Wyoming My 307

Merry Christmas to you! I hope it’s filled with love and music, and that 2025 brings you all the best. This third Christmas episode really leans into the music and poetry of the season. In it I share a scene from a classic Western Christmas story, some vintage audio from a 1987 Wheatland WY radio show, a Christmas poem I wrangled off the internet, as well as contemporary music by a young Mennonite choir in my community.  For more Christmas Spirit check out the 2023 and 2022 Christmas episodes. You can find more information and resources in the shownotes [https://wyomingmy307.blogspot.com/2024/12/listen-to-christmas-in-wyoming-2024.html].

I’ve driven a lot of miles here in Wyoming, and have lots more to go! Driving in Wyoming is a little different from other parts of the country, for many reasons we go into in this episode. On this episode I had the pleasure of interviewing Aaron Turpen. He is a nationally recognized automotive journalist. Today’s Wyoming Wildlife segment is a three for one special! It will give you something to think about as you drive through the parts of Wyoming that feel like an endless sagebrush sea. The “Dot on the Map” is a charming little town at the edge of the Black Hills national forest that was named after Newcastle, England.  See the shownotes [https://wyomingmy307.blogspot.com/2024/06/driving-in-wy-episode-21.html] for details!

This episode I came to realize that the older I get, the more my house starts to feel like my own family history museum. That thought reminded me of a packrat, which is the Wyoming Wildlife featured in this episode. I turned to Sara Davis of the Wyoming State Archives for help on the “family treasures”. She gives us some great insights into the care and preservation of our own family heirlooms - things like this notebook, belonging to my great grandfather Alonzo Peterson. He was a miner for the Owl Creek Mining Company in Gebo WY, and before that in Cambria WY. Gebo is pretty close to Powell, which is this episode’s Dot on the Map. See the show notes [https://wyomingmy307.blogspot.com/2024/05/caring-for-family-treasures.html] for more details!

Have you ever wandered through a cemetery? Wondered about the life lived in that little dash between two dates? I visited a lot of local cemeteries for this episode, and today’s featured Wyoming wildlife kept me company. On this episode I was privileged to interview someone who shares my fascination with cemeteries, Jennifer Romanosky, of the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum. Through her expertise, we decipher the symbolism engraved on headstones, and how they offer a unique peek into a person’s life. The dot on the map in this episode is Basin WY, an unassuming little town that was the stage for one of Wyoming’s most historically important court trials. See the shownotes [https://wyomingmy307.blogspot.com/2024/04/how-to-read-cemetery.html] for more details!

Too often, the coal industry is boiled down to an argument of good or bad, for or against. I interviewed Dr. Holly Krutka of the University of Wyoming, who gave us a much more nuanced look at this critically important Wyoming industry. I was also lucky to find some really great oral histories at the Wyoming State Archives. We get to hear from two old timers who were born in coal camps, and I even shared a personal perspective of coal mining in my own family. Our dot on the map is Donkey Town - well, that’s what it was originally called but you’ll have to listen to the podcast for the full story. Lastly, I also had a chance to delve into our state bird, Sturnella Neglecta, commonly known as the Western Meadowlark.   See the shownotes [https://wyomingmy307.blogspot.com/2024/02/coal-in-wyoming-episode-18.html] for more details.