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Full text of "History of Natrona county, Wyoming, 1888-1922; true portrayal of the yesterdays of a new county and a typical frontier town of the middle West. Fortunes and misfortunes, tragedies and comedies, struggles and triumphs of the pioneers .."

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HISTORY    OF 

NATRONA    COUNTY 

WYOMING 


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History  of 
NATRONA  COUNTY 

WYOMING 

1888-1922 

True  Portrayal  of  the  Yesterdays  of  a  New 
County  and  a  Typical  Frontier  Town 
ofthe  Middle  West.  Fortunes  and  Mis- 
fortunes, Tragedies  and  Comediesj 
Struggles andTriumphs  ofthe  Pioneers 

^^^ap  and  Illustrations 

BY 

Alfred  James  Mokler 

Publisher  of  the  Natrona  County  Tribune  from 
June  1 ,  1 897,  /o  October  15,1914 

1923 
R.  R.DoNNELLEY  &  Sons  Company 

CHICAGO 


Copyrighted, 1923 
all  rights  reserved 


1142992 


Foreword 

TO  SEE  Natrona  county  grow  from  the  smallest  in 
point  of  assessed  valuation  to  the  very  highest  of 
any  county  in  the  state  of  Wyoming,  to  see  Casper 
rise  from  a  frontier  village,  with  a  population  of  less  than 
five  hundred  to  a  progressive  city  of  twenty-seven  thousand, 
to  see  our  resources  developed  from  almost  nothing  to  a  stage 
that  supplies  the  product  for  factories  and  refineries  that 
cost  more  than  thirty  millions  of  dollars,  where  more  than 
three  thousand  men  are  employed,  and  to  worthily  record 
the  events  that  have  occurred  in  these  years  is  the  author's 
pride,  and  to  be  familiar  with  them  is  the  duty,  and  should 
be  the  delight  of  every  patriotic  citizen. 

In  presenting  this  work  the  author's  aim  is  to  supply  the 
demand  for  a  true  portrayal  of  a  great  and  eventful  period 
of  more  than  three  decades,  wherein  the  progress  has  been 
most  exciting  and  dramatic.  What  struggles  and  triumphs, 
what  discoveries  and  revelations,  what  disasters  and  reforms, 
what  tragedies  and  comedies  have  characterized  the  wonder- 
ful advance  since  the  first  tent  was  put  up  where  the  city  of 
Casper  is  situated  and  since  Natrona  county  was  organized. 
This  work  is  not  a  mere  history,  for  it  contains  details  of 
commonplace  occurrences  and  graphic  descriptions  of  every- 
thing notable  that  has  occurred  since  Casper  was  a  mere 
village  and  since  Natrona  was  organized  as  a  county.  The 
pages  are  filled  with  the  most  interesting  and  useful  material 
for  reference,  illustration,  entertainment  and  instruction,  and 
in  the  fullest  sense  is  stimulating,  romantic,  true. 

More  than  three  laborious  years  have  been  devoted  to 
the  preparation  of  this  work,  and  the  author  has  obtained 
rare  and  valuable  information  hitherto  inaccessible.  County 
and  city  records,  libraries,  private  diaries,  newspapers  and 
journals  of  the  pioneers  are  the  sources  of  the  author's  informa- 
tion. From  eye  witnesses  and  participants  in  thrilling  scenes 
have  been  secured  interesting  facts  never  before  in  print, 
and  the  work  may  be  relied  upon  as  authority  upon  all  sub- 
jects of  which  it  treats.  The  illustrations  are  rare  and  of  a 
value  beyond  financial  consideration,  and  many  of  the  en- 
vii 


Vlll  FOREWORD 

gravlngs  will  convey  a  clearer  idea  of  some  of  the  subjects 
than  a  whole  volume  of  words.  Bias  or  prejudice  and  a 
garbled  version  made  of  distorted  fact  and  malicious  gossip 
are  not  included  in  these  pages,  but  details,  events  and  inci- 
dents are  recorded  as  nearly  correct  as  has  been  possible  to 
obtain  them. 

To  the  pioneers  and  the  others  who  have  adopted  Na- 
trona county  as  their  dwelling  place,  the  author  has  the 
honor  to  dedicate  this  work. 


Preface 

THERE  is  no  place  in  the  great  MiddleWest  more  replete 
with  interesting  history  than  Central  Wyoming  and  Na- 
trona county .  It  was  in  this  part  of  the  country  that  John 
Colter,  in  1808,  while  trapping  along  the  streams  and  wander- 
ing over  the  plains,  had  thrilling  experiences  with  the  Indians 
that  seem  almost  incredible;  it  was  here  that  Robert  Stuart, 
in  1812,  with  his  small  party  of  men,  who,  after  traveling  for 
many  months  through  the  mountains  and  over  the  plains, 
on  their  way  from  the  Columbia  river  to  Saint  Louis,  and 
having  been  overtaken  with  early  winter,  put  up  the  first 
white  man's  cabin  that  was  built  in  what  is  now  the  state  of 
Wyoming;  it  was  here  that  General  Ashley,  in  1823-4,  ex- 
plored the  Big  Horn  mountains  and  the  Sweetwater  valley 
and  gave  its  name  to  the  "Sweetwater"  river;  it  was  here 
that  Captain  Bonneville,  in  1832,  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
his  most  interesting  explorations,  which  are  so  ably  described 
by  Washington  Irving;  it  was  here  that  Father  DeSmet,  in 
1840,  spread  the  gospel  among  the  Indians  and  trappers,  and 
through  his  goodness  no  doubt  averted  many  a  clash  between 
the  red  man  and  the  whites.  This  great  man  chiseled  his  name 
on  Independence  Rock,  which  he  gave  the  name,  "The 
Register  of  the  Desert";  it  was  here  that  John  C.  Fremont, 
"The  Pathfinder,"  in  1842,  with  Kit  Carson  as  his  guide, 
explored  the  country  along  the  Platte  and  Sweetwater  rivers, 
and  finally  ascended  one  of  the  highest  peaks  in  the  Wind 
River  range  that  bears  his  name,  and  from  this  lofty  peak 
discovered  the  lake  that  was  then  named  and  since  bears 
the  name  of  Fremont  lake;  he,  too,  chiseled  his  name  on 
Independence  Rock.  And  after  Fremont  came  the  sturdy 
pioneers  in  1843-8  to  settle  the  Oregon  Country;  in  1847-55 
the  Mormons  passed  through  to  the  Great  Salt  Lake  country; 
in  1849-55  the  California  gold  seekers  passed  over  the  well- 
worn  trail;  and  up  until  1869  the  emigrants  and  home- 
seekers,  by  the  thousands  upon  thousands,  traveled  from  the 
extreme  east  to  the  west  end  of  the  county  on  their  westward 
journey,  many  of  whom  experienced  hair-breadth  escapes 
and  bloody  encounters  with  wild  beasts  and  hostile  Indians; 
ix 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

Map  OF  Natrona  County,  Wyoming 6 

Natrona  County  Newspapers 30 

"Tribune"  Office,  on  Center  Street,  1900 32 

"  Derrick  "  Office,  1893 32 

Casper's  First  Jail  Building,  1890 36 

Natrona  County's  First  Court  House,  1893 36 

Natrona  County  Court  House,  1908 36 

The  Jameson  Freight  Outfit  Bound  for  Lander 50 

Members  of  the  Natrona  County  Pioneer  Association  (1906) 60 

Freight  Team  and  Wagons  with  Supplies 76 

South  Side  of  Main  Street  in  1888— "Old  Town"  of  Casper 116 

North  Side  of  Main  Street  in  1888 — "Old  Town"  of  Casper 116 

A  Busy  Day  in  the  "Old  Town"  of  Casper,  1888 118 

First  Store  of  the  Richards  k  Cunningham  Company,  1888 118 

Two  Views  of  Casper  in  1894 126 

Congregational  Tabernacle,  Casper's  First  Church  Building 130 

Business  Houses  on  West  Center  Street,  1892 130 

St.  Mark's  First  Episcopal  Church,  Built  in  1890 134 

Casper  Churches  in  the  Early  Days  :   First  Methodist    Episcopal, 

1893  AND  1906;  St.  Mark's  Episcopal;  St.  Anthony's  Catholic 134 

Officers  and  Members  of  Casper  Lodge  No.  15,  A.,  F.  and  A.  M.,  1897.  140 

Casper  Fire  Department,  1913 154 

Eighty-five  Thousand  Barrels  of  Oil  Burning 160 

Oil  Tanks  Struck  by  Lightning  —  A  Million-Dollar  Fire 160 

Loading  Up  the  Freight  Wagons 166 

Indians  on  Second  Street,  Casper,  Come  to  Town  for  Supplies,  1892.  .  166 

West  Side  of  Center  Street,  July  4,  1901 170 

Casper  Band  Marching  Down  Center  Street,  1908 170 

Indians  Entertaining  Casper  Palefaces  in  1894 184 

Center  Street,  Casper,  1890 202 

Same  Street  in  1900 202 

Same  Street  in  1922 202 

Second  Street,  Casper,  Looking  East  from  Center  Street,  1922 208 

Town  of  Bessemer,  1890 222 

Bessemer  Postoffice,  1892 — George  W.  Johnson,  Wife  and  Son 222 

Goose  Egg  Ranch  House 224 

xiii 


Xiv  LIST    OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING 
PAGE 

First  Oil  Derrick  in  the  Salt  Creek  (Shannon)  Field,  Erected  in 

1889 244 

Casper's  First  Oil  Refinery,  Built  in  1895 246 

Hauling  Supplies  from  Casper  to  the  Salt  Creek  Oil  Fields,  1900. ...  248 

Spring  Creek  Canyon.     Inset:  Ella  Watson's  Cabin 268 

The  Tree  upon  which  Ella  Watson  and  James  Averell  Were  Hanged  268 

The  " Hole-in-the-Wall"  Cabin 3H 

The  "Hole-in-the-Wall"  Ranch,  Red  Bluffs  in  the  Distance 314 

"The  Monument,"  in  Memory  of  I.  Morris  Waln 370 

"Monarch  of  the  Plains" 37° 

"The  Sentinels,"  a  Portion  of  " Hell's  Half  Acre" 37^ 

Old  Fort  Caspar  and  Platte  Bridge 396 

Members  of  Casper  City  Council  and  Committee  from  Chamber  of 

Commerce 4^4 

Excavating  a  Log  from  the  Old  Platte  Bridge 406 

Masonic  Memorial  Service  at  Independence  Rock,  Wyoming,  July  4, 

1920.     Inset:  Commemorative  Tablet  Affixed  to  the  Rock 458 

Sweetwater  Valley.    Inset:  Close  View  of  the  Devil's  Gate 462 

The  Devil's  Gate  and  the  Tom  Sun  Ranch 4^2 

Second  Street,  Casper,  Looking  East  from  Center,  1920 462 


Organization  of  Wyoming  as  a 
Territory  and  State 

WYOMING  derived  its  name  from  the  historic  Wyoming 
valley  of  Pennsylvania  and  is  supposed  to  be  a  corruption 
of  the  Indian  name  Maughwauwame,  meaning  in  the  Indian 
language  Large  Plains.  With  the  state  365  miles  in  length  by  276 
miles  in  width,  making  an  area  of  97,883  square  miles,  its  surface  is 
equal  to  the  states  of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania.  Part  of  Wyoming, 
west  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  was  included  in  the  Oregon  Country 
and  belonged  to  Oregon,  Utah,  Washington,  and  Idaho.  The  lower 
Green  River  country,  about  Fort  Bridger,  pertained  to  Mexico  and 
became  American  soil  after  the  treaty  of  1848.  Most  of  Wyoming  was 
included  in  the  Province  of  Louisiana,  purchased  from  the  French 
in  1804,  the  Territory  of  Louisiana  after  1805,  the  Territory  of  Mis- 
souri after  1812,  the  Indian  Country  after  1834,  Nebraska  after  1854, 
Dakota  after  1861,  Idaho  after  1863,  and  Dakota  again  after  1864. 
To  Dakota,  therefore,  our  earliest  pioneers  looked  for  what  little  law 
and  justice  was  given  them;  and  it  was  the  rule,  rather  than  the  ex- 
ception, that  citizens  at  this  long  distance  from  the  seat  of  govern- 
ment waited  either  very  long  or  else  hopelessly  for  even  such  little 
satisfaction  as  might  be  given  by  law.  More  revenue  was  gained 
by  the  territorial  treasury  from  this  isolated  section  than  from  all  of 
eastern  Dakota,  while  the  taxation  here  laid  by  the  United  States 
aggregated  very  handsome  amounts.  In  1868,  however,  a  new  era 
was  inaugurated,  and  the  enterprising  settlers  who  laid  the  founda- 
tion for  our  new  state  made  vigorous  efforts  to  secure  an  organization 
nearer  home.  These  were  baffled  until  July  25,  1868,  when  the  act 
to  provide  a  temporary  government  for  the  "Territory  of  Wyoming" 
became  a  law.^  The  boundaries  designated  for  the  foundling  were 
the  forty-first  and  forty-fifth  degrees  of  north  latitude  and  the  twenty- 
seventh  and  thirty-fourth  meridians  of  longitude  west  from  Washing- 
ton. This  gave  the  territory  the  generous  dimensions  of  365  miles 
in  length  by  276  miles  in  breadth,  and,  besides  taking  a  large  pro- 
portion of  Dakota's  domain,  carved  smaller  areas  from  Colorado 
and  Utah. 

Federal  appointments  for  nearly  all  officers  were  made  during 
April,  1869,  and  on  the  loth  of  May  following  the  new  government 

'"Hand  Book  of  the  Territory  of  Wyoming,"  Robert  E.  Strathorn,  1877. 


2  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

was  in  complete  working  order,  with  Cheyenne  as  the  capital.  The 
gentlemen  who  first  filled  positions  of  trust  were:  J.  A.  Campbell, 
governor;  Edward  M.  Lee,  secretary;  Church  Howe,  marshal;  J.  M. 
Carey,  United  States  attorney;  John  M.  Howe,  chief  justice;  J.  W. 
Bingham  and  W.  S.  Jones,  associate  justices;  C.  D.  Ruger,  surveyor 
general;  Frank  Wolcott,  receiver  public  land  office. 

The  first  legislative  assembly  in  Wyoming  was  organized  at 
Cheyenne  October  12,  1869,  with  Wm.  H.  Bright  as  president  of 
the  council,  and  S.  M.  Curran,  speaker  of  the  house.  The  legislature 
adjourned  sine  die  on  the  loth  of  December,  after  having  given  the 
first  laws  that  were  considered  really  binding  by  the  people  of  this 
section.  Succeeding  sessions  have  been  held  biennially,  meeting, 
according  to  enactment,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  January  of  each 
alternate  year. 

The  following  is  the  official  count  of  the  elections  for  delegate 
to  congress  in  the  Territory  of  Wyoming  from  1869  to  1876. 


1869 

1870 

1872 

1874 

1876 

Counties 

3i 
1^ 

S2 

6^ 

Is- 
c5^ 

Albany 

Carbon 

Laramie 

320 
190 
722 

593 
X38 

515 
389 

886 
862 
679 

428 

ISO 
398 
363 
327 

380 
279 
228 

359 
79 
518 
399 
116 

5? 
261 

572 

186 

160 

555 
282 
677 
306 
584 

699 
363 
881 
406 
657 

lOIO 

529 
1242 
496 
587 

533 
407 

Sweetwater 

423 
457 

Totals 

Majority 

1963 

3331 
1368 

1666 

227 

1439 

1471 

1742 
271 

2404 

3006 
606 

3864 
1 104 

2760 

Whole  vote  (including 
scattering) 

5,266 

3,202 

3,213 

5,404 

6,626 

The  vote  of  1869  was  greatly  out  of  proportion  to  the  permanent 
population  on  account  of  the  great  many  people  who  were  in  the  new 
railroad  towns  along  the  Union  Pacific  railway,  which  at  that  time 
had  just  been  completed.  This  floating  population  disappeared  with 
the  flush  times  of  the  earliest  days,  and  it  was  1874  before  a  perma- 
nent population  was  brought  up  to  the  figures  of  '69. 

The  act  approved  by  President  Benjamin  Harrison  at  5:30  p.m., 
July  10,  1890,  under  which  the  state  of  Wyoming  was  admitted  into 
the  Union,  consists  of  twenty-one  sections,  introduced  by  the  follow- 
ing preamble: 


WYOMING    AS    A    TERRITORY    AND    STATE  3 

"Whereas,  The  people  of  the  Territory  of  Wyoming  did,  on  the 
30th  day  of  September,  1889,  by  a  convention  of  delegates  called 
and  assembled  for  that  purpose,  form  for  themselves  a  constitution, 
which  constitution  was  ratified  and  adopted  by  the  people  of  said 
territory  at  the  election  held  therefor  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  Novem- 
ber, 1889,  which  constitution  is  republican  in  form  and  is  in  conform- 
ity with  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States;  and 

"Whereas,  Said  convention  and  the  people  of  said  territory  have 
asked  the  admission  of  said  territory  into  the  Union  of  states  on  an 
equal  footing  with  the  original  states  in  all  respects  whatever;  there- 
fore, be  it  enacted, 

"Section  i.  That  the  state  of  Wyoming  is  hereby  declared  to 
be  a  state  of  the  United  States  of  America,  and  is  hereby  declared 
admitted  into  the  Union  on  an  equal  footing  with  the  original  states 
in  all  respects  whatever;  and  that  the  constitution  which  the  people 
of  Wyoming  have  formed  for  themselves  be,  and  the  same  is  hereby 
accepted,  ratified,  and  confirmed." 

Section  2  defines  the  boundaries,  which  are  the  same  as  at  the 
present  time;  section  3  fixes  the  representation  in  congress  as  two 
senators  and  one  member  of  the  house  of  representatives;  section  4 
sets  apart  the  sections  of  land  numbered  16  and  36  in  each  township 
for  the  support  of  a  public  school  system;  section  5  relates  to  the  same 
subject;  section  6  grants  "fifty  sections  of  the  unappropriated  public 
lands  within  the  state  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  public  buildings 
at  the  capital,"  etc.;  section  7  donates  5  per  cent  of  the  proceeds  of 
all  sales  of  public  lands  within  the  state  to  the  school  fund;  sections 
8  to  II  relate  to  the  land  grants  under  previous  acts  of  legislation, 
for  the  penitentiary,  fish  hatchery  and  agricultural  college,  etc., 
to-wit:  For  the  insane  asylum  in  Uinta  county,  30,000  acres;  for 
the  penal,  reform,  and  educational  institution  in  course  of  construc- 
tion in  Carbon  county,  30,000  acres;  for  the  penitentiary  in  Albany 
county,  30,000  acres;  for  the  fish  hatchery  in  Albany  county,  5,000 
acres;  for  the  deaf,  dumb,  and  blind  asylum  in  Laramie  county, 
10,000  acres;  for  the  poor  farm  in  Fremont  county,  10,000  acres;  for 
the  miners'  hospital  in  Sweetwater  county,  30,000  acres;  for  public 
buildings  at  the  capital,  75,000  acres;  and  for  state  charitable,  penal 
and  reformatory  institutions,  260,000  acres,  making  a  total  of 
500,000  acres,  in  addition  to  the  specific  land  grants  already  men- 
tioned. The  act  also  contains  a  provision  that  none  of  the  lands 
granted  should  be  sold  for  less  than  ten  dollars  an  acre. 

The  next  three  sections  prescribe  the  manner  in  which  all  lands 
granted  to  the  state  should  be  selected.  Section  15  appropriated 
^3,000   to   defray   the   expenses   of  the   constitutional   convention. 


4  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Sections  i6,  17,  and  18  provide  for  the  establishment  of  a  United 
States  district  court  for  Wyoming,  and  fix  the  time  and  place  of 
holding  terms  of  the  United  States  district  and  circuit  courts.  Section 
19  relates  to  the  election  of  United  States  senators,  and  the  last  two 
sections  authorize  the  territorial  officials  to  remain  in  office  until  a 
state  election  could  be  held,  and  declare  that  the  laws  of  the  United 
States  shall  apply  to  the  state  of  Wyoming. 

The  following  table  exhibiting  the  population  and  assessed  val- 
uation of  the  five  original  counties  of  the  territory  in  1870  and  1877, 
which  is  compiled  from  the  official  returns,  will  be  of  interest: 


Counties 

PoPUL.^lTION 

Assessed  Valuation 

1870 

1877 

1870 

1877 

Albany 

Carbon                              .... 

2,500 
2,000 
4,000 
4.500 
i,7So 

8,500 
2,500 
9,500 
3.500 
4,500 

$    593.547 
1,731.418 
1,397.771 
1,840,120 
1,900,000 

$  2,500,000 
1,900,000 

Laramie                              ... 

3,000,000 

Sweetwater 

1,918,449 

Uinta 

2,500,000 

Total 

I4>750 

28,500 

$7,462,856 

$11,818,449 

With  Natrona  county's  assessed  valuation  in  1921  of  ^61,070,426, 
it  will  be  observed  that  this  count}^  alone  now  has  more  than  five  times 
the  assessed  valuation  that  the  whole  Territory  of  Wyoming  had  in 
1877,  and  it  is  more  than  eight  times  greater  than  the  whole  territory 
was  assessed  at  in  1870. 

The  territorial  governors  of  Wyoming  were  appointed  by  the 
president  of  the  United  States,  and  in  1869,  when  Wyoming  became 
a  territory,  President  U.  S.  Grant  appointed  John  A.  Campbell  our 
first  governor.  Mr.  Campbell  served  as  governor  of  the  new  territory 
until  1875,  when  he  resigned  and  John  M.  Thayer  was  appointed  and 
served  until  1878.  John  W.  Hoyt  was  the  third  governor,  whose  term 
was  from  1878  to  1882.  William  Hale  served  from  1882  until  1885, 
and  died  while  in  office.  Francis  E.  Warren  succeeded  Mr.  Hale  and 
served  from  1885  to  1886.  George  E.  Baxter  was  appointed  in  Novem- 
ber, 1886,  and  served  until  December  of  that  year,  when  Thomas 
Moonlight  was  appointed  and  served  until  1889.  Francis  E.  Warren 
was  again  appointed  in  1889,  and  upon  the  organization  of  the  state 
government  was  elected  its  first  governor,  assuming  the  office  under 
the  state  organization  October  11,  1890.  Having  been  elected  United 
States  senator  he  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  Amos  W.  Barber, 
then  secretary  of  state,  as  acting  governor  on  November  24,  1890. 
At  the  election  held  in  November,  1892,  John  E.  Osborne  was  elected 
governor  to  complete  the  original  term  of  Governor  Warren.  William 


WYOMING    AS    A    TERRITORY    AND    STATE  5 

A.  Richards  was  elected  governor  in  November,  1894,  assuming 
office  in  January,  1895,  and  served  the  four-year  term.  DeForest 
Richards  was  elected  chief  executive  in  1898,  taking  the  oath  in 
January,  1899.  He  was  re-elected  in  1902,  assuming  office  in  January, 
1903.  Governor  Richards  served  but  a  few  months  of  his  second  term 
when  death  overtook  him  and  Fenimore  Chatterton,  secretary  of 
state,  became  acting  governor.  In  the  election  of  1904  Bryant  B. 
Brooks  was  chosen  to  complete  the  term  of  Governor  Richards.  In 
1906  Governor  Brooks  was  chosen  his  own  successor,  for  the  regular 
term.  Joseph  M.  Carey  was  elected  in  1910  and  was  inaugurated  in 
January,  191 1.  John  B.  Kendrick  was  elected  in  1914  and  became 
governor  in  January,  1915.  In  the  campaign  of  1916  he  was  elected 
United  States  senator,  resigning  the  governorship  February  26, 
1917.  Frank  L.  Houx,  by  virtue  of  his  office  of  secretary  of  state, 
became  acting  governor  on  the  same  date.  At  the  gubernatorial 
election  November,  1918,  Robert  D.  Carey  was  elected  and  took 
office  January,  1919,  and  served  until  January,  1923.  William  B. 
Ross  was  the  people's  choice  at  the  general  election  held  in  November, 
1922,  and  was  inaugurated  January  i,  1923. 


Organization  of  Natrona  County 

THE  first  step  toward  the  segregation  of  Carbon  county  and 
the  estabhshment  of  a  new  county  to  be  known  as  Natrona 
was  taken  when  a  bill  was  presented  in  the  Wyoming  terri- 
torial legislature  in  1888,  entitled:  "An  act  making  divers  appro- 
priations, and  for  other  purposes."  The  act,  after  being  passed  by 
the  legislature  and  engrossed,  was  presented  to  Governor  Moonlight 
for  his  signature,  but  instead  of  signing  the  bill,  the  governor  promptly 
vetoed  it,  and  when  it  was  returned  to  the  legislative  halls  with  his 
disapproval,  the  members  of  the  legislature  just  as  promptly  passed 
the  bill  over  the  governor's  veto. 

The  next  step  taken  in  behalf  of  the  new  county  was  during  the 
latter  months  of  1888,  when  a  petition  was  circulated  and  signed  by 
about  two-thirds  of  the  people  living  in  the  northern  part  of  Carbon 
county  (now  Natrona  county).  The  petition  requested  Governor 
Moonlight  to  appoint  Jacob  E.  Ervay,  Nathan  S.  Bristol  and  Bryant 
B.  Brooks  as  temporary  commissioners  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
the  new  county.  The  segregation  would  divide  Carbon  county  near 
the  center  by  a  line  running  east  and  west,  thus  giving  Natrona 
county  an  area  of  about  5,500  square  miles,  or  seventy-five  miles 
square,  the  area  of  Carbon  county  at  that  time  being  170  miles  long 
and  seventy-five  miles  wide. 

The  petition,  containing  nearly  300  names,  was  carried  from 
Casper  to  Cheyenne  by  Attorney  C.  C.  Wright  on  January  31,  1889, 
and  was  formally  presented  to  the  governor.  A  man  named  McCoy, 
who  was  at  that  time  booming  the  townsite  of  Bothwell,  in  the  Sweet- 
water country,  and  who  had  been  in  the  county  less  than  three  months, 
made  the  trip  to  Cheyenne  for  the  purpose  of  filing  a  remonstrance 
with  the  governor,  objecting  to  the  three  commissioners  being  ap- 
pointed, and  he  filed  affidavits  to  the  effect  that  many  of  the  peti- 
tioners were  not  legal  residents  of  the  county,  and  therefore,  the 
petition  should  not  be  considered  by  the  governor. 

Governor  Moonlight,  after  the  petition  and  remonstrance  had 
been  presented,  announced  that  he  would  keep  the  matter  open  for 
eighteen  days,  in  order  that  further  evidence  and  argument  might 
be  produced  for  and  against  the  commissioners  being  appointed, 
and  after  the  eighteen  days  expired  he  would  require  eight  days 
more  to  review  the  evidence  and  render  a  decision. 

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ORGANIZATION  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY  7 

On  February  26,  1889,  the  governor  gave  notice  that  he  would 
not  appoint  the  temporary  commissioners  as  requested  by  the  peti- 
tioners, and  from  this  decree  there  was  no  appeal.  Thus  the  organ- 
ization of  Natrona  county  was  delayed  for  the  time  being. 

Governor  Moonlight  was  removed  from  office  in  about  thirty 
days  after  he  vetoed  the  petition,  and  on  March  22,  1889,  President 
Benjamin  Harrison  appointed  Francis  E.  Warren  as  governor  of  the 
Territory  of  Wyoming.  Then  the  people  of  the  northern  part  of  Car- 
bon county  again  circulated  a  petition  praying  that  Governor  Warren 
appoint  George  Mitchell,  Bryant  B.  Brooks,  and  Jacob  E.  Ervay  as 
commissioners  to  act  in  the  organization  of  the  county  of  Natrona. 
Mr.  Bristol  declined  the  honor  of  having  his  name  on  the  second 
petition.  In  due  time  the  petition  was  presented  to  Governor  Warren, 
and  on  March  3,  1890,  the  governor  made  the  appointments  as 
requested  in  the  petition. 

The  boundaries  of  Natrona  county,  at  the  time  the  bill  was 
enacted  by  the  territorial  legislature,  which  have  been  changed  but 
little  since,  were  defined  as  follows: 

"Commencing  at  a  point  on  the  seventh  standard  parallel  north, 
at  its  intersection  with  the  western  boundary  line  of  the  present 
county  of  Albany;  thence  west  along  said  standard  parallel  to  its 
intersection  with  the  west  boundary  line  of  the  present  county  of 
Carbon;  thence  north  along  said  last  described  boundary  line  to  the 
southern  boundary  line  of  the  present  county  of  Johnson;  thence 
east  along  said  boundary  line  of  Johnson  county  to  the  northwestern 
corner  of  the  present  county  of  Albany;  thence  south  along  the  west- 
ern boundary  line  of  said  county  of  Albany  to  the  place  of  beginning; 
being  all  that  portion  of  the  present  county  of  Carbon,  Territory  of 
Wyoming,  lying  north  of  the  seventh  standard  parallel  north." 

Natrona  county  derives  its  name  from  the  natural  deposits  of 
natrum  or  carbonate  of  soda,  which  is  found  in  the  numerous  basins 
and  lakes  that  abound  in  the  central  part  of  the  state.  Judge  Charles 
E.  Blydenburgh  of  Rawlins  suggested  the  name  "Natrona"  as  the 
thirteenth  county  of  Wyoming. 

Carbon,  our  mother  county,  was  one  of  the  original  five  counties 
of  the  Territory  of  Wyoming,  and  was  organized  by  legislative 
enactment  in  November,  1869. 

Carbon  county  originally  included  all  that  portion  of  the  Terri- 
tory of  Wyoming  lying  between  a  point  on  the  Union  Pacific  railway 
one-half  mile  east  of  Aurora  station  on  the  east,  and  the  107th 
degree  and  30  minutes  west  longitude  on  the  west,  and  the  north  and 
south  boundary  lines  of  the  territory.  The  area  of  the  land  embraced 
was  22,080  square  miles,  thirty  square  miles  more  than  are  included 


8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

in  the  states  of  Connecticut,  Massachusetts  and  New  Hampshire. 
In  1879  Carbon  county  was  divided  on  the  parallel  of  43  degrees 
and  30  minutes  north  latitude,  and  the  north  portion  was  organized 
under  the  name  of  Pease,  but  was  later  changed  to  Johnson  county. 
After  this  division  Carbon  county  was  reduced  in  land  area  to  12,816 
square  miles.  Reduced  to  acres  the  county  contained  8,783,040  acres 
of  land.  Its  population  in  1 877,  before  Johnson  county  was  segregated, 
was  given  as  2,500  and  its  assessed  valuation  was  $1,900,000.  With 
the  two  divisions  of  Carbon  county  that  have  been  made  from  its 
original  area,  Natrona  is  left  in  the  center  of  the  old  county,  Johnson 
being  to  our  north  and  Carbon  to  the  south.  Sheridan  county  was 
organized  from  part  of  Johnson  in  1887,  and  Big  Horn  county  was 
organized  from  part  of  Johnson  in  1897. 

The  beautiful  valleys  of  the  Sweetwater,  Powder  and  North 
Platte  rivers  and  the  numerous  small  streams  in  Natrona  county, 
and  the  contiguous  plains,  largely  visited  by  the  warm  winds  from 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  make  this  region  one  of  the  most  de- 
sirable locations  on  this  continent.  The  valleys  in  this  section  are  so 
protected  by  mountain  ranges  on  the  immediate  south  and  west  that 
it  is  signally  exempt  from  the  perilous  storms  which  make  winter  so 
dangerous  and  destructive  to  livestock  in  the  north  and  east,  and  the 
dreadful  blizzards  which  sweep  a  considerable  portion  of  the  United 
States  during  the  winter  months  do  not  reach  this  section  to  any 
appreciable  extent. 

The  commissioners  appointed  by  Governor  Warren  took  the 
oath  of  office  on  March  5,  1890,  before  R.  H.  Wilbur,  a  justice  of  the 
peace  residing  in  Casper.  Immediately  after  the  oath  of  office  was 
administered,  the  commissioners  designated  Casper,  in  the  unorgan- 
ized county  of  Natrona,  as  the  place  to  hold  its  meetings.  The  first 
regular  meeting  of  the  new  commissioners  was  held  on  the  5th  day 
of  March,  1890,  at  4  o'clock  p.  m.,  in  the  office  of  the  Wyoming 
Lumber  company,  George  Mitchell  being  president  of  the  lumber 
company,  and  the  office  was  located  where  the  Nicolaysen  Lumber 
company  yards  are  now  located.  At  this  meeting  Bryant  B.  Brooks 
was  chosen  chairman  of  the  board,  George  Mitchell,  secretary,  and 
F.  H.  Harvey  was  appointed  attorney  for  the  board.  The  commis- 
sioners then  established  voting  precincts  and  appointed  judges  of 
election  for  each  voting  precinct  as  follows: 

Casper  precinct  —  Joel  J.  Hurt,  J.  A.  Casebeer,  R.  H.  Wilbur. 

Muddy  precinct  —  C.  C.  P.  Webel,  Edward  Beach,  James  Milne. 

Bessemer  precinct  —  Rufus  Rhoades,  G.  W.  Johnson,  G.  C. 
Riggles. 

Bates  Hole  precinct — Joseph  Bowie,  M.  Benedict,  Jacob  Crouse. 


ORGANIZATION  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY         9 

Sweetwater  precinct — H.  C.Wilson,  Daniel  Fitger,  J.  H.Omstead. 

Durbin  precinct  —  LaFayette  Griffin,  Wm.  Hunt,  Samuel  John- 
son. 

Ervay  precinct  —  J.  J.  HoUiday,  D.  P.  Smith,  John  F.  Landon. 

The  board  ordered  that  an  election  be  held  within  the  unorgan- 
ized county  of  Natrona,  on  the  8th  day  of  April,  1890,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  electing  all  county  and  precinct  officers  of  the  said  county  of 
Natrona,  and  for  the  selection  of  a  county  seat  for  the  said  county. 

The  notice  of  the  election  was  ordered  published  in  the  Casper 
Weekly  Mail,  the  first  paper  published  in  Casper,  and  the  only  one 
published  here  at  that  time. 

The  next  exciting  event  was  the  county  election,  held  April  8, 
1890,  and  the  selection  of  the  county  seat  was  the  big  drawing  card 
of  the  day.  The  contest  for  the  county  seat  was  between  Casper  and 
Bessemer  from  the  very  moment  that  it  was  officially  declared  that 
there  was  to  be  a  Natrona  county,  and  after  the  smoke  of  battle  had 
cleared  away  it  was  learned  that  in  the  entire  county  Bessemer  had 
received  731  votes,  against  353  for  Casper.  It  was  claimed  by  both 
sides  that  a  great  many  fraudulent  votes  had  been  cast,  but  it  was 
very  evident  when  the  commissioners  met  to  canvass  the  returns, 
that  Bessemer  "overplayed  her  hand,"  and  the  entire  vote  from  that 
precinct,  for  the  county  seat,  as  well  as  for  all  the  county  officers, 
was  thrown  out  on  the  official  count,  the  commissioners  reporting 
that  "The  official  returns  from  Bessemer  made  to  the  board  of  com- 
missioners, upon  being  opened,  were  found  to  be  grossly  irregular, 
no  official  summary  or  return  being  made,  or  certified  to  in  the  poll 
book,  as  required  by  law,  nor  was  the  tally  list  signed  or  certified  to 
or  identified  in  the  manner  provided  by  law,  and  it  is  therefore,  upon 
motion,  ordered  that  the  said  returns  from  Bessemer  voting  place 
be  not  considered  or  counted  in  the  canvass." 

The  vote  on  the  county  officers  and  upon  the  seat  of  the  county 
government  from  all  the  other  precincts  of  the  county  excepting 
Bessemer,  gave  the  following  totals: 

Sheriff"  — W.  W.  Jaycox,  241;  Oliver  M.  Rice,  177. 

County  Clerk  and  ex-Officio  Register  of  Deeds  —  Peter  O'Malley, 
226;  George  Mitchell,  193. 

Judge  of  Probate  and  County  Treasurer —  Bryant  B.  Brooks, 
175;  John  McGrath,  241. 

County  and  Prosecuting  Attorney  —  Alex  T.  Butler,  176;  C.  C. 
Wright,  218. 

County  Commissioners  —  C.  C.  P.  Webel,  212;  A.  McKinney, 
339;  S.  A.  Aggers,  224;  John  Greenlaw,  154;  J.  P.  Smith,  218;  I.  N. 
Speer,  99. 


lO  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

County  Superintendent  of  Schools  —  Cordelia  M.  Cheney,  415;  | 
Cora  Cantlin,  i.  j 

Coroner  —  Joe  Benson,  i;  A.  P.  Haynes,  267;  D.  L.  Clark,  3;  | 
R.  J.  Marsch,  2. 

Surveyor  —  J.  B.  Bradley,  273;  Chris  Baysel,  145.  | 

Assessor  —  E.  L.  McGraugh,  202;  Allen  Cox,  82;  William  Clark,   ! 

131- 

Justice  of  the  Peace  —  Fred  E.  Place,  35;  R.  H.  Wilbur,  284;  j 

Ida  M.  Richards,  2.  j 

Constable  —  Hugh  Patton,  282;  Jacob  Crouse,  18;  Norman  I 
Calmon,  23.  j 

County  Seat  —  Casper,  353;  Bessemer,  64. 

The  board  of  county  commissioners,  consisting  of  A.  McKinney,  ', 
S.  A.  Aggers  and  J.  P.  Smith,  met  in  regular  session  on  April  12,  and  j 
after  perfecting  their  organization,  thereupon  issued  a  proclamation  j 
which  declared  that  "the  county  commissioners,  the  sheriff,  the  I 
county  clerk  and  ex-officio  register  of  deeds,  and  the  judge  of  probate  ) 
and  county  treasurer,  having  each  severally  received  certificates  of  j 
election,  and  having  each  duly  qualified  according  to  law,  did  then  '■ 
and  there  enter  upon  the  duties  of  their  said  offices,  respectively,  , 
and  the  county  of  Natrona,  Territory  of  Wyoming,  was  declared  duly  ' 
and  regularly  organized."  ! 

At  this  same  meeting  the  board  of  county  commissioners  leased  ■ 
three  rooms  in  the  second  story  of  White  &  Co.'s  building,  to  be  used  : 
as  county  oflfices,  at  $450  annually.  These  are  the  front  rooms  in  the  , 
building  on  Center  street  the  second  door  south  from  Second  street,  [ 
on  the  west  side  of  the  street,  which  for  many  years  were  occupied  ! 
by  the  Grand  Central  hotel. 

But  little  business  was  transacted  by  the  board  of  county  com-  ' 
missioners  at  its  first  meeting  held  April  12,  except  to  provide  for  ; 
rooms  for  the  county  officers,  but  on  May  5  a  contract  was  made  with  ; 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Converse  county  "to  take  and 
care  for  any  prisoners  from  Natrona  county  at  the  rate  of  one  dollar   ' 
per  day  in  United  States  currency  for  each  prisoner,  the  bills  to  be   ' 
paid  monthly."    On  the  same  date  the  county  clerk  was  instructed 
to  make  an  order  for  the  county  superintendent  of  schools  to  estab-   . 
lish  the  school  districts  of  Natrona  county  which  were  to  be  a  part    ' 
of  the  records  of  said  county.  This  was  all  the  business  of  importance 
transacted  at  this  meeting.  At  the  meeting  of  June  3,  the  board  passed    ; 
a  resolution  to  the  effect  "that  the  Casper-Bates  Hole  road  is  of  ; 
sufficient  importance  to  be  opened  and  traveled,  therefore,  it  is  or- 
dered that  the  said  road  be  and  the  same  is  hereby  established." 
O.  M.  Rice  was  appointed  road  overseer  for  the  new  county.  A  grand    ' 


ORGANIZATION  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY         II 

jury  was  selected  at  the  meeting  held  July  7,  and  it  was  the  duty  of 
this  grand  jury  to  select  a  list  of  sixty  names  to  serve  as  petit  jurors 
at  the  term  of  the  district  court. 

The  Casper-Muddy  road  was  established  October  9,  1890, 
"commencing  at  the  town  of  Casper  and  running  in  an  easterly 
direction  to  a  point  just  east  of  J.  A.  Stroud's  ranch,  thence  on  the 
road  now  traveled  in  a  southeasterly  direction  to  John  Greenlaw's 
ranch,  thence  in  an  easterly  direction  to  a  pass  in  the  hills  about 
one  fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  the  old  traveled  road  and  about  one- 
half  a  mile  west  of  the  TAX  ranch,  connecting  with  the  said  old  road 
about  100  feet  above  and  north  of  the  first  bridge  on  Dry  Muddy 
creek  west  of  said  TAX  ranch,  thence  following  the  old  road  in  an 
easterly  direction  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  thence  in  a  southeasterly 
direction  as  far  as  the  southwest  corner  of  the  OK  ranch,  thence  in 
an  easterly  direction  to  the  northwest  corner  of  the  Hines  and  Jaycox 
ranch  on  West  Muddy,  crossing  said  West  Muddy  close  to  Hines  and 
Jaycox  ranch,  thence  southeasterly  to  a  point  about  one-fourth  of  a 
mile  from  said  crossing  of  West  Muddy,  thence  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion to  the  county  line,  crossing  the  Main  Muddy  creek,  on  section 
line  between  C.  C.  P.  Webel's  ranch  and  the  Lajaunesse  ranch, 
immediately  south,  terminating  at  the  county  line." 

The  second  election  to  occur  in  Natrona  county  was  held  on 
September  11,  1890.  The  republican  ticket  nominated  was:  Sheriff, 
Harry  Biggs;  clerk,  Peter  O'Malley;  treasurer,  W.  A.  Denecke; 
attorney,  A.  T.  Butler;  clerk  of  court,  C.  W.  Wixcey;  commissioners, 
B.  B.  Brooks,  P.  A.  Demorest,  Fred  E.  Place;  assessor,  Samuel  A. 
Aggers;  surveyor,  J.  B.  Bradley;  coroner,  H.  A.  Lilly;  superintendent 
schools,  Cordelia  M.  Cheney;  justices  of  peace,  R.  H.  Wilbur  and 
G.  E.  Butler.  The  democrats  nominated  for  sheriflF,  W.  W.  Jaycox; 
clerk,  Laura  E.  Stroud;  treasurer,  John  McGrath;  attorney,  Carl  C. 
Wright;  clerk  of  court,  George  Mitchell;  commissioners,  S.  C.  Leach, 
J.  P.  Smith,  A.  W.  Jones;  assessor,  E.  L.  McGraugh;  surveyor, 
Chris  Baysel;  coroner,  A.  P.  Haynes;  superintendent  schools,  Cor- 
delia M.  Cheney;  justices  of  peace,  J.  J.  Corbett  and  Robert  Parks. 
The  ticket  elected  was  about  evenly  divided  among  the  republicans 
and  democrats,  the  successful  candidates  being:  W.  W.  Jaycox, 
sheriff;  Peter  O'Malley,  clerk;  John  McGrath,  treasurer;  George 
Mitchell,  clerk  of  court;  B.  B.  Brooks,  Fred  E.  Place,  J.  P.  Smith, 
commissioners;  E.  L.  McGraugh,  assessor;  J.  B.  Bradley,  surveyor; 
H.  A.  Lilly,  coroner;  Cordelia  M.  Cheney,  superintendent  of 
schools;  R.  H.  Wilbur,  and  G.  E.  Butler,  justices  of  the  peace. 
W.  F.  Dunn  was  elected  on  the  republican  ticket  as  joint  repre- 
sentative to  the  state  legislature  from  Natrona  and  Carbon  counties. 


12  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  ' 

Mr.  Dunn  was  the  first  man  from  Casper  to  be  elected  to  that  posi-  ' 
tion  of  honor. 

On  account  of  the  regular  election,  as  provided  by  the  state  law, 
occurring  in  September  of  this  year,  Natrona  county's  first  set  of 
officers  was  in  charge  of  affairs  only  from  April  9  to  December  31. 

In  November,  1890,  the  business  in  the  county  clerk's  office  had 
increased  to  such  extent  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  one  man  to  do  it 
justice,  and,  with  the  sanction  of  the  county  commissioners.  County 
Clerk  O'Malley  appointed  J.  B.  Bradley  deputy  county  clerk. 

Nothing  of  importance  was  transacted  by  the  county  commis-  , 
sioners  since  their  meeting  in  November  until  the  first  meeting  in  1 
January,  when  the  newly-elected  county  officers  were  sworn  in.  At  I 
this  meeting,  January  2,  1891,  judgment  against  Natrona  county  in  | 
favor  of  Carbon  county  in  the  sum  of  $15,565.71,  with  interest  at  j 
the  rate  of  8  per  cent  from  April  8,  1890,  as  adjusting  debt,  was  j 
assumed  by  this  county.  | 

On  February  10,  1891,  a  special  jail  fund  was  created  for  the  ! 
purpose  of  paying  for  the  keeping  of  committed  prisoners  and  it  was,  \ 
"Resolved  that  all  funds  derived  from  the  county  clerk's  office  for  ' 
the  months  of  January,  February,  and  March,  1891,  be  carried  to  ! 
the  jail  fund  and  the  county  treasurer  is  hereby  instructed  to  place  , 
to  the  credit  of  said  jail  fund  all  moneys  paid  him  for  the  months  of  ■ 
January,  February,  and  March  by  the  county  clerk."  There  was  now 
in  the  county  clerk's  office  $152.80  which  was  the  earnings  for  the  , 
month  of  January,  1891.    This  was  ordered  covered  into  the  county 
treasury  and  to  be  applied  on  the  jail  fund.    George  Mitchell  was 
confirmed  as  clerk  of  the  district  court  on  February   11,  1891,  by  . 
Judge  J.  W.  Blake. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1891,  William  W.  Jaycox,  who  had  served  , 
as  sheriff  of  Natrona  county  since  its  organization   and  was  twice  ; 
elected  to  that  office,  and  without  resigning  from  the  office  or  saying  ] 
good  bye  to  his  friends,  changed  his  place  of  residence.  His  bondsmen  ; 
immediately  made  application  to  be  released,  and  the  county  com- 
missioners, having  announced  that  inasmuch  as  the  "said  Jaycox  ■ 
had  fled  the  state  and  left  no  one  in  charge  of  public  affairs,  the  office 
of  sheriff  is  declared  vacant  and  the  bondsmen  are  discharged  from  ■ 
further  liability  as  surety  of  the  said  Jaycox  as  sheriff."    Jaycox  was 
an  exceptionally  good  officer  and  his  financial  affairs  were  all  straight,  ' 
but  domestic  trouble  caused  him  to  "flee"  from  the  state.    O.  M.  ' 
Rice  was  appointed  sheriff  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners  to 
fill  the  unexpired  term.  ; 

Dr.  W.  W.  Miller  was  on  May  4,  1891,  appointed  physician  and  • 
surgeon  for  the  county  at  a  salary  of  $125  a  year.  ' 


ORGANIZATION    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  13 

B.  S.  Ross  was  allowed  $2,517.20  for  making  the  transcript  of 
the  county.  On  July  7,  1891,  the  county  was  bonded  for  $23,000  to 
pay  the  Carbon  county  indebtedness  and  other  accumulated  indebt- 
edness. The  county  was  without  funds  at  this  time  and  the  fact 
caused  some  of  the  alarmists  considerable  uneasiness.  There  were 
no  improvements  made  or  bills  contracted  except  those  that  were 
absolutely  necessary.  By  strict  economy  the  county  was  soon  "on 
its  feet,"  and  in  commenting  on  our  financial  condition,  the  local 
newspaper  in  January,  1892,  said: 

"Natrona  county  is  now  not  quite  two  years  old.  It  sprung  into  life  under  the 
most  adverse  circumstances  and  many  people  predicted  that  its  course  would  be  brief 
and  that  bankruptcy  would  be  its  ultimate  end.  Yet  today  there  are  few  counties  in 
the  state  in  better  financial  condition.  It  begins  the  new  year  with  a  balance  of  $5,271 
on  hand,  all  bills  have  been  paid  up  to  the  fifth  of  the  month  and  our  warrants  are 
sold  on  the  market  for  ninety-five  cents  on  the  dollar.  Several  large  herds  of  cattle 
have  left  our  county  during  the  past  two  years,  but  in  their  place  have  come  small 
ranchmen  with  small  herds,  so  that  the  number  of  head  has  been  but  slightly  decreased 
while  the  additional  number  of  improved  ranches  makes  up  the  sum  of  our  revenue. 
Our  mineral  resources'  have  been  developed  and  received  an  impetus  such  as  has  not 
been  known  before  in  the  history  of  the  state.  We  are  witnessing  the  dawn  of  a  glorious 
day." 

The  road  from  Casper  to  the  Sweetwater  country  was  established 
at  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  held  on  July  5, 
1892.  The  soda  lakes  near  Independence  Rock  were  the  incentive 
for  the  expenditure  of  a  considerable  amount  of  money  to  put  this 
road  in  good  repair.  At  this  same  meeting,  the  Lost  Cabin  road 
from  Casper  was  also  established.  The  establishment  of  county 
roads  was  about  the  most  important  business  to  come  before  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  in  those  days. 

The  building  of  a  jail  for  the  county  and  the  town  of  Casper 
was  a  subject  that  taxed  the  minds  of  the  officials  considerably  at 
this  time.  The  town  was  progressive;  a  town  hall  had  already  been 
built  and  the  town  council  had  devised  ways  and  means  to  build  a 
jail  to  replace  the  one  that  Dr.  Joe  Benson  had  caused  to  be  destroyed 
by  fire.  The  proposition  was  for  the  town  and  county  to  build  a 
union  jail  to  cost  about  $4,000,  the  town  to  pay  half  and  the  county 
to  pay  half,  and  on  July  27,  1892,  the  county  accepted  a  proposition 
from  the  town  of  Casper  for  the  building  of  a  union  jail  by  adopting 
the  following  resolution: 

"Whereas,  The  county  of  Natrona  has  no  jail  or  place  to  con- 
fine its  prisoners,  and  it  is  hereby  adjudged  and  considered  that  the 
best  interests  of  Natrona  county  will  be  served  by  accepting  the 
proposition  of  said  town  of  Casper,  and  the  same  is  hereby  accepted 

'The  gold,  silver,  copper,  galena,  and  asbestos  mines  on  Casper  mountain  were  in  the  height  of 
activity  at  that  time. 


14  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  approved,  and  the  county  treasurer  in  and  for  said  county  is 
hereby  authorized,  empowered  and  a  copy  of  this  order  shall  be  his 
authority  for  doing  so,  to  pay  over  out  of  the  money  remaining  from 
the  sale  of  county  bonds  to  the  said  town  of  Casper  for  the  uses  of 
said  jail  the  sum  of  $2,000  whenever  the  said  town  of  Casper  shall 
execute  to  Natrona  county  a  bond  in  the  sum  of  $4,000  for  the  build-  I 
ing  and  completion  of  said  jail."     The  bond  was  furnished  by  the  i 
town  on  December  5  and  was  accepted  by  the  county  commissioners,  j 
and  an  agreement  was  entered  into  for  a  union  town  and  county  jail,  i 
On  April  4,  1893,  the  building  was  completed  and  accepted  and  the  | 
contractors  paid.    The  prisoners  of  the  town  and  county  were  then  ■ 
relieved  of  the  inconvenience  of  being  transported  to  Douglas  for  i 
safe  keeping  and  back  to  Casper  for  trial  by  court,  and  the  town  and 
county  were  relieved  of  the  expense  of  taking  them  to  and  from  I 
Douglas.     This  union  jail  was  the  brick  and  stone  building  which  j 
stood  in  the  old  court  house  square,  immediately  in  the  rear  of  the  j 
new"  fire  house  and  municipal  garage  on  the  west  side  of  David  street,  j 
between  Yellowstone  Highway  and  Midwest  avenue.    It  was  torn  j 
down  late  in  the  fall  of  1921.    Many  noted  criminals,  such  as  horse  j 
thieves,  bank  robbers,  postoffice  robbers,  cattle  thieves,  murderers,  | 
and  other  desperate  men,  had  been  lodged  in  this  jail,  among  them  j 
being  old  Chief  Red  Cloud,  who  is  said  to  have  caused  the  death  of 
more  white  men  than  any  other  human  being  in  this  part  of  the 
country.   If  the  old  walls  could  have  talked  and  revealed  the  thoughts  ■■ 
of  some  of  the  men  who  had  been  confined  there,  what  a  story  they  j 
could  have  told.  | 

The  public  road  to  the  Alcova  hot  springs  was  established '! 
April  6,  1894,  and  on  the  same  date  a  contract  was  entered  into  with  { 
C.  R.  Countryman  to  build  a  bridge  across  the  Sweetwater  river  at  j 
Independence  Rock  for  $267.92,  the  county  to  furnish  the  material.    | 

The  business  of  the  county  steadily  increased  year  after  year  , 
until  the  need  of  a  new  court  house  was  felt,  and  at  the  meeting  of 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  held  in  May,  1895,  it  was  decided  ■ 
to  put  up  a  new  court  house  on  the  land  recently  acquired  by  the 
county.    The  building  was  described  as  "twenty-four  by  thirty-six  : 
feet,  two  stories,  frame,  covered  with  standing  seam  iron;  a  large  , 
brick  vault  eight  by  twelve  feet."     The  contract  for  the  masonry  ; 
work  was  awarded  to  W.  F.  McMillen  for  $227  and  the  carpenter  . 
work  to  E.  Erben  for  $250.   The  new  building  was  finished  the  latter  , 
part  of  June  and  was  occupied  by  the  county  officers  the  first  week  , 
in  July,  1895.    This  building  was  in  the  same  block  with  the  union  1 
town  and  county  jail  and  at  that  time  was  considered  a  creditable 
building  for  the  housing  of  the  county  officers.    It  was  used  for  that  ' 


ORGANIZATION  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY         1 5 

purpose  until  March  13,  1909,  when  the  new  court  house  on  Center 
and  A  streets  was  occupied.  At  a  meeting  held  on  August  2,  1895, 
Chairman  Charles  K.  Bucknum  was  appointed  a  committee  of  one 
to  purchase  material  to  enclose  the  ground  of  lots  3,  4,  9, 11,  12,  15, 
27,  28,  31,  39  and  40,  in  block  one,  which  had  been  acquired  for 
court  house  purposes. 

The  bridge  across  the  Platte  river  at  Alcova,  owned  by  the 
Alcova  Hot  Springs  company,  was  on  July  6,  1897,  declared  to  be  in 
a  dangerous  and  unsafe  condition  and  that  loss  to  life  and  property 
might  ensue  should  the  structure  be  allowed  to  stand.  It  was  there- 
fore condemned  and  ordered  removed  within  thirty  days  or  the 
county  would  remove  it  as  provided  by  law. 

The  resignation  of  H.  L.  Patton  as  sheriff  of  Natrona  county  on 
June  7,  1898,  was  accepted  and  O.  M.  Rice  was  appointed  by  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  to  fill  the  vacancy.  Mr.  Patton  re- 
signed in  order  to  enlist  with  the  Torrey  Rough  Riders  in  the  Span- 
ish-American war. 

Ed  Crapon  was  appointed  county  assessor  for  Natrona  county 
January  3,  1900.  The  salary  was  ^650,  and  it  required  about  three 
months  to  do  the  work.  After  this  year  the  assessor  was  elected 
every  two  years  the  same  as  other  county  officers  and  the  salary  was 
increased  to  $125  per  month. 

The  foregoing  is  a  brief  resume  of  the  most  important  work  done 
by  the  county  officers  for  the  first  ten  years  of  the  county's  organ- 
ization. Details  have  been  gone  into  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
comparison  of  how  the  business  was  transacted  in  those  days  and 
how  it  is  transacted  at  the  present  time,  as  well  as  to  show  how  we 
have  builded  up  from  the  smallest  county  in  Wyoming,  both  in  popu- 
lation and  wealth,  to  the  most  populous  and  richest  in  the  state. 

On  the  page  following  will  be  found  a  list  of  the  county  officers, 
and  the  dates  upon  which  they  served,  from  1890  to  1923,  inclusive: 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


Apr.,  1890— Dec.  31,1890      1891-1892  1893-1894                  1895-1896 

County  Clerk Peter  O'MaUey  Peter  O'Malley  Peter  O'Malley  Peter  O'MaUey 

County  Treasurer. . .  John  McGrath  John  McGrath  John  McGrath  W.  F.  Dunn 

Sheriff W.  W.  Jaycox  W.  W.  Jaycox'  Oliver  M.  Rice  H.  L.  Patton 

Clerk  of  Court George  Mitchell  George  Mitchell  John  F.  Heagney  M.  P.  Wheeler 

Commissioner A.  McKinney  J.P.Smith  A.W.Jones  C.  K.  Bucknum 

Commissioner S.  A.  Aggers  B.B.Brooks  Robt.  White  Ed.  S.  White 

Commissioner   J.  P.  Smith  F.  E.  Place  G.  S.  Martin  Okley  K.  Garvey 

County  Supt Cordelia  M.  Cheney  CordeUa  M.  Cheney  Florence  Kennedy  Wilhelmina  Clark 

County  Assessor E.  L.  McGraugh  E.  L.  McGraugh  E.  L.  McGraugh  Daniel  R.  Fitger 

Constable H.  L.  Patton  John  McClure  E.  A.  Johnson 

Prosecuting  Att'y- .  .  C.C.Wright  Alex.  T.  Butler  Geo.  B.  McCalmont   Geo.  S.  Walker 

Coroner     A.  P.  Haynes  Mathew  Campfield  Mathew  Campfield 

County  Surveyor...  J.B.Bradley  J.B.Bradley  J.B.Bradley  J.B.Bradley 

Justice  of  Peace....  R.  H.  WUbur  R.H.Wilbur  J.B.Smith  Jas.  Ford 

1897-1898                  1899-1900  1901-1902                  190.3-1904 

County  Clerk M.  P.  Wheeler  Marion  P.  Wheeler  Marion  P.  Wheeler  Marion  P.  WTieeler 

County  Treasurer. . .  Frank  Bull  Frank  Bull  Oscar  Hiestand  Oscar  Hiestand 

Sheriff H.  L.  Patton  2  Oscar  Hiestand  W.  C.  Ricker  Frank  K.  Webb 

Clerk  of  Court M.P.Wheeler  Marion  P.  Wheeler  M.  P.  Wheeler  M.P.Wheeler 

Commissioner J.  W.  Price  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  T.  S.  Steed 

Commissioner L.C.Morrison  Wm.  Jones  D.  D.  Crum  E.  L.  McGraugh 

Commissioner J.  P.  Smith  David  Kidd  Jake  Crouse  P.  C.  Nicolaysen 

County  Supt Wilhelmina  Clark  James  L.  Craig  May  Hamilton  May  Hamilton 

County  Assessor. . . .  Frank  Bull  Ed.  Crapon.-igoo  D.  P.  Smith  D.  P.  Smith 

Constable E.  A.  Johnson  E.  A.  Johnson  

Prosecuting  Att'y. .  .  Eugene  D.  Norton  Alex.  T.  Butler  Alex.  T.  Butler  John  M.  Hench 

County  Surveyor.  .  .  J.B.Bradley  Edward  Kropp  A.Hemingway  J.B.Bradley 

Justice  of  Peace ...  .  H.A.Lilly  Frank  Jameson  Frank  Jameson  Frank  Jameson 

1905-1906                   1907-1908  1909-1910                   1911-1912 

County  Clerk E.  B.  Shaffner  F.H.Sawyer  F.H.Sawyer  F.H.Sawyer 

County  Treasurer. . .  John  S.  Van  Doren  Lizzie  McDonald  Lizzie  McDonald  John  T.  Scott 

Sheriff Frank  K.  Webb  J.  A.  Sheffner  J.  A.  Sheffner  J.  A.  Sheffner 

Clerk  of  Court E.  B.  Shaffner  F.H.Sawyer  F.H.Sawyer  Fred.  E.  Place 

Commissioner T.  S.  Steed  L.  L.  Gantz  David  Kidd  James  B.  Grieve 

Commissioner W.  D.  Blattenberg  C.  A.  Hall  C.  C.  P.  Webel  S.  W.  Con  well 

Commissioner L.  L.  Gantz  C.  C.  P.  Webel  James  B.  Grieve  A.  G.  Cheney 

County  Supt Effie  M.  Cummings  Effie  M.  Cummings  Kate  C.  Stannard  May  Hamilton 

County  Assessor L.  W.  Bailey  F.  S.  Price  Frank  J.  Sturgeon  E.  L.  McGraugh 

Constable Truman  C.  Butler  Wm.  Jones  

Prosecuting  Att'y. .  .  Alex.  T.  Butler  E.  Richard  Shipp  John  B.  Barnes  Wm.  O.  Wilson 

Coroner Dr.  A.  F.  Hoff  Henry  A.  Lilly  Dr.  A.  F.  Hoff  Wilbur  Foshay 

County  Surveyor .. .  J.B.Bradley  A.Hemingway  M.N.Wheeler 

Justice  of  Peace Frank  H.  Sawyer  G.  R.  Hagens  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs 

1913-1914                  1915-1916  1917-1918                  1919-1920 

County  Clerk F.H.Sawyer  F.H.Sawyer  F.  H.  Sawyer '  E.  M.  Ogburn' 

Countv  Treasurer  .  .  John  T.  Scott  Fred  W.  Aishton  M.  C.  Price  E.  McDonald 

Sheriff J.  A.  Sheffner  H.  L.  Patton  H.  L.  Patton  Pat  Royce 

Clerk  of  Court Fred  E.  Place  Fred  E.  Place  Fred  E.  Place'  Hazel  Conwell 

Commissioner S.  W.  Conwell  John  T.  Scott  T.A.Hall  T.A.Hall 

Commissioner R.  D.  Campbell  R.  D.  Campbell  A.  G.  Cheney  Robt.  J.  Veitch 

Commissioner A.  G.  Cheney  Chas.  Anda  Chas.  Anda  J.  B.  Griffith 

County  Supt May  Hamilton  May  Hamilton  May  Hamilton  May  Hamilton 

County  Assessor E.  L.  McGraugh  Chas.  M.  Hawks  W.  S.  Kimball,  Jr.  E.  L.  McGraugh 

Prosecuting  Att'y. .  .  Wm.  O.  Wilson  R.  H.  Nichols  R.  H.  Nichols  W.  H.  Patten' 

Coroner Wilbur  Foshay  W.  J.  Chamberlin  Lew  M.  Gay  Lew  M.  Gay 

County  Surveyor .. .  M.N.Wheeler  M.N.Wheeler  M.N.Wheeler  M.  N.  WTieeler 

Justice  of  Peace ....  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs 

1921-1922  1923-1924 

County  Clerk Helen  Carlson  5  Alma  F.  Hawley 

County  Treasurer. . .  E.  McDonald  Agnes  M.  Clare 

Sheriff Lee  Martin  ^  Perry  A.  Morris 

Clerk  of  Court Hazel  Conwell  Hazel  Conwell 

Commissioner T.  A.  Hall  T.  A.  HaU 

Commissioner Robt.  J.  Veitch  G.  T.  Morgan 

Commissioner Chas.  Anda  J.  E.  Scott 

County  Supt May  Hamilton  May  Hamilton 

County  Assessor Lyle  E.  Jay  Lyle  E.  Jay 

Prosecuting  Att'y..  .  A.  R.  Lowey'  E.  H.  Foster 

Coroner Lew  M.  Gay  Lew  M.  Gay 

County  Surveyor.  . .  Albert  Park  Albert  Park 

Justice  of  Peace ....  W.  E.  Tubbs  Henry  F.  Brennan 

>  Declared  vacant;  O.  M.  Rice  appointed.    2 Resigned;  O.  M.  Rice  appointed.    ^Died;  E.  M. 

Ogburn  appointed.  "Resigned;  Helen  Carlson  appointed.  ^ Resigned;  Catherine  Dunn  appointed. 
^Resigned;  J.  L.  Marquis  appointed.  'Resigned;  A.  R.  Lowey  appointed.  ^Resigned;  M.  W.  Purcell 
appointed.    » Resigned,  November  1917;  Warren  L.  Bailey  appointed. 


NATRONA  COUNTY  S  JUDGES  OF  THE  DISTRICT  COURT   1 7 

Natrona  County  s  Senators  and  Representatives  hi  the  Legislature 
Year                                          Representative 
Elected                                  State  Legislature  State  Senator 

1890 William  F.  Dunn 

1892 Bryant  B.  Brooks Joel  J.  Hurt 

1894 Patrick  Sullivan Joel  J.  Hurt 

1896 John  S.  Warner Robert  Taylor 

1898 Patrick  Sullivan Robert  Taylor 

1900 Edward  S.  White  ^ Patrick  Sullivan 

1902 Donald  A.  Robertson Patrick  Sullivan 

1904 Charles  K.  Bucknum Patrick  Sullivan 

1906 Charles  K.  Bucknum Patrick  Sullivan 

1908 Hugh  L.  Patton Patrick  Sullivan 

1910 Patrick  O'Connor Patrick  Sullivan 

1912 Robert  Grieve Patrick  Sullivan 

Stephen  Tobin 

1914 Robert  Grieve Patrick  Sullivan 

Stephen  Tobin 

1916   W.  W.  Sproul Patrick  O'Connor 

L.  C.  Mills 

1918 J.  William  Johnson Patrick  O'Connor 

Leslie  L.  Gantz 

1920 Harry  N.  Free J.  William  Johnson 

J.  E.'Frisby 

1922 M.  L.  Bishop,  Jr J.  William  Johnson 

E.  A.  Froyd  Harry  N.  Free 

C.  W.  Mapes 

M.  C.  Price 

J.  H.  JefFrey 

The  representatives  and  senators  were  elected  in  November 
and  took  the  oath  of  office  the  following  January. 

Bryant  B.  Brooks  of  Casper  was  elected  governor  of  the  state 
of  Wyoming  in  1904  and  again  in  1906,  serving  as  chief  executive 
six  successive  years. 

Charles  E.  Winter  of  Casper  was  elected  congressman  from  the 
state  of  Wyoming  for  the  1923-4  term. 

Natrona  County's  Judges  of  the  District  Court 

If  the  regularly  elected  and  appointed  judges  of  the  district 
court  who  have  presided  at  the  sessions  of  court  held  in  Natrona 
county  could  and  would  tell  some  of  their  experiences  what  interest- 

1  Edward  S.  White,  Natrona  county's  representative  in  the  lower  house  of  the  sixth  session  of  the 
Wyoming  state  legislature,  died  in  Cheyenne  on  January  14,  igoi.  Mr.  White  occupied  his  seat  only  three 
days  when  he  was  stridden  with  pneumonia,  and  his  death  resulted  after  being  confined  to  his  hotel  but  a 
few  days.  At  the  time  of  his  death  the  members  of  the  house  and  senate  were  on  a  special  train  going  to 
Rawlins,  Laramie,  Rock  Springs  and  Evanston,  to  make  a  personal  inspection  of  the  state  penitentiary, 
the  university,  the  state  hospital,  and  the  hospital  for  the  insane.  Senator  Patrick  Sullivan,  and  Chief 
Clerk  Alfred  J.  Mokler,  both  of  Casper,  were  on  the  special  train  and  the  news  of  Representative  White's 
death  cast  a  gloom  over  all  those  on  board  the  train,  for  it  had  been  announced  that  the  patient's  condition 
was  greatly  improved  when  the  special  train  left  Cheyenne  that  morning.  The  members  returned  to 
Cheyenne  the  second  day  following  the  death  of  their  colleague  and  funeral  services  were  conducted  in  the 
capitol  building  by  the  members  of  Wyoming  Consistory  of  Masons.  The  body  was  brought  to  Casper  and 
very  impressive  funeral  services  were  held  here  by  the  Masonic  bodies,  of  which  the  deceased  was  a  member. 
Four  deaths  occurred  among  the  members  of  the  legislature  during  the  sixth  session  and  the  flag  on  the 
capitol  building  floated  at  half-mast  during  most  of  the  session.  After  Mr.  White's  death,  Natrona  county 
had  no  representative  in  the  lower  house  during  the  remainder  of  the  session. 


l8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

ing  tales  they  could  unfold.    There  have  been  many  criminal  cases  ■ 

tried  in  Natrona  county.  A  record  of  about  all  of  them  may  be  found  1 

elsewhere  in  this  volume,  but  the  story  told  by  a  layman  does  not  ■ 

give  the  inside  history  that  could  be  related  by  the  presiding  judge,  j 

In   addition  to  the  criminal  cases  there  have  been  hundreds   and  . 
hundreds  of  civil  cases  heard  by  these  judges.    Some  of  these  cases 

provoked  amusement  for  the  spectators  as  well  as  the  court,  and  \ 

many,  many  of  them  carried  sadness,  disappointment  and  sometimes  I 

financial  ruin  to  the  losing  side,  and  few,  indeed,  were  those  who  gained  | 

a  great  deal,  either  in  wealth  or  reputation,  even  though  the  case  [ 
was  decided  in  their  favor. 

From  1890,  when  Natrona  county  was  organized,  until  1913, 
Albany,  Natrona  and  Fremont  counties  comprised  the  Second  judi- 
cial district.  All  the  judges  during  that  time  come  from  Albany  county, 

not  because  Albany  had  any  better  material  than  Natrona  or  Fremont  j 

county  for  a  presiding  judge,  but  because  there  were  more  voters  in  i 

Albany  county  than  the  combined  votes  of  Natrona  and  Fremont  ! 

counties.    J.  W.  Kingman  of  Laramie  City  was  the  first  man  to  pre-  , 
side  over  the  court  in  the  Second  district,  and  his  successors  on  the 

bench  were  the  following-named  gentlemen,  all  from  Laramie  City:  ! 
Judge  E.  A.  Thomas,  Judge  J.  B.  Blair,  Judge  N.  C.  SaufHy,  Judge 

J.  W.  Blake,  Judge  J.  H.  Hayford,  Judge  Charles  W.  Bramel,  Judge  , 

Charles  E.  Carpenter  and  Judge  V.  J.  Tidball.    In  February,   1913,  I 

our  state  legislature  created  the  new  Sixth   judicial  district,  com-  | 

prising  the   counties  of  Natrona,    Fremont   and   Converse.     Judge  I 

Charles  E.  Winter,  who  had  located  in  Casper  on  the  6th  day  of  = 
January,  1913,  was  appointed  during  the  first  part  of  March,  1913, 

by  Governor  Joseph  M.  Carey,  the  first  judge  of  the  district,  and  , 

later   resigned   from   the   bench   to   enter   private   practice.      Judge  j 
Winter  was  very  popular  while  on  the  bench  and  was  elected  in  1922 

to  represent  the  state  of  Wyoming  in  the  lower  house  of  congress.  , 

Governor  Robert  D.  Carey  appointed  Ralph   Kimball  of  Fremont  ! 

county  as  Judge  Winter's  successor,  and  Judge  Kimball  resigned  to  ■ 

be  elevated  to  the  supreme  bench  of  Wyoming,  and  Judge  C.  O.  ! 

Brown  of  Converse  county  was  appointed  to  succeed  Judge  Kimball,  i 

At  the  general  election  in  the  fall  of  1922  Judge  Brown  was  elected  | 

to  succeed  himself.     In  the  thirty-two  years  of  Natrona  county's  ( 

organization  she  has  furnished  but  one  resident  judge,  Hon.  Charles  j 

E.  Winter.  1 

Natrona  County's  Assessed  Valuation  j 

Most  important  for  the  maintenance  of  a  county  government  is    ] 
the  taxation  levied  upon  the  property  of  the  citizens  of  a  county,    \ 

i 


NATRONA    COUNTY  S    ASSESSED    VALUATION  I9 

and,  probably,  among  the  most  interesting  documents  stored  away 
in  the  "dead"  vault  in  the  Natrona  county  court  house  are  the  tax 
schedules  for  the  year  1890,  being  the  first  year  that  our  county  was 
segregated  from  Carbon.  A  great  many  people  who  have  taken  up 
their  residence  here  in  recent  years  are  of  the  opinion  that  this  part 
of  the  state  was  then  an  exclusive  cattle  country,  but,  according  to 
the  assessor's  figures,  there  were  then  28,901  sheep  in  the  county, 
valued  at  ^44,184,  against  28,029  cattle,  valued  at  ^295,660.  The 
valuation  of  the  cattle  per  head,  as  placed  by  the  state  board  of 
equalization,  ranged  from  $10  to  $25.  There  were  ninety  people  in 
the  county  that  year  who  owned  cattle,  the  largest  number  owned 
by  one  person  being  4,000  head;  another  person  owned  3,500  head; 
another  3,000  head,  a  number  of  others  were  assessed  for  2,500  head. 
There  were  but  ten  people  in  the  county  who  claimed  that  they  were 
the  owners  of  sheep.  George  Ferris  had  6,000  head,  and  they  were 
assessed  at  $9,000,  or  $1.50  per  head;  Tom  Hood  had  2,040  head; 
C.  P.  Dasch,  4,598;  Wm.  Madden,  1,500;  John  Morton,  5,250; 
Woodruff  Bros.,  9,500,  and  then  there  were  thirteen  more  sheep  in 
the  county  divided  among  four  people  as  owners.  There  were  2,432 
head  of  horses  in  the  county,  valued  at  $52,762,  and  no  mules  and 
asses,  valued  at  $5,625.  There  was  not  a  dog  or  a  hog  in  the  county, 
according  to  the  records  of  the  assessor.  There  were  158  carriages, 
valued  at  $6,690,  and  the  farming  utensils  and  mechanics'  tools  were 
valued  at  $8,305.  There  were  but  forty-seven  people  in  the  whole 
county  who  owned  clocks,  watches  and  jewelry  that  seemed  to  be 
worth  assessing,  and  the  valuation  placed  upon  all  of  them  was 
$1,817.15.  Fifteen  people  owned  musical  instruments,  the  most 
valuable  one  being  assessed  at  $150,  and  the  one  of  the  lowest  value 
being  placed  at  $10,  the  whole  being  valued  at  $935.  There  were 
two  law  libraries  in  the  county,  one  owned  by  Alex  T.  Butler,  valued 
at  $100,  and  C.  C.  Wright  was  the  owner  of  the  other,  valued  at  $50. 
Fourteen  people  in  the  county  owned  household  furniture  valued  at 
more  than  $100,  the  whole  being  assessed  at  $980.  The  capital  em- 
ployed in  manufacture  was  assessed  at  $21,755.  But  one  merchant 
in  the  county  had  store  fixtures  that  were  worth  assessing,  and  that 
went  in  at  a  valuation  of  $200.  Three  people  owned  stocks  and  shares 
in  corporations,  the  valuation  of  the  whole  going  in  at  $180.  There 
was  $3j377.I3  in  moneys  and  credits  put  in  to  be  assessed,  divided 
among  eight  people.  One  merchant  had  $1,200  in  moneys  and  credits; 
another  had  $1,000,  another  $500,  another  $230,  another  $200,  two 
men  had  $100  each,  and  the  lowest  amount  turned  in  was  $47.13. 
The  total  valuation  of  all  the  personal  property  in  the  county  turned 
in  to  be  assessed  was  $6,731,  divided  among  ninety-six  people,  the 


20  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

highest  amount  being  $i,ooo  and  the  lowest  five  dollars,  there  being 
four  people  coming  in  at  the  five-dollar  assessment,  one  at  six  dollars; 
more  than  a  dozen  at  ten  dollars  and  a  great  many  at  twenty-five 
dollars  and  up  to  one  hundred  dollars.  The  total  assessed  valuation 
for  the  whole  county  was  ^449,151.28.  To  compare  the  above  with 
the  assessment  made  in  1921,  which  is  published  at  the  conclusion  of 
this  chapter,  will  show  to  some  extent  how  the  county  has  grown  in 
valuation  and  the  wonderful  change  that  has  taken  place  in  the 
short  space  of  thirty-one  years. 

