Wyoming Historical Society

11/01/2026

🍂🕰️ DID YOU KNOW? WYOMING HAS BEEN ARGUING ABOUT CHANGING THE CLOCKS FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS!

“REGULAR TIME GOOD ENOUGH FOR CHEYENNE!”

That was an actual newspaper headline from May 14, 1920! And as Wyoming turns its clocks back one hour this Sunday, November 1, 2026, we’re taking a trip through the newspaper archives to discover how the Cowboy State has handled the changing of time.

Turns out, Wyoming residents have had plenty to say about it for generations!

🕰️ 1918 — WHEN AMERICA FIRST CHANGED ITS CLOCKS

During World War I, the United States introduced daylight saving time as a wartime measure intended to conserve fuel.

The Big Piney Examiner reported on October 24, 1918, that Washington would not extend the wartime daylight-saving requirement, and clocks would be turned back on October 27, as originally planned.

For families across Wyoming, this was a relatively new concept. Imagine suddenly being told that the clocks in your home, businesses, schools, and community would all be changing!

The federal daylight-saving requirement was repealed in 1919, but that didn’t end the discussion.

🏛️ 1920 — LARAMIE SAID YES, CHEYENNE SAID NO!

Here’s where Wyoming’s story gets especially interesting.

On March 24, 1920, The Northern Wyoming Herald reported that Laramie’s city government had approved a daylight-saving ordinance.

According to the newspaper, the university town planned to move its clocks forward one hour beginning May 1 and return to standard time on the last day of October.

The article reported enthusiastic support among residents and businesses.

But just weeks later, a very different headline appeared!

On May 14, 1920, the Casper Star-Tribune announced:

“REGULAR TIME GOOD ENOUGH FOR CHEYENNE”

Cheyenne business leaders had considered adopting daylight saving time to stay synchronized with Denver, Laramie, Casper, and other communities.

However, after consulting government and railroad officials and receiving strong protests from housewives, the plan was abandoned!

Imagine the confusion for travelers, businesses, and railroads when neighboring communities considered operating on different clocks.

🐟 1967 — EVEN THE FISHERMEN HAD TO ADJUST!

When Wyoming joined most of the nation in observing daylight saving time in 1967, changing clocks wasn’t the only consideration.

A May 4, 1967, article in the Star Valley Independent explained how the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission adjusted its published fishing hours to account for the new time.

Fishing hours previously listed as 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mountain Standard Time became 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.

The permitted fishing period hadn’t actually changed, but the clocks had!

State Fish Warden Don Dexter explained that anglers could enjoy an additional hour of daylight fishing after work.

And a March 2, 1967, Casper Star-Tribune article humorously noted that golfers would gain more evening recreation time, while parents might face the challenge of putting children to bed while the sun was still shining.

⏰ 2020 — WYOMING TRIED TO MAKE DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME PERMANENT

More than a century after the original time changes, Wyoming lawmakers were still discussing the issue.

In March 2020, the Wyoming Legislature passed House Bill 44, proposing permanent Mountain Daylight Time.

However, the legislation was conditional. It required federal authorization and similar legislation from at least three other western states.

As of November 2026, those requirements have not been satisfied, so Wyoming continues to change its clocks twice each year.

🍁 AND THAT BRINGS US TO TODAY — SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2026!

At 2:00 a.m., clocks turn BACK one hour to 1:00 a.m. as Wyoming returns to Mountain Standard Time.

That means an extra hour on the clock this morning, earlier sunsets, and another chapter in a debate that Wyoming residents have been having for more than a century.

From Laramie’s local ordinance to Cheyenne’s opposition, from fishing regulations to legislative debates, our historic newspapers remind us that even something as ordinary as changing the clocks has a story worth preserving!

💬 WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

If Wyoming could choose one time to keep year-round, would you prefer Mountain Standard Time or Mountain Daylight Time?

And do you remember when changing the clocks meant going around the house and manually resetting every single one? 🕰️

📜 Historical Newspaper References:

• Big Piney Examiner, October 24, 1918, p. 4
• The Northern Wyoming Herald, March 24, 1920, p. 1
• Casper Star-Tribune, May 14, 1920, p. 10
• Casper Star-Tribune, March 2, 1967, p. 10
• Star Valley Independent, May 4, 1967, p. 2
• Casper Star-Tribune, March 12, 2020, p. A2

Historical newspaper research and clippings courtesy of Newspapers.com.

