Historians have long recognized the tendency of communities to embrace tourism when extractive practices like agriculture, mining, and ranching fail as a dominant economic strategy. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is a prime example of this phenomenon in the American West. From its origins as a Mormon farming community in the late-nineteenth century, the valley evolved into an extensively developed tourist mecca by the end of the next. While this industry was initially supported by hotel-dwelling auto tourists, by the 1960s wealthy second-home buyers began to descend on Jackson Hole, buying up scenic property and constructing vacation homes. Over the next few decades these neo-natives moved to the valley by the hundreds, initiating dramatic economic, physical, and social consequences which were a direct product of the pace, pattern, and location of development. This thesis explores that relationship, making extensive use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to identify spatial themes of development in an effort to enlighten historical themes of Jackson Hole's rapidly changing landscape. On a basic level, this process presents a local history of tourist development in Jackson Hole between 1967 and 2002, documenting where development occurred and the consequences and controversy that resulted. Its greater contribution, however, is methodological. The use of GIS as a tool of historical research is still in its infancy, and this project suggests another application of the technique involving the spatial integration of historical and contemporary data. Together, these contributions create an informative and inventive examination of Jackson Hole tourism that expands the potential of historical research.

Shear zones which deform margins of amphibolite boudins in the Cheyenne Belt, SE Wyoming, record a full strain transition from relatively undeformed amphibolite which has relict igneous textures to mylonitic amphibolite with a strongly developed L-S tectonic fabric. The strain transition is marked by the rotation of amphibole and plagioclase aggregates into parallelism with the shear zone boundary and progressive grain size reduction. These observations indicate that strain magnitude increases across the shear zone. Detailed petrologic and microstructural analysis of a single amphibolite shear zone has been conducted in order to: 1) document the petrologic and microstructural evolution of the shear zone and 2) investigate the interrelationships between mechanical and chemical processes associated with shear zone formation. Amphibolites throughout the shear zone consist of amphibole + plagioclase with only minor amounts of quartz + chlorite + epidote + sphene + ilmenite. Within the relatively undeformed amphibolite, amphibole and, to a lesser extent, plagioclase has wide compositional variation. Amphibole compositions vary from actinolitic hornblende to magnesio-hornblende which involves increases in Al, Fe, Na and K contents and decreases in Si and Mg. Plagioclase compositions vary from Angp in cores of plagioclase grains to Anjo within grain boundary domains. With increasing strain magnitude across the shear zone variation of amphibole composition decreases and become predominantly magnesio-hornblende. Plagioclase compositions also decrease in range although grain boundary domains still have higher albite content. The observed variation of amphibole compositions indicate that shear zone formation occurred during prograde metamorphism although compositional changes may also be a function of changing grain boundary fluid composition. These petrologic data indicate that shear zone metamorphism was in part controlled by the magnitude of strain during deformation. Scanning electron microscope back-scattered images and color enhanced X-ray compositional maps indicate that compositional variation in plagioclase and amphibole occurs along margins of highly angular grains of various sizes. These textural observations have been interpreted to indicate that chemical reactions occurred by a dissolution and reprecipitation processes following or during cataclastic deformation. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images show local zones of high dislocation density adjacent to microcracks suggesting that work hardening may have been an important processes during cataclasis. Alternatively, microcracks may have acted as source for development of dislocations. The importance of deformation in assisting shear zone chemical processes is evidenced by: 1) the observation of new mineral overgrowth along grain boundaries and 2) TEM images of amphibole which show that actinolitic hornblende has a high defect density whereas magnesio-hornblende overgrowths are relatively defect free. This observation suggests that strain energy associated with dislocations may have contributed to the chemical process. Thermodynamic modelling of reaction progress within the shear zone using the Gibbs Method indicates that observed modal and compositional changes can occur isothermally if strain energy is added to the system. Increases in reaction progress with deformation may have also been due to increases in fluid infiltration or diffusion due to grain size reduction. The general conclusion of this study is that in order to apply petrologic, geochemical and isotopic data to understanding geochemical and tectonic processes, microstructural information on the magnitude of strain and the type of deformation mechanism must be evaluated, quantitatively if possible. / Ph. D.

This thesis contains the history of Teton Valley from 1888 to the present. It gives the main events in the founding and building of a locality under the direction and influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.The first chapter is written by way of an introduction. The second chapter gives the discovery of the valley by the first white men and subsequent forays by others in later years.The prominence of the Teton Peaks, 13,747 feet high, distinguished the locality as a land mark to Indian, trapper, trader, and early settler alike. The trappers of the several fur companies, were the first to stay any length of time. It was in the valley that the famous rendezvous took place. This location was used many times because of its central location, pasturage, and beauty which appealed to the Indians, trappers, and traders, who congregated here annually.

Thesis (M.A.)--Kutztown State College, 1976. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2922. Title on spine and title of the abstract varies. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as [3] preliminary leaves. Includes bibliographical references (leaf [55]).

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Plant and Animal Sciences, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 14-21).

Cokeville, Wyoming, is situated at the confluence of the Bear River and Smiths Fork valleys in southwestern Wyoming. Settled in 1874, the Cokeville area has experienced much the same political, economic, and social developments typical of other small rural towns in the western United States; but it is unlike neighboring settlements in that it was not dominated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints during its early growth. Depending upon an agricultural economic base, Cokeville has been the center of the Lincoln County sheep industry since the early 1900's. Mining has played a minor part in the economy, but never to the extent that it ever seriously threatened the livestock industry. During the last three decades there has been a resurgence of the cattle industry. Cokeville developed in three principal stages: settlement, the boom period of growth, and finally maturity and subsequent decline. Technological improvements in communication and transportation have widened the field of association of local residents causing decline in community spirit.

