The Volunteer Vaquero  

From the President's Pen Beverly Goodman , President, Museum Volunteers February 2012 

  

 Greetings to you all from a cold and windy mountain top at Buford.  It’s not 

much different in Cheyenne and surrounding areas and the weather’s 

proving hazardous to our health:  Frances Hardy  suffered a broken hip Mary 

Wilson fell and broke her upper leg and injured her opposite shoulder; Kim Stevens a 

broken ankle, Michael Perry cracked ribs, and Peggy Staley a case of pneumonia!  Our 

continued wishes for your recovery to all of you.  Also in our thoughts and prayers are Tom 

and Tracy Berg on the death of Tom’s father in Wheatland and Mel and Harriett Loose on the 

death of their son‐in‐law in Denver.  Our sympathies extend to their daughter also as she loses 

her husband. Helen Louise’s husband, Mike, had emergency surgery in December but is, 

thankfully, doing well.   

On a more cheerful note, several of us attended the Museum’s Reception for the Coffee 

Exhibit on display on the second floor from Dec. through March 3.  Isn’t that interesting?   

Our Pie Social will be held at the Museum on Feb. 14 at 1:30.  Pies and coffee are furnished.  

Please come and enjoy the dessert and each other.  

As Spring approaches (???) , we face some challenges.  I will be appointing a nominating 

committee in February for new officers to be elected in May.  Nominations for Volunteer of 

the Year will be asked for in March. And we have 3 urgent needs for your consideration.  We 

need a Publicity Chairperson, some new volunteers to put posters around town on various 

occasions, and a new Chairperson for our 34th annual Arts and Crafts Show and Sale in August.  

That important event is in danger of being discontinued if we don’t have a Chair Person.  It is  

not a one person job, and many of us can and do help in various ways, but we do need a Chair.  

Someone please come forward! 

Keep yourselves safe and warm and I hope to see you all soon.  

                                            Beverly G.   

 

HAPPENING AT THE WYOMING STATE MUSEUM: 

December 12‐March 3, 1012‐Coffee‐The World in Your Cup‐Exhibit 

on 2nd Floor of Museum 

February 14      1 p.m.   Pie Social  and Orientation 

 

                                           February   15          1 p.m.         Board Meeting       

                                                    

 

 

Lecture Series 

 

February 9‐The Lonely Pyramid on Sherman Hill 

March 8‐Investigating the Dune Murder in Carbon County 

April 12‐The Evolution of Food 

May 10‐Indian Removal: The Dark Side of American History 

 

 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS  

President: Beverly Goodman

Vice President: Emma Fosdick

Secretary: Tracy Stefanik-Berg

Treasurer: Linda Rogers

Vaquero Editor: Carolyn Turbiville

Ex Officio: Chris Hanson

Advisor: Mary Wilson 

 

The Volunteer Vaquero. . .

is published monthly for members of the Wyoming State Museum Volunteers, Wyoming State Museum, Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY

FEBRUARY Birthdays                                           

 

        13‐Glenda Owen   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Organization

From the inception in 1974, the WY State Museum Volunteers have been instrumental in assisting the art and education programs of the Wyoming State Museum. Their tie to these programming sections of the museum remains strong today. Volunteers at the Wyoming State Museum are an important link between the museum’s professional services and the public it serves. In human terms, they represent the museum’s mission to the public.

                     

 

 

Wyoming State Museum Historic Trivia 

Provided by Jim Allison, supervisor of Collections

The cowboy riding a bucking bronco on the Wyoming state license plate has come to be instantly associated with Wyoming. The design was added to the plates in 1936, and it served several purposes: to stop the widespread counterfeiting of license plates; to be symbolic of the state's ranching heritage; and to carry a definite advertising value. Wyomingites readily embraced the emblem, and advance sales for the new license plates in December 1935 totaled $15,588, more than double the amount sold the previous year. The new license plate captivated the nation as well, and requests for it poured in from out-of-state residents and tourists. Some found an easier, if not illegal, way to obtain the eye-catching emblem. Incidents of Wyomingites vacationing out of state and being pulled over for operating vehicles without license plates were not uncommon. The astonished drivers quickly discovered that the bucking bronco emblem was popular - a little too popular - with thieves and souvenir collectors. The Purdue Motor Club, an organization which conducted license plate surveys, named the "bronc-and-rider" as "the most distinctive plate in the United States" for several years in the 1930s and 1940s. Many would argue that the Wyoming state license plate continues to hold this title, some sixty years after its introduction.  

Which Wyoming Secretary of State was responsible for incorporating the bucking bronco emblem onto the license plate? 

