From the President’s Pen Carolyn Turbiville, President, Museum Volunteers March 2011 Greetings, Everyone, from One Tired World Traveler, I had a WONDERFUL trip to South Africa and Swaziland. The scenery was fantastic. I went on four safaris and saw all the “Big Five”, elephant, hippo, lion, Cape buffalo and leopard. We were very fortunate to see two leopards, as often they are not seen. The weather was beautiful, but hot. We learned a lot about the country and the people. So. Africa is an up and coming nation; the people are

trying to improve themselves.

Yes, I really did get bitten & scratched by a lion! Reports that I received were that the Pie Social was very successful and everyone had a good time. Thanks to Judy Binger and Janet Norrod for taking care of the pies and all the trimmings. Also, thanks to Linda Rogers, Tracy S. Berg and Beth Gianetti for preparing for the event.

The St Patrick’s Day Dinner will be Thursday, March 1, at Old Chicago at 6 p.m. They assured me that there would be corned beef and cabbage available, as well as their regular menu items. Yes, just another reminder, we are still looking for a President and Vice President. Please let Mitty Nation, Helen Hart or Cindy Cook know if you are interested in one of the positions. Guess that is it for now. Your Prez, Carolyn

TheTheTheThe

Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer Volunteer

VaqueroVaqueroVaqueroVaquero Wyoming State Museum VoWyoming State Museum VoWyoming State Museum VoWyoming State Museum Vollllunteers, Inc.unteers, Inc.unteers, Inc.unteers, Inc.

monthly newslettermonthly newslettermonthly newslettermonthly newsletter

Late one afternoon I caught up with Ann Bell just as she was finishing her volunteer shift at St. Mary’s

School.

Besides the school position, which is a paid volunteer position through the Foster Grandparent

Program, she volunteers at the Civic Center here in Cheyenne and of course, for the Wyoming State

Museum.

Ann said that her family has a long history in Cheyenne and in Colorado. Her grandfather worked for

the railroad out of Denver and moved to Cheyenne after his retirement.

Ann’s mother was just 11 years old when the family moved to Cheyenne. Ann told me that she was

born in Omaha, Nebraska, but the family moved back to Cheyenne while she was still an infant.

Her mother, Dorothy, passed away this past August just before her 99th birthday. She said her mother

did cooking by request all over Cheyenne and was in demand when people were entertaining. Ann

said that she had helpers and they would do table placements and also the clean-up work.

Ann graduated from Cheyenne High School in 1955 and got married in 1957. The marriage wasn’t

working out for either her or her husband so they parted company in 1962. She then enrolled in

Colorado State University and after her first year, moved to New Jersey where she spent two years at

Keene College in Newark. She said that she did not go back for her fourth year of college, but

instead enrolled at the Newark School of Industrial and Fine Arts, where she studied interior design.

After completing her studies, she decided to remain in New Jersey and found employment at a home

furnishings store.

After the home furnishings store, she worked for a discount store and moved her way up to become

the store’s general manager.

Ann said after 25 years in New Jersey she wanted a change, so she moved to Denver and worked at

Lord & Taylor in the Cherry Creek Mall for five years, until it was time for her to retire.

Upon retirement Ann came back to Cheyenne to care for her mother.

Wyoming State Museum Volunteer

Profiles

a continuing series of interviews

by Gil Gianetti

ANN BELL

I asked her how she became a volunteer and she told me that she saw an ad in the newspaper

saying volunteers were needed. She had always liked visiting museums, so it seemed like a good

thing to do. She works Saturdays when her schedule will allow it.

She told me that meeting the visitors, especially those from other countries, is perhaps her favorite

part of working the desk.

I asked her about attracting new volunteers and she liked the newspaper ad, but quickly said that in

her mind word of mouth was probably just as effective.

I always ask people about any changes or improvements for the volunteer corps and Ann responded

by saying she would like to see more field trips for the volunteers, now that she has a bit more free

time.

Ann’s hobbies include sewing, painting and rug hooking.

She has a brother Howard, who lives in New Jersey, but visits Cheyenne during Frontier Days.

Ann’s household is rounded out with her dog, Chico and the newest family member, Maxwell, a tabby

cat.