With  each  succeeding  year  the  county  enjoyed  an  increase  in 
its  assessed  valuation,  but  even  with  the  increase  year  after  year 
the  county  in  1895  showed  less  than  a  million  dollar  valuation.  To 
be  exact  it  was  $958,724.92.  The  town  lots  and  improvements 
thereon  within  the  county  in  1895  showed  an  assessed  valuation  of 
$11,231.75.  There  were  11,527  head  of  cattle  in  the  county  at  that 
time;  257,273  head  of  sheep;  2,460  horses;  twenty  swine,  and  three 
dogs.  In  five  years,  or  in  1900,  the  total  assessed  valuation  of  the 
county  had  increased  to  $1,359,313-76.  The  town  lots  and  improve- 
ments were  assessed  at  $191,992.50,  showing  an  increase  of  $180,760.- 
75.  There  were  8,917  cattle,  3,207  horses,  297,717  sheep  and  thirty- 
three  swine.  In  1901  the  total  valuation  for  the  county  was  $1,794,- 
514.48;  and  in  1902  the  total  was  $1,766,973.63,  with  364,037  sheep, 
and  11,968  cattle.  In  1903  town  lots  and  improvements  were  assessed 
at  $216,532,  and  there  were  499,557  sheep  listed  for  assessment, 
16,103  cattle  and  5,000  horses.  In  1907  the  total  assessment  had  in- 
creased to  $2,998,371,  with  town  lots  and  improvements  assessed  at 
$361,750.  There  were  24,274  cattle,  4,636  horses,  538,876  sheep  and 
153  swine.  In  seven  years,  or  in  1914,  the  total  assessed  valuation 
was  increased  to  $12,373,273,  divided  as  follows:  Acres  of  land, 
177,629,  $1,223,322;  town  lots  and  improvement,  $3,531,557;  cattle, 
12,685  head,  $372,550;  sheep,  352,567  head,  $1,181,080;  horses,  5,601 
head,  $249,540;  mules  113,  $10,325;  swine,  544  head,  $2,978;  per- 
sonal property  $2,281,078;  dogs,  810;  oil  output,  2,284,843  barrels, 
$1,142,421;  railroads,  telegraph  and  telephone,  $2,292,316;  private 
car  lines,  $5,996.  In  1918  the  total  was  $27,286,676,  and  in  1919  an 
increase  was  made  to  $33,600,178;  1920  showed  an  increase  to  $47,- 
723,518,  and  in  1921  the  total  was  $61,070,426,  an  increase  over 
1920  of  $13,346,908,  divided  into  the  following  classes  of  property: 
Number  acres  patented  land,  243,918,  $1,536,920;  improvements  on 
land,  $1,261,939;  improvements  on  land,  not  taxable,  $331,974; 
value  town  lots,  $6,332,339;  value  improvements  on  town  lots, 
$9,794,477;  equities  in  state  land,  $15,309.  Total  real  property  in 
Natrona  county,  $19,272,958.   Cattle,  22,096  head,  valued  at  $819,- 


EARNINGS    IN   THE    COUNTY   CLERK  S    OFFICE  21 

500;  sheep,  270,093,  ^1,176,671;  horses,  6,340,  ^202,125;  mules,  40, 
^3,765;  swine,  234,  $1,785;  goats,  7,  $35;  dogs,  23,  $1,130;  carriages, 
wagons  and  vehicles,  $54,999;  automobiles,  $1,132,258;  motor  cycles, 
$1,425;  farming  utensils  and  mechanical  tools,  $355,313;  clocks  and 
watches,  jewelry,  $47,775;  musical  instruments,  $158,775;  private 
libraries,  $4,500;  law  libraries,  $19,395;  household  furniture,  $572,- 
026;  average  capital  in  merchandise,  $2,621,527;  average  value  em- 
ployed in  manufacture,  $151,966;  office  and  store  fixtures,  $409,171; 
stock  and  shares  in  corporations,  $610,400;  money  and  credits, 
$72,372;  other  property  not  herein  enumerated,  $7,773,265;  private 
car  companies,  $157,670;  railroad  companies,  $5,155,673;  telegraph 
and  telephone  companies,  $232,148;  pipe  line  companies,  $1,042,120; 
mining  companies,  $7,467;  oil  companies,  $19,304,391 ;  gas  companies, 
$123,741;  public  utility,  $839,131. 

Natrona  county  in  1921  showed  the  largest  assessed  valuation 
of  any  county  in  the  state  and  also  had  the  largest  number  of  sheep 
listed  of  any  of  the  several  counties  in  Wyoming.  It  will  also  be 
noted  that  the  assessed  valuation  had  increased  from  less  than  half 
a  million  dollars  in  1890  to  more  than  sixty-one  million  dollars  in 
1921.  This  phenomenal  increase  was  due  mostly  to  the  development 
of  the  oil  fields  and  construction  of  the  oil  refineries,  which,  in  addi- 
tion to  the  money  invested  in  the  development  of  the  oil  fields  and 
the  building  of  refineries,  was  the  incentive  for  bringing  many  other 
industries,  with  additional  mercantile  houses  and  professional  men 
to  the  county,  but  considerable  credit  is  also  due  to  the  stock  raising 
industry  which  is  yet  responsible,  and  always  has  been,  for  no  small 
amount  of  the  county's  taxes. 

Earnings  in  the  County  Clerk's  Office 

The  earnings  in  the  office  of  the  county  clerk  during  the  year 
1917  reached  its  highest  peak,  and  was  more  than  the  earnings  in 
any  other  county  clerk's  office  in  the  state  for  any  year,  the  amount 
being  $23,679.90,  as  against  $5,500.05  for  1916.  A  total  of  16,390 
instruments  were  filed  for  record,  as  against  3,595  for  the  previous 
year.  For  191 8  the  earnings  in  this  office  showed  a  decided  falling  off 
with  a  gradual  decline  with  each  year  following. 

County's  Budget  for  1922 

In  making  up  the  budget  for  the  year  1922  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  estimated  that  there  would  be  an  income  of  $252,350, 
$10,000  of  which  would  be  derived  from  the  earnings  in  the  county 


22  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

clerk's  office,  $2,000  from  the  office  of  the  clerk  of  the  district  court, 
and  $240,350  from  taxation.  Of  this  amount  it  was  estimated  that 
the  salaries  of  officers  and  deputies  would  amount  to  $68,000,  trans- 
portation and  contingent  expense  for  the  various  departments, 
$8,000;  district  court  expense,  $14,750,  justice  court  expense,  $4,550; 
coroner's  expense,  $3,350;  printing  and  records,  $6,500;  court  house 
and  jail  expense,  $20,000;  criminal  costs,  $15,000;  roads  and  bridges, 
$29,500,  and  miscellaneous  expense  $82,500.  The  salaries  for  the 
officers  and  deputies  were  divided  as  follows:  Sheriff,  $9,000;  county- 
clerk,  $9,000;  county  treasurer,  $6,000;  county  attorney,  $6,500; 
superintendent  of  schools,  $1,500;  assessor,  $13,000;  county  com- 
missioners, $3,000;  clerk  of  the  district  court,  $4,000;  county  physi- 
cian, $2,500;  county  agent,  $2,500;  health  officer,  $4,000;  miscella- 
neous expense  to  be  divided  among  the  several  offices,  $7,000.  The 
general  miscellaneous  expense  was  estimated  as  follows:  Poor  and 
pauper,  $20,000;  county  hospital,  $18,000;  premium  on  official  bonds. 
$1,500;  election  expense,  $5,000;  contagious  disease,  $5,000;  postage 
and  freight,  $1,000;  telegraph  and  telephone,  $4,000;  inspection  of 
horses  and  cattle,  $1,500;  mothers'  pensions,  $3,500;  county  poor 
farm,  $1,000;  clinic,  $4,000,  and  to  cover  the  1920  deficit,  $18,000. 

The  County  Poor  Farm 

The  poor  and  pauper  and  "widows'  expense"  of  Natrona  county 
is  an  annual  burden  to  the  taxpayers  of  more  than  $25,000,  and  on 
account  of  the  liberality  of  the  members  of  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners the  amount  is  rapidly  increasing,  and  it  is  truly  said  that 
many  of  the  people  who  are  kept   by  the  county  eat  better  food, 
wear  more  expensive  clothing  and  live  in  better  houses  than  many 
of  the  laboring  class  who  "earn  their  bread  by  the  sweat  of  their 
brow."    At  one  time  the  county  clerk  had  published  in  the  official 
proceedings  of  the  county  commissioners  the  names  of  those  who 
received   alms  from  the  county,  and  the  amount  given  them,  but 
such   a   protest  was  made   against  the   action  of  the  clerk  in  the    I 
publication  of  the  names  of  those  who  were  classed  as  "poor  and    \ 
pauper,"  that  the  commissioners  ordered  the  clerk  in  the  future  to    | 
forego  the  publication  of  the  names,  "because  of  the  extra  adver-    | 
rising  expense."  ! 

On  April  29,  1919,  the  board  of  county  commissioners  bought  j 
from  N.  S.  Wilson  870  acres  of  land  situated  four  and  one-half  miles  j 
east  from  the  city  of  Casper.  Two  hundred  acres  of  this  land  was  | 
under  irrigation  from  water  supplied  by  Elkhorn  and  Cloud  creeks,  i 
The  improvements  on  the  farm  included  a  six-room  house,  stables,    1 


THE  BANKS  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY  23 

garage,  electric  light  and  water  systems,  private  telephone  connecting 
with  the  Casper  exchange,  and  many  other  conveniences.  It  was  the 
intention  of  the  commissioners  to  send  the  county's  indigent  to  this 
farm  where  sustenance  would  not  be  so  great,  but  they  refused  to 
go  to  the  farm,  and  for  a  short  time  some  of  them  did  not  apply 
for  aid.  In  a  few  months,  however,  they  were  on  the  county  pay  roll 
again  and  some  of  them  have  been  there  ever  since,  and  they  continue 
to  live  in  the  city  with  all  the  comforts  and  conveniences  that  a 
liberal  county  administration  can  provide  for  them. 

The  Banks  of  Natrona  County 

One  of  the  best  indications  of  a  community's  growth  and  pros- 
perity is  to  be  found  in  its  banking  institutions,  and  certainly  the 
growth  shown  in  the  banks  of  Casper  since  the  town  was  organized 
has  been  phenomenal.  The  steady  increase  in  the  volume  of  busi- 
ness transacted  by  the  banks  is  but  a  reflection  in  the  growth  of  all 
lines  of  business  in  Casper  and  vicinity,  which  few  cities  in  the  whole 
of  the  United  States  will  duplicate. 

The  Bank  of  Casper,  with  George  Weber  as  cashier  and  pro- 
prietor, opened  its  doors  for  business  in  Casper  in  the  fall  of  1888. 
This  was  the  first  bank  in  Casper.  January  i,  1889,  it  carried  an 
advertisement  to  the  effect  that  its  paid-up  capital  stock  was  ^5,000, 
with  a  surplus  of  ^i  14.39.  The  financial  statement  published  October 
II,  1889,  showed  the  resources  consisted  of  loans  and  discounts, 
$3,916.82;  overdrafts,  $795.98;  due  from  National  banks,  $1,498.25; 
checks,  currency,  gold,  silver,  legal  tender,  and  other  cash  items, 
$2,592.87;  real  estate,  furniture,||and  fixtures,  $1,800.  The  liabil- 
ities were:  Deposits,  subject  to  [check,  $3,902.80;  demand  certifi- 
cates of  deposit,  $600;  time  certificates,  $4,073.02;  capital  and 
surplus,  $4,252.30.  In  January,  1891,  W.  A.  Denecke  became  cash- 
ier and  the  name  was  changed  to  W.  A.  Denecke  &  Company's 
Bank  of  Casper.  On  November  27,  1903,  this  bank  failed.  It  was 
said  that  the  cause  of  the  failure  was  that  the  heaviest  depositors 
drew  out  large  amounts  of  money  and  the  heaviest  borrowers  were 
unable  to  meet  their  notes  which  were  due  and  owing  the  bank. 
S.  W.  Conwell  was  appointed  receiver  and  it  was  announced  that 
about  $51,000  was  on  deposit  and  there  was  $4,000  cash  on  hand 
when  the  bank  closed.  Notes  and  securities  outstanding  were  ample 
to  pay  the  depositors  in  full  as  soon  as  the  money  depression  was 
relieved  and  the  outstanding  indebtedness  to  the  bank  could  be  col- 
lected. In  due  time  the  depositors  were  paid  in  full.  This  was  the 
first  and  only  bank  failure  in  Casper. 


24  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

The  banking  house  of  C.  H.  King  &  Company  of  Casper  com- 
menced business  in  the  early  summer  of  1889,  with  Alex.  J.  Cunning- 
ham as  cashier  and  C.  H.  King,  president.  This  was  the  second  bank 
for  Casper.  At  the  close  of  business  on  October  29,  1889,  this  bank 
in  its  financial  statement  showed  it  had  resources  at  its  command  as 
follows:  Loans  and  discounts,  $861.24;  overdrafts,  $355.83;  due 
from  National  banks,  $3,966.93;  furniture  and  fixtures,  $545.79; 
expenses,  $28.30;  checks  and  other  cash  items,  $151.75;  legal  tender, 
$1,450;  nickels  and  cents,  $631;  specie,  $25;  total,  $7,391.15.  The 
liabilities  were:  Capital  stock,  $1,250,  and  undivided  profits,  $26.36; 
individual  deposits,  subject  to  check,  $6,114.79.  In  1894  the  C.  H. 
King  &  Company  bank  was  merged  into  the  Richards,  Cunningham 
&  Company  bank.  The  Richards,  Cunningham  &  Company  bank 
was  merged  into  the  Casper  National  bank  on  July  i,  1903,  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $50,000.  The  officers  were:  A.  J.  Cunningham, 
president;  J.  DeForest  Richards,  vice  president;  E.  P.  Palmer, 
cashier;  Maud  Bohner,  assistant  cashier;  and  E.  C.  Harris,  B.  B. 
Brooks,  Patrick  Sullivan,  P.  C.  Nicolaysen,  A.  J.  Cunningham  and 
J.  DeForest  Richards,  directors.  The  statement  to  the  comptroller 
of  currency  on  September  9,  1903,  showed:  Loans  and  discounts, 
$249,205.27;  National  bank  notes  outstanding,  $13,500;  undivided 
deposits  subject  to  check,  $229,788.39;  demand  certificates  of  de- 
posit, $1,140;  time  certificates  of  deposit,  $60,141.82.  The  capital 
stock  paid  in  was  $50,000.  There  was  no  surplus  but  the  undivided 
profits  were  $18.46.  This  was  the  only  bank  doing  business  in  Casper 
at  that  time.  On  December  29,  1922,  there  were:  Loans  and  dis- 
counts, $1,753,561.08;  overdrafts,  $989.28;  U.  S.  bonds  and  govern- 
ment securities,  $61,543.46;  other  bonds  and  stocks,  $74,327.24; 
banking  house,  furniture  and  fixtures,  $141,355.89;  cash  due  from 
other  banks  and  bankers  and  U.  S.  treasurer,  $819,353.58.  Capital 
stock,  $100,000;  surplus,  $100,000;  undivided  profits,  $26,851.64;  cir- 
culating notes  outstanding,  $50,000;  demand  deposits,  time  deposits, 
cashier's  checks,  certified  checks  and  all  other  deposits  and  those  due 
state  and  National  banks,  $2,574,278.89.     Total,  $2,851,130.53. 

The  American  Exchange  bank  was  opened  for  business  in  Casper 
on  March  2,  1891.  This  was  Casper's  third  bank.  The  financial 
statement  showed  that  the  institution  had  real  estate  worth  $1,500; 
furniture  and  fixtures,  $1,000;  cash  on  hand,  $3,500;  and  other  prop- 
erty owned  by  the  firm,  $15,000;  making  a  total  of  $21,000.  The 
liabilities  were  listed  as  naught.  Alexander  McKinney  was  president, 
Peter  O'Malley,  vice  president,  and  J.  E.  Plummet,  cashier.  The 
American  Exchange  was  very  short  lived,  having  been  in  existence 
just  a  year  and  a  day,  but  its  affairs  were  closed  up  in  a  business-like 


THE  BANKS  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY  2^ 

manner.  On  March  2,  1892,  a  notice  was  published  in  the  local  news- 
paper to  the  effect  that  the  co-partnership  between  A.  McKinney, 
Peter  O'Malley,  and  J.  E.  Plummer,  under  the  name  of  the  American 
Exchange  bank,  was  dissolved,  and  that  all  notes  and  bills  of  the 
co-partnership  were  payable  to  A.  McKinney.  There  was  then  not 
enough  business  in  the  town  for  three  banks  and  the  law  of  the 
"survival  of  the  fittest"  prevailed. 

The  Stockmen's  National  Bank  of  Casper  was  granted  a  charter 
in  October,  1903,  with  C.  H.  Townsend,  P.  H.  Shallenberger,  Fred 
A.  Gooding,  Frank  Wood,  L.  L.  Gantz,  C.  K.  Bucknum,  and  S.  T. 
Mosser  as  stockholders.  The  capital  stock  was  $50,000.  The  institu- 
tion was  opened  for  business  in  the  Townsend  building  on  the  north- 
west corner  of  Center  and  Second  streets  on  Monday,  December 
28,  1903,  with  C.  H.  Townsend,  president;  Percy  H.  Shallenberger, 
cashier;  and  Miss  Lizzie  McDonald,  assistant  cashier.  This  was  the 
second  bank  in  Casper  at  that  time.  The  directors  and  officers  on 
December  31,  1922,  were:  C.  H.  Townsend,  president;  Frank  Wood, 
vice  president;  L.  B.  Townsend,  cashier;  V.  W.  Mokler,  assistant 
cashier;  L.  L.  Gantz,  L.  E.  Townsend,  C.  L.  Rhinemuth,  directors. 
On  December  29,  1922,  the  statement  showed:  Loans  and  discounts, 
$951,992.50;  U.  S.  bonds,  $146,000;  overdrafts,  $1,405.17;  other 
bonds  and  securities,  $155,911.50;  furniture  and  fixtures,  $2,500; 
cash  on  hand,  due  from  banks  and  the  U.  S.  treasurer,  $275,568.83. 
Capital  stock,  $50,000;  surplus,  $125,000;  undivided  profits,  $28,298.- 
66;  bills  payable,  $75,000;  circulation,  $48,500;  deposits,  $1,206,579.- 
34.    Total,  $1,533,378. 

The  First  Trust  and  Savings  Bank  of  Casper  was  organized 
January  19,  1915,  and  opened  for  business  January  25,  1915.  The 
following  associates  were  elected  to  the  first  board  of  directors: 
Harold  Banner,  C.  H.  Townsend,  Henry  Bayer,  John  Daly,  F.  H. 
Sawyer,  John  T.  Scott,  William  O.  Wilson.  The  bank  opened  with  a 
capital  of  $25,000.  The  first  statement  was  made  December  31,  191 5, 
with  figures  as  follows:  Capital,  $25,000;  loans,  $55,115;  deposits, 
$40,972.  The  following  associates  were  on  January  i,  1923,  serving 
as  board  of  directors:  C.  H.  Townsend,  W.  O.  Wilson,  W.  O.  RatclifF, 
L.  B.  Townsend,  C.  L.  Rhinemuth,  A.  J.  Mokler,  Sam  Switzer.  The 
financial  condition  on  December  29,  1922,  was:  Real  estate  loans, 
$441,865.55;  bonds,  securities,  etc.,  $1,086;  cash  and  sight  exchange, 
$72,795.48.  The  resources  were:  Capital  stock,  $25,000;  surplus, 
$25,000;  undivided  profits,  $17,869.71 ;  savings  accounts,  $393,308.66; 
time  certificates,  $54,568.66.    Total,  $515,747.03. 

On  January  ii,  1913,  Messrs.  Thomas  A.  CosgrifF  and  George 
E.  Abbott,  together  with  Roy  C.  Wyland,  organized  a  bank  in  Casper 


26  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

under  the  state  banking  laws,  with  the  name  of  CosgrifF  &  Abbott,  \ 
Bankers.  The  capital  stock  was  ^10,000.  The  bank  was  opened  in  a  ; 
small  room  in  the  Iris  theatre  building.  A  later  change  of  location  I 
placed  them  in  the  corner  room  known  as  the  Grand  Central  hotel  ; 
lobby,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  Center  and  Second  streets.  On  i 
May  2,  1914,  the  bank  received  its  charter  as  The  Wyoming  National 
Bank  of  Casper.  B.  B.  Brooks  was  then  chosen  as  president,  Thomas  ; 
A.  Cosgriff  and  G.  E.  Abbott  as  vice  presidents,  and  Roy  C.  Wyland  , 
as  cashier.  Under  the  National  laws  the  bank  was  organized  on  \ 
a  basis  of  ^50,000  as  capital  and  $5,000  as  surplus.  Since  that  , 
time  the  capital  of  the  bank  increased  to  $100,000  and  $100,000  as  j 
earned  placed  to  the  surplus  account  of  the  bank.  From  a  small  j 
capitalization  and  initial  deposits  on  the  first  day  of  $4,000  the  bank,  j 
on  January  i ,  1922,  had  increased  to  a  capital  of  $100,000,  a  surplus  of  1 
$100,000  with  resources  of  $4,000,000.  The  bank  is  now  located  in 
the  Midwest  Refining  company's  building  on  the  corner  of  Second  \ 
and  Wolcott  streets.  The  officers  and  directorate  of  the  bank  have  j 
remained  practically  unchanged  since  its  organization,  Carl  F.  Shu-  ; 
maker,  the  present  cashier,  having  succeeded  Thomas  A.  CosgrifF, 
deceased,  as  a  director,  Mr.  Wyland  being  made  vice  president,  j 
The  officers  and  directors  at  present  are:  B.  B.  Brooks,  president; 
G.  E.  Abbott,  vice  president;  Roy  C.  Wyland,  vice  president;  Carl  F. 
Shumaker,  cashier;  P.  J.  O'Connor,  director.  At  the  close  of  business  | 
December  29,  1922,  this  bank  had  loans  and  discounts  amounting  \ 
to  $3,002,439.53;  overdrafts,  $1,729.19;  U.  S.  bonds  and  revenue  | 
stamps,  $119,122.69;  other  bonds  and  warrants,  $2,456.30;  stock  in  ' 
federal  reserve  bank,  $7,500;  furniture  and  fixtures,  $85,697.90;  : 
real  estate,  $9,813.50;  cash  on  hand,  due  from  banks  and  U.  S.  ; 
treasurer,  $843,578.29.  Capital  stock,  $100,000;  surplus,  $150,000;  ! 
undivided  profits,  $61,264.10;  circulation,  $100,000;  deposits,  $3,-  1 
661,073.20.     Total  $4,072,337.40.  ' 

The  National  Bank  of  Commerce  was  organized  October  10, 
1919,  and  opened  for  business  November  24,  1919.  The  bank  was  : 
organized  by  Arthur  K.  Lee,  with  the  following  associates,  who  were  ; 
elected  the  first  board  of  directors:  John  McFayden,  Ira  G.  Wetherill,  j 
Joe  E.  Denham,  H.  L.  Patton,  Arthur  K.  Lee,  L.  A.  Reed,  Earl  C.  j 
Boyle,  Thomas  Kenney,  T.  F.  Algeo,  George  B.  Nelson,  L.  G.  Murphy,  j 
The  bank  opened  with  a  capital  of  $125,000  and  with  $12,500  paid  | 
up  surplus.  The  first  statement  to  the  comptroller  of  currency  was  ; 
made  December  31,  1921,  with  figures  as  follows:  Capital,  $125,000;  ] 
surplus,  $12,500;  loans,  $280,000;  deposits,  $455,000.  At  the  close  of  1 
business  December  29,  1922,  this  bank  had  loans  and  discounts  i 
amounting  to   $1,151,327.82;   overdrafts,  $705.11;    U.   S.   bonds  to 


THE  BANKS  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY  27 

secure  circulation,  $125,000;  stock  in  federal  reserve  bank  and  other 
securities,  $6,650;  furniture  and  fixtures,  $17,500;  five  per  cent  redemp- 
tion fund  with  the  U.  S.  treasury,  $6,250;  cash  in  vault  and  due 
from  banks,  $457,449.35.  The  capital  stock  was  $125,000;  surplus 
and  undivided  profits,  $30,950.30;  circulation,  $125,000;  deposits, 
$1,483,930.98,  with  a  total  of  $1,764,880.28. 

The  Citizens  National  bank  of  Casper  was  chartered  as  a  state 
bank  and  opened  for  business  May  i,  1917,  with  a  capitalization  of 
$50,000.  Dr.  John  F.  Leeper  was  elected  president  and  had  associated 
with  him  as  directors  John  Beaton,  M.  J.  Burke,  C.  M.  Elgin,  T.  A. 
Dean,  C.  H.  Horstman,  and  T.  A.  Hall.  W.  J.  Bailey  was  elected  as 
cashier.  This  bank  was  first  located  in  one  corner  of  the  Chamberlin 
Furniture  company's  store  room  which  was  then  doing  business  in 
what  is  now  the  Golden  Rule  store  building,  on  the  south  side  of 
Second  street,  between  Center  and  Wolcott,  but  when  the  Oil  Ex- 
change building,  now  known  as  the  Consolidated  Royalty  building, 
was  erected  a  modern  banking  room  was  fitted  up  for  this  bank  where 
it  has  since  been  located.  The  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Dr. 
Leeper  in  December,  1920,  was  filled  by  the  election  of  M.  J.  Burke 
to  the  presidency.  The  capital  stock  was  increased  to  $100,000  with 
a  surplus  of  $25,000  at  the  time  of  the  conversion  from  a  state  to  a 
National  bank.  On  December  29,  1922:  Loans  and  discounts,  $619,- 
169.92;  overdrafts,  $2,993.72;  U.  S.  bonds  and  other  stocks  and 
bonds,  $229,427.37;  furniture  and  fixtures  and  real  estate  owned, 
$21,724.02;  cash  on  hand,  due  from  U.  S.  treasury,  and  from  other 
banks  and  bankers,  $332,130.04.  Capital  stock,  $100,000;  surplus, 
$25,000;  undivided  profits,  $17,501.06;  circulating  notes  outstanding, 
$100,000;  demand  and  time  deposits,  cashier's  checks,  certified 
checks  and  all  other  deposits  and  those  due  state  and  National  banks, 
$962,944.01;  with  a  total  of  $1,205,445.07. 

The  Wyoming  Trust  Company  bank  was  organized  and  opened 
for  business  July  i,  1921.  The  board  of  directors  at  the  time  of  the 
bank's  organization  were:  P.  J.  O'Connor,  president;  R.  C.  Cather, 
vice  president,  N.  S.  Wilson,  vice  president;  Leo  A.  Dunn,  cashier; 
B.  B.  Brooks,  Roy  C.  Wyland,  Carl  F.  Shumaker  and  R.  H.  Nichols, 
directors.  The  bank  opened  with  a  capital  of  $100,000  and  $10,000 
paid  up  surplus.  The  first  statement  to  the  comptroller  of  currency 
was  made  on  September  6,  1921,  with  figures  as  follows:  Capital, 
$100,000;  surplus,  $10,000;  loans,  $204,000;  deposits,  $176,000. 
December  29,  1922,  there  were  loans  and  discounts,  $347,831.45; 
overdrafts,  $208.38;  stocks  and  bonds,  $16,037.50;  banking  house 
and  fixtures,  $14,597.30;  cash  on  hand  and  due  from  other  banks 
$121,801.36.     Capital  stock,  $100,000;  surplus,  $10,000;  undivided 


28  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

profits,  ^1,132.28;  demand  deposits,  time  deposits,  cashier's  checks, 
certified  checks  and  all  other  deposits  and  those  due  state  and 
National  banks,  $389,343.71;  with  a  total  of  $500,475.99. 

The  Casper  Clearing  House  association,  whose  membership 
consists  of  all  the  banks  of  Casper,  was  organized  February  7,  1921, 
with  A.  J.  Cunningham,  president;  Roy  C.  Wyland,  vice  president; 
J.  R.  Schlueter,  secretary,  and  W.  J.  Bailey,  treasurer.  The  associa- 
tion clears  all  bank  debits  of  the  town  each  day,  and  all  the  banks  of 
the  city  work  in  harmony.  Since  its  existence  the  Clearing  House 
association  has  solved  many  perplexing  problems  which  has  resulted 
beneficially  to  all  concerned.  The  clearings  of  the  banks  by  the 
month  since  the  association  was  organized  up  to  the  first  of  January, 
1922,  was  as  follows: 


February $  2,917,506 

March 4,209,967 

April 4>646,57i 

May 4.924.91S 

June 5,434,846 

July 5>030.9S9 

August 4,034,593 

September 4,114,817 

October 4.7i4>725 

November 4,469,457 

December 4,885,696 


Total $49,384,056.31 

The  Bank  of  Salt  Creek,  with  a  capital  of  $25,000,  was  opened 
at  Lavoye,  or  the  Mosher  camp,  in  the  Salt  Creek  oil  field,  October 
21,  1922.  The  stockholders  and  directors  were  J.  H.  Montgomery, 
president;  A.  C.  Andrews,  vice  president;  E.  W.  Downing,  cashier; 
H.  S.  Durrie,  assistant  cashier;  Barton  A.  Myers  and  George  A. 
Gatewood,  directors. 

The  Salt  Creek  State  bank  was  established  and  opened  for 
business  on  October  21,  1922,  located  at  Lavoye,  which  is  commonly 
known  as  the  Mosher  camp,  in  the  Salt  Creek  oil  field.  Its  capital 
stock  was  $25,000  and  the  incorporators  and  directors  of  the  institu- 
tion were:  Roy  C.  Wyland,  president;  B.  B.  Brooks,  vice  president; 
Carl  F.  Shumaker,  P.  J.  O'Connor  and  G.  E.  Abbott,  directors,  and 
Thomas  Keith,  cashier. 


Newspapers  of  Natrona  County 


The  Casper  Weekly-  Mail  was  established  November  23,  1888,  | 
by  Lombard  and  Casebeer  and  was  the  first  newspaper  published  in  ' 
Natrona  county.    Mr.  Lombard  retired  on  April  i,  1889,  and  James   { 


NEWSPAPERS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  29 

A.  Casebeer,  who  was  Casper's  third  postmaster,  became  sole  owner 
of  the  newspaper.  Mr.  Casebeer  was  also  the  only  delegate  from  Cas- 
per to  the  Constitutional  Convention  which  was  held  in  Cheyenne 
in  September,  1889.  Alex  T.  Butler  bought  the  Mail  from  Mr.  Case- 
beer and  assumed  the  editorial  and  business  management  on  May 
16,  1890.  Mr.  Casebeer  left  at  once  for  the  Yellowstone  National 
park  and  never  returned  to  Casper.  An  effort  was  made  to  find  him 
and  have  him  attend  the  reunion  of  the  delegates  of  the  Constitu- 
tional Convention,  held  in  Cheyenne  in  1920,  but  he  could  not  be 
located.  The  Mail  suspended  publication  after  its  issue  of  January 
16,  1 891,  after  having  been  published  a  little  more  than  two  years. 
It  was  under  Mr.  Butler's  ownership  when  it  suspended.  This  was 
the  third  Natrona  county  publication  to  go  to  the  newspaper  grave- 
yard, the  Mail  having  been  preceded  by  the  Sweetwater  {Bothwell) 
Chief  and  the  Bessemer  Journal. 

The  Bessemer  Journal  was  the  second  newspaper  to  be  established 
in  Natrona  county  and  the  second  to  suspend  publication.  It  was 
first  published  late  in  the  year  of  1888.  J.  Enos  Waite  was  editor  and 
business  manager  from  its  beginning  to  the  end.  After  struggling 
until  the  latter  part  of  December,  1890,  the  publication  was  sus- 
pended and  the  plant  was  seized  by  its  creditors. 

The  Sweetwater  Chief,  published  at  the  town  of  Bothwell  by 
H.  B.  Fetz,  was  the  third  publication  to  make  its  appearance  in 
Natrona  county  and  the  first  to  start  the  newspaper  graveyard.  It 
was  established  in  the  spring  of  1890,  blooming  forth  with  the  flowers 
in  the  Sweetwater  valley  and  it  also  withered  and  died  with  those 
same  flowers  in  the  fall  of  the  year.  During  its  existence  it  advocated 
the  building  of  a  railroad  through  the  Sweetwater  country,  the  re- 
moval of  the  state  capital  to  Bothwell,  the  development  of  the  gold, 
silver,  and  copper  mines  in  that  vicinity,  the  drilling  of  oil  wells  in 
the  basin  and  the  development  of  the  soda  lakes  close  at  hand. 
Instead  of  the  town's  increasing  in  population,  two  of  its  citizens, 
who  were  considered  a  menace  to  the  community  but  nevertheless 
were  responsible  for  a  great  number  of  visitors  making  frequent 
pilgrimages  to  the  place,  were  hanged  to  a  tree  on  a  summer's  day, 
and  as  no  one  seemed  to  care  to  come  there  to  continue  the  business 
they  had  started,  but  had  so  suddenly  left,  and  many  visitors  ceased 
their  coming,  on  account  of  the  lack  of  some  of  the  things  they  con- 
sidered necessary  for  their  entertainment,  the  CAzV/ lacked  the  finan- 
cial support  necessary  in  all  well  regulated  printing  oflflces,  and  it  was 
not  long  until  that  disseminator  of  news  and  advocator  of  all  that 
was  good  ceased  pubhcation,  and  the  plant  was  packed  up  and  taken 
to  Rawlins. 


30  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Volume  I,  number  i,  of  the  Wyoming  Derrick,  published  in 
Casper,  was  issued  May  21.  1890,  by  the  Natrona  County  Publishing 
company,  with  W.  S.  Kimball  as  editor  and  business  manager.  The 
stockholders  were  Joel  J.  Hurt,  C.  C.  Wright,  P.  C.  Nicolaysen, 
George  Mitchell  and  A.  J.  Cunningham.  The  Derrick  was  a  typo- 
graphical gem  and  one  of  the  best  edited  newspapers  in  the  then 
Territory  of  Wyoming.  On  June  25,  1891,  Mr.  Kimball  retired  as 
editor  and  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  Pioneer  drug  store  with 
C.  F.  G.  Bostleman.  Joel  J.  Hurt  at  this  time  bought  up  all  the 
stock  and  became  the  sole  owner  of  the  plant,  and  he  leased  it  to 
P.  T.  McNamara  and  C.  W.  Wixcey.  Wixcey  retired  in  two  months 
and  Mr.  McNamara  continued  as  editor  until  March  3,  1892,  when 
Major  E.  H.  French  took  charge  temporarily.  Alex  T.  Butler  bought 
the  plant  from  Mr.  Hurt  and  was  editor  for  nearly  four  months, 
when  he  sold  it  in  July  to  J.  K.  Calkins,  who  was  editor  and  publisher 
until  April  15,  1895,  when  he  sold  it  to  W.  H.  Korns.  P.  C.  Hays 
bought  an  interest  in  the  plant  with  Mr.  Korns  in  the  fall  of  1896, 
and  on  April  7,  1898,  Mr.  Korns  sold  his  interest  to  Colonel  Emerson 
H.  Kimball.  Mr.  Hays  bought  Mr.  Kimball's  interest  on  July  i, 
1898,  and  published  the  paper  until  August  10,  1905,  when  he  leased 
the  plant  to  M.  A.  Cameron.  Mr.  Cameron  continued  the  publica- 
tion until  March  2,  1906.  The  leading  editorial  in  that  issue  was: 
"This  space  is  reserved.  Watch  it  next  week."  Next  week  never 
came  for  the  Derrick.  It  went  the  way  of  its  three  predecessors. 
The  Tribune  was  then  the  only  newspaper  published  in  Natrona 
county. 

Th&  Natrona  Tribune  wzs  first  published  on  June  i,  1891.  J.  Enos 
Waite  was  the  publisher.  The  plant  was  owned  by  about  twenty 
men,  organized  under  the  name  of  the  Republican  Publishing  com- 
pany. Waite  retired  on  February  10,  1892,  and  was  succeeded  by 
M.  P.  Wheeler.    Mr.  Wheeler  published  the  paper  until  June  24, 

1893,  when  Alex  T.  Butler  leased  the  plant  and  remained  until  August 
7,  1893.  W.  E.  Ellsworth  was  then  hired  to  conduct  the  business  and 
wrote  the  local  news  and  editorials.    He  was  in  charge  until  July  i, 

1894.  Ben  L.  Green  followed  Mr.  Ellsworth,  and  on  November  22, 
1894,  O.  A.  Hamilton  succeeded  Green.  April  11,  1895,  Hamilton 
relinquished  to  Fred  E.  Seeley.  Seeley  published  the  paper  three 
weeks  and  on  May  2,  1895,  F.  H.  Barrow  became  editor  and  pub- 
lisher. George  P.  Devenport  leased  the  plant  on  December  31,  1896, 
and  was  publisher  until  June  i,  1897,  when  A.  J.  Mokler  bought  the 
plant  from  the  Republican  Publishing  company  and  changed  the 
name  to  the  Natrona  County  Tribune.  Mr,  Mokler  published  the 
Tribune  for  seventeen  years  and  four  and  a  half  months,  and  on 


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NEWSPAPERS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  3  I 

October  15,  1914,  sold  the  plant  to  J.  E.  Hanway  and  a  number  of 
associates.  A  stock  company  was  organized,  with  Mr,  Hanway  as 
president.  The  development  of  the  Salt  Creek  oil  fields  had  com- 
menced at  this  time  and  Casper  showed  encouraging  signs  of  develop- 
ing into  a  city,  and  the  Tribune  keeping  pace  with  the  conditions, 
made  improvements  as  its  patronage  justified.  On  February  9,  1916, 
the  Casper  Daily  Tribune  was  established  and  has  grown  to  be  the 
leading  newspaper,  with  the  best  equipped  plant,  in  the  state.  The 
weekly  Natrona  County  Tribune  was  absorbed  by  the  Wyoming 
Weekly  Review  on  February  19,  1921.  The  Review  was  a  state  news- 
paper, and  its  mission  was  to  present  a  review  of  the  week's  happen- 
ings not  only  of  Wyoming,  but  of  the  nation.  The  Tribune  Publishing 
company  was  the  owner  of  the  Review.  On  August  25,  1922,  J.  E.  and 
E.  E.  Hanway  sold  the  Tribune  and  Weekly  Review  to  Charles  W. 
Barton  of  New  York  City,  and  on  September  20,  1922,  the  publica- 
tion of  the  Review  was  discontinued  and  merged  with  the  Sunday 
Morning  Tribune. 

The  Casper  Press  was  established  in  August,  1908,  by  a  man 
named  Merrill  of  Wheatland,  with  Alex  T.  Butler  as  owner.  Merrill 
retired  in  about  ten  months  and  Mr.  Butler  edited  the  paper  until 
January,  1909,  when  H.  J.  Peterson  took  charge  and  conducted  the 
business  until  August  11,  191 1.  Mr.  Peterson  then  bought  a  new 
plant  and  established  the  Casper  Record,  and  C.  Littlefield  bought 
the  Press  plant  from  Mr.  Butler,  who  conducted  the  paper  as  a 
weekly  until  June  19,  1914,  when  a  small  daily  paper  was  issued. 
Neither  the  weekly  nor  the  daily  was  a  paying  proposition;  the  town 
was  small  and  the  newspaper  field  was  limited;  instead  of  three  weekly 
papers  and  one  daily  to  cover  the  field  and  reap  the  harvest  one 
weekly  was  sufficient,  and  the  survival  of  the  strongest  was  the  only 
road  to  supremacy.  In  about  a  year  the  Press  became  so  heavily 
involved  in  financial  difficulties  that  Robert  D.  Carey,  the  heaviest 
stockholder,  took  over  the  plant  and  leased  it  to  Henry  F.  Brennan. 
This  was  Mr.  Brennan's  first  venture  in  the  newspaper  business, 
and  he  was  making  no  better  success  than  his  predecessor,  and  on 
March  I,  1916,  W.  W.  Slack,  an  experienced  printer,  became  editor- 
manager,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Brennan,  on  a  lease  agreement  with 
Mr.  Carey.  Mr.  Brennan  retired  September  30,  1916,  and  Wm. 
Jardine  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Slack.  On  December  23,  1916, 
the  Press  and  Record  were  consolidated  and  H.  J.  Peterson  became 
sole  proprietor.  The  oil  business  at  that  time  brought  great  prosper- 
ity to  Casper,  and  the  Press-Record  prospered  with  all  other  lines  of 
business  here.  On  November  i,  1917,  Percy  E.  Cropper  and  asso- 
ciates of  Salt  Lake  bought  the  Press-Record  from  Mr.  Peterson  but 


32  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

in  about  six  months  it  became  involved  in  financial  difficulties  and  the 
creditors  relieved  Mr.  Cropper.  A.  J.  Mokler  was  appointed  tempor- 
ary receiver  and  remained  until  the  financial  difficulties  were  straight- 
ened out.  Within  ten  days  the  business  was  put  on  a  paying  basis, 
and  on  June  15,  1918,  W.  B.  Holliday  bought  the  plant  and  changed 
the  evening  paper  to  a  morning  publication.  It  was  not  long  until 
failure  again  showed  her  face  at  the  door  and  there  were  so  many 
men  at  the  helm  attempting  to  keep  the  publication  from  sinking 
that  a  list  is  unobtainable,  but  the  creditors  in  the  fall  of  the  year 
appointed  Ira  W.  Naylor  receiver,  "on  account  of  the  assets  of  the 
compan}^  being  in  danger  of  disruption."  The  daily  publication  was 
suspended  October  30,  191 8,  and  the  Weekly  Press  was  issued  on 
Thursdays  and  the  Record  on  Sundays.  New  life  and  new  blood  was 
injected  into  the  business,  and  on  November  18th,  the  Press  resumed 
publication  as  a  daily  morning  paper  with  W.  W.  Sproul  as  editor. 
It  was  short-lived,  however,  for  on  December  23,  1919,  the  Weekly 
Record  and  Daily  Press  suspended  "on  account  of  the  lack  of  financial 
and  business  support,"  and  the  doors  of  the  office  were  closed  by  the 
creditors,  and  this  was  the  last  of  the  Press  and  Record^  the  fifth 
and  sixth  newspapers  of  the  county  to  give  up  the  ghost. 

The  Wyoming  Oil  World,  published  in  Casper,  was  founded 
June,  1918,  by  Victor  Clark,  who  conducted  the  publication  for  one 
year,  when  L.  C.  Bailey  took  charge  until  April,  1921.  The  Wyoming 
Oil  World  and  the  Wyoming  Oil  Reviezv  were  consolidated  in  July, 

1920,  and  in  February,  1922,  the  publication  absorbed  the  Northwest 
Oil  News.  A.  J.  Hazlett  bought  the  publication  in  April,  1921,  and 
in  January,  1922,  changed  the  name  to  the  Inland  Oil  Index.  As  its 
name  indicates,  its  news  and  business  is  wholly  with  the  oil  interests. 

From  the  remains  of  the  Casper  Press-Record  plant  sprung  the 
Casper  Herald.  Frank  M.  O'Brien,  Elizabeth  D.  O'Brien  and  P.  C. 
Kelley  were  the  original  stockholders  of  the  new  enterprise,  which 
made  its  first  appearance  as  a  morning  newspaper  on  July  20,  1919. 
Much  new  machinery  and  equipment  was  added  and  the  paper  be- 
came very  popular  as  a  morning  publication  from  the  beginning. 
The  business  was  conducted   as  a  partnership  until  the  spring  of 

1921,  when  the  Casper  Herald  Publishing  company  was  incorporated 
with  a  capital  stock  of  ^100,000,  with  the  three  original  owners  as 
the  principal  stockholders.  On  September  18,  1922,  Mr.  O'Brien  sold 
the  controlling  interest  in  the  Herald  to  M.  M.  Levand,  who  had  been 
connected  with  the  Denver  Post  and  the  Kansas  City  Post. 

The  Free  Press,  published  in  Casper,  for  the  enlightenment  and 
in  the  interest  of  organized  labor,  was  first  issued  June  18,  1920.  Its 
founder  and  first  editor,  John  F.  Leheney,  proudly  boasted  that  the 


"Triblne"'  Okfice,  on  Center  Street,  1900 


WYOMING    DERRICK.  ^ 
"""AM:PRINTiNG:OFFtCE.I 


Derrick  Office,  iSg;, 


NEWSPAPERS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  33 

publication  was  started  on  a  sheet  of  wrapping  paper.  Miss  Bessie 
McKinney  and  John  D.  Salmond,  leaders  of  organized  labor,  and 
Michael  J.  Quealey,  a  capitalist,  were  interested  in  the  Free  Press 
with  Mr.  Leheney  in  a  financial  way,  and  had  it  not  been  for  their 
influence  and  timely  financial  assistance  there  would  be  nothing  fur- 
ther to  chronicle  in  this  connection,  except  to  announce  the  date  of 
its  suspension,  but  now,  like  Tennyson's  brook,  it  hopes  to  "go  on 
forever."  For  the  first  year,  and  in  fact  ever  since  its  existence,  the 
Free  Press  has  been  in  a  precarious  financial  state,  and  while  it  cannot 
claim  the  distinction,  like  Topsy,  in  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  of  being 
entirely  without  parentage,  it  was  a  homeless  wanderer  for  more  than 
a  year.  It  was  conceived  in  idealism,  born  in  poverty  and  nurtured 
in  adversity.  It  was  printed  by  one  of  the  local  printing  offices  for 
the  first  fourteen  months,  but  since  August,  1921,  it  has  been  issued 
from  its  own  plant,  which  was  installed  at  an  initial  cost  of  about 
$15,000,  the  greater  portion  of  which  is  causing  the  stockholders  to 
loosen  their  purse  strings  at  regular  intervals  when  the  payments 
become  due,  and  at  the  same  time  serves  as  a  reminder  that  while  the 
editorials  in  a  labor  journal  generally  beam  with  brilliancy,  "all  is 
not  gold  that  glistens."  In  February,  1921,  the  Free  Press  Publishing 
company  was  incorporated,  with  a  capitalization  of  $50,000.  Under 
a  provision  of  the  by-laws  then  adopted,  stock  may  be  sold  to  or- 
ganized labor  only.  The  outstanding  stock  is,  therefore,  owned  by 
the  various  labor  unions  throughout  the  state  of  Wyoming  and  by 
the  members  of  union  labor.  In  September,  1921,  Mr.  Leheney 
resigned  as  president  of  the  board  of  directors  and  as  editor,  and 
John  A.  Barker  was  elected  to  the  positions,  but  on  February,  1922, 
E.  A.  Shields  was  elected  president;  Charles  L.  Howard,  secretary- 
treasurer;  Austin  Riley,  Edna  Hoffman,  George  Vogel,  A.  E.  Gosnell, 
Wm.  Schatzlein  and  John  A.  Barker,  as  the  board  of  directors,  with 
Mr.  Barker  as  editor. 

The  Mills  Item  had  very  bright  prospects  to  "fill  a  long  felt 
want"  in  the  new  town  of  Mills,  but  it  was  the  shortest  lived  news- 
paper ever  published  in  Natrona  county.  The  first,  last  and  only 
issue  was  published  on  Saturday,  May  27,  1922.  Theo.  Flanagan 
was  the  editor  and  publisher.  He  had  no  type  or  machinery  but 
arranged  with  a  Casper  printing  establishment  to  furnish  these  neces- 
sary articles.  In  his  salutatory  he  said  he  "hoped  the  people  of  Mills 
would  form  a  good  impression  of  both  the  paper  and  the  editor. 
The  Item  is  for  Mills  first,  last  and  all  the  time."  Inasmuch  as  the 
Item  as  well  as  Mr.  Flanagan  did  not  again  make  their  appearance 
the  people  of  Mills  did  not  form  a  good  opinion  of  the  paper  or  the 
editor  as  he  had  hoped  they  would. 


34  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Mr.  Flanagan  moved  from  Mills  to  North  Casper,  where  he 
established  the  North  Casper  Nezvs,  "a  community  paper,  published 
in  the  interest  of  North  Casper." 

The  Salt  Creek  Gusher,  with  E.  A.  Gatewood  and  Gregory 
Powell  as  publishers,  whose  motto,  carried  at  the  top  of  the  paper 
"'Tis  a  Privilege  to  Live  in  Salt  Creek,"  and  whose  editorial  policy 
was  "Our  Aim  is  to  Serve  Salt  Creek,"  was  established  April  8,  1922. 
The  first  issue  was  a  six-page  four-column,  home-print  sheet,  and  was 
a  credit  to  the  town  it  represented,  and  had  bright  prospects  of  sur- 
viving the  vicissitudes  that  usually  are  encountered  by  a  small-town 
weekly  newspaper. 

The  Salt  Creek  Journal,  with  Frank  O'Brien  as  publisher,  was 
the  second  newspaper  venture  in  Salt  Creek.  This  paper  was  pub- 
lished in  the  Casper  Herald  office,  with  Salt  Creek  news  items  and  the 
events  of  the  day  taken  from  the  Herald  columns.  M.  M.  Levand 
became  proprietor  of  this  publication  on  September  18,  1922,  when 
he  purchased  the  Herald. 

Natrona  County's  Two  Court  Houses 

From  the  date  of  Natrona  county's  organization  in  April,  1890, 
until  July,  1895,  the  county  officers  occupied  two  rooms  on  the  second 
floor  over  Robert  White's  saloon,  on  Center  street.  The  terms  of  the 
district  court  were  held  in  the  town  hall.  In  the  early  spring  of  1895 
the  board  of  county  commissioners,  with  Charles  K.  Bucknum  as 
chairman,  wisely  decided  that  a  new  court  house  was  needed,  and 
accordingly  a  contract  was  let  for  the  construction  of  a  two-story 
frame  building  to  be  covered  with  seam  iron.  The  dimensions  of  the 
building  were  24x36  feet  and  the  size  of  the  brick  vault  was  8x12  feet. 
The  cost  of  this  building,  complete,  was  ^477.  There  were  eight 
rooms  in  the  building,  and  the  county  clerk  and  clerk  of  the  district 
court,  the  board  of  county  commissioners  and  the  brand  commis- 
sioners occupied  the  two  lower  rooms  on  the  south  side,  the  county 
surveyor  and  treasurer  occupied  the  two  lower  rooms  on  the  north 
side;  the  county  attorney  and  the  sheriff  were  in  the  rooms  on  the 
south  side,  upstairs,  and  the  terms  of  the  district  court  were  supposed 
to  be  held  in  the  two  rooms  upstairs  on  the  north  side,  but  as  these 
rooms  were  too  small  to  accommodate  these  proceedings,  they  were 
generally  vacant.  The  county  surveyor  occupied  any  of  the  rooms 
that  suited  him  best,  and  he  generally  could  be  found  in  one  of  the 
rooms  with  the  county  clerk.  From  this  very  convenient  and  com- 
modious arrangement  it  can  readily  be  seen  that  there  was  plenty 
of  room  for  all  and  some  to  spare.    This  building  was  located  on  the 


NATRONA    county's    TWO    COURT    HOUSES  35 

west  side  of  David  street,  between  Yellowstone  Highway  and  Mid- 
west avenue.  Xi4:3-99'2 

In  the  early  days  the  popuTation  oT  the  county  was  from  500  to 
1,000  and  the  assessed  valuation  was  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  million 
dollars.  But  in  1906  the  county  had  grown  in  population  and  wealth, 
and  the  people  felt  that  they  must  have  a  court  house  in  keeping  with 
their  size  and  money,  and  on  March  i,  1906,  at  a  meeting  of  the 
Casper  Booster's  club  a  committee  consisting  of  Patrick  Sullivan, 
W.  A.  Blackmore,  C.  M.  Elgin,  Oscar  Hiestand  and  E.  F.  Seaver, 
was  appointed  to  meet  with  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
and  request  that  preliminary  arrangements  be  made  for  the  selection 
of  a  site  and  the  erection  of  a  suitable  court  house  for  the  county. 
Petitions  were  circulated  requesting  the  commissioners  to  submit 
to  the  electors  of  the  county,  at  a  special  election,  the  question  of 
whether  the  board  of  commissioners  should  be  authorized  to  issue  cou- 
pon bonds  in  the  sum  of  ^40,000  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds  with 
which  to  build  a  new  court  house.  The  election  was  held  in  Novem- 
ber, 1906,  and  676  votes  were  cast  for  the  bonds,  with  139  against. 

Everything  up  until  this  time,  apparently,  had  been  going 
smoothly,  but  there  were  some  people  in  the  county  then,  as  there 
probably  are  now,  who  were  always  and  completely  out  of  tune  with 
their  environments.  Some  of  these  people  had  lived  in  the  county 
almost  from  the  beginning  of  its  organization  and  they  had  nearly 
always  opposed  everything  and  everybody  that  looked  progressive, 
and  it  was  surprising  that  matters  had  progressed  so  far  without 
friction.  But  when  the  selection  for  the  site  of  the  new  building  was 
to  be  made  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners  the  war  clouds 
commenced  to  thicken,  and  it  was  soon  found  that  the  taxpayers 
were  wallowing  in  the  mire  of  personalities  and  the  intricacies  of  the 
law,  from  which  the  majority  extricated  themselves  from  the  cata- 
clysm with  difficulty.  No  doubt  there  were  a  few  men  on  both 
sides  of  the  question  who  were  self-centered,  case-hardened,  hide- 
bound and  utterly  uncharitable,  while  there  were  many  others  who 
were  unquestionably  honest  and  sincere.  It  was  a  bitter  contest,  and 
everybody  was  active;  the  men  on  each  side  "bowed  their  necks 
and  stiffened  their  backs,"  and  were  determined  to  make  a  fight 
until  their  last  chance  to  win  had  gone. 

Three  sites  were  favored,  one  on  north  Center  street,  where  the 
building  was  finally  located,  one  on  south  Wolcott  street,  eight 
blocks  south  of  what  was  then  the  center  of  the  town,  and  the  other 
on  David  street,  where  the  court  house  at  that  time  was  situated. 

On  January  i,  1907,  the  $40,000  bonds  were  issued,  and  the  board 
of  county  commissioners,  consisting  of  L.  L.  Gantz,  C.  C.  P.  Webel 


36  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  C.  A.  Hall,  met  in  special  session  for  the  purpose  of  deciding 
upon  the  location  for  the  new  building.  A  great  many  people  were 
present  at  this  meeting  and  some  heated  argument  was  indulged  in. 
Petitions  were  presented  favoring  the  three  sites,  and  after  patiently 
listening  to  the  argument,  carefully  perusing  the  petitions  and 
diligently  studying  the  situation  from  every  angle,  it  was  decided 
the  north  Center  street  site  was  the  one  favored  by  the  greatest 
number  of  taxpayers,  and  the  commissioners  unanimously  decided 
that  this  was  where  the  building  should  be.  But  this  was  far  from 
ending  the  controversy,  as  will  be  seen  later. 

C.  A.  Randall,  the  local  architect,  was  instructed  to  draw  plans 
and  specifications  for  the  building,  and  by  the  time  they  were  fin- 
ished  the  summer  months  were  far  advanced,  but  the  blood  of  the 
defeated  factions  was  still  boiling.  In  November,  1907,  at  a  meet- 
ing of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  the  contract  for  the 
construction  of  the  building  was  awarded  to  Schmidt  &  Esmay 
of  Douglas,  the  price  being  $44,274,  the  building  to  be  completed 
November  i,  1908. 

The  contractors  commenced  at  once  to  excavate  for  the  founda- 
tion and  carry  out  their  part  of  the  contract,  but  on  December  20, 
1907,  Silas  Adsit,  through  his  attorney,  Alex  T.  Butler,  filed  a  peti- 
tion with  the  clerk  of  the  district  court  asking  that  an  injunction  be 
issued  by  Judge  Carpenter  restraining  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners of  Natrona  county  and  Schmidt  &  Esmay,  the  contractors, 
from  constructing  the  court  house  at  the  north  end  of  Center  street. 
The  petitioner  alleged  that  when  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
claimed  that  a  majority  of  the  taxpayers  favored  that  location,  and 
when  they  said  that  it  was  a  suitable  and  plausible  location,  they  did 
not  tell  the  truth,  and  that  the  commissioners  decided  upon  that 
location  for  the  purpose  of  cheating  and  injuring  the  petitioner  and 
deteriorating  the  value  of  his  real  estate  in  the  town  of  Casper, 
and  that  the  commissioners  were  in  collusion  with  speculators  that 
owned  real  estate  near  the  proposed  site.  He  further  said  that  the 
records  of  the  county  would  be  imperiled  by  the  overflow  of  the 
Platte  river  and  the  continuous  blowing  of  sand,  and  that  the  grounds 
could  not  be  beautified  because  of  the  lack  of  water  and  the  abun- 
dance of  sand.  After  making  numerous  and  divers  other  charges  he 
concluded  his  petition  by  claiming  that  all  the  actions  of  the  county 
commissioners  in  regard  to  selecting  the  site  and  awardmg  the  con- 
tract for  the  construction  of  the  building  was  illegal,  and  for  these 
things  he  asked  the  court  to  issue  a  perpetual  restraining  order, 
enjoining  the  commissioners  from  paying  out  any  money  for  the 
construction  of  the  court  house. 


Casper's   First  Jail   Building,  1890 
Dr.  Joseph  Benson  was  cremated  in  this  jai 


i      i        i 


L- 


g^ 


Natron  \  LoLNn  s    1  irsi    Colrt   Hdlm, 
1893,  LuvtRfcD  wiiH  S^J^M   Iron 


n'illi      !'^SJ  HI* 


Natrona  County  Court  House,  1908 


NATRONA    county's    TWO    COURT    HOUSES  37 

For  some  of  the  allegations  contained  in  the  petition  which 
reflected  upon  them,  the  contractors  and  the  architect  made  arrange- 
ments to  bring  action  against  Mr.  Adsit,  charging  him  with  libel, 
and  asking  for  damages  to  the  amount  of  $100,000. 

When  the  matter  of  granting  the  temporary  restraining  order 
came  before  Judge  Carpenter,  he  said  he  would  readily  grant  the 
order  when  Mr.  Adsit  should  procure  a  good  and  sufficient  bond,  in 
the  sum  of  $18,000,  but  until  the  bond  was  presented  the  contractors 
would  continue  uninterrupted  with  their  work.  The  matter  came  up 
for  final  hearing  the  last  week  in  February,  and  on  account  of  the 
petitioner  being  able  to  secure  only  one  name  on  the  bond,  it  was 
declared  to  be  insufficient,  and  the  court  refused  to  grant  the  injunc- 
tion, but  this  did  not  settle  the  controversy.  The  objectors  had  not 
yet  exhausted  all  their  means  to  stop  the  progress  of  the  building, 
for  after  the  excavation  for  the  basement  had  been  completed,  and  a 
great  deal  of  material  was  on  the  ground,  and  when  the  contractors 
had  hired  a  large  force  of  men,  J.  M.  Carey  refused  to  deliver  to  the 
county  a  deed  for  that  portion  of  the  ground  he  owned  upon  which 
the  court  house  was  to  be  built,  and  work  on  the  building  was  then 
temporarily  suspended. 

Shortly  after  the  site  for  the  building  had  been  selected  by  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  a  contract  was  made  with  Mr. 
Carey,  through  M.  P.  Wheeler  his  Casper  agent,  for  the  purchase 
of  the  lots,  and  at  the  same  tim.e  a  number  of  other  lots  which  would 
be  used  for  the  court  house  grounds  were  purchased  from  other 
parties.  The  contract  for  the  purchase  of  the  lots  from  the  Carey 
company  were  drawn  up  and  properly  signed  by  the  Carey  company 
agent,  and  the  agent  of  the  individuals  who  were  purchasing  the  land 
and  were  going  to  present  it  to  the  county,  free  of  charge,  for  court 
house  purposes.  And  it  was  agreed  that  full  payment  would  be  made 
when  the  deed  was  delivered.  Shortly  after  this  contract  was  made 
Mr.  Wheeler  was  compelled  to  undergo  a  dangerous  operation,  and 
before  he  could  return  home  from  Chicago  the  time  agreed  upon  for 
the  payment  of  the  lots  had  expired,  and  Mr.  Carey  at  once  canceled 
the  contract  and  withdrew  the  lots  from  the  market,  although  the 
money  was  tendered  him  for  the  payment  of  them  according  to  the 
contract. 

A  delegation  immediately  went  to  Cheyenne  and  waited  on  Mr. 
Carey,  and  he  agreed  to  come  to  Casper  the  first  week  in  April  and 
make  an  investigation  of  conditions,  and  at  a  mass  meeting  held  in 
the  town  hall  on  April  3,  at  which  Mr.  Carey  and  a  large  number  of 
citizens  were  present,  much  argument  was  presented  for  and  against 
the  building  of  the  court  house  on  the  proposed  site.    Mr.  Carey  did 


38  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

not  at  once  give  his  decision  in  regard  to  the  sale  of  the  lots,  but  after 
returning  to  his  home  in  Cheyenne  he  wrote  to  the  board  of  county 
commissioners,  protesting  against  the  court  house  being  built  on 
the  north  Center  street  site,  "unless  the  property  is  first  donated  by 
us,  purchased  of  us  or  procured  by  condemnation  proceedings." 
A  number  of  citizens  and  taxpayers  put  up  a  bond  to  the  county 
commissioners  guaranteeing  title  to  the  north  Center  street  site, 
regardless  of  the  protest  of  Mr.  Carey,  and  at  a  special  meeting  of 
the  town  council  an  ordinance  was  adopted  which  vacated  and  closed 
to  public  use  the  land  provided  for  a  court  house  building  and  a 
court  house  yard  on  north  Center  street.  Some  of  those  who  were 
opposed  to  this  site  were  present  at  the  council  meeting  and  they 
threatened  to  throw  "the  members  of  the  town  council  in  jail,  as 
they  had  thrown  the  members  of  the  school  board  in  jail,  and  if  this 
street  was  blockaded,  they  said  they  would  tear  up  and  blockade  and 
fence  the  alleys  and  the  streets  anywhere  in  town  that  they  chose. 
The  majority  of  the  members  of  the  town  council  and  all  the  members 
of  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  together  with  about  fifty  sub- 
stantial taxpayers,  were  determined  that  the  work  on  the  building 
should  proceed,  and  they  personally  guaranteed  to  the  city  and 
county  and  the  contractors  the  payment  of  all  the  expense  of  court 
proceedings  and  any  other  expense  that  might  arise,  and  the  con- 
tractors again  commenced  work  on  the  building,  and  continued  with- 
out interruption,  but  were  annoyed  with  a  great  deal  of  objection 
until  the  building  was  completed. 

The  cornerstone  was  laid  by  the  grand  master  of  Masons  on 
Monday,  June  22,  1908,  and  the  building  was  finished  February  10, 
1909,  but  was  not  occupied  until  March  13,  on  account  of  the  new 
furniture  and  jail  fixtures  not  arriving  before  that  time. 

The  formal  opening  of  the  building  was  on  March  17,  1909, 
when  the  Casper  band  furnished  music,  and  a  reception  was  held  from 
3  o'clock  until  5  in  the  afternoon,  and,  although  it  was  declared  that 
"everybody  in  town"  was  at  the  reception,  those  who  made  such  a 
strong  resistance  against  the  building  being  erected  on  this  site, 
must  have  been  out  of  town  that  day,  for  they  were  not  at  the 
reception. 

But  even  after  the  new  building  was  occupied  the  rancorous  feel- 
ing had  not  been  smothered  and  on  November  9,  1909,  Judge  Carey 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners  in  which  he  said 
that  "upon  examining  the  location  of  the  new  court  house  in  Casper 
we  find  that  you  have  used  a  street  that  was  dedicated  by  us  for 
public  uses,  without  our  consent.  You  have  also  destroyed  the  means 
of  ingress  and  egress  to  property  belonging  to  us  in  blocks  fiftj^-four 


NATRONA    county's    PUBLIC    LIBRARY  39 

and  fifty-five.    We  are  entitled  to  some  compensation  for  this  and  we 
want  to  hear  your  proposition  and  what  you  propose  to  do." 

In  due  time  an  agreement  was  reached  between  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  and  Mr.  Carey  as  to  the  price  he  should  have 
for  his  lots  upon  which  the  court  house  was  built  and  the  amount  of 
damage  to  blocks  fifty-four  and  fifty-five,  because  of  the  closing  of 
Center  street.  The  county  commissioners  informed  the  men  who  had 
agreed  to  bear  all  the  expense  of  the  amount  to  be  paid  to  Mr.  Carey 
and  the  bondsmen  raised  the  money  and  turned  it  over  to  the  county 
commissioners;  the  county  commissioners  then  paid  Mr.  Carey, 
and  thus  ended  for  all  time  the  Natrona  county  court  house  con- 
troversy. 

Natrona  County's  Public  Library 

Natrona  County's  Public  Library  ranks  with  the  public  schools 
as  being  an  institution  that  is  indispensable  and  of  untold  benefit, 
and  although  it  is  very  liberally  patronized  and  no  doubt  greatly 
appreciated  by  the  general  public,  it  does  not  receive  the  financial 
support  that  it  deserves.  While  it  is  conducted  along  economical  lines 
that  are  not  equaled  by  the  county  or  city  governments,  or  even  by 
the  schools  of  the  county,  the  annual  appropriations  made  for  its 
support  and  maintenance  are  very  meager,  compared  with  the  en- 
lightenment, entertainment  and  benefit  it  returns.  Donations,  ap- 
propriations and  "drives"  are  continually  being  made  in  the  county 
for  the  support  of  some  worthy  cause,  but  never  yet  has  the  public 
library  of  this  county  received  any  consideration  except  the  annual 
appropriation  made  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  which  is 
provided  by  the  statutes  of  the  state. 

A  public  library  was  first  established  in  Casper  late  in  the  fall 
of  1902,  by  the  local  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union.  The 
books  were  few  and  they  occupied  some  shelves  in  a  small  building 
located  on  the  east  side  of  Center  street,  between  Second  and  First. 
Although  the  number  of  books  was  limited,  there  was  a  sufficient 
number  at  that  time  to  supply  the  demand.  This  library  was  con- 
ducted by  the  ladies  of  the  organization  above  named  for  about  a 
year,  when,  on  November  3,  1903,  the  Natrona  County  Public 
Library  association  was  organized,  and  F.  E.  Matheny,  N.  S.  Bristol 
and  W.  S.  Kimball  were  appointed  trustees.  An  annual  levy  of  not 
less  than  one-eighth  of  a  mill  and  not  more  than  one-half  of  a  mill 
of  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  county  for  the  establishment  and 
maintenance  of  such  a  library  was  provided  by  the  state  statutes, 
which  also  provided  that  the  county  must  own  its  own  building  and 
books.    The  statutes  further  provided  that  "the  board  of  trustees 


40  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

must  keep  a  strict  account  of  all  the  association's  property  and  make 
a  complete  report  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners  at  the  end 
of  each  year.  The  books  of  the  library  must  be  non-political,  non- 
sectarian  and  only  twenty-five  per  cent  of  them  fiction.  All  the  books 
must  be  of  a  character  that  would  inform  the  mind  and  improve 
the  character  of  the  reader.  The  library  must  be  free  to  the  residents 
of  the  county." 

The  library  association  at  that  time  did  not  own  a  building, 
but  arrangements  were  made  for  the  use  of  the  building  and  books 
owned  by  the  Women's  Christian  Temperance  Union.  But  little 
interest  was  taken  in  the  institution  and  probably  not  a  dozen  books 
were  borrowed  in  a  month's  time,  and  the  board  of  trustees  and  the 
association  in  a  short  time  became  inactive.  The  annual  appropria- 
tions were  made  regularly  and  a  fund  of  several  hundred  dollars 
was  accumulated,  no  part  of  which  was  used  for  several  years. 

In  the  summer  of  1906  some  of  the  county's  enterprising  citizens 
conceived  the  idea  that  there  should  be  a  public  library  building 
in  the  city  of  Casper,  not  that  there  was  at  that  time  any  particular 
need  or  demand  for  such  a  building  or  a  library,  but  if  some  outside 
philanthropist  would  furnish  the  money  it  would  give  to  the  town  a 
building  to  which  we  could  point  with  pride.  Accordingly  Andrew 
Carnegie  was  appealed  to  for  the  money,  and  he  agreed  to  give 
$10,000  toward  the  erection  of  a  building,  provided  the  town  of 
Casper  would  agree  to  make  an  annual  appropriation  of  $1,000  for 
its  maintenance.  The  agreement  was  entered  into  between  the  town 
of  Casper  and  Mr.  Carnegie.  C.  A.  Randall  was  then  Casper's  only 
architect,  and  he  drew  the  plans  and  specifications  for  the  building, 
which  were  approved  by  the  town  council  and  were  then  forwarded 
to  Mr.  Carnegie  for  his  approval.  They  were  returned  with  Mr. 
Carnegie's  approval,  and  on  September  30,  1906,  Charles  Galusha 
was  awarded  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  building,  the  price 
being  $10,375.  Work  was  commenced  upon  the  building  at  once, 
but  on  account  of  the  many  changes  that  were  necessarily  made  in 
the  plans  and  specifications  there  was  considerable  additional  ex- 
pense to  the  original  contract  and  much  delay  in  completing  the 
building.  For  more  than  two  years  the  contractor  was  hampered 
by  changes  and  additional  expense,  and  by  this  time  the  appropria- 
tion of  $10,000  was  exhausted  and  the  building  far  from  being  finished. 
An  appeal  was  made  to  Mr.  Carnegie  for  more  funds,  and  under 
certain  conditions  he  agreed  to  donate  $3,000  more  with  which  to 
complete  the  building,  and  at  a  meeting  of  the  Casper  town  council, 
held  January  23,  1909,  a  resolution  was  adopted  to  the  effect  that 
"Andrew  Carnegie  has  offered  to  donate  to  the  town  of  Casper, 


NATRONA    COUNTY  S    PUBLIC    LIBRARY  4I 

Wyoming,  an  additional  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars  for  the  purpose 
of  completing  the  Carnegie  library,  upon  condition  that  the  town 
annually  raise  three  hundred  dollars,  in  addition  to  that  already 
pledged,  for  the  support  and  maintenance  of  the  said  library,  there- 
fore, we  do  hereby  pledge  the  said  town  of  Casper  to  raise  three 
hundred  dollars,  in  addition  to  the  amount  already  pledged,  for  the 
support  and  maintenance  of  the  said  public  library,  to  be  raised 
annually,  and  expended  for  that  purpose."  Work  on  the  building 
was  resumed  and  there  were  encouraging  prospects  that  it  would 
be  completed  without  delay. 

On  April  8,  1909,  the  board  of  county  commissioners  appointed 
C.  H.  Townsend,  C.  C.  P.  Webel  and  J.  E.  Schulte  as  the  board  of 
directors  of  the  Natrona  County  Library  association,  giving  them 
charge  of  the  library  fund,  and  directing  them  to  purchase  furniture, 
fix  the  salary  for  the  librarian  and  hire  a  librarian.  This  board  was 
organized  July  i,  1909,  with  J.  E.  Schulte,  chairman;  C.  H.  Town- 
send,  treasurer;  C.  C.  P.  Webel,  secretary.  In  August  Mr.  Webel 
resigned  as  secretary  and  member  of  the  board,  and  Harold  Banner 
was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

It  was  discovered  by  this  time  that  the  town  of  Casper  could 
not  fulfill  its  part  of  the  agreement  in  raising  funds  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  institution,  and  on  the  first  of  November,  1909,  the 
town  of  Casper,  by  a  resolution  adopted  by  the  town  council,  pre- 
sented to  Natrona  county  the  Carnegie  library  building,  which 
even  at  that  time  was  still  far  from  being  completed  and  ready  for 
occupancy.  Natrona  county,  through  its  board  of  county  commis- 
sioners, accepted  the  gift  from  the  town,  and  on  the  third  of  No- 
vember the  members  of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  library  were 
instructed  to  furnish  the  building  and  have  it  in  condition  for  occu- 
pancy as  soon  as  possible  and  appoint  a  librarian. 