 (Answer on Page 6) 

 

 

 

 

Pictures of Volunteers, Staff and Guests enjoying the Appreciation Luncheon given by the 

Museum Staff to thank the Volunteers.  December 2011 

Vaquero Editor's dog, Addie. sure would like a 

bite of chicken.  Addie is a therapy dog and had 

visited at the hospital that morning to cheer 

people up. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wyoming State Museum Historic Trivia Answer: 

 

Secretary of State Lester C. Hunt was responsible for incorporating the emblem onto the license plate. Ignoring skeptical license plate manufacturers, Hunt commissioned Littleton, Colorado, artist Allen T. True in 1935 to design a "bronc" for the license plate that would be "instantly" recognized. True, who had painted the murals in the Wyoming Capitol Building's House and Senate chambers, created a drawing, for which he was paid $75. In a 1935 article which appeared in the Wyoming State Journal, Hunt was quoted as saying that the rider on the bucking bronco represented legendary cowboy Albert Jerome "Stub" Farlow, whom Hunt called "the most typical cowboy that it was my pleasure to know." Nearly twenty years later, Hunt contradicted himself when he wrote to then Wyoming State Archivist Lola Homsher that Farlow was not a model for the emblem, but that Hunt had Farlow "in mind" when designing the emblem. The horse being ridden is often thought to be Steamboat, a legendary bucking horse of the early 20th century, but no mention of the horse was ever made by Hunt. When Hunt copyrighted the emblem in his own name in 1936, he met with vocal opposition led by World War I veteran George N. Ostrom of Sheridan and fellow veterans. Ostrom designed an image similar to Hunt's while his unit was stationed in Bordeaux, France in 1918, in response to a contest for a unit symbol to help boost morale. After applying Ostrom's design to helmets, weapons, drums, artillery vehicles, road signs, and even beer steins, the 148th Field Artillery unit became known as the Bucking Bronco Regiment from Wyoming. Perhaps in response to pressure from Ostrom and his group, Hunt transferred the copyright to the State of Wyoming in 1942.  

 

 

Artifact of the Month

by Dominique Schultes

Rather than a single object, I have selected a type of object for this article: cookbooks. 1796 saw the publication of the first cookbook by an American author, American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. Although cooking and preparation instructions were the primary purpose of these early publications, most also contained sections on household hints and medicinal recommendations; information needed for a woman to establish and run a proper household.

G-1973.12.7153

G-1967.130.3010

By the mid-1900’s new forms of cookbooks appeared. Companies began using them as advertising and promotional items. Some were product specific, such as the Dr. Price cookbook right, others, like the examples below, promoted the company, everything from insurance companies to breweries. A different take on “promotional” cookbooks were those produced by women’s groups. These were published to promote organizational goals and as fund raisers.

G-1977.70.42 G-1966.88.261

The 1950s and 60’s saw a boom of a cookbook production that continues today. Cookbooks were published for specific technology, such as microwaves, age groups, food movements, types of cuisine and drinks for cocktail parties. This boom shows no signs of slowing down.

G-1992.1.10 G-1992.1.7

Cookbooks can be important tools for museums and historians in that they can be used to track social customs and trends; from the proper protocol for a formal 1880’s fine dinner party; to the rise of the backyard barbeque and potluck dinners. They can illustrate trends, product availability and technological advancement. They can add a new dimension of understanding and a breath of life to historical periods both ancient and modern, by showing us what the people of that time and area cooked and ate.

This and That from the Editor 

 

~Remember when "enter" was a sign on a door and not a button on a computer? 

~Success is not what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself.  It's what you do 

for others. 

~Your own soul is nourished when you are kind: it is destroyed when you are cruel. 

Thanks to all who contributed articles for the Vaquero!!

.Reception for Coffee Exhibit January 19 at the Wyoming State Museum

Coffee‐The World in Your Cup‐Exhibit

Carolyn Turbiville found herself put to work helping to shred napkins to be put into coffee pots for table decorations for the event. She was volunteering at the desk that morning.

The Reception for the Coffee Exhibit was well attended by State Museum Volunteers. They enjoyed much good conversation, a nice selection of coffees to sample, lots of Coffee flavored sweets and hot chocolate.

Meet our newest member of WSMV

Welcome, Estelle Summers!

She will be working the volunteer desk.

Helen Louise, Museum Manager, and her husband Mike

 

When Dick Hart and I were in San Pedro, CA visiting our daughter Kelley and family, she had a cookie order from one of her customers, a real estate agent who wanted 7 boxes of cookies that spelled out Happy New Year to give to special clients.. So Kelley asked her dad, Dick, to write a poem to stick in with each box of cookies. It goes like this:

( Submitted by Helen Hart)