Liquor, taxes, and the government during the Great Depression is the focus of this month’s Wyoming State Museum lecture, March 13 at 7 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room.
Titled, "Legalizing Liquor, Talking Taxes, and Shrinking Government: How the 1933 Special Session of the Wyoming Legislature Dealt with the Great Depression," Dr. Phil Roberts, associate professor of History at the University of Wyoming, examines how the lawmakers of that time dealt with a variety of complex issues.
Wyoming’s "Great Depression" began in the early 1920s, and by the time that the rest of the country was in depression, Wyomingites had already experienced economic distress.
Prohibition vexed law enforcement throughout the ‘20s as more and more Wyoming citizens turned against the "noble experiment." When the Wyoming Legislature met in 1933, it faced these issues and more. The result of that session’s deliberations – repeal of prohibition, debates over income and sales taxes and rancorous efforts to reduce the size of state government – left a lasting legacy. Dr. Roberts’ presentation will discuss some of the roots of these issues and how the legislature responded to the challenges.
The Wyoming State Museum is located in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Avenue in Cheyenne. For more information about this and other State Museum programs, please call
777-7022.