To  some  people  living  in  Casper  this  did  not  appear  to  be  legal, 
nor  did  they  deem  it  just  to  Mr.  Carnegie,  and  the  matter  of  finishing, 
furnishing  and  occupying  the  building  was  in  status  quo  until  February 
2,  1910,  when  a  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  "authorizing  the  Natrona  County  Public  Library 
association  to  take  charge  of  and  assume  control  of  the  Carnegie 
Public  Library  building,  situated  in  the  town  of  Casper,  and  to  open 
and  manage  the  same  as  provided  by  law,"  and  it  was  further  ordered 
that  the  "Natrona  County  Public  Library  association,  as  soon  as 
practicable,  take  charge  of,  open  and  maintain  the  said  Carnegie 
Public  Library  building  as  the  free  public  library  of  Natrona  county, 
Wyoming,  and  that  said  association  cause  to  be  placed  in  said  library 
building  all  library  property  and  books  belonging  to  Natrona  county." 


42  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

The  thirteen  thousand  dollars  donated  by  Mr.  Carnegie  for  the 
building  had  by  this  time  been  expended,  and  the  building  was  yet 
a  long  way  from  being  completed,  and  of  course  could  not  be  opened 
for  public  use. 

Complaint  had  been  made  by  Casper's  "Trouble  Makers' 
Club,"  of  which  the  membership  consisted  of  about  a  half  a  dozen 
men  who  on  numerous  occasions  had  previously  attempted  to  thwart 
movements  that  would  add  to  the  progress  and  upbuilding  of  the 
town,  and  one  of  the  men  even  appealed  to  Mr.  Carnegie  to  "send 
an  attorney  here  and  enforce  your  contract,  and  cause  the  library 
to  be  opened."    Mr.  Carnegie  paid  no  attention  to  the  complaint. 

The  library  board  could  not,  under  the  Wyoming  statutes,  ex- 
pend tax  funds  to  complete  the  building,  but  the  attorney  general  of 
Wyoming  advised  the  trustees  that  they  could  legally  expend  such 
funds  as  were  at  their  command  for  repairs  on  the  building,  but,  he 
advised,  "If  the  sentiment  of  the  community  is  in  favor  of  using  the 
tax  funds  for  completing  the  building,  I  would  not  suppose  there 
would  be  any  serious  objections." 

The  work  of  "repairing"  the  building  was  then  commenced, 
under  the  supervision  of  the  county  library  trustees,  but  it  was  not 
in  condition  to  be  occupied  until  the  middle  of  May.  On  the  evening 
of  May  20,  1910,  the  trustees  of  the  association  and  the  ladies  of  the 
Casper  Civic  Club  were  hosts  and  hostesses  at  the  formal  opening 
of  the  building,  the  reception  to  the  public  being  held  from  8:30 
until  9:30,  after  which  there  was  dancing  until  midnight.  The 
next  day,  Saturday,  May  21,  the  library  was  opened  to  the  public, 
with  Mrs.  Sarah  Place  as  librarian.  There  were  but  a  few  books  on 
the  shelves,  and  there  were  but  few  calls  for  those  on  hand.  Many 
fixtures  were  to  be  added  to  the  interior  of  the  building  and  a  heating 
plant  had  not  yet  been  installed;  there  was  no  sidewalk  in  front  of 
the  building  and  the  grounds  had  not  yet  been  cleared  of  the  rubbish, 
but  with  the  aid  of  the  Civic  Club,  the  town  council,  the  library 
trustees  and  some  of  the  public-spirited  citizens,  all  these  things 
were  accomplished  before  the  cold  weather  in  the  fall  approached. 

During  the  six  months  ending  December  31,  1910,  the  trustees 
expended  $776  for  furniture;  ^300  for  plumbing;  $309  for  books, 
and  $500  for  a  heating  plant.  During  the  same  period  the  librarian 
had  let  out  2,805  books,  and  $16.45  i"  fines  had  been  collected. 
During  the  year  191 5,  16,218  books  were  loaned,  and  the  receipts 
from  all  sources  were  $2,657.88,  with  $2,192.76  expended.  In  1918, 
18,632  books  were  loaned,  and  1,180  new  books  were  purchased. 
The  fines  amounted  to  $75.25.  During  1921,  there  were  63,331 
books  loaned  and  2,338  new  books  purchased.    The  daily  average 


NATRONA    county's    PUBLIC    LIBRARY  43 

attendance  at  the  library,  including  active  borrowers  of  books  and 
reading  room  visitors,  was  396.  Books  were  sent  to  the  schools  of 
Salt  Creek,  Kasoming,  Ohio  Camp,  Poison  Spider,  Alcova,  and  other 
schools  in  the  county,  which  were  not  included  in  the  number  re- 
ported loaned  during  the  year.  A  children's  room  has  been  estab- 
lished in  the  library  where  there  are  many  carefully  selected  books 
and  pictures,  with  stereopticon  views.  The  children's  story  hour  is 
made  most  interesting  and  instructive  by  well-trained  story  tellers. 
The  hours  have  been  extended  to  the  public  and  an  assistant  and  an 
apprentice  are  required  in  addition  to  the  librarian.  It  is  noted 
with  satisfaction  that  no  changes  have  been  made  either  in  the  per- 
sonnel of  the  board  of  trustees  or  the  librarian  except  in  cases  of 
death  or  their  departure  from  the  county.  On  January  i,  1922,  the 
trustees  were  C.  H.  Townsend,  J.  W.  Johnson  and  Miss  May  Hamil- 
ton. Mrs.  Effie  C.  Rogers  was  appointed  librarian  June  i,  1919,  to 
fill  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Mrs.  Place.  Mrs.  Rogers  is 
assisted  in  her  work  by  Clara  C.  Douds,  assistant  librarian;  Frances 
Giblin,  children's  librarian;  Floyd  Mann,  page;  Cathryn  Cole, 
apprentice. 

In  his  report  to  the  board  of  county  commissioners  in  January, 
1922,  Mr.  Townsend,  the  treasurer  of  the  library  board,  said:  "When 
the  library  was  accepted  from  the  town  of  Casper  by  Natrona 
county,  there  was  scarcely  an  armful  of  books,  and  the  building 
was  unfinished.  At  the  present  time  this  library  has  very  comfort- 
able quarters,  although  it  is  somewhat  limited  in  space  for  the  rapidly 
growing  community.  The  number  of  books  has  been  increased  from 
almost  nothing  to  nearly  12,000  volumes.  During  the  past  twelve 
years  the  library  association  has  had  an  average  of  $3,000  per 
annum  to  meet  the  expenses,  but  the  expenses  have  always  been  kept 
within  the  limit  of  the  receipts.  With  the  coming  year  we  hope 
the  funds  v/ill  be  increased  which  will  enable  us  to  increase  our 
service  by  giving  the  public  longer  hours  and  the  purchase  of  a 
greater  number  of  books  than  we  have  heretofore  been  able  to  buy. 
The  trustees  have  always  conducted  the  library  on  an  economical 
basis  and  have  spent  only  the  money  that  seemed  necessary.  On 
account  of  the  increased  patronage  of  the  library,  it  will  be  but  a 
short  time  until  the  building  must  be  enlarged  which  will  be  in  keep- 
ing with  the  rapidly  growing  community." 

During  the  year  1922  new  steel  bookcases  were  installed,  which 
allowed  a  much  closer  classification  of  the  books  and  better  arrange- 
ment on  the  shelves.  On  January  i,  1923,  the  library  had  14,413 
books  accessioned,  an  increase  of  3,785  during  the  year.  The  daily 
attendance  at  the  library,  including  active  borrowers  and  reading 


44                            HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  '^ 

room  visitors,  averaged  398.    The  number  of  books  loaned  during  the  \ 

year  was  74,162,  an  increase  of  10,831  over  the  previous  year.    In  '. 

contrast   to   the    above   report,   these    figures   are   taken    from    the  i 

report  of  1910:  j 

1910            1922  i 

Number  of  books  in  library 850              I4>4i3  '. 

Largest  daily  circulation 5°  65 1 

Books  checked  during  year 1,000  74,162 

Number  of  books  purchased 100               3,785  ; 

Fines  and  damages  collected ^20.00         $621.11 

Natrona  County's  Public  Hospital  I 

Hugh  L.  Patton,  Natrona  county's  representative  in  the  house  | 

of  the  legislature  in  1909,  introduced  a  bill  for  an  appropriation  of  ; 

$22,500  from  the  state  of  Wyoming  for  the  erection,  equipment  and  \ 

management  of  a  branch  of  the  Wyoming  General  Hospital,  to  be  1 

located  in  the  town  of  Casper,  Natrona  county.   Without  a  dissenting  i 

vote  the  bill  passed  the  house  and  the  senate,  and  with  the  governor's  i 
approval  it  was  enacted  into  law.    A  provision  in  the  bill  specified 

that  the  town  of  Casper  should  furnish  to  the  state  a  proper  site  j 

for  the  institution  without  cost.  [ 

But   little    time   was    lost    after    the   legislature   adjourned    in  j 

carrying  out  the  provisions  of  the  act.    The  members  of  the  state  | 

board  of  Charities  and  Reform,  whose  duty  it  was  to  select  a  site,  ; 
award    the    contract    and    buy    the    equipment    for    the    building, 

made  a  visit  to  Casper  on  the  12th  of  April,   1909,   and,  with  the  | 

members  of  the  town  council   and   a  committee   from   the  Casper  ■, 

Industrial  Club,  after  making  a  thorough  survey  of  the  town,  all  , 
agreed  that  block  32,  in  Park  addition,  would  be  an  ideal  location 
for  the  hospital.     J.   M.  Carey  &   Brother  had  donated  this  piece 

of  ground   to   the  town  of  Casper  for   park   purposes,  but  it  was  1 

said  that  Mr.  Carey  had  consented  to  allow  it  to  be  used  for  the  j 

hospital.    It  was  presumed  that  the  decision  to  locate  the  building  . 

on  this  block  settled  the  matter,  and  the  state  board  returned  to  ' 

Cheyenne  and  immediately  made  arrangements  to  have  the  plans  ' 

and  specifications  drawn  for  the  building,  and  the  prospects  seemed  > 

encouraging  that  the  town  of  Casper  would  have  at  least  one  public  j 

building  erected  without  delay   and  without   a  jangle   among  our  I 

citizens,  but  the  bright  dream  was  soon  disturbed  by  the  gentleman  j 

who  so  kindly  donated  the  strip  of  ground  to  the  town  to  be  used  for  j 

park  purposes.   On  the  26th  of  August  the  mayor  of  Casper  received  j 

a  letter  from  Mr.  Carey's  agent  to  the  effect  that  "while  Judge  ; 

Carey  was  wiUing  to  give  some  charitable  organization  a  site  for  a  1 


NATRONA    COUNTY  S    PUBLIC    HOSPITAL  45 

hospital,  he  would  not,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  donate  a  site  to 
the  town  of  Casper,  the  county  of  Natrona,  or  the  state  of  Wyoming. 
The  reason  he  would  not  give  a  site  for  the  hospital  was  that  he 
thought  he  had  been  unjustly  treated  in  the  matter  of  taxation, 
and  until  that  was  righted  no  favors  might  be  expected  from  him." 

Past  experiences  with  Mr.  Carey  convinced  the  people  of  Casper 
that  an  attempt  to  buy  the  ground,  or  to  appeal  for  a  reconsideration 
in  the  withdrawal  of  the  block  for  a  hospital  site  would  be  useless, 
and  arrangements  were  made  between  the  town  of  Casper  and  Henry 
L.  White  for  a  tract  of  land  300x420  feet  on  East  Second  street, 
between  Washington  and  Conwell  streets.  A  deed  for  this  tract 
was  given  to  the  state;  the  plans  and  specifications  were  finished, 
but  there  was  a  misunderstanding  between  the  state  board  of  Chari- 
ties and  Reform  as  to  whether  the  state  or  the  town  of  Casper 
would  furnish  and  maintain  the  institution,  and  on  December  4, 
1909,  Governor  B.  B.  Brooks,  State  Auditor  LeRoy  Grant  and 
State  Superintendent  A.  D,  Cook,  three  members  of  the  state  board 
of  Charities  and  Reform,  came  to  Casper  and  conferred  with  the 
members  of  the  Casper  Industrial  Club  regarding  the  construction 
of  the  building.  The  governor,  who  acted  as  spokesman  for  the 
state  board,  said  that  the  people  of  Casper  had  done  all  they  agreed 
to  do  in  regard  to  selecting  the  site  and  giving  to  the  state  a  deed 
for  the  land,  but  he  understood  that  the  people  of  Casper  were 
willing  to  furnish  and  maintain  the  institution.  If  this  were  true, 
the  state  could  spend  the  full  amount,  ^22,500,  appropriated  for  the 
construction  of  a  building,  but  if  the  state  were  to  furnish  and  main- 
tain the  institution,  only  about  ^16,000  could  be  used  for  the  building. 
Spokesmen  for  the  Casper  Industrial  Club  said  that  many  people 
objected  to  the  institution  being  equipped  and  maintained  by  the 
town  of  Casper  or  Natrona  county;  that  they  felt  that  because  they 
had  always  been  liberal  in  such  matters  was  no  reason  that  they  should 
be  imposed  upon,  and  it  was  their  opinion  that  the  state  should 
furnish  the  building  and  maintain  the  institution  the  same  as  it  did 
the  hospitals  at  Rock  Springs  and  Sheridan.  After  considerable 
discussion,  it  was  finally  decided  to  use  the  full  amount  appropriated 
for  the  building  and  take  a  chance  on  the  next  legislature  making 
an  additional  appropriation  for  the  furnishing  and  maintenance  of 
the  institution. 

Early  in  January,  1910,  the  contract  for  the  building  of  the 
hospital  was  awarded  to  Archie  Allison  of  Cheyenne,  and  W.  F. 
Henning  of  Casper  was  given  the  contract  for  the  installation  of  the 
plumbing  and  heating  apparatus.  Construction  work  was  com- 
menced in  March,  1910,  and  the  building  was  completed  and  accepted 


46  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  ; 

by  the  state  on  August  31  of  the  same  year,  but  the  institution  was  \ 

not  equipped  or  furnished  and  no  superintendent  had  been  appointed,  j 

and  no  funds  were  available  with  which  to  furnish  and  maintain  the  j 

institution.    A  watchman  was  put  in  charge  of  the  vacant  building  ! 

until  the  convening  of  the  next  session  of  the  legislature,  when  it  ; 

was  hoped  that  an  appropriation  would  be  made  with  which  to  equip  ; 
and  maintain  the  institution. 

Governor  Brooks,  as  well  as  the  other  members  of  the  state  ; 
board  of  Charities  and  Reform,  retired  on  the  first  of  January,  191 1, 
by  reason  of  the  expiration  of  their  terms  in  office,  and  Joseph  M. 

Carey,  who  had  heretofore  displayed  his  opposition  to  the  hospital,  1| 

the  town  of  Casper  and  Natrona  county,  became  governor  of  the  ] 

state.  ] 

At  the  session  of  the  legislature  in  January,   191 1,  a  bill  was  ■ 

introduced  and  passed  both  the  house  and  senate  appropriating  the  i 

sum  of  $12,500  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  and  furnishing  the  j 

hospital.    The  governor  vetoed  the  bill,  but  an  appropriation  of  a  ! 

similar  amount  was  incorporated  in  another  bill  which,  if  vetoed,  ; 

would  have  had  a  disastrous  effect  upon  other  state  institutions,  and  i 

after  it  passed  the  house  and  senate  it  also  received  the  approval  '■ 

of  the  governor.    It  then  only  remained  for  the  state  board  of  Chari-  ! 

ties  and  Reform  to  come  to  Casper  and  have  a  few  minor  repairs  ; 

made  to  the  building,  buy  the  furniture,  appoint  a  superintendent  : 
and  put  the  hospital  in  operation,  but  the  governor's  time  was  so 
completely  taken  up  with  other  affairs  of  state  that  he  could  not 
come  to  Casper  with  the  other  members  of  the  board,  and  the  build- 
ing remained  unoccupied,  except  for  the  presence  of  the  watchman, 

who  had  furnished  for  himself  a  room  in  the  basement.  i 

On  August  3,  191 1,  State  Auditor  Robert  Forsythe  and  Miss  ' 

Martha  Converse  (now  Mrs.  W.  S.  Kimball),  came  to  Casper  with  ; 

the  authority  and  for  the  purpose  of  letting  contracts  to  finish  the  j 

building  and  to  furnish  and  equip  the  same  and  get  it  in  shape  to  ] 

be  operated.    The  building  was  completed  and  furnished  and  ready  I 

for  occupancy  the  latter  part  of  October,   and   on  the   30th   was  | 

formally  opened  for  business,  with  Miss  Converse  as  superintendent,  j 

It  was  operated  as  a  state  institution  until  January  i,  1922.  | 

At  the  session  of  the  legislature  in  1921  a  bill  was  introduced  1 

and  became  a  law  giving  to  the  counties  in  which  state  hospitals  ; 
are  located  the  privilege  of  purchasing  them   for  the  sum  of  one 

dollar,  the  purchase  price  being  nominal,  and  merely  sufficient  to  ij 

constitute  an  exchange  which  prevents  the  state  from  violating  the  1 

constitution.    The  exchange  included   the   building,  lands   and   all  < 

equipment  and   suppUes  on  hand.    On  January   i,   1922,  Natrona  i 


RAILROADS    IN    NATRONA    COUNTY  47 

county  paid  to  the  state  of  Wyoming  the  purchase  price  of  one 
dollar,  and  the  title  was  changed  from  the  Casper  Branch  of  the 
Wyoming  General  Hospital  to  the  Natrona  County  Hospital,  since 
which  time  it  has  been  under  the  direction  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners. 

During  the  summer  of  1922  a  contract  was  let  by  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  for  the  erection  of  a  nurses'  home,  to  be  the 
property  of  the  county,  in  connection  with  the  county  hospital. 
The  new  building  consists  of  nine  rooms  and  two  baths  and  is  suf- 
ficient to  accommodate  eighteen  nurses.  Work  was  commenced  on 
the  building  the  latter  part  of  September  and  was  finished  in  No- 
vember. The  building  cost  about  $14,000,  and  is  located  about 
fifty  feet  south  of  the  hospital  building.  With  the  completion  of 
this  building  Natrona  county  affords  hospital  accommodations  equal 
to  any  county  in  the  sate  of  Wyoming. 

Railroads  in  Natrona  County 

The  first  railroad  passenger  train  that  came  into  Natrona 
county  according  to  schedule  arrived  in  Casper  on  June  15,  1888. 
The  end  of  the  road  at  that  time  was  about  a  mile  east  from  where 
the  present  passenger  station  is  located.  The  "old  town,"  or  tem- 
porary location  of  Casper,  was  a  short  distance  to  the  northwest 
from  where  the  railroad  track  ended.  A  big  celebration  was  had 
that  day  and  night  by  the  citizens  of  Casper  and  the  passengers  who 
remained  over.  How  they  celebrated  can  be  imagmed  from  the  fact 
that  Casper  was  then  a  typical  frontier  "cow  town."  A  regular 
passenger  train  service  was  established  after  a  short  time,  but  this 
service  was  abandoned  in  1892,  and  after  that  the  passengers  reached 
here  on  an  "accommodation,"  or  combination  train. 

After  about  ten  years,  passenger  train  service  was,  on  May  11, 
1903,  re-established  between  Chadron  and  Casper  on  the  Fremont, 
Elkhorn  and  Missouri  Valley  Railway,  which  is  now  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway.  The  train  was  due  to  arrive  in  town  at  i 
o'clock,  and  there  were  gathered  at  the  depot  to  welcome  it  the  mayor 
and  members  of  the  town  council,  the  president  and  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Casper  Gun  Club  (all  of 
whom  had  their  guns  with  them),  and  about  three  hundred  citizens. 
The  greater  portion  of  the  male  population  had  six-shooters  in  their 
belts.  The  whistle  at  the  electric  light  plant  gave  the  signal  when  the 
passenger  train  arrived  within  the  town  limits  and  immediately  ten 
anvils  were  fired,  which  caused  a  vibration  sufficient  to  break  the 
windows  in  several  of  the  business  houses  of  the  town.    When  the 


48  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

train  arrived  at  the  depot  more  than  a  hundred  shots  were  fired  from 
shot  guns,  rifles  and  six-shooters,  and  one  or  two  of  the  tenderfoot 
passengers  became  frightened  and  refused  to  come  from  the  coach 
until  they  were  assured  by  the  conductor  that  the  citizens  would  do 
them  no  harm,  but  that  this  was  the  manner  in  which  they  wished 
to  show  their  appreciation  of  the  improved  train  service  into  a 
western  frontier  town  at  the  end  of  the  road.  The  train  consisted 
of  three  passenger  coaches  and  a  combination  baggage  and  mail  car. 
When  it  departed  from  Chadron  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning  there 
were  thirty-eight  passengers  on  board  and  when  it  arrived  in  Casper 
at  I  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  there  were  twelve  passengers.  In  ] 
commenting  upon  the  improved  train  service  the  local  newspaper  j 
said:  ; 

"What  a  joyful  awakening  there  was  in  Casper  Monday,  May  11,  1903,  when  the 
toot  of  the  first  passenger  train  was  heard.    As  it  flew  into  the  station  whistles  blew, 
anvils  were  fired  and  the  din  from  hundreds  of  guns,  adding  to  the  noise,  must  have    ' 
convinced  the  incoming  passengers  that  something  out  of  the  ordinary  was  transpiring. 
The  train  was  on  time  too,  which  was  something  comparatively  new  in  railroad  annals    | 
at  Casper.    The  mayor  and  town  council  were  there,  county  officials,  members  of  the    , 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  citizens  of  the  town  and  county  in  general  had  gathered  for    1 
the  event.    The  Northwestern  could  not  but  be  impressed  with  the  welcome  accorded 
the  new  service.    For  years  the  people  of  Central  Wyoming  have  begged,  entreated,    ' 
argued  with,  cajoled,  threatened,  fought,  cursed  and  raved;  have  leveled  shafts  of    j 
advice,  irony,  venom  and  vitriol,  at  the  mis-managers  of  the  road  —  tons  of  ink  and    , 
bushels  of  gray  matter  have  been  used  to  show  the  officials  the  error  of  their  ways, 
but  all  to  no  avail,  but  at  last  our  dreams  and  hopes  have  come  true." 

Many  tales  have  been  told  concerning  the  train  service  before 
the  passenger  train  was  put  on,  some  true  and  some  exaggerated, 
but  it  is  a  fact  that  the  train  was  often  stopped  between  stations 
while  the  train  crew  went  out  on  the  plains  and  hunted  sage  chickens, 
and  the  passengers,  anxious  to  reach  their  destination,  remained  in 
the  coach  and  slept  or  cursed,  as  best  suited  their  fancy.    In  the    j 
winter  time  when  there  were  heavy  snow  storms,  train  service  was    I 
abandoned  sometimes  for  three  and  four  days,  but  whenever  the   | 
train  did  arrive  there  were  always  a  great  many  people  at  the  station    ' 
to  meet  and  welcome  it  and  the  few  passengers  aboard  were  always    j 
thankful  to   arrive,  even  though  they  were   always  far  behind  the    1 
schedule.  ' 

Casper  was  the  terminus  of  this  road  until  the  spring  of  1905,  j 
when  work  was  commenced  in  May  on  the  extension  to  Lander.  ; 
Many  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  building  of  the  road  farther  west 
would  cripple  Casper  in  a  business  way  and  some  of  the  business  ; 
men  followed  the  road  to  Shoshoni,  Riverton,  and  some  of  the  other  ' 
newly-established  towns,  but  it  was  not  long  before  those  who  left  us  i 
realized  their  error.    Casper  commenced  to  grow  in  a  business  way    ■ 


RAILROADS    IN    NATRONA    COUNTY  49 

and  increase  in  population  and  has  steadily  advanced  ever  since  the 
extension  of  the  railroad  to  Lander. 

Construction  work  on  the  extension  of  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railway  from  Casper  to  Lander  was  commenced  on  Monday, 
May  2,  1905.  The  end  of  the  track  from  1888  until  this  time  was 
several  hundred  yards  west  from  where  the  roundhouse  is  located. 
Train  service  was  established  to  Casper  from  the  west  whenever  the 
rails  were  laid  into  one  of  the  new  stations.  Cadoma,  12.1  miles  from 
Casper,  was  the  first  station,  which  was  established  in  August,  1905; 
this  station,  which  has  but  few  dwelling  houses,  and  no  business 
houses,  but  has  large  sheep  shearing  pens,  has  the  convenience  of 
two  railroads,  and  it  is  burdened  with  two  names;  it  is  Cadoma  on 
the  Northwestern,  and  Bishop  on  the  Burlington.  Rails  were  laid 
into  Seminole,  the  name  afterwards  being  changed  to  Bucknum, 
22.4  miles  west,  on  November  13,  and  on  that  date  a  daily  passenger 
train  service  was  established  between  this  point  and  Casper.  Na- 
trona, 32.1  miles  from  Casper;  Powder  River,  41. i  miles;  Mokoma, 
afterwards  changed  to  Waltman,  53.2  miles;  Wolton,  62.8  miles; 
Richards,  73.2  miles;  Moneta,  82.5  miles;  Ocla,  93  miles,  and 
Shoshoni,  103. i  miles  west  from  Casper,  required  more  than  a  year 
in  the  building  of  the  line.  Passenger  train  service  between  Casper 
and  Shoshoni  was  established  on  Monday,  July  3,  1906.  The  train 
consisted  of  three  passenger  coaches,  one  mail  and  baggage  car,  and 
all  the  freight  cars  that  were  required  to  haul  the  freight  that  was 
consigned  to  any  of  the  stations  along  the  route.  This  train  left 
Casper  daily,  except  Sunday,  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  and  ar- 
rived at  noon.  Passenger  train  service  was  established  between 
Casper  and  Lander,  a  distance  of  148. i  miles,  on  Wednesday,  Octo- 
ber 17,  1906. 

A  great  many  of  the  people  living  at  Lander  had  never  seen  a 
train  of  cars  until  this  train  came  into  the  station.  Some  of  the 
citizens  came  into  the  country  before  there  were  any  railroads  in  the 
central  part  of  the  state,  and  as  they  had  no  occasion  to  make  a 
trip  to  Casper  or  Rawlins,  which  were  their  nearest  railroad  points, 
the  distance  to  each  point  being  about  the  same,  they  were  content 
to  do  their  traveling  in  a  buckboard  or  on  horseback.  Others  were 
born  there  and  never  had  occasion  to  go  out  of  the  confines  of  the 
county.  One  old  fellow,  when  he  learned  that  the  train  was  to  come 
into  Lander  that  day,  immediately  went  to  the  station,  and  when 
informed  that  the  train  would  not  arrive  for  several  hours,  remarked 
that  he  had  been  waiting  sixty-five  years  to  see  a  train  of  railroad 
cars,  and  he  guessed  he  could  wait  now  with  patience  for  several 
hours. 


50  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

When  the  train  arrived  it  was  immediately  surrounded  with  a  i 
throng  of  curious,  excited  men,  women  and  children  who  looked  i 
upon  the  engine  especially  with  awe  and  admiration.  When  the  ' 
people  were  the  most  interested  and  were  listening  to  an  explanation  '■ 
and  description  of  the  mechanism  of  the  locomotive,  by  a  man  who  ; 
had  seen  a  railroad  train  several  times  before,  the  engineer  put  his  ' 
head  out  of  the  cab  window  and  called  out:  "Stand  back,  for  I  am  j 
now  going  to  turn  this  train  around."  There  was  immediately  a  j 
great  scattering,  and  it  did  not  dawn  upon  them  for  some  time  that  \ 
the  train  could  not  be  turned  around  on  a  single  track.  In  a  beautiful  ' 
description  of  how  the  people  felt  about  the  railroad  invading  the  i 
confines  of  Lander,  Cora  V.  Wesley,  editor  of  the  Mountaineer,  the  j 
weekly  newspaper  of  that  town,  said:  "Tears  trickled  down  our  ■ 
cheeks  and  sadness  crept  over  the  household  because  the  rural  ■ 
beauties  of  the  western  life  were  to  sink  into  the  great  abyss  of  the  j 
past.  Real,  genuine  tears  of  grief  and  joy  chasing  each  other  in  mad  , 
confusion,  trying  to  gain  the  victory." 

The  most  disastrous  and  death-dealing  accident  that  ever  oc-    ' 
curred  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway  system  in  Wyoming    ! 
was  the  wreck  that  took  place  on   Sunday  night,  shortly  after  9    1 
o'clock,  March  19,  1906,  about  twenty-six  miles  northwest  of  Casper,    I 
which  resulted  in  the  death  of  ten  men  and  the  injury  of  sixteen. 
The  wrecked  train  was  an  extra  which  left  Powder  River  station 
about  8  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  consisted  of  a  new  model  heavy  . 
engine,  two  large  water  cars,  a  tool  car,  and   two  way   cars.    The    I 
twenty-six  men  who  were  either  killed  or  injured  were  in  the  front    j 
way  car.    The  scene  of  the  accident  was  where  the  railroad  crossed 
the  old  channel  of  Casper  creek,  where  a  four-foot  culvert  had  been    , 
placed  under  the  track,  and  this  had  been  washed  out  in  the  afternoon 
of  that  day,  leaving  only  the  rails  and  ties  over  a  chasm  about  twelve    ' 
feet  wide  and  eighteen  feet  deep.    The  train  was  being  run  at  a  mod-   ' 
erate  rate  of  speed  when  this  point  was  reached  and  the  engineer    ■ 
could  not  see  that  the  earth  had  been  washed  away.    The  engine,    : 
tender  and  two  water  cars  passed  over  the  unsupported  rails  in  safety,    ' 
but  the  way  car  in  which  the  workmen  were  riding  broke  through, 
the  front  end  of  the  car  tipping  into  the  channel,  and  as  the  car  went 
down  the  men  and  everything  in  the  car  were  thrown  in  a  heap  to 
the  front  end.    The  tool  car,  which  was  at  the  rear  of  the  way  car, 
broke  in  the  middle  at  the  edge  of  the  channel,  half  of  the  car,  with    ' 
its  contents,  piling  on  top  of  the  way  car.    The  engine,  after  passing    . 
over  the  chasm,  broke  loose  from  its  tender,  straddled  the  rails  and 
went  ahead  a  short  distance,  but  the  two  heavy  water  cars  had  broken    '. 
loose  and  came  back  on  the  track  and  fell  in  the  channel  on  top  of   ' 


k? 


tr^ 


RAILROADS    IN    NATRONA    COUNTY  5 1 

the  way  car  where  the  men  were  pinioned.  These  water  cars,  as 
they  fell  into  the  channel,  broke  through  the  way  car  and  no  doubt 
were  the  cause  of  the  death  and  injury  of  most  of  the  men.  The 
trainmen  who  were  in  the  rear  way  car,  which  did  not  leave  the  track, 
were  powerless  at  first  to  render  assistance  to  the  unfortunate  men 
who  were  pinned  beneath  tons  of  heavy  wreckage  and  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  muddy,  roaring,  rushing  stream.  The  awful  cries  of  the 
poor  unfortunate  men  caused  some  of  the  men  who  were  looking 
on  to  faint,  while  others  were  so  shocked  and  bewildered  that  they 
were  speechless  and  dumb  for  the  first  few  minutes,  and  then,  to 
add  to  the  horror  of  the  situation,  the  wreckage  caught  fire.  The 
horror-stricken  men  who  were  on  the  bank  lighted  torches  and, 
assisted  by  the  light  of  a  few  lanterns,  succeeded  in  getting  down  to 
the  edge  of  the  water  among  the  wreckage,  and  by  dipping  water  in 
their  hats  and  soaking  their  coats  and  throwing  them  on  the  flames, 
in  a  short  time  succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  blaze. 

A  heavy,  wet  snow  was  falling  and  the  weather  was  intensely 
cold,  and  this  added  to  the  suflTering  of  the  injured  men  and  the  dis- 
comfiture of  the  rescuers.  Holes  were  chopped  through  the  floor  of 
the  car  in  which  the  men  were  fastened  and  the  timbers  were  cleared 
away  as  much  as  possible,  but  the  cold  and  stormy  weather,  and  the 
pitch-dark  night  handicapped  the  rescuers.  Twice  more  the  wreckage 
caught  on  fire  during  the  night,  but  through  the  heroic  efforts  of  the 
men  the  flames  were  extinguished,  and  when  daylight  came  all  the 
injured  men  had  been  rescued  and  four  of  the  men  who  had  been 
killed  had  been  removed  from  the  wreckage. 

The  news  of  the  disaster  was  received  in  Casper  at  about  lo 
o'clock  that  night,  less  than  an  hour  after  it  occurred,  and  at  ii 
o'clock  a  train  was  made  up  with  about  forty  men  on  board,  con- 
sisting of  all  the  available  doctors  in  town,  railroad  officials  and 
workmen,  but  on  account  of  the  weakened  condition  of  the  bridge 
across  the  Platte  river,  a  mile  west  from  town,  the  train  could  not 
cross.  A  number  of  hand  cars  were  then  secured  and  most  of  the 
men  started  for  the  scene  of  the  wreck  by  this  means  of  transporta- 
tion. At  I  o'clock  in  the  morning  they  had  traveled  but  twelve  miles 
through  the  heavy,  blinding  snowstorm,  and  the  hand  cars  were 
abandoned  and  the  men  started  to  walk  the  balance  of  the  distance, 
sixteen  miles,  through  snow,  slush  and  mud.  Many  fell  by  the  way- 
side and  others  had  to  be  assisted  along  the  route.  After  traveling 
all  night  Father  Bryant  was  the  first  to  arrive  at  the  scene  of  the 
wreck  at  about  7:30  in  the  morning.  He  at  once  baptised  the  injured 
men  who  desired  it  and  he  gave  words  of  cheer  and  comfort  to  all 
the  sufferers.    Superintendent  J.   P.  Cantillon  and  Drs.  Dean  and 


52  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Gillam  were  not  far  behind  and  they  dressed  and  cared  for  the 
wounded  as  best  they  could,  until  Dr.  Keith  and  Dr.  Morgan  and 
two  doctors  from  Douglas,  who  came  to  Casper  on  a  special  train, 
arrived  in  a  buggy  at  about  9  o'clock,  and  they  assisted  in  the  care 
of  the  injured  men. 

The  Platte  River  bridge  was  repaired  as  soon  as  possible,  and 
at  10  o'clock  in  the  morning  a  relief  train  left  Casper,  but  on  account 
of  the  bad  condition  of  the  track  very  slow  time  was  made  and  it 
did  not  arrive  at  the  scene  of  the  wreck  until  about  i  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon.  The  injured  men  were  taken  into  this  train  and  placed 
on  cots  and  the  men  who  had  worked  all  night  and  half  of  the  day 
without  food  or  drink  were  provided  with  hot  coffee,  meat  and  bread. 
The  relief  train  returned  to  Casper  at  about  4  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, and  the  bodies  of  the  men  were  taken  to  the  undertakers'  and 
the  injured  men  were  taken  to  the  annex  of  the  Episcopal  church 
were  an  emergency  hospital  had  been  established. 

Among  the  killed  was  Charles  Moll,  who  had  been  an  employee 
of  the  railroad  company  for  about  ten  years.  J.  W.  Price,  who  was 
assistant  to  Mr.  Moll,  was  also  killed.  D.  B.  Blue,  section  foreman 
at  Cadoma,  was  also  among  the  killed,  and  the  other  seven  who  were 
killed  and  all  the  injured  were  Servians  who  had  come  to  Casper  a 
few  months  before  to  work  on  the  railroad  extension  from  Casper  to 
Lander.  The  railroad  company  paid  all  the  expense  of  having  the 
injured  men  cared  for  and  in  addition  gave  each  man  ^100.  To  the 
relatives  of  the  Servians  ^1,000  was  given  for  each  man  killed,  and 
to  the  families  of  Charles  Moll,  D.  B.  Blue  and  J.  W.  Price  $3,500 
was  given. 

The  burning  of  a  bridge  two  and  one-half  miles  east  from 
Wolton  until  there  were  only  a  few  charred  embers  remaining  of  the 
structure  was  the  cause  of  another  wreck  at  about  2:15  Sunday  after- 
noon, September  9,  1917,  and  E.  R.  Anderson,  engineer,  and  Frank 
Cross,  fireman,  were  killed.  When  the  train  approached  the  bridge 
there  was  no  visible  indication  from  the  engine  cab  that  the  frame- 
work of  the  structure  had  been  destroyed  and  the  engine  plunged 
down  a  seventeen-foot  embankment  and  the  sixty-foot  span  im- 
mediately gave  way.  Seven  freight  cars  came  over  the  embankment 
on  top  of  the  engine  and  the  chasm  was  completely  covered  with 
wreckage.  The  trainmen  made  an  effort  to  rescue  the  engine  men 
but  their  efforts  were  unsuccessful,  and  one  of  them  walked  back 
to  Wolton  and  had  word  sent  to  Casper  to  have  the  wrecking  and 
construction  crews  come  out  and  clear  the  debris  and  build  a  tem- 
porary bridge,  while  the  others  remained  at  the  scene  of  the  wreck 
to  extinguish  a  fire  of  the  wreckage  should  one  be  started  from  the 


RAILROADS    IN    NATRONA    COUNTY  53 

coals  in  the  fire  box  of  the  engine.  The  bodies  of  the  engineer  and 
fireman  were  brought  to  Casper  and  the  railroad  company  made 
every  effort  to  find  the  parties  who  caused  the  fire,  but  they  were 
never  apprehended.  It  was  thought  that  tramps  built  a  fire  under 
the  bridge  in  order  to  keep  warm,  and  then  went  away  and  left  it, 
and  the  upright  timbers  were  burned  unknown  to  anyone. 

Early  in  October,  1897,  Thomas  S.  Moffat,  of  Chicago,  super- 
intendent of  construction  of  the  Wyoming  &  Northwestern  Railroad, 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  publisher  of  the  Wyoming  Derrick,  published 
at  Casper,  saying,  "I  am  pleased  to  tell  you  that  the  building  of  the 
Wyoming  &  Northwestern  Railroad  west  from  Casper  is  a  fixed  fact, 
and  operations  will  be  begun  just  as  soon  as  the  detail  of  getting 
material  together  can  be  arranged."  This  was  the  company  which 
filed  articles  of  incorporation  with  the  county  clerk  in  Casper  in  the 
spring  of  1897,  defining  the  route  from  Casper  to  the  western  boundary 
of  Natrona  county,  or,  more  particularly,  to  Ervay,  at  the  foot  of 
the  Rattlesnake  mountains.  "It  is  strange,  indeed,"  commented 
the  local  newspaper,  "that  the  Rattlesnake  oil  basin  has  not  long 
since  been  opened  to  the  world,  and  would  have  been,  had  not  the 
financial  stringency  of  the  past  five  years  through  which  the  country 
has  been  passing  hindered.  Regarding  the  Rattlesnake  petroleum, 
and  its  high  standard  of  value,  needs  but  a  reference  to  Professor 
Taylor,  the  celebrated  Standard  Oil  company's  chemist;  to  Professor 
Aughey,  the  distinguished  Wyoming  oil  chemist;  Wyner  and  Har- 
land,  public  assayists,  London,  England,  and  scores  of  other  reliable 
chemists  of  the  United  States,  Germany,  Holland,  France,  and 
Canada."  The  proposed  railroad  was  to  have  extended  sixty  miles 
from  Casper,  its  main  purpose  being  to  transport  the  oil  from  the 
Rattlesnake  oil  fields  to  Casper.  The  people  of  Casper,  however, 
did  not  become  very  enthusiastic  or  excited  over  the  proposed  new 
railroad,  and  like  many  of  the  numerous  other  railroads,  its  con- 
struction was  wholly  on  paper. 

For  twenty-five  years  there  was  but  one  railroad  in  Natrona 
county.  The  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad  company  hauled 
all  the  freight,  mail,  express  and  passengers  in  and  out  of  Casper 
from  June  15,  1888,  until  October  20,  191 3,  then  the  Chicago, 
Burlington  &  Quincy  railway  service  was  established,  and  Casper 
was  considered  the  largest  railroad  center  in  Wyoming. 

A  temporary  survey  was  made  by  the  Burlington  company  for 
its  line  through  Natrona  county  in  the  fall  of  1909,  but  the  question 
of  building  the  road  was  not  definitely  settled  until  December  of 
that  year,  when  the  real  estate  agent  for  the  company  bought  eighty 
acres  of  land  in  the  extreme  northern  part  of  the  town  from  W.  F. 


54  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Dunn,  Eugene  McCarthy  and  Patrick  Sullivan,  forty  acres  northeast 
of  town  from  J.  F.  Stanley  and  twenty  acres  northeast  of  town  from 
W.  A.  Blackmore  and  John  Cosgrove.  The  land  north  of  town  was 
considered  at  that  time  worth  ^250  per  acre,  but  the  land  agent  of 
the  railroad  company  declared  that  he  would  pay  but  ^100  per  acre 
for  it,  and  if  he  could  not  purchase  it  at  that  price  the  railroad  com- 
pany would  build  its  station  a  mile  east  from  town.  The  owners 
of  the  land  finally  reduced  the  price  to  $150  per  acre,  and  the  citizens 
of  the  town  subscribed  enough  money  so  the  railroad  company  got 
the  land  for  ^100  per  acre  and  the  owners  received  $150  per  acre. 
After  the  agreement  for  the  sale  of  the  land  had  been  made  it  was 
announced  by  the  railroad  officials  that  Casper  would  be  a  general 
division  station;  that  the  machine  shops  would  be  located  here, 
and  that  ''the  people  of  Casper  would  have  no  regrets  that  the 
Burlington  system  was  going  to  become  a  part  of  the  community," 

This  was  considered  the  greatest  addition  the  town  had  had 
since  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  had  been  built  into  Casper,  and 
the  people  were  greatly  encouraged,  and  it  was  predicted  that  the 
town  would  increase  from  a  population  of  less  than  3,000  to  at  least 
7,000  inside  of  one  year  after  the  road  was  in  operation;  that  many 
new  lines  of  business  would  be  established  here  and  that  a  second 
railroad  was  all  we  required  to  make  this  the  great  metropolis  of 
Wyoming.  There  was  then  scarcely  a  house  on  the  land  purchased 
by  the  Burlington  company,  and  now  there  are  more  than  a  thousand 
dwelling  houses  on  the  land  north  of  the  track,  in  addition  to  the 
many  stores,  shops  and  buildings  of  other  kinds,  among  which  are  ; 
two  fine  school  buildings  which  accommodate  more  than  six  hundred 
pupils. 

The  contract  was  awarded  by  the  Burlington  for  the  building 
of  its  grade  from   Powder  River  station  to  a  point  sixteen  miles 
east   from   Casper  on    February   25,    1910,    but   construction   work 
was  discontinued  during  the  month  of  December,   1910,  when  the 
rails  were  laid  through  the  canyon  east  from  Thermopolis  to  a  point    | 
near  the  Boysen  dam,  and  work  was  not  resumed  until  the  spring    I 
of  1913.    A  contract  was  let  on  February  10,  1913,  for  the  building 
of  140  miles  of  track,  from  Powder  River  to  Orin  Junction.    After 
this  contract  was  let  the  work  was  pushed  as  rapidly  as  possible, 
and  on  September  23,  1913,  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  first    ; 
rail  within  the  limits  of  Casper  on  this  road  was  spiked  to  the  ties. 
The  laying  of  this  rail  in  the  limits  of  the  town  was  witnessed  by 
about  fifty  citizens,  and  after  that  most  important  event  they  came 
uptown   and  celebrated  the  occasion   as  such  events  were  usually 
celebrated  in  those  days. 


SOME    HOT    COUNTY    POLITICS  55 

Passenger  train  service  between  Billings  and  Casper  was  estab- 
lished on  October  20,  1913,  the  first  train  coming  in  from  the  west 
at  7  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  service  was  tri-weekly,  and  the 
train  departed  from  Casper  on  Tuesdays,  Thursdays  and  Saturdays 
at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  arrived  on  Mondays,  Wednesdays 
and  Fridays  at  7  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Two  boxcars  were  fitted 
up  and  used  as  a  passenger,  freight  and  express  depot  at  that  time. 

The  work  of  laying  the  rails  from  Casper  to  Origin  Junction, 
a  distance  of  sixty-eight  miles,  was  commenced  on  June  26,  1914, 
the  connection  being  made  the  middle  of  October,  and  through 
passenger  train  service  from  Billings,  Montana,  to  Denver,  Colorado, 
was  established  October  19,  1914.  By  this  time  a  frame  building 
had  been  erected  in  Casper  which  was  later  used  as  a  freight  office, 
but  was  then  used  as  a  passenger  depot.  Work  was  commenced 
on  the  excavation  for  the  foundation  of  the  $100,000  passenger 
depot  May  27,  1915,  and  the  building  was  formally  opened  on  the 
evening  of  February  3,  1916.  The  Casper  band  furnished  the  music, 
refreshments  were  served  and  it  was  estimated  that  more  than  four 
thousand  people  went  through  the  building  during  the  evening. 
The  hopes  and  anticipations  of  the  people  at  that  time  of  Casper 
becoming  the  chief  city  of  the  state  have  more  than  come  true  and 
the  citizens  surely  can  have  "no  regrets  that  the  Burlington  railway 
system  has  become  a  part  of  the  community." 

The  railroad  mileage  in  Natrona  county  is  170.18,  with  the  Chi- 
cago &  Northwestern  covering  85.35,  ^n^  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quincy  covering  84.83  miles. 

Some  Hot  County  Politics 

For  twenty  years  after  Natrona  county  had  been  organized, 
from  1890  to  1910,  there  was  always  a  bitter  contest  between  the 
republicans  and  democrats  during  election  time.  During  the  heat 
of  battle,  political  lines  were  closely  drawn  and  the  forces  on  either 
side  left  nothing  undone  to  gain  favor  for  their  candidates.  Every 
precinct  in  the  county  was  visited  by  the  candidates  on  each  side 
and  every  voter  in  every  precinct  received  a  friendly  call.  The 
campaign  always  wound  up  in  a  blaze  of  glory  with  a  big  torchlight 
procession  on  the  streets  of  Casper  and  speaking  and  singing  in  the 
town  hall.  After  the  speaking  there  was  always  a  dance  at  which 
the  candidates  and  workers  on  both  sides  participated.  As  an  ex- 
ample of  how  they  did  things  in  those  days,  herewith  is  a  brief 
description  of  the  demonstration  at  the  close  of  the  campaign  in 
1896: 


56  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Saturday  night  before  election,  after  the  arrival  of  the  train  a  parade  formed  at 
the  wool  warehouse.  It  was  headed  by  Grand  Marshal  W.  H.  Duhling,  followed  by  the 
Do  uglas  Military  band.  Then  came  a  procession  of  beautiful  floats,  ladies  in  carriages 
and  men  carrying  transparencies,  banners,  torches  and  discharging  fireworks.  Among 
the  many  attractive  floats  was  that  of  "The  Good  Ship  Protection,  Captain  McKin- 
ley,"  being  a  large  ship  under  full  sail,  designed  by  H.  A.  Lilly.  Another  by  Kenneth 
McDonald  was  "The  Campaign  of '96, "  showing  McKinley  in  the  large  end  and  Bryan 
crawling  out  of  the  little  end.  Another  float  showed  two  ladies  operating  spinning 
wheels,  using  Wyoming  wool;  another  float  by  F.  W.  Okie  showed  his  shearers  at  work. 
One,  the  McKinley  shearer,  was  well-dressed;  the  other,  a  Bryan  shearer,  poorly  clad. 
Wm.  Clark's  coach  and  four  was  covered  with  appropriate  mottoes,  and  on  the  top 
stood  a  protected  sheepman  and  a  free  wool  sheepman,  each  suitably  dressed.  The 
"Goddess  of  Liberty"  float  was  the  handsomest  feature  of  the  parade.  The  Goddess 
was  appropriately  attired  with  a  shield  and  scales,  and  surrounded  by  fifty  little  girls 
in  white. 

An  imposing  feature  of  the  parade  was  fifty-two  decorated  carriages,  each  con- 
taining from  three  to  six  ladies.  After  them  came  the  flambeau  club,  100  strong.  They 
were  armed  with  Roman  candles,  and  a  stream  of  fire  constantly  shot  heavenward. 
Here  and  there  red  tableau  fire  burned,  making  the  parade  look  the  more  imposing. 
The  last  of  the  procession  was  "Butler's  Brigade"  of  100  boys  carrying  torches  and 
blowing  tin  horns.  Dwight  Seely  and  Jack  Titler  made  the  anvils  roar,  while  JefF 
Crawford  fired  seven-inch  cannon  crackers  continually.  Among  the  amusing  features 
was  Jay  Wilcox  and  his  bear,  John  Ambruster  and  his  dog,  and  Charles  Hevves  represent- 
ing a  hayseed.  Then  there  were  Uncle  Sams,  kings  and  queens,  gold  men  and  silver 
men,  and  an  endless  variety  of  characters.  There  were  not  less  than  500  people  in  the 
parade,  and  over  2co  horses  were  used  to  haul  the  floats  and  wagons.  Over  500  twenty- 
ball  Roman  candles,  ico  pounds  of  tableau  fire  and  500  seven-inch  cannon  crackers  were 
burned  during  the  parade. 

Only  a  small  part  of  the  procession  could  gain  admission  to  the  hall,  so  great  was 
the  crowd.  Those  who  did  were  entertained  by  the  McKinley  quartette  with  "Wyo- 
ming Will  Be  in  Line,"  Chairman  Bradley  introduced  Judge  Carey  and  the  judge  made  a 
most  convincing  argument.  The  quartette  then  sang  a  song  on  local  candidates.  When 
the  meeting  was  over  the  dancers  enjoyed  themselves  until  nearly  morning. 

The  democratic  candidates  and  their  workers  were  by  no  means 
idle,  and  among  other  things,  they  issued  circulars  and  distributed 
them  throughout  the  several  precincts  of  the  county.  In  these  cir- 
culars the  republican  candidates  and  many  of  the  republican  workers 
of  the  county  were  arraigned  in  a  rather  caustic  manner,  which 
caused  them  considerable  embarrassment,  but  the  criticism  was  the 
means  of  the  republicans  putting  forth  a  more  determined  effort 
for  success,  and  there  were  very  few  successful  democratic  candidates 
at  the  polls  that  election. 

At  the  time  the  republicans  made  their  nominations  of  candidates 
for  the  several  county  offices  there  was  not  always  unanimity  among 
the  brethren.  There  were  two  factions,  generally,  and  the  county 
convention  in  the  fall  of  1898  went  down  in  history  as  the  most  bitter 
and  hardest-fought  political  battle  ever  held  in  any  county  in  the 
state  between  two  factions  of  the  same  political  faith.  In  those 
days  the  Australian  ballot  system  was  not  in  vogue  for  the  nomina- 
tion of  candidates,  but  primary  elections  were  held  in  each  precinct 
where   delegates   were   elected.     These   delegates   later   attended    a 


SOME    HOT    COUNTY    POLITICS  57 

regular  nominating  convention.  In  numbers  the  factions  were  about 
equally  divided  and,  therefore,  generalship  was  necessarily  the  winning 
factor.  In  each  precinct  throughout  the  county  two  sets  of  delegates 
came  up  for  election,  and  every  available  vote  was  gotten  to  the  polls. 
After  this  contest  was  over,  each  faction  put  forth  its  supreme  effort 
in  an  attempt  to  get  a  majority  of  the  delegates  lined  up  in  its  favor. 
In  Casper  nine  delegates  were  to  be  elected,  and  every  team  and 
buggy  available  was  gotten  out  to  carry  the  voters  to  the  polls. 
Five  o'clock  was  the  time  set  for  the  closing  of  the  polls  and  two 
minutes  after  five  a  buggy  drove  up  in  front  of  the  polling  place 
with  four  voters,  but  they  were  not  allowed  to  cast  a  ballot  on 
account  of  being  two  minutes  late.  Had  they  been  allowed  to 
cast  their  ballots,  the  whole  republican  ticket  would  have  been 
changed. 

One  hundred  eleven  voters  had  exercised  their  franchise  in  the 
Casper  precinct  and  five  delegates  favoring  one  faction  were  elected, 
while  four  for  the  opposite  side  received  a  majority.  So  close  was  the 
contest  that  fifty-nine  votes  were  cast  for  the  delegate  receiving  the 
highest  number,  and  fifty-one  votes  were  given  to  the  candidate 
receiving  the  lowest  number. 

At  the  nominating  convention  every  precinct  in  the  county  had 
its  full  quota  of  delegates  present.  As  soon  as  the  convention  was 
called  to  order  every  point  was  contested  for  supremacy,  even  to 
the  election  of  a  chairman  and  secretary  and  the  appointment  of 
committees.  After  the  organization  of  the  convention  was  accom- 
plished, the  work  of  nominating  candidates  for  the  several  county 
offices  was  begun.  The  candidate  for  sheriff  was  the  first  to  be  nom- 
inated. D.  E.  Fitger,  O.  M.  Rice  and  W.  E.  Tubbs  were  the  three 
candidates.  On  the  first  ballot  each  candidate  received  about  an 
equal  number  of  votes.  On  the  second,  third,  fourth,  and  up  to  the 
thirty-seventh  ballot  there  was  a  deadlock.  Neither  faction  would 
give  in  to  the  other.  There  were  twenty-six  delegates  present  and 
each  of  the  three  candidates  had  received  from  five  to  thirteen 
votes.  On  the  thirty-seventh  ballot,  Oscar  Hiestand  received  twelve 
votes  and  with  the  next  ballot  the  deadlock  was  broken  and  Mr. 
Hiestand  was  favored  with  the  nomination  by  twenty-two  votes. 
Pandemonium  then  broke  loose  and  both  factions  claimed  a  vic- 
tory. 

But  another  conflict  came  up  in  the  nomination  of  a  candidate 
for  county  clerk.  Pledges  had  been  made  by  all  the  delegates  and 
when  the  first  ballot  was  counted  M.  P.  Wheeler  was  credited  with 
thirteen  votes  and  J.  A.  Sheffner  had  the  same  number.  It  looked 
like  another  deadlock,  and  a  recess  of  ten  minutes  was  taken.    One 


58  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

of  the  delegates  confidentially  declared  he  had  pledged  himself  to 
vote  for  one  of  the  candidates  on  the  first  ballot  only,  and  he  was  un- 
willing to  carry  the  fight  any  further.  After  this  declaration  was  made 
every  effort  was  put  forth  to  keep  the  opposition  from  learning  of 
this  delegate's  intention,  and  under  no  circumstances  was  he  allowed 
to  mingle  or  communicate  with  the  other  side.  When  the  convention 
was  re-convened,  the  second  ballot  was  immediately  ordered  and  the 
count  gave  Mr.  Wheeler  fourteen  and  Mr.  ShefFner  tw^elve,  and  this 
ended  the  contest.  The  balance  of  the  ticket  was  nominated  without 
a  contest  and  thus  ended  the  bitter  struggle  for  supremacy.  Both 
Mr.  Hiestand  and  Mr.  Wheeler  were  elected  at  the  general  election. 
Some  of  the  men  on  each  side  who  took  the  most  prominent  part 
in  the  fight,  in  a  few  years  became  the  closest  friends  and  many 
times  afterwards  took  the  greatest  of  pleasure  in  extending  to  each 
other  a  helping  hand  either  in  politics  or  in  personal  affairs. 

Federal  Census  for  Thirty  Years 

The  official  federal  census  returns  gave  Casper  and  Natrona 
county's  population  for  1890,  1900,  1910  and  1920  as  follows: 

1890  1900  1910  1920 

Natrona  county 1,094  LT^S  4.766  14,635 

Casper 544  883  2,639  11,447 

Muddy  precinct 199  I79  

Bessemer  precinct 72  139  

Freeland  precinct 240  230  

Johnstown  precinct 159  338  

Ervay  precinct 71  80  

Lone  Bear  and  Powder  River  precincts TJf  

The  census  returns  for  the  precincts  of  Muddy,  Bessemer, 
Freeland,  Johnstown,  Ervay,  Lone  Bear  and  Powder  River  cannot 
be  given  for  1920  on  account  of  the  fact  that  many  new  precincts  were 
established  between  the  years  1910  and  1920,  thereby  reducing  the 
territory  embraced  in  the  original  precincts,  and  for  the  further 
reason  that  the  enumeration  districts  in  1920  were  considerably 
changed  from  the  previous  years,  but  it  will  be  observed  that  the 
population  of  the  county,  outside  the  city  of  Casper,  has  shown  a 
substantial  increase,  for  in  1890  the  population  of  the  county,  ex- 
clusive of  Casper,  was  550;  in  1900,  the  outside  precincts  had  a 
population  of  902;  in  1910,  the  same  territory  was  increased  to 
2,127,  snd  in  1920,  all  the  precincts  in  the  county,  exclusive  of  Casper, 
returned  a  population  of  3,188,  or  a  total,  including  the  city  of  Casper, 
of  14,635. 


NATRONA    COUNTY    PIONEER    ASSOCIATION  59 

Natrona  County  Pioneer  Association 

The  membership  of  the  Natrona  County  Pioneer  association  is 
composed  mostly  of  the  men  and  women  who  gave  up  the  comforts 
of  established  homes  and  friendships  and  came  to  a  "new  country." 
Transportation  was  difficult  in  the  early  days  and  the  pioneers  were 
without  many  of  those  things  which  we  nowadays  consider  absolute 
necessities.  Many  of  the  pioneer  women  of  Natrona  county  had 
been  reared  in  comfortable  homes,  but  they  bravely  endured  hard- 
ships and  sometimes  privations  without  losing  any  of  their  womanly 
charm,  or  their  refinement  or  their  culture. 

The  work  of  the  early  settlers  was  to  organize  a  town  and  county 
and  bring  in  those  things  necessary  to  the  solid  foundation  of  a 
prosperous,  progressive  community.  Because  of  the  hardships  and 
privations  so  courageously  faced  by  these  pioneers,  it  is  but  proper 
that  they  should  have  an  exclusive  organization  which  meets  annually, 
or  oftener  if  desired,  and  thus  strengthen  the  bonds  of  friendship. 

With  this  idea  in  view,  the  Natrona  County  Pioneer  association 
was  organized  on  November  12,  1901,  with  Mrs.  W.  S.  Kimball, 
president;  Mrs.  R.  L.  Carpenter,  vice  president;  Mrs.  W.  D. 
Rhoades,  secretary;  Mrs.  P.  A.  Demorest,  treasurer.  Those  present 
at  the  time  the  association  was  organized  were  Mrs.  W.  S.  Kimball, 
Mrs.  W.  A.  Denecke,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Svendsen,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Townsend, 
Mrs.  N.  S.  Bristol,  Mrs.  Hannah  McClure,  Mrs.  C.  C.  P.  Webel, 
Mrs.  Northington,  Mrs.  H.  L.  Patton,  Mrs.  Lew  Seely,  Mrs.  Wm. 
Jones,  Mrs.  David  Graham,  Mrs.  C.  E.  Hewes,  Mrs.  P.  A.  Demorest, 
Mrs.  H.  A.  Lilly,  Mrs.  John  McGrath,  Mrs.  A.  T.  Butler,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Stroud,  Mrs.  C.  H.  King,  Mrs.  W.  D.  Rhoades,  Miss  Grace 
Demorest  and  Miss  Etta  Butler.  Many  new  members  have  been 
added  since  the  association  was  organized,  but  the  membership  was 
limited  to  those  who  came  to  the  county  previous  to  1895.  How- 
ever, in  recent  years  the  by-laws  were  changed  so  as  to  include  those 
who  came  to  the  county  previous  to  1900. 

The  first  annual  reunion  of  the  association  was  held  on  No- 
vember 14,  1902,  and  about  300  men,  women,  and  children  were 
present.  Mr.  Charles  K.  Bucknum  acted  as  chairman  of  this  meeting 
and  among  the  speakers  was  Hon.  Bryant  B.  Brooks,  who  said: 

"A  pioneer  is  one  who  goes  before  and  prepares  the  way  for  others  coming  after. 
Who  knows  what  the  future  has  in  store  for  us?  Who  would  dare  lift  the  veil  of  futur- 
ity? Who  can  foretell  the  treasure  that  may  yet  pour  forth  from  these  surrounding 
hills  ?  Who  knows  the  secret  locked  deep  beneath  the  surface  of  these  oil-stai  ned  plains  ? 
Who  guesses  at  the  result  to  follow  the  spreading  of  yonder  on-rushing  river  over 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  acres  of  deep  alluvial  soil?  Who  is  sagacious  enough  to 
predict  the  price  of  live  stock,  of  beef  and  mutton,  when  yonder  ribbons  of  steel  span 


60  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  continent  ?  When  six  hundred  million  people  in  the  Orient,  and  in  all  the  islands  of 
the  sea  cry  to  us  for  food?  When  our  stock  trains  face  west,  instead  of  east.  God  alone 
knows,  and  to  God-like  souls  he  gives  the  larger  hope.  Standing  now  in  the  presence  of  a 
miraculous  achievement  history  looks  out  upon  the  future  and  stands  dumb. 

"Look  about  you,  and  see  what  has  been  accomplished  in  fourteen  years.  Then 
tell  me,  oh,  ye  prophets,  what  will  it  be  like,  when  the  first  half  of  this  new  century  is 
history?  What  sort  of  people  will  then  inhabit  this  oasis,  in  the  Great  American  Desert? 
I  will  tell  you. 

"Women  so  surpassing  fair,  that  all  the  world  pays  homage.  Men  of  vigorous 
strength,  with  an  unheard  of  power  for  effective  action,  capable  of  solving  the  deepest 
riddles  of  the  ages.  Giants,  physically,  intellectually  and  morally.  Made  so  by  their 
natural  environment.  Made  so  by  an  omnipotent,  omniscient,  omnipresent  force. 
Steadily  uplifting  every  fibre  of  their  bodies,  every  atom  of  their  souls.  Made  so  by  the 
spirit  of  these  rugged  mountains,  by  the  voiceless  influence  of  these  matchless  plains, 
by  the  intoxicating  ozone  of  this  high,  dry,  perfect  atmosphere.  Made  so  by  Nature's 
quick  and  lavish  returns  for  honest  toil. 

"If  there  be  any  here  present,  who  are  not  Natrona  pioneers,  to  all  such.  I  say: 
Welcome,  thrice  welcome,  to  the  best  climate,  the  best  state,  the  best  county,  the  best 
city,  and  the  best  society  on  earth." 

Governor  DeForest  Richards,  Alex T.  Butler,  William  (" Missou") 
Hines,  Patrick  Sullivan  and  others  made  short  addresses,  songs  were 
sung  by  Miss  Savilla  King  and  Mrs.  B.  B.  Brooks,  and  then  the 
following  letter  from  Charles  W.  Eads  was  read: 

"Thermopolis,  May  30,  1902 
Mrs.  W.  D.  Rhoades,  Secretary  Natrona  County  Pioneer  association, 

"Your  kind  favor  of  May  loth  is  at  hand  and  contents  carefully  noted,  and  I  will 
say  that  I  was  pleased  to  hear  from  you. 

"I  will  tell  you  that  I  was  the  second  man  that  came  to  Casper.  I  located  there 
on  June  7th,  1888,  and  when  I  landed  there  was  just  one  man  there,  and  that  was 
John  Merritt.  He  was  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  was  getting  his  supper.  He  was 
frying  his  meat  on  a  bent  stick  and  making  his  coffee  in  an  oyster  can.  I  went  up  to  him 
and  asked  if  he  had  any  idea  where  Casper  was,  and  he  said  he  could  hardly  say,  that 
he  had  been  looking  for  it  about  a  week. 

"  I  told  him  to  come  over  and  help  me  put  up  my  tent  and  he  could  camp  with  me. 
I  had  a  tent  and  stove  and  a  little  grub  and  he  said  he  would  just  put  in  with  me.  So 
the  next  morning  we  talked  over  the  location,  and  we  set  up  the  first  tent  of  the  old 
Casper,  and  after  that  I  was  familiar  with  all  the  transactions  of  Casper  for  ten  years. 

Yours  very  truly. 

C.  W.  Eads." 

With  Mr.  Eads  when  he  first  came  to  Casper  were  his  daughter 
Fannie  Eads,  his  son,  Kise  Eads,  and  Abe  Nelson  and  John  Johnson. 
Mr.  Eads  went  to  Bessemer  to  make  his  home  within  a  year  after 
coming  to  Casper  and  later  moved  to  Casper  mountain,  where  he 
established  a  mining  camp  and  called  it  Eadsville.  John  Johnson 
was  drowned  near  Douglas  in  1897  and  Abe  Nelson  has  spent  many 
years  on  Casper  mountain  prospecting  and  is  still  a  resident  of  this 
county.  Mr.  Merritt  remained  in  Casper  more  than  ten  years,  and 
then  moved  to  Joplin,  Missouri,  but  returns  to  Casper  occasionally 
to  visit  among  his  old-time  friends. 


SPANISH-AMERICAN    WAR    VETERANS  6l 

After  the  reading  of  this  letter  an  old-time  dance  was  enjoyed; 
a  round-up  supper  was  served  at  midnight,  after  which  dancing  was 
resumed  and  continued  until  an  early  hour  in  the  morning. 

At  another  annual  meeting,  held  in  November,  1906,  the  follow- 
ing appropriate  remarks  were  made  by  Mayor  W.  S.  Kimball: 

"  Pioneering  held  a  certain  fascination  for  the  men,  which  was  almost  entirely 
lacking  with  the  women.  Pioneering,  with  the  latter,  meant  hardship,  privation  and 
even  isolation,  and  it  undoubtedly  required  greater  courage,  even  greater  devotion,  and 
yet  greater  staying  qualities  upon  the  part  of  the  \voman  than  the  man.  We  can  never 
bestow  too  much  praise,  too  much  honor,  on  the  pioneer  women,  and  we  rejoice  today 
that  most  of  them  are  prosperous  in  the  enjoyment  of  comfortable  homes  and  giving 
their  children  every  advantage  that  is  given  young  people  elsewhere. 

"  Show  me  a  pioneer,  man  or  woman,  and  you  have  shown  me  one  who  possesses 
qualities  which  command  your  respect;  one,  too,  who  appears  equally  well  in  a  log 
cabin  or  a  gilded  mansion;  who  can  in  a  rough  and  ready  manner  meet  any  danger  or 
emergency  that  may  arise,  or  in  evening  gown  or  in  dress  suit  grace  any  drawmg 
room." 

Annual  reunions  have  been  held  each  year  since  and  occasionally 
picnics  are  held  in  the  summer  time.  With  each  annual  meeting  it 
is  observed  that  some  of  the  members  have  been  called  to  that 
"bourne  from  whence  no  traveler  returns,"  but  as  each  member 
goes  hence,  it  is  pointed  out  with  satisfaction  that  he  played  a  part 
in  the  building  of  one  of  the  best  towns  and  most  prosperous  counties 
in  the  west,  and  although  his  taking  off  is  regretted,  it  is  but  the  way 
of  the  world;   it  is  God's  way. 

Spanish-American  War  Veterans 

In  his  message  to  congress  April  11,  1898,  among  other  things 
President  William  McKinley  said,  "In  the  name  of  humanity,  in 
the  name  of  civilization,  in  behalf  of  endangered  American  interests, 
which  give  us  the  right  and  duty  to  speak  and  act,  the  war  in  Cuba 
must  stop.  In  view  of  these  facts  and  these  considerations,  I  ask 
congress  to  authorize  and  empower  the  president  to  take  measures 
to  secure  a  full  and  final  termination  of  hostilities  between  the  govern- 
ment of  Spain  and  the  people  of  Cuba." 

In  response  to  the  above  message,  resolutions  were  adopted  on 
April  18  by  the  house  of  representatives  and  senate  as  follows: 

"  I .  That  the  people  of  the  Island  of  Cuba  are,  and  of  right  ought 
to  be,  free  and  independent. 

"2.  That  it  is  the  duty  of  the  United  States  to  demand,  and 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  does  demand,  that  the  Govern- 
ment of  Spain  at  once  relinquish  its  authority  and  government  in 
the  Island  of  Cuba,  and  withdraw  its  land  and  naval  forces  from 
Cuba  and  Cuban  waters. 


62  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"3.  That  the  president  of  the  United  States  be,  and  he  hereby 
is,  directed  and  empowered  to  use  the  entire  land  and  naval  forces 
of  the  United  States,  and  to  call  into  the  actual  service  of  the  United 
States  the  militia  of  the  several  states  to  such  an  extent  as  may  be 
necessary  to  carry  these  resolutions  into  effect. 

"4.  That  the  United  States  hereby  disclaims  any  disposition 
or  intention  to  exercise  sovereignty,  jurisdiction  or  control  over  said 
island,  except  for  the  pacification  thereof,  and  asserts  its  determina- 
tion when  that  is  accomplished  to  leave  the  government  and  control 
of  the  island  to  its  people." 

On  April  20,  Spain  was  given  its  ultimatum  by  the  United  States 
to  relinquish  its  authority  and  withdraw  its  land  and  naval  forces 
from  Cuba  before  noon  on  April  23,  1898.  Spain  refused  to  comply 
with  this  demand,  and  the  president  issued  a  proclamation  calHng 
for  125,000  volunteers,  "the  same  to  be  proportioned,  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable, among  the  several  states  and  territories  and  the  District  of 
Columbia,  according  to  population  and  to  serve  for  two  years,  unless 
sooner  discharged." 

On  April  25,  congress  declared  that  "war  had  existed  since  the 
2ist  day  of  April,  1898,  including  said  day,  between  the  United 
States  of  America  and  the  Kingdom  of  Spain." 

The  secretary  of  war  on  the  25th  notified  Governor  W.  A. 
Richards  that  Wyoming's  allotment  of  troops  was  one  battalion  of 
four  companies  of  infantry  and  that  the  National  Guard  should  be 
used  as  far  as  their  numbers  would  permit.  Companies  C  of  Buffalo, 
G  of  Sheridan,  F  of  Douglas,  H  of  Evanston,  and  a  portion  of  A  of 
Laramie  were  accepted.  These  companies  assembled  in  Cheyenne 
and  on  May  10  they  were  mustered  into  the  United  States  service. 
On  May  18,  the  battalion  left  Cheyenne  for  San  Francisco.  On  June 
27  they  embarked  at  San  Francisco  and  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
Manila  Bay  July  31.  August  6  they  were  disembarked  and  went  into 
camp  at  Paranaque.  This  battahon  participated  in  the  battle  of 
Manila  August  13,  and  was  the  first  to  raise  its  battalion  flag  over 
the  captured  city.  Afterwards  the  Wyoming  boys  were  engaged  in 
numerous  battles.  July  6,  1899,  orders  were  received  to  return  to 
the  United  States  and  on  August  29  the  Steamer  GrarU  arrived  in 
San  Francisco  with  the  battalion.  Governor  DeForest  Richards  and 
his  staff,  and  many  prominent  citizens  of  the  state  went  to  San 
Francisco  to  welcome  the  boys  home. 

In  the  battalion  were  the  following  named  men  from  Natrona 
county:  E.  A.  Cunningham,  B.  F.  Cunningham,  C.  W.  Anderson, 
W.  J.  Evans,  O.  S.  Lucas,  J.  H.  Marsh,  G.  R.  Moyer,  R.  J.  White, 
and  Pat  McDermott.  G.  R.  Moyer  was  the  only  soldier  of  Natrona 


SPANISH-AMERICAN    WAR    VETERANS  63 

county  who  did  not  return.      He   remained   in    Manila,  married  a 
Filipino,  and  engaged  in  business. 

W.  F.  Dunn  received  a  commission  ranking  as  captain  on  July 
6,  1898,  and  was  ordered  to  report  for  duty  at  Tampa,  Florida,  for 
duty  in  the  commissary  department.  He  was  in  the  service  about 
two  years,  the  first  year  being  spent  at  different  camps  in  the  south 
and  the  last  year  he  spent  in  Cuba,  most  of  the  time  in  Santiago  and 
Havana  and  on  board  the  transport  Ingalls,  where  he  assisted  in  the 
work  of  paying  off  the  Cuban  soldiers.  Mr,  Dunn  received  his  dis- 
charge in  the  summer  of  1901  and  returned  to  his  home  in  Casper. 

Dr.  J.  F.  Leeper,  although  not  enlisted  in  the  Spanish-American 
war,  served  in  the  Philippine  Islands  as  army  physician,  with  the 
rank  of  captain,  from  February,  1910,  until  1913.  Returning  to  the 
United  States  he  was  army  physician  in  Fort  DuShane,  Utah,  Fort 
Bayard,  New  Mexico,  and  at  the  Presidio,  San  Francisco,  until 
October,  191 2,  when  he  returned  to  Casper  and  resumed  his  practice 
among  his  many  old-time  friends. 

The  Second  United  States  Volunteer  cavalry  which  was  known 
as  "Torrey's  Rough  Riders,"  was  raised  by  Colonel  Jay  L.  Torrey. 
This  regiment  was  composed  mostly  of  Wyoming  men.  The  troopers 
left  Cheyenne  on  June  22,  1898,  for  Camp  Cuba  Libre,  Jacksonville, 
Florida.  At  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  on  the  26th,  the  second  section  of 
the  troop  train  ran  into  the  first  section,  which  resulted  in  the  im- 
mediate death  of  three  troopers.  Three  others  died  later,  and  eleven 
others  were  more  or  less  injured.  Among  the  injured  was  Colonel 
Torrey.  The  enlisted  men  in  this  regiment  from  Natrona  county 
were:  Hugh  L.  Patton,  first  lieutenant;  Edward  S.  White,  first 
sergeant;  Robert  McAdams,  R.  W.  Wanlace,  and  George  C.  Thomp- 
son, sergeants;  Robert  J.  Allen,  David  A.  Williams,  and  Charles  E. 
Nichols,  corporals;  Charles  H.  Lilly,  trumpeter;  Horace  Evans, 
Gillman  A.  Hackett,  George  Lobmeier,  Eugene  H.  O'Brien,  Charles 
F.  Padden,  Lewis  D.  Scott,  troopers.  Before  leaving  for  Camp 
Cuba  Libre,  the  friends  of  Lieutenant  Patton  in  Natrona  county 
presented  to  him  a  sword  bearing  the  following  inscription:  "Pre- 
sented to  Lieutenant  Hugh  L.  Patton,  Second  Regiment  Volunteer 
Cavalry,  U.  S.  A.,  Torrey's  Rough  Riders,  by  the  citizens  of  Natrona 
county,  Wyoming." 

