Carl Hallberg, reference archivist at the Wyoming State Archives in Cheyenne, also serves as book review editor for the quarterly Annals of Wyoming. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Augustana College of Illinois and a master’s degree in history with a concentration in archival management from Colorado State University. He has written many articles on a variety of historical subjects.
In the early 1900s, Jewish families came from eastern cities to Goshen County, Wyo., seeking a better life in the West. They farmed, raised families, founded schools and worshiped in private homes. Many were discouraged by the harsh farm life, however, and nearly all left by the 1930s.
Wyoming National Guard soldiers joined tens of thousands of others from around the nation near the Mexican border in 1916, after regular U.S. troops were sent to chase the revolutionary Pancho Villa and his forces into Mexico. None of the guardsmen saw action, but all received important training as World War I loomed.
In Wyoming, dry farming—growing crops without irrigation--began to become popular in the early 1900s. Vernon T. Cooke, first state director of dry farming, was extremely influential in promoting the method. Today, the University of Wyoming’s experimental agricultural station continues to develop dry farming techniques.
