From the President’s Pen Carolyn Turbiville, President, Museum Volunteers July 2010 Greetings! Guess Spring has finally arrived. Plants are in the ground and the trees are leafing out. Just think, it is almost Summer. We had bunches of committee meetings on Tuesday, June 1 and got a lot accomplished. The Finance Committee, consisting of Bill Fietz, Linda Rogers and Barbara Nelson met and prepared the budget for 2010-2011. The Audit Committee, consisting of Sharon Collier, Gil Gianetti and Beverly Goodman met and found that the Treasurer items were in good order. I was ex-officio at each meeting. Thanks to Bill Fietz for having provided such good information for both meetings that things went very smoothly. There were small items taken care of in different committee meetings. Bill set up the agenda for the afternoon and informed me that we had 5 meetings going. Also, Linda Rogers and I went to Wachovia to do the signatures for the new officers. It was good to get so much done in an afternoon and everyone on the committees could attend. Welcome, new member, Tracy Stefanik-Berg! Tracy works at Wyoming Trophy and Engraving, but finds time to volunteer at the desk. She is very interested in history. We are planning a bake sale at the Museum, Saturday, July 24, the first parade day of Frontier Days. Your donations of baked goods are welcomed, see details in newsletter. Plans are moving along for the Arts and Crafts Show and Sale, August 14. If you haven’t signed up to help, I will be calling you in July.

We will be gathering at Beverly Goodman’s beautiful mountain home for a milk can dinner on Saturday, August 28. Just think; you don’t have to cook for this occasion. Money donations will be appreciated to help defray the expenses. More details later. Remember throughout your day that life is what we make it, day by day. Practice having the best day ever. It adds up to a great life. Your Prez, Carolyn

Barnstorming to Airmail

by Heyward Schrock, Education/Interpretation Supervisor, Wyoming State Museum

During the nineteenth century, Wyoming was the centerpiece of the transportation system in the Northern Rockies. Wagon trains, stagecoaches, and the transcontinental railroad passed through the state as the nation expanded from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The development of the Lincoln Highway in the early twentieth century further increased the state’s importance in the east-west transcontinental transportation system. Ultimately, an overland route through the sky would form an entirely new type of transportation corridor in Wyoming. The first aviation event in Wyoming occurred on July 4, 1911, in Gillette. The Cheyenne Leader reported that George W. Thompson, a Colorado aviator, entertained Fourth of July spectators with “ . . . a long dive in his descent that stirred the crowd.”

Prior to 1920, Wyoming saw little aviation activity except for an occasional airplane barnstorming the state making demonstration flights for entertainment. Airplanes were just a thrill-seeking novelty for people to see humans defy gravity. World War I changed aviation history due to a rapid growth in technology. The airplane quickly evolved from a slow, fragile craft into a potent weapon. Such planes had peacetime uses too. After World War I, surplus military planes like the DeHaviland DH-4 were sold to the U.S. Post Office for airmail delivery. Commercial aviation in Wyoming began on September 8, 1920, when two planes took off from Cheyenne heading in opposite directions carrying 400 pounds of mail each. Cheyenne and Rock Springs were selected as Air Mail Service airfields along the airmail route from Chicago to San Francisco. Wyoming offered the lowest elevation through the Rocky Mountains and was already an important east-west transportation corridor with the Union Pacific Railroad and the Lincoln Highway. The railroad tracks were useful navigation landmarks and were referred to by pilots as the “iron compass.”

At right: First airplane to land in Evanston, c. 1912.

Photo: Wyoming State Archives.

Friendly Skies of United In 1925, Congress passed the Airmail (Kelly) Act, transferring all airmail routes to private commercial carriers. By 1927, all Air Mail Service operations were discontinued. Cheyenne received the Air Mail Service buildings and all of the improvements that had been added to the airfield. The Boeing Air Transport Company of Seattle won the bid for the Chicago to San Francisco airmail contract in 1926. For Wyoming, this event began a significant era of air transportation growth that lasted well into the 1940s. By 1927, Cheyenne had been firmly incorporated into the nation’s transcontinental air transportation structure with Boeing using the airfield significantly for transcontinental passenger and freight business. In 1929, Boeing became the United Aircraft and Transport Company (eventually becoming United Air Lines) and introduced the Boeing B-80 tri-motor plane. The B-80 could carry mail and fourteen passengers—3,800 pounds—at a cruising speed of 115 miles per hour. The company began using airline stewardesses to serve meals to the passengers and attend to their comfort. Years later in 1947, United would establish a stewardess training school in Cheyenne, which would operate until 1961.

