The sixth edition of the Wyoming Almanac is now available.
Who drove the first car in Wyoming? What was the first radio message received in the state and who was the doctor who removed an arrow from Jim Bridger's back?
The answers to these and scores of other questions ranging from the trivial to the significant can be found in the sixth edition of the Wyoming Almanac, written by brothers Phil, David and Steven Roberts and published by Skyline West Press.
Phil is a University of Wyoming history professor. David teaches journalism at Missouri Valley College in Marshall. He founded the Medicine Bow Post newspaper and also taught journalism classes and served as a student publications adviser at UW. Steven taught history and social studies at Veteran and Moorcroft high schools and retired last year after a career in the U.S. Postal Service human resource division.
The book provides a handy guide to Wyoming culture, history, politics, sports, people, media, art and many other categories.
The Roberts brothers compiled and published the first Wyoming Almanac in 1988. The volume has grown from about 350 pages then to more than 600 pages in the 2010 edition.
"We found no single volume that would provide lists of firsts and seemingly trivial but fascinating facts about Wyoming that would settle arguments or serve as a 'fact-checker' when needed for writing newspaper articles or popular historical features," the authors wrote in that first introduction.
"Even with advances in technology and the Internet, it still remains true with this newest edition," Phil Roberts says. Along with updates in existing categories, the 2010 Wyoming Almanac contains many entirely new subject areas.
The almanac lists at $20 and is available at many Wyoming bookstores. Many ideas for the sixth edition were submitted by people who read earlier editions, Phil says.
"Not only did we include new materials from readers, we fixed mistakes readers brought
to our attention," he said. "For instance, one 'famous horse race' listed as a fact
in earlier editions was moved to the category of 'rumors and hoaxes' when a reader
pointed out that the much-heralded event actually never happened.
"We are not experts in every area, and we'd be interested in people submitting new
material," he says.
For more information, call Phil Roberts in Laramie, (307) 745-8205.
