Wyoming My 307

Merry Christmas to you! I hope it's filled with love and music, and that 2025 brings you all the best. This third Christmas episode really leans into the music and poetry of the season. In it I share a scene from a classic Western Christmas story, some vintage audio from a 1987 Wheatland WY radio show, a Christmas poem I wrangled off the internet, as well as contemporary music by a young Mennonite choir in my community.  For more Christmas Spirit check out the 2023 and 2022 Christmas episodes. You can find more information and resources in the shownotes. 

I've driven a lot of miles here in Wyoming, and have lots more to go! Driving in Wyoming is a little different from other parts of the country, for many reasons we go into in this episode. On this episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Turpen. He is a nationally recognized automotive journalist. Today's Wyoming Wildlife segment is a three for one special! It will give you something to think about as you drive through the parts of Wyoming that feel like an endless sagebrush sea. The “Dot on the Map” is a charming little town at the edge of the Black Hills national forest that was named after Newcastle, England.  See the shownotes for details!

This episode I came to realize that the older I get, the more my house starts to feel like my own family history museum. That thought reminded me of a packrat, which is the Wyoming Wildlife featured in this episode. I turned to Sara Davis of the Wyoming State Archives for help on the “family treasures”. She gives us some great insights into the care and preservation of our own family heirlooms - things like this notebook, belonging to my great grandfather Alonzo Peterson. He was a miner for the Owl Creek Mining Company in Gebo WY, and before that in Cambria WY. Gebo is pretty close to Powell, which is this episode's Dot on the Map. See the show notes for more details!

Have you ever wandered through a cemetery? Wondered about the life lived in that little dash between two dates? I visited a lot of local cemeteries for this episode, and today's featured Wyoming wildlife kept me company. On this episode I was privileged to interview someone who shares my fascination with cemeteries, Jennifer Romanosky, of the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum. Through her expertise, we decipher the symbolism engraved on headstones, and how they offer a unique peek into a person's life. The dot on the map in this episode is Basin WY, an unassuming little town that was the stage for one of Wyoming's most historically important court trials. See the shownotes for more details!

Too often, the coal industry is boiled down to an argument of good or bad, for or against. I interviewed Dr. Holly Krutka of the University of Wyoming, who gave us a much more nuanced look at this critically important Wyoming industry. I was also lucky to find some really great oral histories at the Wyoming State Archives. We get to hear from two old timers who were born in coal camps, and I even shared a personal perspective of coal mining in my own family. Our dot on the map is Donkey Town - well, that's what it was originally called but you'll have to listen to the podcast for the full story. Lastly, I also had a chance to delve into our state bird, Sturnella Neglecta, commonly known as the Western Meadowlark.   See the shownotes for more details.

Every time I go into a Wyoming bar, I'm pretty sure I'll come out with a funny story. Did you hear the one about the coyote and badger that walked into a bar? No? I guess you'll have to listen to the episode. Today features Julianne Couch, author of Jukeboxes and Jackalopes. We giggled a lot and got surprisingly philosophical - I promise we weren't drinking! She guides us through a lot of Wyoming bars, mostly small town ones and we discussed what makes Wyoming bar culture unique. Hartville is the Dot on the Map - it's Wyoming's oldest continuously populated settler town, which features the oldest bar in Wyoming, the historic Miner's and Stockmen's Saloon.   Check out the shownotes for more details!

Happy Holidays! To quote Owen Wister in A Journey in Search of Christmas, I have left this reboot episode "until the lastest day"! I hope I caught you while you're still in the Christmas spirit, and that 2024 brings you health, happiness and peace. In this second special Christmas episode of Wyoming My 307, the German influence of Christmas in Wyoming features strongly. From the first “decorated Christmas in Wyoming” (Wyoming Historical Society) through the early settler period, WWII, and more, Wyoming Christmas has reflected the people and historical events at that time. Check out the shownotes for more details.

Wyoming's treasures include turtles who can breathe underwater, a small town that moved across the river, and history makers such as Grant Ujifusa. He went from being a star on the high school football team to editor of a prestigious political best-seller in our nation's capital. Grant convinced President Reagan to issue redress and an apology to Japanese Americans for their incarceration in WWII.  Grant's accomplishments have resulted in recognition not only in the Worland Warrior Hall of Fame, but in receiving the Order of the Rising Sun award from the Emperor of Japan! This episode shares one complex story of growing up Japanese in Wyoming, and the personal impact of that experience.   See the shownotes for links and more details!

We think of architecture as grand buildings found in big cities, but it actually covers all the built environment, and includes everything from finely crafted houses, to prisons, or one room log cabins. On this episode I interview Eileen Starr who wrote THE book: Architecture in the Cowboy State. The dot on the map is a Wyoming architectural gem; a town of less than 500 folks featuring stunning Spanish style buildings and homes. The Wyoming wildlife segment features our own natural architect, a rarely seen, tiny rodent.   See the shownotes for links and more details!

Happy Holidays!  I've been collecting stories and anecdotes about Christmas in Wyoming - these stories highlight the uniqueness of celebrating the holidays during our harsh winters. From Portugee Phillips' Christmas Eve ride to secure reinforcements for Fort Fetterman, to ordinary citizens and their determination to celebrate despite winter's hardships, Christmas in Wyoming is not for the faint of heart!   See the shownotes for links and more details!    

