Research Resources at the Wyoming State Archives

BUSINESSES AND CORPORATIONS

Incorporation records filed with county clerks and inactive corporation files of the Wyoming Secretary of State are included in the Archives' collections. Some licensing records from county clerk offices, as well as county assessor tax assessment rolls are also available. Business directories for some communities are available. A number of businesses and commercial organizations have donated their records.

 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

The Archives maintains criminal case files and dockets from courts of every jurisdiction in Wyoming. Additionally, district court journals, probate records, and coroner's inquests are significant sources of information on individuals and local incidents. The records of the Wyoming Supreme Court are also maintained by the archives.

Records of extradition and requisition, petitions for pardons, and pardon records are included in the records of the Wyoming governors and secretaries of state. County sheriff records, newspapers, subject files, and secondary works are other sources of information for this topic.

 

EDUCATION

Wyoming Department of Education records are available at the State Archives, including the files of the State Superintendents of Public Instruction. Records of the defunct offices of the County Superintendent of Schools are valuable sources of information on the development and history of public education in Wyoming's counties. Individual record series include school board minutes, annual reports, teacher directories, and school district censuses. County histories prepared in the 1960s are also available.

 

ELECTIONS

Election records transferred from the Secretary of State's office include election returns, reports on campaign receipts and disbursements, and state canvassing board records. Records available from the offices of some county clerks include poll books, registers of qualified voters, voter registration cards, and abstracts of elections.

 

GOVERNMENT

The Wyoming State Archives maintains records of the activities of the three branches of state government. These include records of the governor's office and state agencies, published house and senate journals, published session laws and statutes, house bills and senate files, early correspondence of the Wyoming Supreme Court (which administers the county court system), and records of court proceedings. Records from the offices of county elected officials, and some municipal offices have also been transferred to the Archives.

 

MINING

Many old claim records and minutes of mining districts were filed with the county clerks and are available at the Archives. The reports of the office of the State Mine Inspector are also maintained. These include production reports for the state's coal mines, tabulated information on the mines, and reports on accidents. The Wyoming Mining Association collection contains publications dealing with mining issues affecting the industry in recent decades.

 

POLITICS

The political views of elected officials can be found in the records of those offices. Opinions and activities of politicians and prominent Wyoming citizens can be found in historical collections. The Archives also maintains records and publications of some political organizations and clubs.

 

PUBLIC LANDS

Records concerning the administration and use of public lands in Wyoming include correspondence and minutes of the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, Carey Act records, federal land grants, Taylor Grazing Act lands and regulations, administration of state lands, and cartographic records.

 

RANCHING

Many records from state and county offices are available. These include land records, brand books, deeds, incorporation records, censuses, and records of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and Wyoming Livestock Board. Records of livestock companies, subject files, and many secondary works are available.

 

RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS

Archival holdings include records of the Methodist and Presbyterian churches (individual and synod) in Wyoming, and collections dealing with issues of interest to churches. Published works are also available.

 

SETTLEMENT AND HOMESTEADING

Sources include records of land acquisitions and transactions, Public Lands records, Carey Act projects, censuses, State Engineer records, diaries, and many secondary sources. Maps are also a useful resource for researching settlement and illustrating the various trails and emigration routes which passed through Wyoming.

 

STATEHOOD

Original records concerning the granting of statehood to Wyoming in 1890 are held by the Archives. Records include the state's constitution, proclamations from Governor F. E. Warren, correspondence of various officials, journal and debates of the Constitutional Convention, minutes of the first state election canvassing board, legislative records, and others.

 

WATER MANAGEMENT

Wyoming was a pioneer in the field of water rights management. State Engineer records document the administration of this process, plus reclamation efforts, litigation, interstate compacts, the Carey Act, stream measurement, etc. Also available are the papers of Elwood Mead, the first Wyoming State Engineer and later U.S. Commissioner of Reclamation; water laws; and cartographic records.

 

WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Sources include the records of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and its antecedents, and state laws.

 

WOMEN'S HISTORY

The Archives holds numerous sources on this popular Wyoming topic. Included in the collections are Wyoming Territory's original women's suffrage act (first women's suffrage legislation), correspondence of governors on the topic, records of women in prominent positions in state and local government, collections from many of the state's women's organizations, biographical files on influential women, and subject files.

The Archives' historical photograph collection, oral histories, and numerous books and serial publications can also be used to research these topics.

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