Since April is National Poetry Month, we at WyoHistory.org have chosen to remember our state’s first poet laureate. Other features this month include the story of the recent coal-bed methane boom and bust, memories of one of the worst blizzards in the state’s history, and a look at an early 20th-century mobilization of Wyoming guardsmen to the Mexican border. 

And don’t forget, the Wyoming History Day contest is slated for Monday, April 13, 2015, in Laramie. Coordinator Richard Kean still needs judges. See below for more details. 

Ranching past inspires first poet laureate

Wyoming’s first poet laureate, award-winning poet and fiction writer Peggy Simson Curry, grew up on a ranch in North Park, Colo., a world that informed much of her work. As an adult she taught writing at Casper College for 25 years, nurturing the work and hopes of generations writers that followed her. To learn more, read WyoHistory.org Assistant Editor Lori Van Pelt’s article “Peggy Simson Curry, Wyoming’s First Poet Laureate” here.

Coal-bed methane boom teaches tough lessons

The Powder River Basin coal-bed methane boom in the early 2000s stirred controversies over land rights, mineral rights, environmental stewardship, the disposal of water and—at every turn—politics. Now, few of the 29,000 wells drilled produce much gas. Around 3,000 of them have been abandoned and left to the state to clean up.  Read journalist Dustin Bleizeffer’s article here.

Ferocious blizzard stuns region, takes lives 

In January 1949, a massive blizzard rocketed through central and southeastern Wyoming and nearby states killing 76 people and tens of thousands of animals and leaving memories in its wake that are still vivid more than 65 years later. See Rebecca Hein’s article “The Notorious Blizzard of 1949” here.

Guardsmen mobilize to Mexican border 

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. Read more in historian Carl V. Hallberg’s article “The Wyoming Guard on the Mexican Border, 1916” here.  

Wyoming History Day contest judges still needed!

Richard Kean, Wyoming History Day Coordinator, seeks judges for the 35th annual Wyoming History Day Contest on Monday April 13, 2015, in Laramie. This year’s theme is “Leadership and Legacy in History.”
 
All judges are asked to attend one of two orientation sessions, which will take place on Sunday evening and on Monday morning before the contest begins. A continental breakfast and buffet lunch at the Hilton Garden Inn are provided for judges on the day of the contest.
 
If you are interested in serving as a judge, contact Kean as soon as possible by email at rkean@uwyo.edu or by phone at the American Heritage Center at (307) 766-2300. For more information about Wyoming History Day, visit http://ahc.uwyo.edu/eduoutreach/historyday/default.htm.