By 1934, United had become one of the largest air transport companies in the world and had located its major maintenance and overhaul facility, manned by 500 personnel, at the Cheyenne airport. With all of this investment in Cheyenne, a United pilot called the city the “air capitol of the west.” In 1931, Wyoming Air Service of Casper, based out of Wardwell Field just a few miles north of the town, introduced regular daily scheduled passenger flights between Casper, Denver and Billings. Three years later, Wyoming Air Service won its first airmail route from Billings to Pueblo. Passenger service was expanded in 1938 to include Rapid City, Pierre, Huron, Scottsbluff, Spearfish, and Great Falls. During the 1930s, the rapid growth of air transportation heralded a promising future for Wyoming residents requiring quick transportation and provided an infrastructure for the coming war.

Warplanes Come To Wyoming With the United States entry into World War II, Wyoming experienced an increase of aviation activity. By the 1940s, the technological advances in aviation manufacturing had made the airplane a major component of modern warfare. The U.S. Army embraced the new weapon and quickly began to enlarge its air force. Wyoming benefited from this with the construction of the United Air Lines Modification Center in Cheyenne and the Casper Army Air Base.

Aerial view of Cheyenne Airport. Image: Wyoming State Archives.

At right: Interior of UAL Maintenance & Repair Shop,

working on the wing. Photo: Wyoming State Archives.

The Modification Center installed machine guns and instruments in thousands of B-17 and B-24 bombers. The Cheyenne airport was enlarged with the construction of two new hangers in 1942 and a third in 1943. By the spring of 1943, 1,600 workers were employed at the center with an average of six planes a day leaving Cheyenne for combat areas. After two years of operation, the center had completed modifications on 3,500 B-17s. United had also transferred its flight training school from California to Cheyenne in 1942. This flight school trained pilots for United Air Lines. Almost 100 students were in training year round. In 1942, the Casper Army Air Base was built eight miles west of Casper with more than two hundred buildings and four giant runways. Designed to garrison up to four thousand men, the base was the final training phase for B-17 and B-24 heavy bomber crews before they left for combat. Six target and bombing ranges were located in isolated and sparsely populated areas sited at varying distances from the base. Twenty-seven bombers crashed with at least 121 fatalities during training. The majority of the accidents happened within a thirty-mile radius of the base. During the two and half years of operations, the base trained 16,000 crew members for aerial combat. The Army deactivated the base in 1945. Four years later, the airfield became the Natrona County Municipal Airport, and the land and buildings became county property.

Connecting Wyoming by Plane By 1937, aviation had become such a significant part of the transportation system that the Wyoming legislature created the State Aeronautics Commission. The new agency was to enforce aircraft regulatory codes and supervise the maintenance of all state airports constructed with federal funds. After World War II the Commission had the authority to designate sites for airport construction. Starting in 1949 the Legislature contributed matching state funds for airport improvements.

By 1950, Wyoming boasted 56 municipal airports, and air carriers served 16 communities. The Aeronautics Commission reported that, “For the first time in the history of our State, [residents from] the communities located on scheduled airlines in Central and Northern Wyoming are able to reach the length and breadth of the land in one day’s time.” Today, air transportation continues to play a major role with 33 public airports providing valuable services for Wyoming communities in the national and global economies.

This exhibit was made possible through the generosity of the

Curt E. Kaiser, Jr. Estate. __________________________

Frontier Airlines DC-3, Worland, June 1957. Photo: Wyoming

State Archives.

Here’s the July What’s It? Look it over carefully, apply your knowledge and choose your answer before checking for the right answer. Thanks to Manny Vigil, Museum Director, and his Collections Staff for their support and assistance with What’s It?

This month’s What’s IT? is of wood and metal construction and measures approximately 28-inches long. ANSWER to this month’s What’s IT? may be found in the Upcoming Events column.

