Stories of murders unsolved, wildfires fought and a conversation with an old man with a long, clear memory driving across central Wyoming fill WyoHistory.org this month.
 
While July recalls the massive blazes that blackened Yellowstone National Park in the summer of 1988, the month marks other significant milestones as well. Our nation celebrates Independence Day on July 4, and we also tip our hats to the Cowboy State’s 125th anniversary on July 10. 

Questions linger about 1911 murders

The 1911 murders of newlyweds Edna and Thomas Jenkins remain unsolved. But the crime on a ranch south of Tensleep still fascinates because of its senselessness, the lack of hard evidence pointing at any single suspect—though three were considered—and the social prominence of the victims. Read more in writer Rebecca Hein’s article Still Unsolved: The 1911 Deaths of Edna Richards Jenkins and Thomas Jenkins at http://www.wyohistory.org/essays/still-unsolved-1911-deaths-edna-richard....

Yellowstone fires teach lessons

Weather conditions and a “let-burn” natural fire policy in Yellowstone National Park resulted in the massive 1988 fires that blackened 683,000 acres of land. Recovery has been quicker and better than many expected, however, and lessons from the conflagration help guide the park’s fire policy today. Learn more in journalist Dan Whipple’s article Yellowstone Ablaze: The Fires of 1988 at http://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/yellowstone-ablaze-fires-1988.

Henry Jensen discourses on land and lore 

Former sheepherder, ranch foreman and schoolteacher Henry Jensen was past president of Wyoming’s historical and archeological societies. One day in the early 1990s, he and Casper science teachers Dana Van Burgh and Terry Logue drove southwest from Casper to Devil’s Gate, noting all kinds of geology, archeology and history along the way. Learn much more in the oral history interview conducted by Dana Van Burgh and provided by the Casper College Western History Center, A Drive with Henry Jensen through Historic Central Wyoming, at http://www.wyohistory.org/oral-histories/drive-henry-jensen-through-hist....

Celebrate Wyoming’s 125th anniversary in Cheyenne

Gov. Matt Mead and other dignitaries will speak at the Capitol in Cheyenne to celebrate the state’s 125th anniversary on Friday, July 10, 2015. Festivities begin at 3 p.m. Other activities include a special exhibit on the Wyoming constitution at the Wyoming State Archives and hourly tours of the Wyoming State Museum's collections as well a scavenger hunt at the Historic Governor's Mansion and an ice cream social. Performances by the Wind River Dancers and a variety of musicians and a fireworks display round out the party, sponsored by the Wyoming Community Foundation. For more information and details on the schedule, visit “Celebrate Wyoming’s 125th Anniversary” at  http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/wyoming125.aspx or visit Wyoming Travel and Tourism at https://www.wyomingtourism.org/events/detail/Wyoming-s-125th-Anniversary... or call (307) 777-7777.