| Wyoming experienced its last major energy boom in the 1970s, and nowhere in the state felt it more acutely than in Gillette. This study focuses on the specific set of social problems that the town encountered as a direct result of its energy industries. The town had oil, natural gas, and coal reserves in and around it as well as a major power plant constructed close by within the decade. At the base level, the community experienced large-scale population growth. An influx of new workers altered the social fabric of the town resulting in many residents feeling disenfranchised and a general breakdown of "neighboring patterns" that precipitated further issues. This study shows that Gillette had insufficiently prepared for the various social and mental health services that the community needed to mitigate the socially pathological issues facing its citizens. |