Wyoming State Museum Wyoming State Museum Wyoming State Museum Wyoming State Museum Historic Historic Historic Historic TriviaTriviaTriviaTrivia

ProvidedProvidedProvidedProvided bbbbyyyy Jim Jim Jim Jim Allison, Allison, Allison, Allison, Supervisor of CollectionsSupervisor of CollectionsSupervisor of CollectionsSupervisor of Collections

Would you like fries with that?

Forty-two years ago this year, in 1969, two men founded a fast food chain in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Today, you may drive through or dine in this restaurant in hundreds of cities and towns across the

United States.

What is this fast food chain?

(This month’s answer will be found on page 5. Look for the Trivia logo cartoon man as shown above

to find it.)

become available here and she was hired. Her title is Archive, Museum and Records Curator She

Most of his job is administratively oriented, but he does get involved in geneology and to a lesser

extent historical research.

Carl finds this research interesting because of where

it may take him in the Archives’ records, plus

interaction with the customer makes things even

more interesting.

Requests for information come via mail, and faxes

come from all over the country.

Carl’s favorite part of working with the stored material

is evaluating records, and he does this once a week

as he processes records at the Archives annex. By

evaluating the records in storage, he is looking for

completeness of information. He then makes

judgment calls on just how valuable that record or

records might be in the future.

Records come from every public agency – state

agencies, counties, school districts, municipalities

and sometimes special districts. For these agencies space is a problem, so the State Archives acts

as a repository for the older information, which then gives more space in the Agencies’ record rooms.

This also is cost effective for the school district or agency in that they don’t have to find money for

storage space.

Carl said that Wyoming State Archives is unique because material can be stored in one location for

the whole state. Primarily because of Wyoming’s smaller population the volume of records can be

handled in one facility.

STAFF NOTESSTAFF NOTESSTAFF NOTESSTAFF NOTES By Gil GianettiBy Gil GianettiBy Gil GianettiBy Gil Gianetti

After college graduation in Denver, Carl Hallberg looked for work for almost a year before finding an

advertisement for a job with the Wyoming State Archives. He immediately interviewed for the job and

was awarded the title of Reference Archivist. That was in April 1985. He handles the phone and

faxed requests for archival information on a day to day basis, along with administrative research with

transcripts, graduation verifications and background checks on individuals for law enforcement

agencies.

He indicated the agencies whose records are being stored in Cheyenne are happy with the fact that

their material is not hidden away, but that it is readily available to them should they need it.

Different agencies use different methods of storage, and Carl cites the four methods, which are:

chronological, numerical, alphabetical or no order at all. Over the years he has come to expect any or

all of the above-mentioned methods.

Carl does not have volunteers working for him, but should the need arise for more manpower he can

use the volunteers that work for Cindy Brown and Suzi Taylor.

Carl’s hobbies include reading, camping, hiking and traveling. Family pets are a basset hound

named Trina plus two female cats, Titian and Ballerina.

Carl is an Illinois native. He and his wife, Laura have one daughter and call Cheyenne home.

Carl reports directly to Curtis Greubel.

What is this fast food chain?

Wyoming State Museum Historic Trivia Answer:

This fast food chain is Taco John’s Restaurants, founded by Harold Holmes and Jim

Woodson. In spring of 1968, a small taco stand was opened in Cheyenne. Cheyenne

residents ate there often and made it very successful. In 1969, Holmes and Woodson purchased the

“Taco House” and renamed it “Taco John’s.” The men began selling franchises right away. But,

unlike other fast food chains, they did not focus on large, urban areas. Instead, they did the opposite.

The first three Taco John’s franchised restaurants were opened in Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Torrington,

Wyoming; and Rapid City, South Dakota. The company continued this strategy and many franchises

that followed also were located in the small rural communities that other fast food chains ignored at

the time. The first Tao John’s restaurants were made of brightly painted plywood and measured only

12 by 30 feet. They were constructed in Cheyenne and moved by truck to the community. Today,

nearly 450 Taco John’s Restaurants operate across the United States. In fact, Taco John’s is the

nation’s second-largest Mexican fast food chain.