John  Clark  was  among  the  Natrona  county  "boys"  who  ren- 
dered excellent  service  to  the  government  during  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  having  served  as  packmaster  with  Colonel  Torrey's 
regiment,  and  is  entitled  to  as  much  credit  as  were  the  enlisted  men. 

The  record  of  Torrey's  troopers  in  the  Florida  camp  shows  but 
one  "scrap,"  and  that  affair  never  got  beyond  the  borders  of  the  com- 


64  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

pany  street.  One  of  the  troopers  described  it  to  the  officer-of-the-day 
in  this  wise,  "It  didn't  amount  to  anything,  sir.  One  of  the  boys  in 
the  Leadville  troop  got  a  Httle  too  much  hquor.  He  came  over  to  our 
troop  looking  for  something,  and  he  found  it.    I  handed  it  to  him." 

These  troopers  never  got  into  action  with  the  Spaniards.  The 
war  ended  too  soon;  but  they  proved  fully  the  quality  of  western 
manhood.  The  struggle  made  by  Colonel  Torrey  to  get  his  regiment 
into  action  was  energetic  and  persistent,  but  futile.  The  regiment 
arrived  in  Jacksonville  June  28,  after  the  fighting  had  begun  at 
Santiago.  An  urgent  appeal  was  made  and  re-made  to  be  included 
in  the  Porto  Rican  expedition,  but  cavalry  was  not  needed  there, 
and  disappointment  followed.  All  the  friends  of  the  command  were 
sought  to  make  sure  of  the  regiment's  being  included  in  the  force 
destined  to  make  the  attack  on  Havana,  and  there  is  no  doubt  but 
that  if  such  an  attack  had  been  made  the  Torrey  Rough  Riders 
would  have  occupied  a  conspicuous  place. 

The  regiment  remained  at  Camp  Cuba  Libre  until  October, 
when  it  mustered  out.  In  the  battahon,  the  battery  and  the  Second 
United  States  Volunteer  cavalry,  the  state  of  Wyoming  furnished  a 
number  of  men  aggregating  four  and  a  half  times  her  proper  quota, 
as  apportioned  by  the  war  department — more  in  proportion  to  popu- 
lation than  any  other  state  in  the  Union. 

In  his  message  to  the  legislature  in  January,  1899,  Governor 
DeForest  Richards  said,  "The  Wyoming  Volunteer  Aid  association, 
composed  of  the  patriotic  women  of  the  state,  has  inaugurated  a 
movement  for  the  erection  of  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the 
volunteers  from  this  state  who  sacrificed  their  lives  in  maintaining 
the  honor  of  their  country.  It  is  desired  that  permission  be  given 
for  the  erection  of  this  monument  within  the  grounds  of  the  capitol 
and  that  a  suitable  contribution  to  the  fund  be  made  by  the  state." 
February  20,  1899,  the  act  was  passed  and  the  requested  permission 
given.  The  sum  of  $1,500  was  set  apart  as  a  "Heroes'  Monument 
Fund,"  to  be  delivered  to  the  Volunteer  Aid  association  when  so 
ordered  by  the  governor.  The  monument  was  erected  in  1900  and 
was  at  first  located  immediately  east  of  the  walk  leading  to  the  main 
entrance  of  the  capitol.  In  1917,  it  was  removed  to  its  present  loca- 
tion at  the  southeast  corner  of  the  capitol  grounds. 

The  membership  of  the  Spanish-American  war  veterans  of  Na- 
trona county  includes  the  "boys"  who  volunteered  from  Natrona 
county  and  who  are  yet  living  here,  as  well  as  those  who  responded 
to  their  country's  call  from  other  places  and  are  now  making  their 
home  here.  On  May  21,  1919,  Lieutenant  Caspar  Collins  camp. 
No.  15,  United  Spanish  War  veterans,  Department  of  Colorado  and 


NATRONA    COUNTY    BOYS    IN    THE    WORLD    WAR  65 

Wyoming,  Casper,  Wyoming,  formed  its  temporary  organization, 
with  Joseph  H.  Adriance,  commander;  G.  H.  Peters,  junior  vice 
commander;  George  W.  Ferguson,  chaplain;  Louis  Schmidt,  quarter- 
master; Lincoln  F.  Kelly,  color  sergeant.  On  January  i,  1922,  the 
roster  included  the  following-named  members:  J.  H.  Adriance, 
Louis  R.  Schmidt,  George  C.  Thompson,  D.  M.  Lobdell,  Wm.  M. 
Green,  Thos.  H.  Downs,  Lincoln  F.  Kelly,  John  Bryne,  John  T. 
Scott,  Lewis  D.  Scott,  W.  W.  Sproul,  George  W.  Ferguson,  Wm.  J. 
Evans,  Edward  J.  Kemp,  John  H.  Carey,  Otto  Schenkel,  J.  J. 
Giblin,  F.  J.  Wolfe,  Ambrose  Hemingway,  Elzear  A.  Pelletier, 
Chas.  H.  Lilly,  George  T.  Handbury,  J.  H.  Finney,  Ernest  M. 
Kerr,  Thos.  Mullin,  John  H.  Creamer,  Wm.  Armstrong,  F.  C. 
Powell,  J.  C.  Kamp,  Henry  Peterson,  Roy  Williamson,  Jonathan  E. 
Frisby,  Virgil  O.  Nesbitt,  John  L.  Peete,  E.  N.  Cole,  Paul  Mc- 
Namara,  Chas.  C.  Campbell,  Edgar  R.  Rouse,  George  W.  Bouseman, 
John  M.  Tobin,  Lloyd  E.  Mills,  Pat.  J.  McDonnell,  Wade  F.  Fowler, 
T.  J.  Bassett,  George  W.  Bentley,  Cyrus  M.  Morris,  Paul  Spehr, 
C.  A.  Limieux,  Harry  F.  Schifferno,  F.  B.  Sowers,  W.  R.  Covars, 
S.  N.  Garvey,  Bennie  H.  Adcock,  John  J.  Durst,  Thomas  F.  Riley, 
Hugh  L.  Patton,  Samuel  Shove. 

On  each  Memorial  day  the  members  of  Caspar  Collins  Camp 
decorate  with  flowers  the  graves  of  the  soldiers  who  are  interred  in 
Highland  cemetery,  and  they  march  out  to  the  burial  ground  in  a 
body  where  taps  are  sounded  and  a  salute  is  fired  over  the  graves 
of  the  departed  veterans,  a  list  of  whom  is  herewith  given:  S. 
Sanchez,  C.  L.  Rounds,  James  Fitzgerald,  Don  Miller,  Jack  Lehee, 
J.  Anderson,  Dr.  J.  F.  Leeper,  W.  Sanders,  W.  F.  Smith,  J.  H. 
Chapman,  W.  Tobin,  N.  B.  Carlysle,  Charles  Ricker,  Erick  Anderson, 
Harry  Lyttle,  Ed.  S.  White,  H.  A.  Lilly,  Charles  L.  Dutton,  J.  R. 
Miller,  Wm.  Kropp,  W.  Santell,  W.  W.  Bahmer,  R.  T.  Kemp. 
The  above  were  Spanish-American  War  veterans  and  the  following 
is  a  list  of  the  departed  Civil  War  veterans:  Henry  Shank,  Luke 
Wentworth,  Isaac  Collins,  Matt  Campfield,  John  Karion,  Dr.  Joe 
Benson,  Wm.  J.  Emery,  James  Dickie,  Martin  Oliver,  Peter  Heagney, 
James  Dougherty,  Joseph  Donnelly,  Sam  Desbron,  Charles  K. 
Bucknum,  John  K.  Wood,  Hiram  Lewis,  Nathan  Savage,  Gillespie, 
Chauncey  Ishbull. 

Natrona  County  Boys  in  the  World  War 

No  county  in  the  state  of  Wyoming  and  but  few  counties  In 
any  of  the  states  in  the  Union,  population  and  wealth  considered, 
responded  more  liberally  than  Natrona  county  with  men  and  money 


66  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

to  our  country's  call  in  the  great  world  war.  The  inspiring  and 
patriotic  words  of  our  congressman,  Frank  Wheeler  Mondell,  on 
the  floor  of  the  house,  in  the  discussion  as  to  the  advisability  of  the 
United  States  declaring  war  against  the  Imperial  German  govern- 
ment are  herewith  reprinted,  which  are  worthy  of  going  into  history: 

"  For  two  years  and  more  the  spectre  of  the  European  war  has  spread  its  pall  of 
terror  over  the  earth  —  to  us  a  nightmare  of  frightfulness,  to  the  nations  engaged,  a 
reality  of  unspeakable  horror.  As  the  titanic  conflict  on  and  under  and  over  land  and 
sea  has  extended  its  area  of  destruction,  we  have  fervently  hoped  and  devoutly  prayed 
that  we  might  escape  its  devouring  flame.  Our  patience  and  forbearance,  as  our  rights 
have  been  ignored  and  denied,  as  our  honor  and  power  have  been  mocked,  our  citizens 
subjected  to  humiliation,  to  fearful  suffering  and  to  awful  death,  have  been  the  out- 
ward and  visible  signs  of  our  profound  and  sincere  longing  for  honorable  peace.  But 
there  is  no  peace!  Arrogance  and  despotic  power  has  decreed  suffering  and  death  to  all 
who  venture  the  sea  lanes  where  all  have  the  right  under  the  laws  of  God  and  man  to 
pass  unharmed.  Our  flag  has  been  fired  upon,  our  power  contemptuously  ignored,  our 
citizens  wickedly  slain.  Amid  conditions  such  as  these,  continued  patience  and  for- 
bearance cease  to  be  a  virtue;  they  come  to  be  accepted  as  signs  of  cowardice  and  weak- 
ness, the  evidence  of  supine  submission  to  insult  and  outrage;  they  no  longer  express 
the  attitude  of  a  brave  and  free  people.  And  so,  regretfully,  but  with  firm  determina- 
tion, the  Republic  draws  the  sword,  firm  in  the  conviction  that  we  fight  the  battle  of 
human  rights  against  the  excesses  of  despotic  power." 

And  then  on  April  2,  1917,  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening,  President 
Woodrow  Wilson  called  the  congress  in  extraordinary  assembly  and 
delivered  his  "war"  message,  advocating  co-operation  and  counsel 
in  action  with  the  Allied  governments  then  at  war  with  Germany 
and  the  extension  of  liberal  credits  to  them,  and  it  was  realized  that 
we  were  in  fact  at  the  very  entrance  of  war.  The  president's  message 
was  as  follows: 

"I  advise  that  this  congress  declare  the  course  of  the  Imperial  German  govern- 
ment to  be  in  fact  a  belligerent  of  the  United  States,  and  that  it  formally  accepts  this 
status  of  the  belligerent  which  has  thus  been  thrust  upon  it  and  employ  all  of  its 
resources  to  bring  the  government  to  terms  and  to  end  the  war. 

"Vessels  of  every  kind,  whatever  their  flag,  their  character,  their  cargo,  their 
destination,  their  errand,  have  been  ruthlessly  sent  to  the  bottom  without  warning,  and 
without  the  thought  of  help  or  mercy  for  those  on  board;  even  hospital  ships,  ships 
carrying  relief  to  the  sorely  bereaved  and  stricken  people  of  Belgium.  Though  the  latter 
were  provided  with  safe  conduct  through  the  prescribed  areas  by  the  German 
government  itself  and  were  distinguished  by  unmistakable  marks  of  identity,  they  have 
been  sunk  with  the  same  reckless  lack  of  compassion  or  principle." 

This  message,  while  the  American  flag  was  being  waved  from 
the  mezzanine  in  the  Henning  hotel,  was  read  to  several  thousand 
people  by  ex-Governor  B.  B.  Brooks,  only  a  few  minutes  after  it 
was  delivered  before  congress  by  the  president.  When  the  governor 
finished  reading,  all  was  quiet  for  a  second  and  then  someone  started 
to  sing  "America,"  and  the  thousand  men  and  women  sang  the  na- 
tional anthem  with  more  meaning  and  more  enthusiasm  then  they 
ever  sung  it  before. 


NATRONA    COUNTY    BOYS    IN    THE    WORLD    WAR  67 

After  the  president's  message  had  been  read  to  congress  Chair- 
man Flood  of  the  house  committee  on  mihtary  affairs  introduced  a 
resolution  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  The  recent  course  of  the  Imperial  German  government  is  in  fact 
nothing  less  than  a  war  against  the  government  and  the  people  of  the  United  States, 
Therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  By  the  senate  and  the  house  of  representatives  of  the  United  States 
of  America,  in  congress  assembled,  that  a  state  of  belligerency  which  thus  has  been 
thrust  upon  the  United  States  is  hereby  formally  declared,  and  that  the  president  be 
authorized  to  immediately  take  steps  not  only  to  put  this  country  in  a  state  of  defense, 
but  to  exert  all  power  and  employ  all  the  resources  of  this  country  to  carry  on  war  and 
bring  the  conflict  to  a  successful  conclusion." 

This  resolution  was  passed  by  the  house  of  congress  at  3  :o8 
in  the  morning  of  April  6,  191 7,  by  a  vote  of  373  to  50,  after  a  debate 
lasting  seventeen  hours,  during  which  twenty-five  members  spoke. 
And  thus,  on  Good  Friday,  the  day  on  which  Christ  died  for  hu- 
manity, America  went  to  war  against  the  Imperial  German  govern- 
ment for  humanity. 

Then  came  the  preparation  for  war.  Recruiting  stations  were 
established  in  every  town  of  any  size  in  the  United  States;  Red 
Cross  organizations  were  perfected,  food  conservation  was  commenced 
and  the  people  laid  aside  money  for  the  purchase  of  Liberty  bonds. 
Many  young  men  volunteered  for  service  at  once  and  others  declared 
they  were  ready,  willing  and  anxious  to  go  when  their  country  should 
call  them,  and  on  the  fifth  of  June,  when  the  first  register  for  military 
draft  was  finished,  there  were  1,276  names  from  Natrona  county  on 
the  roll,  while  960  were  reported  as  absent,  making  a  total  of  2,236 
available  men  to  enter  the  war  from  this  county,  in  addition  to  the 
196  who  had  entered  the  service  as  volunteers.  Natrona  county  was 
called  upon  July  20  to  draw  fifty-seven  names  for  the  first  selective 
draft,  and  on  August  7,  8  and  9,  102  draft  men  were  ordered  to  report 
to  the  board. 

By  this  time  the  people  of  the  whole  nation  had  their  meatless 
days  and  their  wheatless  days;  they  wore  their  old  clothes;  they 
denied  themselves  the  luxuries  and  pleasures  they  had  been  ac- 
customed to  having  and  saved  their  money  to  buy  Liberty  bonds. 
Women  were  knitting  socks  and  sweaters  and  making  dressings  and 
bandages  for  our  boys  who  had  gone.  Although  the  older  men  could 
not  go  to  the  front,  like  the  younger  men,  they  were  nevertheless 
fully  as  patriotic,  and  gave  up  their  time,  their  money  and  their 
pleasures,  and  made  many  sacrifices  in  order  that  this  war  might 
be  brought  to  a  "successful  conclusion." 

From  Casper  there  were  1,300  registered;  from  Badwater,  3; 
Greenlaw,   i;    Bessemer,   13;    Powder    River,  40;    Salt    Creek,   88; 


68  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Bucknum,  15;  Arminto,  60;  Efell,  10;  Big  Muddy,  14;  Freeland, 
16;  Waltman,  9;  Miller,  4;  Lone  Bear,  14;  Alcova,  17;  Oil  City,  7; 
Ervay,  7.  At  the  recruiting  station  in  Casper  on  July  20  there  were 
150  names  on  the  roster  of  Company  L,  Wyoming  National  Guard. 
These  men  were  encamped  at  the  fair  grounds  south  of  town  from 
July  20  until  August  2,  when  they  left  for  the  Cheyenne  temporary 
training  camp,  and  a  fund  of  ^1,000  was  raised  by  the  citizens  of 
Casper  as  a  "mess  fund"  for  the  boys. 

The  first  Natrona  county  draft  delegation  to  leave  for  training 
quarters  was  on  September  5,  1917.  Two  men  were  called.  They 
went  to  American  Lake,  Camp  Lewis.  The  second  increment,  con- 
sisting of  nineteen  men,  left  on  September  23,  and  the  third,  consist- 
ing of  twenty  men,  left  on  October  7.  For  the  fourth  increment 
thirteen  men  were  called  on  November  2.  During  this  time  more 
than  200  men  had  voluntarily  enlisted  and  gone  to  their  training 
camps. 

The  first  death  to  occur  on  foreign  soil  among  the  soldiers  of 
Natrona  county  was  on  January  17,  1918,  at  8:55  in  the  evening, 
when  George  L.  Vroman,  a  private  in  an  ammunition  train,  died  of 
pneumonia.  He  contracted  a  severe  cold  during  a  railroad  trip  from 
the  port  at  which  he  landed  in  France  to  the  first  landing  station. 
He  was  31  years  of  age. 

By  the  first  of  March,  1918,  422  men  from  Natrona  county  had 
enlisted  as  soldiers  and  more  than  200  had  enrolled  in  the  pubhc 
service  reserve. 

The  Standard  and  Midwest  refineries  had  many  extra  guards 
at  their  plants,  guards  were  stationed  at  the  Pathfinder  dam,  rail- 
road bridges  were  guarded  and  every  precaution  was  taken  against 
German  spies,  there  being  every  reason  to  believe  that  quite  a  number 
were  located  in  and  around  Casper. 

Seventeen  draft  men  left  on  April  27  for  Camp  Lewis,  and  on 
May  10  six  men  left  for  Camp  Lewis  and  five  for  Fort  McDowell, 
California,  and  a  call  was  received  on  May  13  for  100  men  from 
Natrona  county  to  entrain  for  Fort  Benjamin  Harrison  on  May  20 
and  twenty  to  be  sent  to  Fort  Logan,  Colorado,  on  May  29.  Thirteen 
more  left  for  Camp  Logan,  Utah,  June  13,  and  a  call  was  made  for 
seventy-five  men  to  go  to  Camp  Lewis  June  28.  There  were  sixty- 
nine  men  volunteered  for  the  service  during  the  month  of  June. 

By  this  time  not  enough  men  were  left  on  the  range  in  this 
county  to  properly  look  after  the  stock;  clerks  were  short  in  the 
stores  and  offices,  there  was  a  shortage  of  skilled  mechanics  at  the 
refineries  and  there  was  a  shortage  of  men  ever)rwhere  in  the  county, 
but  the  calls  kept  coming  for  more  men,  and  on  July  6  fifty-four  men 


NATRONA    COUNTY    BOYS    IN    THE    WORLD    WAR  69 

left  for  Fort  Logan;  twenty  more  left  for  the  same  place  on  the  19th, 
and  on  the  23rd  100  men  were  called  to  Fort  Riley,  Kansas.  Seven 
selectives  left  for  Camp  Fremont,  California,  August  6,  and  seven 
more  left  for  the  same  place  the  following  day.  Nineteen  were  called 
for  Fort  Riley  on  August  12,  and  twelve  for  Camp  Lewis  September 
4,  and  on  September  6,  eight  members  of  the  Home  Guard  left  for 
Camp  Lewis.  During  the  month  of  August  three  doctors,  one 
lawyer  and  one  minister  enlisted.  Word  was  received  in  August  that 
Guy  Burson  had  been  killed  in  action  on  July  5.  He  was  the  first 
Natrona  county  soldier  who  had  been  killed  in  battle. 

Fifty-nine  men  left  for  Camp  Lewis  October  10,  and  eleven 
men  left  for  Fort  McArthur,  San  Pedro,  California,  October  23.  By 
this  time  it  was  estimated  that  more  than  2,000  men  from  Natrona 
county  were  in  the  service. 

On  the  morning  of  November  7,  191 8,  telegraphic  news  was 
received  in  Casper,  as  it  was  in  every  town  of  any  consequence  in 
the  whole  of  the  United  States,  that  the  kaiser  had  abdicated,  and 
Germany  had  indicated  her  surrender  by  the  signing  of  an  armistice, 
and  that  hostilities  had  ceased.  Upon  the  receipt  of  these  glad  tidings 
every  whistle  in  the  city  screeched,  the  bells  in  the  churches  rang 
forth  the  wonderful  news,  and  men,  women  and  even  the  little 
children  knew  the  cause  of  all  the  noise  and  commotion  without  ask- 
ing. Great  crowds  of  people  of  all  classes,  sex,  color,  and  age  formed 
in  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the  city  and  cheered;  an  impromptu 
parade  was  formed,  and  the  huge  crowd  marched  to  the  court  house; 
flags  were  unfurled,  the  band  played,  patriotic  songs  were  sung  and 
prayer  was  offered,  and  everybody  went  home  with  a  light  heart, 
but  the  next  day  word  came  over  the  wire  that  the  news  was  not 
official;  that  the  kaiser  had  not  abdicated,  that  Germany  had  not 
indicated  her  surrender  by  asking  for  an  armistice,  and  that  hostilities 
had  not  ceased.  The  war  spirit  again  permeated  the  air,  and  the 
people  were  ready  and  anxious  to  sacrifice  not  only  their  last  dollar, 
but  their  last  drop  of  blood  to  bring  the  foe  to  submission.  Men  far 
beyond  the  age  limit  were  anxious  to  leave  their  homes  and  families 
and  take  up  arms  against  the  relentless  foe,  but  on  the  morning  of 
November  9  an  official  announcement  was  received  that  the  kaiser 
had  abdicated,  and  that  the  Imperial  German  government  was  ready 
to  surrender,  and  at  2:40  on  the  morning  of  November  11,  1918, 
official  news  was  received  of  the  submission  of  Germany.  It  was 
announced  that  the  armistice  was  signed  at  5  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
Paris  time,  which  is  some  ten  hours  earlier  than  western  time  in  the 
United  States,  and  that  hostilities  had  entirely  ceased  at  11  o'clock 
A.M.  all  along  the  lines. 


yo  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Again  the  whistles  shrieked  forth  and  the  bells  in  the  city  rang 
long  and  loud.  But  few  people  remained  in  bed,  although  the  hour 
was  early,  and  they  determined  to  make  this  a  big  day  as  well  as  a 
long  one.  Arrangements  were  quickly  made  to  fittingly  celebrate 
the  occasion,  and  all  the  business  houses,  offices  and  factories  in 
the  city  were  closed  in  the  afternoon  and  a  monster  parade  was 
formed;  thousands  of  people  were  in  line,  the  bands  played,  and  the 
day  was  celebrated  as  only  Americans  can  celebrate  after  such  a 
grand  victory. 

Then  the  casualty  lists  commenced  to  come  in.  This  was  the 
sad,  sad  part  of  the  war.  As  Natrona  county's  percentage  of  men  in 
the  war  was  large,  the  casualty  list  must  necessarily  be  large.  Twenty- 
six  men  from  this  little  county  sacrificed  their  lives,  a  list  of  whom  is 
herewith  appended:  Asimakopoulos,  Demetrios;  Bean,  Frank  L.; 
Buhr,  John  L.;  Burson,  Guy  C;  Butler,  James;  Cheadle,  Albert  K.; 
Cheney,  WiUiam  D.;  Cummlngs,  Cecil  Fleming;  Cutler,  Frank  D.; 
Devault,  Charlie  O.;  Evans,  Richard  T.;  Graves,  Loren;  Green, 
Archie  B.;  Humann,  Herman;  Lowery,  Bond  M.;  Marston,  WiUiam 
D.;  Mobius,  Frank;  McClaflin,  Arbie  W.;  Neil,  Harry  W.;  Romero, 
Frank  Bernal;  Sanford,  Albert  B.;  Scannell,  Francis  E.;  Snyder, 
Orin  I.;  Speckbacker,  John  M.;  Starks,  Hugh  L.;  Stanley,  Dewey 
M.;  Vroman,  George  W. 

In  January,  1919,  Adjutant  General  W.  K.  Weaver  made  a 
comprehensive  report  of  the  part  that  Wyoming  took  in  the  world 
war,  and  among  other  things  he  said:  "It  is  worthy  of  note  and 
pride  that  in  this  war,  as  in  the  Spanish-American  war,  Wyoming 
furnished  more  soldiers  in  proportion  to  population  than  any  other 
state.  Wyoming  furnished  923  men  for  the  draft  in  1917  and  over 
7,000  for  the  191 8  draft.  All  told  the  state  sent  more  than  12,000 
men  to  the  army,  and  approximately  one-half  of  these  men  were 
sent  over  seas." 

About  seven  per  cent  of  Wyoming's  population  served  the  nation 
on  battlefields  and  in  camps,  while  the  average  for  the  United 
States  was  about  four  per  cent,  and  it  will  be  noted  with  pride  that 
Natrona  county's  percentage  was  far  in  advance  of  even  the  state's 
percentage.  In  1920  the  federal  census  showed  that  Natrona  county 
had  a  population  of  14,635,  and  allowing  1,365  that  the  census 
enumerators  might  have,  and  no  doubt  did  overlook,  that  would 
have  given  us  a  population  of  16,000.  In  1917-18  the  population 
surely  was  not  more  than  it  was  in  1920,  and  in  that  case,  with  2,000 
men  in  the  service,  which  was  twelve  and  one-half  per  cent  of  our 
population,  a  percentage  that  very  few  counties  in  the  whole  nation 
equaled. 


NATRONA    COUNTY    BOYS    IN    THE    WORLD    WAR  7 1 

It  was  not  long  after  the  signing  of  the  armistice  until  the  soldiers 
commenced  to  return  home  from  the  numerous  camps,  and  in  order 
to  give  them  a  hearty  welcome,  a  Mother's  league  was  formed. 
On  February  20,  1919,  this  league  secured  rooms  on  the  ground  floor 
of  the  Oil  Exchange  building,  and  on  the  26th  the  rooms  were  thrown 
open  to  the  soldiers  and  sailors  who  had  returned.  The  rooms  were 
furnished  with  tables  and  chairs,  and  there  was  an  abundance  of 
books  and  magazines  and  cards  and  games  of  diflPerent  kinds,  and  it 
was  surely  a  boon  for  many  a  young  man  who  returned  from  camp 
and  had  no  home,  no  position,  and  but  little  money  to  make  a  new 
start  in  life.  The  club  was  under  the  management  of  the  Mother's 
league  until  June  12,  when  it  was  turned  over  to  the  Army  and 
Navy  club.  On  April  23,  1919,  a  temporary  organization  of  the  Na- 
trona county  chapter  of  the  American  Legion  was  perfected,  with 
Edgar  S.  Moore  as  president;  Edgar  S.  Bean,  vice  president; 
Kestler  Long,  secretary;  R.  H.  Nichols,  treasurer;  and  E.  Hussey, 
C.  P.  Plummer  and  W.  H.  Fuller,  committee  on  constitution  and  by- 
laws. On  July  18,  1919,  the  Casper  chapter  asked  for  a  charter  mem- 
bership in  the  American  Legion,  and  it  was  granted  August  26,  and 
was  given  the  name  of  George  L.  Vroman  Post  No.  2,  in  honor  of 
the  first  Natrona  county  soldier  who  died  over  seas.  There  were 
thirty-five  charter  members,  and  Chiles  P.  Plummer  was  elected 
chairman,  and  C.  R.  Peterson  secretary.  R.  H.  Nichols  was  elected 
to  represent  the  local  post  in  the  state  legion.  The  Army  and  Navy 
club  was  then  merged  into  the  Legion,  which  has  resulted  in  a  strong 
and  beneficial  organization  with  a  large  and  influential  membership. 

The  Denny  O.  Wyatt  Post,  No.  57,  in  honor  of  one  of  Natrona 
county's  brave  young  soldiers,  who  served  over  seas,  returned  home 
and  died  from  the  eflPects  of  injuries  received  while  he  was  in  the 
service,  received  its  national  and  state  charter  on  the  12th  day  of 
March,  1922,  with  forty  charter  members.  Excellent  club  rooms 
were  secured  where  social  entertainments  and  business  sessions  were 
held  on  regular  occasions.  The  initial  election  of  officers  for  this 
post  was  held  on  the  evening  of  April  17,  1922,  when  T.  J.  McKeon 
was  named  as  post  commander;  L.  F.  Thorne,  vice  commander; 
H.  M.  McDermott,  finance  officer;  Fred  Dralle,  adjutant.  It  was 
reported  at  this  meeting  that  the  post  had  a  membership  numbering 
eighty. 

A  massive  bronze  tablet  was  unveiled  at  the  capitol  building 
in  Cheyenne  on  November  11,  1921,  the  anniversary  of  Armistice 
day,  upon  which  was  this  inscription:  "Dedicated  to  the  Memory 
of  Those  Men  from  Wyoming  Who  Made  the  Supreme  Sacrifice." 
Beneath  the  inscription   appear   the  names  of   approximately  350 


72  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Wyoming  soldiers  who  are  known  to  have  died  in  the  military  service 
during  the  great  World  war.  This  memorial  tablet  is  seven  by 
four  feet  in  dimensions,  and  is  supported  on  either  side  by  a  female 
figure  holding  in  her  hand  a  palm  branch.  The  legislature  of  1921 
appropriated  $2,000  for  the  purchase  of  this  tablet,  which  has  been 
placed  at  the  right-hand  side  of  the  capitol  rotunda,  near  the  main 
entrance,  which  is  a  fitting  memorial  to  the  young  men  who  sacrificed 
their  lives  for  their  country. 

Powder  River  Post,  No.  291,  Veterans  of  Foreign  Wars,  was 
organized  in  Casper  in  October,  1922,  and  the  charter  remained  open 
until  November  16,  when  the  post  was  instituted  and  officers  installed 
as  follows:  Commander,  E.  R.  Purkiser;  senior  vice  commander, 
E.  A.  Carrier;  junior  vice  commander,  Orin  Theige;  adjutant, 
Thuron  R.  Hughes;  quartermaster,  D.  D.  Murphy;  chaplain,  C.  H. 
C.  Scullion;  trustees,  Charles  J.  McNulty,  Harold  A.  Park,  W.  H. 
Blott;  membership  committee,  E.  A.  Carrier,  Charles  H.  C.  Sculhon, 
Noble  Welch;  post  historian,  M.  T.  Rice;  patriotic  instructor,  N. 
E.  Robinson. 

Natrona  County's  Three  Earthquakes 

Earthquakes  in  Wyoming  have  been  of  comparatively  rare 
occurrence,  so  far  as  any  extensive  destruction  of  life  and  property  has 
been  involved.  The  first  convulsive  force  felt  in  the  central  part  of 
the  state  that  could  be  termed  an  earthquake  occurred  at  3:15  on 
the  morning  of  June  25,  1894.  There  were  two  distinct  and  violent 
shocks  and  nearly  everybody  in  Casper  was  awakened  by  the  vibra- 
tions and  a  general  feeling  of  alarm  prevailed.  No  great  damage  was 
done  to  any  of  the  buildings  and  the  convulsions  were  of  short 
duration.  On  Casper  mountain  the  disturbance  was  much  more  pro- 
nounced than  in  the  valley.  There  the  vibrations  continued  for 
fifteen  seconds.  Dishes  were  dashed  to  the  floor  from  the  cupboards 
and  a  number  of  people  were  thrown  from  their  beds  by  the  undula- 
tions. There  was  doubt,  consternation  and  terror  among  the  people, 
some  of  whom  expressed  the  fear  that  the  earth  would  open  up  and 
swallow  them.  Their  fears  were  unfounded,  of  course,  but  when  day- 
light came  they  made  haste  to  come  to  Casper  and  remained  here 
several  days. 

The  water  in  the  Platte  river,  which  the  day  before  had  been 
fairly  clear,  changed  to  a  reddish  hue  and  became  thick  with  mud 
thrown  up  from  the  bottom  and  caved  in  from  the  banks.  Those  who 
were  near  the  river  in  the  vicinity  of  Alcova  said  they  could  hear  the 
rushing  sounds  and  violent  splashes  into  the  stream,  and  in  the  morn- 


NATRONA  county's  THREE  EARTHQUAKES       73 

ing  they  saw  where  large  portions  of  the  earth  had  been  torn  away 
and  lapsed  into  the  river. 

Again  on  November  14,  1897,  at  6:30  in  the  morning,  this  part 
of  Wyoming  was  visited  by  another  but  more  violent  earthquake 
shock.  Those  who  were  awake  at  the  time  reported  that  for  several 
minutes  before  the  shock  occurred  they  heard  a  rumbling  noise  from 
the  southwest  resembling  that  of  a  dozen  trains  of  cars.  Then  came 
the  rocking  of  the  earth,  which  lasted  for  at  least  two  seconds. 
George  M.  Rhoades,  who  was  sitting  on  a  chair  lacing  his  shoes,  was 
thrown  to  the  floor.  As  soon  as  he  could  gain  his  equilibrium,  he 
rushed  out  of  doors,  fearing  that  the  roof  of  his  house  would  fall  in 
on  him.  Others  hastened  from  their  beds.  The  guests  in  the  Grand 
Central  hotel  made  a  hasty  exit,  some  of  them  not  tarrying  to  dress. 
Men  on  the  range  who  were  sleeping  on  the  ground  said  they  could 
hear  the  rumbling  sound  several  minutes  before  they  felt  the  shock. 
The  noise  kept  getting  closer  and  closer  until  it  became  almost  deafen- 
ing and  then  occurred  the  sickening,  shivering,  rocking  of  the  earth 
which  caused  consternation  among  the  sheep  and  horses.  The  Grand 
Central  hotel  building  was  considerably  damaged  by  the  convulsion, 
the  northeast  corner  of  the  building  being  rent  with  a  crack  from  two 
to  four  inches  wide,  extending  from  the  third  to  the  first  story.  The 
ceiling  in  the  lobby  was  cracked  from  the  east  to  the  west  end  and  the 
structure  was  otherwise  damaged  to  such  extent  that  many  bolts  and 
braces  were  required  to  put  it  in  a  safe  condition.  This  was  the  only 
building  in  Casper  that  was  damaged  to  any  great  extent,  as  this  and 
the  Odd  Fellows'  building,  were  the  only  large  brick  buildings  in  the 
town  at  that  time. 

And  again,  on  October  25,  1922,  at  6:20  in  the  evening  a  slight 
shock  of  about  one-half  second  duration  was  felt  by  some  people  in 
Casper.  Some  of  those  who  were  sick  and  in  bed  felt  the  shock  more 
distinctly  than  those  who  were  up  and  around  in  their  homes  or  in 
their  business  houses  or  upon  the  streets.  The  tremor  was  very  slight, 
and  no  damage  of  any  kind  was  reported.  At  Salt  Creek,  fifty  miles 
north,  and  at  Bucknum,  twenty-two  miles  west  of  Casper,  the  vibra- 
tions were  much  more  pronounced,  and  they  were  from  two  to  three 
seconds'  duration.  Some  people  in  the  vicinity  of  Bucknum  reported 
that  the  disturbance  continued  for  at  least  ten  seconds,  but  it  is  evi- 
dent that  they  judged  the  duration  more  by  the  length  of  time  it 
seemed  to  them  than  the  actual  continuation  of  the  undulations. 
Glass  in  the  windows  at  the  Box  C  ranch  house,  a  few  miles  to  the 
north  of  Bucknum  station,  were  cracked  and  the  frame  buildings 
swayed  and  creaked  as  though  they  were  about  to  be  caved  in.  In 
Salt  Creek  dishes  which  had  been  placed  on  the  dining  tables  and 


74  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

those  that  were  in  the  china  closets  were  badly  shaken,  and  pictures 
that  were  hanging  on  the  walls  in  some  of  the  residences  swayed  to 
and  fro,  and  many  other  indications  of  the  seismic  disturbance  were 
in  evidence.  Many  people  rushed  from  their  houses,  thinking  that  a 
gas  explosion  had  occurred  in  the  vicinity,  and  it  was  some  time 
before  it  dawned  upon  them  that  the  shock  they  had  felt  had  been 
caused  by  an  earthquake. 

Nitro-Glycerine  Explosion 

The  explosion  of  400  quarts  of  nitro-glycerine  at  about  8  o'clock 
in  the  evening  on  May  26,  1919,  at  the  storage  house  of  the  Wyoming 
Torpedo  company,  about  two  miles  east  from  Casper,  shook  the 
town  as  if  there  w  as  an  earthquake.  Windows  in  many  of  the  business 
houses  were  broken  and  the  vibrations  could  be  distinctly  felt  through- 
out the  town.  The  storage  house  for  the  glycerine  was  a  dug-out  along 
the  river  bank  and  Mack  McCoy  and  a  companion  had  brought  an 
auto  truck  load  of  the  nitro-glycerine  from  the  plant  a  couple  of  miles 
farther  east,  intending  to  put  it  in  the  storage  house  over  night  and 
take  it  toThermopolis  the  next  day  to  be  used  in  the  oil  fields  near  that 
town.  It  is  supposed  that  the  explosion  was  caused  from  the  con- 
cussion of  opening  the  storage  house  door  or  that  one  of  the  cans  was 
dropped  on  the  ground  while  the  men  were  unloading  it  from  the 
truck.  Immediately  after  the  report  was  heard  in  Casper  a  huge 
cloud  of  smoke  and  dust  was  seen  to  rise  in  the  sky  and  its  appear- 
ance resembled  an  immense  balloon  in  the  air.  Fully  three  thousand 
people  rushed  to  the  scene  of  the  accident.  Where  the  storage  house 
stood  was  now  an  immense  hole  in  the  ground,  hundreds  of  bits  of 
human  flesh  and  bones  were  scattered  within  a  radius  of  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  the  auto  truck  was  blown  into  thousands  of  pieces  and  scattered 
about  in  all  directions;  the  trees  along  the  river  bank  were  sheared  of 
their  branches  and  the  destruction  was  complete.  McCoy  and  his 
companion  were  seen  driving  the  auto  truck  toward  the  storage  house 
about  ten  minutes  before  the  explosion  occurred,  but  the  identity  of 
the  other  man  was  never  established. 

The  Pathfinder  Dam 

The  Pathfinder  dam  was  built  under  false  pretenses  and  Wyo- 
ming was  thereby  deprived  of  reclaiming  a  vast  amount  of  acreage 
which  would  have  been  irrigated  had  the  plans  been  carried  out  as  the 
people  of  Wyoming  were  led  to  believe  and  given  to  understand  they 
would. 


THE    PATHFINDER    DAM  75 

General  Manager  Bidwell  and  Superintendent  Hughes  of  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  railway,  who  undoubtedly  were  secretly 
working  under  instructions  from  the  Nebraska  delegation  in  con- 
gress, came  to  Casper  in  their  private  car  on  June  14,  1904,  and 
requested  an  audience  with  the  representative  business  men  of 
Casper.  About  twenty  Casper  business  men  were  admitted  inside 
Mr.  Bidwell's  private  car,  and  Mr.  Bidwell  was  the  main  and  about 
the  only  speaker.  He  produced  some  maps,  especially  prepared  to 
exhibit  to  the  people  of  Wyoming  which  showed  the  lands  proposed 
to  be  irrigated  by  the  department  under  this  project  amounting  to 
1,380,000  acres  in  Wyoming,  207,000  of  which  were  in  Natrona 
county.  Bidwell  said  there  were  to  be  three  reservoirs,  one  eight 
miles  above  Alcova,  the  site  of  the  now  Pathfinder  dam,  one  fifteen 
miles  above  Casper  and  another  eight  miles  up  the  river. 

When  this  information  was  presented  to  our  people  they  readily 
approved  the  project,  and  then  Messrs.  Bidwell  and  Hughes  went  to 
Douglas,  where  the  same  procedure  was  taken  to  fool  the  people  of 
that  town  and,  as  at  Casper,  the  people  there  gave  their  hearty 
approval  to  the  project.  The  result  was  that  the  appropriation  of  a 
million  dollars  was  made  by  congress  for  the  project,  but  only  one 
dam  and  one  reservoir  was  constructed,  and  Nebraska  has  thus  far 
gotten  the  use  of  the  greater  portion  of  the  water  that  was  promised 
and  rightfully  belonged  to  Wyoming,  and  instead  of  207,000  acres  of 
land  being  reclaimed  in  Natrona  county,  about  25,000  acres  were 
inundated  and  none  reclaimed. 

The  scheme  was  thoroughly  studied  and  investigated  by  the 
reclamation  service  for  two  years  prior  to  the  commencement  of  the 
dam's  construction.  The  system  was  named  "Pathfinder"  in  honor 
of  General  John  C.  Fremont,  the  great  explorer,  who  made  the 
Platte  valley,  in  what  is  now  Wyoming,  the  scene  of  his  most  inter- 
esting travels  and  investigations,  and  it  was  at  about  where  the  dam 
is  located  that  Fremont's  boats  were  capsized.  The  Astorians  gave 
this  canyon  the  name  of  the  "Fiery  Narrows." 

This  wonderful  piece  of  masonry  is  built  on  a  natural  site  in  a 
solid  granite  formation,  in  the  bed  rock,  and  the  walls  on  each  side  are 
also  of  this  rock.  The  geology  and  topography  of  the  location  is 
remarkable.  Here  is  a  tremendous  uplift  of  granite,  rent  in  twain  by 
the  titanic  forces  of  nature  in  the  primeval  days,  creating  a  mighty 
chasm  in  depth  and  yet  so  narrow  as  to  make  hardly  a  streak  in  the 
landscape.  In  many  places  a  rider  approaching  from  either  side  would 
not  see  the  canyon  or  know  of  the  existence  of  the  river  until  he  was 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  perilous  chasm  with  its  almost  perpendic- 
ular walls. 


"^6  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Actual  construction  work  was  commenced  on  the  Pathfinder 
project  on  the  5th  day  of  February,  1905,  by  Kilpatrick  Bros.  & 
ColHns,  who  secured  the  contract  to  construct  the  diversion  tunnel 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  which  runs  a  distance  of  480  feet  through 
a  sohd  mass  of  granite  and  is  thirteen  feet  high  and  ten  feet  wide.  It 
is  connected  with  the  surface  by  two  shafts,  each  one  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  deep.  The  emergency  gates  were  installed  in  the  upper 
shaft  with  a  stone  and  cement  building  over  them.  These  shafts,  like 
the  tunnel  itself,  are  through  solid  granite,  and  every  foot  of  their 
depth  from  the  top  of  the  precipice  to  the  level  of  the  river  had  to  be 
drilled  and  blasted,  and  their  construction  in  a  proper  manner  was 
one  of  the  most  difficult  tasks  on  the  project.  The  finished  shaft  in 
which  the  gates  are  installed  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing  with  a 
ladder  running  from  the  top  to  the  bottom. 

Construction  work  on  the  dam  proper  was  commenced  in  Sep- 
tember, 1905,  by  the  Gedis-Seerie  Stone  company  of  Denver  who  was 
awarded  the  contract  by  the  government.  Before  the  masonry  work 
could  be  commenced  the  water  in  the  channel  of  the  river  was  turfted 
into  the  diversion  tunnel  by  a  dam  made  from  many  thousand  sacks 
of  sand  and  the  dam  site  at  the  bottom  of  the  river  was  left  bare  and 
free  from  water.  This  site  for  the  full  width  of  the  canyon  and  the 
width  of  the  dam  was  cleaned  of  all  gravel,  sand,  earth,  fissured  and 
disintegrated  rock  to  a  depth  of  fifteen  feet  and  a  clean  foundation 
upon  bed  rock  was  prepared  for  the  commencement  of  the  building  of 
the  big  dam. 

The  base  of  the  dam  is  ninety-five  feet  wide  and  eighty  feet 
across  the  chasm,  and  at  the  top  of  the  dam,  218  feet  above  the  base, 
it  is  twelve  feet  wide  and  432  feet  across  the  chasm.  In  the  early 
spring,  after  the  melting  of  the  snow  in  the  water  sheds  above,  there 
is  impounded  by  this  huge  structure  more  than  1,000,000  acre  feet  of 
water,  and  this  would  reclaim  350,000  acres  of  the  arid  land  of 
Wyoming  that  at  the  present  time  can  be  used  only  for  grazing,  but  as 
mentioned  above,  Wyoming  gets  very  little  benefit  from  it,  for  the 
water  is  carried  into  western  Nebraska  where  a  great  many  thousand 
acres  have  been  reclaimed  and  are  growing  wonderful  crops  of  grain 
and  grass. 

The  contractors  completed  their  work  on  this  dam  June  i,  1909, 
but  since  that  time  a  large  dyke  has  been  built  south  of  the  structure. 
The  land  at  the  point  where  the  dyke  was  built  was  about  twenty 
feet  lower  than  the  top  of  the  masonry  work  of  the  dam  and  should 
the  water  have  risen  so  high  that  it  would  have  run  over  this  low 
ground,  it  would  have  washed  the  soft  formation  down  the  channel 
and  thus  change  the  course  of  the  river,  leaving  the  dam  high  and 


THE    PATHFINDER   DAM  77 

dry  in  the  canyon.  It  was  thought  by  the  reclamation  engineers  that 
the  reservoir  would  not  be  filled  for  several  years  after  the  dam  was 
completed  and  that  there  was  no  immediate  danger  of  the  water's 
rising  to  the  top  of  this  low  piece  of  ground.  But  on  account  of  the 
heavy  snows  during  the  winter  of  1910  and  the  heavy  spring  rains 
that  followed,  the  water  rose  almost  to  the  top  of  this  low  stretch  of 
ground  and  only  by  the  most  heroic  effort  was  the  huge  body  of  water 
kept  from  cutting  through  the  soft  formation.  Men  and  teams 
worked  night  and  day  for  several  weeks,  piling  brush,  wood,  and 
sacks  of  sand  and  dirt  in  the  low  place.  The  flood  gates  were  turned 
wide  open  and  arrangements  were  made  to  blow  out  a  section  of  the 
dam  with  dynamite  if  the  water  could  not  otherwise  be  prevented 
from  running  over  this  low  land.  For  three  or  four  days  it  was  a 
hard  struggle  between  the  men  and  teams  and  the  gradual  rise  of  the 
water,  and  at  one  time  it  was  thought  there  was  no  hope  except  to 
blow  out  a  section  of  the  masonry  in  the  dam.  Just  at  this  time,  how- 
ever, seemingly  an  act  of  Providence,  the  water  commenced  to  recede 
and  then  all  danger  was  passed.  The  permanent  dyke,  which  is  about 
1,420  feet  in  length,  was  then  built  by  first  digging  down  to  the  con- 
glomerate and  then  putting  in  a  cement  core  three  feet  on  the  bottom 
and  tapering  to  about  one  foot  on  top.  This  cement  core  is  about 
thirty-five  feet  high  and  the  top  of  the  dyke  extends  eighteen  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  spillway  on  the  north  side  of  the  dam.  In  the 
building  of  this  dyke,  dirt  and  gravel  was  hauled  in  and  packed  with 
a  steam  roller;  the  face  of  the  structure  is  rip-rapped  with  stone 
eighteen  inches  in  depth  and  there  is  now  no  possibility  of  the  high 
waters  doing  any  damage.  When  the  water  rises  to  a  sufficient  height, 
it  runs  over  the  spillway  and  is  carried  into  the  channel  of  the  river 
below.  A  concrete  wing  108  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide  at  the 
base  and  four  feet  wide  at  the  top,  with  an  average  height  of  ten  feet, 
has  been  constructed  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  the  water  in  this 
spillway. 

In  the  construction  of  the  dam  340  carloads  of  cement  were  used, 
a  total  of  19,000,000  pounds.  If  this  cement  had  been  loaded  on  one 
train  it  would  have  been  more  than  three  miles  in  length  or  would 
have  made  seventeen  trains  of  ordinary  length.  All  this  cement, 
together  with  the  enormous  amount  of  machinery  and  supplies,  was 
hauled  from  Casper  by  freight  teams  to  the  Pathfinder  over  rough 
roads,  through  low  valleys  and  over  high  hills  and  in  all  kinds  of 
weather.  The  quickest  trip  ever  made  from  Casper  to  Pathfinder 
with  a  freight  outfit  was  three  days,  and  the  longest  time  required 
was  seventy-six  days.  These  freight  teams  consisted  of  from  two  to 
four  loaded  wagons  chained  together  and  a  covered  wagon  in  which 


78  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  freighter  and  his  family  often  Hved,  the  whole  being  drawn  by 
from  twelve  to  twenty-two  horses,  which  were  called  string  teams  and 
were  handled  by  a  single,  or  jerk  line. 

The  three-mile  train  load  of  cement,  together  with  the  steel, 
gravel,  crushed  rock,  concrete  and  granite  in  the  dam  would  make  a 
train  load  of  material  that  would  be  over  forty  miles  in  length.  It  is 
difhcult  to  imagine  the  size  of  a  building  that  could  be  constructed 
with  this  immense  amount  of  material.  The  granite  used  in  the  dam 
was  quarried  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  structure,  and  large 
pieces  forty  feet  square  were  first  blown  out  and  then  split  into 
smaller  squares,  averaging  in  weight  eight  to  ten  tons;  these  after 
being  dressed  and  drenched  were  conveyed  to  the  works  on  a  tram 
and  lowered  to  the  dam  where  they  were  laid  in  a  heavy  bed  of  mor- 
tar with  the  side  joints  not  more  than  six  inches  in  thickness,  and  the 
concrete  rammed  into  place,  the  largest  proportion  of  stone  and  the 
smallest  proportion  of  mortar  and  concrete  being  used. 

At  the  base  of  the  dam  are  two  tunnels,  each  three  feet  in  diam- 
eter, and  one  culvert  four  by  six  feet,  and  through  these  tunnels 
and  the  culvert  streams  of  water  went  rushing,  roaring  down  the 
canyon  with  the  force  of  Niagara.  A  practically  unlimited  amount  of 
power  could  be  generated  from  these  three  streams  that  would  supply 
all  the  needs  of  ten  cities  the  size  of  Denver,  but  up  to  the  present 
time  nothing  has  been  done  toward  putting  this  power  into  service. 

In  the  spring  of  191 1  these  tunnels  and  the  culvert  were  bulk- 
headed  and  the  flow  of  water  sufficient  to  keep  the  river  up  to  the 
level  that  will  supply  the  needs  of  the  city  of  Casper  and  the  refiner- 
ies here,  as  well  as  the  other  towns  and  the  ranchmen  along  the  stream 
east  from  Casper,  is  supplied  from  a  four-inch  pipe  extending  through 
the  tunnel  at  the  base  of  the  dam,  in  addition  to  a  stream  running 
through  the  tunnel  on  the  south  side  of  the  dam.  In  recent  years  the 
reservoir  has  been  filled  to  overflowing  in  the  spring  of  the  year  and 
there  has  been  a  heavy  flow  over  the  spillway  on  the  north  side  of 
the  dam.  When  the  water  runs  over  the  spillway  it  is  within  twelve 
feet  of  the  top  of  the  dam,  giving  a  depth  of  184  feet  of  water  at  the 
face  of  the  dam.  Then  the  North  Platte  is  backed  up  for  twenty 
miles  and  [the  Sweetwater  river  for  fifteen  miles,  and  the  width  of  the 
reservoir  at  the  widest  point  at  that  time  is  aboui;  four  miles.  About 
a  half  dozen  ranches  containing  an  area  of  fully  25,000  acres,  which 
includes  the  grazing  land,  have  been  covered  by  this  immense  res- 
ervoir, and  the  government  paid  the  settlers  who  were  deprived  of 
their  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  $170,000. 

Since  the  contract  for  the  building  of  the  dam  was  completed,  on 
June  I,  1909,  a  great  many  improvements  have  been  made,  in  addi- 


THE    PATHFINDER    DAM  79 

tion  to  the  building  of  the  dyke  on  the  south  side.  Among  these 
improvements  is  a  tunnel  on  the  south  side  which  was  installed  in 
1910-11.  It  is  sixteen  feet  deep  and  sixteen  feet  wide,  sixty  feet  above 
the  bed  of  the  river.  This  tunnel  was  built  for  the  purpose  of  allowing 
a  greater  flow  of  water  through  during  the  spring  and  summer  months 
when  it  is  used  for  irrigating  purposes  and  to  relieve  the  pressure  on 
the  gates  of  the  north  tunnel.  In  connection  with  this  tunnel  an  air 
shaft  was  built  similar  to  the  air  shaft  into  the  north  tunnel.  Another 
tunnel  has  been  built  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  above  the  original 
tunnel.  All  these  tunnels  have  been  equipped  with  gates  and  balance 
valves  which  are  automatically  controlled  by  the  reservoir  pressure. 
A  set  of  two  auxiliary  gates  and  two  hydraulic-operated  balance 
valves  were  installed  on  the  north  lower  tunnel  in  1920-21-22  and 
upon  completion  of  this  work  the  portal  of  the  tunnel  was  bulkheaded 
just  below  the  air  shaft.  At  this  place  a  by-pass  valve  was  installed. 
An  average  of  about  twenty  men  were  working  at  the  dam  since  the 
original  contract  was  completed  in  1909  until  the  summer  of  1922. 
The  government  maintains  an  exclusive  telephone  line  from  Casper 
to  Pathfinder  which  is  used  only  in  connection  with  business  per- 
taining to  the  reclamation  service. 

H.  D.  Comstock  was  the  resident  engineer  during  the  construc- 
tion of  the  dyke  in  1910  and  until  May  30,  1913.  S.  S.  Sleeth  was 
superintendent  of  the  reservoir  from  1910  to  September,  191 1.  J.  C. 
Austin  was  superintendent  from  May,  1913,  to  August,  1918,  and  he 
was  succeeded  by  S.  S.  Sleeth  who  served  until  December,  191 8. 
Then  came  H.  E.  Brown  who  served  until  July,  1921,  and  he  was 
succeeded  by  T.  S.  Martin  as  superintendent  of  construction. 

In  the  spring  time  when  the  reservoir  is  filled  to  overflowing  and 
the  water  rushes  over  the  spillway  in  great  volumes,  having  the  ap- 
pearance of  Niagara  Falls,  there  is  always  some  one  ready  to  spread 
the  report  that  the  dam  is  unsafe  and  many  timid  people  in  Casper 
do  not  rest  easy  until  the  water  commences  to  recede  late  in  the 
summer.  In  regard  to  the  safety  of  this  dam,  Director  F.  H.  Newell 
says:  "There  is  probably  no  structure  in  the  United  States  better 
designed  and  finished  and  more  deserving  of  higher  commendation 
for  its  stability  and  absolute  safety.  The  absurd  stories  sent  out  con- 
cerning it  cannot  fail  to  do  harm  in  alarming  timid  people,  who  have 
absolutely  no  occasion  for  concern." 

Since  the  original  appropriation  of  one  million  dollars  for  the  con- 
struction of  this  dam,  up  to  June  30,  1920,  additional  appropria- 
tions of  $10,279,939  have  been  made  for  the  project,  a  portion  of 
which  was  expended  on  the  Guerensey  dam  and  the  irrigation  ditches 
in  that  vicinity,  but  the  greater  portion  was  expended  on  the  ditches 


8o  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

in  western  Nebraska  where  the  main  body  of  the  water  is  carried 
and  where  immense  crops  are  raised  each  year  upon  the  vast  amount 
of  land  that  is  irrigated.  Several  millions  of  dollars  have  also  been 
expended  on  the  dam,  for  the  improvements  and  repairs  before  men- 
tioned. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  citizens  of  Natrona  county  a  survey 
was  made  in  1920  under  the  direction  of  the  state  engineer  of  Wyo- 
ming for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  number  of  acres  that  could  be 
irrigated  in  Natrona  county  if  a  gravity  overfall  diversion  dam  130 
feet  high  were  built  in  the  Alcova  canyon,  so  the  water  could  be 
stored  and  raised  to  a  level  of  a  proposed  canal  that  would  distribute 
the  water  over  a  stretch  of  land  about  forty  miles  in  length  and  then 
be  returned  to  the  river  through  natural  drainage  along  the  forty- 
mile  stretch  of  territory  included  in  the  irrigation  district,  and  it  was 
found  that  more  than  100,000  acres,  all  in  Natrona  county,  could  be 
reclaimed.  From  15,000  to  17,000  acres  of  this  land  is  in  the  Bates 
Hole  country,  but  most  of  it  lies  in  the  valley  in  which  the  Burlington 
and  Northwestern  railway  tracks  pass  through.  A  resurvey  was 
jointly  made  by  the  state  and  the  United  States  reclamation  service 
in  1921-22,  and  the  investigations  and  report  made  by  the  state  en- 
gineer was  found  correct.  This  encouraged  the  people  of  the  county 
to  ask  for  an  appropriation  by  the  government  of  a  sufficient  amount 
to  build  this  project,  which  it  was  said  would  be  built  when  the  orig- 
inal proposition  came  up  many  years  before. 

This  project  has  advantages  supported  by  few  such  projects 
at  their  inception.  Figuring  the  area  to  be  irrigated  at  100,000  acres 
it  is  estimated  that  the  acreage  can  be  devoted  to  production  by  put- 
ting 50,000  acres  in  alfalfa,  11,000  in  sugar  beets,  15,000  in  small 
grains,  5,000  in  potatoes,  4,000  in  corn,  10,000  in  pasturage  and  5,000 
in  home  grounds,  stock  corrals,  green  vegetables  and  garden  truck, 
etc. 

Converting  to  agricultural  purposes  the  idle  land  now  sur- 
rounding Casper  is  designed  not  only  to  produce  food  products  to 
supply  the  demands  of  a  growing  city,  but  also  to  make  possible 
several  new  industries  and  to  bring  about  a  higher  development  of 
the  livestock  industry,  which  for  years  has  been  one  of  the  foundation 
stones  of  the  prosperity  of  Natrona  county.  The  development  of 
agriculture  and  the  building  up  of  a  market  for  agricultural  products 
over  a  period  of  years  will  add  an  element  of  permanence  to  the  com- 
munity and  a  stability  to  investment  by  assuring  the  establishment 
of  a  basic  industry  which  will  continue  indefinitely  into  the  future. 

When  this  is  done  the  state  of  Wyoming  and  Natrona  county, 
especially,  will  have  come  into  its  own.    Natrona  county  has  been 


THE    NORTH    PLATTE    RIVER  51 

brought  to  the  fore  through  the  persistent  efforts  of  its  people  as 
much  as  it  has  by  its  natural  resources.  It  has  always  been  the  custom 
of  the  people  of  this  county  to  give  their  time  and  their  money  to 
encourage  and  foster  any  laudable  enterprise,  and  although  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  money  have  been  expended  which  did  not  bring  the 
desired  results,  nevertheless  the  word  "discourage"  was  not  in  their 
vocabulary,  and  one  failure  seemed  to  be  a  stimulant  for  them  to  go 
after  the  next  enterprise  with  a  more  determined  effort,  and  although 
the  Pathfinder  dam  was  constructed  in  1909,  during  the  past  thir- 
teen years  the  people  have  constantly  endeavored  to  convince  the 
United  States  reclamation  service  and  the  congressmen  that  thou- 
sands upon  thousands  of  acre  feet  of  water  from  the  Pathfinder 
reservoir  are  going  to  waste  during  the  summer  months  and  that 
this  vast  amount  of  water  would  reclaim  thousands  of  acres  of  land 
in  Natrona  county,  and  as  a  result  of  this  persistency,  on  August  first 
in  1922,  Chief  Engineer  F.  E.  Weymouth  of  the  United  States 
reclamation  service,  Frank  C.  Emerson,  state  engmeer,  A.  Weiss, 
project  manager,  and  A.  T.  Strahorn,  soil  expert,  together  with  a 
committee  of  Casper  citizens,  left  Casper  and  spent  several  days 
going  over  the  survey  that  had  been  made,  for  the  purpose  of  deter- 
mining whether  the  proposition  w^ould  be  feasible,  and  even  after  all 
these  years  the  people  look  upon  this  visit  of  these  men  as  a  sign  of 
encouragement  that  it  will  not  be  many  more  years  until  the  water 
from  this  project  will  be  spread  over  the  land  in  the  eastern  part  of 
Natrona  county,  and  instead  of  the  land  yielding  cactus,  grease  wood, 
and  sage  brush,  there  will  be  raised  thousands  of  tons  of  alfalfa,  corn, 
potatoes,  oats,  rye,  wheat  and  sugar  beets,  and  this  will  be  one  of  the 
richest  agricultural  sections  of  the  west. 

The  North  Platte  River 

Natrona  county's  largest  and  most  important  stream  is  the 
North  Platte  river.  It  enters  the  county  at  its  southern  boundary 
about  midway  from  the  eastern  and  western  border  lines  and  flows 
in  a  northeasterly  direction  for  more  than  forty  miles  to  the  city  of 
Casper,  when  it  makes  an  abrupt  turn  and  flows  in  an  almost  due 
easterly  direction  for  about  fifteen  miles,  when  it  leaves  the  county 
and  enters  Converse  county,  about  thirty  miles  from  the  southern 
border  line  of  Natrona  county. 

The  Platte  is  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  of  rivers.  Its  fall  is 
rapid,  and  its  bed  being  composed  of  fine  sand,  one  would  expect  that 
the  rapid  current  w^ould  erode  a  deep  channel  through  it.  No  such 
result,  however.   The  broad  bed  of  the  river  stands  almost  on  a  level 


82  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

with  the  surrounding  country,  while  the  water  flows  back  and  forth 
in  such  sinuous  and  irregular  courses  as  to  increase  in  a  marked  degree 
the  length  of  the  channel.  The  sand  washed  up  in  one  place  is  dropped 
in  another,  and  the  bed  is  built  up  as  fast  as  it  is  cut  down.  Thus  it 
results  that  so  unresisting  a  material  as  fine  sand  withstands  the 
action  of  the  current  better  than  a  harder  material,  for  it  is  certain 
that  if  this  river  with  its  heavy  fall  were  flowing  over  solid  rock  it 
would  have  carved  out  a  deep  and  canyon-like  bed.^  To  see  the 
Platte  in  all  its  glory  one  must  see  it  during  the  spring  floods.  Then 
it  spreads  over  its  entire  bed,  upwards,  in  some  places,  of  a  mile 
wide,  and  rivals  the  Mississippi  itself  in  pretentiousness  of  appear- 
ance. Washington  Irving  described  the  Platte  as  "the  most  magnifi- 
cent and  the  most  useless  of  rivers."  But  despite  its  uselessness  as 
a  stream  the  Platte  has  won  a  permanent  place  in  the  history  of  the 
west.  If  boats  could  not  navigate  its  channel,  the  "prairie  schooner" 
could  sail  along  its  valley,  where  lay  the  most  practicable  route  across 
the  plains.  It  led  the  overland  traveler  by  gradual  and  imperceptible 
ascents  from  near  the  level  of  the  ocean  to  the  very  summit  of  the 
Continental  Divide.  Along  it  lay  the  old  Oregon  Trail,  most  famous 
of  all  the  overland  trails. - 

In  many  places  the  soft  banks  of  the  Platte  are  always  under- 
going erosion.  The  shore  line  here  recedes  and  there  advances  as  the 
earth  which  falls  into  the  stream  in  one  place  is  dropped  in  excessive 
bars  in  another.  At  certain  seasons  this  action  is  rapid  and  destruc- 
tive, and  hundreds  of  acres  in  a  single  locality  are  frequently  washed 
away  in  the  course  of  one  season.  Thus  the  channel  of  the  river  is 
ever  migrating  from  one  side  of  the  valley  to  the  other,  destroying 
extensive  and  fertile  bottoms,  and  building  up  new  lands. 

The  origin  of  the  name  of  the  Platte  river  dates  back  to  the 
earliest  occupation  of  the  valleys  of  this  stream  by  the  French  settlers, 
which  occurred  in  the  year  1719.^  These  Frenchmen  discovered  that 
the  Indians  called  the  river  the  Nebraska,  w^hich  word  in  their  lan- 
guage signified  flat,  which,  interpreted  into  French,  means  Platte, 
carrying  out  the  idea  of  a  broad  and  shallow  river.  Hence  LaPlatte 
river,  but  up  to  the  time  Bonneville  made  his  expedition  in  1832-5  it 
was  called  by  most  people  the  Nebraska  river.  The  early  trappers 
made  many  attempts  to  navigate  this  stream,  but  very  few  of  them 
were  successful. 

1  Chittenden,  Vol.  2,  p.  770. 

"However  useless  the  river  may  seem  to  have  been  in  its  earlier  history,  it  has  been  utilized  to  a  re- 
markable degree  in  later  years  for  irrigation,  and  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in  Nebraska  and  Wyorning 
have  been  reclaimed,  and  during  the  summer  months  almost  its  entire  flow  is  drawn  out  upon  the  neigh- 
boring lands.  In  addition  to  this  the  stream  furnishes  27,000  people  in  Casper  with  water  for  domestic 
purposes  all  the  year  'round,  and  one  of  the  largest  oil  refineries  in  the  world  is  furnished  with  water  from 
the  "useless"  stream. 

3  Coutant's  History  of  Wyoming. 


POWDER    RIVER  83 

Robert  Stuart,  the  man  who  built  the  first  cabin  in  what  is  now 
Wyoming,  the  cabin  being  located  about  fourteen  miles  west  from 
Casper  where  Poison  Spider  creek  empties  into  the  Platte,  constructed 
canoes  and  launched  them  on  the  river  in  March,  1813,  near  the  east 
line  of  Wyoming,  but  the  water  was  low  and  sandbars  and  rocks  in  the 
bed  of  the  stream  were  numerous,  and  after  dragging  his  canoes  over 
the  obstructions  for  several  days  he  abandoned  this  method  of  travel 
and  his  party  pursued  their  journey  on  foot  down  the  banks  of  the 
stream.  In  years  to  follow  many  trappers  attempted  the  same  exper- 
iment. Some  succeeded  in  getting  the  boats  down  the  streams  by 
taking  advantage  of  the  high  water  season.  Previous  to  1820  Jacques 
Laramie  successfully  launched  his  bull  boats,  made  from  the  hides  of 
bull  buffalo,  laden  with  furs  from  the  lower  point  of  Grand  Island, 
and  the  other  trappers  and  traders  in  after  years  did  the  same  thing. 
Edward  Everett  Hale,  in  his  works  on  Kansas  and  Nebraska,  pub- 
lished in  1854,  says  that  traders  sometimes  descended  the  river  in 
canoes,  but  the  "canoes  or  boats  constantly  got  aground,"  he  says, 
"and  it  seems  to  be  regarded,  even  at  the  season  of  the  freshets,  as  a 
last  resort  in  the  way  of  transfer  of  goods  from  above.  The  steamboat 
El  Paso  is  said  to  have  ascended  the  river  last  year  (1853)  when  the 
water  was  high,  more  than  five  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth,  passing 
up  the  north  fork  above  Fort  Laramie.  In  token  of  this  triumph  she 
still  'wears  the  horns,'  for  it  is  a  custom  on  the  western  waters  for  a 
steamboat  which  has  distinguished  herself  by  any  decided  feat  like 
this  to  wear  a  pair  of  antlers  until  some  more  successful  boat  sur- 
passes her  in  the  same  enterprise  by  which  she  won  them.  The  dis- 
tance achieved  by  the  El  Paso  is  probably  overestimated  for  at 
most  seasons  of  the  year  the  river  is  of  little  use  for  navigation." 

Edward  Everett  Hale  no  doubt  was  correct  when  he  said  that 
the  "achievement  of  the  El  Paso  was  overestimated,"  for  even  now 
when  the  Pathfinder  dam  raises  the  water  from  six  to  eight  feet 
higher  than  it  flowed  in  ordinary  years,  it  would  be  a  difficult  matter 
for  a  steamboat  to  ascend  the  river  five  hundred  miles  from  its 
mouth. 

Powder  River 

Powder  river's  reputation  for  being  a  quiet  and  peaceful  spot 
was  not  of  the  best,  even  in  the  early  days  when  the  Indians  caused 
the  soldiers  much  trouble.  It  seems  as  though  the  very  air,  like  the 
old-time  forty-rod  whiskey,  makes  a  man  want  to  fight.  A  few  years 
after  the  Indians  finished  killing  all  the  white  men  they  could,  a  feud 
broke  out  between  the  cattlemen  and  the  rustlers.  After  a  number 
of  the  rustlers  had  been  killed  and  some  of  the  cattlemen  wounded, 


84  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

it  was  a  war  between  the  sheepmen  and  the  cattlemen.  This  sore 
spot  was  healed  over  in  a  few  years  and  then  "Powder  River"  again 
came  into  the  lime  light  and  was  the  most  popular  war  whoop  in  the 
great  world  war.  But  as  to  Powder  river  in  the  early  days,  Robert  E. 
Strathorn  in  his  "Hand  Book  of  Wyoming,"  published  in  1879,  says: 

"In  briefly  describing  some  of  the  prominent  streams  and  valleys  of  Wyoming 
we  may  be  frank  in  commencing  by  declaring  that  we  have  nothing  good  to  say  of 
Powder  River,  the  southern  boundary  of  the  Big  Horn  region.  Its  waters  are  darkly 
mysterious  and  villainously  alkalied;  its  southern  tributaries  ditto;  and  it  is  far  from 
a  fitting  gateway  to  the  land  of  beauty  and  plenty.  However,  the  valley  soils  are 
among  the  richest  in  all  the  lands.  The  stream  rises  in  the  Powder  River  range,  flows 
almost  due  north  to  the  Yellowstone  and  in  its  tortuous  windings  has  a  length  of  over 
300  miles.  The  valley  is  from  one  to  three  miles  wide,  is  well  timbered  with  cottonwood, 
and  shows  coal  formation  almost  everywhere.  Cantonment  Reno,  garrisoned  by  United 
States  troops,  is  located  on  Powder  River,  near  the  crossing  of  the  Cheyenne  and  Big 
Horn  road.  It  is  a  general  outfitting  point  for  Big  Horn  miners.  The  most  direct  and 
well-traveled  road  from  Deadwood  to  the  Big  Horn  region  strikes  the  Cheyenne  road 
near  here. 

"Twenty-six  miles  north  is  Crazy  Woman's  Fork  of  the  Powder.  Its  waters  are 
clear,  flowing  over  a  gravelly  bed,  and  it  drains  a  more  desirable  region  than  the  parent 
stream.  But  not  until  Clear  Fork  of  Powder,  twenty  miles  north  of  the  last  named 
stream,  is  reached  does  the  visitor  feel  thoroughly  possessed  of  that  enthusiasm  we  are 
endeavoring  to  inspire.  The  landscape  surrounding  is  perfect  in  its  loveliness,  and  the 
broad  valley  is  very  nearly  our  ideal  of  a  spot  for  the  creation  of  most  inviting  homes. 
The  valley  is  four  or  five  miles  wide  and  seventy  miles  long,  and  besides  being  quite 
well  timbered  at  the  point  of  crossing  possesses  greater  stretches  of  hay  lands  than  most 
others  in  this  section.  A  ranch  and  trading  post,  called  Murphy's  ranch,  the  first  to 
be  located  in  the  Big  Horn  region,  is  found  here  at  the  crossing. 

"Twenty  miles'  travel  farther  north  over  grazing  lands  which  are  not  equaled 
south  of  the  Platte  anywhere,  brings  the  visitor  to  the  Forks  of  the  Piney,  the  road 
crossing  them  just  above  their  union.  The  ruins  of  old  Fort  Phil  Kearney,  near  the 
road,  stimulate  disagreeable  thoughts  about  the  played-out  peace  policy,  and  lead  us 
to  think  what  a  shame  it  was  for  a  powerful  government  to  lose  its  grip  upon  such 
beautiful  domain,  and  to  allow  the  massacre  of  its  subjects  by  the  hundred.  These 
valleys  are  about  as  extensive  as  that  of  Clear  Fork,  are  just  as  beautiful  and  fertile, 
and  undoubtedly  will  soon  teem  with  the  best  life  our  Yankee  enterprise  can  bequeath. 
A  few  miles  away  lies  Lake  DeSmet,  named  after  the  noted  missionary.  It  is  about 
two  miles  long  and  nearly  a  mile  wide,  and  for  its  shores  has  a  circle  of  gracefully 
rounded  hills.  Myriads  of  geese,  ducks  and  other  water  fowl,  with  evidently  little 
appreciation  of  danger,  float  its  surface,  and  in  the  shallow  water  of  the  beaches  we 
noticed  innumerable  small  insects,  resembling  fish  animalculae.  But  the  water  is  so 
wonderfully  brackish  and  charged  with  alkaline  salts  that  it  is  doubtful  whether  fish 
could  exist  in  it." 

Wild  Horses 

In  the  early  days  of  Wyoming  and  up  until  the  early  '90's  a  great 
many  wild  horses  roamed  over  the  broad  plains.  Some  of  these  horses 
had  been  tamed,  branded  and  worked  by  cowboys  and  ranchmen, 
but  when  they  were  turned  out  on  the  open  range  for  a  few  months 
they  again  took  up  with  the  wild  bunch.  Cowboys,  stockmen  and 
ranchmen  often  times  trapped  and  caught  these  wild  horses,  and 
broke  them,  and  as  a  general  rule,  after  they  were  broken,  they  proved 
to  be  the  equal  of  any  of  the  horses,  both  in  endurance  and  intelligence. 


THE    LOST    CABIN    MINE  85 

About  the  first  of  June,  1890,  a  large  bunch  of  these  wild  horses  were 
ranging  in  the  Salt  Creek  country,  and  Joseph  Slaughter,  John 
Arnold  and  James  and  Charles  Macy  of  Glenrock  spent  two  weeks 
chasing  the  wild  animals.  The  first  band  they  encountered  contained 
five  horses  and  two  mules,  and  they  were  all  captured  after  a  chase 
of  sixty  hours  without  intermission.  The  mules  were  the  first  to  give 
up,  and  they  were  thrown  and  tied,  and  the  horses  were  given  the 
same  treatment  when  they  were  caught.  Another  band  of  eleven 
animals  were  captured  after  being  chased  for  seventy-five  miles. 
The  unbranded  horses  are  called  "slicks,"  but  all  of  the  bunch  cap- 
tured on  this  trip  were  branded,  but  they  w^ere  all  thoroughly  wild, 
having  roamed  over  the  plains  for  a  number  of  years  without  being 
molested.  When  the  chase  is  first  begun  the  wild  bunch  will  run  ten  or 
twelve  miles  in  a  direct  line,  and  then  they  will  gradually  circle  back 
to  their  old  range.  The  men  would  station  themselves  along  the  cir- 
cuit with  fresh  horses,  and  the  wild  bunch  was  kept  constantly  on  the 
run  without  rest,  food  or  water,  until  they  became  exhausted  and 
gave  up.  When  captured  they  were  fairly  w^ell  broken  before  they 
had  time  to  rest  from  the  long  chase. 

