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25 April 2025

A Coalition of Museums Unveils “On Our 250th”: A Bold National Call for Shared Dreams and Aspirations for the Nation

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Contact: Melisa McChesney, 307-630-2573; melisa.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
 
A Coalition of Museums Unveils “On Our 250th”: A Bold National Call for Shared Dreams and Aspirations for the Nation

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — April 25, 2025 —  As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary in 2026, the Wyoming State Museum, in partnership with The New York Historical and Made By Us, launches "On Our 250th"—a dynamic, nationwide initiative celebrating our collective heritage and inspiring a forward-looking dialogue. "On Our 250th" invites Americans of all ages to share brief messages that convey their hopes for our nation on this momentous anniversary online and in person at participating museums.

In collaboration with leading museums and historic sites from across the country—including Atlanta History Center, Chicago History Museum, Democracy Center at the Japanese American National Museum, Harriet Beecher Stowe House, Idaho State Museum, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Levine Museum of the New South, Lincoln Presidential Foundation, National Liberty Museum, National WWI Museum and Memorial, The New York Historical, Revolutionary Spaces, Ruth Mott Foundation/Applewood, Senator John Heinz History Center, Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, Virginia Museum of History & Culture, and Wyoming State Museum—the campaign ensures that voices from every corner of the nation will be heard and celebrated.

Online, messages between five and 50 words can be posted to onour250th.org. Wyoming Residents will also be able to share their messages to a "Wish Wall" that will appear at various semiquincentennial events leading up to July 4, 2026. Offering a megaphone to Americans of all ages and backgrounds, this campaign reflects a long American tradition of citizens using their voices, harkening back to Patrick Henry’s historic call for unity: “I am not a Virginian, but an American.”

“'On Our 250th' is a call to reflect, celebrate, and act,” said Dr. Louise Mirrer, president and CEO of The New York Historical. “We are inviting museums and historical institutions across the country to join us in conversation around the ideas that shaped our nation and that influence our lives today, as we enter this momentous semiquincentennial year. By bringing the voices of Americans together in conversation, we seek to articulate both the ties that bind us as a people and the wishes of our respective communities for posterity.”

Made By Us is a nationwide collaboration developed by America’s iconic and beloved history institutions to transform museums and historic sites into civic hubs for young adults. The network activates more than 400 museums, historic sites, archives, and libraries nationwide to engage younger audiences with credible, timely U.S. history and civics information. With award-winning content and programs such as My Wish For U.S., 60-Second History, Democracy Vibe Check, Youth250, and the annual Civic Season held from Juneteenth to July 4, Made By Us meets young adults where they are with timely and relevant history to inspire, inform, and ignite civic participation. Learn more at historymadebyus.org and on Instagram at @historymadebyus.

The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Ave. in Cheyenne. Fans can follow the museum’s Facebook and Instagram accounts at @wyomingstatemuseum to stay informed about upcoming Family Days, exhibits, and special events, or by visiting wyomuseum.wyo.gov to learn more.

 

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Figure 1: The United States will celebrate its 250th birthday next year. What is your wish for the United States? History museums across the country invite you to chime in at OnOur250th.org.
Contact: Melisa McChesney, 307-630-2573; melisa.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

09 April 2025

Wyoming State Museum to Host Free Cybersecurity Awareness Class for Seniors

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Contact: Melisa McChesney, 307-630-2573; melisa.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
 
Wyoming State Museum to Host Free Cybersecurity Awareness Class for Seniors

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — April 9, 2025 — The Wyoming State Museum is pleased to announce a free cybersecurity awareness class specifically designed for older adults. David Horton, CISSP, CISM, a retired Information Security professional passionate about teaching cybersecurity in an accessible and engaging manner, will lead the class.

 

The class will take place in the Wyoming State Museum classroom on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Participants will learn essential cybersecurity and privacy guidelines, including password management, app safety, multi-factor authentication, social media security, and identifying online scams. 

 

Registration is required and closes on May 2, 2025. Interested individuals can sign up for free by calling Melisa McChesney at 307-630-2573 or filling out the registration form at bit.ly/CybersecurityWSM. We expect the class to fill quickly, so please register as soon as possible. 

 

The class will include a presentation by David Horton, a break, and a 15-minute open discussion and Q&A session.

 

The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Ave., Cheyenne. Learn about upcoming events and programs at the Wyoming State Museum by visiting wyomuseum.wyo.gov.

 

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Figure 1: Cybersecurity Awareness for Seniors Graphic. 
 
