During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers' Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country's shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state's unique flavor.
Published in 1941, on the fiftieth anniversary of the state, the WPA Guide to Wyoming is a thorough reflection of both the history of the state's pioneer routes as well an attempt to capture the beauty of the surrounding area in photographs. Descriptions of the Equality State's livestock and oil industries are included as well as pictorial documentation of the area's vast expanses of open land.