Sometimes  a  bunch  of  wild  horses  were  chased  for  a  week  before 
they  were  captured,  especially  if  the  country  was  rough,  where  there 
was  feed  and  water  and  an  occasional  draw  or  ravine  where  they  could 
hide  for  an  hour  and  rest,  and  sometimes  when  the  wild  bunch  would 
get  into  this  kind  of  country,  they  made  good  their  escape. 

The  wild  horses  in  this  country,  however,  like  the  wild  west,  are 
a  thing  of  the  past.  You  come  across  a  bunch  of  horses  occasionally 
on  the  range  that  appear  to  be  wild,  the  same  as  you  come  across 
some  men  who  would  have  you  believe  they  belong  to  that  class  of 
men  who  thirty  or  forty  years  ago  were  rough  and  always  ready  for 
any  emergency,  but  these  fellows  nowadays  are  as  easily  tamed  as 
the  bunch  of  horses  on  the  range  that  have  not  been  out  of  the  sight 
of  man  for  a  week. 

The  Lost  Cabin  Mine 

Western  legends  regarding  lost  mines  and  lost  cabins  are  as 
numerous  as  tales  of  pirates'  hidden  treasure  in  the  South  seas.  Their 
foundation  is  probably  built  more  of  imagination  than  of  fact.  While 
each  of  the  Mountain  and  Pacific  states  has  had  a  share  of  these 
stories  of  lost  lodes  of  incalculable  wealth,  yet  the  Big  Horn  moun- 
tains seem  to  have  been  the  locality  around  which  most  of  these  tra- 
ditions centered. 

Thomas  Paige  Comstock,  the  discoverer  of  the  famous  Comstock 
lode  in  Nevada,  was  outfitted  by  a  group  of  mining  men  from  that 


86  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

state  to  come  to  the  Big  Horns  and  search  for  the  famous  Lost  Cabin 
mine.  This  was  as  far  back  as  1870.  Conviction  of  its  existence  and 
great  richness  must  have  been  great  in  their  minds  to  lead  them  to 
attempt  such  a  toilsome  journey  over  the  main  range  of  the  Rockies 
in  that  day.  Comstock  had  discovered  and  sold  the  famous  lode  near 
Virginia  City,  which  still  bears  his  name.  It  has  produced  more  real 
wealth  than  any  other  strata  of  quartz  in  the  world.  The  great  for- 
tunes of  the  Mackay  and  Fair  families,  as  well  as  many  more,  were 
drawn  from  this  almost  inexhaustible  vein  of  silver.  The  Nevada 
expedition  to  the  Big  Horns  was  a  failure.  Either  from  disappoint- 
ment or  other  causes,  Comstock  committed  suicide  while  camped  near 
Bozeman,  Montana,  by  shooting  himself.  He  was  buried  near  by, 
but  the  exact  location  of  his  grave  is  unknown.  He  unlocked  millions 
for  others  but  none  for  himself.  He  was  only  one  of  many  who  lost 
their  lives  in  searching  amid  a  cruel  climate  and  more  cruel  savages 
for  this  chimera  of  a  mine  that  never,  perhaps,  existed. 

It  mattered  little  if  you  dropped  under  the  knife  of  the  red  man 
or  under  the  "slings  and  arrows  of  outrageous  fortune"  in  this  mad 
race  for  wealth.  Our  credulity  is  too  highly  taxed  by  most  of  these 
mine  stories.  Even  in  the  earliest  days  our  trappers,  hunters  and 
miners  were  good  pathfinders.  It  is  difficult  to  believe  that  any 
pioneer  who  had  built  a  cabin  and  stayed  long  enough  in  the  locaHty 
to  build  sluice  boxes  and  wash  placer  gold  should  be  unable  to  find  it, 
even  if  he  had  been  driven  from  it  by  Indians  in  a  hurried  and  dis- 
concerting manner.  Neitherwould  a  man  let  many  years  elapse  before 
beginning  the  search  for  a  lost  mine  of  such  extraordinary  value.  Yet 
many  of  these  men  are  said  to  have  waited  until  they  were  on  their 
deathbeds,  back  in  Iowa  or  Pennsylvania,  and  then  with  trembling 
hand  sought  to  draw  a  map  for  their  heirs  of  the  hidden  treasure. 
Just  as  they  are  about  to  write  the  name  of  the  stream  that  is  the 
key  to  it  all  the  pen  drops  from  the  lifeless  hand. 

Another  old  man  who  held  the  secret  came  to  Buffalo,  Wyoming, 
with  three  young  companions,  to  whom  he  was  to  show  the  evasive 
treasure.  While  getting  into  a  wagon  at  Well's  Postoffice  he  fell  dead 
and  his  secret  died  with  him.  Another  thoughtful  owner  of  the  mine 
had  left  a  blue-print  of  the  location  with  an  old  Arapahoe  Indian. 
This  Indian  died  suddenly  and  the  secret  of  the  location  of  the  wonder- 
ful mine  was  buried  with  him.  A  strange  and  mocking  fatality  has 
seemed  to  pursue  all  those  who  have  evidenced  a  desire  to  free  their 
souls  of  this  golden  but  harassing  secret. 

Not  only  as  a  fact  in  Casper's  early  history,  but  as  a  piece  of 
humor,  mellowed  and  hallowed  by  time,  we  reproduce  the  following 
from  the  Casper  Tribune  of  August  17,  1893.     Of  that  party  of  six 


THE    LOST    CABIN    MINE  8/ 

who  sought  the  rainbow's  end  on  that  day  of  high  hopes,  we  beheve 
that  M.  P.  Wheeler  is  the  only  one  now  living.  The  story  is  typical 
of  the  many  that  have  been  received  with  credulity  since  there  was 
a  mine  or  a  bad  memory: 

"A  prospector  by  the  name  of  J.  C.  Carter,  a  native  of  Montana,  and  a  total 
stranger  in  this  section,  came  into  town  on  Thursday  evening  last,  and  told  a  very 
straight  story  purporting  to  show  that  during  his  wanderings  in  the  l^ig  fiorn  moun- 
tains he  had  accidentally  discovered  tiie  long  lost  cabin,  about  wliich  so  many  conflicting 
stories  have  been  told.  He  brought  with  him  a  few  fragments  of  cement  rock,  which 
he  claimed  to  have  taken  from  the  tunnels  in  the  vicinity  of  the  cabin.  The  prospec- 
tor's story  was  listened  to  with  open  ears,  and,  as  is  characteristic  of  western  enterprise, 
a  fund  of  ^loo  was  at  once  subscribed  by  the  business  men  of  Casper,  and  a  party  of 
six  organized  to  proceed  at  once  to  the  coveted  spot.  The  party,  composed  of  H.  A. 
Lilly,  M.  P.  Wheeler,  A.  D.  Campbell,  W.  H.  Carter,  and  J.  C.  Carter,  with  his  part- 
ner, were  supplied  with  a  complete  camping  outfit,  stored  away  in  a  large  wagon. 
With  the  exception  of  Mr.  Lilly,  they  left  here  for  the  Big  Horn  region  about  2  p.m. 
Saturday,  full  of  hopes  and  anticipations.  Mr.  Lilly,  who  w-ent  up  in  the  vicinity  of 
Eadsville  to  bring  his  family  to  town,  left  on  a  saddle-horse  in  the  evening,  expecting 
to  catch  up  with  the  party  on  Sunday. 

"The  stories  concernmg  the  lost  cabin  are  numerous,  and  as  common-place  as 
ghostystories,  but  according  to  that  told  by  Carter,  there  appears  to  be  something  in 
it.  His  story  coincides  very  closely  with  the  report  made  by  two  miners  at  Fort  Fetter- 
man  in  the  '6o's.  As  the  tale  goes,  some  time  before  the  civil  war,  a  party  of  pros- 
pectors struck  the  Big  Horn  region,  discovered  gold,  built  a  cabin,  and  began  active; 
mining  operations  by  tunneling.  Tliey  had  proceeded  undisturbed  for  some  time  and 
had  obtained  considerable  gold  in  nuggets,  which  they  stored  in  baking  powder  cans, 
when  they  were  surprised  one  day  by  a  party  of  Indians,  and  all  but  two  of  the  miners, 
who  had  secreted  themselves  in  the  cabin,  were  massacred.  These  two,  feeling  that 
the  Indian  hostilities  were  too  hot  for  them,  deserted  the  camp  and  proceeded  to  Fort 
Fetterman,  where  they  exhibited  their  gold  and  told  their  stories.  They  then  departed 
for  the  east,  and  have  never  been  heard  of  since. 

"According  to  Carter,  his  party  had  started  out  from  Montana,  visited  many 
mining  camps,  and  in  pushing  on,  finally  reached  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  where  the 
subject  of  the  Lost  Cabin  mine  came  up.  One  of  the  party,  who  had  visited  that  sec- 
tion before,  said  he  believed  that  if  they  reached  a  certain  camping  spot  he  could  figure 
out  the  location  of  the  lost  mine.  Though  nearly  famished,  and  their  horses  in  poor 
condition,  they  pushed  on  another  day.  The  mine  was  not  located  that  day,  the  5th 
of  August.  With  the  exception  of  two  men,  Carter  and  his  partner,  the  party  gave  up 
hope  and  suggested  that  they  return.  The  next  morning,  Sunday,  the  party  separated. 
Carter  and  one  other  man  only  continuing  the  search  for  the  lost  mine.  After  a  few 
hours'  travel.  Carter  claims  that  in  pushing  through  the  thicket,  he  came  upon  some 
logs  about  two  feet  above  the  ground.  They  were  rotted,  but  still  showed  evidence  of 
being  used  in  the  construction  of  a  cabin.  The  building  had  been  put  up  without  the 
aid  of  axe  or  hammer,  as  the  trunks,  branches,  roots  and  all  had  been  laid  together. 
The  door  was  constructed,  not  in  the  end  or  side  of  the  cabin,  but  in  one  corner,  by 
merely  not  bringing  the  side  and  end  of  the  cabin  together.  There  were  no  windows, 
and  the  roof,  which  had  been  formed  of  twigs  and  branches,  had  decayed  and  fallen  in. 
The  whole  structure  was  completely  covered  by  young  trees,  and  it  was  by  the  merest 
accident  that  the  men  came  upon  it.  Having  satisfied  themselves  that  they  had  found 
the  cabin,  they  proceeded  to  look  for  the  gold.  Nothing  can  express  their  delight,  when, 
not  many  feet  from  the  cabin,  they  found  the  tunnels,  partly  caved  in  and  covered 
with  a  heavy  growth  of  brush.  They  collected  a  small  quantity  of  the  rock,  and  pro- 
ceeded without  delay  to  Casper.  On  reaching  town  they  were  in  bad  condition — hungry, 
both  horses  and  men;  and  v.ithout  money.  The  rock  was  pounded  in  a  mortar  by 
Mr.  Lilly,  and  three  colors  of  gold  were  found — sufficient  to  arouse  the  curiosity  of  our 
enterprising  townsmen,  and  hence  the  organization  of  the  party." 


88  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Three  days  after  the  party  left  Casper  they  reached  the  "Lost 
Cabin,"  on  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  near  Powder  river,  after  travel- 
ing ninety  miles.  In  addition  to  the  mess  supplies  the  party  took 
with  them  they  had  picks,  shovels,  drills,  dynamite  and  other  miners' 
supplies,  and  they  were  well  prepared  to  brmg  back  with  them  all  the 
gold  they  might  find,  but  imagine  their  disappointment  when  they 
discovered  that  this  "Lost  Cabin,"  was  nothing  more  than  an  Indian 
blind,  adjacent  to  a  beautiful  mountain  park,  or  meadow,  consisting 
of  about  one  hundred  acres,  covered  with  luxuriant  grass  where  deer, 
elk  and  other  wild  game  fed,  after  they  had  been  down  to  the  creek 
for  a  drink.  The  Indians  would  hide  in  this  blind,  or  cabin,  and  when 
the  game  was  within  sure  gun  shot  distance  they  would  fire  upon  the 
animals,  and  thus  secure  their  winter's  supply  of  meat  without  the 
irksome  task  of  hunting  over  the  mountains,  and  through  the  canyons. 

The  party  enjoyed  their  trip,  however,  for  there  were  many  fine 
trout  streams  in  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  and  those  who  did  not  care 
to  look  for  gold  in  the  hills  and  valleys,  spent  their  time  fishing  and 
hunting.  But  the  party  was  hastily  broken  up  one  morning  when  one 
of  the  men  came  running  into  camp  out  of  breath,  very  much  excited 
and  almost  speechless,  exclaiming:  "A  bear!  a  bear!  big  as  a  horse!" 
Some  of  the  men  in  the  party,  who  were  more  or  less  curious,  started 
to  investigate.  They  came  across  the  tracks  of  the  animal,  and  the 
investigation  ended  then  and  there,  without  argument.  They  agreed 
that  the  excited  man  did  not  exaggerate,  and  after  returning  to  camp 
without  loss  of  time,  they  packed  the  supplies  in  their  wagon,  caught 
up  their  horses  and  started  for  home.  They  were  absent  about  ten 
days.  They  found  no  gold,  but  their  experience  was  worth  the  trouble 
and  inconvenience  of  the  journey. 

During  the  summer  of  1897  C.  T.  Jones,  known  as  "Rattlesnake 
Jones,"  also  discovered  the  Lost  Cabin  mine.  Mr.  Jones  was  an 
interesting  gentleman,  who  carried  rattlesnakes  in  his  pockets  and 
still  stranger  things  in  his  head.  It  was  a  favorite  diversion  of  his  to 
engage  a  stranger  in  conversation  and  then  casually  draw  a  pet 
rattlesnake  out  of  his  shirt,  and  stroke  its  head  affectionately.  In 
the  garden  of  fiction  blooming  about  the  Lost  Cabin,  Mr.  Jones 
planted  two  new  flowers  of  subtle  fragrance.  One  was  his  story  of 
putting  the  bleached  bones  of  the  revered  prospectors  in  a  sack  and 
bringing  them  to  Casper  on  his  horse.  Who  could  deny  that  the  great 
mine  was  at  last  found  when  the  sack  full  of  dead  men's  bones 
would  be  shaken  out  on  the  Grand  Central  hotel  porch!  Saint  Mark's 
bones  were  smuggled  into  Venice  in  a  bucket  of  lard;  Wyoming  has 
sent  the  bones  of  many  a  mastadon,  plesiosaurus  and  ichthyornis  to 
adorn  the  museum  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution,  but  these  relics 


THE    LOST    CABIN    MINE  89 

shrivel  into  insignificance  before  that  priceless  possession  which  once 
was  Casper's  own  "The  Blessed  Bones  of  the  Busted  Bonanza." 

The  other  bud  which  Mr.  Jones  pinned  upon  the  wreath  of 
fiction  was  his  confession  that  he  had  been  directed  to  the  spot  by 
spirits.  Fearful  that  it  would  be  surmised  that  these  spirits  were  of  a 
bottled  variety,  he  made  haste  to  aver  that  he  frequently  had  inter- 
course with  spirit  friends  who  used  him  as  a  medium  for  the  com- 
munication of  secrets  which  were  making  them  unhappy  and  restless 
in  the  spirit  land.  It  was  a  matter  of  common  report  that  the  Indians 
who  had  killed  the  owners  of  the  famous  mine,  and  had  now  ex- 
changed their  tomahawks  for  harps  in  the  happy  hunting  grounds, 
were  very  eager  to  get  into  communication  with  Mr.  Jones. 

This  is  a  world  of  progress,  and  we  are  prone  to  boast  of  our  many 
modern  conveniences.  Yet  looking  back  to  the  days  when  Casper 
was  but  a  village  we  recall  seeing  Mr.  Rattlesnake  Jones  giving  an 
exhibition  with  his  snakes  on  the  floor  of  Kimball's  drug  store.  A 
man  could  step  into  the  adjoining  Wyoming  saloon,  take  a  few  drinks 
of  squirrel  whiskey  and  without  waiting  for  the  slow  action  of  the 
booze,  could  in  two  staggers  fall  into  Kimball's  store  and  see  the 
snakes.  Modern  life  has  given  us  no  recompense  for  the  loss  of  these 
conveniences. 

The  most  reliable  and  authentic  account  of  the  Lost  Cabin  mine 
is  found  in  an  article  written  by  Charles  K.  Bucknum  of  Casper  and 
published  June  24,  1897.  Mr.  Bucknum  was  in  Montana  and  Wyo- 
ming at  a  very  early  day.  He  had  joined  in  the  gold  rush  to  Bannock 
City  and  Virginia,  Montana.  He  had  trapped  beaver  and  hunted 
buffalo.  He  had  seen  the  old  river  steamboats  come  up  the  Missouri 
as  far  as  Fort  Benton,  laden  with  government  supplies.  He  had  seen 
the  squaws  shake  wagon  loads  of  flour  into  the  river  that  they  might 
get  the  gaily  printed  sacks  to  work  over  into  dresses  for  themselves 
and  shirts  for  the  men.  Originally  the  red  man  lived  on  a  straight 
meat  diet.  They  were  slow  to  accept  the  white  man's  declaration  that 
bread  was  the  staff  of  life.  After  an  issuance  of  flour  the  muddy 
Missouri  ran  white  for  a  day.  What  Mr.  Bucknum  has  written  is  the 
story  as  he  got  it  from  the  best  and  earliest  sources.  Mr.  Bucknum 
was  a  store  house  of  information  on  the  events  of  early  days.  He  did 
not  romance  nor  exaggerate.  Much  of  this  article  is  drawn  from  books 
and  newspaper  articles  he  had  preserved  bearing  on  the  subject  and 
which  he  had  reasons  to  consider  worthy  of  credence.  The  reader  will 
observe  that  he  gives  names  and  dates  and  the  recital  reads  like 
history  instead  of  the  palpable  fictions  we  have  previously  reproduced 
as  examples  of  the  many  legends  built  about  the  Lost  mine  and  its 
frequently  discovered  cabin: 


90  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"  Perhaps  the  most  famous  as  well  as  the  most  mysterious  mine  on  the  continent 
is  the  celebrated  Lost  Cabin  lead.  It  has  been  discovered,  rediscovered  and  lost  half  a 
dozen  times,  and  at  present  the  exact  location  of  this  rich  lode  is  as  much  of  a  mystery 
as  ever.  This  mine  is  one  of  the  magnets  that  drew  Thomas  Paige  Comstock  (Old 
Pancake)  north  from  the  Nevada  bonanzas;  but  he  never  found  the  lead  and  he  came 
out  to  find  a  suicide's  death  and  a  pauper's  grave  awaiting  him.  He  drove  a  pistol 
bullet  through  his  brain  near  Bozeman,  Montana,  December  27,  1870,  and  his  neglected 
grave  is  now  there,  without  a  sign  over  this  famous  man's  last  resting  place  and  almost 
unknown.  The  Lost  Cabin  has  grown  to  be  something  of  a  legend,  although  there  can 
be  no  doubt  that  very  rich  veins  are  said  to  be  scattered  all  through  the  Big  Horn 
range,  and  among  those  mountains  this  much-sought  mine  is  snugly  hidden  away,  and 
will  probably  remain  so  until  some  lucky  prospector  stumbles  upon  it  and  becomes  a 
thrice  millionaire  in  a  twinkling. 

"Many  descriptions  of  the  Lost  Cabin  have  been  in  print,  but  never  yet  has  the 
true  story  been  told,  or  how  it  got  the  name  of  Lost  Cabin,  nor  how  such  a  big  thing  as 
a  gold  mine  with  a  log  cabin  attachment  came  to  be  so  utterly  and  totally  lost  as  never 
to  be  found  again.  Allen  Hulburt,  a  California  stampeder,  of  the  '49  epoch,  was  the 
man  who  discovered  the  mine,  built  the  cabin,  lost  the  mine,  and  never  found  it  again. 
He  was  a  quiet,  sensible  citizen  of  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  in  1849,  when  he  caught  the 
California  gold  fever,  like  a  great  many  others,  and  so  in  October  ot  the  same  year  he 
left  home,  friends,  and  everything  else  behind  him  and  journeyed  across  the  plains  to 
the  Pacific  El  Dorado.  He  worked  his  way  north  to  Oregon,  then  into  what  is  now 
Washington,  and  in  the  spring  of  1863  found  himself  in  Walla  Walla  without  a  cent. 
In  company  with  two  other  roving  spirits,  one  Jones  and  one  Cox,  the  trio  bought  a 
new  prospecting  outfit,  including  six  horses,  and  with  a  month's  provisions  in  pannier 
packs,  set  out  over  the  Mullen  trail  for  an  exploring  expedition  on  the  eastern  slope  of 
the  Rockies.  After  hard  trials,  and  encompassing  almost  insurmountable  difficulties, 
the  little  band  finally  reached  the  Yellowstone,  floated  down  on  a  raft  to  the  Big  Horn 
river  and  made  camp  on  an  island  in  the  wildest  and  most  hostile  portion  of  the  United 
States.  The  geography  of  the  country  was  little  known  in  those  days.  Most  of  their 
traveling  had  to  be  done  in  the  night  time,  as  the  country  was  full  of  Indians,  and 
therefore  not  being  very  able  to  distinguish  the  country  roundabout  as  they  passed 
through  it  at  night,  the  range  of  mountains  that  loomed  up  in  front  of  them  one  bright 
morning  had  neither  name  or  location  for  them.  Into  these  mountains  they  hurried, 
panning  and  prospecting  as  they  went,  and  striking  better  pay  the  deeper  and  higher 
up  the  gulch  they  got.  At  last,  coming  to  a  wonderfully  rich  streak  which  prospected 
handsomely,  a  shaft  was  sunk  to  bed  rock,  which  was  only  seven  feet  below,  and  here 
was  found  gold  from  the  grass  roots  down,  panning  all  the  way  from  five  cents  to  one 
dollar  each  trial.  These  frantic  men  made  up  their  minds  to  stay  all  winter.  They  had 
plenty  of  powder  and  lead,  the  country  was  full  of  game,  and  so,  without  further  delay, 
the  little  pioneer  party  began  work  in  dead  earnest  for  a  long  winter's  stay.  1  hey  whip- 
sawed  lumber,  built  a  dam  across  the  creek,  put  up  the  sluice  boxes,  and  sluiced  from 
morning  to  night  while  the  weather  lasted.  The  average  yield  was  about  ^100  to  the 
man  per  day  until  snow  began  to  fly.  When  the  water  froze,  and  mining  operations  had 
to  be  suspended.  Cox,  Jones  and  Hulburt  had  about  half  a  bushel  each  of  bright 
sparkling  nuggets  and  gold  dust.  Now  came  winter.  The  time  was  too  valuable  while 
the  season  lasted  to  waste  it  in  building  operations;  but  it  was  now  getting  late,  and  the 
boys  industriously  whip-sawed  lumber  and  cut  logs  sufficient  to  erect  a  cabin  and  sur- 
round it  with  a  stockade.  This  is  the  famous  cabin  that  has  been  lost  so  many  times. 
Hay  was  cut,  too,  for  the  five  horses.  One  had  been  drowned  in  the  Yellowstone.  In 
the  spring,  when  the  water  began  to  run  again,  the  three  men  were  at  their  sluice  boxes 
and  taking  out  just  as  much  gold  as  ever.  One  day  Hulburt  suddenly  returned  to  the 
cabin  for  some  necessary  article,  leaving  his  two  companions  busily  at  work.  Scarcely 
had  he  gotten  out  of  sight  when  bang!  bang!  went  a  number  of  rifles,  and  Cox  and  Jones 
lay  weltering  in  their  blood.  From  a  tree  Hulburt  saw  the  Indians  strip,  scalp  and 
mutilate  his  comrades,  after  which  the  redskins  followed  the  weU-beaten  trail  up  to 
the  cabin  and  rifled  the  latter  of  every  article  or  thing  they  wanted.  They  even 
attempted  to  set  fire  to  the  famous  structure;  but  the  logs  were  green  and  would  not 
burn,  thus  sparing  the  celebrated  building  to  future  discovery.  After  awhile  the  Indians 


THE    LOST    CABIN    MINE  9I 

left.  Hiilburt  slipped  quickly  from  his  perch,  gathered  together  a  few  necessary  articles 
(the  Indians  had  carried  off  the  horses)  packed  his  knapsack  full  of  gold  (burying  such 
treasure  as  he  could  not  carry),  and  without  pausing  to  look  around  or  even  take  a 
landmark,  fled  for  his  life.  His  route  did  not  lie  back  over  the  old  trail  he  and  his  two 
friends  had  come  the  year  before,  for  the  Indians  had  gone  that  way,  but  to  the  south, 
in  the  opposite  direction,  through  a  strange,  wild,  undiscovered  country,  over  which  no 
white  man's  foot  had  ever  traveled  before.  After  many  days,  when  far  away  from  the 
camp  he  arrived  at  a  lofty  precipice  where  to  the  east  could  be  seen  a  vast  stretch  of 
open  prairie,  while  to  the  west  was  a  lofty  range  of  mountains  whose  snow-capped  peaks 
pierced  the  very  clouds.  Hoping  to  strike  some  trail  if  he  trusted  to  the  open,  Hulburt 
struck  boldly  out  over  the  prairie,  and  headed  as  near  as  he  could  judge,  for  the  Platte 
crossing  of  the  great  transcontinental  route  to  California.  After  eighteen  days  he  did 
reach  the  North  Platte  river,  ninety  miles  above  Fort  Laramie,  at  Reshaw's  bridge,' 
and  found  himself  on  the  old  trail  which  he  had  passed  over,  fifteen  years  before,  on  his 
way  to  California.  Here  he  met  the  first  white  people  he  had  seen  for  nearly  two  years, 
except,  of  course,  his  slain  companions.  The  country  was  then  on  fire  over  the  news 
from  Alder  gulch.  Rich  diggings  had  been  reported  on  Grasshopper  and  Alder  in 
Montana,  and  the  trend  of  the  gold  hunters  was  now  toward  the  northwest  instead  of 
the  setting  sun,  as  was  the  case  in  1849.  Hulburt  met  a  big  stampede  coming  up  the 
Platte  bound  for  Montana.  Without  going  back  to  the  state  or  sending  any  word  to 
his  friends,  he  joined  this  party  of  El  Dorado  hunters,  and  was  soon  en  route  to  the 
very  country  he  had  so  anxiously  been  fleeing  from  during  the  previous  thirty  days. 
Going  along,  he  told  the  story  of  his  wonderful  experiences  to  others,  which  resulted  in 
a  split  in  the  crowd,  with  him  heading  a  new  stampede,  in  which  he  came  near  getting 
killed  for  his  pains.  To  show  the  size  of  this  division  it  is  only  necessary  to  state  that 
Hulburt  had  no  less  than  140  wagons  at  his  heels,  with  something  like  550  men,  women 
and  children,  and  all  of  these  crazy  people  going  off  on  a  mad,  wild  chase  after  the 
goose  that  had  laid  the  golden  egg  for  Hulburt  in  the  first  instance.  Suffice  it  to  say 
that  they  never  found  the  mine.  Hulburt  proved  a  very  bad  pilot,  and  after  leading 
his  party  everywhere  without  success  until  winter  came  on,  he  finally  and  reluctantly 
confessed  that  he  was  lost,  and  his  famous  cabin  mine  along  with  him.  This  man, 
whose  word  had  been  law  in  camp  for  so  many  days,  was  now  an  outcast  and  in  danger 
of  death  by  violence.  Men  and  women  sprang  at  him  like  tigers,  crying  'Lynch  him; 
he  has  lied  to  us;  lynch  him!'  Preparations  were  made  for  an  impromptu  necktie  party, 
and  Hulburt  was  just  about  to  be  strung  up,  when  the  one  individual  in  that  crazy  mob, 
who  had  a  spark  of  humanity  left  in  him,  stepped  to  the  doomed  man's  side  and  drew 
his  revolver.  That  was  enough.  Sullen  with  rage,  but  cowed  by  one  man's  bravery, 
the  lynching  bee  was  postponed  and  poor  wretched  Hulburt's  life  spared.  The  Indians 
started  on  the  war-path  about  this  time,  which  made  it  an  unhealthy  country  for 
white  people;  whereupon  the  Lost  Cabin  stampeders  hastened  westward  and  scattered 
through  the  gulches  in  and  about  Virginia  City,  Montana.  Hulburt  was  last  seen  in 
Virginia  City  in  the  fall  of  '64,  since  when  the  world  has  lost  track  of  him,  although  it 
still  remembers  his  famous  though  mythical  lead.  Hundreds  saw  the  gold  which  Hul- 
burt brought  back  with  him  from  the  Big  Horn  country,  and  since  then  a  sort  of  blind 
faith  has  possessed  many  that  the  Lost  Cabin  mine  really  exists. 

"  Bart  Beckley,  a  Colorado  miner,  spent  a  year  of  his  life  searching  the  Big  Horn, 
Castle  and  Emigrant  mountains  for  this  wonderful  lead,  but  at  last  he,  like  the  rest, 
became  disheartened  and  gave  it  up,  although  his  belief  in  the  existence  of  the  mine 
was  stronger  at  the  close  of  the  unsuccessful  search  than  when  he  began  it.  Jack 
McDonald  spent  many  years  in  the  mountain  mining  camps,  during  a  twelve-month  of 
which  he  was  lost  to  all  save  himself,  somewhere  on  the  southern  slope  of  the  Big  Horn 
range.  Suddenly  Jack  turned  up  all  bustle  and  excitement,  leaving  hurriedly  for 
Colorado,  but  there  he  was  taken  sick  and  died  in  a  cabin  on  Buckskin  creek,  where  the 
city  of  Leadville  now  stands.  Before  he  breathed  his  last  he  called  his  friend  and  pard, 
Bart  Beckley,  to  his  side  and  told  him  of  a  lead  in  far-away  Montana  that  he  believed 
to  be  very  rich.  Years  rolled  on  and  Beckley,  turning  the  story  over  and  over  in  his 
mind  finally  decided  to  make  an  attempt  to  find  this  famous  mine  of  McDonald's.  He 
drifted  thither  among  the  mountains  of  the  northwest,  found  himself  first  in  the  Black 

I  Reshaw's  bridge  was  three  miles  east  from  where  the  city  of  Casper  is  now  situated. 


92  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Hills,  then  in  the  Wood  River  country,  and  finally  in  the  New  World  mining  district, 
near  the  Big  Horn.  He  recognized  Cloud  peak,  the  loftiest  pile  in  the  country,  and 
strange  to  say  from  the  accurate  description  given  him  by  his  friend,  he  was  enabled 
to  find  McDonald's  lead,  which  was  halfway  up  the  side  of  the  very  mountain  he  was 
then  explormg.  But,  alas,  the  dying  man  was  either  deceived  or  else  distance  lent 
enchantment  to  the  view,  for  the  supposed  gold  had  turned  out  to  be  only  copper, 
which  would  not  have  paid  the  cost  of  mining  it  at  that  lofty  altitude  and  in  that 
rugged  country.  Beckley  confidently  thought  he  was  on  the  trace  of  the  Lost  Cabin 
mine,  but  his  practiced  eye  told  him  at  a  glance  that  only  copper  lay  before  him,  and 
he  gave  up  the  chase,  returning  to  Colorado  much  disheartened  and  thoroughly  dis- 
gusted. Not  long  after  Beckley's  failure  another  prospector  from  the  southern  mines, 
named  Joe  Sweeney,  suddenly  appeared  in  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  and  spent  days 
and  days  hunting  for  the  lead  that  seemed  to  baffle  all  efforts  at  discovery.  He  finally 
stumbled  upon  a  vein  far  up  near  the  head  of  the  Big  Horn  canyon,  which  he  firmly 
believed  to  be  an  outcropping  of  the  famous  lode,  if  not  the  mother  treasure  herself. 
The  news  was  telegraphed  by  the  Associated  press  giving  an  account  of  the  discovery, 
saying  that  the  'Lost  Cabin  lead  was  found  at  last.'  The  discovery  was  twenty-five 
miles  long,  620  feet  wide,  and  where  cut  by  the  stream  which  crossed  it,  showed  a  per- 
pendicular depth  of  sixty  feet.  Pieces  of  it  were  knocked  oflF  and  sent  to  McVicker,  of 
Salt  Lake  City,  for  assay,  and  in  two  weeks  a  report  came  back  showing  41.55  per  cent 
of  copper,  with  a  trace  of  silver.  A  great  lead  had  been  discovered,  for  50  per  cent  of  the 
rock  was  pure  metal;  but  there  was  not  a  sign  of  gold  about  it,  and  therefore  it  could 
not  be  the  Lost  Cabin. 

"A  short  time  afterward  Jack  Nye,  a  well  known  Nevada  prospector,  appeared 
in  the  Big  Horn  country,  and  was  lost  to  view  tor  several  months.  All  at  once  he 
bounded  into  Bozeman,  and  startled  the  natives  with  the  assertion  that  he  had  positive- 
ly discovered  the  Lost  Cabin  lead.  It  was,  like  Sweeney's  find,  situated  near  the  head- 
waters of  the  Big  Horn,  where  the  famous  river  gushes  a  torrent  down  out  of  the 
mountains,  the  stream  in  question  cutting  the  ledge  almost  at  right  angles.  At  this 
point  the  lode  was  250  feet  wide,  and  Nye  said  it  showed  up  sixty  odd  feet  on  the 
washed  faces.  He  traced  the  lode  across  the  country  for  twenty-five  miles  or  more, 
finding  it  in  places  as  much  as  sixty  feet  wide.  Nye  wired  his  father  and  uncle  to  come 
on  without  delay,  but  the  result  was  easily  foreseen,  for  the  vein  which  Nye  believed 
to  be  the  much-sought  for  Lost  Cabin  was  neither  more  or  less  than  Joe  Sweeney's  old 
discovery.  When  Nye  learned  the  truth,  that  another  man  had  found  the  very  same 
lead  before  him,  and  what  was  more,  had  given  it  up  as  no  good,  he,  too,  surrendered 
in  disgust,  and  went  back  to  Nevada  a  very  badly  disappointed  man. 

"About  this  time  the  Sitting  Bull  troubles  came  on,  and  the  country  where  the 
Lost  Cabin  lead  was  supposed  to  be  hid  away  became  alive  with  hostile  Indians.  Old 
Touka-to-tonka  (Sitting  Bull)  with  over  a  thousand  lodges,  had  his  camp  near  the 
junction  of  the  two  Horn  rivers,  on  the  spot  where  Colonel  Custer  afterward  found  him 
and  met  his  death.  Notwithstanding  the  frightful  dangers  and  almost  certain  death 
awaiting  any  white  man  who  should  have  the  hardihood  to  penetrate  into  the  country, 
three  white  men  did  go  prospecting  up  the  Big  Horn  about  this  time,  and  made  their 
way  safely  through  the  hostile  regions,  traveling  nights  and  resting  days,  finally  reach- 
ing the  headwaters  of  the  Little  Big  Horn  in  safety.  Here  these  three  venturesome 
spirits  came  across  a  body  of  ore  so  large  and  so  rich  that  they  could  hardly  credit  the 
evidence  of  their  senses.  Old  miners  believe  implicitly  that  all  rich  veins  in  a  mineral 
country  must  be  emanations  from  a  backbone  or  mother  lode.  It  was  unquestionably 
the  mother  lode.  If  the  mythical  Lost  Cabin  lead  really  had  an  existence,  there  could 
be  no  doubt  but  what  these  hardy  prospectors  had  actually  stumbled  upon  it,  for, 
from  the  descriptions  given,  it  was  certainly  the  largest  body  of  rich  quartz  in  the 
known  world.  But  listen  to  the  sequel.  .After  working  until  their  tools  were  worn  out, 
the  brave  fellows  built  a  boat  with  which  to  descend  the  river,  loaded  it  down  with 
nuggets  and  rich  specimens,  burying  what  they  could  not  carry,  and  started  down 
stream  intending  to  float  by  night  to  the  Yellowstone,  and  thence  on  by  daylight,  and 
night  too,  until  civilization  or  a  settlement  was  reached.  The  plan  was  then  to  return 
with  sufficient  men  and  supplies  to  withstand  the  attacks  of  the  red  men  and  work  the 
new  mine  for  all  there  was  in  it.   If  they  had  known  that  the  camp  which  they  intended 


THE    LOST    CABIN    MINE  93 

to  steal  past  at  midnight  was  the  largest  ever  gathered  together  on  the  North  American 
continent,  stretching  up  and  down  the  river  for  more  than  three  miles,  and  containing 
between  5,000  and  6,000  warriors,  it  is  probable  they  would  have  gone  the  other  way 
and  gotten  out  of  the  country  with  all  possible  haste.  Their  boat  was  discovered  by  an 
Indian  dog  whose  single  yelp  set  10,000  other  throats  barking,  and  in  their  hurry  to 
push  forward  the  frail  craft  was  upset  in  the  rapids  of  the  Little  Big  Horn,  and  the 
poor  fellows  were  prisoners.  Two  of  the  men  were  instantly  killed,  but  the  third,  in 
the  darkness  of  the  night,  managed  to  effect  his  escape,  and  after  wandering  about  for 
days  and  days  without  food  and  little  or  no  clothing,  finally  reached  a  settlement, 
more  dead  than  alive.  He  related  his  experiences,  exhibited  one  or  two  nuggets  of 
pure  virgin  gold  in  proof  of  his  assertion,  but  could  not  give  the  exact  location  of  the 
lode.  Through  his  privations,  sufferings  and  ponderings  over  his  immense  wealth  his 
mind  became  unbalanced,  and  the  poor  fellow,  unhappily,  became  insane;  and  after- 
wards, as  the  country  opened  up  and  Sitting  Bull  was  conquered,  it  was  then  too  late 
to  return  to  the  lead,  for  the  only  survivor  who  might  have  pointed  out  the  doorway  to 
untold  millions  was  a  babbling,  senseless  fool;  his  reason  had  left  him." 

Father  Jean  Pierre  DeSmet  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
the  country  now  embraced  in  Wyoming  upward  of  eighty  years  ago, 
in  the  early  '40's.  This  intrepid  disciple  of  Loyola  emigrated  from 
Belgium  to  America  in  1823,  and,  proceeding  to  St.  Louis,  soon 
founded  the  St.  Louis  university.  His  abilities  as  a  naturalist,  botan- 
ist, metallurgist  and  geologist  were  very  marked.  His  love  for  these 
studies,  and  a  genuine  desire  to  elevate  our  savage  races,  soon  led  him 
to  become  a  missionary  among  the  Indians.  Accordingly,  in  1838,  he 
commenced  the  career  which  gave  him  so  much  prominence,  and  in 
1839,  with  two  companions,  drifted  northward,  destined  for  the  fur- 
trading  post  of  Fort  Benton.  The  gentle  manners  and  sincerity  of 
Father  DeSmet  soon  won  for  him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
Indians.  For  about  ten  years  his  travels  and  explorations  among  the 
northern  tribes  were  practically  unrestricted;  he  was  free  to  go  and 
come,  and  met  with  hearty  welcomes  from  the  savages.  Durmg  these 
years  of  pilgrimage,  Father  DeSmet  became  well  acquainted  with  the 
geological  formation  of  the  country,  as  well  as  with  its  geography  and 
topography.  From  the  forks  of  the  Cheyenne  on  the  east  to  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  on  the  west,  and  from  the  headwaters  of  the  Columbia 
river  on  the  north  to  the  Platte  on  the  south,  he  was  quite  generally 
"at  home."  On  his  return  to  St.  Louis  from  one  of  his  long  trips,  just 
as  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California  was  made  known,  he  heard  some 
acquaintances  expressing  doubt  as  to  the  wonderful  stories  from  the 
west.  Turning  to  them  he  said,  "I  do  not  doubt  it.  I  am  sure  there 
is  gold  in  California,"  and  after  a  moment's  pause  he  quietly  added, 
"  I  know  where  gold  exists  in  the  Rocky  mountains  in  such  abundance 
that,  if  made  known,  it  would  astonish  the  world.  It  is  even  richer 
than  California!"  Among  those  who  knew  him  best  his  statements 
were  taken  for  literal  truth,  and  when  asked  to  corroborate  the  asser- 
tion, he  would  make  no  explanation,  saying  that  he  had  promised  the 
Indians  never  to  describe  the  location  of  this  wealth.    The  story  is 


94  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

told  that  the  Indians  had  handfuls  of  nuggets  which  they  proposed 
manufacturing  into  bullets  for  an  old  pistol  which  the  father  had 
given  to  a  prominent  chief.  DeSmet  was  taken  to  the  spot  from  whence 
the  nuggets  were  obtained,  and  found  it  to  be  immensely  rich.  He 
taught  the  savages  the  value  of  it;  told  them  their  beautiful  country 
would  soon  be  desecrated  by  white  mmers  if  the  facts  became  known, 
and  in  return  he  promised  never  to  reveal  the  secret  of  its  location. 
To  the  question  once  asked  him  by  a  bishop  of  his  church  at  Omaha, 
"Are  those  mines  on  the  Pacific  coast  the  ones  you  have  told  about?" 
the  father  answered  in  the  negative,  and  then  sorrowfully  added, 
"But  I  fear  it  will  not  be  many  years  until  they  are  discovered,  and 
then  what  will  become  of  my  poor  Indians?"  To  army  officers  and 
others  he  often  admitted  his  knowledge  of  the  mmes  in  the  northwest, 
when  closely  pressed  to  do  so,  and  many  persons  tried  in  various 
ways  to  extract  more  definite  knowledge  from  him.  It  was  then  be- 
lieved that  a  careful  prospecting  of  the  Big  Horn  and  Wind  River 
regions  would  certainly  reveal  the  terra  mcognito. 

While  in  Cheyenne,  in  1868,  he  gave  a  most  interesting  and  sat- 
isfactory account  of  northern  Wyoming  and  the  Yellowstone  region. 
Among  other  things,  he  said,  "There  are  a  great  many  lovely  valleys 
in  that  section,  capable  of  sustaining  a  large  population.  The  moun- 
tain scenery  is  truly  grand,  and  the  vast  forests  of  timber,  wonderful 
and  invaluable.  Often  have  I  seen  evidences  of  mineral  wealth  in  this 
wonderful  country  at  different  places.  The  whole  range  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  from  New  Mexico  to  British  America,  is  mineral  bearing." 

Old  Jim  Bridget,  the  mountaineer,  who  spent  fifty  years  in  the 
Rocky  mountains,  said,  "In  the  spring  of  1859  I  was  employed  as  a 
guide  and  interpreter  to  an  exploring  expedition  of  the  government 
whose  purpose  was  to  explore  the  headwaters  of  the  Yellowstone  and 
Big  Horn  rivers,  and  various  other  streams  in  the  Big  Horn  country. 
One  day,  after  having  traveled  a  few  days  in  these  regions  known  as 
the  Big  Horn,  feeling  thirsty,  I  got  off  my  mule  and  stooped  down  at 
a  small  brook  containing  clear  and  inviting  water  from  the  snow- 
capped mountains  to  drink,  my  attention  was  attracted  by  the 
curious  appearance  of  the  bottom  of  the  stream.  It  appeared  to  me 
like  yellow  pebbles  of  various  sizes,  from  that  of  the  head  of  a  com- 
mon pin  to  a  bean  and  larger.  Though  well  acquainted  with  the 
appearance  of  gold,  I  was  somewhat  in  doubt  of  its  being  the  precious 
metal,  since  it  had  never  occurred  to  me  that  gold  could  be  found  in 
that  locality;  but  my  curiosity  being  excited,  I  scooped  up  a  handful 
of  the  stuff,  and  rode  up  to  Dr.  Hayden  and  Captain  Reynolds. 
Both  at  once  pronounced  it  pure  gold,  and  asked  me  where  I  had  pro- 
cured it.    After  I  had  told  them  where  I  had  found  it.  Captain  Rey- 


THE    LOST    CABIN    MINE  95 

nolds  got  very  much  excited,  and  insisted  that  I  should  cast  it  away, 
and  not  tell  anyone  of  the  party  of  the  matter  under  any  circum- 
stances, he  fearing  that  a  knowledge  of  gold  in  such  abundance  and 
of  such  easy  access  would  certainly  break  up  his  expedition,  since 
every  man  would  desert  to  hunt  for  gold.  I  very  reluctantly  complied 
with  the  officer's  request.  Since  my  first  discovery  of  gold,  I  have 
found  the  same  metal  in  that  country  while  trading  with  the  Indians, 
though  not  in  such  abundance  as  the  first." 

Before  California  was  known  as  a  mining  country,  an  old  free 
trapper  named  LaPondre,  who  always  hunted  and  trapped  alone, 
making  long  journeys  into  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  had  in  his  pos- 
session several  large  nuggets  sufficient  to  fill  his  bullet  pouch.  But 
in  those  days  the  value  of  gold  in  its  crude  state  was  not  known 
amongst  the  trappers,  they  having  come  into  this  country  young 
boys.  Old  man  LaPondre  stayed  around  Fort  Pierre  and  exhibited 
his  nuggets  freely  to  his  friends.  He  told  them  he  was  going  to  St. 
Louis,  and  if  what  he  had  in  his  hand  was  what  he  expected  it  was, 
he  was  done  with  trapping  for  furs,  as  he  could  find  enough  of  the 
stuff  to  buy  up  the  American  Fur  company  whenever  he  liked.  He 
left  St.  Pierre  to  go  to  St.  Louis,  telling  the  men  to  be  on  hand  and 
stay  'round,  as  he  was  coming  back  in  the  spring,  and  would  take 
them  with  him  to  the  place  where  the  gold  was.  He  said  it  was  lying 
free  in  the  bed  of  a  creek,  on  bed  rock  where  there  was  any  amount 
of  it.  When  old  man  LaPondre  arrived  at  St.  Louis  he  showed  what 
he  called  his  yellow  bullets,  and  found  they  were  gold  nuggets  of  great 
value.  The  American  Fur  company  at  once  offered  him  great  in- 
ducements to  show  them  where  he  had  found  them  and  wanted  to 
buy  him  out,  but  he  refused  to  tell  them  or  sell  at  any  price,  as  he 
said  the  company  did  not  always  act  on  the  square  with  the  people 
in  their  employ,  and  he  was  going  to  have  the  first  show  for  himself 
and  his  friends.  LaPondre,  after  finding  that  he  had  made  a  wonder- 
ful discovery  of  gold,  feeling  rich  on  the  strength  of  it,  and  knowing 
where  he  could  make  a  good  haul  in  the  Big  Horn  if  he  got  broke  in 
St.  Louis,  took  in  too  much  bad  whiskey,  forced  on  him  by  some  of 
the  fur  company's  men,  who  wanted  to  get  hold  of  his  secret,  and  he 
died  without  disclosing  anything  about  the  place  where  the  gold  was 
to  be  found  in  the  Big  Horns. 

It  is  true  that  many  discoveries  of  intense  historical  interest  are 
found  in  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  especially  since  the  advent  of  the 
automobile  tourists  into  that  section.  Unmistakable  evidence  of  old 
battle  grounds,  where  contending  tribes  fought  for  supremacy  in  the 
early  days,  are  not  uncommon;  on  these  grounds  are  yet  to  be  found 
many  pieces  of  flint  arrow  and  lance  heads;  port  holes  have  been  cut 


g6  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

through  sandstones  which  were  erected  in  piles  and  rows ;  trenches  were 
dug  where  the  warriors  were  protected  from  the  flying  shafts  of  their 
enemies  and  the  partly  decayed  and  weather-worn  bones  of  many 
horses  and  buffalo  are  found  scattered  about  the  field.  Then  there 
are  numerous  tepee  rings,  where  the  Indian  feast  grounds  were  lo- 
cated and  the  peace  conferences  were  held.  A  "medicine  wheel,"  250 
feet  in  diameter,  laid  out  in  a  great  circle  of  stones  in  the  shape  of  a 
wagon  wheel,  is  one  of  the  mysterious  finds  on  these  mountains. 
Tribal  lore  records  that  this  "medicine  wheel"  was  there  hundreds  of 
years  ago,  long  before  the  white  men  first  came  into  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  the  Crow  Indians,  who  claimed  this  land  for  many  years, 
say  that  they  do  not  know  what  people  built  this  great  stone  circle, 
nor  can  they  explain  the  significance  of  it.  With  these  discoveries 
being  made,  it  is  contended  by  some  that  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the 
Lost  Cabin  mine  will  also  be  found,  probably  by  some  one  who  least 
expects  to  find  it.  Many  old  prospectors  haunt  these  mountains 
from  early  spring  until  late  in  the  fall,  when  they  are  driven  out  by  the 
heavy  snows,  and  there  is  not  one  of  these  old  fellows  but  believes 
that  this  mine  of  untold  wealth  will  some  day  be  found.  In  the  summer 
of  1922  the  discovery  was  made  of  an  aged,  weather-beaten  Mexican 
saddle  in  the  mam  gorge  of  Big  Canyon  creek,  on  the  eastern  slope 
of  the  mountains,  together  with  every  evidence  of  ancient  mine 
drifts,  and  this  latest  is  the  foundation  for  their  encouragement  and 
strength  of  belief  that  the  mine  was  a  reality  and  that  it  will  some 
day  be  found.  The  remains  of  this  old  saddle  were  found  cached  in  a 
group  of  cottonwoods  alongside  the  stream,  and  although  many  of 
the  old-time  range  men  have  examined  the  remains  of  this  old  saddle 
they  all  unite  in  saying  that  it  had  been  made  many,  many  years  ago, 
and  they  had  never  before  seen  a  saddle  of  the  same  make.  It  was 
cracked  and  withered,  but  the  shelter  afforded  by  the  underbrush 
had  preserved  it  in  fairly  good  shape.  The  mine  drifts  extended  along 
the  bank  of  the  stream;  a  deep  fissure  was  found  alongside  this 
stream  from  which  some  loose  gravel  and  rock  was  taken,  and  a 
sample  of  this  debris  assayed  more  than  four  thousand  dollars  gold 
to  the  ton.  Then  a  thorough  search  was  made  to  find  where  the 
gravel  and  rock  came  from,  but  like  the  Lost  Cabin  mine,  its  location 
is  a  deep,  dark,  perplexing  mystery. 

Mining  on  Casper  Mountain 

For  a  number  of  years  dazzling  fortunes  seemed  to  smile  on  the 
prospectors  who  staked  out  mining  claims  on  Casper  mountain  in 
1888-9.    All  were  wrapped  in  visions  of  clustering  millions.   The  lust 


MINING    ON    CASPER    MOUNTAIN  97 

for  gold  permeated  the  land,  and  men  left  their  stores  and  shops  and 
offices  and  gave  up  their  vocations  to  become  miners  and  millionaires. 
Camps  were  established  from  the  east  to  the  west  end  and  the  north 
to  the  south  side  of  the  mountain.  The  sound  of  the  pick  and  the 
drill  and  the  blast  of  powder  could  be  heard  in  all  directions  from 
early  dawn  until  dusk.  Everything  was  lively  and  everything  was 
humming  on  the  mountain  in  those  days. 

Reports  were  brought  down  from  the  hills  each  day  by  miners 
and  related  to  the  unfortunate  business  man  who  could  not  close  up 
his  doors  and  hie  himself  to  the  El  Dorado.  Excitement  was  rampant 
over  the  finds  of  silver  and  gold,  copper  and  galena,  and  asbestos  that 
were  made  by  the  fortunate  men.  The  newspapers  of  Casper  her- 
alded the  good  news  to  the  outside  world  with  each  issue.  Some  of 
these  reports  are  herewith  reproduced.  After  reading  them,  he  indeed 
must  be  a  pessimist  who  doubted  the  riches  hidden  away  in  the  bowels 
of  the  mountain.  In  the  summer  of  1890,  it  was  announced  that 
"J.  B.  Smith  and  J.  Allen  struck  a  lead  of  ore  on  Casper  mountain 
that  was  pronounced  by  one  of  the  leading  mining  experts  of  England 
to  be  unusually  rich  in  silver.  The  expert  did  not  make  an  assay  of 
it,  but  was  of  the  opinion  that  it  would  be  away  up,  and  told  the  boys 
they  had  an  immense  thing  if  the  lead  was  sufficiently  large.  They 
are  at  present  engaged  in  opening  the  lead,  which  is  a  three  and  one- 
half  foot  ledge,  dipping  tolerably  steep  and  gradually  increasing  in 
size." 

On  August  21  of  the  same  year,  it  was  proclaimed  that  "Interest 
in  the  Casper  mountain  mineral  deposits  is  intensifying.  Several 
families  are  residing  on  the  mountain  now,  some  in  tents  and  others 
in  cabins,  and  numerous  parties  have  located  claims  there.  An  assay 
of  the  Smith  and  Allen  ore  was  made  and  it  showed  that  it  carried 
$666  in  silver  to  the  ton,  and  when  the  news  reached  here  there  was 
a  great  rush  to  the  mountain  to  locate  new  claims." 

The  first  mention  of  the  finding  of  asbestos  on  Casper  mountain 
was  in  September,  1890,  when  J.  C.  Hogadone  brought  samples  to 
town  and  it  was  then  said  that  "Asbestos  will  become  an  important 
factor  in  Wyoming's  mining  wealth,  and  it  is  but  one  of  Casper's 
diversified  interests."  In  the  spring  of  1 891 ,  we  were  told  that  "  pros- 
pectors have  met  with  highly  satisfactory  results  in  searching  for 
asbestos  on  Casper  mountain.  Indeed,  every  stroke  of  the  pick  seems 
to  have  been  prolific  of  excellent  results,  and  deposits  of  asbestos  have 
been  exposed  over  a  considerable  area.  The  fiber  ranges  from  two  to 
nine  and  one-half  inches  in  length,  and  the  quality  has  been  proven, 
by  comparison,  equal  to  the  best  product  of  other  states  and  coun- 
tries.    Indeed,  there  is  no  longer  any  question  about  the  quality. 


98  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

The  only  thing  now  to  be  taken  into  consideration  is  the  quantity, 
and  as  it  is  found  extending  over  such  a  large  tract  of  country,  the 
quantity  is  probably  sufficient.  The  prospects  are  so  flattering  that 
a  number  of  our  prominent  business  men  have  interested  themselves 
in  various  claims  this  spring  and  will  assist  in  the  work  of  develop- 
ment. A  dozen  or  more  claims  have  been  located  thus  far,  comprising 
about  three  hundred  acres,  and  good  asbestos  croppings  have  been 
exposed  on  every  claim,  though  none  of  them  have  been  penetrated 
more  than  six  or  eight  feet.  However,  many  of  the  claims  are  now 
being  worked  and  are  showing  better  every  day.  Several  parties  have 
refused  good  offers  for  their  claims,  all  being  desirous  of  developing 
and  determining  the  value  thereof,  before  selling." 

About  the  middle  of  July,  1891,  more  than  100  asbestos  claims 
had  been  taken  up.  During  this  time  no  actual  money  had  changed 
hands,  but  transfers  of  mines  were  made  and  the  boom  continued 
without  interruption.  On  August  6,  1891,  it  was  said  that  the  "re- 
ports from  the  mountain  mining  district  are  most  flattering.  A  great 
amount  of  work  is  being  done  and  surprising  results  are  looked  for 
this  fall.  Jack  Currier  has  a  force  of  men  at  work  on  his  galena 
claims,  while  Messrs.  Eads,  Hogadone,  Montgomery  and  others  are 
working  and  have  men  at  work  developing  their  asbestos.  A  big 
boom  is  just  about  to  open  in  this  camp." 

Professor  Henry  Zahn,  a  mineralogist  from  Chicago,  arrived  in 
Casper  in  August,  1891,  and  spent  several  days  on  the  mountain. 
When  he  came  down,  he  made  the  announcement  that,  "You  have 
the  perfect  formation  for  asbestos,  and  the  quality  is  as  good  as  that 
of  the  Canadian  mines."  He  spent  the  greater  part  of  a  day  making 
examinations  of  specimens  of  ore  he  had  brought  down  and  he  pro- 
nounced many  of  them  free  gold-bearing  rock.  He  also  said  we  had 
the  greatest  natural  fuel  on  earth  at  our  very  door,  that  the  coal  in 
this  vicinity  was  of  the  best,  some  of  it  being  fine  blacksmith  coal, 
while  one  of  the  specimens  would  make  good  coke,  and  all  of  it  would 
be  good  for  the  manufacture  of  bricklets,  which  are  composed  of 
coal  and  crude  petroleum,  the  process  being  patented,  and  he  was 
the  owner  of  the  patent. 

On  September  8,  1891,  Professor  Zahn  took  a  thirty-day  option 
on  thirty-two  asbestos  claims  on  Casper  mountain,  the  agreement 
being  that  each  owner  should  have  forty-nine  per  cent  of  the  amount 
of  stock  issued  on  his  claim.  It  was  figured  out  that  each  claim  would 
bring  its  owner  $3,300  spot  cash,  in  addition  to  the  forty-nine  per  cent 
of  the  non-assessable  stock. 

It  is  evident,  however,  that  Professor  Zahn  gave  up  the  asbestos 
claims  and  thought  better  of  the  copper  prospects,  for  on  October  i, 


MINING    ON    CASPER   MOUNTAIN  99 

1891,  he  took  an  option  on  three  of  the  most  promising  copper  claims 
on  the  mountain,  one  from  Chris  Baysel,  one  from  Charley  Jones,  and 
one  from  Abe  Nelson.  From  this  date  until  the  summer  of  1892,  items 
of  encouragement  appeared  in  the  local  newspapers  something  like 
the  following: 

"The  Zahn  buildings  are  about  completed  and  all  arrangements 
for  the  comfort  and  convenience  of  the  miners  are  being  put  in.  Pro- 
fessor Zahn  feels  very  confident  that  he  will  strike  a  big  lead  of  copper, 
and  says  there  is  unlimited  capital  back  of  him  to  open  up  the  mines, 
put  in  a  smelter,  and  build  a  railroad  from  Casper  to  the  top  of  the 
mountain  if  necessary.  The  ore  is  there,  it  is  good,  there  is  plenty 
of  it,  and  the  future  of  the  camp  is  assured.  Professor  Zahn  is  much 
worked  up  over  the  finds  that  are  being  made  and  is  anxious  to  get 
shafts  down  on  the  claims  on  which  he  has  options.  He  has  made 
cash  oflFers  for  several  properties,  but  the  owners  refused  to  consider 
them.  The  Zahn  Syndicate  is  not  idle.  About  two  thousand  pounds 
of  freight,  consisting  of  tools,  powder,  drills,  and  a  complete  black- 
smith outfit,  has  been  sent  to  the  claims  on  the  mountain  along  with 
extra  men  to  work  on  the  claims,  there  being  day  and  night  shifts 
working  at  two  different  points  for  this  syndicate." 

Early  in  March,  1892,  a  report  was  brought  in  from  the  Zahn 
Syndicate  to  the  effect  that  a  depth  of  twenty-eight  feet  had  been 
reached  and  a  soft  lime  formation  that  looked  as  though  it  had  slaked 
and  melted  had  been  encountered.  All  through  this  formation  lay 
traces  of  copper  and  copper  stains  and  that  the  "lead"  was  within 
"smelling  distance."  The  two  claims  being  worked  by  this  syndicate 
were  known  as  the  "Cross  Fox"  and  the  "Blue  Cap." 

Six  of  the  claims  upon  which  the  syndicate  had  taken  an  option 
were  released  to  the  owners,  Charley  Jones,  Matt  Montgomery, 
Charles  Hogadone,  Chris  Baysel,  William  Walls,  and  Charles 
Dasch.  Nature's  latch  string  on  these  claims  was  not  hanging  out 
as  it  was  on  the  other  claims  and  the  six  miners  were  somewhat  dis- 
appointed, but  not  discouraged  when  their  options  were  released. 

"Important  discoveries  were  again  made  by  the  Zahn  Syndicate 
the  latter  part  of  March  on  its  'Cross  Fox'  claim.  Just  as  soon  as  the 
discovery  was  made  the  shaft  was  locked,  work  was  suspended,  and 
no  information  would  be  given  out  as  to  what  had  been  found.  The 
syndicate  had  an  option  on  this  claim  from  John  Johnson  for  $10,000, 
but  the  money  was  not  yet  paid  over.  After  work  had  been  suspended 
on  the  'Cross  Fox,'  the  miners  commenced  to  sink  the  shaft  deeper  on 
the  Abe  Nelson  'Blue  Cap'  lease,  but  the  work  was  carried  on  so 
mysteriously  on  this  claim  that  no  one  could  ascertain  the  nature  of 
the  ore,  none  of  which  was  brought  to  the  surface,  but  was  stored 


lOO  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

away  in  a  room  which  had  been  made  in  the  side  of  the  shaft.  No 
one  was  allowed  to  enter  the  shaft  except  the  employees." 

About  this  time  the  professor  left  for  Chicago  where  he  remained 
two  weeks,  and  when  he  returned  the  indications  were  that  the  bot- 
tom had  dropped  out  of  his  "Cross  Fox"  and  "Blue  Cap"  claims,  for 
he  made  the  statement  that  he  would  settle  up  all  debts  against  the 
syndicate,  but  he  would  not  say  whether  he  would  go  on  with  the 
work.  The  sun  did  not  shine  as  brightly  on  Casper  mountain  then 
as  it  had  the  year  previous.  The  whole  place  looked  desolate.  The 
sound  of.  the  pick  and  drill  and  the  blast  of  powder  was  not  as  pro- 
nounced and  as  frequent  and  the  glittering  reports  were  not  brought 
down  to  the  Casper  business  men  as  they  had  been.  Instead  of  glee 
there  was  gloom  for  several  years. 

But  in  1895  and  1896  life  was  infused  into  the  almost  deserted 
mining  camp  and  the  Casper  Mountain  Copper  Mining  company  was 
incorporated,  with  J.  L.  Garner,  president;  John  D.  Allen,  vice- 
president;  F.  H.  Barrow,  secretary,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000. 
The  shares  were  to  be  sold  at  a  dollar  each  and  there  were  takers  for 
the  entire  issue. 

A  local  newspaper  said:  "This  company  has  been  operating  on 
the  mountain  this  winter,  and  has  taken  out  some  very  fine  ore.  The 
lead  has  been  tapped  in  several  places,  and  the  extent  of  the  ore  is 
inexhaustible.  As  soon  as  the  snow  leaves  the  roads  passable,  ship- 
ments to  the  Deadwood  smelter  will  be  commenced.  This  smelter 
will  use  twenty  cars  of  our  ore  a  day,  and  arrangements  are  being 
made  to  take  the  ore  out  in  large  quantities.  This  mine,  when  the 
work  is  fairly  started,  will  prove  a  big  thing  for  our  city,  and  our 
citizens  are  looking  forward  to  a  prosperous  mining  year." 

If  twenty  carloads  of  ore  a  day  were  ever  shipped  to  Deadwood, 
or  anywhere  else,  from  Casper  mountain,  no  mention  of  it  was  ever 
made  in  the  local  newspapers  and  it  must  be  presumed  that  the 
Casper  Mountain  Copper  Mining  company  discovered  to  its  sorrow, 
like  all  the  rest  of  the  companies,  that  while  there  is  an  abundance  of 
ore  on  this  mountain,  it  does  not  carry  enough  copper,  silver,  or  gold 
to  pay  for  the  mining  of  it. 

But  with  all  the  discouragements  and  failures  to  find  ore  in  this 
mountain  rich  enough  to  pay  for  mining  it,  we  find  that  in  October, 
1897,  A.  E.  Minium  "made  one  of  the  greatest  discoveries  of  gold- 
bearing  rock  yet  discovered  in  Central  Wyoming,  or  perhaps  in  the 
state,  on  the  northeast  slope  of  Casper  mountain,  about  thirteen 
miles  from  Casper.  Having  brought  samples  of  the  quartz  in,  it  was 
found  to  be  free  milling  and  a  pan  test  showed  that  it  run  between 
$3  and  $4.   The  vein  which  is  a  true  fissure,  has  a  width  of  sixty  feet, 


MINING    ON    CASPER   MOUNTAIN  Id 

and  a  depth  exposed  of  120  feet.  It  has  been  traced  over  5,000  feet 
long,  and  Mr.  Minium  staked  off  two  claims  600x1,500  which 
he  named  'Tillie  Miller,'  and  'Klondyke,'  respectively.  Robert 
Ottershagen,  of  South  Dakota,  accompanied  Mr.  Minium  to  the  scene 
of  his  new  discovery  with  a  view  of  examining  and  passing  judgment 
on  the  value  of  the  property.  He  was  so  well  satisfied  with  the  ore 
that  he  traced  it  out  and  staked  off  a  claim  for  himself  the  same  size 
as  Mr.  Minium's,  which  he  named  'Yukon.'  When  asked  regarding 
the  vein  and  kind  and  quality  of  the  ore  Mr.  Ottershagen  said  the 
ore  is  a  well  defined  fissure  vein  of  white  and  blue  gold  bearing,  or,  at 
places,  an  iron  stain  auriferous  quartz,  on  the  north  slope  of  Casper 
mountain  between  the  heads  of  Hat  Six  and  Goose  creeks,  and  a 
million  tons  of  the  ore  are  actually  in  sight.  No  assays  are  received  as 
yet,  but  it  is  believed  the  quartz  is  much  richer  than  the  surface  pan 
tests.  Mr.  Minium  will  begin  work  at  once,  as  will  also  Mr.  Otter- 
shagen and  developments  will  be  pushed  as  fast  as  work  and  weather 
will  permit.   The  vein  has  granite  walls." 

Just  about  a  month  after  this  great  discovery,  it  is  recorded  that 
"A.  E.  Minium  sold  to  Theodore  Becker  and  Tony  Walters  a  one- 
third  interest  in  the  'Tillie  Miller'  gold  claim  and  the  work  of  building 
a  shanty  is  now  in  progress,  after  which  the  gentlemen  propose  to  run 
a  150-foot  tunnel,  commencing  at  the  base  of  the  exposed  lead,  nearly 
500  feet  from  the  top  of  the  lead,  in  Goose  creek  canyon.  At  an 
entrance  of  150  feet,  the  gentlemen  will  be  in  nearly  200  feet  perpen- 
dicular. Minium  is  not  an  experienced  miner,  and  has  associated 
Messrs.  Becker  and  Walters  with  him  and  proposes  to  forge  forward 
and  learn  the  value  of  the  ore.  No  doubt  has  been  expressed  as  to  the 
ore  paying  at  the  end  of  the  150-foot  tunnel.  Tools  for  driving  the 
tunnel  have  been  ordered  and  are  expected  to  arive  at  any  time.  The 
work  of  sinking  a  shaft  on  the  Billy  Mosteller  claim,  adjoining  the 
'Klondyke'  claim,  on  the  same  lead,  will  be  begun  this  winter,  that 
is,  it  will  be  started  and  the  work  carried  on  next  spring.  F.  W.  Okie 
is  connected  with  the  Mosteller  enterprise.  Robert  Ottershagen 
has  an  open  cut  made  and  it  will  be  continued  as  a  cross  cut,  until 
he  will  sink  a  shaft  on  his  'Yukon,'  adjoining  the  'Tillie  Miller' 
on  the  east.  The  above  is  the  work  proposed  on  the  recent  gold 
leads,  though  without  preparations  they  may  do  but  little  this 
year." 

But,  alas!  "Tillie  Miller,"  "Klondyke,"  and  "Yukon"  soon 
joined  "Cross  Fox,"  "Blue  Cap,"  "Galena  Queen,"  and  the  many 
others  that  had  gone  before  and  again  the  sound  of  the  pick  and  the 
drill  and  blast  of  powder  failed  to  disturb  the  quietude  of  the 
mountain. 


I02  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

In  December,  1897,  the  greatest  excitement  prevailed  in  Casper 
over  a  strike  that  was  made  by  Dr.  J.  F.  Leeper,  on  the  head  of 
Elkhorn  creek,  and  men  on  horseback  and  in  buckboards  flocked  to 
the  mountain  in  great  numbers.  Ore  had  been  taken  out  of  the  old 
"Galena  Queen"  shaft  at  a  depth  of  eighty-five  feet  and  sent  to 
Denver  for  an  assay.  The  assayer's  certificate  showed  that  the  ore 
indicated  a  run  of  ^1,012.83  to  the  ton.  Within  an  hour  after  the 
report  was  received,  every  available  means  of  transportation  in  town 
was  procured  and  men  were  rushing  to  the  mountain  to  stake  out 
claims.  Some  of  the  men  stayed  on  the  mountain  all  night  locating 
claims  for  themselves,  as  well  as  for  their  relatives  and  their  friends. 
A  few  days  after  this  report  had  been  received  and  after  the  many 
claims  had  been  properly  staked  and  legally  recorded,  the  mails 
brought  a  statement  that  a  mistake  had  been  made — that  the  assay 
should  have  been  ^3.10,  and  once  more  all  was  gloom.  Dr.  Leeper 
said  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  for  he  had  known  for  at  least  twenty- 
four  hours  how  it  felt  to  be  a  millionaire. 

In  1905,  the  "Blue  Cap"  was  being  worked  again  and  it  was 
reported  that  a  "  carload  of  copper  ore  would  be  shipped  to  the  smelter 
at  Denver,  which,  after  paying  all  expenses,  would  net  the  company 
from  $700  to  $1,000.  In  about  thirty  days  thereafter  the  company 
expected  to  ship  a  carload  of  copper  concentrates  which  would  net 
between  $3,000  and  $4,000."  This  beautiful  dream  also  turned  out 
to  be  a  nightmare  and  it  was  not  long  until  the  "Blue  Cap"  was  as 
innocuous  as  the  other  "great  strikes." 

Asbestos  then  again  came  into  the  limelight,  with  A.  E.  Minium 
as  the  chief  promoter.  Companies  were  organized  and  stocks  were 
sold  which  netted  the  promoter  many  thousands  of  dollars.  If  the 
money  had  been  expended  for  machinery  and  the  improvement  of 
the  mines  as  it  should  have  been,  there  is  no  doubt  Casper  would 
today  have  the  largest  asbestos  plants  in  the  world.  Minium,  on 
account  of  his  fraudulent  methods,  narrowly  escaped  being  sent  to 
the  penitentiary  and  at  the  same  time  gave  the  asbestos  properties 
on  Casper  mountain  a  black  eye.  Ore  is  being  taken  out,  however, 
and  asbestos  shingles,  chimney  blocks  and  tiling  are  manufactured. 

A  scenic  road  is  cut  through  the  mountainside  to  these  mines 
and  during  the  summer  a  great  many  automobile  parties  go  to  the 
mountain  top  on  picnic  and  pleasure  trips.  Many  homesteads  have 
been  taken  up  on  the  mountain  and  there  are  numerous  comfortable 
cabins  there  where  people  spend  the  summer  months.  But  even 
now,  with  all  the  past  failures,  every  year  new  mines  are  located, 
new  companies  are  organized,  and  new  hopes  are  entertained  of 
striking  a  "lead"  that  will  produce  millions. 


THE    SODA    LAKES  IO3 

The  Soda  Lakes 

Soda  deposits  in  Central  Wyoming  attracted  wide  interest 
among  scientific  men  and  capitalists  of  the  eastern  states  as  early  as 
1880.  A  few  years  afterwards  men  of  money  came  from  Europe  to 
make  an  investigation  of  the  wonderful  deposits  in  the  Sweetwater 
country,  where  there  are  half  a  dozen  large  soda  lakes,  covering  a 
vast  acreage.  Concerning  the  deposits  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey  report  of  1886  says:  "There  are  four  claims  under  United 
States  patents  in  the  name  of  L.  Du  Pont  by  five  eastern  companies. 
The  first  claim  covers  20,000  acres,  of  which  five  acres  contain  car- 
bonate and  sulphate  of  soda,  averaging  six  feet  deep.  The  second 
claim  is  about  one  mile  west  of  the  first;  the  soda  is  in  solution.  The 
third  claim  is  one-fourth  mile  farther  west  and  includes  sixteen  acres 
of  soda  solution,  the  depth  of  which  has  not  been  reached.  It  has  been 
sounded  forty  feet  without  touching  bottom.  The  solution  contains 
2,343  grains  per  gallon.  The  fourth  and  fifth  claims  are  four  miles 
west  and  are  on  the  same  lake  of  solid  soda.  The  depth  fifty  feet  from 
shore  is  four  feet  of  solid  soda.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  shore 
showed  fourteen  feet  of  solid  soda  without  touching  bottom." 

Tom  Sun,  Boney  Earnest  and  Frank  Harrington  were  the  first 
to  make  a  filing  on  the  land  containing  these  soda  deposits.  These 
men  built  cabins  in  the  vicinity  of  the  lakes  in  the  early  '70's?  but  the 
Indians  burned  the  cabins  after  they  had  stood  for  several  years. 
Very  little  development  work  was  done  on  the  deposits  and  after  the 
cabins  had  been  burned  by  the  Indians  but  little  attention  was  paid 
to  the  claims  by  the  owners.  Some  eastern  men  who  passed  through 
the  country  on  a  hunting  trip  told  of  the  lakes  when  they  returned 
home  and  in  a  short  time  L.  Du  Pont  of  Pennsylvania  came  to  make 
an  investigation  for  his  associate  capitalists.  He  first  came  to  Raw- 
lins and  made  the  trip  to  the  Sweetwater  country  with  the  intention 
of  filing  on  the  land,  but  when  he  arrived  he  found  Tom  Sun  holding 
down  the  land  and  ready  to  back  up  his  claim  with  a  Winchester 
rifle.  It  did  not  take  Du  Pont  and  Tom  long  to  reach  an  agreement 
and  when  Du  Pont  returned  home  he  was  in  possession  of  the  land, 
having  purchased  a  relinquishment  from  the  three  men  above  men- 
tioned and  in  due  time  he  was  given  a  patent  by  the  government, 
which  was  the  first  patent  given  to  soda  land  in  Wyoming.  Develop- 
ment work  was  at  once  commenced  and  continued  on  the  deposits 
year  after  year  by  E.  C.  Merrill,  who  was  field  manager  for  the  Du 
Pont  companies. 

