1971 - 1980

1971

Wyoming Controlled Substances Act designates the Attorney General as Commissioner of Drugs and Substances Control. (Session Laws 1971, ch. 246) A listing of all drugs and combinations is included in the law. The first statute relative to the control of drugs in Wyoming concerned the sale and use of opiates. It was passed in 1886.
The Public Housing Act provides for municipalities and counties to undertake low-rent housing for persons of low income. (Session Laws 1971, ch. 205)
The Juvenile Court Act of 1971 repeals certain sections of the 1951 Juvenile Court Act, reestablishing a new juvenile court system for the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of children who are delinquent or neglected. (Session Laws 1971, ch. 252)
Minimum wages are set at $1.40 per hour June 1-December 31, 1971; $1.50 per hour January, 1972 to December 31, 1972; and $1.60 per hour thereafter. The minimum wage for a tipped employee is set at $1.10 per hour. (Session Laws 1971, ch. 201)
Snowmobiling becomes a popular winter recreation.
The Legislature provides that the number of jurors in a civil case or non-criminal proceeding shall be six unless a written request is filed for the number of jurors to be twelve. (Session Laws 1971, ch. 168)
The Child Abuse Law of 1963 is repealed and the Legislature redefines child abuse and establishes a central registry for records of such cases. (Session Laws 1971, ch. 36)
Records of Wyoming's county school superintendents, an office established more than 100 years ago and abolished in 1970, are transferred to the State Archives.
The Legislature creates the following new boards, commissions and departments: Department of Administration and Fiscal Control (DAFC), Advisory Board of Drugs and Substances Control, Wyoming Beef Council, Career Service Council, Community College Commission, Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation, Legislative Service Agency-Management Council, State Board of Parole, Peace Officer's Training Commission, Personnel Review Board, State Board of Police, Wyoming State Department of Police, and Wyoming Real Estate Commission.
On February 20, eighteen-year-olds are permitted to vote, provided they are otherwise qualified. (Session Laws 1971, HJR 5)
The Forty-First Legislature authorizes the Capitol Building Commission to borrow up to $4.4 million to build a new State Office Building. (State Office Building West, later named the Hathaway Building)
On April 26 an Army C-47 plane crashes in Cheyenne and five die.
Minnie Mitchell retires after approximately eighteen and one-half years in state office.

1972

Yellowstone National Park celebrates its centennial and a commemorative eight-cent stamp is issued. Like the five cent stamp issued in 1934 commemorating National Park's year, it depicts Old Faithful geyser.
The Supreme Court on June 29 rules against the death penalty as violation of the Eighth Amendment, prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment.
The Wyoming Stock Growers Association observes its 100th anniversary with a parade and banquet in Cheyenne during its annual convention.