Go to any Wyomingite's home, especially if they have been here for generations, and you will find references to American Indian culture, or even native artifacts. On this episode I interviewed Jordan Dresser, Chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council on the Wind River Indian Reservation. He helped me understand what the repatriation of native artifacts means. His hometown of Ethete is our dot on the map, and you'll be blown away by the Wyoming Wildlife segment.  See the shownotes for links and more details!

Starting in 2018, Wyoming's legislature passed a host of laws favorable to the blockchain industry, becoming the lead state in the field. This effort was shepherded by Wall Street veteran, Wyoming native and UW graduate Caitlin Long, who I interviewed on this episode. Prepare to learn about blockchain, beefchain, crypto-currency, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations and how all of this relates to Wyoming. Plus you'll learn about a cryptic snake native to our state, and our Dot on the Map which has about 5000 citizens, none of which actually live there.  See the shownotes for all the links and details!

When it comes to outdoor recreation, Wyoming has an embarrassment of riches! Whether you're a resident or visitor, it's impossible to get to all of it. In this episode I explored Hikes by Highways with Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Pathfinder Bruce Scigliano. We explored two routes to Yellowstone, and hikes right off the highways that would take us there. Bruce brings us hikes along the route from the Black Hills to Yellowstone. I brought us up from Colorado to Yellowstone. We picked hikes that were as close as possible to the highway so you can stop and stretch your legs along that classic road-trip to Wyoming's wonder - Yellowstone National Park! This episode's Wyoming Wildlilfe is guaranteed to be seen along both of those routes. See the shownotes for all the links and details!

Wyoming has surprising connections to America's history of flight - including heroic early mail flights, and the founding of America's air stewards. This episode features an interview of Mike Kassel, co-author of Wyoming Airmail Pioneers, and Wyoming's Friendly Skies. A tiny Wyoming town, whose streets are former runways is explored, and we also learn about one of Wyoming's biggest, and most distinctive sounding birds.  See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Over 55% of Wyoming is public land, with 31 million acres open to hunting. Enter the Game Warden. One third of their job is enforcement of hunting, fishing, trapping and boating laws. This episode features an interview of Bill Robertson about his experience as a game warden, then delves into Otto Wyoming. Plus, Mountain Goats!  See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Wyoming is a geologist's paradise, but you don't have to be one to enjoy the geologic wonders that Wyoming offers. Just driving through the state gives us spectacular views of badlands, layered rock formations, faults and canyons. In this episode, geologist and Wyoming native Erik Kvale imagines a Jurassic era road trip through the Bighorn Basin. We also learn about the history and geologic importance of Medicine Bow WY, and are introduced to the Black Footed Ferrets once thought to be extinct, who are now being repopulated in the nearby Shirley Basin.  See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

When you fall in love with Wyoming, it's often because of the wide open spaces we're known for. This episode highlights outdoor recreation in our state; the effects we have on the natural world, and how it affects us. I interview Dr. Abigail Sisneros-Kidd and we learn about the town of Wapiti. Then I talk about an animal of which Scott Weidensaul said, "Before the East was logged, tamed and farmed...it, too, was the home of a creature the color of wheat that the Shawnee called wapiti." Join me to learn more! See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Ranching in Wyoming - it's an industry, a vocation, and an important part of Wyoming's history and culture. This episode takes you behind the scenes, with an interview with Mary Flitner, life-long rancher and Wyoming author. We also explore the little town of Byron, and learn about bald eagles, and why my mom thought we ate horsemeat here in Wyoming. See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Crick or Creek? Join me in exploring words and phrases of Wyoming. Lexicographer and linguist Grant Barrett of the NPR podcast A Way With Words is my guest. Learn new words, pronunciations and have a good chuckle at my using the word agriculture as a noun. See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode. 

An interview with Wyoming author Cheryl O'Brien provides insights into the lives of POWs and the local Wyoming communities that hosted them during WW2. From finding a surprise relative, to a German prisoner's poetic love for Wyoming, this episode gives us a slice of life in the 40's and how the war impacted our state.Check out the shownotes for links referenced in this bonus episode.

Go on a virtual tour of WWII related locations. Learn about two surprisingly different teams working on murals at the same time, and how my Uncle Dale "snuck in" to the Navy. The episode also features an interview of documentary film maker Mark Pedri who has made a film about WWII in Wyoming. See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode. 

In this (first!) bonus episode, Jackson Lassiter reads a short story from his book, Birds of a Feather.  Be warned, there's some cussin', act accordingly! Listen to Episode 2 for the interview with Jackson, and see the shownotes for information on how to purchase the book. 

A look at being Gay in Wyoming, including some historical context. I interviewed my first guest, Jackson Lassiter, author of the book of short stories and essays Birds of a Feather, who grew up Gay in Wyoming in the 60's and 70's. Please forgive some of the low quality sound issues - this was my first virtual interview and I'm still wrangling this technology!Episode 2 shownotes.  

An introduction to the podcast, featuring a little town in Wyoming, Greybull, where you can have a lovely spot of tea, then walk on the footsteps of dinosaurs.  Shownotes for Episode 1