D.  Harvey  Attfield  of  Walford,  England,  made  a  special  trip  to 
the  United  States  with  a  view  of  purchasing  these  soda  lakes.    He 


I04  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

arrived  in  Rawlins  in  February,  1891,  and  after  traveling  from  Raw- 
lins to  the  lakes  in  a  buckboard,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles  or  more, 
over  rough  roads  and  through  the  severe  cold  weather,  he  became  dis- 
gusted and  would  not  consider  the  purchase  of  the  land.  He  said  he 
would  rather  make  the  trip  from  Liverpool  to  Rawlins  than  from 
Rawlins  to  the  Sweetwater  soda  lakes,  and  he  returned  home  fully 
convinced  that  the  country  was  too  rough  and  the  weather  too  severe 
to  spend  any  of  his  time  or  money  here. 

On  January  14,  1892,  there  were  filed  in  the  office  of  the  secre- 
tary of  state  at  Cheyenne  articles  of  incorporation  for  the  Syndicate 
Improvement  company,  composed  principally  of  Chicago  capitalists. 
The  object  of  the  syndicate  as  stated  in  its  articles  of  incorporation, 
was  to  buy  and  sell  lands,  build  smelters,  develop  mines  and  oil  prop- 
erty and  build  pipe  lines  in  Natrona  county,  with  offices  at  Chicago 
and  Casper.  The  capital  stock  was  placed  at  ^3,000,000,  divided 
into  30,000  shares  of  $100  each.  The  incorporators  were  John  Weir, 
Arthur  Townsend  and  James  D.  Negus.  Negus  was  the  man  who  con- 
ceived and  carried  through  the  survey  of  the  Pacific  Short  Line  rail- 
road and  built  the  road  from  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  to  O'Neill,  Nebraska. 
This  syndicate  had  purchased  an  interest  in  the  land  from  the  Du 
Pont  company  and  it  was  announced  that  they  would  build  a  railroad 
from  Casper  to  the  soda  lakes.  The  people  of  Casper  and  those  living 
along  the  proposed  new  railroad  were  highly  elated  over  the  encour- 
aging prospects  for  a  bright  and  prosperous  future.  During  the  first 
part  of  February,  the  syndicate  received  in  Casper  a  carload  of 
freight,  consisting  of  tools,  implements  and  supplies  of  every  kind, 
including  six  large  tents,  18x30  feet, which  were  to  be  used  for  storage 
rooms  and  cooking  and  sleeping  apartments  for  the  force  of  men 
employed  at  the  lakes  putting  up  vats.  It  was  announced  that  the 
company  intended  starting  a  new  town  at  the  lakes  and  would  run  a 
regular  train  of  freight  wagons  between  the  new  town  and  Casper, 
hauling  soda  for  shipment  to  Chicago.  Two  more  carloads  of  machin- 
ery arrived  on  February  24  and  was  immediately  taken  to  the  syndi- 
cate's properties. 

J.  D.  Negus,  head  of  the  syndicate,  arrived  from  Chicago  on  the 
first  of  March,  1892,  and  he  said  that  the  syndicate  had  more  than 
one  hundred  thousand  pounds  of  machinery  which  would  be  sent  to 
the  lakes  at  once.  He  said  the  plant  that  was  being  erected  at  the 
lakes  was  an  experimental  one  and  if  it  proved  a  success,  a  business 
of  great  magnitude  would  be  started  at  Independence  Rock. 

On  March  9,  1892,  John  Weir,  C.  B.  Waite,  and  W.  Trainer,  of 
New  York,  Chester  B.  Bradley  of  Chicago,  and  Charles  H.  Kelsey  of 
Denver  arrived  in  Casper  and  the  next  day  started  for  the  soda  lakes 


TOM    WAGNER  S    FAKE    MINE  IO5 

to  confer  with  Negus,  who  was  on  the  grounds  with  a  crew  of 
workmen  putting  the  machinery  in  place  for  the  soda  works.  Ches- 
ter B.  Bradley  was  attorney  for  the  syndicate  and  located  in  Casper 
permanently.  The  other  gentlemen  were  stockholders  in  the  syn- 
dicate. 

The  work  of  installing  the  machinery  continued  during  the 
summer.  A  great  many  people  were  employed  at  the  works,  a  post 
office  was  established,  and  the  town  of  Johnstown  was  born  to  "cast 
its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air."  A  number  of  houses  were  built  there 
and  Johnstown  had  hopes  and  prospects  of  becoming  one  of  the  lead- 
ing centers  of  Central  Wyoming.  Shafts  were  sunk  and  timbered  and 
tons  upon  tons  of  soda  were  taken  out.  Strings  of  freight  teams  were 
on  the  road  hauling  out  supplies  and  bringing  in  the  soda  for  ship- 
ment, but  in  time  the  railroads  raised  the  freight  rate  on  the  product, 
and  this,  together  with  the  mining  and  hauling  of  it  to  Casper  by 
freight  teams,  put  the  cost  up  to  more  than  the  market  price  for  it. 
Work  was  soon  suspended  and  the  property  abandoned. 

On  April  20,  1894,  after  the  syndicate  had  practically  abandoned 
its  works  at  Johnstown,  a  correspondent  from  Independence  Rock 
said,  "Johnstown  has  lost  nearly  all  its  inhabitants,  there  being 
only  two  families  there  now,  and  they  are  thinking  of  going  away 
soon."  At  the  term  of  the  district  court  held  in  Casper  in  May,  1895, 
Chester  B.  Bradley  secured  a  judgment  against  the  Syndicate 
Improvement  company  for  ^3,741.54  and  costs,  amounting  in  all  to 
$4,125.29,  and  the  property  of  the  company  was  sold  under  attach- 
ment for  the  amount.  This  ended  the  operations  of  the  company  and 
at  the  same  time  took  Johnstown  off  the  map  and  put  her  in  the  same 
class  with  Bothwell,  Bessemer,  and  Eadsville. 

There  are  three  small  soda  lakes  several  miles  north  from  Casper 
covering  about  forty  acres,  which  are  owned  by  John  D.  McGill.  Mr. 
McGill  has  owned  this  property  since  1895  and  has  built  a  refinery 
nearby  and  the  product  is  being  disposed  of  as  rapidly  as  it  can  be 
refined.  It  is  hauled  to  Casper  by  truck  and  shipped  to  market  from 
here  by  railroad.  On  account  of  the  fact  that  the  entire  output  always 
finds  a  ready  market  and  that  the  property  is  not  for  sale  the  enter- 
prise receives  but  little  attention  from  the  public. 

Tom  Wagner's  Fake  Mine 

Central  Wyoming's  greatest  mining  swindle  was  perpetrated  by 
Tom  Wagner  in  1897  and  1898.  There  have  been  many  disappoint- 
ments in  mines  in  the  state  and  much  time  and  money  have  been  lost 
in  various  enterprises,  but,  in  nearly  all  cases  those  concerned  were 


I06  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

acting  in  good  faith.  Wagner's  promotion  was  a  premeditated  and 
absolutely  dishonest  proposition. 

Wagner  was  a  cowpuncher  who  had  ridden  the  range  around  the 
Point  of  Rocks  and  the  Pedro  mountains  in  1885.  He  left  the  country 
but  returned  in  June,  1897,  and,  after  being  up  in  the  Point  of  Rocks 
neighborhood  a  few  months,  came  down  with  a  wagonload  of  ore 
which  he  hauled  to  Deadwood.  The  ore  showed  a  run  of  $1,000.50 
net,  and  there  was  a  gold  rush  precipitated  immediately.  Some  ex- 
perienced miners  returned  to  the  Point  of  Rocks  with  Wagner  and 
forty-three  claims  w^ere  staked  off  for  Wagner,  and  he  sold  claims  to 
others  for  $50  or  $100,  which  sums  he  said  were  to  be  used  to  pay  for 
the  assessment  work.  Wagner  bought  the  Indian  Grove  ranch,  and 
stocked  it  with  horses  and  cattle  and  he  and  his  miners  lived  there 
during  their  operations.  He  did  not  pay  for  the  ranch  or  the  stock, 
however. 

The  Wyoming  Derrick  of  January  13,  1898,  said  that  "after  his 
first  forty-three  claims  were  legally  staked  and  the  discovery  and 
assessment  work  all  done  in  compliance  with  the  laws,  he  (Wagner) 
came  to  Casper  after  three  four-horse-team  loads  of  mining  tools  and 
camp  supplies  and  provisions.  This  was  six  or  seven  w^eeks  ago,  and 
Mr.  Wagner  freely  told  of  his  w^onderfully  rich  strike.  A  week  or  so 
previous  to  that  time  Professor  A.  W.  S.  Rothermel,  of  New  York 
City  and  the  Black  Hills,  who  is  associated  with  the  F.  E.  &  M.  V. 
Railway  company,  and  other  mining  experts,  visited  the  Indian  Grove 
ranch,  and  carried  back  with  them  some  of  the  quartz  broken  from 
the  ledge,  which  has  caused  a  manifest  interest  in  the  Pedro  gold 
discovery,  upon  the  part  of  those  high  in  financial  and  mining  circles 
of  surrounding  and  eastern  and  southern  states. 

"Since  the  first  of  December  a  number  of  old-time  and  exper- 
ienced miners,  friends,  and  acquaintances  of  Mr.  Wagner,  have  come 
from  the  Black  Hills,  gone  to  Pedro  mountains,  and  become  infatuated 
with  the  gold-bearing  rock,  while  capitalist  friends  of  Mr.  Wagner  in 
Deadwood,  Montana,  Texas,  Kansas  City,  Omaha,  Chicago,  and 
Pennsylvania  have  urged  upon  him  their  claims  to  invest  unlimited 
money  in  developing  the  property,  and  erecting  stamp  mills  and 
smelters. 

"The  entire  discovery  is  in  Carbon  county,  about  three  miles 
south  of  the  Natrona  county  line,  across  the  south  and  middle  fork  of 
Canyon  creek.  The  principal  lead  is  on  an  average  of  sixteen  feet 
wide,  and  the  quartz  is  said  by  the  miners  working  it,  to  be  a  fac- 
simile of  the  Cripple  creek  quartz.  It  is  a  refractory  ore,  yet  it  con- 
tains carbonates,  some  of  which  were  scraped  from  the  ore  dump  at  the 
Mena  mine  and  the  dirt  containing  the  carbonates  assayed  $117.50." 


TOM    WAGNER  S    FAKE    MINE  IO7 

Every  time  Wagner  came  to  Casper,  he  was  surrounded  by  ex- 
cited citizens  who  were  anxious  to  know  the  latest  developments. 
Wagner,  in  a  friendly,  artless  manner  would  tell  of  the  latest  wonders 
unearthed  in  his  "El  Dorado."  Claims  were  staked  ofF  by  some 
Casper  men,  who  made  many  trips  over  the  long,  rough  road  back 
and  forth  from  the  place  where  their  millions  were  lying  waiting  to  be 
blasted  from  the  rock. 

Tom  Wagner's  mines  were  not  his  only  assets.  His  qualities  were 
thus  disclosed  by  the  Wyoviing  Derrick:  "One  of  the  commendable 
traits  of  Mr.  Wagner  is  shown  in  his  staking  off  three  claims  of 
placer  ground  in  one  branch  of  Canyon  creek  for  some  orphan  chil- 
dren in  a  distant  state.  It  has  been  more  than  twenty  years  since  he 
left  home,  and  at  that  time  he  was  asked  by  his  mother  to  promise 
her  that  he  would  never  drink  intoxicating  liquors.  He  granted  the 
request  and  made  a  further  voluntary  promise  that  he  would  not 
return  home  till  he  had  acquired  a  fortune.  Both  pledges  he  has  kept, 
never  touching  liquor  to  his  lips,  or  returning  to  his  parental  home 
which  he  longs  to  visit  and  will  visit  within  a  few  months  now." 

The  bubble  grew  and  grew  and  plans  were  made  for  stage 
coaches,  post  office  and  mail  service,  smelters,  beautiful  homes,  and 
all  the  comforts  to  be  secured  by  great  wealth.  In  February,  F.  K. 
Guston  of  Chicago,  L.  W.  Cummings  of  Fort  Worth,  and  L.  S. 
Sanderson,  a  mining  man  from  Denver,  went  out  to  the  "mines," 
and  describing  what  they  found,  the  Razvlins  Republican  of  February 
17  said:  "All  the  parties  returned  at  noon  Tuesday  completely  dis- 
gusted and  highly  indignant  at  the  deception  that  had  been  prac- 
ticed upon  them.  They  said  that  about  two  years  ago  Thomas  Wagner 
was  serving  a  term  in  the  Montana  penitentiary  for  some  offense, 
understood  to  be  cattle  rustling.  Previous  to  his  advent  into  Montana, 
Wagner  was  a  cowpuncher  in  Texas  and  enjoyed  the  acquaintance  of 
Captain  W.  H.  Kingsbury  of  San  Antonio,  Texas,  a  prominent  cattle- 
man of  that  section.  It  was  stated  that  it  was  through  Captain 
Kingsbury's  influence  that  Wagner  secured  a  pardon.  A  few  months 
ago  Captain  Kingsbury  received  a  letter  from  Wagner  giving  a  glowing 
account  of  the  alleged  rich  discoveries  of  gold  and  copper  in  the 
Ferris  mountains  and  stating  that  out  of  consideration  for  Mr.  Kings- 
bury's kindness  to  him,  the  latter  had  located  one  claim  in  his  name. 
Wagner  continued  to  write  of  the  exceedingly  bright  outlook  for  the 
camp  until  Kingsbury  was  fully  convinced  that  a  great  bonanza  had 
been  discovered.  Messrs.  Evans  and  Guston,  auditor  and  treasurer, 
respectively,  of  the  Seattle  and  Yukon  Steamship  company,  operat- 
ing extensively  in  Alaska  and  Mexico,  are  friends  of  Kingsbury.  As 
they  were  going  through  to  Seattle,  he  advised  them  to  stop  off  here 


I08  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  visit  the  new  'El  Dorado,'  which  out  of  consideration  for  the  old 
gentleman,  who  is  now  in  feeble  health,  they  promised  to  do.  Mr. 
Sanderson  is  a  son-in-law  of  Captain  Kingsbury  and  he  intended  to 
accompany  Messrs.  Guston  and  Evans  from  Denver,  but  missed  the 
train  and  was  compelled  to  follow  the  next  day.  Mr.  Guston  said  that 
upon  their  arrival  at  the  Indian  Grove  ranch,  which  Wagner  claims 
to  have  bought  from  S.  B.  Parkins  some  time  ago,  they  discovered 
that  the  alleged  rich  mines  are  a  myth.  No  assessment  had  ever  been 
attempted  upon  any  of  the  forty-three  claims  located,  except  the  one 
called  the  Mena,  and  that  has  a  hole  lo  or  12  feet  deep,  and  it  is  al- 
leged that  the  rock  taken  from  this  so-called  shaft  does  not  contain 
a  bit  more  mineral  than  the  surrounding  country  rock." 

When  the  party  arrived,  Wagner  was  not  at  home.  He  had  been 
accused  of  dishonesty  the  day  before  by  Dr.  Pringle,  whom  he  had 
tricked  along  with  the  rest,  and  he  had  also  heard  that  a  mining 
expert  was  on  his  way  from  Deadwood  to  investigate  the  mines.  The 
man  who  had  loaned  him  some  of  the  money  he  had  been  using  in  his 
scheme  was  sending  the  expert  before  advancing  any  more.  In  the 
face  of  the  imminent  exposure,  Wagner  took  his  best  horse,  his  rifle, 
and  all  the  cash  he  had  and  departed.  He  had  not  paid  his  miners  a 
cent  of  wages  and  they  were  stranded  in  Casper  until  advanced 
money  to  proceed  to  Deadwood. 

The  ore  that  had  been  taken  to  Deadw^ood  for  an  assay  was  gen- 
uine rich  ore  and  the  assay  was  honest.  It  had  not  been  mined  from 
the  Wagner  claims,  however,  but  had  been  brought  over  from  the 
Ferris  mines.  The  rich  ore  lying  about  the  Mena  mine  was  from  the 
same  place.  Wagner  had  practiced  the  old  "salting"  trick,  but  he 
did  not  even  take  the  trouble  to  do  it  carefully.  The  people  were  ripe 
and  ready  to  be  picked  and  he  found  the  picking  good.  The  ore 
inside  the  shaft  was  worthless,  and  did  not  show  even  a  trace  of  gold. 

Wagner  left  with  several  thousand  dollars,  but  he  did  not  reap 
the  enormous  sums  he  hoped  for.  However,  if  he  had  not  been  inter- 
rupted for  a  few  more  months,  he  no  doubt  would  have  made  a  much 
richer  haul. 

The  Rainmaking  Fake 

Mining  fakes  were  not  the  only  means  of  extracting  the  coin  of 
the  realm  from  the  innocent  and  unsuspecting  public  thirty  years 
ago  any  more  than  today,  but  there  are  now  new  modes  of  procedure. 
In  those  days,  we  had  the  rainmaker  faker. 

On  August  6,  1891,  Frank  Melbourn  of  Canton,  Ohio,  the  world- 
renowned  and  original  rainmaker,  arrived  in  Casper  under  contract 
to  produce  numerous  showers.   He  claimed  to  produce  rain  by  means 


BRIDGES    ACROSS    THE    PLATTE    RIVER  IO9 

of  a  mechanical  device  which  he  had  invented  and  which  the  pubHc 
was  not  permitted  to  see.  He  set  up  his  apparatus  Saturday  night  and 
Sunday  there  was  a  rainfall  of  only  a  few  minutes.  The  dust  was  not 
settled  by  the  "downpour,"  but  Melbourn  and  his  friends  were  highly 
elated  over  his  success.  He  announced  that  the  following  Sunday  he 
would  have  it  rain  a-plenty,  but  again  only  a  few  drops  fell.  When 
asked  the  cause  of  the  light  rain,  Melbourn  said  he  did  not  desire  to 
make  it  rain  very  hard  as  he  wanted  to  see  the  base  ball  game,  and 
a  heavy  rain  would,  of  course,  prevent  the  game.  Melbourn  was  a 
great  lover  of  all  kinds  of  sports  and  said  he  did  not  want  to  interfere 
with  them.  He  turned  on  the  machine  Friday  evening  and  kept  it 
running  until  early  Saturday  evening  when,  by  the  condition  of  the 
atmosphere,  he  saw  that  the  operations  had  been  successful  and  that 
rain  was  coming.  He  then  turned  off  the  machine  and  relied  on  the 
work  already  performed  to  bring  the  desired  result.  But  the  rain 
failed  to  come  and  Melbourn  left  town. 

From  Casper  he  went  to  Cheyenne,  where  he  set  up  his  machine 
in  a  barn  loft.  Several  days  after  the  mysterious  machine  was  in 
operation  there  was  a  light  shower,  which  lasted  about  fifteen  min- 
utes, but  an  hour  later  the  heavens  were  suddenly  overcast  with 
clouds  and  the  windows  of  heaven  were  opened  and  the  waters  of  the 
flood  were  upon  the  earth  and  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep  came 
forth  and  the  parched  earth  was  soaked.  Some  people  in  Cheyenne 
were  still  skeptical  and  after  a  week's  rest  Melbourn  again  turned  on 
his  machine  and  again  there  was  a  heavy  fall  of  moisture. 

The  next  summer  was  an  unusually  dry  one  in  Wyoming  and 
some  of  the  people  sent  for  Melbourn.  He  took  his  machine  to  the 
dome  of  the  capitol  building  and  two  days  after  it  had  been  put  in 
operation  there  was  a  heavy  rain  on  Horse  creek,  a  light  rain  in 
Rawlins,  and  a  fairly  good  downpour  near  Uva,  but  none  in  Cheyenne. 
Melbourn  claimed  the  credit  for  the  rain  at  these  points,  but  the 
people  refused  to  pay  him  for  his  efforts  and  he  packed  up  his  machine 
and  went  to  Kansas  where  the  people  were  in  great  distress  on  ac- 
count of  the  lack  of  moisture.  Melbourn  reaped  a  rich  harvest  there, 
but  the  farmers  failed  in  their  crops  because  of  the  failure  of  Mel- 
bourn's  rainmaking  machine  to  make  good. 

After  that,  there  was  no  profit  in  the  rainmaking  business  and 
that  was  the  last  that  was  heard  of  it  in  Wyoming. 

Bridges  Across  the  Platte  River 

The  first  bridge  built  across  the  North  Platte  river  in  this  part 
of  the  country  was  constructed  in  1854  and  '55,  by  John  Reshaw,  or 


no  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Richard,  a  French-Canadian.  The  structure  was  built  of  logs,  and  it 
was  located  about  three  miles  east  from  where  Casper  now  is  situated, 
being  a  short  distance  east  from  the  W.  T.  Evans  ranch.  Reshaw's 
little  cabin,  blacksmith  shop  and  a  few  other  buildings  were  located 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river  and  he  did  a  thriving  business  in  the 
spring  and  summer  when  the  water  in  the  river  was  high.  For  cross- 
ing the  bridge  he  made  his  own  price,  which  the  emigrants  were 
compelled  to  pay.  He  usually  charged  ^5.00  for  a  team  and  wagon 
to  go  over  his  bridge.  If  the  water  in  the  stream  was  so  low  that  the 
emigrants  would  take  a  chance  in  swimming  their  animals  across, 
Reshaw  would  reduce  the  price  to  $3.00  and  sometimes  he  would 
charge  only  $2 .  00.  From  fifty  cents  to  one  dollar  was  charged  for  each 
person  to  go  across,  and  for  each  animal  that  crossed  over  the  bridge 
not  included  with  the  team  hitched  to  the  wagon,  the  same  charge  was 
made  as  for  a  person.  Reshaw  generally  received  gold  as  his  toll.  He 
had  no  difficulty  in  securing  all  the  furniture  and  other  household 
necessities  he  required  from  the  emigrants,  who  generally  overloaded 
their  wagons  when  they  started  from  the  east,  and  if  they  had  not  dis- 
carded it  along  the  trail  before  they  reached  the  Reshaw  bridge,  they 
willingly  gave  him  the  luggage  that  was  proving  a  burden  and  would 
necessarily  have  to  be  discarded  before  they  crossed  the  mountains. 

Reshaw  was  married  to  a  squaw,  and  five  or  six  children  were 
born,  several  of  whom  are  yet  living  (1922).  Mrs.  Bateese  Pourrier, 
whose  home  is  at  Manderson,  S.  D.,  is  one  of  the  daughters  of  the 
Reshaws,  and  she  returned  to  Casper  in  191 8,  and  in  company  with 
James  H.  Bury,  made  a  visit  to  the  spot  where  the  bridge  spanned 
the  river,  and  pointed  out  to  him  where  their  little  home,  the  black- 
smith shop  and  a  number  of  other  small  buildings  were  located.  Mrs. 
Pourrier  was  also  familiar  with  the  location  of  the  buildings,  the 
bridge,  etc.,  located  at  Fort  Caspar,  having  lived  in  this  part  of  the 
country  until  1867. 

The  Reshaw  bridge  was  burned  by  the  Indians  in  1867,  and  a 
short  time  after  its  destruction  Reshaw  and  his  family  moved  to 
what  was  then  known  as  the  Red  Cloud  agency  on  the  White  river, 
east  from  Fort  Laramie.  In  1875  Reshaw  and  Al  Palladie  were  shot 
and  killed  at  Running  Water  Crossing,  which  was  between  the  Red 
Cloud  Agency  and  Fort  Laramie.  Reshaw  was  supposed  to  have  had 
a  considerable  amount  of  money  with  him.  Suspicion  pointed  toward 
a  man  who  was  known  by  the  name  of  "California  Joe,"  as  the  mur- 
derer, and  the  Indians  were  not  long  in  avenging  the  death  of  the 
two  men  by  killing  Joe. 

There  is  a  legend  in  connection  with  the  Reshaw  bridge,  or  the 
Guinard   bridge,  the  latter  being  commonly  known   as  the   Platte 


BRIDGES    ACROSS    THE    PLATTE    RIVER  III 

bridge,  to  the  effect  that  the  owner,  after  having  accumulated  con- 
siderable wealth,  became  mentally  unbalanced,  and  one  moonlight 
night  filled  his  pockets  with  gold  dust,  went  out  on  the  bridge  and 
exclaimed:  "You  have  given  me  all  my  wealth;  I  now  give  back  to 
you  a  tithe!"   And  then  he  cast  handfuls  of  gold  into  the  water. 

Mrs.  Pourrier  says  her  father  never  did  anything  like  that,  there- 
fore it  must  have  been  Louis  Guinard  of  the  Platte  bridge.  The  story 
has  been  often  told,  and  it  being  too  good  to  be  declared  a  canard,  and 
there  being  no  one  to  deny  that  Guinard  did  it,  the  legend  must  stand, 
and  Mr.  Louis  Guinard,  who  built  the  Platte  bridge,  directly  north 
of  Fort  Caspar,  shall  have  the  credit  for  having  thus  disposed  of 
a  tenth  of  his  wealth  which  he  gained  by  overcharging  the  poor  emi- 
grants for  crossing  his  bridge,  which,  in  this  age,  would  be  termed 
profiteering.  Therefore  it  would  seem  that  in  those  days  human 
nature  was  just  about  the  same  as  it  is  in  this  year  of  our  Lord,  one 
thousand  nine  hundred  and  twenty-three,  in  regard  to  charging  ex- 
cessive prices.  But,  withal,  it  must  be  noted  that  there  has  been  some 
change,  for  there  is  no  record  of  the  profiteers  nowadays  returning  a 
tithe  of  their  wealth  from  whence  it  came,  or  even  casting  bread 
upon  the  water,  as  they  should  have  been  taught  to  do. 

The  Platte  bridge,  built  by  Louis  Guinard  during  the  fall  and 
winter  of  1858-9,  which  was  located  about  one  and  one-half  miles 
west  from  Casper,  is  said  to  have  cost  $60,000  in  its  building.  Con- 
cerning this  bridge  and  others  in  this  part  of  the  country  we  quote 
from  Coutant's  History  of  Wyoming: 

"  Early  in  the  fifties  Louis  Guinard  built  a  toll  bridge  on  the  Sweetwater  river, 
a  short  distance  below  Independence  Rock,  and  during  the  seasons  of  high  water  he 
did  a  paying  business.  He  had  a  sort  of  sliding  scale  of  prices,  intended  to  be  adjusted 
to  the  flood  in  the  river.  If  the  stream  was  running  very  high  he  charged  $10.00  for  a 
wagon  and  its  teams.  If  the  water  was  lower  the  charge  was  $5.00,  and  he  also  had  a 
$3.00  rate.  Guinard  was  a  French  Canadian  and  had  a  squaw  for  a  wife,  with  whom  he 
lived  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  had  two  nephews,  half-breeds,  who  lived  with 
him.  As  has  been  related,  the  Mormons,  in  1847,  established  a  ferry  for  their  own  con- 
venience on  the  North  Platte,  where  Fort  Caspar  was  afterwards  built.  This  ferry  was 
kept  up  for  a  number  of  years,  but  there  was  always  difficulty  in  keeping  track  of  the 
boat.  Mormon  emigrants  were  instructed  before  leaving  the  east  to  build  a  raft  at 
this  ferry  in  the  event  of  their  being  unable  to  find  the  regular  boat.  About  the  time 
the  bridge  on  the  Sweetwater  was  built,  John  Reshaw,  or  Richard,  bridged  the  North 
Platte  at  a  point  several  miles  below  the  Mormon  ferry.  He  did  a  good  business  there, 
but  was  much  annoyed  because  people  refused  to  pay  his  prices  and  went  up  to  the 
ferry  and  crossed  somehow,  either  in  a  boat  or  on  a  raft.  In  those  days  the  horses  were 
driven  across  the  ford,  but  the  wagons  were  carried  over  on  the  improvised  ferry  boat, 
also  the  people  and  their  eflPects.  At  last  some  one  put  in  a  good  boat  and  stretched  a 
rope  across  the  stream,  establishing  a  regular  boat  and  ferry.  This  was  too  much  for 
Reshaw.  He  stormed,  roared,  and  finally  gave  the  parties  running  the  ferry  $300  to 
stop  business.  He  did  not,  however,  purchase  the  ferry  boat  and  rope,  but  he  had 
secured  the  traffic  for  his  bridge.  W.  H.  Carmichael,  who  now  resides  at  Wheatland, 
passed  over  the  Overland  trail  in  1859,  being  one  of  the  company  going  to  California. 
The  train  was  a  large  one,  and  when  it  reached  Reshaw's  bridge,  the  leader  entered 


112  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

into  negotiations  with  Reshaw  for  crossing.  The  price  was  fixed  at  $2.50  per  wagon 
and  the  emigrants  made  up  their  minds  they  could  do  better  by  going  to  the  ferry. 
Reshaw  informed  them  that  the  ferry  was  a  thing  of  the  past  and  no  longer  existed,  but 
the  leader  of  the  train  did  not  choose  to  believe  a  statement  that  was  made  so  clearly 
in  the  interest  of  the  toll-bridge  keeper,  and  consequently  he  proposed  to  go  on  up  to 
the  ferry.  Reshaw  then  notified  him  that  if  he  persisted  in  going  on,  he  would  be 
obliged  to  come  back  and  cross  the  bridge  at  last,  and  if  he  did  return,  double 
price  would  be  charged,  that  is,  ^5.00  a  wagon.  On  went  the  train  toward  the  ferry, 
and  on  arriving  there  they  found  the  rope  down  and  the  ferry  boat  moored  on  the 
opposite  side.  The  water  was  high,  but  a  man  was  placed  on  a  horse  and  took  a  rope 
across.  After  considerable  delay  and  no  little  hard  work,  the  ferry  was  re-established 
and  the  families,  teams  and  goods  were  rapidly  transferred  to  the  north  bank  of  the 
river.  All  but  four  teams  had  been  taken  over  when  Reshaw,  accompanied  by  three 
men,  all  heavily  armed,  put  in  an  appearance,  and  seeing  the  situation,  his  indignation 
knew  no  bounds.  He  abused  and  threatened  those  on  shore,  remarking  that  he  had 
influence  with  the  Indians  and  would  see  to  it  that  they  followed  the  train  and  despoiled 
the  emigrants  of  all  they  possessed.  George  Morris,  one  of  the  emigrants,  refused  to 
be  bulldozed,  and  drawing  a  revolver,  covered  Reshaw  with  it  and  ordered  him  to  get 
in  the  boat  and  accompany  a  load  that  was  going  across,  informing  him  at  the  same 
time  that  he  would  stand  no  more  of  his  abuse,  but  that  he  might  make  his  complaint 
to  the  leader  of  the  train,  who  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  Reshaw  went  over, 
and  when  he  reached  the  other  side  of  the  river  he  burst  out  anew  and  fairly  astonished 
the  people  of  the  train  with  his  violent  language.  It  so  happened  that  the  parties  to 
the  dispute  were  standing  near  a  wagon  which  was  occupied  by  a  sick  man.  Reshaw 
heard  the  click  of  the  rifle  as  it  was  cocked,  and  looking  around  to  see  where  it  came 
from,  discovered  that  the  invalid  had  him  covered  with  his  rifle  and  seemed  to  be  fully 
determined  to  hold  his  advantage.  This  brought  an  end  to  the  scene  and  Reshaw  and 
his  armed  ruffians  started  back  down  the  river,  but  with  a  parting  malediction  on  the 
heads  of  the  emigrants,  threatening  them  with  500  savages,  who  at  his  bidding  would 
capture  the  train,  scalp  the  people  and  run  off  their  stock.  He  then  left,  amid  the  jeers 
of  the  party.  As  soon  as  he  had  departed,  a  subscription  was  taken  up  and  $25.00 
raised  and  paid  to  the  owner  of  the  boat  for  its  use.  The  train  now  proceeded  on  to  the 
west.  Reshaw's  threat  was  not  carried  out,  as  no  Indians  followed  or  disturbed  the 
emigrants. 

"The  Platte  bridge  was  the  most  notable  structure  of  its  kind  in  this  part  of  the 
country  in  early  times.  It  was  finished,  it  was  said,  at  a  cost  of  $60,000.  It  was  of 
cedar  logs,  built  on  cribs  filled  with  stone  and  made  to  resist  the  current  of  the  river  and 
time.  Martin  Oliver  of  Casper,  who,  when  he  first  came  to  the  country,  worked  on  the 
bridge,  says  that  it  was  commonly  reported  that  Guinard  came  from  the  Sweetwater 
with  $30,000  in  cash,  and  this  sum  he  put  in  the  new  bridge  before  it  was  completed, 
and  that  he  spent  every  year  large  sums  in  building  new  piers  and  structural  work. 
This,  then,  is  the  $60,000  which  the  bridge  is  said  to  have  cost." 

The  Indians  set  fire  to  this  bridge  and  it  was  entirely  destroyed 
shortly  after  the  fort  was  abandoned,  in  1867.  Evidence  of  this  old 
bridge  is  yet  very  plain  on  either  side  of  the  river,  where,  on  the  south 
side,  there  are  seventeen  stone  piers,  which  were  used  to  fill  the  log 
cribs  that  were  built  to  support  the  structure  and  resist  the  current 
of  the  river.  On  the  north  bank  of  the  stream,  about  two  hundred 
yards  west  from  the  town  of  Mills,  there  is  one  stone  pier,  or  pile  of 
rock,  which  is  visible  only  when  the  water  is  low. 

A  man  named  Guinard  worked  on  a  ranch  in  Bates  Park  during 
the  summer  of  191 1,  and  he  said  that  Louis  Guinard  was  his  uncle. 
"My  uncle  and  my  father  went  out  on  the  bridge  one  night  to  have  a 
talk,"  he  said,  "and  my  uncle  'fell'  over  into  the  water  and  was 


BRIDGES    ACROSS    THE    PLATTE    RIVER  II3 

drowned.  My  father  then  took  charge  of  the  store  at  the  trading 
post  nearby  the  fort,  which  was  owned  by  uncle,  and  he  also  took  all 
of  his  other  property.  My  father  was  not  married  at  that  time,  but  a 
few  years  later  he  married  a  squaw,  and  a  number  of  children  were 
born."  The  man  who  told  the  story  was  one  of  the  offspring  of  this 
marriage,  and  judging  from  the  acts  of  lawlessness  he  committed,  the 
disregard  of  the  rights  of  others  was  handed  down  from  sire  to  son, 
and  the  father  was  no  doubt  capable  of  causing  his  brother  to  "fall" 
over  the  bridge  and  drown  in  the  river.  The  story  of  the  "accident" 
which  occurred  on  this  bridge  has  been  confirmed  by  men  who  were 
in  this  part  of  the  country  at  the  time,  but  as  there  were  no  courts  of 
law  here  at  the  time,  and  as  there  was  no  way  of  proving  that  Louis 
Guinard  did  not  fall  off  the  bridge,  nothing  was  ever  done  about  the 
matter,  except  to  make  a  search  for  the  body,  which  was  never  found, 
but  after  several  months  one  of  the  high-top  leather  boots  he  wore 
was  found  and  part  of  the  man's  leg  and  foot  were  in  it.  These  were 
given  to  his  squaw  wife  who  hung  up  the  boot  and  its  contents  in  one 
of  the  rooms  of  her  cabin  and  for  many  months  mourned  over  it  in 
the  regular  Indian  fashion. 

The  fact  that  Guinard's  squaw  wife  did  not  take  possession  of 
her  husband's  property  after  his  death  may  seem  strange,  but  in 
those  days  the  squaw  wife  had  very  few  rights  and  privileges  even 
while  her  husband  was  living,  and  none  at  all  after  his  death. 

During  the  winter  of  1888-9  the  Northwestern  Railway  company 
built  a  wagon  bridge  across  the  Platte  river  about  a  mile  west  from 
Casper,  for  the  convenience  of  the  stockmen  and  ranchmen  in  this 
part  of  the  country  who  shipped  their  stock  to  market  from  this 
point.  This  bridge  was  built  of  piling  and  plank,  and  after  it  was 
completed  was  turned  over  to  the  county  free  of  charge,  with  the 
provision  that  the  county  should  keep  it  in  repair.  Every  year  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  money  was  expended  for  repairs  on  this  bridge, 
and  in  1919  the  necessity  for  a  new  bridge  was  realized,  when  on 
February  12  a  count  of  the  vehicles  and  horses  was  made  that  crossed 
the  structure  in  eight  hours  and  it  was  found  that  ninety-one  auto 
trucks,  seventy-five  wagons,  230  head  of  horses  and  121  passenger 
automobiles  passed  over.  The  new  concrete  bridge,  immediately 
west  from  the  old  bridge  built  by  the  railroad  company,  was  commenced 
in  the  fall  of  1919  and  was  completed  in  August,  1920.  The  concrete 
bridge  across  Casper  creek,  only  a  short  distance  west  from  the  river 
bridge,  was  built  at  the  same  time,  the  cost  of  the  two  bridges  being 
^90,000,  the  expense  being  divided  between  Natrona  county,  the 
Wyoming  State  Highway  association  and  the  Midwest  Refining 
company.    The  river  bridge  consists  of  ten  forty-four  foot  spans  and 


114  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  Casper  creek  bridge  has  a  170-foot  span.  The  old  plank  bridge 
built  by  the  railway  company  was  torn  down  during  the  winter  of 
1921. 

During  the  summer  of  1922  a  plan  was  devised  by  the  Casper 
Chamber  of  Commerce  whereby  the  new  bridge  should  be  lighted 
during  the  night  time,  by  eleven  pedestal  or  standard  lamps  on  each 
side  of  the  bridge,  the  current  for  which  is  furnished  by  the  Standard 
Oil  company  and  the  civic  organizations  of  Casper.  Each  furnished 
one  standard  with  a  name  plate  on  each  pedestal.  The  organizations 
which  furnished  the  pedestals  are  the  Natrona  County  Pioneer 
association,  St.  Mark's  Episcopal  guild,  Casper  Lodge  No.  15,  A.  F. 
&  A.  M.,  Casper  Volunteer  Fire  department.  City  of  Casper,  Natrona 
County  Woolgrowers'  association,  Casper  Civic  club,  I.  O.  O.  F. 
lodge,  Spanish  War  Veterans,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Redmen 
lodge.  Knights  of  Columbus,  Boy  Scouts,  American  Legion,  Elks' 
lodge.  Rotary  club,  Daughters  of  American  Revolution,  Kiwanis 
club.  Lions  club,  Casper  Women's  club,  Order  of  Eastern  Star,  and 
the  Business  and  Professional  Women's  Club  of  Casper. 

The  Bessemer  bridge  across  the  Platte  river  was  built  in  1889 
by  the  Wyoming  Improvement  company.  The  bridge  across  the 
river  at  Alcova  was  built  in  1894,  and  the  government  bridge  across 
the  Platte  was  built  in  1905  when  the  Pathfinder  dam  was  being 
built.  Several  bridges  have  been  built  across  the  Sweetwater,  one  in 
1894  by  C.  R.  Countryman  and  the  latest  one  being  built  immediately 
west  from  Independence  Rock  in  1920.  The  Chicago  &  Northwestern 
Railway  company  and  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway 
company  each  have  bridges  across  the  river  at  Casper,  and  the 
Midwest  Refining  company  and  the  Standard  Oil  company  have 
bridged  the  river  a  number  of  places  immediately  west  from  Casper, 
until  now  bridges  across  the  river  are  not  given  a  thought,  but  in  the 
early  days,  even  since  Natrona  county  was  organized,  the  river 
bridges  at  Alcova,  Bessemer  and  Casper  were  considered  of  vast  and 
vital  importance. 


Casper  Village,  Town  and  City 

THE  first  buildings  to  be  erected  in  Casper  were  put  up  during 
the  month  of  June,  1888.  They  were  located  on  a  strip  of 
ground  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  from  where  the 
Natrona  county  court  house  now  stands,  the  exact  locality  being  be- 
tween First  and  A  streets,  and  between  McKinley  and  Jefferson. 
There  were  not  more  than  a  dozen  business  buildings  on  this  spot,  half 
of  which  were  facing  south  and  the  other  half  looking  to  the  north. 

The  main  street,  running  east  and  west,  was  less  than  500  feet  in 
length.  This  was  the  business  section  of  the  town,  the  residence  por- 
tion being  composed  of  a  few  tents  that  were  put  up  in  the  immediate 
rear  of  the  business  houses.  All  these  buildings  were  but  temporary 
structures,  being  erected  in  which  to  transact  business  only  until  the 
permanent  site  for  the  town  could  be  surveyed  and  platted  by  the 
Pioneer  Townsite  company,  this  company  being  virtually  the  land 
department  of  the  Fremont,  Elkhorn  and  Missouri  Valley  Railway 
company. 

The  material  used  in  the  construction  of  most  of  the  buildings 
was  rough  boards,  hauled  down  from  the  saw  mill,  which  was  located 
on  Casper  mountain,  the  roofs  of  the  buildings  were  corrugated  iron 
and  the  flooring  of  most  of  them  was  just  plain  gumbo  with  the  sage- 
brush and  cactus  cleared  oflF.  There  were  a  few  who  carried  on  their 
business  in  tents.  Although  the  population  of  the  village  was  less 
than  one  hundred,  it  contained  several  general  merchandise  stores,  a 
drug  store,  hotels,  restaurants,  and  saloons.  The  old-time  residents 
refer  to  this  as  "tent  town,"  or  "old  town." 

Cowboys  and  Indians  were  Casper's  most  numerous  and  fre- 
quent visitors  in  those  days.  When  the  cowboys  came  in  there  was 
always  a  lively  time.  They  spent  their  money  freely  at  the  stores  and 
over  the  bar,  and  when  their  systems  became  sufficiently  saturated 
with  "forty-rod"  whiskey,  they  were  allowed  to  whoop  and  yell,  howl 
and  fight  and  shoot,  and  no  one  would  say  them  nay.  They  came  to 
town  to  have  a  time;  they  paid  for  it,  and  everybody  felt  they  were 
entitled  to  all  the  pleasure  they  could  get  out  of  it.  Two  or  three  days 
was  about  as  long  as  any  of  the  cowboys  remained  in  town,  for  at  the 
end  of  that  time  their  money  was  gone  and  they  were  probably  in 
debt;  they  had  been  sufficiently  entertained,  and  their  physical 
condition  craved  the  open  range  and  pure,  fresh  air. 


Il6  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Among  the  people  who  were  in  business  in  the  "old  town"  and 
who  are  yet  residents  of  the  city  of  Casper  are  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  and 
A.  J.  Cunningham.  Mrs.  E.  C.  Jameson,  who  is  living  on  her  ranch 
in  the  Ervay  country,  was  also  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  old  town. 
Many  of  the  cowboys  who  were  in  this  part  of  the  country  at  that 
time  have  since  become  residents  of  the  town. 

The  first  railway  train  arrived  in  Casper  on  June  15,  1888,  and 
this  event  was  the  occasion  for  a  celebration  by  the  residents  and 
visitors  long  to  be  remembered  and  never  to  be  regretted.  The  present 
town  site  had  not  yet  been  surveyed  when  the  railroad  was  built  in, 
and  it  was  in  the  late  fall  of  1888  before  any  of  the  lots  were  sold,  and 
none  of  the  business  houses  were  moved  from  the  "old  town"  to  their 
permanent  location  until  about  the  middle  of  November  of  that  year. 
The  land  department  of  the  Fremont,  Elkhorn,  and  Missouri  Valley 
Railway  company  had  entered  into  an  agreement  with  J.  M.  Carey 
&  Brother  to  the  effect  that  the  Pioneer  Townsite  company  and  the 
Carey  company  were  to  own  every  alternate  lot  in  the  town,  and  in- 
stead of  advertising  Casper  extensively  in  the  east,  and  running  ex- 
cursion trains  to  this  point  and  selling  the  lots  at  auction,  as  had  been 
the  custom  of  the  railway  company  in  all  the  new  towns  along  the 
line,  the  lots  in  Casper  were  sold  at  private  sale,  and  at  a  very  reason- 
able price,  and  for  this,  as  well  as  several  other  reasons,  it  was  ex- 
pected that  the  road  would  be  extended  at  once  to  a  point  west  from 
here.  The  town  of  Bessemer,  fifteen  miles  northwest,  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  had  been  assured  that  the  road  would  be  extended  to 
that  point,  but  it  was  not  extended  and  Casper  was  the  terminus  from 
1888  until  1905,  when  work  was  commenced  to  extend  the  road  to 
Lander,  the  present  terminus. 

The  prospects  for  Casper  in  the  early  days  to  grow  beyond  a 
shambling,  temporary  frontier  village  were  anything  but  inviting. 
Nearly  all  that  portion  of  land  north  from  the  Northwestern  railway, 
between  Midwest  avenue  and  A  street,  north  and  south,  and  Ash  and 
Beech  streets,  east  and  west,  was  but  sand  and  sagebrush,  and  this 
was  the  spot  selected  for  the  townsite.  A  part  of  this  sand  and  sage- 
brush flat  is  where  the  largest  buildings  in  the  city  are  now  located, 
and  some  of  the  vacant  lots  are  now  being  sold  as  high  as  ^1,000  per 
front  foot,  while  others,  in  the  heart  of  the  business  section,  could  not 
be  bought  for  twice  that  amount. 

The  first  business  lot  to  be  sold  in  Casper  was  lot  13,  in  block  8, 
which  is  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Second  avenue  and  Center  street, 
where  the  Stockmen's  National  bank  is  located.  Nathan  S.  Bristol 
was  the  purchaser,  and  on  this  lot  he  put  up  a  frame  building  25x50 
ieet,  in  which  he  carried  a  stock  of  groceries  and  a  line  of  grain  and 


Sol  iH   SiDH  UK  Main  Strkkt  in   1888— "Old  Town"  ok  C'xsi 


Mk 


...^ 


North  Sidk  ok  Main  Street  in  1888 — "Old  Town"  ok  Caspi 


CASPER    VILLAGE,    TOWN    AND    CITY  II7 

stock  feed.  The  employees  of  the  store  slept  in  this  building,  and  for 
the  first  year  or  more  their  bed  was  surrounded  with  sacks  of  grain 
and  flour  to  protect  them  from  the  bullets  which  were  fired  in  the 
night  time  by  some  of  the  cowboys  who  often  came  in  from  the  range 
to  celebrate. 

The  first  building  to  be  moved  from  the  old  town  to  the  platted 
town  was  Robert  White's  saloon,  which  was  located  on  the  first  lot 
south  of  the  Grand  Central  hotel  building.  When  the  town  was  three 
months  old,  the  followmg-named  firms  were  engaged  in  business  here: 
C.  H.  King  &  Co.,  general  merchandise,  A.  J.  Cunningham,  manager; 
N.  S.  Bristol  &  Co.,  general  merchandise,  W.  A.  Denecke,  manager; 
A.  McKinney,  groceries,  Peter  O'M alley,  manager;  Wyoming  Lumber 
company,  George  Mitchell,  manager;  Metcalf  &  Williams,  clothing 
and  men's  furnishings,  J.  E.  (Humpy)  Evans,  manager;  Bank  of 
Casper,  George  Weber,  cashier;  Pioneer  Drug  Store,  owned  by  C.  F. 
G.  Bostleman;  M.  D.  Clark's  candy  store,  harness  shop  and  restau- 
rant combined;  Casper  Weekly  Mail,  Lombard  and  Casebeer,  publish- 
ers; C.  K.  Bucknum,  livery  stable;  Jameson  &  Eads,  livery;  Adams  & 
Williams,  livery;  O'Neall  &  Co.,  hardware;  Graham  House,  David 
Graham,  proprietor;  Wentworth  House,  R.  A.  Parks,  proprietor; 
Mrs.  P.  A.  Demorest,  restaurant;  John  Hogadone,  restaurant;  Mrs. 
Hanagan,  restaurant;  Mrs.  Belle  Clark,  restaurant;  C.  C.  Wright, 
attorney;  B.  F.  Emery,  attorney  and  justice  of  peace;  J.  W.  Van  Leer 
and  Dr.  J.  Benson,  jewelers,  doctor  and  barbers;  Matt  Campfield, 
barber;  Robinson  &  Osborne,  carpenters;  E.  Erben,  carpenter;  John 
Merritt  and  J.  W.  Spragur,  dealers  in  oil  land;  Joe  Dolis,  shoe  repair 
shop;  Dan  Howe,  painter;  McNair  &  Co.,  meat  market;  P.  Hanahan, 
dray;  the  Stock  Exchange,  P.  C.  Nicolaysen,  proprietor;  Robert 
White's  saloon.  There  were  four  saloons  in  the  town,  but  the  names 
of  all  the  proprietors  are  not  obtainable.  John  Merritt  was  the  first 
peace  officer,  being  deputy  sheriff  of  Carbon  county,  Natrona  county 
not  yet  having  been  segregated  from  Carbon.  James  A.  Hartman 
was  the  first  postmaster. 

There  were  no  buildings  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  North- 
western railway  tracks  for  nearly  ten  years  after  the  town  lots  were 
first  platted,  except  Oscar  Hiestand's  residence,  which  was  con- 
structed in  1896.  This  is  the  residence  on  south  Center  street,  two  lots 
north  from  the  Catholic  church.  A  great  many  people  who  contracted 
for  lots  on  that  side  of  the  track,  in  the  belief  and  hope  that  the  town 
would  grow  and  expand  very  rapidly,  in  a  few  years  turned  them 
back  to  the  original  owners,  before  they  were  fully  paid  for.  In  the 
summer  of  1898,  however,  there  were  a  few  dwellings  built  on  the 
south  side,  and  in  '99  there  were  more.    Since  that  time  there  has  been 


Il8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

an  increased  demand  for  the  lots,  and  today  it  is  the  most  desirable 
residence  section  of  the  city  with  its  several  thousand  beautiful  and 
costly  homes. 

On  the  9th  of  April,  1889,  application  was  made  in  the  following 
form  to  have  the  town  of  Casper  incorporated: 

"Application  for  Incorporation 

"Notice  Is  hereby  given  that  I  will  make  application  for  the  incorporation  of  the 
Town  of  Casper,  before  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Carbon  county,  at  their 
regular  May  meeting,  to  be  held  at  Rawlins,  on  the  6th  day  of  May,  A.D.  1889,  or  as 
soon  thereafter  as  I  can  be  heard.  The  said  incorporation  of  the  Town  of  Casper  shall 
comprise  two  square  miles,  being  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  line  running  east  and 
west  through  the  center  of  sections  three,  four  and  five;  on  the  south  by  the  line  run- 
ning east  and  west  through  the  center  of  sections  eight,  nine  and  ten;  and  on  the  west 
by  the  line  running  north  and  south  through  the  center  of  sections  nine  and  ten;  all  in 
township  thirty-three,  north  of  range  seventy-nine,  west,  comprising  the  following  legal 
subdivisions,  to-wit: 

"The  southwest  quarter  of  section  three,  and  the  south  half  of  section  four,  and 
the  southeast  quarter  of  section  five,  and  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  eight,  and 
the  north  half  of  section  nine,  and  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  ten;  all  in  township 
thirty-three,  north  of  range  seventy-nine,  west  of  the  sixth  parallel  meridian. 

"  (Signed)  JOHN  MERRITT,  Applicant. 
"Dated  this  9th  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1889." 

That  the  application  of  Mr.  Merritt  was  favorably  acted  upon 
by  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Carbon  county  is  evident 
from  the  order  made  by  that  body  which  is  as  follows: 

"ORDER 

"Of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners  of  Carbon  County,  Wyoming. 

"Petition  for  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Casper  presented. 

"The  law  having  been  fully  complied  with,  governing  the  incorporation  of  towns, 
it  is  hereby  ordered  and  declared  that  the  following  lands  shall  be  incorporated  as  the 
town  of  Casper: 

"The  southwest  quarter  of  section  three. 

"The  south  half  of  section  four. 

"The  southeast  quarter  of  section  five. 

"The  northeast  quarter  of  section  eight. 

"The  north  half  of  section  nine. 

"The  northwest  quarter  of  section  ten. 

"All  in  township  thirty-three,  north  of  range  seventy-nine,  west  of  the  sixth 
parallel  meridian.  Carbon  county,  Wyoming  Territory,  and  it  is  further  ordered  an 
election  shall  be  held  in  and  for  the  purpose  of  electing  a  town  council  and  other  officers 
as  provided  by  law,  and  said  election  shall  take  place  on  the  second  Monday  of  Julv, 
A.D.  1889,  viz.,  July  8th. 

"John  H.  Adam,  W.  J.  Van  Leer  and  Robert  White  are  hereby  appointed 
inspectors  of  said  election." 

As  soon  as  the  above  order  was  received  a  meeting  of  a  number 
of  influential  citizens  was  held,  and  a  call  for  a  mass  meeting  was 
made,  which  read: 

"The  electors  of  the  village  of  Casper  are  called  to  meet  at  the 
Congregational  Tabernacle  on  Saturday  evening,  July  6,  1889,  to 


1- 


A   Busy   Day  in  thi:  "Oid    I'own"  ok  Caspkr,  \> 


'§mf 


Stork  ok  the   Richards  &  Cunningham  Company,  Cornkr  Center  and 
Second  Streets,  Casper,  1888 


CASPER    VILLAGE,    TOWN    AND    CITY  II9 

nominate  candidates  for  village  officers,  to  be  voted  on  next  Monday, 
Julys." 

The  election  being  held  as  per  the  above  date,  the  following 
named  citizens  were  elected:  George  Mitchell,  mayor;  Robert  White, 
P.  A.  Demorest,  A.  McKinney  and  John  Adam,  councilmen. 

One  hundred  fifteen  votes  were  cast  at  this  first  election  held  in 
the  village  of  Casper. 

The  first  official  act  of  the  village  board  was  the  appointment  of 
Joseph  T.  Graham,  clerk;  A.  J.  Cunningham,  treasurer;  Phil  Watson, 
marshal;  R.  H.  Wilbur,  police  judge;  all  of  whom  took  the  oath  of 
office  on  Thursday  evening,  July  11,  1889.  The  town  clerk  was 
also  the  ex-officio  assessor  and  his  salary  was  fixed  at  $50  per  an- 
num. The  town  marshal  was  also  the  fire  warden  and  street  com- 
missioner and  his  salary  was  placed  at  $75  per  month.  The  town 
attorney's  salary  was  $125  per  annum,  and  the  town  treasurer  re- 
ceived two  and  one-half  per  cent  of  all  the  moneys  covered  into  the 
treasury.  The  salary  of  the  mayor  was  fixed  at  ^50  per  annum  and 
the  members  of  the  town  council  received  $40  per  annum. 

It  was  resolved  that  the  regular  meetings  of  the  council  should 
be  held  the  first  Monday  of  each  month  at  7  o'clock  p.  m.  during  the 
months  of  October,  November,  December,  January,  February,  and 
March,  and  at  8  o'clock  p.  m.  the  other  months  in  the  year,  and  until 
otherwise  directed  the  meetings  of  the  council  should  be  held  in  the 
office  of  the  Wyoming  Lumber  company,  "but  if  inconvenient,  the 
meeting  of  the  town  council  may  be  held  at  any  other  place  in  the 
town  of  Casper  upon  twelve  hours'  notice  being  given  to  each  of  the 
members  of  the  council." 

It  was  ordered  and  determined  that  the  amount  of  the  general 
tax  for  the  current  year,  ending  May  i,  1890,  should  be  $800. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  village  board  was  held  in  the  office  of 
the  Wyoming  Lumber  company  on  Wednesday,  July  10,  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  after  the  officers  above  named  were  ap- 
pointed, resolutions  were  adopted  as  follows: 

"Resolved,  That  the  members  of  this  board  act  in  good  faith, 
without  prejudice  or  partiality." 

"Resolved,  That  inasmuch  as  the  citizens  of  the  town  have  seen 
fit  to  place  us  in  the  honorable  and  responsible  position  of  the  village 
board,  for  the  now  thriving  village  of  Casper,  we  extend  to  them  a 
vote  of  thanks." 

The  first  offender  to  violate  and  feel  the  effects  of  the  village 
ordinance  entitled  "An  ordinance  concerning  the  discharge  of  fire 
arms,  bearing  deadly  weapons,"  etc.,  was  arrested  on  Wednesday, 
July  17,  1889.    The  offender's  name  is  of  no  importance,  but  he  fired 


I20  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

off  a  pistol,  and  before  the  smoke  had  cleared  away,  Marshal  Watson 
arrested  him,  took  him  before  Police  Judge  R.  H.  Wilbur,  and  a  fine 
of  nine  dollars  and  costs  was  imposed. 

At  a  special  meeting  held  July  30,  1889,  Councilmen  White  and 
Adam  were  appointed  a  special  committee  to  select  a  location  for  a 
jail  building  for  the  town  of  Casper,  and  after  due  deliberation  the 
committee  decided  that  the  first  public  building  for  Casper  should 
be  located  on  the  west  end  of  lot  15  in  block  8,  and  a  contract  was 
awarded  to  Robinson  &  Osborne  to  construct  the  jail  building  at  a 
cost  not  to  exceed  $313.95. 

The  street  and  alley  committee  at  this  same  meeting  was  author- 
ized to  expend  not  to  exceed  $200  for  the  improvement  of  streets  and 
cross  walks. 

The  annual  appropriation  for  the  year  ending  May  i,  1890,  was 
for  salaries  of  town  officers,  $1,600;  streets  and  alleys  and  cross  walks, 
$200;  incidental  expenses,  $200;  and  for  a  town  hall,  $2,000;  making 
the  total  annual  appropriation  $4,000. 

Chris  Baysel  was  ordered  to  draw  plans  and  specifications  for  a 
town  hall  and  the  specifications  for  the  second  and  most  important 
public  building  in  the  city  were  as  follows:  "Building  to  be  25  feet 
wide  by  74  feet  long,  12  inch  wall,  16  foot  ceiling,  tin  roof,  galvan- 
ized iron  cornice,  four  windows  on  each  side,  two  large  arch  windows 
in  front,  double  doors,  arch  transom  over  doors,  wainscoting  four 
feet  high.  Building  to  be  plastered  and  painted  in  good  workmanlike 
manner  and  not  to  cost  more  than  two  thousand  dollars." 

These  specifications  were  not  as  specific  as  the  contractors  and 
architects  now  require,  especially  in  the  construction  of  a  public  build- 
ing, and  at  a  subsequent  meeting  of  the  town  council,  when  the  con- 
tractor presented  a  bill  for  extras,  it  will  be  seen  that  either  the  con- 
tractor or  the  town  council  did  not  get  all  that  was  coming  to  them. 
On  April  21,  1890,  Emanuel  Erben  was  awarded  the  contract  for  the 
construction  of  the  town  hall  at  a  cost  of  $1,985.  Brenning  & 
McFarland  were  the  next  lowest  bidders,  their  price  being  $1,998. 

The  second  election  for  town  officers  occurred  on  May  13,  1890. 
It  was  a  bitter  contest  and  W.  E.  Hawley  received  72  votes  for  mayor 
and  J.  J.  Hurt  received  66.  P.  A.  Demorest  and  O.  K.  Garvey  were 
elected  councilmen.  The  first  meeting  of  the  second  council  was  a 
special  which  was  held  at  10:00  a.  m.  May  23,  1890.  W.  E.  Hawley, 
mayor,  and  Robert  White,  P.  A.  Demorest,  O.  K.  Garvey  and  A. 
McKinney,  councilmen,  were  present.  At  this  meeting  P.  A.  Demo- 
rest was  appointed  to  act  as  chairman  of  the  council  for  the  ensuing 
year  in  the  absence  of  the  mayor.  Mayor  Hawley  was  present  at  very 
few  of  the  meetings  of  the  council  during  the  year. 


CASPER    VILLAGE,    TOWN    AND    CITY  121 

At  the  first  regular  meeting  of  the  second  council,  which  was  held 
at  7:30  in  the  evening  of  June  2,  1890,  W.  A.  Denecke  was  appointed 
town  treasurer;  A.  T.  Butler,  town  attorney;  R.  H.  Wilbur,  police 
justice;  Charles  Crow,  town  marshal,  and  H.  A.  Lilly,  town  clerk. 
The  first  special  and  the  first  regular  meetings  of  this  council  were 
held  in  the  rooms  of  the  Natrona  county  board  of  commissioners, 
which  were  located  in  the  building  over  White  &  Company's  saloon, 
but  the  third  meeting,  which  was  held  on  July  7,  1890,  was  in  the  new 
town  hall,  this  being  the  first  meeting  held  in  the  new  public  building. 
At  this  meeting  the  contractor  put  in  a  bill  amounting  to  $49.50  for 
extra  labor  and  material  on  the  town  hall,  but  the  claim  was  disputed. 
Two  of  the  councilmen  favored  the  payment  of  $24.75,  which  was 
half  the  amount  claimed  for  extras,  but  the  other  two  councilmen 
were  in  favor  of  allowing  the  contractor  nothing.  The  $24.75  was 
finally  allowed. 

On  October  8,  1890,  C.  E.  Crow  resigned  as  marshal  of  the  town 
and  William  Hodge  was  appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term. 

At  the  meeting  held  on  October  8,  1890,  it  was  decided  by 
resolution  to  rent  the  town  hall  for  dances  and  theaters,  the  fee  to  be 
$7.00  per  night  during  the  months  of  October,  November,  December, 
January,  February,  and  March,  and  $5  .00  per  night  during  the  other 
months  of  the  year.  Religious  organizations  were  given  the  use  of 
the  hall  free  on  Sundays.  At  an  adjourned  meeting  held  on  October 
9,  an  ordinance  was  enacted  providing  for  a  fine  of  $100  for  any  person 
convicted  of  gambling.  There  were  numerous  open  gambling  houses 
in  the  town  then,  and  the  $100  paid  each  month  was  considered  the 
same  as  a  license.  The  gambling  houses  were  never  disturbed  so  long 
as  they  paid  their  fines  each  month. 

Mayor  Hawley  was  present  at  a  special  meeting  held  on  October 
17,  1890,  this  being  the  second  meeting  at  which  the  mayor  was 
present  since  his  induction  into  office  on  May  23.  Because  of  his  con- 
tinuous absence  an  ordinance  was  adopted  on  November  3,  which 
provided  "that  if  any  member  of  the  town  council  be  absent  from 
three  consecutive  regular  meetings  without  a  reasonable  excuse  his 
office  shall  be  declared  vacant."  In  commenting  upon  the  continuous 
absence  of  the  mayor  which  by  this  time  had  become  a  standing  joke, 
one  ot  the  local  newspapers  said:  "Casper  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
being  a  regularly  organized  and  incorporated  town — yet  a  town  with- 
out a  head.  We've  had  no  mayor  during  the  past  nine  months;  for, 
although  a  gentleman  was  elected  to  that  position  in  the  spring  of 
1890,  he  has  ever  since  been  a  non-resident  of  the  city  and  state,  not- 
withstanding that  in  order  to  secure  his  election  he  pledged  himself 
to  invest  in  a  house  and  maintain  a  residence  in  our  midst." 


122  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

At  this  same  meeting  it  was  recorded  in  the  minutes  that  here- 
after when  reference  was  made  to  the  county  in  which  the  town  of 
Casper  was  located,  the  name  of  "Carbon"  should  be  changed  to 
"Natrona,"  and  the  name,  "Territory  of  Wyoming"  should  be 
changed  to  the  "State  of  Wyoming. " 

The  appropriation  bill  passed  April  17,  1891,  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  town  government  for  the  coming  year  amounted  to  $1,500. 
Thirteen  hundred  dollars  was  for  officers'  salaries,  $100  for  streets 
and  alleys,  and  $100  for  cemetery  purposes. 

The  third  town  election  occurred  in  May,  1891,  and  as  before, 
there  was  a  bitter  contest  between  the  republican  and  democratic 
nominees.  Alexander  McKinney  was  the  republican  nominee  for 
mayor  and  he  received  69  votes,  while  Peter  C.  Nicolaysen  was  the 
democratic  aspirant,  and  he  received  64  votes.  The  vote  on  council- 
men  was:  George  Mitchell,  ']'];  R.  A.  Parks,  38;  H.  L.  Patton,  70; 
E.  N.  Winslow,  68.  At  this  election  the  vote  on  bonds  to  provide 
Casper  with  a  system  of  water  works  was  51  for  the  bonds  and  34 
against. 

The  third  council  was  Alexander  McKinney,  mayor;  George 
Mitchell,  Hugh  L.  Patton,  O.  K.  Garvey  and  Peter  A.  Demorest, 
councilmen.  At  the  first  meeting  of  this  council,  held  June  i,  1891, 
Lew  Seely  was  appointed  marshal;  W.  A.  Denecke,  treasurer;  E.  J. 
Carpenter,  clerk;  A.  T.  Butler,  town  attorney;  and  R.  H.  Wilbur, 
police  justice.  At  the  meeting  held  August  6,  Wilbur  resigned  as 
police  justice,  and  Granville  E.  Butler  was  appointed  to  fill  the  un- 
expired term. 

Nothing  of  importance  except  routine  business  was  transacted 
in  the  council  meetings,  although  the  council  met  regularly  each 
month.  At  the  meeting  held  on  November  4,  Councilmen  Patton 
and  Mitchell  were  appointed  a  committee  to  select  a  jail  and  make  a 
contract  for  the  care  and  keep  of  town  prisoners.^  There  being  no 
funds  with  which  to  build  a  jail,  the  committee  recommended  that 
the  town  prisoners  be  taken  to  the  Converse  county  jail  in  Douglas  for 
their  care  and  keep,  and  the  council  at  a  subsequent  meeting  con- 
curred in  the  recommendation  and  all  town  prisoners  were  taken  to 
Douglas  to  serve  their  sentences  or  await  trial. 

Lew  Seely  resigned  the  position  of  town  marshal  on  June  10, 
1 891,  and  Tom  McGrath  was  appointed  to  fill  the  office  during  the 
unexpired  term.  At  this  same  meeting  a  wooden  pump  was  ordered 
to  be  placed  in  the  town  well.  The  town  well  was  about  mid-way  on 
Center  street  between  Second  street  and  Midwest  avenue,  on  the 

1  The  town  jail  was  burned  by  Dr.  Joseph  Benson  October  ii,  1S91,  who  set  (ire  to  it  while  incar- 
cerated, and  who  was  burned  to  death. 


CASPER    VILLAGE,    TOWN    AND    CITY  I23 

west  side  of  the  street.  The  water  from  this  well  was  used  by  the 
general  public  and  for  domestic  purposes.  Water  was  also  hauled 
from  the  Platte  river  and  Garden  creek  in  barrels  and  sold  to  the 
saloons  for  "chasers."    Some  people  also  used  it  to  drink. 

An  ordinance  was  enacted  on  March  27,  1892,  placing  the  license 
to  sell  liquor  at  ^200  per  annum.  There  were  from  six  to  eight  saloons 
in  the  town  those  days,  and  the  town  received  a  revenue  of  from 
twelve  to  sixteen  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  which  went  a  long  ways 
toward  the  maintenance  of  the  town  government. 

Tom  McGrath  resigned  as  town  marshal  on  April  8,  1892,  and 
H.  A.  Bell  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  for  the  unexpired  term. 
The  position  of  town  marshal,  together  with  its  multitudinous  duties, 
consisting  of  water  and  street  commissioner  and  fire  warden,  and  the 
small  amount  of  salary  attached  to  the  offices,  did  not  appeal  to  men 
after  the  novelty  of  wearing  a  large  silver  star  had  worn  off. 

At  the  last  meeting  of  this  council  the  appropriation  for  the  en- 
suing year  was  made,  which  allowed  $1,800  for  the  salaries  of  town 
officers;  $250  for  cemetery;  $500  for  the  maintenance  of  streets  and 
crossings,  and  $1,000  for  fire  protection,  making  a  total  of  $3,500. 

Credit  must  be  given  the  men  who  had  charge  of  the  town  affairs 
in  the  early  days  for  at  least  being  economical.  Three  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars  to  pay  the  expense  of  a  town  of  400  population  for  one 
year  would  seem  almost  impossible  in  this  day  of  liberality  in  the 
expenditure  of  public  funds. 

Party  lines  were  closely  drawn  in  the  early  days  of  Casper  in  the 
school,  town  and  county  elections,  and  in  1892  republican  and  demo- 
cratic tickets  were  again  placed  in  the  field  for  town  officers,  which 
resulted  in  the  election  of  Charles  K.  Bucknum  as  mayor.  He  re- 
ceived 71  votes.  His  opponent,  Peter  A.  Demorest,  received  52  votes. 
John  McClure  and  John  McGrath  defeated  J.  P.  Smith  and  W.  A. 
Denecke  for  the  council.  This  was  the  fourth  town  council,  which 
consisted  of  C.  K.  Bucknum,  mayor;  H.  L.  Patton,  George  Mitchell, 
John  McGrath  and  John  McClure,  councilmen. 

At  a  meeting  of  this  council  held  on  August  i,  1892,  W,  T.  Evans 
was  awarded  the  contract  for  the  building  of  the  union  town  and 
county  jail.  The  price  to  be  paid  for  the  erection  of  the  building,  not 
including  the  vault  and  foundation,  was  $2,335.18.  The  building 
was  constructed  in  the  middle  of  the  block  on  the  west  side  of  David 
street,  between  Second  street  and  Midwest  avenue.  It  stood  imme- 
diately in  the  rear  of  the  new  fire  hall  and  municipal  garage,  but 
was  torn  down  late  in  the  year  1921.  At  the  same  meeting  H.  A.  Bell 
resigned  as  marshal  and  Frank  Berg  was  appointed.  Andrew  J.  Irwin 
was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  at  a  meeting  held  January  4,  1893. 


124  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

At  the  meeting  of  the  council  held  on  April  13,  1892,  it  was 
ordered  that  the  water  bonds  of  ^5,000  be  sold.  These  were  the  bonds 
for  the  construction  of  a  water  system  for  the  town  which  were  voted 
at  the  election  held  in  May,  1891,  and  which  were  carried  by  a  vote 
of  51  to  34. 

On  March  8,  1893,  the  town  council  ordered  one  more  well  dug 
to  supply  the  residents  with  water.  This  well  was  to  be  five  feet  square 
inside,  curbed  with  two-inch  lumber  to  the  water.  Below  the  water 
the  well  was  to  be  curbed  with  brick.  The  well  was  to  have  four  feet 
of  water  in  it  the  year  'round.  John  Irwin  was  awarded  the  contract 
for  digging  the  well  and  he  was  to  receive  ^4.00  per  foot  for  his  work. 

Election  time  rolled  around  once  more  and  the  usual  political 
contest  was  waged.  The  republican  party  was  slightly  in  the  majority 
and  C.  K.  Bucknum  was  elected  mayor,  his  vote  being  92.  J.  J.  Hurt 
received  59  votes.  For  councilmen,  H.  A.  Lilly  received  89  votes; 
Peter  O'Malley,  93;  Robert  White,  48;  and  P.  C.  Nicolaysen,  69. 
The  fifth  town  council  was  composed  of  C.  K.  Bucknum,  mayor,  and 
H.  A.  Lilly,  John  McClure,  John  McGrath  and  Peter  O'Malley, 
councilmen.  John  Merritt  was  appomted  marshal;  W.  A.  Denecke, 
treasurer;  A.  T.  Butler,  attorney;  E.  J.  Carpenter,  Jr.,  clerk;  W.  S. 
Irwin,  sexton;  E.  J.  Carpenter,  Sr.,  police  magistrate. 

An  ordinance  was  passed  June  10,  1893,  providing  for  the  pur- 
chase of  land  for  cemetery  and  park  purposes,  and  ^250  was  appro- 
priated for  the  payment  of  final  proof  on  the  north  half  of  the 
southwest  quarter,  south  half  of  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  10, 
township  33  north,  range  79  west.  The  north  ten  acres  was  surveyed 
and  platted,  and  the  bodies  which  had  been  interred  in  the  tem- 
porary cemetery  were  disinterred  and  moved  to  the  new  cemetery. 
The  temporary  cemetery  was  northwest  of  where  the  Chicago  & 
Northwestern  Railway  stockyards  are  now  located. 

The  name  of  Grover  Cleveland,  as  president  of  the  United  States, 
signed  by  his  secretary,  is  on  the  patent  issued  to  the  town  of  Casper 
for  the  land  described  above. 

The  budget  for  1893-4  provided  $1,600  for  officers'  salaries;  $400 
for  cemetery  fund;  $500  for  streets  and  crossings;  making  a  sum  total 
of  $2,500  with  which  to  carry  on  the  business  of  the  town. 

The  $5,000  bonds  with  which  to  provide  a  water  system  for  the 
town  were  deemed  inadequate  and  as  there  were  irregularities  at  the 
election  all  former  action  in  the  matter  was  rescinded  on  September 
24,  1893,  and  a  special  election  was  called  for  October  10,  1893,  to 
vote  for  $30,000  bonds  with  which  to  provide  a  water  system.  The 
subject  is  fully  covered  in  this  volume  under  the  heading  of  "  Casper's 
Water  Supply." 


CASPER    VILLAGE,    TOWN    AND    CITY  12^ 

The  appropriation  made  on  April  2,  1894,  for  current  expenses 
was:  Officers'  salaries,  $1,800;  streets  and  crossings,  $500;  fire  pro- 
tection, $1,000;  general  fund,  $3,500,  and  a  general  tax  for  the  year 
was  made  of  $1,000.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the  town  at  this  time 
was  $214,909.  26. 

The  next  election  occurred  on  May  8,  1894.  Joel  J.  Hurt  was 
elected  mayor  by  a  vote  of  138,  against  C.  K.  Bucknum,  who  received 
95  votes.  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  and  John  McGrath  were  elected  council- 
men  over  Lew  Seely  and  J.  S.  Warner  by  about  the  same  vote  as  was 
cast  for  mayor.  H.  A.  Lilly  and  Peter  O'Malley  were  the  hold-over 
councilmen.  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  new  council  W.  S.  Kimball 
was  appointed  treasurer;  W.  S.  Irwin,  clerk;  Frank  Berg,  marshal; 
J.  K.  Calkins,  police  magistrate;  John  Cosgrove,  sexton;  George 
Walker,  attorney. 