Wyoming Historical Society
Preserving, sharing, and celebrating Wyoming’s history.
🌐 https://wyohs.org

10/31/2026

🎃👻 A WYOMING HALLOWEEN HISTORY SPECIAL!

⛓️ THE HAUNTED HALLS OF THE WYOMING FRONTIER PRISON

📍 Rawlins, Carbon County, Wyoming

What if the walls of an old Wyoming prison could talk? What stories would they tell?

High above the streets of Rawlins stands an imposing sandstone building that has witnessed more than a century of Wyoming history. Behind its heavy iron doors lie stories of desperate prisoners, harsh punishments, ex*****ons, and mysterious occurrences that have contributed to its haunted reputation.

Welcome to the Wyoming Frontier Prison, formerly the Wyoming State Penitentiary.

🏚️ A PRISON BUILT FOR THE WILD WEST

Although construction began in 1888, funding difficulties and Wyoming’s unpredictable weather delayed its opening until December 1901.

When the first prisoners arrived, they found 104 cells, no electricity, no running water, and inadequate heating to withstand Wyoming’s bitter winters.

For the next 80 years, approximately 13,500 individuals would pass through its gates, including 11 women.

Life behind these walls could be brutal. Inmates endured overcrowded cells, solitary confinement, and severe disciplinary measures.

But perhaps the most unsettling part of the prison was its death house.

⚰️ THE DEATH HOUSE

In 1916, a special building was completed to house condemned prisoners awaiting ex*****on.

Originally equipped with indoor gallows, the death house later became home to a gas chamber when Wyoming changed its method of ex*****on in 1936.

During the prison’s operating years, 14 men were executed there—nine by hanging and five in the gas chamber.

Today, visitors can still see the historic gas chamber during guided tours.

👻 ARE THE OLD CELLBLOCKS HAUNTED?

Over the years, the Frontier Prison has developed a reputation for paranormal activity.

Visitors and paranormal enthusiasts have shared stories of unexplained noises, eerie sensations, and mysterious occurrences inside the old prison.

Are they restless spirits from Wyoming’s past? The sounds of an aging building? Or simply the imagination at work in a place with such a difficult history?

No supernatural explanation has been established, but the prison’s atmosphere and very real history provide plenty of reasons for visitors to feel uneasy.

🎬 A HOLLYWOOD CONNECTION!

Here’s a little-known twist!

After closing in 1981, the penitentiary stood abandoned until Hollywood came calling.

In 1987, the horror film Prison, featuring a young Viggo Mortensen, was filmed inside the abandoned penitentiary.

The building’s eerie atmosphere made it a natural setting for a supernatural thriller!

🏛️ PRESERVING THE HISTORY

Rather than allowing this remarkable historic property to disappear, preservation efforts transformed it into the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum in 1988.

Today, the National Register-listed property welcomes visitors interested in learning about Wyoming’s correctional history, its inmates, and the people who worked behind those walls.

🎃 A SPECIAL HALLOWEEN OPPORTUNITY — OCTOBER 30 & 31, 2026!

The Wyoming Frontier Prison is hosting its annual Haunted Halloween Tours, presented by The Demons Within, with this year’s theme, “Revolution 250.”

This is a theatrical haunted attraction and an important fundraiser supporting the museum’s continued operation.

📍 500 W. Walnut Street, Rawlins, WY

🕖 7:00 p.m. – Midnight, tours every half hour

🎟️ $20 per person, plus fees

👻 Ages 12 and older; online reservations required.

☎️ 307-324-4422

🌐 https://www.wyomingfrontierprison.org/events/haunted-halloween

⚠️ Be aware that the Halloween attraction includes steep stairs, loud noises, special effects, and possible physical contact.

As we celebrate Halloween, we’re reminded that sometimes Wyoming’s real history is more chilling than any ghost story!

Have you ever visited the Wyoming Frontier Prison? Did you experience anything unusual, or hear a story that has stayed with you? We’d love to hear it! 👻

The Wyoming Historical Society encourages everyone to visit and support local museums and historical organizations working to preserve these remarkable pieces of our state’s past.

🌐 https://wyohs.org

10/30/2026

🎶 BONUS FACT FRIDAY: CARBON COUNTY, WYOMING!

