Posted on 06/03/2005 6:24:58 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Group debates Cowboy State's 'identity crisis'
By Ilene Olson rep3@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE - Wyoming's competing identities result in both challenges and opportunities for the state and its communities, participants in a local conversation said Thursday.
Milward Simpson, manager of the Wyoming Arts Council, said his work with the committee that will choose the design for Wyoming's quarter has highlighted many residents' perceptions of their state.
The bucking horse and rider was the image most often cited, he said.
"That icon is becoming intensely powerful in our sense of who we are," he said.
Simpson was one of a dozen people who gathered for the sixth and last local discussion in a series sponsored by the Wyoming Council for the Humanities in partnership with the Wyoming Arts Council and Wyoming Public Radio.
Simpson continued, "I don't know when our state hasn't had an identity crisis. Growing up, I heard the phrase, 'We don't want too many people to know about Wyoming.' There is a sense that we need to develop, and yet we don't want to do that too much."
He noted the cowboy myth seems to perpetuate itself, particularly in the nation's population centers.
"When I drive across the state and see the bucking bronco, I have this great feeling. Yet, it's true that there are not a lot of people who ride horses."
Anduin Kirkbride said many state residents still seem to have the image of Wyoming as a homestead state. They each want their own five-acre homesteads.
That has caused development headaches such as rural sprawl, increasing problems with wells and septic tanks and conflicts between rural residents and neighboring communities, she said.
The result has been a collision between private property rights and public interests, she said.
Keith Eldred said the perception of Wyoming is changing in other states.
"I used to get sympathy when I went down to Denver - 'You poor slob. You live in Wyoming.' Now, it's almost the opposite."
People frequently say things like, "It must be nice to live up there," he said.
But Derek Bailey said perceptions of the state seem to change along generational lines.
"I'm 23. People my age say, 'You poor thing.' It's hard to explain to them that I can fish where I want, and I can drive 45 miles to where the commotion is if I want."
Charles Harms said the state's image varies from community to community.
As Colorado's Front Range expands, "I think this part of Wyoming is going to be very different than the rest of Wyoming, with changes in population and traffic," he said. "They say if you want those (amenities), you have to drive. Well, I think it's going to be here soon.
"We are so close to 3 million people. That's going to have an impact."
While that may not all be bad, it does require advanced planning, he said.
Matt Ashby of the city planning office agreed.
"Cheyenne is facing growth," he said. "People assume it's based on minerals. I think it's more directly related to our location near the Front Range. We'll have a hard time convincing other areas of the state that Cheyenne faces different problems."
Harms noted that Wyoming is aging faster than most states, with many of its young people leaving for more populous areas.
Kirkbride said politicians and the media contribute to the state's loss of young people. She challenged both groups to promote existing opportunities instead of saying there are none.
"There are a lot of young people at the University of Wyoming that think there are no jobs here," she said, noting that she and some of her friends were able to find good jobs. "There are jobs here, but you have to look for them."
Eldred said young people tend to measure success in money.
"A lot of kids want old people to take care of kids. Why not have kids take care of kids?" he asked.
Eldred noted that young people often complain about limited shopping opportunities and amenities. Instead of complaining, they could start businesses to fill those gaps, he said.
"The opportunity is tremendous for young people to say, 'Hey, they don't need it. They don't want it. Let's go get it,'" he said.
Bailey agreed. "Youth need to help bring things in and make things happen," he said.
But, referring to the materialistic views of many young people, he added, "I think there's a lot of things pushed on youth by society."
Mark Reid said Wyoming provides opportunities not available in larger population centers.
"If someone has self-drive, you can make something of yourself in Wyoming. That's not possible in a lot of places anymore. That, to me, is the bottom line in Wyoming," he said.
It's what happens when the city slickers move into the neighborhood.
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