1973

The longest war in American history - the Vietnam conflict - comes to an end with an official cease-fire at 8:00 a.m. (Vietnam time) January 28. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, 5,700 men from Wyoming served during the war and there were 127 casualties. (US Department of Defense, courtesy Sen. Hansen's Office, 1974)
January 22 the U.S. Supreme Court overrules all state laws restricting or prohibiting a woman's right to an abortion during the first three months of pregnancy. The Legislature fails to amend Wyoming's existing abortion law and the state is left without an abortion law.
With the cease-fire in the Vietnam War, the Department of Defense on January 27 ends the drafting of men for the armed service.
A lottery on March 8 selects draft numbers for men reaching their twentieth birthdays in 1974. A number is drawn for each birth date and those whose birth dates have the numbers from 1-95 form a "readily inductible pool" of about 500,000 men, according to Selective Service officials. Those with numbers 96 and higher will remain in category 1-H in which they were placed when they registered on their eighteenth birthday.
On June 30, legislation authorizing the draft since 1948 expires. However, the Selective Service System continues to be maintained on a standby basis. Eighteen-year-olds still must register for a possible future draft.
A crown of flowers is placed on the statue of Esther Morris after the Equal Rights Amendment is ratified by the Legislature.
The Wyoming Legislature restores the mandatory sentence of death for murder in the first degree, determined by certain factors. (Session Laws 1973, ch. 136. Ten factors are specified.)
The Legislature approves majority rights for nineteen-year olds. It also passes the Environmental Quality Act reorganizing the state's protective agencies and revising reclamation standards.
Wyoming's population of eagles, both golden and bald, drops principally because of weather conditions that inhibit migration, according to the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. The department estimates there are: 4,549 adult, 1,834 immature, and 2,694 golden eagles of undetermined age; and 608 adult and 79 immature bald eagles.
Any person who "takes" an eagle is guilty of a second degree misdemeanor. (Session Laws 1973, ch. 249)
Maj. Theodore W. Gostas, after being held prisoner by the Viet Cong five years, returns to his home in Cheyenne. Others from Wyoming previously released include Maj. Douglas Peterson, Laramie; Lt. Col. Wilfred Abbott, Mton; and Capt. Ronald Bliss, formerly of Cheyenne.
Wanda T. Banta, Cheyenne journalist, is the first woman in the 100-year history of the Wyoming National Guard to become a commissioned officer. She will hold the rank of major.
On August 1 the seven-foot tall statue of Esther Morris, after standing nearly ten years as the symbol of women's rights in front of the State Capitol Building, is knocked down and severely damaged in a traffic mishap. A band-aid is temporarily placed on the statue, which is repaired and replaced.
Inflation is the worst since World War II price controls were lifted, with higher food prices accounting for half the increase and gasoline and other fuels another 10 percent. Consumer prices are up 8.8 percent more than in the two previous years combined.
The energy and fuel shortage forces gas stations to close their doors on Sundays, and gas goes up to fifty cents a gallon. Wyoming is not as severely affected by the gas shortage as other parts of the nation where motorists wait in line to buy two or three gallons.
On November 8 in a message to Congress on the energy crisis, President Nixon states that there will be a reduction of 15 percent in the supply of heating oil and it will be necessary for all thermostats to be lowered at least six degrees to achieve a national average of 68 degrees in homes. There should be an equivalent of ten degree reduction in offices and other establishments. Governor Hathaway asks that people in Wyoming comply with the President's request.
The growing importance of coal development in the Powder River Basin comprises Wyoming's top story of the year, according to UPI. Editors and broadcasters taking part in the survey list the controversy over the abortion law as the next most significant story.
Twenty-year-old Cheryl Johnson of Cheyenne becomes Wyoming's first black Miss Wyoming.

