title | Author |
|---|---|
| Allred, Golden, Bighorn Basin trapper | Washakie Museum and Cultural Center |