J.  K.  Calkins  resigned  as  police  magistrate  December  3,  and  E. 
A.  Johnson  and  Joseph  Ford  were  nominated  to  fill  the  position. 
Each  of  the  candidates  received  two  votes  and  as  the  mayor  was  not 
present  there  was  a  deadlock  and  the  town  was  without  a  police  judge 
until  February  4,  when  Ford  was  appointed. 

George  B.  McCalmont  was  elected  mayor  on  May  9,  1895,  with- 
out opposition.  John  S.  Warner  and  W.  A.  Denecke  were  elected 
councilmen  over  W.  D.  Rhoades  and  James  A.  Bailey.  P.  C.  Nicolay- 
sen and  John  McGrath  were  the  hold-overs.  The  new  council  ap- 
pointed F.  W.  Okie,  clerk;  George  Walker,  attorney;  Walter  B. 
Nichols,  marshal;  R.  F.  Milford,  sexton;  Oscar  Hiestand,  treasurer, 
and  Joseph  Ford,  police  justice. 

The  mayor  and  councilmen  at  a  regular  meeting  on  September 
2,  1895,  appropriated  their  salary  as  town  officers  for  the  remainder 
of  their  term  into  the  water  works  fund.  F.  W.  Okie  resigned  as  town 
clerk  November  18,  and  Lee  Culver  was  appointed  to  fill  out  the 
term,  but  Culver  resigned  on  December  14  and  M.  P.  Wheeler  was 
appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

An  ordinance  was  enacted  January  21,  1896,  creating  the  office 
of  town  physician,  and  Dr.  J.  F.  Leeper  was  appointed  to  the  new 
office. 

Many  children  in  Casper  died  during  the  months  of  December, 
1895,  and  January,  1896,  from  diphtheria  and  on  January  30  the 
board  of  directors  of  school  district  Number  2  closed  the  public 
schools  to  prevent  the  spread  of  the  disease,  and  to  co-operate  with 
the  school  board,  the  town  council  ordered  that  all  public  gatherings 
be  prohibited  until  permission  was  granted  by  the  council.  All  the 
children  in  the  town  were  ordered  to  be  kept  at  home  and  the  town 
marshal  was  ordered  to  notify  the  ministers  and  other  persons  at  the 


126  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

head  of  the  various  societies  to  hold  no  meetings.  The  fathers  and 
mothers  and  all  citizens  were  requested  to  co-operate  with  the  town 
council  in  keeping  the  disease  from  spreading.  The  town  was  rigidly 
quarantined.  Panic  prevailed  in  nearly  every  family  in  the  town  and 
all  the  mothers  who  could,  left  town  with  their  children,  hoping  to 
avoid  the  dreaded  disease. 

Dr.  J.  F.  Leeper,  the  town  physician,  who  was  appointed  by  the 
town  council  to  check  the  spread  of  the  disease,  caused  the  arrest  of 
Dr.  J.  L.  Garner  on  the  grounds  that  Garner  was  attending  a  case  of 
diphtheria  and  claimed  that  it  was  some  other  disease.  Town  attor- 
ney George  Walker  prosecuted  the  case  and  Chester  B.  Bradley  was 
attorney  for  the  defense.  A  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  acquittal 
for  the  defendant. 

The  disease  was  finally  stamped  out  and  on  March  2  the  quaran- 
tine was  raised  and  annulled.  School  was  resumed,  the  churches  held 
their  regular  meetings  and  public  gatherings  were  held  as  usual.  The 
mothers  who  had  left  town  with  their  children  returned  one  by  one, 
but  It  was  early  summer  before  the  scare  was  entirely  over. 

The  annual  appropriation  bill  was  considerably  increased  this 
year  on  account  of  the  building  of  the  water  works.  Two  thousand 
dollars  was  appropriated  for  salaries  of  the  town  officers;  ^500  for 
streets  and  alleys;  $1,500  for  general  fund  purposes;  and  $7,500  for 
water  works  debt  and  interest  on  bonds. 

There  was  no  contest  in  the  town  election  in  May,  1896,  this 
being  the  first  time  there  was  but  one  ticket  in  the  field  since  the  town 
was  incorporated.  George  B.  McCalmont,  republican,  was  re-elected 
mayor,  and  John  McGrath  and  P.  C.  Nicolaysen,  democratic,  were 
re-elected  on  the  council.  John  S.  Warner  and  W.  A.  Denecke, 
republicans,  were  the  hold-overs.  The  same  officers  were  appointed 
as  in  1895.  The  leaders  of  the  two  political  parties  had  gotten  to- 
gether and  agreed  that  on  account  of  the  water  works  system  being 
put  in  there  should  be  no  contest.  But  little  business  was  transacted 
this  year  except  to  install  the  water  works  system  and  adopt  ordi- 
nances concerning  it. 

In  May,  1897,  occurred  one  of  the  most  closely  contested  town 
elections  that  had  yet  been  held.  Patrick  Sullivan,  republican,  re- 
ceived 131  votes  for  mayor  against  James  P.  Smith  whose  vote  was 
122;  for  the  council  Dave  Graham,  republican,  received  130  votes, 
and  Robert  White,  democratic,  received  133;  J.  J.  Svendsen,  demo- 
cratic, 105,  and  S.  W.  Conwell,  republican,  128.  John  McGrath  and 
P.  C.  Nicolaysen  were  the  hold-overs.  The  officers  appointed  were  A. 
E.  Case,  clerk;  Oscar  Hiestand,  treasurer;  J.  C.  Randall,  sexton; 
H.  A.  Lilly,  police  judge;  J.  L.  Garner,  physician;  J.  L.  Barnett, 


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CASPER    VILLAGE,    TOWN    AND    CITY  12J 

marshal.    A.  E.  Case  resigned  as  clerk  on  November  2  and  E.  B. 
ShafFner  was  appointed  to  fill  out  the  term. 

In  1898  there  was  no  contest  in  the  town  election  and  Patrick 
Sullivan  was  re-elected  mayor  with  the  same  councilmen  as  the 
previous  year.  The  same  officers  were  appointed  except  that  Dr. 
Leeper  was  made  town  physician,  F.  H.  Sawyer,  police  judge,  and 
Charles  Atmore,  oil  inspector. 

In  1899  W.  S.  Kimball  was  elected  mayor  over  Frank  Wood  by  a 
vote  of  143  to  134;  for  the  council  J.  V.  Cantlin  and  J.  W.  Bowie  were 
elected  over  P.  C.  Hays  and  J.  J.  Svendsen.  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  and 
John  McGrath  were  the  hold-overs.  The  same  officers  were  appointed 
except  that  Frank  Jameson  was  appointed  police  magistrate. 

In  1900,  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  was  elected  mayor  and  C.  K.  Buck- 
num  and  Frank  Wood  were  the  new  councilmen.  J.  V.  Cantlin  was 
the  hold-over,  and  C.  H.  Townsend  was  appointed  in  the  place  of  J. 
H.  Bowie,  who  resigned.  Alex  T.  Butler  was  appointed  attorney;  J. 
A.  ShelFner,  marshal;  E.  P.  Rohrbaugh,  physician;  J.  M.  Hammon, 
sexton.    The  other  officers  were  the  same  as  the  previous  year. 

James  V.  Cantlin  was  elected  mayor  in  1901  and  J.  E.  Schulte 
and  J.  S.  Van  Doren  were  elected  to  the  council.  Frank  Wood  and 
C.  K.  Bucknum  were  the  hold-overs.  Percy  Shallenberger  was  the 
new  clerk;  John  McGrath,  treasurer;  W.  S.  Kimball,  oil  inspector; 
Robert  McAdam,  marshal;  F.  D.  Hammond,  attorney.  Percy  Shall- 
enberger resigned  as  clerk  August  7  and  P.  C.  Hays  was  appointed 
to  serve  the  unexpired  term.  At  this  same  meeting  it  was  deemed 
necessary  to  have  a  night  marshal  and  J.  A.  Gumming  was  appointed. 

In  1902  C.  K.  Bucknum  was  elected  mayor,  and  L.  C.  Seely  and 
C.  C.  P.  Webel  were  the  new  councilmen.  J,  S.  Van  Doren  and  J.  E. 
Schulte  were  the  hold-overs.  E.  D.  Norton  was  appointed  attorney; 
A.  T.  Philips,  clerk;  J.  A.  Shelfner,  marshal,  and  the  other  officers 
were  the  same  as  the  previous  year. 

W.  S.  Kimball  was  elected  mayor  in  1903,  with  W.  W.  Wilson 
and  John  Curran  as  councilmen.  C.  C.  P.  Webel  and  L.  C.  Seely  were 
the  hold-overs.  The  appointive  officers  were  the  same  as  the  previous 
year,  except  that  F.  Salathe  was  the  oil  inspector.  At  this  election, 
which  was  held  on  May  12,  an  issue  of  sewer  bonds  amounting  to 
^14,500  was  voted  upon.  The  establishment  of  a  sewer  system  for  the 
town  had  been  proposed  and  advocated  by  the  Casper  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  but  at  the  election  there  was  a  very  active  opposition  to 
the  proposition  and  the  result  was  104  votes  for  and  94  votes  against 
the  bonds. 

W.  S.  Kimball  was  again  elected  mayor  in  1904,  with  W.  A.  Ford 
and  C.  C.  P.  Webel  as  councilmen  for  two  years  and  Enoch  Cornell  as 


128  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

councilman  for  one  year.  Mr.  Webel's  name  was  on  two  tickets  and 
he  received  210  votes.  When  the  canvassing  board  canvassed  the 
returns,  it  was  declared  that  D.  A.  Robertson,  who  received  138 
votes,  should  receive  the  certificate  of  election  because  the  law  pro- 
vided that  one  name  should  appear  on  no  more  than  one  ticket.  But 
the  action  of  the  canvassing  board  was  revoked  by  Judge  Charles  E. 
Carpenter,  who  issued  a  peremptory  writ  of  mandamus  against  the 
mayor  and  members  of  the  town  council  and  ordered  the  council  to 
assemble  before  5  o'clock  on  June  13,  1904,  and  set  aside  the  decision 
of  the  canvassing  board  and  declare  the  men  elected  who  received 
the  highest  number  of  votes. 

The  table  on  the  opposite  page  contains  a  list  of  the  elective 
and  appointive  officers  for  the  town  (now  city)  of  Casper  during  the 
year  1904  and  each  succeeding  year  up  to  and  includmg  1923. 

Upon  an  affidavit  from  the  mayor  to  the  effect  that  the  town  of 
Casper  contained  a  population  of  more  than  4,000,  the  governor  of 
the  state  by  proclamation  on  January  9,  1917,  declared  Casper  to  be 
a  city  of  the  first  class.  The  elections  for  mayor  and  councilmen 
thereafter  were  held  in  November  instead  of  being  held  in  May,  as 
heretofore,  and  the  mayor  and  councilmen  were  elected  for  two 
years,  instead  of  the  councilmen  being  elected  for  four  years,  as  here- 
tofore. The  mayor  and  councilmen  that  year,  whose  terms  of  office 
should  have  expired  in  June,  1917,  held  office  until  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary, 1918,  by  reason  of  the  change  being  made  from  a  city  of  the  second 
class  to  first  class. 

Churches  of  Casper 

Rev.  Bross  of  Chadron,  Nebraska,  was  the  first  ordained  minister 
who  conducted  religious  services  in  the  town  of  Casper,  and  the  date 
of  the  first  service  was  Tuesday  evening,  March  3,  1889.  The  "meet- 
ing" was  held  in  the  office  of  the  Graham  house,  then  located  on 
the  southwest  corner  of  Center  street  and  First  street  (now  Midwest 
avenue).  Services  were  conducted  in  the  office  of  this  hotel  during 
the  summer  of  '89  as  often  as  any  minister  of  any  denomination  could 
spare  the  time  and  undergo  the  inconvenience  of  coming  to  this 
frontier  town.  The  congregation  was  made  up  of  business  men, 
professional  men,  saloon  keepers,  bartenders,  gamblers,  cowboys, 
mining  men,  and  the  few  women  and  children  who  lived  here  at  the 
time.  That  the  services  were  highly  appreciated  may  be  judged  from 
the  newspaper  notice  of  the  first  meeting  which  was  published  in  the 
Casper  Weekly  Mail,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy: 

"Rev.  Bross  of  Chadron  preached  at  the  Graham  house  last  Tuesday  evening  ac- 
cording to  appointment.  Quite  a  large  crowd  was  in  attendance  and  listened  to  a  very 
interesting  and  instructive  sermon.    Mr.  Bross  will  preach  again  in  four  weeks,  and 


Casper's  officers  from  1904  to  1923 


129 


1904  190S  1906  1907 

Mayor  .         W.  S.  Kimball  W.  S.  Kimball  W.  S.  Kimball  W.  S.  Kimball 

Counciimen W.  W.  Wilson  W.  A.  Ford  Harry  G.  Duhling     W.  A.  Ford 

John  Curran  E.  Cornell  Frank  Wood  C.  C.  P.  Webel 

W  A   Ford  H.  G.  Duhling  W.  A.  Ford  Oscar  Hiestand 

E.  Cornell  Frank  Wood  C.  C.  P.  Webel  Frank  Wood 

Clerk  A.  T.  Phillips  M.  P.  Wheeler  M.  P.  Wheeler  M.  P.  Wheeler 

Treasurer John  McGrath  John  McGrath  J.  S.  Van  Doren        J.  S.  Van  Doren 

Marshal J.  A.  Sheffner  J.  A.  Sheffner  J.  A.  Sheffner  Wm.  Jones 

Attorney        E.  D.  Norton  F.  D.  Hammond  F.  D.  Hammond       F.  D.  Hammond 

Police  Judge Frank  Jameson  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs 

Physician E.  P.  Rohrbaugh       E.  P.  Rohrbaugh  E.  P.  Rohrbaugh       E.  P.  Rohrbaugh 

Water  Comm'r J.  V.  Cantlin  • •■ ^•■•■■••.; 

Street  Sup'v'r J.  V.  Cantlin  Wm.  Jones  John  Keil  John  Keil 

Oil  Inspector Dr.  F.  Salathe  Dr.  F.  Salathe  Dr.  F.  Salathe  Dr.  F.  Salathe 

Sexton W.  I.  Ogburn  J.  M.  Hammon  J.  M.  Hammon         J.  M.  Hammon 

1908  1909  1910  1911* 

Mayor  .     W.  S.  Kimball  W.  S.  Kimball  W.  S.  Kimball  W.  S.  Kimball 

Counciimen Oscar  Hiestand  T.  A.  Dean  David  Kidd  W.A.Ford 

Frank  Wood  W.  A.  Ford  G.  T.  Morgan  Frank  Wood 

T.  A.  Dean  David  Kidd  W.  A.  Ford  G.  T.  Morgan 

W  A   Ford  G.  T.  Morgan  Frank  Wood  David  Kidd 

Clerk M.  P.  Wheeler  M.  P.  Wheeler  M.  P.  Wheeler  M.  P.  Wheeler 

Treasurer E.  P.  Palmer  E.  P.  Palmer  Ed.  C.  Wilson  Ed.  C.  Wilson 

Marshal O.  M.  Rice  Wm.  Jones  Wm.  Jones  Wm.  Jones 

Attorney  W.  O.  Wilson  W.  O.  Wilson  W.  O.  Wilson  W.  O.  Wilson 

Police  Judge    W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs 

Physician M.  C.  Keith  M.  C.  Keith  M.  C.  Keith  M.  C.  Keith 

Street  Sup'v'r Wm.  Jones  Jake  Nelson  John  Keil  H.  L.  CiUy 

Oil  Inspector Dr.  Kahn  A.  T.  Phillips  A.  T.  Phillips  

Sexton C.  A.  Ewing  C.  A.  Ewing  C.  A.  Ewing  C.  A .  Ewing 

1913  1915  i9i8t  1919 

Mayor E.  P.  Rohrbaugh       E.  P.  Rohrbaugh  John  F.  Leeper  John  F.  Leeper 

Counciimen G.T.Morgan  Hiram  Lewis  Fay  Crater  T.  A.  Dean 

Frank  Wood  David  Kidd  M.  J.  Gothberg         Wm.  Kocher 

Hiram  Lewis  Samuel  Switzer  H.  C.  Bretschneider  Perry  A.  Morris 

David  Kidd  Geo.  B.  Nelson  T.  A.  Dean  W.  F.  Dunn 

Wm.  Kocher  M.  L.  Bishop 

Perry  Morris  W.  W.  Keefe 

Clerk W.  R.  Johnson'          C.  M.  Bryan  Anna  Dougherty  =     C.  M.  Bryan  ^ 

Treasurer Wilbur  Foshay  Wilbur  Foshay  E.  M.  Ellithorpe'     E.W.Davis 

Marshal Wm.  Jones     ,  Pat  Royce  Frank  J.  Wolf^  John  McGrath  ^ 

Attorney W.O.Wilson  W.O.Wilson  W.  H.  Patten  W.  H.  Patten 

Police  Judge R.  H.  Nichols  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs  W.  E.  Tubbs 

Physician M.C.Keith  M.C.Keith  J.  C.  Kamp  J.  C.  Kamp 

Water  Comm'r Jfacob  Nelson  J.  E.  Frisby  Wm.  Jones  Wm.  Jones 

Street  Sup'v'r J.  F.  Stanley  

Sexton F.  B.  Hathaway        E.  W.  Farrell  E.  S.  Baker  E.  S.  Baker 

Engineer B.  B.  Lummis'  M.N.Wheeler  L.  S.  Worthington    L.  S.  Worthington 

Fire  Chief Oscar  Hiestand  Oscar  Hiestand 

1920  1921  1922  1923 

Mayor  B.  H.  Pelton  B.  H.  Pelton  W.  A.  Blackmore      W.  A.  Blackmore 

Counciimen Earl  C.  Boyle  Earl  C.  Boyle  W.  W.  Keefe  J.  M.  Whisenhunt 

Fred  Van  Gorden      Fred  Van  Gorden  J.  M.  Whisenhunt     John.  G.  Jones 

C.  M.  Bryan  C.  M.  Bryan  J.  J.  Giblin  John  J.  Hancock 

W.  W.  Keefe  W.  W.  Keefe  John  G.  Jones  John  S.  Pettingill 

W.  F.  Dunn  J.  J.  Giblin  John  J.  Hancock        Sylvester  F.  Pelton 

M.  L.  Bishop  J.  M.  Whisenhunt  John  S.  Pettingill      Walter  W.  Royce 

Clerk Asa  F.  Sloane  Asa  F.  Sloane  H.  H.  Price  H.  H.  Price 

Treasurer J.  S.  Van  Doren        J.  S.  Van  Doren  J.  S.  Van  Doren        J.  S.  Van  Doren 

Marshal E.  M.  EUithorpe'       J.  E.  Lynch*  Alexander  Nisbet       Alexander  Nisbet 

Attorney R.  M.  Boeke  R.  M.  Boeke  R.  M.  Boeke'^  R.  N.  Ogden 

Police  Judge P.A.Morris  P.A.Morris  P.  A.  Morris'"  John  A.  Murray 

Physician G.  S.  Bawden  G.  S.  Bawden  

Water  Comm'r Wm.  Jones  Wm.  Jones  Walter  Storrie"         W.H.Johnson 

Street  Sup'v'r O.  Freel  O.  Freel  K.  S.  Myrland  K.  S.  Myrland 

Sexton Chas.  Lundman         Chas.  Lundman  O.  L.  Thompson        O.  L.  Thompson 

Engineer F.  S.  Knittle  F.  S.  Knittle  F.  S.  Knittle  F.  S.  Knittle 

Fire  Chief Oscar  Hiestand  Oscar  Hiestand  Oscar  Hiestand  Oscar  Hiestand 

'  Resigned;  C.  M.  Bryan  appointed.  -  Resigned  June  6;  C.  M.  Bryan  appointed.  '  Resigned;  E. 
W.  Davis  appointed.  'Resigned  December  31;  John  McGrath  appointed.  ^Resigned  May  i;  Asa  F. 
Sloane  appointed.  "Resigned  July  i;  Fred  E.  Place  appointed;  resigned  July  9th;  Frank  K.  Webb  ap- 
pointed. 'Resigned;  J.  E.  Lynch  appointed,  s  Resigned;  J.  A.  Sheffner  appointed.  *  Mayor  assumed 
office  on  June  i,  1911,  for  two  years;  counciimen  for  four  years,  t  City  made  first-class  by  proclamation 
of  governor  on  January  9,  1917;  mayor  elected  for  two  years,  counciimen  for  two  years;  elections  in 
Novemljer.  S.  Wiley  served  as  park  commissioner  in  1909;  Frank  Julian  was  appointed  in  1921  and 
1922.  9  Resigned  October,  1913;  M.  N.  Wheeler  appointed.  M.  N.  Wheeler  served  as  city  engineer  from 
January,  191 1,  until  June,  1913.  C.  R.  Bodenbach  served  as  dairy  and  food  inspector  during  1921  and 
until  August,  1922;  resigned,  and  G.  R.  Dafoe  was  appointed.  '"Resigned  June,  1922;  John  A.  Murray 
appointed.  "Resigned  September  15,  1922;  W.  H.Johnson  appointed.  '-Resigned  October  15;  R.  N. 
Ogden  appointed  December  4th. 


130  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

talks  strongly  of  building  a  church.  That  we  are  in  need  of  a  neat  and  suitable  edifice 
of  this  kind  seems  a  fact  too  evident  to  be  questioned.  It  would  add  to  the  value  of  all 
property  in  the  village.  Every  new  building  put  up,  every  improvement  made  in  the 
town  raises  the  value  of  our  own  property;  hence  anyone  is  always  welcomed  to  the 
town  who  will  build  him  a  house  and  otherwise  improve  and  beautify  his  grounds.  He 
not  only  increases  his  own  comfort  but  is  a  public  benefactor,  for  in  doing  thus  he 
increases  the  value  of  all  property  in  his  locality.  If  this  is  true  of  private  and  personal 
property,  how  much  more  so  is  it  of  a  public  building  like  a  church,  in  which  the  whole 
town  having  contributed  toward,  are  interested.  Again,  it  would  be  the  means  of  call- 
ing into  our  town  a  good  class  of  citizens.  Nothing  has  so  much  weight  in  attracting 
the  desirable  class  of  people  to  a  place  as  its  public  institutions.  Without  them  the  air 
of  solidity  is  entirely  lost.  A  large  per  cent  of  the  money  used  would  naturally  be  ex- 
pended here.  It  is  understood  that  the  church  at  large  is  willing  to  give  some  assist- 
ance, providing  the  community  subscribe  enough  to  warrant  bestowment  of  such  a  gift. 
This  amount  would  also  be  expended  in  our  midst.  There  are  also  many  other  reasons 
why  we  should  go  forward  with  this  work.  While  there  are  but  a  few  of  our  male  adult 
population  that  are  ordinarily  supposed  to  have  souls  (worth  speaking  of)  to  save, 
there  are  women  and  children  about  us  to  whom  this  spiritual  privilege  should  be  freely 
extended,  and  it  will  simply  prove  a  criticism  upon  the  enterprising  and  progressive 
spirit  of  the  citizens  of  Casper  if  the  matter  of  building  a  suitable  place  in  which  to 
hold  divine  service  shall  be  overlooked  during  spring  improvement." 

It  is  evident  that  the  above  editorial  brought  forth  fruit,  for  the 
Congregational  Tabernacle  was  built  in  the  early  summer  of  1889. 
This  was  the  first  church  building  to  be  erected  in  the  town  of  Casper. 
Rev.  H,  G.  Russell  arrived  in  Casper  on  May  10  of  that  year,  and 
after  assisting  in  the  building  of  the  Tabernacle,  he  was  minister  in 
charge  for  several  months.  Rev.  H.  A.  Macomber  succeeded  Rev. 
Russell.  The  building  was  located  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Wolcott 
street  and  Third  (now  First  street)  on  the  lot  where  the  New  York 
Oil  company's  main  offices  are  located.  The  building  was  also  used 
for  a  school  house.  It  was  not  a  very  pretentious  structure,  as  may  be 
judged  from  the  photograph  herewith  reproduced.  The  people  of  the 
town  were  ambitious,  however,  and  on  June  15,  1890,  Rev.  G.  I. 
Powell  of  Chadron  and  the  citizens  of  Casper  made  an  agreement  to 
the  effect  that  the  Congregational  society  would  contribute  $500  and 
lend  the  local  church  society  another  $500,  while  the  people  in  general 
of  the  town  were  requested  to  donate  any  amount  they  felt  disposed 
for  the  purpose  of  building  a  church  that  would  be  a  credit  to  the 
society  as  well  as  the  town.  A  supper  and  dance  were  given  on  the  4th 
of  July  by  the  ladies,  and  ninety-one  dollars  and  eighty  cents  was 
cleared,  which  was  to  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  the  new  church  fund. 
The  church  was  not  built,  however,  on  account  of  insufficient  funds, 
and  we  find  the  Congregationalists  and  the  other  denominations  hold- 
ing their  services  in  the  new  town  hall  in  the  fall  of  1890.  The  build- 
ing and  the  lot  owned  by  the  Congregational  society  was  sold  to 
private  parties  who  used  it  for  a  residence. 

In  June,  1890,  Bishop  Talbot  of  the  Episcopal  denomination  was 
quite  active  in  the  matter  of  raising  funds  with  which  to  build  a 


n 


riiis    builtling  was  also   used   as   a  school 


iR>i   Church   Building 
and   town   hall   in   1889-90 


111  siNESs  Houses  on  West  Center  Street,  South  of  Alley,  Beiu 
Street  and  Midwest  Avenue,  1892 


CHURCHES    OF    CASPER  I3I 

church  in  Casper  and  he  offered  to  donate  $500  in  cash,  and  lend  the 
organization  another  ^500  at  six  per  cent  interest,  if  the  citizens  of 
the  town  would  subscribe  an  additional  ^500  within  ten  days.  A 
subscription  paper  was  circulated,  but  the  entire  amount  was  not 
raised  in  the  time  specified  and  the  matter  dragged  along  for  several 
months.  It  was  November  before  the  ^500  was  raised  by  the  citizens 
which  was  to  be  added  to  the  $1,000  donated  by  the  Episcopalians 
for  the  building  of  the  church  for  that  denomination.  Archdeacon 
John  E.  Sulger  of  Laramie,  who  made  a  special  trip  to  Casper,  suc- 
ceeded in  arousing  enough  interest  in  the  matter  to  have  the  required 
amount  subscribed.  When  this  amount  was  raised  by  the  Epis- 
copalians, interest  in  the  Congregational  church  waned  and  finally 
died.  Work  was  commenced  on  the  new  Episcopal  church  the  first  of 
January,  1891,  and  the  building  was  finished  during  the  summer  of 
that  year.  The  church  was  erected  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Wolcott 
and  Second  streets,  where  the  Midwest  Refining  company  building  is 
now  situated.  Rev.  F.  H.  Argo  was  the  first  minister,  and  he  re- 
mained until  1894.  On  Friday,  April  27,  1894,  ^ev.  and  Mrs.  John 
Wilson,  with  their  three  children  arrived  in  Casper  from  Portadown, 
Armagh  county,  Ireland,  and  the  following  Sunday  Rev.  Wilson 
preached  his  initial  sermon.  Rev.  Wilson  and  his  family  remained 
in  Casper  until  July,  1897,  when  they  returned  to  Ireland.  Rev. 
Wilson  was  a  man  of  most  excellent  qualities,  and  was  admired  by  all 
the  citizens  of  Casper,  which  was  then  what  was  termed  a  wild, 
typical  frontier  town.  The  membership  of  his  church  was  very  small 
and  the  salary  the  minister  received  was  scarcely  enough  to  sustain 
one  person,  and  it  is  said  that  had  it  not  been  for  some  very  good 
friends,  but  who  were  not  members  of  the  church,  who  knew  of  his 
condition  and  had  sent  to  him  trout  and  sage  chickens  in  the  summer 
time  and  antelope  and  deer  during  the  winter  months  that  he  and  his 
family,  no  doubt  would  many  times  have  found  their  cupboard  bare. 
He  accepted  the  conditions  without  a  complaint  or  murmer;  and 
worked  for  the  upbuilding  of  the  church  and  the  uplifting  of  the 
people  in  the  community  with  the  same  energy  and  same  spirit  as 
though  he  was  receiving  a  princely  salary.  Rev.  James  L.  Craig  suc- 
ceeded Rev.  Wilson,  coming  to  Casper  early  in  the  year  of  1898. 
Rev.  Craig  remained  for  ten  years,  and  in  1908  resigned  and  went  to 
Anaconda,  Montana.  Rev.  McCullogh  succeeded  Rev.  Craig,  but  he 
remained  only  a  short  time.  Rev.  J.  C.  Villiers  succeeded  Rev. 
McCullogh,  and  he  remained  until  October,  1913,  when  he  responded 
to  a  call  in  Honolulu,  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  Rev.  R.  B.  W.  Hutt 
succeeded  Rev.  Villiers  and  he  was  in  charge  from  early  in  the  year 
1914  until  the  summer  of  1918,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  world  war  as  a 


132  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

soldier.  Under  Rev.  Hurt's  administration  the  mission  became  a 
self-supporting  parish.  No  regular  servies  were  held  for  several 
months  after  Rev.  Hurt's  departure,  but  on  February  i6,  1919,  Rev. 
Philip  K.  Edwards  of  McAlester,  Oklahoma,  became  the  rector  in 
charge.  The  little  frame  church  building,  constructed  in  1891,  was 
moved  to  the  rear  of  the  lot  in  1906,  and  a  new  brick  church  building 
was  erected  on  the  site,  the  brick  building  being  finished  in  the  late 
summer  of  1907,  the  dedication  services  being  held  on  Thanksgiving 
day,  November  27,  1907,  Rev.  G.  C.  Rafter  of  Cheyenne  occupying 
the  pulpit  at  the  morning  service,  and  Rev.  S.  Coolidge  of  Denver 
preached  at  the  evening  service.  Services  were  held  in  this  building 
until  June,  1920,  but  on  account  of  the  four  lots  owned  by  the  church 
organization  having  been  sold  for  $75,000,  the  church  building  was 
torn  down,  and  the  original  frame  structure  was  moved  to  the  corner 
of  Seventh  and  Wolcott  streets,  where  it  was  remodelled  and  is  being 
used  for  services  until  a  new  and  commodious  building  is  erected. 
Among  the  original  members  of  this  church  were  A.  J.  Cunningham, 
P.  C.  Nicolaysen,  W.  T.  Evans  and  W.  S.  Kimball,  all  of  whom  are 
now  vestrymen  of  the  church  organization.  In  connection  with  this 
church  it  is  of  interest  to  note  that  in  191 8  Miss  Josephine  Collins, 
a  sister  of  Lieutenant  Caspar  W.  Collins,  who  was  killed  by  the 
Indians  at  Platte  Bridge  station  on  July  26,  1865,  left  a  legacy  of  $100 
which  she  requested  to  be  used  for  the  purchase  of  a  permanent 
memorial  in  her  brother's  memory,  and  the  vestrymen  very  wisely 
decided  upon  the  purchase  of  a  handsome  gold  and  silver  communion 
set,  a  chalice  and  paten,  which  is  now  the  highly-prized  property  of 
the  church  organization. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1893,  sufficient  money  was  raised  for  the 
building  of  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  the  town  of 
Casper,  on  the  northeast  corner  of  Durbin  and  Second  streets.  The 
building  was  completed  about  the  middle  of  August  that  year.  Rev. 
R.  J.  Devenport,  who  was  located  in  Douglas,  was  appointed  minister 
in  charge  in  June  and  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the  building. 
The  church  was  dedicated  in  November  by  Rev.  N.  A.  Chamberlain, 
D.  D.  The  first  board  of  trustees  consisted  of  Messrs.  A.  J.  Irwin, 
Marvin  L.  Bishop,  John  S.  Burley,  Louis  Lindberg,  and  R.  A.  Ball. 
The  pioneer  stewards  were  John  S.  Burley,  Mrs.  Zenetta  Ball,  Mrs. 
Viola  Irwin,  and  Mrs.  S.  A.  Irwin.  The  first  class  leader  was  R.  A. 
Ball,  who  was  appointed  December  26,  1893.  Robert  F.  Milford 
was  the  first  Sunday  school  superintendent,  the  election  being 
January  3,  1894.  The  first  president  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  society  was 
Mrs.  S.  A.  Irwin.  The  Ladies'  Dorcas  society,  the  successor  of  the  Aid 
society,  chose  and  elected  Mrs.  Maggie  S.  Devenport  its  first  president. 


CHURCHES    OF    CASPER  133 

Rev.  R.  J.  Devenport  was  granted  leave  in  December,  1893,  to  re- 
linquish his  pastoral  charge  and  went  to  take  charge  of  a  church  enter- 
prise in  Manville.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  William  E.  Ferguson, 
of  Brooklyn,  New  York.  On  the  first  of  April,  1894,  Rev.  Ferguson 
died  of  pneumonia  and  Rev.  R.  A.  Ball  took  charge  until  the  annual 
conference,  when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  H.  A.  Toland,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1894.  He  remained  for  two  years  and  three  months,  and  in 
December,  1896,  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Clinton  D.  Day.  At  this 
time  there  were  twenty-two  members  of  the  church.  Rev.  J.  H. 
Gillespie  of  Newcastle  succeeded  Rev.  Day  in  September,  1897.  He 
remained  in  charge  until  April,  1901,  when  Rev.  Josiah  Martin  of 
Kansas  came  to  take  charge  and  remained  until  June,  1903.  Rev.  E. 
J.  Robinson  was  appointed  pastor  in  August,  1903,  and  remained  one 
year.  In  August,  1904,  Rev.  L.  C.  Thompson  became  the  pastor  and 
remained  until  August  31,  1908.  During  his  pastorate  the  present 
church  building  was  erected.  It  was  started  in  1906  but  was  not 
dedicated  until  the  fall  of  1907,  when  the  annual  conference  was  held 
at  Casper.  Bishop  H.  W.  Warren  dedicated  the  new  building.  The 
next  pastor  was  Rev.  J.  J.  Hicks,  who  took  up  his  duties  in  September, 
1908,  and  remained  until  September,  1910.  He  was  succeeded  by  the 
Rev.  Ira  W.  Kingsley,  who  had  a  successful  pastorate  for  three  years, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  a  larger  field  at  Sheridan.  About  this 
time  Casper  began  to  grow,  and  naturally  the  churches  took  on  new 
life  and  larger  membership.  Rev.  J.  M.  Dickey  became  pastor  on 
September  6,  1913,  and  remained  two  years,  when  he  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  John  J.  Giblin.  In  the  fall  of  191 8,  Mr.  Giblin  volunteered 
for  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  in  the  war  and  in  September,  1918,  Rev.  Walter 
L.  French  from  the  South  Kansas  conference  w^as  appointed  pastor 
of  the  church  and  under  his  pastorate  of  three  years  the  membership 
of  the  church  grew  to  about  500.  During  his  pastorate  a  new  parson- 
age was  bought  at  the  corner  of  Lincoln  avenue  and  Devine  streets 
and  a  new  church  site  was  bought  in  July,  192 1,  at  the  corner  of 
South  Center  and  Eighth  streets,  where  a  new  church  building  is  to 
be  erected.  In  September,  1921,  Rev.  Lewis  E.  Carter,  formerly  of 
Troy  conference,  New  York  state,  was  transferred  from  Laramie  and 
took  up  his  duties.  The  First  Methodist  Episcopal  is  the  second  old- 
est church  organization  in  Casper  and  the  ministers  in  charge  and 
the  membership  experienced  about  the  same  vicissitudes  as  well  as 
the  splendid  success  as  were  experienced  by  those  connected  with 
St.  Mark's  Episcopal  church. 

Father  Nugent  of  Cheyenne  was  the  first  priest  to  come  to  Casper 
to  hold  Catholic  services.  He  visited  here  in  1890  and  remained  but 
one  day.    While  here,  Father  Nugent  baptized  Eugene  Dunn,  who 


134  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

was  the  first  Catholic  child  baptized  in  Casper.  During  the  years 
1895-6  Father  Brofie  of  Chadron,  Nebraska,  made  occasional  visits 
here,  and  in  1897  Father  Ahern,  also  of  Chadron,  made  regular  visits 
to  the  town.  Mass  was  celebrated  at  different  places,  sometimes  in 
private  homes,  occasionally  in  the  town  hall,  and  once  in  the  Episcopal 
church.  During  the  year  of  1897  subscriptions  were  taken  up  from 
the  Catholic  members  which  were  applied  to  the  building  fund  and 
in  the  late  fall  a  bazaar  was  given  at  which  a  handsome  amount  of 
money  was  raised  which  was  also  applied  to  the  fund  for  the  new 
church  building.  The  committee  who  solicited  the  funds  and  aroused 
interest  in  the  bazaar  were  Mrs.  John  Trevett,  Mrs.  J.  P.  Smith,  Mrs. 
W.  F.  Dunn,  Mrs.  Jeremiah  Mahoney,  and  Mrs.  Oscar  Hiestand. 
Bishop  Lenahan  visited  Casper  at  that  time,  and  approved  the  plan 
of  a  permanent  church  and  appointed  a  building  committee.  Father 
James  A.  Keating  was  the  first  resident  pastor  of  the  Catholic  church 
to  be  located  in  Casper.  He  came  in  1898,  and  shortly  after  his 
arrival  a  contract  was  made  with  John  M.  Trevett  for  the  erection  of 
a  church  building  to  cost  $1,650.  The  new  church  was  built  on 
the  southeast  corner  of  First  and  Center  streets,  opposite  where  the 
Henning  hotel  now  stands.  Regarding  this  new  church,  one  of  the 
local  newspapers  said:  "On  Tuesday,  March  15,  Father  Keating 
raised  the  first  spade  of  dirt  for  the  foundation  of  the  new  St.  Anthony's 
Catholic  church  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Center  and  Third  (now 
First)  streets.  The  site  is  one  of  the  best  in  the  city,  and  now  since 
the  church  is  to  be  there,  this  part  of  Casper  will  certainly  build  up, 
for  when  finished  St.  Anthony's  church  will  be  the  finest  in  Central 
Wyoming.  It  will  be  a  frame  building,  30x46  feet  in  the  body  of  the 
church,  with  a  sanctuary  10x12  feet,  a  sacristy  or  vestry  room  ad- 
jacent. A  tower  will  be  added  later  on,  elegant  windows  will  be  put 
in,  beautiful  altars  erected  and  equipped  with  handsome  pews.  The 
plans  for  the  edifice  are  rich  in  design,  artistic  and  substantial.  It  has 
been  the  dream  of  Father  Keating  since  he  came  among  us  to  see  a 
handsome  church  in  Casper.  Now  that  his  wishes  are  being  realized 
he  is  certainly  happy.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  with  enthusiasm 
and  deserves  great  credit  for  the  efforts  manifested.  The  new  church 
becomes  a  subject  of  interest  for  all  the  citizens  of  Casper,  both  Prot- 
estants as  well  as  Catholics,  and  when  completed  will  reflect  praise 
for  the  push,  energy,  and  progressive  spirit  shown  by  the  citizens  of 
the  town."  Father  Keating  left  Casper  in  1900,  and  Father  Bryant 
was  appointed  in  1901  as  the  resident  pastorwith  Douglas,  Wheatland, 
Glendo,  Glenrock  and  Sunrise  as  his  missions.  During  Father 
Bryant's  stay  here,  he  succeeded  in  having  a  pastoral  residence  built 
on  the  same  lot  with  the  church  which  at  that  time  was  one  of  the 


St.  Mark's   First   K. 


*.  HI  KLH,   CoRNFR   Second    and  Woi.cott   Streets, 
BviLT  IN  1890 


1 


Casper  Chlrches  in  the  Early  Days 
Lrit:   First  Methodist   Episcopal,   Erected   in   1893   and   Rebuilt  in  1906.    Righl:   St. 
Mark's   Episcopal,  Built   in  1890.    Center:  St.  Anthony's   Catholic,  Built  in  1898 


CHURCHES    OF    CASPER  I35 

nicest  homes  in  the  town.  In  August,  191 5,  Father  Bryant  was 
succeeded  by  Father  James  McGee.  Father  McGee  died  in  November 
of  the  same  year,  and  Father  Isidore  of  Douglas  was  appointed 
temporary  pastor  and  remained  until  December  18,  when  Rev.  John 
H.  Mullen  was  transferred  from  Newcastle  to  take  charge  of  the 
church.  Father  Mullen  recognized  the  growing  demand  for  a  new 
and  more  commodious  church  building  and  in  December,  1916,  the 
lot  on  the  corner  of  Center  and  First  streets  and  the  parsonage  were 
sold  for  $22,500.  The  old  church  building  was  moved  to  the  corner 
of  Wolcott  and  Seventh  streets,  where  services  were  held  until  the 
splendid  new  church  building  was  finished.  The  new  church,  which 
cost  about  $100,000,  is  located  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Center  and 
Seventh  streets,  and  is  one  of  the  nicest  church  buildings  in  the  state. 
It  was  dedicated  August  15,  1920,  the  ceremonies  being  attended  by 
many  Catholic  priests  and  high  officials  of  the  Catholic  church. 

On  April  28,  1909,  Rev.  George  L.  White,  then  Baptist  mission- 
ary for  Utah  and  Wyoming,  organized  the  Baptist  society  of  Casper, 
with  a  total  membership  of  eight.  On  the  9th  of  September,  1909, 
Mr.  W.  R.  Howell  came  to  Casper  to  look  after  the  Baptist  work 
until  a  permanent  pastor  could  be  secured.  He  remained  in  the  city 
until  November  i,  1909.  November  28,  1909,  Rev.  E.  P.  Hoyt  of 
Manhattan,  Montana,  took  up  the  work  of  the  church,  but  remained 
as  pastor  for  only  a  short  time.  One  February  25,  1910,  Mr.  Hoyt 
died  in  a  hospital  in  Omaha.  July  6,  1910,  Rev.  R.  R.  Hopton  of 
Danville,  Iowa,  accepted  the  call  and  under  his  ministry  a  neat  little 
frame  building  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Beech  streets  was  put  up. 
November  20,  1910,  the  first  services  were  held  in  the  first  building 
the  Baptists  in  Casper  owned.  Rev.  Hopton  closed  his  work  with  the 
Casper  church  September  20,  1914.  January  3,  1915,  Rev.  Arthur  J. 
Hanson  assumed  the  duties  as  pastor  of  the  church  and  remained 
until  February  18,  1918.  He  gave  up  his  work  with  the  church  to 
enter  war  service  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  and  afterwards  became  a 
chaplain  in  the  army.  Rev.  R.  H.  Moorman  came  as  pastor  July, 
1918.  He  closed  his  work  with  the  church  September  I,  1919.  During 
his  pastorate  plans  for  securing  a  more  adequate  building  began  to 
take  a  definite  shape.  October  i,  1919,  R.  L.  Lemons,  D.  D.,  of 
Charleston,  Missouri,  became  pastor.  After  a  pastorate  of  not  quite 
nine  months  he  resigned  June  6,  1920.  September  i,  1920,  Rev.  C. 
M.  Thompson,  Jr.,  came  to  the  pastorate  of  the  church.  Since  his 
coming  the  commodious  front  basement  has  been  completed,  and  a 
modern  building  with  full  sized  gymnasium,  up-to-date  building  for 
religious  education,  social  rooms  and  lounging  rooms  and  an  audito- 
rium will  be  completed  on  the  corner  of  Fifth  and  Beech  in  the  not 


136  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

distant  future.  The  cost  of  this  building  will  be  about  ^100,000.  The 
church  has  grown  rapidly  within  the  past  few  years,  as  have  all  the 
churches  in  Casper. 

The  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Casper  was  organized  in  the 
Natrona  county  court  house  March  16,  1913,  with  a  charter  member- 
ship of  sixty-six.  Services  were  held  for  a  few  Sundays  in  the  court 
house  and  afterwards  for  several  months  in  the  Odd  Fellows  hall.  A 
lot  was  purchased  at  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Durbin  streets  and  a 
church  building  was  erected  in  the  fall  of  1913.  The  first  pulpit 
supply  was  Rev.  Robertson  McFadyen,  who  was  succeeded  by  Rev. 
W.  B.  Fawcett,  who  continued  as  pastor  for  two  and  a  half  years. 
Rev.  Walter  H.  Bradley,  D.  D.,  was  called  as  pastor  June  13,  1915, 
and  served  until  September,  1920.  Rev.  Charles  A.  Wilson,  whose 
previous  pastorates  were  in  Bethany  church,  Chicago,  and  the  First 
Presbyterian  church  at  Chanute,  Kansas,  received  a  call  October  24, 
1920,  and  entered  at  once  upon  the  work.  To  meet  the  immediate 
needs  of  the  congregation  which  outgrew  the  church  building,  the 
tabernacle  on  the  corner  of  Sixth  and  Durbin  streets  was  erected  in 
the  last  week  of  January,  1921.  During  the  year  1921,  230  new 
members  were  received  into  the  church,  and  the  Sunday  school  en- 
rollment reached  600,  requiring  the  use  of  both  the  church  building 
and  tabernacle  for  Sunday  school  purposes.  This  church  organization 
purchased  two  residence  lots  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Eighth  and 
Wolcott  streets  on  May  3,  1917,  which  are  occupied  by  the  Presby- 
terian manse.  It  is  proposed  by  the  Presbyterians  to  erect  a  new 
church  during  1923,  to  cost  about  $100,000. 

The  First  Christian  church  of  Casper  is  located  on  the  corner  of 
Grant  street  and  Lind  avenue.  On  the  evening  of  October  7,  1920, 
Rev.  Charles  G.  Stout,  the  state  evangelistic  pastor  for  Wyoming, 
under  the  direction  of  the  United  Christian  Missionary  society  of 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  came  to  Casper  and  commenced  the  task  of 
gathering  the  scattered  members  of  the  Christian  church  with  the 
expectation  of  organizing  them  into  a  working  force.  Meetings  were 
held  on  Sundays  in  the  Odd  Fellows  building  and  for  a  short  time  in 
November  of  1920  evening  meetings  were  held  in  the  city  hall.  A 
Sunday  school  was  started  a  few  weeks  before  the  arrival  of  Mr. 
Stout  in  Casper  under  the  superintendency  of  Mrs.  C.  D.  Murane. 
An  organization  which  was  known  as  "The  Sisterhood,"  which  was 
made  up  of  a  group  of  women,  most  of  whom  had  been  members  of 
the  Christian  church  before  coming  to  Casper,  was  in  working  order 
for  several  months  prior  to  the  coming  of  the  evangelistic  pastor.  This 
organization  met  in  the  homes  of  the  various  members  usually  every 
two  weeks.    On  Sunday,  February  13,  1921,  the  members  assembled 


CHURCHES    OF    CASPER  137 

for  the  first  time  in  the  church  home  which  was  in  process  of  con- 
struction and  was  simply  enclosed  and  had  the  heat  and  lights  in- 
stalled only  the  day  before.  The  minister  called  for  ^6,000  with  which 
to  pay  the  deficit  for  the  home,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  entire 
amount  was  subscribed  on  a  half  cash  basis  and  the  rest  in  six  months 
pledge.  Not  only  was  the  amount  subscribed  but  it  was  more  than  a 
thousand  dollars  oversubscribed.  In  the  building  there  is  a  splendid 
kitchen  with  modern  equipment.  The  seating  capacity  of  the  building 
is  650  and  there  is  a  choir  platform  for  more  than  eighty  people.  All 
this  work  was  accomplished  without  soliciting  anything  from  the 
public  at  large.  Rev.  Stout  resigned  as  minister  the  first  part  of 
August,  1922,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  R.  B.  Hildebrand,  who 
came  from  Billings,  Oklahoma. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  First  Presbyterian  church  of  Casper, 
the  North  Casper  Community  church  was  established  in  the  fall  of 
1919,  and  on  May  15,  1921,  it  was  formally  organized,  with  Rev.  C.  A. 
Marshall,  formerly  minister  of  Lingle,  Wyoming,  as  the  first  pastor. 
A  chapel  was  built  in  the  fall  of  1919  at  1009  North  Durbin  street  and 
services  were  held  irregularly  until  the  church  was  regularly  organized 
on  the  date  stated  above.  Shortly  after  Rev.  Marshall  came  to  take 
charge  of  the  church  the  membership  was  increased  from  about  forty 
to  more  than  200  and  the  Sunday  school  attendance  was  increased 
from  sixty  to  more  than  160.  This  increased  membership  demanded 
more  spacious  quarters,  and  a  large  tabernacle  was  erected  on  the  lot 
in  the  rear  of  the  chapel.  This  church  had  its  beginnmg  in  the  work  of 
Rev.  Robert  Marquis,  a  Presbyterian  Sunday  school  missionary  of 
Wyoming,  and  the  first  Sunday  school  services  were  held  in  a  small 
tar-paper  shack  located  at  130  East  J  street,  the  Sunday  school  being 
under  Mrs.  W.  F.  Hamilton.  Rev.  Benjamin  B.  Wmter  succeeded 
Rev.  Marshall  in  June,  1922,  but  on  August  22,  Rev.  Winter  died 
as  the  result  of  an  operation  for  appendicitis,  and  October  22  the 
pulpit  was  supplied  by  Rev.  George  Woodard,  who  came  from 
Broadway,  Nebraska. 

A  Community  church,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Wyoming,  was  organized  at  Salt  Creek  early  in  July,  1922, 
and  on  July  8,  Rev.  Andrew  Montgomery  of  St.  Louis,  Rev.  Walter 
M.  Irwin  of  Denver,  Rev.  E.  T.  Ferry  of  Greybull,  Rev.  J.  F.  Ver- 
non of  Evanston  and  Rev.  David  McMartin  of  Cheyenne  held 
services  in  the  town.  In  August,  1922,  Rev.  Emery  Zimmerman  of 
Bellevue,  Nebraska,  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  work,  who 
was  the  first  minister  to  permanently  locate  in  Salt  Creek. 

A  meeting  was  held  in  the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in 
Casper,  July  5,  191 7,  by  the  colored  people  of  the  town,  when  two 


138  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

hundred  dollars  was  subscribed  for  the  purpose  of  the  organization  of 
Grace  African  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Rev.  R.  L.  Pape  of 
Denver,  the  presiding  elder  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  district,  assisted 
in  the  organization.  Rev.  J.  O.  Minor  was  the  instigator  of  the  meet- 
ing. There  was  an  enrollment  of  fourteen  members  at  this  meeting. 
The  first  board  of  directors  were  H.  C.  Colman,  Stark  Oaklow,  J.  E. 
Russell,  James  Henry  and  T.  McSwine. 

Sunday,  October  i,  1922,  marked  the  organization  of  the  Grace 
English  Lutheran  church  in  Casper.  Rev.  H.  A.  Anspach  of  Denver 
was  in  charge  of  the  business  and  the  installation.  Rev.  J.  M.  Cromer 
was  selected  as  the  pastor.  The  new  church  was  organized  with  thirty- 
seven  members.  The  council,  or  official  board,  elected,  included: 
Robert  V.  Heinze  and  Thomas  Thompson,  elders;  E.  J.  Chance, 
Albert  Unger,  and  E.  R.  Redinski,  deacons;  and  A.  B.  Shipstead,  O. 
C.  Hauptli,  and  Charles  P.  Ames,  trustees.  The  organization  pur- 
chased two  lots  on  the  corner  of  Ninth  street  and  CY  avenue  and  on 
Sunday,  December  3,  1922,  at  2:30  in  the  afternoon,  at  an  outdoor 
service  the  ground  was  set  apart  for  the  holy  purpose  for  which  it  was 
purchased.  Addresses  were  made  by  a  number  of  evangelical  minis- 
ters and  several  other  speakers.  The  church  services  were  held  in 
Odd  Fellows  hall  until  the  chapel  was  finished. 

Among  the  other  church  organizations  in  the  city  of  Casper  which 
have  been  established  in  recent  years  are  the  Christian  Science,  with 
its  church  edifice  located  on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Grant  streets; 
the  Trinity  Lutheran  (Missouri  Synod)  with  its  church  on  the  corner 
of  Park  avenue  and  Fourth  street;  the  West  Side  chapel,  on  the  corner 
of  Poplar  and  Fifteenth  streets,  the  Kenwood  Presbyterian  church, 
located  in  Kenwood  addition;  the  second  Christian  church,  located 
at  604  East  H  street;  the  church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints,  holding 
services  in  the  Labor  Union  Temple. 

Lodges  and  Clubs  of  Casper 

Casper  lodge  No.  15,  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  was 
the  first  benevolent  organization  in  the  town  of  Casper.  It  was  organ- 
ized September  13,  1893,  and  on  December  27,  1893,  it  was  instituted, 
constituted  and  consecrated.  Grand  Master  E.  F.  Stahl  of  Cheyenne 
presided.  The  officers  to  serve  for  the  first  year  were:  Emerson  H. 
Kimball,  worshipful  master;  J.  K.  Calkins,  senior  warden;  P.  C. 
Nicolaysen,  junior  warden;  M.  P.  Wheeler,  secretary;  D.  A.  Robert- 
son, treasurer;  James  H.  Bury,  senior  deacon;  B.  B.  Brooks,  junior 
deacon;  J.  J.  Hurt,  senior  steward;  Wm.  Hines,  junior  steward;  R.  J. 
Devenport,  chaplain;  Samuel  A.  Currier,  tyler.    The  lodge  meetings 


LODGES    AND    CLUBS    OF    CASPER  139 

were  held  in  the  room  over  D.  A.  Robertson's  saloon,  on  the  west  side 
of  Center  street,  on  the  corner  of  the  alley  south  from  Second  street. 
Regular  meetings  were  held  in  this  building  until  1896,  when  the 
meetings  were  held  in  the  Odd  Fellows  building,  which  had  just  been 
completed,  until  December,  1914,  when  the  Masonic  Temple,  on  the 
corner  of  Center  and  Third  (now  First)  streets  was  completed.  The 
cornerstone  of  the  temple  was  laid  under  the  auspices  of  the  Masonic 
grand  lodge  of  Wyoming  on  August  26,  1914.  A  lead  box  was  placed 
in  the  receptacle  of  the  stone,  and  in  the  box  were  the  original  plans 
of  the  temple,  copies  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Masonic  grand  lodge 
bodies  of  Wyoming,  together  with  copies  of  the  constitution  and  by- 
laws of  the  local  Masonic  and  Eastern  Star  bodies,  a  history  of  the 
local  Masonic  lodge,  a  panoramic  view  of  the  town  of  Casper  taken 
in  1914,  copies  of  the  three  local  newspapers  (the  Natrona  County 
Tribune,  the  Casper  Record  and  the  Casper  Press),  various  American 
coins  of  different  denominations,  a  copy  of  the  directory  of  the  town 
of  Casper,  small  sacks  of  corn  and  wheat  and  a  head  of  native  wheat. 
The  temple  is  used  exclusively  for  the  Masonic  organizations  with  a 
club  room  for  the  members  in  the  sub-basement,  a  reading  room  for 
the  men  and  a  card  room  for  the  ladies  on  the  second  floor,  a  splendid 
radiophone  and  dance  hall  on  the  same  floor,  with  banquet  room  and 
lodge  rooms  on  the  third  floor. 

A  meeting  was  called  by  John  F.  Leeper  on  October  3,  1894,  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  Fort  Casper  chapter  No.  4,  Order  of  the 
Eastern  Star.  At  this  meeting,  there  were  sixteen  members  of  the 
Masonic  lodge  present  and  fourteen  ladies  eligible  to  membership  in 
the  order.  After  it  was  decided  to  organize  a  chapter,  officers  were 
selected  as  follows:  Mrs.  Edness  J.  Kimball,  worthy  matron;  John 
McGrath,  worthy  patron;  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Calkins,  associate  matron; 
Mrs.  E.  M.  O'Neall,  secretary;  Mrs.  Anna  M.  Seely,  treasurer;  Mrs. 
L.  E.  Townsend,  conductress;  Mrs.  A.  D.  Robertson,  associate  con- 
ductress; Mrs.  E.  M.  McCalmont,  marshal;  Miss  F.  C.  Butler, 
warder;  J.  E.  Daine,  sentinel;  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Bristol,  chaplain;  Mrs. 
Laura  E.  McGrath,  organist;  Mrs.  Anna  W.  Denecke,  Adah;  Mrs. 
Berta  N.  Wheeler,  Ruth;  Mrs.  R.  A.  Sprowll,  Esther;  Mrs.  Belle 
Patton,  Martha;  Mrs.  M.  Hiestand,  Electa.  J.  A.  J.  Stewart  acted  as 
deputy  grand  worthy  patron  and  instituted  the  chapter  on  Thursday 
evening,  November  29,  1894,  with  a  membership  of  fifty-six,  twenty- 
five  ladies  and  thirty-one  gentlemen. 

Capitol  chapter.  No.  8,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  was  organized  on 
December  27,  1897,  and  instituted  December  28,  1897,  with  officers 
as  follows:  C.  H.  Townsend,  high  priest;  DeForest  Richards,  king; 
E.  P.  Rohrbaugh,  scribe;  E.  F.  Stahl,  captain  of  the  host;  H.  Bungar, 


140  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

principal  sojourner;  C.  H.  Bryant,  royal  arch  captain;  J.  V.  Cantlln, 
master  of  third  veil;  John  Morton,  master  of  second  veil;  S.  Solomon, 
master  of  first  veil;  K.  McDonald,  treasurer;  A.  D.  Chamberlin, 
secretary. 

Apollo  Commandery,  Knights  Templar,  No.  8,  was  organized 
November  4,  1889,  and  constituted  on  June  7,  1900,  and  the  officers 
elected  and  installed  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  were:  C.  H.  Town- 
send,  eminent  commander;  L.  C.  Seely,  generalissimo;  B.  B.  Brooks, 
captain  general;  E.  P.  Rohrbaugh,  prelate;  N.  S.  Bristol,  treasurer; 
A.  J.  Mokler,  recorder;  Patrick  Sullivan,  senior  warden;  Wm.  Booker, 
warden;  P.  C.  Nicolaysen,  sword  bearer;  J.  J.  Svendsen,  sentinel. 
Trustees:    B.  B,  Brooks,  Patrick  Sullivan  and  W.  S.  Kimball. 

By  authority  from  the  illustrious  grand  master  of  the  Royal  and 
Select  Masters,  on  the  evening  of  April  30,  191 8,  C.  H.  Townsend 
communicated  the  Cryptic  degrees  of  Masonry  to  fifteen  companions, 
and  at  a  meeting  held  on  May  8,  1918,  Wyoming  Council,  No.  i, 
Royal  and  Select  Masters  was  organized  in  Casper,  with  the  election 
of  the  following-named  officers:  C.  H.  Townsend,  thrice  illustrious 
master;  E.  P.  Rohrbaugh,  deputy  master;  M.  P.  Wheeler,  principal 
conductor  of  the  work;  L.  B.  Townsend,  treasurer;  V.  W.  Mokler, 
recorder;  H.  F.  Shaffer,  captain  of  the  guard;  Lew  M.  Gay,  conductor 
of  the  council;  Oscar  Hiestand,  steward;  W.  F.  Shaffer,  sentinel. 
Casper  lodge  No.  22,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  was  the 
second  benevolent  society  to  be  organized  in  Casper.  During  the 
early  part  of  February,  1894,  the  organization  was  perfected  and  for 
several  weeks  the  members  attended  a  school  of  instruction,  and  on 
Tuesday  evening,  February  27,  1894,  the  lodge  was  instituted  and 
officers  installed  as  follows:  A.  T.  Seymour,  noble  grand;  J.  H.  Bury, 
vice  grand;  H.  A.  Lilly,  secretary;  Lew  Seely,  treasurer;  J.  E.  Dain, 
warden;  Peter  Heagney,  conductor;  Robert  White,  L.S.N.G.; 
Robert  Crosthwait,  R.S.N.G.;  Frank  Bull,  R.S.V.G.;  Dan  Mc- 
Kenzie,  L.S.V.G.;  John  McClure,  R.S.S.;  Charles  P.  Dasch,  L.S.S.; 
P.  A.  Demorest,  chaplain;  George  Walker,  junior  P.G.,  and  D.D. 
G.M.  The  Odd  Fellows  building  was  constructed  during  the  year 
1896,  and  the  laying  of  the  cornerstone  occurred  on  September  22 
of  that  year.  The  services  were  under  the  auspices  of  the  Odd 
Fellows,  Masons  and  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  The  cornerstone 
was  cut  by  Dan  McKenzie,  and  in  the  center  of  the  stone  was  placed 
a  brass  box  made  by  Lewis  D.  Seely,  the  box  containing  copies  of  the 
by-laws  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Masonic  lodges  and  a  history  and 
list  of  members  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  Masonic,  Encampment  and 
Eastern  Star  lodges  of  Casper,  together  with  copies  of  the  town 
ordinances,  the  Natrona  County  Tribune,  the  JFyoming  Derrick,  the 


LODGES    AND    CLUBS    OF    CASPER  I4I 

Cheyenne  Sun-Leader  and  the  Wyoming  Tribune,  a  one  dollar  silver 
certificate  of  1896,  presented  by  John  McGrath,  a  silver  dollar  of 
1894,  the  year  of  the  organization  of  the  lodge,  and  a  nickel  of  1896, 
both  being  presented  by  M.  P.  Wheeler,  and  a  Columbian  half 
dollar,  presented  by  Robert  White.  The  formal  opening  of  the 
building  was  held  on  Christmas  night  of  1896,  with  a  grand  ball,  to 
which  the  general  public  was  invited. 

Enterprise  Encampment  No.  9,  I.O.O.F.,  was  instituted  on 
December  18,  1895,  and  the  following-named  officers  were  elected  to 
serve  for  the  first  year:  James  H.  Bury,  chief  patriarch;  J.  E.  Dain, 
high  priest;  L.  C.  Seely,  senior  warden;  Colin  Campbell,  junior 
warden;  M.  P.  Wheeler,  scribe;  Robert  White,  treasurer. 

Natrona  Rebekah  lodge  No.  13  was  organized  December  5,  1901, 
and  instituted  on  December  22,  1901,  with  the  following  officers: 
Mrs.  M.  P.  Wheeler,  noble  grand;  Mrs.  L.  C.  Seely,  vice  grand;  Mrs. 
E.  B.  Shaffner,  secretary;  Mrs.  Hannah  McClure,  treasurer;  Mrs.  W. 
C.  Ricker,  conductor;  Mrs.  E.  A.  Johnson,  chaplain;  Miss  Adah 
Turner,  warden;  Mrs.  Frank  Jameson,  inside  guard;  Mrs.  C.  B. 
Miller,  organist. 

W.  L.  Kuykendall  Rebekah  lodge  No.  39  was  instituted  on  June 
19,  1915.  The  officers  for  the  first  term  were:  Eva  Sawyer,  noble 
grand;  Mable  Keith,  secretary;  Rola  Luxon,  vice  grand;  Dorothy 
Lloyd,  treasurer;  Mary  Keford,  warden;  Alice  Ward,  conductor; 
Myrtle  Buxton,  R.S.N.G.;  Daisy  Hubly,  L.S.N.G.;  Emma  Kocher, 
L.S.V.G.;  Mayme  L.  Davis,  L.S.V.G.;  Belle  Henry,  chaplain;  C.  M. 
Walker,  inside  guard;  P.  D.  Cunningham,  outside  guard;  Amy 
Deisher,  musician. 

The  Imperial  Order  of  Muscovites,  Kremlin  Azov,  was  instituted 
April  16,  1921.  The  first  officers  elected  were:  Royal  regent,  A.  T. 
Phillips;  czar,  E.  Richard  Shipp;  royal  counsellor,  Lyle  C.  Garner 
royal  grand  duke,  W.  T.  Bigler;  royal  governor,  E.  D.  Hoffman 
minister  of  records,  Ira  W.  Naylor;  minister  of  finance,  Elof  Engdahl 
royal  custodian,  Oscar  D.  Miller;  royal  inspector,  Byron  Reid;  inner 
guard,  Arthur  Kosanke;  outer  guard,  George  Rummel. 

Natrona  Camp  No.  331,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  was  organized 
in  Casper  on  Saturday  evening,  November  28,  1896,  with  thirty-one 
charter  members.  The  officers  chosen  for  the  first  year  were:  Council 
commander,  Alex.  T.  Butler;  adviser  lieutenant,  S.  W.  Conwell; 
banker,  Henry  Bayer;  clerk,  A.  E.  Case;  escort,  Colin  Campbell; 
watchman,  George  Moyer;  sentry,  Oscar  Truax;  physician,  T.  A. 
Dean;  managers,  E.  B.  Shaffner,  E.  D.  Norton,  and  Patrick  Sullivan. 

Casper  aerie.  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  was  instituted  Saturday 
evening,  January  24,  1903,  with  a  charter  membership  of  127.  Officers 


142  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

elected  to  serve  for  the  first  year  were:  President,  John  McGrath; 
vice  president,  John  Curran;  chaplain,  E.  F.  Seaver;  secretary,  A.  T. 
Phillips;  treasurer,  C.  C.  P.  Webel;  conductor,  W.  Forest;  inside 
guard,  C.  C.  Johnson;  outside  guard,  J.  M.  Carpenter;  trustees,  Wm. 
Hines,  J.  A.  Sheffner  and  C.  M.  Hawks;  physician,  T,  A.  Dean;  dis- 
trict deputy,  Charles  Willet. 

Casper  Lodge  No.  19,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  instituted  by 
Grand  Chancellor  E.  E.  LaFrienier  on  March  27,  1916.  The  officers 
the  first  year  were:  C.  W.  Thomas,  chancellor  commander;  W.  P. 
Holman,  vice  chancellor;  C.  P.  Johnson,  master  of  work;  Perry 
Elswick,  master  at  arms;  Wilbur  Foshay,  master  of  finance;  H.  J. 
Peterson,  master  of  exchequer;  C.  E.  Littlefield,  keeper  of  records 
and  seal;  J.  M.  Whisenhunt,  inner  guard;  W.  G.  Breon,  outer  guard. 

Eunice  Temple  No.  16,  Pythian  Sisters,  was  instituted  by  Grand 
Chief  Mary  Paterson,  April  8,  1920,  with  forty-one  charter  members, 
twenty-two  sisters  and  nineteen  knights.  The  officers  for  the  first 
year  were:  Past  Chief,  Elva  Anderson;  M.E.C.,  Mina  Whisenhunt; 
E.S.,  Zedda  Hemry;  E.J.,  Besse  Collier;  manager,  Ethel  Bunce;  M.  of 
R.C.,  Minnie  Twiggs;  M.  of  F.,  Lizzie  Evers;  protector,  Lillian 
Hawes;  guard,  Sylvia  Bauer. 

Abbas  Temple  No.  242,  Dramatic  Order  Knights  of  Khorassan, 
was  instituted  by  Deputy  Imperial  Prince  Finis  Bentley,  February 
25,  1922,  with  a  charter  membership  of  116.  The  officers  elected  to 
serve  for  the  first  year  were:  Royal  viser,  F.  S.  Price;  grand  emir, 
W.  J.  King;  sheik,  Byron  Reid;  mahedi,  Clayton  K.  Reed;  secretary, 
L.  T.  Hall;  treasurer,  H.  E.  Hawes;  satrap,  W.  R.  McMillian;  sahib, 
Thomas  Mulligan;  mokamia,  B.  H.  Holmes;  saruk.  Dean  Wolcott; 
master  of  ceremonies,  W.  G.  Schultzline;  escorts,  A.  R.  Jameson  and 
Sam  Weller;  royal  princes,  E.  E.  Fitch,  Laramie;  J.  H.  Giroux, 
Sheridan;  O.  A.  Sholz,  Basin;  W.  P.  Holman,  Sr.,  Casper. 

The  Loyal  Order  of  Moose  No.  11 82  has  a  large  membership  In 
Casper  and  in  the  early  spring  of  1919  purchased  a  building  site  on 
the  northwest  corner  of  A  and  Wolcott  streets  and  appointed  a 
committee  to  devise  ways  and  means  for  the  erection  of  a  modern 
four-story  building.  The  basement  for  the  building  was  finished  dur- 
ing the  first  year,  but  the  main  building,  which  cost  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  $200,000,  was  not  finished  until  the  early  months  of  1923. 
The  first  two  floors  of  this  building  are  used  for  an  auditorium,  which 
has  a  seating  capacity  of  about  2,300  people.  The  third  floor  is 
occupied  by  the  lodge  rooms  and  on  the  fourth  floor  are  forty-six 
office  rooms.    The  basement  is  used  for  club  rooms  for  the  members. 

Casper  council  No.  1563,  Knights  of  Columbus,  was  instituted 
Sunday,  April  23,  191 1.    Forty  members  from  Cheyenne,  Chadron, 


LODGES  AND  CLUBS  OF  CASPER  I43 

Denver  and  Omaha  were  present,  and  about  forty  men  were  initiated 
into  the  order.  The  following  were  the  first  officers:  J.  P.  Cantillon, 
grand  knight;  Jeremiah  Mahoney,  deputy  grand  knight;  W.  F.  Dunn, 
financial  secretary;  W.  H.  Maly,  recording  secretary;  J.  C.  Kamp, 
chancellor;  Edward  Schulte,  warden;  C.  E.  Wheeler,  treasurer;  W. 
G.  Noonan,  inner  guard;  G.  L.  McKeever,  outer  guard;  J.  E.  Schulte, 
advocate;  T.  B.  McDonough,  James  McFadden  and  P.  J.  O'Connor, 
trustees. 

Casper  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  Elks  No.  1353,  was  instituted  May  18, 
191 8.  Officers  of  Cheyenne  Lodge  No.  660  instituted  the  Lodge. 
There  was  a  charter  membership  of  sixty.  The  first  officers  were: 
A.  E.  Stirrett,  exalted  ruler;  W.  W.  Keefe,  esteemed  leading  knight; 
Edward  J.  Schulte,  esteemed  loyal  knight;  A.  M.  Garbutt,  esteemed 
lecturing  knight;  Robert  Cohen,  secretary;  W.  J.  Chamberlain, 
treasurer;  C.  W.  Thomas,  tiler;  trustees,  M.  P.  Wheeler,  Oscar  Hies- 
tand  and  Jeremiah  Mahoney.  The  meetings  were  held  in  the  Odd 
Fellows  hall  until  late  In  the  fall  of  1921,  when  they  were  held  in  the 
Elks'  home  on  the  corner  of  Seventh  and  Center  streets,  which  was 
erected  at  a  cost  of  about  one  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

Caledonian  clubs  in  Casper  have  been  organized  and  re-organized, 
but  after  a  short  life  of  activity  interest  in  these  clubs  began  to  wane, 
until  early  in  the  spring  of  1920,  when  the  members  of  the  Caledonian 
club  perfected  the  organization  of  Clan  Stuart,  No.  248,  Order  of 
Scottish  Clans,  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  interest  in  the  club.  The 
Stuart  Clan  is  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Royal  Clan,  Order  of 
Scottish  Clans,  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  Meetings  of  the  local  clan 
are  held  on  the  first  and  third  Tuesdays  of  each  month.  Following  is 
a  list  of  the  first  officers  of  the  organization:  Peter  Holden,  chief; 
James  Eraser,  lanist;  A.  M.  Weir,  secretary;  John  Glendenning, 
financial  secretary;  David  Eraser,  treasurer;  A.  P.  Kennedy,  senior 
henchman;  Wm.  Duncan,  junior  henchman;  Thomas  Rutherford, 
chaplain;  John  Latta,  seneschal;  M.  C.  Keith,  physician;  Colin 
Sutherland,  warder;  Robert  Little,  sentinel;  Ninian  Duncan,  piper. 

The  Rotary  Club  of  Casper,  Wyoming,  was  organized  on  March 
12,  1919,  with  the  following  men  as  charter  members:  J.  T.  Gratiot, 
Earl  C.  Boyle,  J.  W.  Johnson,  J.  C.  Kamp,  W.  W.  Keefe,  Julian 
Lever,  L.  E.  McMahon,  Geo.  B.  Nelson,  L.  A.  Reed,  E.  J.  Schulte, 
Carl  F.  Shumaker,  A.  E.  Stirrett,  O.  L.  Walker,  Ira  G.  Wetherill  and 
M.  P.  Wheeler.  The  charter  was  granted  on  May  i,  1919.  J.  T. 
Gratiot  was  elected  president;  O.  L.  Walker,  vice-president;  L.  F. 
McMahon,  secretary,  and  Carl  Shumaker,  treasurer.  On  April  12, 
1920,  O.  L.  Walker  was  elected  president;  L.  A.  Reed,  vice-president; 
C.  F.  Shumaker,  treasurer,  and  Geo.  B.  Nelson,  secretary.  On  April  11, 


144  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

1 92 1,  L.  A.  Reed  was  elected  president:  A.  E.  Stirrett,  vice-presi- 
dent; Geo.  B.  Nelson,  secretary,  and  C.  F.  Shumaker,  treasurer. 
On  April  10,  1922,  A.  E.  Stirrett  was  elected  president;  B.  B.  Brooks, 
vice-president;  Geo.  B.  Nelson,  secretary,  and  C.  F.  Shumaker, 
treasurer.  During  the  life  of  the  club  the  members  have  contributed 
to  many  worthy  undertakings,  among  them  being  the  Boy  Scout  cabin 
at  the  foot  of  Casper  mountain,  which  was  paid  for  entirely  by  the 
Rotary  club  and  donated  to  the  Boy  Scouts.  In  1921  the  club  equipped 
two  playgrounds  in  Casper  with  apparatus  at  the  expense  of  about 
$700  and  also  contributed  $450  to  the  municipal  swimming  pool.  In 
1921-22  the  Rotarians  gave  gold  medals  to  the  best  drilled  private 
of  Natrona  County  High  school  cadets,  and  gold  medals  to  the  girls 
in  high  school  making  the  best  record  in  domestic  science.  They  have 
also  contributed  toward  a  college  fund  to  help  worthy  boys  and  girls 
through  college  by  lending  them  money  without  interest.  Up  until 
1923  two  boys  have  been  helped  through  college.  Luncheons  are 
held  once  each  week  for  the  purpose  of  taking  up  matters  of  interest 
to  the  community  and  promoting  good  fellowship.  The  club  has  the 
unique  feature  of  having  but  one  member  from  each  line  of  business 
or  profession.  The  motto  of  the  club  is:  "He  Profits  Most  Who 
Serves  Best."  On  January  i,  1923,  the  club  had  a  membership  of 
forty-one. 