1974

On January 3 Helen Higby, librarian in the Fremont County Library, is the first woman to climb in midwinter to the 13,770-foot summit of Grand Teton Peak. She, her husband, and other members of the climbing party spend the night at 10,800 feet in snow caves.
On January 22 Wyoming's first "budget session" begins by adopting rules to limit the procedure involved in introducing a non-budget bill.
Mrs. Margaret Simpson, born January 24, 1874 and mother of Governor Milward Simpson, celebrates her 100th birthday at Cody. Her guests, little Indians from St. Stephen's Mission, are grandchildren of some of the students she taught at the mission in 1890. Mrs. Simpson dies March 10.
Senator Dick Tobin, Natrona County, resigns to have heart surgery. He is succeeded by Robert G. Kimball. Don W. Jewett becomes President of the Senate, a position held by Tobin.
Art Buck, Laramie County, takes the seat vacated by State Representative Peter Mulvaney, who resigned following the last legislative session to accept a position in another state.
Governor Hathaway signs the Slurry Pipeline Bill, conditionally authorizing the transportation of coal from Campbell County by means of a thousand-mile-long pipeline, using the lower level ground waters for movement of the coal in slurry form to Arkansas for a steam-generated power plant.
The state speed limit is reduced to 55 MPH, effective March 3, in accordance with federal speed limit reduction to conserve gasoline.
The Legislature authorizes issuance of multi-year license plates to be annually validated by a sticker.
State Office Building West is completed April. The original State Office Building (later renamed the Barrett Building), constructed in 1952, is designated State Office Building East.
Nearly $4 million is appropriated for a highway through the Big Horn Canyon National Recreation Area. Senator Hansen explains that the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 require that all federal projects be preceded by a study of the potential effect on the physical and social environment of the area.
The Legislature passes a joint tribute to Senator Elmer Kinnaman of Carbon County, who retires after thirty-four years of legislative service.
State Representative Elton F. Trowbridge, a veteran of nearly fourteen years in the Legislature, dies April 10. Trowbridge, who was a pioneer in organizing rural electric cooperatives in Wyoming, served several terms on the national board of directors of the Rural Electrification Administration.
Two amendments regarding the mill levy are accepted by the Legislature and will be presented to the voters in the general election in November. (as of 1974 publication)
On April 25 the Wyoming Supreme Court rules that state legislators are not constitutionally barred from seeking election to other offices during their term in the Legislature, making it possible for mid-term senators to run for governor. One senator comments, "It's an 85-year-old mystery laid to rest."
Two Casper men, Ronald L. Kennedy, 27, and Jerry L. Jenkins, 29, who are found guilty of first degree murder and rape by a Laramie County District jury, are sentenced April 30 by Judge John F. Raper to die in the gas chamber at Rawlins on September 25. The case is appealed to U.S. Supreme Court where the issue of the legality of capital punishment is under new consideration. (as of 1974 publication)
David B. Kennedy is named attorney general, succeeding Clarence Brimmer, who resigned April 23 to run for governor.
Within a period of four days in April, two light planes crash in Frontier Park in Cheyenne with no serious injuries reported.
Independence Rock is chosen for the focal point of the Bicentennial celebration in 1976.
Col. Tim McCoy is inducted into the world famous Cowboy Hall of Fame along with movie star John Wayne. McCoy served as Wyoming's Adjutant General from 1919 until 1922. His career included Wild West shows, circus acts, television, and movies. Now 83-years-of age (as of 1974 publication), he is still active in show business and has kept his promise to remain in the saddle longer than Buffalo Bill, who was active until he was seventy. McCoy passed away on January 29, 1978 at the age of 86.
Eight Russian state officials touring the United States arrive in Cheyenne and later take a raft trip down the Snake River. They also visit Yellowstone National Park.
The Union Pacific Old Timers celebrate the golden anniversary of their organization.
On June 3 the Esther Morris statue, damaged in August 1973, when struck by a car, is replaced in front of the Wyoming Capitol. It cost approximately $15,000 to repair the bronze cast.
Remains of mountain man, Jeremiah Johnson, who is storied in books and motion pictures, are moved from Los Angeles where he died in 1900 to the mountains where he trapped in the 1840's. Internment takes place on June 8 at Old Trail Town just outside Cody. Members of the seventh grade class in Los Angeles who promoted the plan are in attendance. Also, Robert Redford, who played the role of Johnson in the 1972 movie, and other notables attend the service.
Three main coal companies are operating around Hanna now to meet increasing energy needs and a fourth will soon start digging. Energy Development Company mines about one million tons a year and has the largest underground coal mine in Wyoming.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site celebrates the 125th anniversary of the acquisition of the old fort by the federal government.
Five public electricity suppliers group together under the name of Missouri Basin Power Project and file an application with the Wyoming Public Service Commission June 7 for authority to build a $700 million power generating complex in either Platte or Goshen counties, and possibly both. The coal-fired steam generated power plant would serve public power concerns and their consumers in eight upper Midwest and Western states.
Construction begins at the State Office Building East (renamed the Hathaway Building) on a new underground security vault. Humidity and temperature controlled, it will be used for the storage of camera negative microfilm maintained by the Wyoming State Archives and Historical Department. Records converted to the nearly 1,800,000 lineal feet of microfilm represent over 44,000 cubic feet of state and political subdivision files created prior to statehood up to current date. Of special importance are the County Clerk's early land records, which have been converted to microfilm by the department and will be preserved in this vault for future generations to use. (This vault is no longer in use)
Governor Hathaway, completing his eighth year in office, has the record of having served longer than any of Wyoming's other twenty-six governors. Campbell, Brooks, Miller, and Hunt each served as governor six years.
Wyoming's jobless rate fell to 3 percent, the lowest unemployment rate in the nation.
The 1974 legislature gave necessary approvals for Energy Transportation System's coal slurry pipeline from northeastern Wyoming to Arkansas.
Gerald R. Ford, son of former Riverton businessman Leslie H. King, assumed the presidency of the United States following the resignation of Richard Nixon.
18-year-old Indiana girl walked out of the wilderness near Dubois after surviving an airplane crash that killed two and seriously injured another.
Two-term Republican governor Stan Hathaway decided not to run for a third term and Democrat Ed Herschler, a 56-year-old lawyer from Kemmerer, was elected. Democrats did well across the state gaining a 15-15 split in the Senate and leaving the Republicans with only a 2-vote advantage in the House.
Three students from the National Outdoor Leadership School in Lander were killed by an avalanche on a winter expedition in the Teton Mountains.
Karen Morris of Cheyenne was named America's Junior Miss.
Workers at the Wyoming State Training School in Lander threatened to go on strike after Governor Hathaway refused to recognize the Retail Clerks' Union as their bargaining agent.
Construction of a resort lodge on private land inside the boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation touched off conflicts between Indians and non-Indians in the Wind River Valley. The tribes closed the reservation to all non-Indian fishermen.

