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*NEWS RELEASE *September 8, 2025

CONTACTS: 

Michael Pearlman, Communications Director

[email protected]

Janelle Collins, Strategic Communications Director

[email protected]

*Governor Gordon Announces Fourth Round of Awardees for Semiquincentennial Grant Program*

"Projects will take place in conjunction with the statewide America’s 250th Celebration "

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  The Wyoming Semiquincentennial Planning Task Force has announced the fourth round of awardees for the Semiquincentennial Grant Program. 

The grants program was launched last year and is supported with a $2 million appropriation from the Wyoming Legislature. The grants program allows communities to recognize and celebrate Wyoming’s unique role in American history and to explore both Wyoming’s lasting legacy and future potential. The projects will take place in conjunction with the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. 

Three counties and six local and non-governmental entities were awarded grants totaling $175,134. They include:

 


* *Stories of Wyoming: Campbell County 250 Story Walk Project -*The interactive story walk will showcase Wyoming history with a focus on Campbell County. The displays will be interchangeable for future stories to be shared, with the aim to increase participation while fostering community and educational growth of local people.  

* *Wind River Heritage Quest: A Digital Discovery -*Wind River Heritage Quest is an app that will serve as an interactive scavenger hunt guiding users to 15 locations across Fremont County. The app will focus on educating users about westward expansion, indigenous peoples and natural resource development using audio recordings at each site. The Fremont County 250th Committee intends to complete the project by December 2026.

* *Tribute to America Scavenger Hunt- *The Lincoln County 250th Committee in conjunction with the North and South Lincoln County Historical Societies and local museums will host a scavenger hunt around Lincoln County. Museum personnel will be stationed at the chosen locations and provide the historical significance. The scavenger hunt will have a focus on pioneers that traveled West. 

* *America 250 Celebration Concert: Honoring Our Heritage - *The Laramie County America 250 Commission will host “America 250 Celebration Concert: Honoring Our Heritage" in Cheyenne, Wyoming on July 4, 2026. In conjunction with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra this event aims to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary of independence while sharing Wyoming’s unique cultural identity. 

* *Field of Honor Park County -* The Cody Heritage Museum will display and give away American flags beginning on Flag Day, June 14 - July 4, 2026. 

* *Honoring Edith Birchall and the Immigrant Legacy of Hanna - * The Hanna Basin Museum plans to establish an exhibit featuring Edith Birchall and the immigrant families who lived in the area to mine coal. Edith Birchall came to Wyoming from England in 1906 with her father at 18 years old. Her father and two uncles worked in the coal mines, and as the only female in the family it was her duty to take care of the men in her family. In 1908, a mine explosion killed her entire family along with more than 50 other men.

* *Bringing Defining Courage to Wyoming: A 250th Commemoration - *The Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation plans to bring "Defining Courage," an immersive stage production by David Ono, to Park County, Wyoming, in 2026. The production highlights the stories of Japanese American soldiers in WWII whose families were incarcerated, including at Heart Mountain.

* *Legacy of Henry Johnson “16 Mule Team” Events - *The Hot Springs Pioneer Association plans to celebrate town icon Henry Johnson, who arrived in Thermopolis, Wyoming around 1896 as the town was being established. He hauled freight for local merchants with a 16- mule team to pull his wagon. The celebration will include a reenactment to commemorate his famous 16-mule team as well as a parade, demonstrations, and storytelling events.

* *Voices & Votes: Democracy in America Traveling Exhibition -*The Wyoming State Museum will bring the Smithsonian's "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America" exhibit to six museums across Wyoming in 2026 and early 2027. This project will also serve as a pilot to determine the State Museum's capacity to become the ongoing State Coordinator for the Museum on Main Street program.

Governor Gordon established the Wyoming Semiquincentennial Planning Task Force to develop and coordinate events and activities that honor this significant milestone. Grant funding is still available. More information on the celebration will be made available on the dedicated Semiquincentennial celebration website at [link removed] [ [link removed] ].

-END-

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