The following images are from the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming and are made available here as part of the “Shoshone Homelands Initiative” with funding provided by the National Park Service Tribal Heritage Foundation, the Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, and the Kemmer Family Foundation. Note: Please credit the American Heritage […]
Introduction Like many western states, Wyoming has an Indian reservation within its borders.  The Wind River Indian Reservation contains over 2.2 million acres located in the central part of the state. It is home for the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes. While the Arapahos have more members (over 9,000+ compared to the Shoshones’ 4000+ […]
Part 1: Introduction A herd of Rocky Mountain big horn sheep slowly graze their way up the grassy slope. As the herd of sheep nears the top approaching the tree line that marks the peak of the ridge preceding the next river drainage, something catches the lead sheep’s attention. Guiding the herd, it instinctively turns […]
1. Washakie and Shoshones in early camp scene, William H. Jackson, 1871 (Wind River Archives, Central Wyoming College) Taken by professional photographer W. H. Jackson, who traveled through Wyoming with the Hayden Geological Survey in 1871, this photograph highlights an aspect of daily life that has since changed significantly, though perhaps not as rapidly as […]
On the 3rd of July in 1868, Washakie signed one of the final formal treaties executed between an American Indian community and the United States government. The Fort Bridger treaty established reservation boundaries of over three million acres, enveloping the Warm Valley region that the Shoshone leader particularly prized. Following the usual stipulations in such […]
By Dr. Ake Hultkrantz, Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion University of Stockholm, Sweden The photographs in this collection are used with the permission of Dr.Ake Hultkrantz, retired professor of religion at the University of Stockholm, Sweden. Taken by Prof. Hultkrantz during the years he conducted field work on the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming, between […]
Chief Washakie (born circa 1804-1810, died 1900) is perhaps the most famous of all Eastern Shoshone headmen and leaders. Known for his prowess as both warrior and statesperson, Washakie played a prominent role in the territorial and statehood development of Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. He hunted and trapped with famous mountain man Jim Bridger, […]
It is astonishing how much has been written about Sacagawea given the paucity of hard information on her. There are few documentary sources apart from the Lewis and Clark journals, and even the derivation and spelling of her name is at issue. Should it be Sacajawea, supposedly a Shoshone word meaning “Boat -Launcher.” or should […]
Tim McCoy (1891-1978) lived a good, long life and he is remembered in various ways. Some folks think of him as the hero of nearly a hundred Hollywood Western films, silent and talkie adventures made during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Others remember him as a Wyoming cowboy, perhaps as the state’s adjutant general.