🎼 DID YOU KNOW? WYOMING’S ORIGINAL STATE SONG HAS ITS ROOTS IN THE SMALL TOWN OF ENCAMPMENT!

When you hear Wyoming’s original state song, have you ever wondered who wrote it, where it originated, or how it became part of our state’s history?

You might be surprised to learn that the story takes us back to 1903 and the bustling copper-mining community of Grand Encampment in Carbon County!

And it involves an attorney, a newspaper editor, and a musical collaboration that would leave a lasting mark on Wyoming’s heritage.

🎵 THE STORY BEGINS WITH CHARLES E. WINTER

Charles Edwin Winter (1870–1948), a prominent Wyoming attorney associated with Encampment, had a deep appreciation for Wyoming and its people.

During the summer of 1903, while traveling through Pennsylvania, Winter wrote the words to a song celebrating the young state he called home.

His verses expressed admiration for Wyoming’s mountains, natural beauty, abundant resources, and the character of its people.

But those words still needed music!

Winter’s verses were set to music by Earle R. Clemens (1878–1943), editor of the Grand Encampment Herald, a newspaper serving the growing mining community.

Together, Winter and Clemens created a song that was copyrighted and published in 1903, becoming an early expression of Wyoming’s identity and pride.

📰 A SMALL-TOWN NEWSPAPER HELPS MAKE WYOMING HISTORY!

The song soon gained recognition beyond Carbon County.

At the 1903 State Industrial Association convention in Sheridan, Governor Fenimore Chatterton was credited with introducing the song as Wyoming’s state song.

Although it had not yet received formal legislative recognition, the composition continued gaining popularity.

Imagine that! A collaboration connected to a small newspaper office in Encampment was helping establish a musical identity for the entire state!

🎹 BUT THERE’S ANOTHER CHAPTER TO THE STORY!

In 1920, George Edwin Knapp (1886–1967), a baritone singer, choral conductor, and University of Wyoming music professor, composed a new melody for Winter’s original words.

It was Knapp’s musical composition, rather than Clemens’s earlier version, that ultimately received official recognition.

On February 15, 1955, the Wyoming Legislature formally adopted “Wyoming,” with lyrics by Charles E. Winter and music by George E. Knapp, as Wyoming’s official state song.

More than half a century had passed since its beginnings in 1903!

🎶 AN IMPORTANT PIECE OF WYOMING’S MUSICAL HERITAGE

The song “Wyoming” is our state’s original official state song. Wyoming later recognized a second state song, but the original “Wyoming” is the composition with the historical connection to Encampment that we’re celebrating today.

🏛️ A REMARKABLE PIECE OF HISTORY STILL SURVIVES!

Here’s something particularly special for those who love historical artifacts!

The Grand Encampment Museum preserves an original copper printing plate associated with the early publication of Wyoming’s state song by the Herald Publishing Company.

The plate was donated in 1967 by former Saratoga Sun publishers R. D. “Bob” Martin and R. Richard “Dick” Perue.

During the museum’s 2015 Living History Days, Perue even used the historic plate to produce reproductions of the song!

What a wonderful example of a community preserving its own contribution to Wyoming’s history.

❤️ SMALL COMMUNITIES, LASTING LEGACIES

Encampment may be remembered for its copper mines, smelter, and remarkable aerial tramway, but its contribution to Wyoming’s musical heritage deserves recognition, too!

What began through the talents of an attorney and a newspaper editor eventually became part of our state’s official identity.

More than a century later, this story remains a wonderful reminder that some of Wyoming’s most meaningful contributions came from individuals and small communities whose stories deserve to be remembered.

💬 WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!

Do you remember singing Wyoming’s original state song at school programs, community celebrations, or special events?

Did you know about its connection to Encampment?

Share your memories with us! 🎶

📚 HISTORICAL REFERENCES & CREDITS

• Wyoming Livestock Roundup — Original Wyo State Song Written, Published in Encampment (2015)
https://www.wylr.net/2015/08/01/postcard-from-the-past-original-wyo-state-song-written-published-in-encampment/

• Wyoming Secretary of State — Official State Song Sheet Music
https://sos.wyo.gov/Forms/Publications/Student%20Packet%20Content%20Files/State%20Song.pdf

• State of Wyoming — Official Facts and Symbols
https://www.wyo.gov/about-wyoming/wyoming-facts-and-symbols

Wyoming Historical Society
Preserving, sharing, and celebrating Wyoming’s history.