1975

The first major state office building constructed in almost a quarter-century was dedicated by outgoing governor Stan Hathaway. Initially referred to as State Office Building West, the structure later became known as the Hathaway Building.
A Sierra Club lawsuit halted development of coal resources in the Powder River Basin. Some layoffs occurred and state treasurer Ed Witzenburger predicted the stoppage could cost the state $28 million in mineral severance taxes over a three year period.
A consortium of six companies began seeking permits to construct the $1.3 billion Laramie River Station power plant near Wheatland.
Press reports called Wyoming uranium exploration activity "almost frantic." As many as 50 exploration companies were busy with a 30 percent increase in core drilling activity reported during the year. The most active areas were the Powder River Basin and the Red Desert.
Former governor Stan Hathaway was appointed as Secretary of the Interior by President Gerald Ford. Hathaway's appointment was confirmed on June 11 and six weeks later he was hospitalized suffering from exhaustion, depression and a mild case of diabetes. He resigned on July 25.
The State of Wyoming unsuccessfully challenged a federal ban on predator controls considered essential by Wyoming sheepmen.
The Wyoming Legislature made a major change in the way it functions. Legislators voted to approve a constitutional amendment that set aside 20-day legislative sessions in even numbered years strictly for the purpose of establishing budgets. Wyoming voters later ratified the amendment.
Ed Herschler vetoed more bills in his first legislative session as governor than Stan Hathaway did in eight years as governor.

1976

The Wyoming Cowboys football team competed in the Fiesta Bowl but lost to Oklahoma 41-7.
The Public Service Commission approved natural gas rate increases of as much as 60 percent for Northern Gas and Northern Utilities companies. The rate increases were based on higher wholesale costs charged by Amoco Production Company.
Gale McGee ended 18 years of service in the U.S. Senate when he was defeated by Sheridan legislator Malcolm Wallop.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Sierra Club and thereby ended an injunction which had stopped development of coal resources in the Powder River Basin. Four major coal mining projects moved forward in Campbell County. A new town, Wright, was established to house workers at Atlantic Richfield's Black Thunder Coal Mine.
Wyoming celebrates the national bicentennial.
State office buildings are renamed by the Capitol Building Commission in honor of the governors in office at the time of their construction. The Hathaway Building, Barrett Building and Emerson Building are the first to be renamed. As additional buildings are purchased and built, the naming tradition continues.

1977

Neil Compton, director of the state Criminal Investigation Division rocked the state with a May news conference in which he accused a number of state officials of wrongdoing. Governor Herschler fired Compton the next day and then asked the Wyoming Supreme Court to appoint a special investigator to look into the allegations. Sheridan lawyer Lawrence Yonkee was named to the post and later a statewide grand jury was impaneled.
President Jimmy Carter asked Congress to eliminate funding for two major Wyoming water projects. When the dust had cleared, the $75 million Savery Pothook Reclamation Project was halted but the $27 million Lyman Project was retained.
Drought conditions forced some Wyoming communities to ration municipal water supplies. An unusually light snowpack in the mountains resulted in problems for farmers in southwestern Wyoming and President Carter named several counties as drought emergency areas making farmers and ranchers eligible for federal assistance.
The Wyoming Legislature approved a series of bills to help the state and communities cope with rapidly expanding mining activity. A capital facilities fund was established and increased severance taxes on coal, trona and uranium were earmarked for the fund. Additional taxes on coal and uranium were put in place and revenues were designated for water development, highways, and the state's general fund.
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled the state's death penalty unconstitutional. The Wyoming Legislature was in session at the time and immediately passed a new death penalty bill.
A bill sponsored by Natrona County representative Patrick H. Meenan called for the removal of the state capitol from Cheyenne to Casper. The bill never made it off general file.
A mysterious bomb blast on August 7 killed Evanston attorney Vincent Vehar and two members of his family.
An oil well explosion and fire killed four workers and injured two others northwest of Rawlins.
Air Force jet crashed into the stock holding pens at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo grounds killing the pilot and injuring a bystander.

