Thursday, August 30, 2012

The State That Never Was...!

Starting shortly after the Civil War, there were many folks that wanted to start their own states. Even today, there are many that toy with the idea of doing that very thing!

Today we are going to look at only one such place. Probably one of the most interesting of the "wanna be states"!

Absaroka


Often called the “state that never was,” Absaroka grew out of the political discontent of the Great Depression. The statehood movement first began in 1939 in Sheridan, Wyoming. Frustrated with the U.S. government—and in particular the New Deal programs of Franklin D. Roosevelt—a group of politicians and businessmen led by a former baseball player named A.R. Swickard hatched a plan to create a new state they called Absaroka. The would-be state included large swaths of Wyoming, *-++++Montana and South Dakota, and encompassed famous landmarks such as the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park. Swickard soon appointed himself governor and began hearing grievances from the “citizens” of his state. To garner support, he distributed Absaroka license plates and photos of the first (and last) Miss Absaroka.

Despite its initial popularity, the statehood movement’s novelty quickly wore off, and an official proposal for secession was never drafted. The story survives today largely thanks to the Federal Writers’ Project—ironically, one of FDR’s New Deal programs—which chronicled the Absaroka phenomenon while compiling travel guides to the American West.


There were another 4 "would be" states on this list! You can read about them right here!

Let's have our coffee on the patio this morning. Weather isn't too bad yet!

9 comments:

Momlady said...

And, in many states, there's still talk of secession.

Sixbears said...

The nation was never tied together as the Feds would have us believe.

I'm still a big fan of the once free Indian Stream Republic in northern NH.

linda m said...

There was a show on cable -"How the States Were Formed" (or something to that effect) that talked about some of the wanna be states. Yes, there still is talk about secession in some states, especially when the Feds get involved in state matters or the Feds aren't doing Their job. I pray to God we don't ever have to fight another Civil War.

JO said...

I remember that show Linda M mentioned. It was on for very long.
This was a very interesting post. But then most of your posts are. Thank you for bringing this one to us.

See you on the patio.

Anonymous said...

I didn't know this, very interesting! But I think it all fell on the name :-) Absaroka does sound made up in a childrens game :-)

Have a great day!

Christer.

HermitJim said...

Hey Momlady...
Probably will be for a while to come...or at least until after the elections in November!

Thanks, lady, for coming over today!


Hey Sixbears...
Wouldn't be the first time that the fed has mislead us all, or tried to!

That's one I need to research a bit. I never knew about it, I'm afraid!

Thanks for the visit today!


Hey Linda...
I don't think that we will ever be truly united under our present "leadership!"

I really can't see us ever fighting another civil war! Memories of the last one are still pretty strong!

Thanks for coming by today!


Hey JoJo...
The show you mention is still on the cable here from time to time. It is an interesting series!

Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by this morning!


Hey Christer...
Sometimes the names that folks come up with are pretty silly, that's for sure!

You have a great day also, my friend! Thanks for coming by!

Barney, The Old Fat Man said...

Thanks HJ, that was all new to me.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Interesting name and story, HJ, and even more so because it's a true one.

Bob Mc said...

I live in the state of Jefferson. It still rears its head from time to time.