Historical Context

This letter, written by "Martha", provides a vivid snapshot of life in Thayne, Wyoming, during a pivotal moment in American history.

• The mention of "road men" cooking and the road reaching Alpine refers to the early development of Highway 89, which was a significant infrastructure project for these isolated mountain communities.

• Written in 1931, the letter reflects the era's reliance on manual labor and community-based social life. Despite the economic downturn, the writer focuses on local dances, "stampedes" (local rodeos), and domestic tasks like making candy or cooking for road crews.

• The writer’s playful teasing about "leap years" for her wedding date is likely a reference to a widely popular (and often mocked) social tradition of the early 20th century. Leap Year was not just a calendar correction; it was a culturally sanctioned "topsy-turvy" period where traditional gender roles were playfully—and sometimes satirically—reversed. The most famous tradition was that women were allowed to propose marriage to men during a Leap Year (specifically on Leap Day, February 29th). According to folklore (with roots in Irish and Scottish legend), if a man refused a Leap Year proposal, he was socially "obligated" to buy the woman a gift to soften the blow—usually a silk gown, a fur coat, or 12 pairs of gloves (to hide her "ringless" hands). By 1931, this was rarely taken as a serious path to marriage. Instead, it was the subject of endless jokes, comic postcards, and lighthearted teasing, much like the writer uses it in her letter to suggest a wedding date that is effectively "never" (16 years away).

• Martha mentions "hello" from Wanda -- another letter in this collection is from Wanda Haderlie in Thayne.