🌐 https://wyohs.org

10/30/2026

10/30: 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm (Powell): Visit Homesteader Museum this afternoon! 🎃

Just a reminder that we close at 12noon today to put the finishing touches on the Haunted Homesteader. We will reopen for Powelloween fun from 3:30pm - 5:30pm.

10/30/2026

🐑 FACT FRIDAY: CARBON COUNTY, WYOMING

Did You Know? One of the West’s Most Recognizable Inventions Has Its Roots in Rawlins, Wyoming!

🚜 The Sheep Wagon — A Wyoming Home on the Range!

Long before recreational vehicles and modern travel trailers, a Carbon County blacksmith and a pioneering Wyoming sheepman helped develop an invention that would change life on the open range.

The year was 1884, and the place was Rawlins, Wyoming.

Canadian-born blacksmith James Candlish, working from an idea supplied by prominent sheepman, mine operator, and businessman George Ferris, is widely credited with building one of the earliest purpose-built sheep wagons.

And what a practical invention it was!

Born in Canada in 1841, Candlish learned the trades of wagon making and blacksmithing in Montreal before making his way west. He worked for the Union Pacific Railroad as construction advanced across Wyoming and eventually settled at Fort Fred Steele.

When the military presence at the fort declined, Candlish moved to Rawlins, where he established his own blacksmith shop.

Meanwhile, Wyoming’s sheep industry was growing rapidly. Herders needed more than a tent or temporary shelter. They required a dependable home that could travel with their flocks through Wyoming’s changing seasons and rugged landscapes.

That is where the partnership between Ferris and Candlish made a lasting contribution.

🏕️ A Tiny Home Before Tiny Homes Were Popular!

The sheep wagon evolved into an ingenious little home on wheels, commonly equipped with:

🐑 A built-in bed and storage compartments.

🔥 A small stove for warmth and cooking.

☕ A folding or pull-out table for meals.

🛞 A sturdy wheeled foundation and rounded roof designed for life on the range.

These compact homes allowed herders to remain near their sheep while moving between summer mountain pastures and winter grazing grounds.

For weeks or even months, the sheep wagon could be a herder’s kitchen, bedroom, shelter, and only refuge from Wyoming’s unpredictable weather.

🏆 Recognition for a Wyoming Invention

Candlish’s work did not go unnoticed.

At its 1909 convention, the Wyoming Wool Growers Association commemorated Candlish’s contribution with a special watch fob celebrating him as the inventor of the sheep wagon.

The tribute identified Rawlins, Wyoming, and the year 1884 as the birthplace of what became known as the Modern Sheep Palace.

Although historians continue to debate the precise origins of the sheep wagon, Candlish and Ferris remain important figures in its development.

What began as a practical idea in Carbon County became a familiar sight across the American West, helping support one of Wyoming’s most important agricultural industries.

More than 140 years later, sheep wagons remain an enduring symbol of Wyoming’s ranching heritage and the resourcefulness of those who worked the land.

❤️ Preserving Wyoming History

Sometimes the most influential contributions to our state’s history were not made in grand buildings or government offices. They were made in blacksmith shops, on ranches, and through the partnerships of hardworking people who recognized a problem and found a solution.

And this particular story began right here in Carbon County!

💬 Do you remember seeing sheep wagons on Wyoming’s open range? Have you or your family ever lived or worked in one? We’d love to hear your stories and see your photographs!

📚 Historical References:
• Wyoming Livestock Roundup — Postcard from the Past: Invention of the Sheep Wagon (2025)
https://www.wylr.net/2025/07/25/postcard-from-the-past-invention-of-the-sheep-wagon/

• Wyoming Livestock Roundup — Sheep Wagons Enter Public Eye (2012)
https://www.wylr.net/2012/09/01/sheep-wagons-enter-public-eye/

• Buffalo Bill Center of the West — Sheep Wagons and the Shaping of the American West (2026)
https://centerofthewest.org/2026/02/17/sheep-wagons-and-the-shaping-of-the-american-west/

• Hot Springs County Museum & Cultural Center — Sheep Wagon exhibit
https://thermopolismuseum.com/sheepwagon

Wyoming Historical Society
Preserving, sharing, and celebrating Wyoming’s history.

