05/23/2026
Since May is Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, here is a selection of historic Wyoming photos and Mansion artifacts to celebrate Wyoming's connection to it!
One of the two reasons why May is the designated month is related to railroad history; May 10, 1869 marked the completion of the transcontinental railroad, which was built largely by Chinese laborers. The other milestone was the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the United States on May 7, 1843 (in Fairhaven, Massachusetts), predating Wyoming's time as a U.S. Territory! The following photo information is in the order as you flip through them (not the way they are displayed in the three-frame collage). Great thanks to Wyoming State Archives for these photos!
📸 Group of Japanese women and children, HGM Front Steps, taken in the late 1920s during Gov. Frank Emerson's term (1927-1931):
First Lady Jean Emerson was very involved in Japanese outreach work, carried out by a group of women from Mrs. Emerson's Cheyenne church. Since her church group had ties to the 1920s Japanese community, they were approached about helping the women to learn English so they could better interact in town. For example, imagine how difficult buying groceries would be when you don't speak the local language, and the check-out experience is all cashier-assisted, not like today's automatic check-outs!
📸 Japanese railroad repairmen, taken in 1906 near Red Buttes, WY:
A photographic tie to the generations of Asian railroad workers of the Wild West, 37 years after the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869.
📸 Chinese Dragon parade, taken about the 1890s, Evanston/Rock Springs, WY:
The Chinese dragon was brought to the United States by Ah Say, the head of Union Pacific Coal Company's Chinese workers. He was in charge of recruitment, and also acted as a translator/advocate between U.P. Coal and the Chinese miners. The silk dragon danced at the Lunar New Year festivals in Evanston/Rock Springs in the 1880s-1890s, and the Joss House of Evanston served as the epicenter of the Chinese community in the region prior to 1885, being the only one of it's kind between the two coasts.
And the 1930s Drawing Room of the has many artifacts related to Asian culture (maybe a connection to First Lady Emerson's outreach work with the Japanese community), so take a closer look on your next visit!
💠 This pair of identical lamps are carved from soap stone, and are included in the Permanent Collection (items the First Families interacted with). They were transferred from the Governors' current residence in 2001; on their recent visit, the Hathaway daughters said how they remember the lamps from their teenage years spent living at the Mansion (1967-1975)!
💠 This pair of figures are hand-carved from rosewood, and are also in the Permanent Collection of artifacts. They may seem identical at first glance, but look closer to notice the different hand-held object of each figure.