Contact: Melisa McChesney, 307-630-2573; melisa.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

07 April 2025

Firearms Friday Brings History to Life at the Wyoming State Museum

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Contact: Evan Green, 307-777-7022; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

 

Firearms Friday Brings History to Life at the Wyoming State Museum

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — April 7, 2025 —   “Welcome to Firearms Friday,” booms the voice of Evan Green, a volunteer at the Wyoming State Museum, who has been sharing snippets of Wyoming's history through a weekly YouTube program called Firearms Friday for the past six years.

 

"Firearms have played a crucial role in Wyoming and the broader United States from colonial times to the present day," Green explains when discussing his video series hosted by the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne.

 

Unlike many firearms videos that concentrate on the guns themselves, Green's episodes use firearms to highlight significant aspects of Wyoming's history. This includes discussing firearms owned by notable Wyoming figures and those used in infamous events in the Cowboy State.

 

"The State Museum's collection contains a Colt Single Action Army Revolver that Tom Horn owned, the donor claimed," says Green. "However, research revealed that the gun was shipped three years after Tom Horn's execution in 1903. I discovered that its true owner, Earl Hayner, had been part of a posse that hunted down Earl Durand."

 

Durand was famously known as the "Tarzan of the Tetons." In 1939, he went on a rampage that thwarted the efforts of Wyoming law enforcement and even the Montana National Guard until he was killed during a bank robbery in Powell, Wyoming.

 

Green conducts extensive research before each episode, bringing the stories of various firearms to life. His research is supported by serial numbers found on more modern weapons and his extensive knowledge of older firearms, developed through years of building his gun collection and participating in shooting sports.

 

"Initially, I volunteered to help at the museum's front desk. But when a curator brought by a cart of older guns from the collection, I was able to identify almost all of them on the spot. This led to me being tasked with re-cataloging the Museum's firearm collection, and the YouTube show followed shortly after," said Green.

 

While some of the weapons featured on Firearms Friday have included pristine "safe queens" that appear to have never been fired, one of Green's favorite rifles in the collection reflects his long-standing relationship with firearms, which began at a young age while hunting and shooting on his family's farm.

 

"One of my favorite firearms in the Museum's collection is a Winchester Model 1873 saddle ring carbine. While it is scratched and scarred, that carbine was carried and used on a daily basis under harsh conditions – a legitimate, working firearm."

 

Firearms Friday is a production of the Wyoming State Museum, located at 2301 Central Ave., Cheyenne, where visitors can view some of the firearms showcased in the series in person. You can watch Firearms Friday weekly on the Museum's YouTube channel @wyomingstatemuseum4598.

 

Learn more about the Wyoming State Museum and other events and programs by visiting their website at wyomuseum.wyo.gov.

 
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Figure 1: Firearms from the Wyoming State Museum's collection. Figure 2: Evan Green, volunteer at the Wyoming State Museum, during a Firearms Friday episode. 
Contact: Evan Green, 307-777-7022; evan.green@wyo.gov  

14 February 2025

Wyoming State Museum Celebrates Wild West Legends with “Tall Tales” Family Day

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Contact: Melisa McChesney, 307-630-2573; melisa.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 

Wyoming State Museum Celebrates Wild West Legends with “Tall Tales” Family Day
 
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — February 14, 2025 — Join the Wyoming State Museum on Saturday, March 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for "Tall Tales," a Family Day event celebrating the exaggerated and fantastic stories of the Wild West. With larger-than-life characters like Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox and stories that often emphasize the wild and untamed nature of the frontier, these tales shaped the American perception of the West. 

This event will cover all sorts of local legends while also encouraging kids to learn about the art of storytelling. Children and adults will love making up stories inspired by museum artifacts, crafting a paper chain snake, and listening to our Curator of Education's enthusiastic story times. Participants will also meet a mountain man reenactor and test their shooting skills to see if they are as impressive as Annie Oakley. 

 

Wyoming State Museum Family Days are free for all ages and bring attendees closer to the Museum's diverse collections. Families can find the registration link at bit.ly/WSMfamilydays or register by phone at 307-630-2573. Every family that registers for and attends the event will be entered into a raffle to win a Texas Roadhouse Family Pack Dinner valued at $49.99.

 

Fans can follow the Museum's Facebook and Instagram accounts at @wyomingstatemuseum to stay informed about upcoming Family Days, exhibits, and special events.


The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Ave., Cheyenne. Learn more about the Museum at wyomuseum.wyo.gov.
 
