Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
As the wind power boom takes off, something of a land rush in southeastern
Wyoming, where the greatest number of wind farms exist, is transforming the local
agricultural and ranching culture. In an effort to prevent bad deals with a strength-in-
numbers approach, ranchers and farmers have joined together to form associations to
bargain collectively. One of a dozen or so such cooperatives, the Bordeaux Wind En-
ergy Association asserts that everyone is going to be impacted, whether the turbines
are on their property or not, so everyone should benefit. Just as the massive wind
turbines are undoubtedly shifting the landscape of Wyoming, so too are the proact-
ive ranchers and farmers working together to transform the business of agriculture.
Indeed, income from wind farms can often be the deciding factor in whether a family
can hold on to their ranch or not. As a result, some argue that wind farms are in fact
strengthening Wyoming's agricultural tradition by keeping farmers and ranchers on
their land.
Since Montana and Wyoming are two of the newest states in the union (41st and 44th, re-
spectively), it's no surprise that their people and culture are largely tied to the settling of
the West and the Native Americans who inhabited the area. It wasn't until the 1860s that
settlers started building permanent communities—both were some of the last states to be
settled by whites—as the gold rush, the railroad, and the Homestead Act lured those seek-
ing a different and potentially lucrative way of life. Many areas were settled by immigrants
and still retain their European heritage.
Both are largely considered conservative states, and both have a population that is more
than 85 percent white. More than 9 percent of Wyoming's population is listed as Hispanic
or Latino in origin. Like many Western states, both Wyoming and Montana are home to a
growing number of Hispanics, many of whom work in the farm, ranch, and construction
industry.
Although farming, ranching, and natural resource extraction certainly contributed to the
growing cultural landscape, it's the rich Native American history that gives these states a
proud and colorful representation of the past that transcends today's modern American cul-