🌐 https://wyohs.org

10/30/2026

📜 THIS DAY IN WYOMING HISTORY — OCTOBER 29, 1929

📉 BLACK TUESDAY: WALL STREET CRASHES — AND EVEN CUPID FEELS THE PINCH!

97 years ago today, the stock market crashed, fortunes vanished, and America’s Roaring Twenties came to a dramatic end.

On October 29, 1929, nearly 16.4 million shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange as panicked investors rushed to sell. The Dow plunged nearly 12% in a single day!

📰 WHAT WERE WYOMING NEWSPAPERS SAYING?

The Casper Daily Tribune followed the unfolding disaster with some remarkable headlines:

October 29: “RALLY FOLLOWS RENEWAL OF STOCK MARKET DECLINE”

October 30: “STOCK SELLING FRENZY PASSES”

And perhaps the most optimistic:

“STOCK DEBACLE NOT TO HURT BUSINESS, KLEIN DECLARES”

Many financial experts insisted the economy was fundamentally sound. Surely the worst was over!

Unfortunately, history had other plans.

💍 EVEN CUPID WAS FEELING THE CRASH!

On October 31, the Casper newspaper carried this unforgettable headline:

“MARRIAGE LICENSE MARKET SLUMPS IN RESPONSE TO STOCKS”

In San Francisco, marriage licenses had reportedly fallen from an average of 29 per day to just EIGHT!

Grant “Cupid” Munson, the city’s marriage license official, blamed the stock market.

Apparently, when Wall Street lost its fortune, even romance decided to save a few dollars! ❤️

🐂🐻 THE CARTOONISTS HAD A FIELD DAY!

Newspaper cartoonists captured the chaos with charging bulls, angry bears, and bewildered investors.

One cartoon, “Taken for a Ride,” showed a small investor caught between the bull and bear markets, crying:

“I HELD ON TOO LONG!”

Another portrayed speculation as a dangerous passenger aboard the great ship of American prosperity.

The humor was sharp, but the message was serious.

💰 BY CHRISTMAS, THEY WERE STILL HOPING FOR A RECOVERY!

On December 22, the Casper newspaper reported:

“EASIER CREDIT TO ASSIST NATIONAL AUTO INDUSTRY”

But just one week later, the December 29 headlines announced:

“STOCK MARKET PRICES STRIKE LOWER LEVELS”

“BUSINESS IS FACING ADJUSTMENT PERIOD”

What many hoped was a temporary setback would become part of a much larger economic disaster.

🌾 AND HERE IN WYOMING?

Wyoming’s ranchers and farmers had already experienced difficult economic times during the 1920s. As the Great Depression deepened, falling livestock prices, unemployment, and struggling businesses brought additional hardships to communities across the Cowboy State.

By 1933, approximately one in four American workers was unemployed.

But Wyoming families persevered, finding ways to stretch every dollar, share what they had, and help their neighbors.

📜 THE MOST FASCINATING PART?

The people reading these newspapers in 1929 had absolutely no idea what the next decade would bring.

They were watching history unfold, one headline at a time.

❤️ DO YOU HAVE FAMILY STORIES FROM THE GREAT DEPRESSION?

Did your parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents tell stories about surviving those difficult years in Wyoming? Ranch life, making ends meet, finding work, or neighbors helping neighbors?

Share your memories in the comments! These stories are an important part of Wyoming’s history, and we would love to preserve them.

📸 Historic newspaper clippings and political cartoons from October–December 1929, including the Casper Daily Tribune and Casper Tribune-Herald. Images courtesy of Newspapers.com.

Wyoming Historical Society
🌐 www.wyohs.org

10/30/2026

Come have a ghostly great evening!!!

10/30/2026

We have candy for anyone who comes Trick-Or-Treating at the museum on the 30th and the 31st! We also have a little Halloween Scavenger hunt with fun little prizes! Plan on stopping by the museum on the 30th and 31st!

Open 10:00 to 5:00 at 905 West Walnut Street!

10/30/2026

🎃 Trick-or-Treating at the Mansion! 👻
Calling all ghosts, goblins, witches, and creatures of the night-- join us for some trick-or-treating fun!
Ghouls and goblins of ALL ages are welcome! Come in costume and bring your Halloween spirit.
Want to explore inside? The mansion will also be open for self-guided tours on Halloween!
Regular admission applies:
Adults: $8
Wyoming residents: $4
Kids: FREE!
We can’t wait to see you for a hauntingly good time at Trail End!