1978

Rock Springs Public Safety Director Ed Cantrell was charged with first-degree murder for the shooting of undercover drug investigator Michael Rosa. Rosa was shot between the eyes as he sat in a car outside a Rock Springs bar with Cantrell and other members of the Rock Springs police force.
A state grand jury called to investigate charges of wrongdoing by state officials completed almost a year of work after indicting 25 people. Judges and juries threw out most of the indictments but former Board of Charities and Reform executive secretary Lloyd Hovee and ex-state law enforcement school director George Nimmo were convicted. Charges against former Attorney General Frank Mendicino accusing him of misconduct in office were dis missed by a district court judge who said they were based on common law crimes which did not exist under Wyoming law.
The $1.6 billion Laramie River Station power plant and the Grayrocks Dam were placed in jeopardy when a federal judge in Lincoln, Nebraska ordered construction stopped. The state of Nebraska and environmental groups finally settled out-of-court with the project's owners.
The legislature completed work without approving Gov. Herschler's plan for a medical school at UW. Support for the school in the house eroded after the governor called legislators back into session. The proposal died after the Senate remained deadlocked on the issue.
Spring flooding across northern Wyoming brought damage to crops, livestock and roads. The damage total topped $15 million in 11 northern counties.
Mobile homes sprouted on the prairies from a mineral and energy fed economy as the state kept the nation's lowest unemployment rate. The state enjoyed a surplus of $89 million in the state treasury.
Governor Herschler was re-elected in a close battle with Gillette Republican John Ostlund.
A shootout on Shoshoni's main street brought attention from the national media where the incident was compared with gunfights of the Old West. The August 11 battle involved oilfield workers and resulted in only minor injuries.

1979

A cold winter that began in 1978 continued during the first part of 1979 making the winter one of the coldest in recent years.
Former Rock Springs police chief Ed Cantrell was acquitted of first degree murder in the killing of undercover drug investigator Michael Rosa. Cantrell admitted shooting Rosa between the eyes but said he shot in self defense. Cantrell testified that Rosa had gone for his gun and so "I shot him." Cantrell was defended by Jackson attorney Gerry Spence and the jury took only three hours before finding Cantrell innocent.
A July 16 tornado moved slowly across Cheyenne's northern edge killing an infant, injuring dozens, and leaving hundreds homeless.
Mark Hopkinson, a former high school football star and convicted drug trafficker was found guilty of ordering the 1977 bombing that killed Evanston attorney Vincent Vehar and two members of his family. Hopkinson was also convicted of the 1979 killing of Jeffrey Green, a prospective witness against Hopkinson in the Vehar bombing deaths.
Spurred by a national energy crisis, Wyoming's mineral riches continued to attract attention and money. New mines opened, exploration increased, new rail lines were built, and new power plants went on line.
Although Wyoming was affected minimally by a national gas shortage, prices soared. High prices and fears of shortages by tourists resulted in a bad year for the state's tourism industry.
The cities of Rock Springs, Rawlins and Newcastle were listed by the Internal Revenue Service as being among the twenty most wealthy areas in the country. Rock Springs was the fifth wealthiest area in the country with a median per capita income of $17,389-higher than Beverly Hills, California. Rawlins placed 11th on the list and Newcastle ranked 17th.
Six Washington state residents in a van and two Utah truckers died in a head-on collision west of Laramie in August. It was the worst highway accident in Wyoming history.
The Wyoming Senate gained national attention when it voted to defy the federal government and raise the state's speed limit to 65 mph, despite a threatened cut in federal highway aid. The move later died in the House.
A Western Airlines pilot made state and national headlines when he mistakenly landed his Sheridan-bound Boeing 737 jet at the Buffalo airport.
The state attorney general's office reported a 25 percent increase in Wyoming crime during the year of 1979. There were 40 cases of murder, 2 negligent manslaughter cases, 114 forcible rapes, 188 robberies, 1,173 aggravated assaults, 3,789 burglaries and 1,608 cases of motor vehicle theft.

1980

In January the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that the state's system of school financing based on local property taxes was unequal because of the great disparity in wealth from county to county.
Long regarded by oil and gas producers as unproductive, the barren hills of southwestern Wyoming became one of the hottest areas for exploration when drillers begin probing a deep geological formation called the Overthrust Belt. The Overthrust Belt area was quickly recognized as one of the biggest oil and gas developments in Wyoming history. Some producers said the field would rival major finds in Alaska. The resulting boom attracted thousands of new workers. Housing and public services were stretched to the limit. A Rawlins newspaper editor wrote "Anyone who wants a job can get it Carbon County, but the question remains, can he also get a place to live?" Many could not and that led to people living in tents, campers on public lands, or in their cars.
Softness in the price of yellowcake developed as an oversupply allowed nuclear generator operators to lock in contracts at advantageous prices. Layoffs began in Wyoming's uranium industry.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that Wyoming's population increased by 41.3 percent during the 1970s. It was the third highest growth rate among the 50 states. With 470,000 residents at the beginning of the 1980s, Wyoming was still next to last in overall population.

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