Wyoming
State Archives

Wyoming history is full of great research topics for History Day contest projects. To get the mental juices flowing, we’ve come up with some potential topics that fit with the 2012 theme, Revolution, Reaction and Reform, along with some tips.

What is History Day?

History Day is a nation-wide contest for 6-12 grade students to research and present a history-based project. It’s kind of like a science fair for history. Students choose a topic that fits with the annual theme, research their topic and create a project about the topic. They can choose to present an exhibit, a documentary, a paper, a performance or a web site. Students then compete on a school and district level for a chance to present their work at the state competition. If they do well at state, the students can move on to the National competition held in College Park, MD.

Where can I find resources for my project?

Libraries are always a great place to start, but don’t forget archives and museums. They hold many primary sources that are not available in the library or online. People are another great resource. Consider interviewing experts or individuals who lived through events.

Just remember, not all sources are trustworthy. Take time to look at who created the source you are using. Are they an expert on the subject? Do they treat the topic objectively? Do they have a bias on the topic that would make their point of view suspicious? Do they sensationalize the facts or conveniently leave some out? If the facts don’t seem to add up, you may want to consider finding a different source for your information.

What is the difference between a Primary and Secondary source?

A primary source is a source that was created at the same time an event happened, by someone close to the event. These can be diaries, autobiographies, newspaper and magazine articles of the time, oral histories, original documents, statistics, works of art and photographs. The information a primary source comes “straight from the horse’s mouth.”

A secondary source uses primary sources to interpret and draw conclusions after the event has taken place. These include books, biographies, and magazine or newspaper articles written well after an event. These sources are good for helping you to understand an event or topic and can lead you to primary sources, so be sure to check their bibliographies and footnotes.

There is a third type of source: a tertiary source. These are sources that take information from primary and secondary sources and simplify them down to the basics, like an encyclopedia, dictionary, almanacs, fact books or Wikipedia. These sources are not considered “experts” on topics and should only be used to gain a basic understanding of a topic before you begin to dig deeper into the subject. Do not include them in your bibliography.

Helpful Links

National History Day
Wyoming History Day
Wyoming State Archives
Wyoming Historical Society
Wyoming Libraries
American Heritage Center
Buffalo Bill Historical Center
Colorado Wyoming Association of Museums (CWAM)
Library of Congress
National Archives

Citation Help
Duke University Libraries
Purdue Online Writing Lab
Citation Machine

2013 Theme "Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events" Sample Topics

Wildlife

• Desert Dust & the plight of the wild horses in Wyoming
• Elk Management in Wyoming – Steven N. Leek
• The Endangered Species Act of 1973 and its impact on wolves in Wyoming

Transportation

• J.M. Schwoob the father of Wyoming’s license plates & a Good Roads booster
• United Air Lines Modification Center – modifying civilian planes for WWII
• Airline stewardesses – a turning point in consumer confidence
• The coming of the railroad to Wyoming
• The creation of the Interstate Highway System and its impact on towns
• Yellow stripes – Wyoming’s stand on highway stripe color in 1959

Race Relations

• Rock Springs Massacre – a turning point in race relations
• Native American hunting rights – State vs. Race Horse
• Creation of the Wind River Reservation – changing tribal relationships between the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho
• Treaties and their impact (focus on one)
• The Black 14, their impact on UW, football and society

Land & Water

• Carey Act – irrigating the plains
• Colorado River Compact – changing the allocation of water in the West
• Wyoming owns the water – and how it changed water allocation
• Taylor Grazing Act – the end of homesteading
• The creation of Yellowstone National Park
• The debate over Grand Teton National Park
• The Shoshoni Irrigation District – Wyoming’s first federal irrigation project
• The Wheatland Colony – the dream of improving life with irrigation

Mining & Industry & Economy

• Discovery of gold at South Pass City
• The panic of 1893 – Wyoming’s first bust
• CCC Camps, WPA, NYA, etc. work – putting American to work in the 1930s-40s
• The end of the Cattle Barons – the winter of 1886-87, barbed wire, etc.
• Hanna Mine Disasters – coalmine safety reform
• Cy Iba’s “Discovery Well” and the establishment of Wyoming’s oil industry near Casper
• The “Lucky Mc” uranium mine
• False rushes – salting diamond and gold mines in Wyoming and their impact

Women

• Governor Campbell’s support of women’s suffrage
• Estelle Reel Meyer – America’s first woman elected to a state office
• Irene Kinnear Meade & Nellie Scott – the first women elected to the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribal Councils

Other

• Wyoming’s Old Age Pension Act – caring for our elders