Traveling Exhibits Program

The Wyoming State Archives and Museum has a variety of traveling exhibits available to museums, libraries, schools, and other cultural institutions throughout the state of Wyoming. The exhibits consist of photograph panels and text that cover subjects such as mining, Sioux Indian ledger drawings, frontier army posts, and more. An institution may request any of the traveling exhibits for one month, but loans for longer periods can be arranged. Borrowing institutions are responsible for paying shipping costs one-way and providing security for the exhibits. For more information or to schedule an exhibit, please contact the Wyoming State Museum at 307-777-7022 or 307-777-7025.

wwww HAT’S IT?

Photo by: Collections Staff

Is it a pump handle, a ‘knife’ switch, an early vegetable slicer or something else entirely?

Committees---2010-2011

Arts and Crafts: Carolyn Turbiville

Registration for Arts and Crafts: LaVaughn Bresnahan

Audit: Sharon Collier, Beverly Goodman & Gil Gianetti Calling: Carolyn Turbiville, Mary Fietz & Mary Wilson

Cards: Harriett Loose

Finance: Bill Fietz, Barbara Nelson & Linda Rogers

Historic Homes Walk: Beth F. Gianetti & Pris Golden

Nominating: Mitty Nation, Cindy Cook & Helen Hart

Publicity: Beth F. Gianetti

Social Functions: Judy Binger, Janet Norrod & Bill Yannaccone

Scrapbook (Archivist): Beverly Goodman

EDITOR’S NOTES Readers you may find it interesting to know that monthly The Vaquero is circulated electronically to 39 museums around the state, 29 SMV members, 20 staff members and the Governor. We also still print, in black and white, 12 copies mailed monthly to members who choose not to get the full-color, electronic issue. Changing our focus to electronic circulation has saved us over $559.68 in postage costs alone for the first year we have been publishing electronically. We have also saved considerably on printing costs now that we have printed only 12 hard copies monthly. --Beth F. Gianetti

Artifact of the Month by Jennifer Alexander, Supervisor of Collections

Fluoroscope (82.100.1) In 1982, the State Museum received a donation of a fluoroscope, or foot x-ray machine, which was used at a Cheyenne shoe store to determine the correct fit of shoes. The story given at the time of the donation was that the family found this in Rollnick’s shoe store when they bought it in 1978. The store was located at 203 West 17th Street. Per our donors, the Rollnicks purchased the store in 1954, when the store was called Wasserman's Shoe Store. Wasserman’s was established in 1910 by Joseph Wasserman. (See photo below.)

This type of machine was a common fixture in shoe stores from the 1930s to the 1950s. It was used to show customers their feet inside of their shoes via x-ray in order to ensure the proper fit of new shoes. There is an opening above the step on the cabinet where a shoe store customer would place his or her feet. The back has three control buttons, “Children, Women, Men,” so that

the proper level of X-ray could be set. There are three viewing ports on the top of the machine: one for the customer to see his/her own feet, one for the shoe salesman, and one for a parent, spouse, etc. This machine was made by Simplex X-Ray Shoe Fitter, Inc.

Dr. Jacob Lowe, a Boston physician, has the strongest claim to the title, “inventor of the shoe-fitting fluoroscope.” Lowe created his first fluoroscopic device for x-raying feet during World War I. By eliminating the need for his patients to remove their boots, the device sped up the processing of the large number of injured military personnel who were seeking his help. After the war he modified the device for shoe-fitting and showed it for the first time at a shoe retailer’s convention in Boston in 1920. The sales pitch for the need for these machines changed from decade to decade to better suit the financial markets, but the most famous pitches were that the fluoroscope allowed salesmen to better fit shoes and that it made it fun for kids to go to the shoe store. During the depression the fluoroscope was advertised as a tool to help families save money by identifying the best possible fit, which made for longer

lasting shoes. The shoe-fitting fluoroscope was probably nothing more than a fancy gimmick to attract potential customers.