Low pH zones in portions of the overburden at the Dave Johnston Coal Field, Converse County, Wyoming are the subject of this study. The low pH zones are restricted to limonite stained sandstones which grade downdip into normal pH gray sandstones. Changes in color, clay mineralogy, cementation and feldspar surface textures are noted between the two sandstone units. These changes appear to be the result of post depositional alteration that was responsible for oxidation of pyrite and chlorite, dissoluion of calcite, and the etching of feldspar grains. The parameters for the diagenesis fit those of uranium roll front models proposed for the Powder River Basin. The alteration appears responsible for the low pH values reported in the yellow sandstone. Research by the North Dakota Geological Survey on similar problems associated with lignite mines in North Dakota suggests reclamation procedures for dealing with these potentially hazardous overburden spoils.

Fractures can increase the permeability and producability of reservoirs by acting as fluid and gas conduits to wells. Networks of fractures are most important in reservoirs where little to no matrix permeability exists such as tight gas sandstones. Two significant variables, fracture length and the abundance of fractures, are not readily measurable from subsurface observations such as those obtained from cores or well logs. Numerical models suggest natural fracture apertures and lengths follow systematic power-law (Marrett, 1996; Olson, 2007) and negative exponential distributions (Olson, 2004); fracture trace lengths are interrogated. This study tests those propositions through study of fractures in outcrop. Outcrops of the Cretaceous Frontier Formation at Oyster Ridge in southwest Wyoming and Oil Mountain near Casper, in central Wyoming provide evidence of reservoir scale fracture networks in sandstones. In the subsurface the Frontier Formation sandstones are reservoirs that produce gas and oil in several Wyoming basins. I mapped fracture patterns at twenty locations at Oyster Ridge and Oil Mountain and measured fracture trace length distributions and abundance (intensity). Fracture cumulative length distribution plots illustrate systematic length distributions. Trace length distributions of every fracture network follow negative exponential distributions regardless of the number of fractures (N = 39 to N = 394) or the size of the outcrop (1.3 to 710 m²). Results show that the fractures follow a negative exponential distribution over a range of lengths of a few centimeters to tens of meters. These trace length distributions are consistent with geomechanical model fracture pattern simulation results by Olson (2004) that suggests negative exponential trace length distribution result from fracture to fracture interaction during fracture formation. Length distributions from my field study are inconsistent with pattern simulation results by Marrett (1996) and Olson (2007) and others that produce power-law length distributions. This inconsistency suggests that the model assumptions of Olson (2004) best account for the patterns I observed. Two dimensional fracture intensity, defined as the total fracture trace length divided by the map area, was measured for each outcrop to determine how structural position affects fracture abundance patterns. Two-dimensional fracture intensity measurements collected at thirteen structural locations around Oil Mountain show higher values of fracture intensity near the fold-axial-trace compared to fold limbs. The difference is as much as 7.4 fractures per meter near fold hinges compared to 0.63 fractures per meter in fold limbs. Outcrops near small faults, with displacement of a few meters, show an increase in fracture intensity from background values around 4.8 fractures per meter to values nearly three times as high (13 fractures per meter) near faults. Values of fracture intensity that are more elevated near small tear faults imply that faulting has a greater influence on fracture intensity than folding. / text

This research focuses on how sediment supply, sea level and delta processes control the partitioning of the sediment budget across and into the topset, slope and basinfloor compartments of deepwater basins. Addressing this problem provides significant insight to characterize source-to-sink systems, improve tectono-stratigraphic models and predict sand bypass to deepwater areas. The research was carried out in the Lance-Fox Hills-Lewis shelf margin formed during the Maastrichtian in the Washakie-Great Divide basin of southern Wyoming. I use a database with approximately 520 wells integrated with outcrops to develop a high resolution, dynamic stratigraphy approach for shelfmargin characterization. The results emphasize the driving role of sediment supply in rapid shelf-margin building and deepwater sand emplacement. On the study margin, high sediment supply was able to outpace shelf accommodation even at times of relatively high and rising sea level. At these times, shelf margin clinoforms developed a more aggradational architecture with relatively thick and more marine influenced topsets formed in response to basin deepening due to rapid subsidence. The high supply and subsidence are interpreted to have resulted from crustal loading and significant erosion during prominent Laramide thrust-driven source uplift. The high supply caused the formation of highstand shelf-edge deltas with strong wave and river influences. These deltas resulted in extensive coastal sand belts at the shelf margin, and bypass of significant volumes of sand to deepwater areas. In contrast, during times of stable to very low rates of sea level rise, the basin developed more progradational clinoforms with more terrestrial and generally thinner topsets. More of the sediment was funneled to the basin floor and shelfedge deltas were under strong river and tidal influence. Stable or even falling sea level resulted from decreased subsidence or slight basin uplift, interpreted to have resulted from decreasing uplift, tectonic quiescence or possibly slight tectonic rebound in the basin. The Lewis-Fox Hills margin is considered supply-dominated, a term to denote moderately deep shelf margins (< 1000 m) that prograde at high rates (several tens of km/my) and deliver sand to deepwater areas recurrently and in large volumes even at sea level highstand.

The history and archaeology of the oil and gas industry has received little attention in cultural resource management. The sites of early exploration activity are being destroyed rapidly due, in part, to the fact that field archaeologists and historians have not been educated on the scientific and historical importance of this industry to the American culture. This thesis is an attempt to begin the education process. The document begins with an overview of the historical developments on a national level and in the State of Wyoming. Attention is then focused on the physical remains that can be found in the field with guidance on the identification, interpretation, and evaluation of the remains. The thesis concludes with the development of research, designs and avenues of future inquiry.