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 Wyoming
State Board of Education Content & Performance Standard:
- Social Studies--Production, Distribution, and Consumption
- Social Studies--Time, Continuity, and Change
- Social Studies--People, Places, and Environment
- Social Studies--Processes and Skills
Learner
Outcomes:
- Students will be able to understand statistical information and trends
presented in graph format.
- Students will also be able to understand the relationship of historical
events to fluctuations in the graph.
Related
Points of Discussion:
- What are other kinds of statistics and graphs that can provide valuable
historical information?
Suggested
activities:
The appendix to this exercise has a chart containing national statistics
for sheep and lamb production, as well as a bar graph and statistical information
illustrating values of production in Wyoming during a comparable period.
Have students do the following:
Create a bar graph reflecting the production statistics for three of
the crops included in the statistical data for Graph 3. Research Wyoming
weather data for the years 1990 to 1999. Does any of the information contained
in the weather data account for the crop fluctuations illustrated in the
student’s bar graph?
Compare the data regarding national sheep and lamb production in Graph
2 with the Wyoming statistics provided for Graph 3. Is Wyoming’s sheep
industry faring better, worse, or on average when compared to national
production statistics?
Research available information regarding trends in Wyoming’s sheep industry
during a period comparable to Graphs 2 and 3. Newspapers, industry publications
and State of Wyoming Internet listings are all possible sources. Does
the information students locate support the information contained in Graphs
2 and 3?
Historical
Background:
Statistics, graphs, and charts can be found in research sources. You
can also gather information to make your own. Graphs can very useful in
comparing historical trends of things that can be measured or counted.
The graph in this activity is a compilation of data that shows the number
of farms and ranches in Wyoming in the period from 1910 to 1990. Read
the following information on the historical background from 1909 to 1960
to determine what effect, if any, these events may have had on the number
of farms and ranches in Wyoming.
| Year(s) |
Event |
| 1909-1913 |
Dry-Farming increases in Wyoming |
| 1916 |
Grazing Homesteads of 640 acres made
available in Wyoming |
| 1917 |
United States enters World War I; approximately
12,000 Wyoming men entered military service |
| 1918 |
Deadly Spanish Influenza epidemic spreads
to Wyoming, 780 fatalities reported |
| 1919 |
Wyoming suffers severe drought; Census
figures indicate15,748 farm and ranch units in Wyoming with an average
size of 749.9 acres |
| 1920-1926 |
Thousands of homesteaders gave up and
either abandoned their lands or sold them to more successful neighbors |
| 1927 |
Unusually wet year results in bumper
crops in Wyoming |
| 1929 |
Census figures indicate16,011 farm
and ranch units in Wyoming with an average size of 1,469 acres;
3% of Wyoming’s total acreage used for farming |
| 1930-1936 |
Wyoming suffers from a nearly continuos
drought |
| 1939 - 1945 |
Crop prices increased by 131% |
| 1940 |
Wyoming’s rural population reported
at 72,674; Number of Wyoming farm and ranch units 15,018, with an
average size of 1,866 acres |
| 1941 |
United States enters World War II |
| 1945 |
"The greatest industry in the
State of Wyoming is agriculture and its kindred activity, the raising
of livestock, " Governor Lester C. Hunt reported to the legislature |
| 1950 |
Wyoming’s rural population reported
at 56,704 |
| 1951 |
Number of Wyoming farm and ranch units
9,705, with an average size of 3,715 acres |
| 1960 |
Wyoming’s rural population reported
at 48,132 |
Graph 1
Follow-Up Questions:
- What events between 1909 and 1920 might account for the increase in
the number of farms and ranches in Wyoming. Why?
- Did the number of farms and ranches in Wyoming increase, decrease
or remain about the same between 1921 and 1925? What might account for
this?
- Did the number of farms and ranches in Wyoming increase, decrease
or remain about the same between 1926 and 1930? What might account for
this?
- In 1929, which was more important to Wyoming’s economy, the livestock
industry or farming? What data supports this conclusion?
- Between 1930 and 1936 did the number of farms and ranches in Wyoming
decline or increase? What data supports this conclusion?
- What might account for the decline in the number of farms and ranches
in Wyoming after 1940?
Statistics
Activity – Appendix
Graph 2
Graph 3
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