The following are some excerpts from the user manual that was also donated: “You can compare the fit of the old shoe which your customer is wearing to that of the new shoe which you propose to sell him. Usually, the new shoe will be a half size or more longer. As you know, 75% of the people, at least, wear their shoes too short and will not be convinced that this is the case until they see the fit of their shoes through an X-ray machine.” “In pointing out features of the fit which you are giving your customer, don’t neglect the shoe itself. Perhaps a steel shank, the absence of nails and the like may be pointed out with the handled pointer above the instrument board.” “The timing switch is arranged to cut off at twenty seconds automatically, and this we consider is sufficient to diagnose the fit of footwear. Of course, if you wish, you may expose the foot a second time. This gives you forty seconds and should be ample time to give you the information necessary in reference to the fitting.” When people put their feet in a shoe fitting fluoroscope, they were effectively standing on top of the x-ray tube. The only “shielding” between their feet and the tube was a one mm thick aluminum filter. In 1946, the American Standards Association established a “safe standard or tolerance dose,” that the feet receive no more than 2 roentgens (R) per 5 second exposure. Children were not to receive more than 12 such exposures in a single year. The State of New York adopted similar requirements in 1948, and other states and major cities began to follow suit. By the early 1950s, a number of professional organizations had issued warnings about the continued use of shoe-fitting fluoroscopes. In 1957 the State of Pennsylvania became the first jurisdiction to ban the use of shoe fitting fluoroscopes. By 1960, these events, plus pressure from insurance companies, had led to the demise of the shoe-fitting fluoroscope, at least in the U.S.

Kids Enjoy New Clothing in the Hands-on History Room

Thanks to wonderful seamstresses Linda Rogers, Judy Binger, and Christy Crochet, the Hands-on History room now includes some great new outfits for children to try on! On May 25, Erica Bromagen’s fourth grade class from Afflerbach Elementary was the first to try out the new clothing. Students dressed up as miners, cowboys and cowgirls, mountain men, pioneer girls, Union Pacific workers and more. Linda Rogers and Judy Binger were on hand to ensure that everything fit correctly. We’re pleased that the clothing fits a variety of ages and kids no longer have to roll adult-size clothing up to see how they would dress in the 1800s. The kids had a ball and wished that they’d had more time to try on everything! We’ve included some photos of the Afflerbach students below. Notice that young girls even got a taste of the time-consuming task that dressing once was as they tried on petticoats, corsets, bustles, and multiple skirts! Thanks again to the volunteers for funding this project and to Linda, Judy, and Christy for their fantastic work! We’ll be meeting soon to discuss a second round of outfits, so if you would like to help with the sewing, please let me know!

Thanks, Sarah Ligocki

Curator of Education

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President: Carolyn Turbiville

Vice President: Bill Yannaccone

Secretary: Ann Bell

Treasurer: Linda Rogers

Vaquero Editor: Beth F. Gianetti

Ex Officio: Sarah Ligocki

Advisor: Harriett Loose

About the Organization

From the inception in 1974, the 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: July 24th – First Frontier Days Parade Day Bake Sale, 8 a.m. until items are gone. Donations requested but nothing perishable, nothing requiring refrigeration. Please price before dropping off that morning or the day before at the Museum. August 14th, Wyoming State Museum Volunteers, 33rd Annual Outdoor Arts & Crafts Show & Sale, Barrett Building Grounds, 2301 Central Avenue, Cheyenne. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

August 28 – Milk Can Dinner at Beverly Goodman’s in Buford.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

July 2 – Dick Hart

5 – Mitty Nation 14 – Gil Gianetti

21 – Helen Hart

The Volunteer Vaquero. . .

is published monthly for members of the State Museum Volunteers,

Wyoming State Museum, Barrett Building, 2301

Central Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 82002. Newsletter

deadline is the 20th of each month.