Artifact of the Month By Jim Allison – Collections Section Supervisor

Portrait of Axel Adam von Blessingh, mid to late 1700s A1927.25.4 This portrait is from a collection of nine paintings and other objects donated to the state museum by Carl Adam von Blessingh. The man in the portrait is probably the donor’s grandfather or great-grandfather and the piece was most likely created in the mid to late 1700s. Not counting archaeological material, this painting is one of the oldest manmade objects in the collection.

Carl Adam von Blessingh was a descendant of a prominent family that at one time had an estate on the island of Rugen off the north coast of Germany. The von Blessinghs held the title Duke of Putbus (a part of the island) for a number of generations. The man in the portrait may be one of those dukes. Carl Adam von Blessingh came to America in 1876, and first arrived in Wyoming Territory in 1879 during a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. He took up residence in Cheyenne in 1911 and having no heirs, wanted to find a way for his ancestor’s portraits to be preserved. He offered them to the museum in 1927 where they were accepted, no doubt, because of their uniqueness and age. Today, the museum’s curators would face a difficult decision if offered a similar donation. The museum’s collecting practices have narrowed to a focus on items used or found in Wyoming or the Rocky Mountain West.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Carolyn Turbiville

Vice President: Bill Yannaccone

Secretary: Tracy Stefanik-Berg

Treasurer: Linda Rogers

Vaquero Editor: Beth F. Gianetti

Ex Officio: Sarah Ligocki

Advisor: Harriett Loose

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.

Upcoming Events:

March 10, 2011 – Thursday 7 p.m. Spring

Lecture Series “The Spanish Influenza

Epidemic of 1918 in Wyoming” by Shaun

Hayes, American Heritage Center, Laramie,

WY. This presentation provides historical

context for the events surrounding the outbreak

of Spanish Influenza in Wyoming in 1918-19,

including efforts to fight World War I. Sponsored

by the Wyoming Humanities Council.

March 17, 2011 - Thursday, St. Patrick’s Day

Dinner, 6 p.m. Old Chicago Restaurant, 1734

Meadowland Dr., Cheyenne.

May 14, 2011 – Saturday - Historic Homes

Walk – Moore Haven Heights – Historic

District. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Starts at 432 W. 6th

Ave.

May 5, 2011 - Dinner & General Membership

Meeting. Complete details later.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

March

1 – Barbara Nelson 13 – Mary Wilson

The Volunteer Vaquero. . .

is published monthly for

members of the WY State

Museum Volunteers,

Wyoming State Museum,

Barrett Building, 2301

Central Avenue, Cheyenne,

WY 82002. Newsletter

deadline is the 20th of each

month.

W HAT’S IT? With the assistance of the Museum Collections

Department we continue our new version of the

What’s IT? column. The items that will be appearing

here each month are puzzlers, even to the

Museum’s Collections folks. We are hoping that

some of our readers may hold a key to these items’

identities. Take a good look at the photo. Share your

knowledge.

Did you use this as a child, was one in your house or

your place of business? What did you do with it?

What did you call it? Don't be shy, share your wealth

of knowledge with the Museum staff so they can

gather a more complete history of this unknown

object.

Contact Jennifer Alexander at jalexa@state.wy.us if

you know anything about this object. We are

reaching back, back in time now. No clue or bit of

information is too small, it may very well lead us

down a path of research not previously pursued. We

will keep readers updated on any progress made

with identifying the monthly What’s Its?

Description for March 2011 What’s It? :

Metal, painted black. Metal crank with wood

handle that sits on a metal pedestal with 4 holes

in base to fasten it to a surface. The handle turns

a gear with teeth that has a flip up lock that keeps

the gear from turning. On the outside of the gear

is a rod that turns with the handle. There is a

recessed hole in the rod. Inside of handle is

stamped "SIMANCO US." 30H x 35W x 20.7D

(cm).

2011 2011 2011 2011 Valentine’s Valentine’s Valentine’s Valentine’s Day Day Day Day

WSMV WSMV WSMV WSMV Pie Pie Pie Pie SocialSocialSocialSocial

A field of red. . . everywhere you look!

WSMV Board Treasurer welcomes all members,

guests and staff.

Another group enjoying pie and refreshments.

Back to camera: L-R: Jennifer Alexander, Peggy Corbin & Wanda Wade. Across table facing

camera: L-R Dan Corbin and Angela Burton.