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Figure 1: A "Tall Tales" attendee smiles atop the museum’s trusty wooden horse, Rusty. Figure 2: A "Tall Tales" event graphic. Figure 3: Kids at "Tall Tales," 2021, eagerly listen as Curator of Education Jeremy tells stories from the Wild West.
 
Contact: Melisa McChesney, 307-630-2573; melisa.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

03 February 2025

Participate in the Wyoming State Museum's Social Impact Study

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Contact: Melisa McChesney, 307-630-2573; melisa.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

 

Participate in the Wyoming State Museum's Social Impact Study

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — February 3, 2025 — The Wyoming State Museum is participating in the Museum Social Impact in Practice (MSIIP) study, a national initiative led by the American Alliance of Museums and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. After a competitive application process, the Wyoming State Museum was selected alongside 39 museums representing 25 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.

 

 

Previous studies have demonstrated the role museums play as economic engines in their communities and as educational resources for students. The MSIIP study will measure the impact museums have on visitors across a number of metrics, including the ability to engage in lifelong learning, increased connection with friends and family, and even improved health outcomes.

 

 

The study will use the Measurement of Museum Social Impact toolkit, validated through pilot projects completed in 2023, to provide innovative methods to measure and communicate museums' vital social role in their communities. To succeed, the State Museum is calling on 100 individuals to participate!

 

 

To sign up, visit bit.ly/ImpactWSM.

 

 

If selected, participants will visit the museum with at least one friend or family member three different times between March 3 and August 30, 2025. Participants will then complete a 30-minute survey to share how their experiences at the museum impacted various outcomes. 

 

 

Participants who complete the study will receive:

  • 25% off at the museum store during each of their three visits. 
  • An invitation to attend a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum collection to be scheduled in the Fall of 2025. 
  • A gift bag including museum swag and a free taco coupon from Taco Johns.
  • Early access to tickets for the April 19 "Taps & Traps: A Mountain Man Survival Night."

 

 

Additionally, each visit during the study period will earn participants one raffle ticket towards a number of exciting prizes, including an annual State Parks pass, gift cards to Black Tooth Brewing, Sanfords, Westby's, and SCHEELS, beer tickets for Blue Raven Brewery, and tickets to the Cheyenne Depot Museum.

 

 

Don't miss the chance to help the Wyoming State Museum understand the significant value it brings to the community. Visit bit.ly/ImpactWSM or scan the QR code to sign up before Friday, February 21, 2025.

 
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Image caption: Participate in the Wyoming State Museum's Social Impact Study. Image Caption: Use the QR code to sign up to participate in the Wyoming State Museum’s Social Impact study.

23 January 2025

Wyoming State Museum to Host Healthy U Workshop Series

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Contact: Larry Goodwin, 307-766-2765; Lgoodwi2@uwyo.edu

Wyoming State Museum to Host Healthy U Workshop Series

 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — January 23, 2025 —    The Wyoming State Museum is proud to host a six-week Healthy U workshop series brought to you by the Wyoming Center on Aging (WyCOA). The series will be offered in the museum classroom on Saturdays from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. from February 8 through March 22. This evidence-based program, developed by Stanford University, improves symptoms related to a wide variety of chronic conditions, builds confidence in managing health conditions, and increases physical activity.

 

"Now is the perfect time to take charge of your health, and Healthy U can help you do that! Healthy U will be offered virtually on a rolling basis, as well as in-person workshops around the state," says Larry Goodwin, project coordinator for WyCOA. "By attending Healthy U workshops, you can learn new ways to better manage your health."

 

Chronic conditions include anything that affects someone on a day-to-day basis, such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, chronic pain, anxiety, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia.

 

During the workshop, participants receive support from trained leaders and other workshop participants, learn practical ways to manage their pain and fatigue, understand nutrition and exercise options, explore new treatment choices, and discover better ways to communicate about their conditions with doctors and family members. The workshop aims to help people better manage their health conditions and deal with the frustration, fatigue, and pain that can accompany a chronic disease.

 

 

In addition to the in-person program at the Wyoming State Museum, the Wyoming Center on Aging at the University of Wyoming will offer virtual options. WyCOA's next online Healthy U workshop will be on Wednesdays from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. from February 5 to March 12. Virtual workshops are open to any Wyoming resident and enable participants to learn skills and receive support from the comfort of their homes. Participants can connect using a smartphone, tablet, or computer. One-on-one technical assistance will be provided.

 

 

Register online for free at bit.ly/WyoHealthyU.

Learn more about the University of Wyoming's Center on Aging programs at uwyo.edu/healthierwyo.

 
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Image Caption: Healthy U promotional graphic.

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