Linda Rogers has been a museum volunteer for just over a year now, and when I sat down with her for this interview I found out just how busy a year it has been for her. She told me that she has always had a deep interest in historical clothng and had taught costume and clothing history for a number of years. Upon retirement from the Rapid City, South Dakota public library, where she worked mostly in youth services and for a period in the reference department, and following the move to Cheyenne Linda was drawn to the State Museum. Her thoughts were toward volunteering in the clothing archives. Curator of Education, Sarah Ligocki encouraged Linda to use her costuming skills making replicas of period clothing in children’s sizes for the Hands-on History Room. Linda felt very comfortable taking on this challenge and set about gathering materials and settling on designs. She teamed up with Judy Binger to produce many period outfits. Their finished clothing items are great additions to the education efforts of the Museum. (See article and photos also in this issue on the recent introduction of the new clothing to the Hands-on History Room) Linda volunteers about two times a month at the information desk, but she and Judy work on the costumes at home. Linda added that she still would love to work with the archived clothing collection should the opportunity arise. Linda also currently serves as Treasurer on the Board of Directors. I asked her what her ideas were on attracting new volunteers, and she responded by saying that perhaps a more aggressive campaign should be tried and one aimed at younger people. Linda said that word of mouth works to an extent, but retired people tend to talk to other retired people and don’t necessarily talk to younger people about becoming volunteers. Linda said she finds it invigorating being around young people, and that perhaps Laramie County Community College should be targeted as a recruitng ground. She went on to say that the museum/archives holds so many different areas of interest it should appeal to a broad cross-section of students. Linda also volunteers at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens where she reads to children during “Story Time” on Friday mornings and she also volunteers at the Laramie County Library. Linda’s hobbies include gardening, pattern-making and reading. Linda and her husband Randy live in Cheyenne. They have a son and a daughter who are both graduates of the

State Museum Volunteer Profiles a continuing series of interviews

by Gil Gianetti

Linda Rogers

University of Minnesota. Family pets are Buddy, a black-coated retriever, whom Linda calls a “Peter Pan” dog because he has never grown up; and a cat named Ivy.

Richard Collier began work with the State Archives and Museum as an intern in a one year appointment after graduating from Northwest Community College in Powell. The internship turned into a full-time job as a photographer a job that he has been doing now for the past 27 years. His work consists of travel throughout Wyoming to document historical sites and to add to the State Historic Preservation Office’s (SHPO) photo archive along with adding photographic information to the National Register database. Richard photographs buildings that may be ready to undergo preservation or be up-graded. His photos provide a before and after documentation. He also takes photos for the Museum, Parks, Arts Council and Administration Office with SHPO being his biggest customer. Although some photos are taken with digital cameras, almost all of the photos Richard takes for SHPO are done with a large format film camera. He then develops his 4x5-inch negatives and makes the requested prints in his photo lab located in the basement of the Barrett Building. The photos and negatives give the state a physical record. Mark Junge began the photography lab for SHPO in the early 1980s because he felt there was a need to document Wyoming on film. Richard said Junge looked at the J. E. Stimson photo files that spanned from 1890 to the1930s and decided that photographic documentation should resume, so he created the photo lab. Stimson had a total of about 7500 images created during his 40-years of photo-taking, and now the State has about 17,000 black and white photos and transparencies documenting from 1980 to the present. After taking a photo, Richard develops it, prints it and scans it into the computer database. When he is on the road taking photos, Richard said, the people he meets are the frosting on the cake. The history is interesting, but the people he comes in contact with provide him with a great overview of each location.

STAFF NOTES BY GIL GIANETTI

Richard was born in England while the family was stationed there with the U.S. Air Force. His family moved as military families do, but stayed primarily in the southern part of the U.S., where Richard grew to hate the heat. Following 4.5 years in the Air Force after high school, while attending college in Powell he found the weather suited him just fine in Wyoming. He has a brother and sister living in Georgia and another sister in Virginia. Richard’s parents also live in Georgia. His hobbies are photography, world travel and motorcycle riding. Richard and his wife, Nicky, call Cheyenne home, along with two greyhounds, Ellie Belle and Ginger, and two cats, Bella and Ariel.

Richard reports directly to Gary Schoene, Public Information Office Supervisor, State Parks & Cultural Resources. .

Frontier Days Parade Bake Sale Donations Requested

The Museum Volunteers will be hosting a bake sale on the first parade day during Frontier Days, July 24, 8 a.m. until we run out of items. Your donations of baked goods would be welcomed. Plan to bring anything with the exception of perishable items or items that would require refrigeration. Bring your items that morning or you may leave them in the museum the day before. Please price the items. The sale will be held in front of the Museum. Please contact Mary & Bill Fietz at 634-2830 for more information.