The  organization  meeting  of  the  Kiwanis  club  of  Casper  was  held 
at  the  Henning  hotel  March  10,  1921.  Preliminary  work  tending 
toward  the  organization  of  the  club  had  been  previously  done  by 
International  Field  Representative  Edward  C.  Bacon,  and  at  the 
time  of  the  first  meeting  the  charter  membership  roster  had  been 
closed  with  103  names  of  Casper  business  and  professional  men,  not 
more  than  two  of  whom  were  selected  from  one  classification,  and  no 
two  of  whom  represented  the  same  firm.  The  first  officers  of  the  local 
branch  of  Kiwanis  International  were  elected  as  follows:  Charles  A. 
Cullen,  president;  G.  R.  Hagens,  first  vice-president;  H.  R.  Lathrop, 
second  vice-president;  Harry  L.  Black,  secretary;  L.  B.  Townsend, 
treasurer.  A  board  of  directors  composed  of  the  following  members 
served  during  the  first  year:  Hugh  L.  Patton,  B.  L.  Scherck,  Arthur 
K.  Lee,  Herbert  J.  Peterson,  A.  J.  Cunningham,  W.  J.  Bailey  and 
George  W.  Campbell.  The  installation  requirements  of  the  inter- 
national organization  were  quickly  complied  with  and  on  the  evening 
of  July  I,  1921,  the  body  was  converted  into  a  full-fledged  branch  of 
the  Kiwanis  International  by  the  formal  presentation  of  its  charter 
by  District  Governor  Clem  W.  Collins  of  Denver.  From  the  time 
of  its  organization  the  Kiwanis  club  has  devoted  the  interest  and  the 
influence  of  its  membership  on  behalf  of  the  civic  good  of  the  com- 


LODGES    AND    CLUBS    OF    CASPER  I45 

munity.  It  has  participated  in  every  civic  enterprise  and  rendered 
notable  service  to  every  worthy  cause.  No  campaign  for  the  support 
of  the  Casper  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Boy  Scouts,  Salvation  Army, 
Red  Cross,  or  other  pubHcly  supported  organization,  has  been  with- 
out one  or  more  Kiwanis  teams  in  the  field.  The  most  notable  single- 
handed  effort  of  the  club  has  been  the  operation  of  the  annual  summer 
camp  for  girls  of  Casper,  in  which  the  club  met  all  the  expense  over 
and  above  the  camp  fees  of  the  girls.  The  local  club  has  carried  out 
faithfully  the  program  of  the  international  organization.  It  fostered 
and  sponsored  the  organization  of  a  Kiwanis  club  at  Douglas.  Its 
official  organ  is  The  Casper  Kiwanian,  issued  bi-monthly  by  the 
club,  publishing  Kiwanis  news,  both  of  local  and  national  interest. 
The  live  interest  evinced  by  members  in  matters  pertaining  to  the 
welfare  of  the  community  has  made  the  Kiwanis  club  of  Casper  a 
strong  factor  in  the  civic  life  of  the  city. 

The  Casper  club  of  the  Lions  International  was  organized  at  the 
Henning  hotel  in  Casper  on  April  23,  1922,  with  thirty-six  charter 
members  and  the  following-named  officers:  Burke  H.  Sinclair, 
president;  M.  C.  Keith,  first  vice-president;  John  B.  Barnes,  second 
vice-president;  Homer  F.  Shaffer,  third  vice-president;  Robert  N. 
Ogden,  secretary;  William  H.  Lloyd,  Guy  A.  Holmes,  Carl  A.  Taylor, 
Ray  Cook,  directors.  Since  the  organization  of  the  club  it  has  had  a 
very  active  career.  The  weekly  meetings  take  the  form  of  a  dinner 
every  Wednesday  night  and  at  this  dinner,  various  questions  per- 
taining to  local  civic  affairs  are  discussed.  During  the  time  since  the 
organization  of  the  club  the  members  have  participated  in  all  of  the 
local  public  movements.  In  all  drives  for  the  purpose  of  raising  funds 
for  such  organizations  as  the  local  Boy  Scouts,  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  Salvation 
Army,  Chamber  of  Commerce,  etc.,  the  club  has  been  represented  by 
an  active  working  committee.  The  club  has  always  entered  into  dis- 
cussion of  civic  problems  with  a  constructive  spirit  and  has  attempted 
at  all  times  to  be  in  the  forefront  whenever  action  was  demanded. 
Specifically,  it  might  be  mentioned  that  the  club  took  the  leading 
part  and  accomplished  the  greatest  result  in  the  Near  East  drive, 
which  was  held  during  the  summer  of  1922.  Again,  the  club  accepted 
the  proposition  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  to  provide  funds  for 
and  look  after  the  installation  of  one  of  the  ornamental  lights  for  the 
Platte  river  bridge  near  the  city.  These  funds  have  been  provided 
and  the  club  chose  as  its  pioneer  after  whom  to  name  its  light,  Ezra 
Meeker,  the  famous  traveler  through  this  section  of  the  country  in 
the  early  days.  One  of  the  greatest  achievements  of  the  club  has  been 
the  initiation  of  the  community  chest  plan.  The  general  objects  and 
purposes  of  the  Lion  club  in  Casper,  as  in  all  other  localities  where 


146  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

such  clubs  exist,  may  be  summed  up  by  the  following:  To  promote 
the  theory  and  practice  of  the  principles  of  good  government  and 
good  citizenship.  To  take  an  active  interest  in  the  civic,  commercial, 
social  and  moral  welfare  of  the  community.  To  unite  the  members 
in  the  bonds  of  friendship,  good  fellowship  and  mutual  understanding. 
To  provide  a  forum  for  the  full  and  free  discussion  of  all  matters  of 
public  interest,  partisan  politics  and  sectarian  religion  alone  excepted. 
To  encourage  efficiency  and  promote  high  ethical  standards  in  business 
and  professions;  provided  that  no  club  shall  hold  out  as  one  of  its 
objects  financial  benefits  to  its  members. 

The  organization  of  the  Casper  Boy  Scout  council  was  fostered 
and  promulgated  by  the  Casper  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Within  a 
short  time  the  preliminary  work  was  completed  and  March  24,  1920, 
a  formal  charter  was  granted  to  a  representative  group  of  Casper 
citizens  for  the  conduct  of  a  local  council  of  Boy  Scouts.  Funds  for 
the  promotion  and  maintenance  of  this  council  are  raised  by  popular 
subscription  and  the  citizenship  at  large  are  satisfied  that  the  money 
they  contribute  to  this  organization  is  one  of  the  very  best  invest- 
ments they  can  make,  for  after  two  years  they  are  convinced  that 
the  scout  movement  is  character-building  and  the  training  for  good 
citizenship  among  the  boys,  and  it  is  sure  to  make  real  men  out  of  the 
real  boys.  In  August  each  year  summer  camps  for  the  members  of 
the  troops  are  held  in  the  mountains,  lasting  two  weeks,  and  these 
camps  are  visited  by  many  of  the  business  and  professional  men  of 
the  city  who  show  a  deep  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the  boys.  The 
first  year's  budget,  amounting  to  $8,000,  was  subscribed  in  less  than 
two  hours  and  each  succeeding  year  the  business  men  of  the  city  have 
considered  it  a  privilege  and  a  pleasure  to  contribute  for  the  support 
of  this  worthy  organization.  The  Casper  council  has  the  largest 
membership  of  any  council  in  the  state. 

Casper's  Water  Supply 

A  "system"  of  water  works  was  first  proposed  for  the  town  of 
Casper  in  the  late  autumn  of  1890.  The  proposition  was  the  "con- 
struction of  a  large  irrigation  canal,  three  miles  long  and  twelve  feet 
wide  at  the  bottom,  to  be  taken  from  the  Platte  river  west  of  town, 
and  carried  over  as  much  of  the  Carey  land  as  possible,  with  laterals 
leading  into  and  through  the  town."  An  engineer  from  Cheyenne 
surveyed  the  ditches,  and  if  the  scheme  was  carried  to  a  successful 
conclusion,  it  was  said  by  the  citizens  that  Casper  and  the  CY  ranch 
would  "blossom  as  the  rose."  The  scheme  was  never  carried  out, 
however,  and  the  people  continued  to  pump  the  water  from  the  wells 


CASPER  S    WATER    SUPPLY  I47 

that  had  been  dug  and  to  haul  it  from  the  river  and  Garden  and 
Elkhorn  creeks.  The  matter  was  officially  brought  up  again  in  the 
early  spring  of  1891,  when  a  notice  was  published  in  the  newspapers 
of  the  town  to  the  effect  that  "the  citizens  of  Casper  are  requested 
to  meet  with  the  town  council,  at  the  town  hall,  on  Monday  evening, 
March  16,  at  7:30  o'clock,  to  discuss  the  feasibility  and  advisability 
of  providing  a  system  of  water  works  for  the  city.  The  council  de- 
sires to  ascertain  the  true  sentiment  of  the  town,  not  only  as  to  the 
advisability  and  practicability  of  securing  a  water  works  system,  but 
concerning  the  kind  of  system  to  be  adopted,  in  case  the  sentiment  of 
the  meeting  is  favorable  for  the  construction." 

The  water  supply  for  the  town  in  those  days  was  furnished  by 
shallow  dug  wells  in  the  residence  section,  and  on  Center  street  there 
were  three  wells  and  two  on  Second  street.  The  wells  in  the  business 
part  of  town  were  mainly  for  fire  protection.  They  were  equipped 
with  a  force  pump  with  double  handles,  so  that  four  men  could  oper- 
ate them,  and  thus  keep  the  bucket  brigade  supplied  with  water  in 
case  of  a  fire.    Luckily,  however,  there  were  few  fires. 

The  water  in  the  wells  in  all  parts  of  the  town  became  polluted 
in  a  short  time,  and  sickness  and  death  resulted,  especially  among  the 
children.  Then  the  water  that  was  used  for  drinking  and  cooking  was 
hauled  in  barrels  from  Elkhorn  and  Garden  creeks. 

At  the  meeting  held  on  the  date  mentioned  above,  the  local  news- 
paper said  that  a  "large  number  of  citizens  met  with  the  council," 
and  it  was  stated  that  "it  had  been  found  that  the  water  could  be 
piped  a  distance  of  five  and  one-fourth  miles  to  a  reservoir  on  a  hill 
one  mile  southeast  of  town,  from  which  a  main  pipe  could  be  laid  to 
the  city."  No  one  at  the  meeting  could  give  any  definite  figures  as 
to  the  cost  of  the  system,  "but  it  was  thought  ^10,000  would  be 
ample."  A  committee,  consisting  of  P.  A.  Demorest,  A.  McKinney, 
C.  K,  Bucknum,  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  and  William  Kranish  was  ap- 
pointed to  secure  estimates  on  different  systems  and  ascertain  which 
was  the  cheapest  and  best. 

In  about  two  weeks  this  committee  met  with  the  town  council 
and  made  its  report  to  the  effect  that  it  "favored  a  windmill  and  tank 
system,  the  tank  to  be  located  just  north  of  town,  on  a  line  with 
Center  street  (where  the  court  house  is  now  located).  From  the 
tank  it  was  proposed  to  lay  a  water  main  to  First  (now  Midwest 
avenue)  and  Center  street,  thence  east  one  block.  The  line  was  to  be 
extended  east  on  Second  street  to  Durbin  street  and  west  to  David 
street.  The  tank  was  to  be  16x24  feet,  on  a  forty-foot  tower,  and  to 
have  a  capacity  of  16,000  barrels,  which  would  give  sufficient  pressure 
to  throw  a  stream  fifty  feet  high.    A  twenty-foot  wheel  windmill  was 


148  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

proposed.  This  system,  including  750  feet  of  fire  hose,  nozzles,  etc., 
exclusive  of  digging  the  well,  would  cost  about  $8,000. 

It  was  proposed  to  issue  bonds  in  the  amount  of  $5,000  for  the 
construction  of  such  a  system,  and  accordingly  a  proclamation  was 
issued  by  the  town  council  for  an  election  to  be  held  on  May  12,  1891, 
to  vote  upon  such  bonds.  Before  the  election  was  held,  however, 
there  was  a  remonstrance  circulated  and  numerously  signed  by 
citizens  and  taxpayers  against  the  issuance  of  the  bonds  on  the 
grounds  that  such  a  system  was  inadequate. 

At  the  election  fifty-one  votes  were  cast  for  the  bonds  and  thirty- 
one  votes  against,  but  the  vote  proved  to  be  irregular  and  illegal  on 
account  of  the  fact  that  there  was  not  one  vote  cast  in  accordance 
with  the  instructions  on  the  ballot,  and  the  bonds  failed  to  carry. 
Thus  the  matter  of  water  works  was  held  up  for  a  number  of  years 
and  the  people  continued  to  pump  the  water  from  wells  and  have  it 
hauled  in  barrels  from  the  river  and  the  creeks. 

On  Monday,  September  4,  1893,  at  a  meeting  of  the  town  council, 
Mayor  C.  K.  Bucknum  entertained  a  motion  from  Councilman  John 
McGrath  to  the  eflPect  that  the  town  of  Casper  vote  water  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  $30,000,  and  on  Tuesday  following  a  special  meeting 
of  the  council  was  held  and  an  ordinance  and  proclamation  were 
read  and  approved  calling  for  a  special  election  on  Tuesday,  October 
10,  1893,  submitting  the  proposition  to  the  qualified  electors  of  the 
town  to  issue  bonds  in  the  amount  of  $30,000,  for  the  purpose  of 
constructing,  purchasing,  extending,  maintaining,  and  regulating  a 
system  of  water  works  to  supply  the  town  of  Casper  with  water  for 
the  extinguishing  of  fires  and  for  the  supply  of  the  inhabitants  thereof 
with  water  for  domestic,  manufacturing,  and  other  purposes. 

The  election  was  held  and  the  bonds  were  carried,  and  a  survey 
was  made  for  a  gravity  system  and  the  estimate  of  the  cost  sub- 
mitted, the  estimate  providing  for  a  reservoir  60x132  feet,  twenty 
feet  deep,  to  contain  1,188,000  gallons  of  water,  sufficient  for  a  town 
with  a  population  of  2,000.  Twenty-five  fire  plugs  to  be  distributed 
throughout  the  city  were  also  provided  for  and  the  entire  cost  was 
estimated  at  $26,670. 

The  bonds  were  advertised  to  be  sold  at  12  o'clock  on  December 
15,  1893,  but  no  bids  were  received  on  that  date.  Consequently,  the 
bonds  were  not  sold. 

At  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the  town  council  held  on  Saturday, 
December  16,  1893,  an  option  was  taken  from  Adam  &  Williams  for 
water  right  number  one  from  the  east  fork  of  Elkhorn  creek,  the  con- 
tract calling  for  a  perpetual  supply  of  water  to  the  volume  of  six- 
tenths  of  a  cubic  foot  per  second,  which  would  be  adequate  for  a 


CASPER  S    WATER    SUPPLY  I49 

population  of  over  3,000.  The  amount  agreed  upon  for  the  payment 
of  this  water  right  was  $1,500,  the  option  on  the  right  to  hold  good 
until  July  i,  1894.  Two  hundred  fifty  dollars  of  the  purchase  price 
was  paid  in  advance. 

On  February  8,  1894,  J.  A.  Jones,  representing  the  Michigan  Pipe 
Line  company  of  Bay  City,  Michigan,  submitted  a  proposition  to  the 
town  council  to  survey  the  line,  furnish  and  lay  the  pipe,  build  the 
reservoir,  and  furnish  the  whole  system  for  the  sum  of  $30,000  in  6 
per  cent  gold  bonds  of  the  town  of  Casper,  the  work  to  commence  as 
soon  as  the  frost  was  out  of  the  ground,  and  continue  without  inter- 
ruption until  completed. 

The  proposition  was  accepted  by  the  town  council  and  a  contract 
was  to  be  drawn  up  and  signed  before  March  15,  1894.  The  contract 
was  not  signed,  however,  on  account  of  Jones  failing  to  put  in  an 
appearance,  and  the  town  council  thereupon  rejected  the  proposition 
of  the  Michigan  Pipe  Line  company.  Another  effort  was  made  to  sell 
the  bonds,  but  on  account  of  the  stringency  in  the  money  market  and 
the  unsettled  condition  generally,  the  bonds  were  not  sold. 

A  petition  was  circulated  among  the  people  of  the  town  asking 
them  to  subscribe  for  the  bonds,  but  at  that  time  the  people  felt  that 
they  could  not  spare  the  money,  and  the  money  was  not  raised.  Again 
the  water  works  system  for  Casper  failed  to  materialize.  With  all 
hope  gone,  the  town  council  ordered  that  the  five  town  wells,  with 
their  hand  pumps,  be  put  in  shape  to  afford  fire  protection  with  the 
bucket  brigade,  and  water  was  hauled  to  town  in  barrels  with  team 
and  wagon  for  domestic  purposes  and  sold  at  very  reasonable  prices, 
as  will  be  noted  from  the  following  advertisement  which  appeared  in 
the  local  newspapers: 

"On  July  24,  1895,  ^-  E-  Seeley  will  commence  delivering  pure  mountain  water 
in  the  city.  This  water  is  as  soft  as  rainwater  and  is  taken  from  Garden  creek,  only  a 
short  distance  this  side  of  the  falls,  and  is  free  from  alkali  and  all  impurities.  For  wash- 
ing or  drinking  purposes  it  will  pay  to  use  this  water.  Mr.  Seeley  will  run  his  wagon 
daily  and  he  should  receive  a  liberal  patronage.  He  will  deliver  in  either  barrel  or  half- 
barrel  lots,  to  suit  the  customer.   The  price  is  fixed  at  35  cents  per  barrel." 

Mr.  Seeley  furnished  the  water  for  the  residents  of  the  town 
during  the  summer  of  1895. 

On  June  12,  1895,  a  special  election  was  called  for  July  13,  1895, 
authorizing  the  issuance  of  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $23,000,  for  the 
purpose  of  "constructing,  purchasing,  extending,  maintaining  and 
regulating  a  system  of  water  works  to  supply  the  said  town  of  Casper 
with  water,  for  the  supplying  of  the  inhabitants  thereof  with  water 
for  domestic  and  manufacturing  purposes."  George  B.  McCalmont 
was  mayor,  W.  A.  Denecke,  J.  A.  Warner,  P.  C.  Nicolaysen  and  John 


150  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

McGrath  were  members  of  the  council  when  the  election  proclamation 
was  issued.  At  the  special  election  236  votes  were  cast  for  the  bonds 
and  there  were  only  two  votes  cast  against  the  proposition. 

The  bonds  were  sold  on  August  24,  1895,  and  bids  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  system  were  advertised,  to  be  opened  at  12  o'clock, 
September  16,  1895.  C.  E.  McGarvey,  of  Cheyenne,  was  the  success- 
ful bidder,  his  price  being  ^23,000  in  water  bonds,  $6,000  in  town 
warrants,  payable  in  one,  two,  and  three  years,  and  $3,000  in  cash. 
Work  was  commenced  at  once,  beginning  at  Elkhorn  creek,  about 
seven  miles  south  of  town.  At  the  intake  a  dam  fifty  feet  in  width 
and  nine  feet  high  backed  the  water  up  150  yards,  and  below  this  dam 
was  built  the  setthng  basm.  For  the  first  9,000  feet,  the  mains  were 
of  eight-inch  pipe,  and  then  for  18,000  feet,  the  pipe  was  six  inches, 
after  which  a  four-inch  pipe  carried  the  water  to  the  town.  The  fall 
from  the  dam  on  the  foothills  of  Casper  mountain  to  the  level  of  the 
town  is  about  900  feet,  and  three  pressure  regulators  were  installed 
and  the  pressure  was  to  be  reduced  to  seventy-five  pounds.  Work 
progressed  very  slowly  on  account  of  digging  the  ditches  in  some  places 
through  solid  rock,  but  in  the  early  spring  of  1896  the  mains  were 
being  laid  in  the  streets  of  the  town,  and  on  Tuesday,  May  26,  1896, 
the  water  was  in  the  pipes  in  the  town.  In  the  evening  on  that  date 
a  test  was  made  by  the  firemen  before  the  town  council  and  a  large 
number  of  citizens.  The  first  connection  was  made  at  6:30  at  the 
corner  of  First  (now  Midwest  avenue)  and  Center  streets  and  when  the 
water  was  turned  on  a  two-inch  stream  shot  into  the  air  120  feet;  the 
stream  was  turned  on  the  Natrona  hotel  and  the  adjacent  buildings, 
as  well  as  on  a  considerable  number  of  people  who  did  not  succeed  in 
getting  a  safe  distance  away.  After  half  an  hour's  thorough  test  at 
this  point,  the  hose  was  then  connected  at  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Center  streets,  and  the  stream  of  water  was  shot  on  top  and  over  the 
Grand  Central  hotel;  the  full  force  was  turned  on  the  roof  of  the 
Metcalf  store  (where  the  Rialto  theatre  is  now  located)  and  hundreds 
of  shingles  were  ripped  off  from  the  roof  of  the  building  by  the  force 
of  the  water;  a  great  many  more  of  the  spectators  were  drenched,  and 
when  the  mayor  and  town  council  pronounced  the  demonstrations 
satisfactory  and  signified  that  the  system  would  be  accepted,  pan- 
demonium broke  loose,  and  it  was  not  the  water  from  Elkhorn  creek 
that  was  drunk  by  most  of  the  male  population  that  night,  but  the 
next  morning  the  cool  and  refreshing  HoO  was  in  great  demand. 

There  were  nine  saloons  on  the  west  side  of  Center  street  at  that 
time  and  the  crowd  lined  up  in  front  of  the  bar  six  deep  at  the  first 
saloon.  After  all  had  participated  in  the  libations,  they  went  on  to 
the  next  saloon,  and  then  to  the  next  and  the  next,  adding  to  their 


CASPER  S    WATER    SUPPLY  I5I 

numbers  a  great  many  people  as  they  progressed  down  the  row  to  the 
last  saloon.  If  a  man  refused  to  buy,  his  body  was  hoisted  onto  the 
bar,  and  his  valuables  and  clothing  were  stripped  from  him  and  held 
as  security  for  payment  of  the  round  of  drinks.  There  were  not  many 
who  refused  to  buy,  and  none  refused  to  partake. 

The  main  celebration  was  over  before  midnight,  and  those  who 
could  walk,  wended  their  way  home,  and  those  who  could  not  navigate, 
and  there  were  many  in  that  condition,  were  allowed  to  rest  wherever 
they  might  fall  until  their  minds  cleared  and  their  legs  became  less 
wabbly  and  then  they  too,  found  their  way  home  and  slept  off  the 
effects  of  their  over-indulgence. 

At  that  time  Casper's  population  was  less  than  1,000  and  the 
amount  of  water  consumed  was  amply  supplied  by  this  system  for  a 
number  of  years. 

November  6,  1897,  a  contract  was  awarded  Noel  R.  Gascho  and 
Charles  Atmore  by  the  town  council  to  put  in  about  1,700  feet  of 
additional  water  main  to  the  city  water  plant,  the  pipe  to  be  laid  on 
First  and  Maple,  and  Third  and  Beech  streets,  to  be  completed  by 
December  i.  Their  bond  was  duly  approved  and  the  work  of  putting 
in  the  pipe  was  begun  at  once.  Their  bid  was  to  put  in  the  pipe  for 
14^  cents  per  foot,  the  town  to  furnish  the  pipe. 

The  reservoir  about  a  mile  south  of  town  was  built  in  the  summer 
of  1899  at  a  cost  of  ^3,455.  The  construction  is  brick  and  concrete; 
the  wall  is  four  feet  thick  at  the  bottom  and  two  feet  thick  at  the 
top,  and  it  is  12  feet  deep. 

In  less  than  three  years  after  the  system  had  been  installed  the 
alkaline  in  the  water  had  eaten  its  way  through  the  steel  spiral  pipe 
in  more  than  a  hundred  places;  there  were  leaks  all  along  the  line  from 
the  reservoir  to  the  town,  and  the  mains  throughout  the  town  were 
continually  bursting.  Several  men  were  kept  busy  all  the  time  making 
repairs  and  replacing  the  pipe.  In  the  summer  and  fall  of  1900  more 
than  $7,500  was  expended  in  replacing  the  steel  spiral  pipe,  which 
had  become  so  rusted  and  rotten  that  it  was  useless,  with  cast  iron 
pipe,  and  in  the  summers  of  1901  and  1902  all  the  spiral  pipe  in  town 
was  torn  out  and  replaced  with  cast  iron  pipe. 

In  July,  1905,  there  were  244  residences  supplied  with  water  from 
the  municipal  water  works,  82  private  stables,  25  private  baths,  47 
closets,  9  saloons,  3  blacksmith  shops,  3  barbershops,  4  apartments, 
3  meat  markets,  2  laundries,  4  hotels,  6  restaurants,  i  boarding  house, 
15  stores,  18  offices,  i  bottling  works,  i  tobacco  manufacturer,  i 
tailor  shop,  3  lodging  houses,  2  banks,  3  motors,  i  electric  light  plant, 
I  oil  refinery,  I  depot  tank,  3  churches,  i  reading  room,  2  school 
houses  and  4  livery  stables. 


152  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Clarence  T.  Johnston,  the  state  engineer,  made  a  survey  and 
located  the  site  for  the  Sage  creek  reservoir  in  June,  1906.  The  esti- 
mated cost  for  the  construction  of  this  reservoir  was  between  $5,000 
and  $6,000.  A  great  many  improvements  had  been  made  in  the 
water  works  system  this  year,  and  the  steel  spiral  main  leading  from 
the  reservoir  to  town  had  been  replaced  with  30,000  pounds  of  cast 
iron  mains.  The  Sage  creek  reservoir,  about  four  miles  south  of 
Casper,  was  finished  in  the  fall  of  1907.  With  these  improvements  it 
was  thought  that  Casper  was  provided  with  a  water  works  system 
that  would  supply  the  demand  for  a  great  many  years,  but  on  July  2, 

1910,  at  a  special  election,  the  people  voted  in  favor  of  $25,000  water 
bonds  and  $20,000  sewer  bonds.    These  bonds  were  sold  in  January, 

191 1,  and  during  the  summer  of  that  year  the  money  was  expended 
for  new  pipe  and  other  improvements.  But  the  population  of  the 
town  increased  so  rapidly  that  bonds  were  voted  on  May  17,  1914,  in 
the  amount  of  $75,000  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  and  installing  a 
pumping  plant,  the  securing  of  water  rights  and  the  laying  of  a  ten- 
inch  main  to  the  lower  reservoir.  Fifteen  thousand  dollars  in  bonds 
were  voted  at  the  same  time  for  the  extension  of  Casper's  sewer 
system,  but  in  less  than  five  years  it  was  found  necessary  to  issue 
bonds  in  the  amount  of  $260,000  for  water  bonds,  and  $60,000  for 
sewer  bonds,  the  special  election  being  held  on  March  19,  1919,  for 
this  purpose.  A  new  pumping  plant,  a  new  water  gallery  in  the  Platte 
river  a  mile  west  from  town  and  new  mains  doubled  the  capacity  of 
the  water  system,  and  when  these  improvements  were  completed  in 
December,  1920,  2,500  gallons  of  water  a  minute  could  be  supplied  the 
city.  In  1919,  204,452,131  gallons  of  water  was  used  by  consumers 
in  Casper,  against  141,784,700  gallons  used  in  1918.  On  October  4, 
1920,  a  chlorination  plant  was  ordered  installed  for  the  purification 
of  Casper's  water  supply.  In  1921  practically  $35,000  was  expended 
by  the  city  for  water  works  improvements  and  extensions. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1922  Casper's  water  works  system 
was  estimated  to  be  valued  at  about  $705,000.  Included  in  this 
property  are  the  two  engines  and  pumps,  valued  at  about  $32,000;  the 
pumping  station,  filter  galleries,  traps,  land,  etc.,  valued  at  $138,000; 
dams,  reservoirs,  pipe,  etc.,  valued  at  half  a  million  dollars;  with  a 
thousand  and  one  odd  articles  of  sufficient  value  to  bring  the  whole 
up  to  the  above  estimated  value.  Water  bonds  amounting  to  $914,000 
were  outstanding  against  the  city  of  Casper  on  January  i,  1922. 

During  the  year  1921,  water  rents  collected  from  consumers 
amounted  to  $90,381 .91,  and  the  disbursements  for  this  department 
was  $71,273.84,  thus  showing  a  profit  to  the  city  from  the  water 
department  of  $19,108.07. 


CASPER'S    FIRE    DEPARTMENTS  I53 

Casper's  Fire  Departments 

Nine  citizens  of  the  town  of  Casper  met  in  Henry  A.  Lilly's  office 
at  7:30  in  the  evening  of  October  12,  1895,  for  the  purpose  of  organiz- 
ing a  volunteer  fire  company,  the  duty  of  the  members  of  which, 
according  to  a  resolution  adopted  at  the  first  meeting,  was  the  "fight- 
ing of  fires,  if  any  should  occur  at  any  time." 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  H.  A.  Lilly,  and,  upon  motion, 
Mr.  Lilly  acted  as  the  regular  chairman  during  the  evening,  and  W. 
S.  Irwin  was  the  secretary.  The  others  who  were  present  at  this  meet- 
ing were  W.  C.  Ricker,  Sam  Demorest,  Emanuel  Erben,  B.  F.  Blair, 
J.  B.  Miller,  E.  Jones  and  C.  E.  Nichols.  Mr.  Lilly  was  elected  chief, 
or  foreman  of  the  company;  W.  C.  Ricker,  assistant  chief;  Sam  Demo- 
rest, hose  captain;  W.  S.  Irwin,  pipeman  and  nozzleman;  Emanuel 
Erben,  treasurer,  and  W.  S.  Irwin,  secretary. 

The  next  meeting  was  held  on  the  19th  of  October,  when  the 
constitution  and  by-laws  were  adopted.  A  ruling  was  made  that  all 
those  who  became  members  in  the  future  should  pay  fifty  cents  as 
initiation  fee,  but  those  who  were  already  members  should  be  exempt 
from  the  payment  of  this  fee.  A  collection  was  taken  up  among  the 
members  at  this  second  meeting  to  purchase  stationery  for  the  de- 
partment, and  ^1.95  was  donated.  At  this  meeting  the  names  of 
Thomas  Clark,  Charles  Warner,  C.  H.  Townsend  and  R.  R.  Phoenix 
were  added  to  the  membership  list.  It  was  decided  that  the  firemen's 
uniform  should  consist  of  a  blue  shirt  with  red  collar,  with  the  initials 
"C.  F.  D.  No.  I."  worked  on  the  front  of  the  shirt  in  white.  A  red 
belt,  with  ordinary  trousers,  completed  the  uniform.  At  the  meeting 
held  October  26  the  names  of  J.  E.  Lovejoy,  W.  F.  McMillen  and 
Henry  Bayer  were  added  to  its  membership  roll,  and  at  the  meeting 
held  on  December  28,  Patrick  Sullivan  and  W.  A.  Denecke  were  ad- 
mitted as  members.  On  January  4,  1896,  Colin  Campbell,  John  T. 
McGrath,  Douglas  Fuller,  Walter  Trotman,  W.  S.  Kimball,  R.  C. 
Swift,  Oscar  Hiestand,  George  Rhoades,  Carl  Sommers,  Albert 
White,  and  George  Moyer  were  elected  as  members.  At  this  meeting 
C.  H.  Townsend  was  elected  chief;  John  McGrath,  assistant  chief; 
Colin  Campbell,  second  assistant  chief;  H.  A.  Lilly,  captain;  J.  E. 
Lovejoy,  secretary,  and  W.  S.  Kimball,  treasurer. 

The  first  dance  given  by  the  fire  company  was  on  New  Year's 
eve,  1895,  snd  the  report  of  the  committee  showed  that  fifty-six 
tickets  were  sold  at  ^i.oo  per  ticket.  The  expense  items  were: 
Music,  ^12.50;  piano,  $5.00;  printing,  $3.00;  wax,  50c;  distributing 
bills,  50c;  dray  and  caller,  $2.00.  Total,  ^32.50.  The  next  dance 
was  given  on   Saint  Valentine's  day,  February   14,  and  it  was   the 


154  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

custom  of  this  company  for  the  first  few  years  to  give  a  dance  on  the 
evening  of  Saint  Valentine's  day,  but  in  later  years  the  date  of  the 
annual  ball  was  changed  to  Washington's  birthday.  Every  business 
man  in  Casper  bought  at  least  one  ticket  and  some  of  them  bought  a 
dozen,  and  it  was  by  this  means  the  members  of  the  company 
secured  the  money  with  which  to  purchase  their  paraphernalia  and 
apparatus.  In  addition  to  the  money  raised  by  this  means,  some  of 
the  business  men  made  an  annual  donation  and  the  town  council 
would  occasionally  m.ake  a  small  appropriation  for  the  benefit  of  the 
company. 

One  hose  cart,  with  150  feet  of  hose,  and  a  nozzle  and  a  trumpet 
for  the  chief,  was  the  complete  list  of  the  property  first  purchased  by 
this  company,  but  how  the  firemen  at  that  time  used  the  hose  is  a 
mystery,  for  there  were  no  water  works  in  Casper  then  and  when  a 
fire  occurred  the  flames  were  fought  by  a  "bucket  brigade."  The 
water  was  pumped  from  the  town  wells  by  means  of  hand  pumps  and 
the  buckets  of  water  were  passed  from  man  to  man  from  the  pump 
to  the  scene  of  the  fire. 

After  the  water  system  was  in  operation  the  hose  cart  and  the 
150  feet  of  hose  were  put  into  use  and  after  a  few  years  a  second  cart 
and  more  hose  were  purchased.  The  alarm  of  fire  was  sounded  by 
ringing  the  bell  which  was  in  the  town  hall  tower  and  the  house  for  the 
hose  carts  was  immediately  south  of  the  town  hall.  These  hose  carts 
were  transported  from  the  hose  house  to  the  scene  of  the  fire  by  about 
a  dozen  men  who  pulled  on  a  long  rope  fastened  to  the  front  of  the 
cart  and  about  six  men  would  take  their  places  behind  the  cart  and 
push.  It  was  hard  work  and  the  quick  time  could  not  be  made  that 
is  made  nowadays  with  the  auto  carts  and  trucks  and  engines,  but 
the  town  was  small  and  the  distance  to  the  farthest  house  within  the 
town  limits  was  not  much  more  than  four  or  five  blocks  from  the  hose 
house. 

This  hose  company  was  the  winner  of  many  prizes  in  contests  of 
"hose  racing,"  defeating  the  Douglas  company  as  well  as  other  com- 
panies in  the  state.  A  dozen  men  belonged  to  the  racing  team,  eight 
of  whom  wore  a  harness  and  they  were  hitched  to  the  front  of  the 
cart.  Two  men  ran  behind  the  cart,  but  they  were  not  allowed  to 
push,  but  after  running  a  given  distance  one  of  the  men  in  the  rear 
stretched  the  hose  to  a  fire  plug  and  the  other  man  made  the  con- 
nection of  the  hose  to  the  plug.  When  a  certain  length  of  hose  had 
been  reached  the  nozzle  was  connected  with  the  hose  and  the  water 
was  then  turned  on  and  when  the  stream  of  water  spurted  out  of  the 
nozzle,  the  time  was  taken  from  the  time  of  the  start.  The  team 
doing  all  this  in  the  least  time  was  the  winner.    These  contests  were 


.'!*T«'V3«C^''*''' 


F 


¥■ 


Casper  Fire  Department,  ign 
m  Irft  to  right— Top  nnv:  S.  W.  Conwell,  Wilbur  Foshay',  W.  F.  Dunn,  Z.  (J.  Miller, 
George  Kropp,  Charles  Warner,  Jeremiah  Mahoney,  Jerry  Donovan.  Second  rozv:  John 
Keil,  John  Hammon,  J.  West  McDowell,  Oscar  Hiestand  (Assistant  Chief),  Harold 
Banner  (Chief),  Wm.  Jones,  Wm.  Kropp,  Jack  Stacey,  Dave  Williams.  Bottom  row: 
f  red   \  lUnave,  Frank  Sturgeon,  Wm.   Tripenx-,  J.   F.  Scott,  Jake  Nelson.  Ro\-  Sample. 


CASPER  S    FIRE    DEPARTMENTS  I55 

exciting  and  oftentimes  there  was  only  a  few  seconds'  difference  in 
the  time  made  by  the  teams. 

When  Casper  grew  to  be  quite  a  large  town  and  the  dwelling 
houses  were  built  as  far  as  ten  and  twelve  blocks  from  the  hose  house, 
arrangements  were  made  with  the  draymen  to  haul  the  hose  carts  to 
the  fires;  the  first  drayman  to  arrive  at  the  hose  house  after  an  alarm 
had  been  turned  in  got  the  job  and  he  was  paid  two  dollars  for  his 
services. 

The  firemen  were  exempt  from  jury  duty  and  the  town  made  no 
charge  against  them  for  the  use  of  water  at  their  residences.  A  list  of 
the  firemen  was  filed  with  the  county  clerk  each  year  in  order  that 
they  might  be  exempted  from  jury  duty  and  the  lists  filed  in  1900  and 
1901  included  the  following  names:  C.  H.  Warner,  W.  C.  Ricker, 
E.  Erben,  C.  E.  Nichols,  P.  C.  Hays,  C.  C.  P.  Webel,  W.  G.  Smith, 
A.  F.  HofF,  E.  D.  Fry,  Joe  Watson,  O.  Hiestand,  W.  A.  Denecke, 
John  Duncan,  J.  B.  Miller,  J.  M.  Hammon,  C.  M.  Robinson,  C.  M. 
Hawks,  James  L.  Craig,  J.  A.  Sheffner,  W.  W.  Mokler,  F.  D.  Ham- 
mond, W.  S.  Kimball,  E.  B.  Shafl'ner,  H.  G.  Duhling,  S.  W.  Conwell, 
R.  J.  Allen,  W.  T.  Evans,  M.  O.  Fairchild,  W.  J.  Evans,  D.  M. 
Lobdell,  V.  E.  Stutzman,  Wm.  Jones,  John  DeVore,  Glen  Coen, 
Ralph  Galbraith,  D.  D.  Crum,  J.  C.  Rooney,  C.  C.  Johnson,  Joe 
Erben. 

New  equipment  was  added  year  after  year,  and  Casper's  fire 
department  was  the  chief  pride  of  her  citizens.  On  May  3,  1910,  a 
new  auto  truck  was  purchased,  costing  $4,500,  and  the  people  were 
satisfied  they  had  the  last  word  in  the  way  of  fire  protection.  B.  A. 
Elias  was  paid  $75  per  month  for  the  housing  of  this  truck,  and  for 
this  amount  he  also  kept  a  man  on  duty  day  and  night  to  operate 
the  truck  when  an  alarm  might  be  turned  in.  A  few  years  later  the 
town  hall  was  fixed  up  for  a  fire  house,  where  the  auto  truck  with  all 
the  other  fire  fighting  apparatus  was  kept,  and  one  fireman  was  hired 
to  remain  at  the  station.  His  salary  was  $100  per  month,  and  he  was 
given  living  apartments  upstairs  for  his  family. 

As  the  new  equipment  was  added  from  time  to  time  the  duties 
of  the  members  steadily  increased  until  there  were  two  paid  firemen 
on  duty  both  day  and  night,  and  on  May  4,  1917,  the  volunteer  fire 
department,  by  resolution,  transferred  all  of  its  paraphernaHa  and 
apparatus  to  the  city  of  Casper,  and  petitioned  the  city  government 
to  immediately  establish  a  fire  department  under  the  provisions  of 
the  law  for  such  purpose,  Casper  having  been  declared  by  the  governor 
of  the  state  a  city  of  the  first  class.  There  were  but  seventeen  mem- 
bers of  the  department  when  this  action  was  taken,  and,  it  seems, 
that  some  of  the  membership  were  opposed  to  any  new  members 


156  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

being  added,  for  every  applicant  to  become  a  member  received  a 
sufficient  number  of  negative  votes  to  reject  his  application,  and  this, 
no  doubt,  was  the  cause  of  the  m.ajority  of  the  members  being  in  favor 
of  the  company's  dissolution,  for  the  department  was  reorganized  on 
June  8,  191 7,  with  sixteen  charter  members. 

During  this  year  thirty-five  fire  alarms  were  answered  by  the 
department,  and  there  was  an  estimated  loss  of  ^130,200  during  the 
year,  which  was  the  greatest  loss  by  fire  of  any  single  year  in  the 
history  of  the  town. 

The  last  meeting  of  record  of  this  company  was  held  on  December 
12,  1918.  At  this  meeting  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year  as 
follows:  Chief,  Oscar  Hiestand;  assistant  chief,  S.  W.  Conwell; 
secretary,  John  T.  Scott;  treasurer,  Wilbur  Foshay.  The  membership 
when  the  last  meeting  was  held  included  the  names  of  Oscar  Hiestand 
and  S.  W.  Conwell,  who  joined  the  organization  in  1896,  and  to  these 
two  members  were  given  the  highest  honors  that  it  was  possible  for 
the  membership  to  bestow  upon  them — chief  and  assistant  chief. 
Although  no  more  official  meetings  are  held,  the  organization  has  not 
dissolved  and  will  not  until  disposition  is  made  of  a  fund  of  about 
$2,000  which  will  be  expended  for  a  memorial  that  will  appropriately 
serve  as  a  reminder  to  the  citizens  of  Casper  that  this  body  of  men 
freely  gave  their  services  in  a  cause  where  there  was  no  hope  of 
reward  except  the  satisfaction  of  saving  the  people's  property  from 
destruction  by  fire. 

The  city  had  grown  so  rapidly  and  the  duties  of  the  firemen  were 
so  many  that  the  members  of  the  volunteer  company  could  not  meet 
the  demands  required  of  them,  and  at  their  request  the  city  council 
installed  a  paid  department,  and  the  volunteers  then  retired.  Insofar 
as  fighting  fires  was  concerned. 

In  April,  1920,  a  special  committee  was  appointed  by  the  city 
council  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  into  the  advisability  of  pur- 
chasing a  La  France  aerial  ladder  truck,  a  750-gallon  pumper,  a 
Gamewell  fire  alarm  system,  providing  for  sixty  fire  alarm  boxes,  five 
police  alarm  boxes,  and  two  gong  signals,  the  erection  of  a  fire  station 
and  a  municipal  garage,  the  new  building  to  be  on  David  street,  be- 
tween West  Yellow^stone  Highway  and  Midwest  avenue.  The  com- 
mittee, after  a  thorough  investigation,  reported  that  all  these  things 
were  necessary  for  the  protection  of  the  city,  and  the  city  council,  by 
resolution,  authorized  the  purchase  of  the  apparatus  and  ordered 
plans  drawn  for  the  fire  station  and  the  municipal  garage,  and  a  bond 
issue  of  $85,000  to  raise  funds  for  the  payment  of  the  above,  was 
ordered  to  be  voted  upon  at  a  special  election.  At  the  special  election 
the  bonds  received  a  favorable  vote  and  the  apparatus  was  purchased 


SOME    OF    CASPER  S    FIRES  I57 

and  the  new  building  erected,  and  Casper  today  has  a  fire  fighting 
apparatus  and  buildings  to  house  the  equipment  and  the  nineteen 
firemen  which  are  second  to  none  in  the  state  and  equal  to  that  of 
many  cities  with  a  population  of  150,000. 


Some  of  Casper's  Fires 

The  first  fire  of  any  consequence  to  occur  in  Casper  was  on  the 
morning  of  August  24,  1893,  at  1:45,  when  the  house  in  which  Dr.  L. 
G.  Powell  was  living  was  totally  destroyed.  Marshal  John  Merritt 
discovered  the  flames  and  aroused  the  people  in  the  town  by  firing 
six  shots  from  his  revolver.  The  flames  had  gotten  under  such  head- 
way that  nothing  could  be  saved  except  a  few  pieces  of  furniture.  The 
house  was  valued  at  about  two  hundred  dollars,  and  the  furniture  at 
two  thousand  dollars.  There  was  no  insurance  on  the  house,  but 
there  was  nine  hundred  dollars  insurance  on  the  furniture.  "It 
fortunately  happened,"  says  a  newspaper  item,  "that  Mrs.  Powell 
had  arranged  to  leave  for  Chicago  the  same  morning,  and  her  trunk, 
containing  considerable  wearing  apparel,  was  at  the  railroad  station. 
She  also  left  some  pictures  and  other  things  of  value  with  some  of  the 
neighbors  a  few  days  before  the  fire  occurred."  About  four  weeks 
later  Dr.  Powell  was  arrested  upon  the  charge  of  arson.  The  trial 
was  had  before  Justice  A.  J.  Irwin  on  October  5.  G.  B.  McCalmont, 
county  attorney,  prosecuted  the  case,  and  Alex  T.  Butler  appeared 
for  the  defense.  The  trial  consumed  half  the  day,  at  the  end  of  which 
the  prosecuting  attorney  announced  that  on  account  of  some  of  the 
main  witnesses  refusing  to  answer  certain  questions,  because  they 
might  incriminate  themselves,  the  prosecution  had  no  case,  and  in  jus- 
tice to  the  taxpayers  itwas  useless  to  hold  the  defendant  to  the  district 
court  for  trial.  The  case  was  thereupon  dismissed,  and  in  the  evening 
a  dance  was  given  in  compliment  to  Dr.  Powell  and  his  attorney. 

On  the  night  of  July  i,  1899,  about  fifty  Casper  citizens  engaged 
in  a  friendly  fight  with  fire  works  from  9:30  until  i  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  H.  L.  Patton  started  the  fight  with  the  discharge  of  a 
thirty-ball  Roman  candle  into  J.  S.  VanDoren's  confectionery  store. 
Mr.  VanDoren  returned  the  fire,  but  instead  of  hitting  Mr.  Patton, 
H.  L.  Duhling's  store  received  the  full  charge,  and  this  brought  Mr. 
Duhling  out  of  his  store  with  an  arm  load  of  fire  works  which  he  dis- 
tributed to  every  man  that  came  along.  Mr.  Patton  and  Mr.  Duhling 
and  their  force  of  men  were  lined  up  on  the  west  side  of  Center  street 
and  Mr.  VanDoren  gathered  a  force  of  men  on  the  east  side  of  the 
street.  An  occasional  dash  was  made  by  a  dozen  men  to  the  center 
of  the  street  with  Roman  candles  and  close  range  firing  resulted,  until 


1^8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

one  or  the  other  side  was  repulsed  and  retreated  to  shelter.  More 
than  a  thousand  Roman  candles  were  fired  and  many  of  the  partici- 
pants were  burned.  In  time  the  supply  of  Roman  candles  was 
exhausted  and  sky  rockets  were  then  used  as  weapons.  Boxes  were 
piled  up  on  the  sidew^alk  and  from  behind  these  boxes  the  rockets 
were  fired  across  the  street.  The  fight  brought  out  a  large  number 
of  people  to  witness  the  display  of  fire  works  and  the  heroism  of  the 
participants.  In  order  that  the  spectators  should  be  thoroughly  sat- 
isfied both  sides  finally  fired  into  the  non-combatants,  and  they  were 
chased  up  and  down  the  streets  and  alleys  until  they  found  protect- 
ion in  some  building  or  made  good  their  escape  in  some  dark  corner 
of  an  alley.  When  the  fight  ended  there  was  not  a  Roman  candle  or 
a  sky  rocket  left  in  the  town,  and  in  order  to  supply  the  demand  of 
the  citizens  to  properly  celebrate  the  Fourth,  fire  works  were  shipped 
in  by  express  from  Douglas,  Chadron  and  Cheyenne. 

The  warehouse  belonging  to  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 
way company  in  Casper  was  destroyed  by  fire  at  about  ii  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon,  March  14,  1917.  Up  to  this  time  this  was  the  most 
disastrous  fire  that  had  occurred  in  Casper,  the  loss  amounting  to 
about  $30,000.  Many  of  the  local  stores  had  goods  stored  there 
which  had  been  shipped  in  from  wholesale  houses.  The  origin  of  the 
fire  was  unknown. 

At  about  5  o'clock  in  the  morning  January  14,  1918,  fire  broke 
out  in  the  plant  of  the  Natrona  Electric  company  and  the  building 
and  machinery  was  almost  wholly  destroyed.  Many  of  the  business 
houses  in  Casper  were  heated  by  this  plant  and  they  were  without 
heat  or  light  except  that  which  was  furnished  by  the  Wyoming 
Electric  company,  w^ho  connected  the  wires  and  heating  plant  with 
their  system  that  same  day,  but  the  load  was  so  heavy  for  this  system 
that  the  stores  and  all  business  houses  were  ordered  not  to  open 
before  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  and  close  at  5  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
and  use  as  little  light  as  possible.  The  picture  shows,  churches  and 
lodge  rooms  were  closed,  and  but  one  light  in  each  residence  in  town 
was  allowed  to  be  used.  Only  the  hospitals  and  newspaper  offices 
were  allowed  to  use  the  current  without  restriction.  The  lighting 
restrictions  were  lifted  in  the  business  district  on  February  23,  but  it 
was  a  month  later  before  the  residence  districts  were  allowed  to  use 
more  than  one  light  in  each  house. 

Fire  in  the  Wyoming  Electric  company's  plant  on  September  5, 
1918,  caused  a  loss  of  $7,500  to  the  machinery,  but  had  no  effect  on 
the  lighting  system  about  town. 

The  Union  Tank  Line  company's  shops  on  the  Midwest  Refinmg 
company's  property  about  half  a  mile  west  from  Casper  were  de- 


SOME  OF  Casper's  fires  159 

stroyed  by  fire  at  noon  on  June  18,  1919.  The  shops  were  entirely 
destroyed  in  about  fifteen  minutes  after  the  fire  was  discovered.  The 
loss  was  estimated  at  about  ^60,000. 

The  spectacle  of  a  half  million  barrels  of  oil  blazing  forth  in  the 
night  time  from  seven  huge  steel  tanks  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
sights  that  nature  can  afford.  The  sweeping  streaks  of  fire,  the  lam- 
ent flames,  the  billows  of  smoke,  black  as  jet,  rolling  hundreds  of  feet 
high,  and  through  this  smoke  the  glare  of  the  flames,  the  reflection  of 
the  brilliant  light  in  the  clouds,  the  flitting  forms  of  a  thousand  men 
working  in  the  tank  farm  among  the  many  other  tanks,  where  millions 
of  barrels  of  oil  are  stored,  to  save  them  from  being  ignited  by  the 
seething,  fiery  furnaces,  is  a  scene  of  truly  terrible  sublimity  that 
baflfles  description.  But  this  was  the  scene  witnessed  by  more  than 
twenty  thousand  people  in  Casper  during  the  nights  of  June  17  and 
18,  1921. 

At  about  2:30  in  the  afternoon  of  June  17  seven  of  the  tanks, 
located  in  the  Midwest  tank  farm,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river, 
about  half  a  mile  west  from  Casper,  were  ignited  by  lightning  striking 
one  of  them  and  the  bolt  being  carried  from  one  to  another  until  the 
seven  large  containers  were  ablaze.  There  was  a  heavy  downpour 
of  rain,  almost  equal  to  a  cloudburst,  when  the  bolt  came  from  the 
sky,  but  the  heavy  downpour  had  no  effect  whatever  on  the  burning 
oil.  But  little  effort  was  made  to  subdue  the  flames  in  the  burning 
tanks,  but  a  thousand  men  worked  both  night  and  day  throwing 
up  dykes  around  the  other  tanks  and  keeping  a  stream  of  water 
pouring  over  them  and  using  every  other  known  means  to  keep  them 
from  igniting. 

After  burning  for  about  sixty  hours  the  twisted  and  gnarled  piles 
of  smoke-blackened  steel  were  all  that  remained  of  the  property  that 
represented  more  than  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  This  was  the 
most  disastrous  blaze  that  ever  occurred  in  Natrona  county.  In  fact 
the  loss  amounted  to  more  than  all  the  fires  combined  that  had  oc- 
curred since  the  organization  of  the  county. 

On  July  2  another  tank,  located  almost  in  the  center  of  the  re- 
finery plant,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  was  struck  by  lightning. 
Fanned  by  a  brisk  southwest  wind,  the  blaze  jeopardized  not  only  the 
other  tanks  in  its  proximity,  but  the  entire  refining  plants  of  the  Mid- 
west and  Standard  companies,  whose  valuation  was  at  least  twenty 
millions  of  dollars,  were  in  jeopardy.  The  flames  shooting  skyward, 
the  burning  timbers  from  the  wooden  top  of  the  tank  falling  into  the 
flood  of  burning  oil,  the  prevailing  high  wind,  and  the  tank  being  full 
of  oil  to  the  very  top  and  the  foamite  failing  to  have  any  effect,  were 
causes  enough  to  lead  the  oflficials  of  the  company  to  beheve  that  the 


l6o  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

seven  tanks  of  oil  destroyed  only  a  few  weeks  before,  would  be  a 
small  loss,  compared  to  this  one,  but  in  half  an  hour  the  wind  swerved 
to  the  northwest,  the  oil  in  the  tank  had  burned  down  about  four 
inches,  and  the  foamite  was  effectively  used,  and  then  the  blaze  was 
under  control,  and  in  a  short  time  was  entirely  subdued,  with  very 
small  loss. 

Another  tank,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  containing  80,000 
barrels  of  oil,  was  struck  by  lightning  on  July  13,  at  about  6  o'clock  in 
the  evening.  About  50,000  barrels  of  the  oil  was  drawn  from  the 
bottom  of  the  tank  and  salvaged,  but  the  loss  of  the  oil  and  the 
destruction  of  the  tank  amounted  to  about  ^50,000.  And  again  on 
July  18  two  more  tanks  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  were  struck  by 
lightning.  Out  of  the  155,000  barrels  of  oil  in  these  two  tanks  85,000 
barrels  were  salvaged  by  being  pumped  out.  The  fire  in  one  of  the 
tanks  was  extinguished  after  considerable  oil  had  burned,  but  the 
other  was  a  total  loss,  the  oil  burning  for  about  sixty  hours,  and 
during  those  sixty  hours  the  stupendous  sight  of  the  rushing  blasts, 
caused  by  the  rarefied  air,  roared  and  whirled  forth  the  flames  in 
impetuous  wreaths,  the  scene  of  the  sheets  of  flame  and  clouds  of 
lurid  smoke,  which,  in  the  night  time,  resembled  the  craters  of 
volcanoes,  were  awe-inspiring  and  a  scene  never  to  be  forgotten. 

The  four  fires,  from  June  17  to  July  18,  all  of  which  were  caused 
from  lightning,  resulted  in  a  loss  of  fully  a  million  dollars,  and  dis- 
pelled the  axiom  that  "lightning  never  strikes  twice  in  the  same 
place,"  which,  no  doubt,  originated  before  there  were  any  oil  tank 
farms. 

During  an  electrical  storm  on  Sunday  afternoon,  June  18,  1922, 
lightning  struck  two  tanks  containing  crude  oil  belonging  to  the  Mid- 
west Refining  company,  one  of  the  tanks  containing  55,000  barrels  of 
oil  and  the  other  85,000  barrels.  They  were  located  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Platte  river,  northwest  from  the  city  of  Casper,  where 
seven  tanks  were  totally  destroyed  by  lightning  and  fire  on  June  17, 
1921,  just  a  year  and  a  day  previous.  The  fire  in  the  larger  tank  was 
extinguished  in  a  very  short  time,  but  the  oil  in  the  55,000-barrel 
tank  burned  for  an  hour  or  more  before  the  flames  could  be  sub- 
dued with  foamite.  The  loss  sustained  was  about  ^10,000.  Again, 
on  August  4,  1922,  at  12:30,  after  midnight,  two  thunderous  claps  of 
lightning  in  quick  succession  struck  two  oil  tanks,  one  on  the  north 
side  of  the  North  Platte  river,  in  the  Midwest  tank  farm,  and  one  in 
the  southwestern  portion  of  the  Standard  refining  works  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river.  The  crash  of  the  lightning  and  the  tongues  of  the 
flames  which  shot  high  into  the  sky,  lighting  up  the  surrounding 
country  for  several  miles,  caused  hundreds  of  people  to  rush  from 


Kl(,Hl\-Fl\I       ThuI 


Oil  Tanks  Struck  by  Lightning — A  Million-Dollar  Firi 


Casper's  postoffice  and  postmasters  i6i 

their  beds  to  the  scene  of  the  conflagration,  for  it  looked  as  though 
the  whole  of  the  refining  plant  would  be  burned,  and  it  was  estimated 
that  fully  5,000  people  had  made  their  way  to  the  plant  where  they 
could  view  the  flames.  The  sky  was  a  living  red,  the  flames  leaping 
upward  in  great  rolling  masses;  the  jagged  tongues  of  flames  turned 
the  sky  into  a  livid  sea  of  orange  and  scarlet,  and  great  black  clouds 
rolled  up  for  hundreds  of  feet  into  the  air,  but  soon  the  foamite 
pumps  were  put  in  action  and  the  intense  light  commenced  to  sink, 
and  within  an  hour  the  glare  of  light  was  extinguished  and  the  fire 
was  under  control,  with  a  loss  estimated  at  about  $12,000.  This 
brought  the  total  up  to  sixteen  tanks  that  had  been  struck  by 
lightning  in  two  years,  eleven  in  1921  and  five  in  1922. 

Casper's  Postoffice  and  Postmasters 

For  more  than  twenty  years  the  Casper  postoffice  was  located  in 
about  the  middle  of  the  block  on  the  east  side  of  Center  street,  be- 
tween Second  street  and  Midwest  avenue,  but  in  September,  1910, 
it  was  moved  into  the  north  room  of  the  Townsend  block  on  the  west 
side  of  Center  street  on  the  corner  of  the  alley,  where  it  remained 
until  July  20,  1914,  when  it  was  moved  into  the  Smith  building  in 
the  middle  of  the  block  on  the  south  side  of  Second  street,  between 
Center  and  Wolcott  streets.  Here  it  remained  until  May  28,  1916, 
when  it  was  moved  into  its  new  quarters  in  the  federal  building  on 
the  corner  of  Second  and  Wolcott  streets. 

From  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  nine  o'clock  at  night 
were  the  hours  that  Casper's  postmasters  were  on  duty  during  the 
first  ten  years  of  the  town's  existence.  The  salary  ranged  from  fifty 
dollars  to  one  hundred  dollars  per  month,  the  amount  of  salary  being 
increased  as  the  town  and  the  business  in  the  postoffice  grew.  There 
was  but  little  mail  to  handle  in  those  days,  but  the  people  who  re- 
ceived mad  felt  that  it  was  fully  as  important  then  as  it  is  nowadays. 
In  the  early  days  the  stockman  and  the  cowboy  came  to  town  on  an 
average  of  about  four  times  a  year  and  when  they  came  they  always 
received  the  mail  that  had  accumulated  since  their  last  visit,  or  since 
their  neighbor  had  brought  it  to  them.  One  man  generally  did  all  the 
work  in  the  postoffice,  and  in  addition  to  "running  the  postoffice,"  he 
generally  had  in  connection  with  it  a  small  store,  his  line  of  goods  con- 
sisting of  groceries,  dry  goods,  hardware,  ammunition,  candy  and 
chewing  gum,  but  he  always  found  time  to  wait  on  the  patrons  of  the 
office  and  all  the  customers  of  his  store  without  being  overworked, 

James  A.  Hartman  was  Casper's  first  postmaster.  The  date  of 
Mr.  Hartman's  appointment  or  the  length  of  time  he  served  the  pub- 


l62  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

lie  is  not  obtainable.  O.  C.  Abbott  succeeded  Mr.  Hartman.  Mr. 
Abbott  remained  until  the  spring  of  1889,  but  the  exact  date  of  his 
retirement  cannot  be  given.  Mr.  Abbott's  name  was  always  signed 
as  postmaster  to  the  list  of  "uncalled  for  letters"  that  was  published 
in  the  Casper  Weekly  Mail  until  June,  1889,  when  the  name  of  James 
A.  Casebeer  appeared  as  postmaster,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  Mr.  Abbott 
retired  and  Mr.  Casebeer  was  appointed  the  latter  part  of  May  or  first 
part  of  June. 

In  connection  with  the  postoffice  Mr.  Casebeer  was  publisher  of 
the  Mail  and  was  the  postmaster-editor  until  the  latter  part  of  May, 
1890,  when  he  left  his  deputy  in  charge  and  started  on  a  visit  to 
the  Yellowstone  National  Park,  but  he  never  returned. 

Oakley  K.  Garvey  on  June  i,  1890,  was  appointed  postmaster. 
By  this  time  to  be  postmaster  was  no  mean  position,  for  the  responsi- 
bilities had  rapidly  increased  and  there  was  a  slight  raise  in  the  salary. 
In  October,  1890,  Mr.  Garvey  received  instructions  from  the  post- 
office  department  "to  qualify  in  the  sum  of  $5,000  additional  bond, 
preparatory  to  Casper  being  declared  a  money  order  office,  where 
postal  notes  may  be  obtained  for  any  sum  up  to  and  including  $4.99, 
by  depositing  such  sum  with  the  postmaster  and  paying  him  an  ad- 
ditional fee  of  three  cents."  Mr.  Garvey  acted  as  postmaster  until 
September  I,  1892,  when  Marvin  L.  Bishop  was  appointed  by 
President  Grover  Cleveland.  Mr.  Bishop  attended  to  his  multitu- 
dinous duties  until  August  2,  1898,  when  Mrs.  Ida  A.  Hewes  accepted 
the  responsible  position,  to  which  she  was  appointed  by  President 
William  McKinley.  By  this  time  the  business  had  grown  to  such 
proportions  that  an  assistant  must  be  employed,  and  there  was  no 
store  in  connection.  Mrs.  Hewes  held  the  position  for  twelve  years, 
or  until  September  i,  1910,  when  James  McFadden  was  appointed. 
Mr.  McFadden  resigned  January  i,  191 1,  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Mc- 
Donald was  appointed,  and  she  remained  until  July  15,  1914,  when 
President  Woodrow  Wilson  appointed  J.  S.  VanDoren.  On  January 
10,  1919,  Mr.  VanDoren  resigned,  and  asked  to  be  relieved  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  on  March  i,  1919,  W.  W.  Sproull  was  appointed  as 
acting  postmaster.  Frank  T.  Frawley,  postoffice  inspector,  relieved 
Mr.  Sproull  December  10,  1920,  and  acted  as  postmaster  until  May 
15,  1921,  when  Edwin  M.  Bean  was  appointed  by  President  Warren 
G.  Harding. 

Senator  Francis  E.  Warren  in  December,  1907,  introduced  a 
bill  in  the  United  States  senate  which  authorized  an  appropriation 
for  the  purchase  of  a  postoffice  site  in  Casper,  and  in  due  time  the 
bill  was  passed.  In  November,  1908,  five  lots,  on  the  corner  of  Wol- 
cott  and  Second  streets,  were   bought   from  Mrs.  Lucy  Moore  and 


Casper's  postoffice  and  postmasters  163 

Alex  T.  Butler,  the  price  paid  being  ^11,000.  This  ground  is  125  feet 
front  on  Second  street  and  100  feet  deep.  The  buildings  were  moved 
off  the  land,  and  the  lots  were  vacant,  except  for  weeds,  tin  cans  and 
other  rubbish  which  accumulated  until  the  summer  of  1914.  The 
plank  sidewalks  around  the  lots  rotted  and  were  broken  in,  but  the 
federal  government  would  do  nothing  toward  keeping  the  walks  in 
repair  or  the  lots  free  from  weeds  and  rubbish,  but  the  town  council 
and  the  people  who  owned  property  in  that  part  of  the  town,  on  ac- 
count of  their  civic  pride,  put  in  a  new  sidewalk  and  cleared  the  lots 
of  the  rubbish  at  their  own  expense. 

On  March  i,  1910,  Senator  Francis  E.  Warren  introduced  another 
bill  in  the  senate  calling  for  an  appropriation  of  $75,000  with  which 
to  erect  a  public  building  on  its  site  in  Casper,  but  this  amount  was 
reduced  to  $55,000,  and  on  June  25,  1910,  the  bill  was  passed,  and 
the  act  authorized  the  construction  of  a  building,  the  limit  of  the 
cost  being  $55,000.  In  February,  1913,  the  postoffice  department  ad- 
vertised for  bids  for  the  construction  of  this  building  on  the  basis  of  a 
one-story  and  basement  building  with  mezzanine  at  one  end;  floors 
and  partitions  fireproof;  ceiling  and  roof  non-fireproof;  stone  faced 
to  first  floor,  with  brick  above  and  terra  cotta  trim  and  cornice; 
tin  roof. 

Bids  were  received  from  five  parties  and  opened  on  April  7.  They 
ranged  in  amounts  from  $56,000  to  $69,295  for  limestone  and  from 
$57,518.85  to  $61,750  for  sandstone.  The  appropriation  for  the  build- 
ing was  $55,000,  but  the  entire  amount  was  not  available  for  con- 
struction, as  it  was  necessary  to  set  aside  the  estimated  cost  of  lock 
boxes,  shelving,  etc.,  amounting  to  about  $5,000,  which  would  leave 
but  $50,000  for  the  construction  contract.  As  the  lowest  bid  received 
was  considerably  in  excess  of  the  amount  available,  all  the  proposals 
were  rejected  and  the  drawings  and  specifications  revised.  The  re- 
vised drawings  and  specifications  called  for  a  one-story  and  basement 
building  with  the  mezzanine  at  one  end;  first  story  only  fireproof; 
brick  facing  with  wood  cornice.  Under  this  advertisement  five  pro- 
posals were  received,  ranging  from  $52,980  to  $59,845  for  limestone 
and  one  bid  was  received  for  sandstone  in  amount  $59,952.  As  the 
lowest  bid  was  still  in  excess  of  the  amount  available,  supplemental 
bids  were  invited  from  the  lowest  bidder  for  alternates  to  reduce  the 
cost.  The  alternate  figures  submitted  were  held  by  the  department 
to  be  unreasonable  and  to  have  awarded  the  contract  on  the  basis  of 
these  supplemental  bids  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  make  the 
building  entirely  non-fireproof,  and  the  proposals  were  again  rejected. 

The  supervising  architect  again  revised  the  plans  and  specifica- 
tions.   Instead  of  any  portion  of  the  building  being  of  limestone  or 


164  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

sandstone  it  was  to  be  entirely  of  brick,  and  again  bids  were  sub- 
mitted, and  in  July,  1914,  C.  R.  Inman  was  awarded  the  contract  for 
the  construction  of  the  building  for  ^49,785.  Work  was  commenced 
on  the  excavation  July  21,  1914,  and  the  building  was  completed  and 
accepted  by  the  government  in  May,  1916,  and  on  May  28  the  new 
building  was  occupied. 

When  the  building  was  first  occupied  there  were  plenty  of  lock 
boxes  and  an  abundance  of  room,  but  within  two  years  it  was  neces- 
sary to  put  an  alcove  in  the  lobby  and  add  several  hundred  new  boxes, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1921  a  stairway  was  cut  into  the  basement  and  the 
basement  was  remodeled  for  the  installation  of  814  additional  lock 
boxes  in  order  to  provide  accommodations  for  the  immediate  demands, 
but  with  these  improvements  there  is  not  now  enough  room  and  it  is 
not  unlikely  that  within  a  few  years  an  addition  will  be  put  on  the 
building. 

Free  mail  delivery  was  established  in  Casper  April  i,  191 5. 
There  were  two  carriers  then,  and  two  deliveries  daily  were  made  in 
the  business  district  and  one  delivery  each  day  in  the  residence  dis- 
trict. In  1922  there  were  twelve  carriers  who  delivered  on  an  average 
850  letters  and  300  papers  and  parcels  each  day.  This,  however,  is 
only  a  small  portion  of  the  mail  received  in  this  postoffice,  more  than 
two-thirds  of  which  is  distributed  into  the  1,825  lock  boxes. 

From  January  i,  1921,  to  and  including  December  30,  1921, 
there  were  3,500,000  outgoing  letters  cancelled  in  this  postoffice,  and 
this  did  not  include  the  36,000  registered  letters  which  were  sent  out. 
During  the  same  period  31,736  registered  letters  were  received  in 
this  office.  In  addition  to  this  wonderful  amount  of  first-class  mail 
handled  there  were  several  million  packages  and  papers  sent  out  and 
received. 

Nothing  indicates  the  growth  and  business  that  is  transacted  in 
a  town  more  than  the  mail  received  and  sent  out  through  the  post- 
office,  and  when  the  business  here  has  multiplied  seven  times  from 
191 5  to  1922,  it  can  be  safely  estimated  the  business  in  general  has 
multiplied  an  equal  number  of  times,  and  if  the  population  has  in- 
creased in  the  same  proportion,  and  it  is  only  fair  to  presume  that  it 
has,  Casper,  in  1922,  would  have  a  population  of  28,280  as  against 
4,040  in  191 5. 

Not  only  has  the  amount  of  mail  that  has  been  handled  through 
the  postoffice  shown  a  wonderful  increase,  but  a  comparison  of  the 
following  figures  shows  that  the  money  receipts  have  an  equally 
healthy  increase:  1915,  $15,819.60;  1916,^20,349.60;  1917,  $29,612.11; 
1918,  $68,274.20;  1919,  $74,197.20;  1920,  $85,200.60;  1921,  $100,- 
869.78. 


Casper's  postoffice  and  postmasters  165 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1922  there  were  twenty-one  clerks, 
twelve  carriers,  and  one  assistant  postmaster  and  the  regularly  ap- 
pointed postmaster  carrying  on  the  business  of  the  Casper  postoffice. 
The  postmaster's  salary  is  ^3,500  per  annum  and  the  combined 
monthly  salary  of  the  clerks  was  ^3,129,  and  the  combined  monthly 
salary  of  the  carriers  was  $1,884.  The  average  monthly  receipt  the 
first  two  months  of  1922  was  $10,000. 

A  local  welfare  council  was  organized  on  February  7,  1922, 
among  the  employees  of  the  postoffice,  with  D.  F.  Gadberry  as  chair- 
man and  Miss  Lillian  Faulkner,  secretary.  The  council  is  composed 
of  seven  members,  three  from  the  clerks,  three  from  the  carriers,  and 
one  from  the  supervisory  force.  Monthly  meetings  of  this  council  are 
held  at  which  matters  are  discussed  that  have  a  tendency  toward  the 
betterment  of  the  service  to  the  public  and  the  improvement  of  con- 
ditions for  the  employees,  and  among  other  things  that  have  been 
accomplished  by  this  council  were  the  installation  of  a  new  lighting 
system  in  the  building,  the  building  is  kept  cleaner  and  in  a  more 
sanitary  condition,  the  securing  of  a  first  aid  kit  for  the  use  of  the 
postal  employees,  and  the  lawn  around  the  building  was,  during  the 
summer,  re-seeded  and  much  better  care  was  taken  of  it  than  in  pre- 
vious years. 

In  the  fall  of  1922  drawings  were  made  for  an  addition  to  the 
original  building,  increasing  the  size  from  47  x  85  feet  to  85  x  no 
feet  and  adding  another  story  to  the  structure,  thus  more  than 
doubling  the  present  capacity  of  the  building.  The  extension  and 
improvements,  when  completed  would  include  rooms  for  the  bureau 
of  mines  and  the  internal  revenue  offices  and  a  federal  court  room. 
The  superintendent  of  construction  of  the  treasury  department  in 
Washington  made  a  visit  to  Casper  in  November,  1922,  and  after 
familiarizing  himself  with  the  conditions,  returned  to  Washington 
and  recommended  that  the  suggested  extensions  be  made,  but  on 
account  of  the  "red  tape"  policy  of  the  government  in  such  matters 
it  will  require  at  least  a  year  to  secure  the  necessary  appropriation 
and  make  the  other  arrangements  incident  to  the  commencement  of 
the  construction  work,  but  on  January  3,  1923,  the  postmaster  gen- 
eral at  Washington  recommended  that,  among  other  appropriations, 
$350,000  be  appropriated  for  the  improvements  recommended  in  the 
Casper  postoffice  by  the  superintendent  of  construction,  and  in  due 
time  there  is  no  doubt  but  a  federal  building  will  be  erected  that  will 
be  suitable  for  Casper's  needs  for  many  years  to  come;  until  that 
time,  however,  the  patrons  must  get  along  as  best  they  can  with 
the  present  building  and  the  best  possible  service  to  be  rendered 
under  existing  conditions. 


l66  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Early  News  Items  of  Interest  Today 

The  following  items  that  were  published  in  the  Casper  news- 
papers in  the  early  days  are  today  especially  interesting  to  many 
people  living  in  this  city: 

Twin  boys  were  born  on  January  7,  1889,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  A. 
Faverty.  Mr.  Faverty  was  roundhouse  foreman  of  the  F.,  E.  &  M.  V. 
Railway  company.  In  1922  the  parents  were  living  at  Norfolk, 
Nebraska,  and  one  of  the  boys,  A.  C,  was  living  at  Nemo,  S.  D.,  and 
the  other,  A.  A.,  was  living  at  Smithwick,  S.  D.  These  were  the  first 
children  born  in  Casper.  .  .  Born,  in  Casper,  Wednesday  morning, 
January  23,  1889,  to  the  wife  of  W.  F.  Dunn,  a  daughter  (now  Mrs. 
Arthur  Schulte),  who  was  the  first  girl  born  in  Casper.  .  .  Born,  Feb- 
ruary 18,  1889,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  K.  Bucknum,  a  daughter  (now  Mrs. 
Mark  Davis).  .  .  The  first  real  Fourth  of  July  celebration  to  occur  in 
Casper  was  in  1889.  The  program  consisted  of  singing  and  speaking, 
and  a  baseball  game  between  Casper  and  Douglas,  in  which  Douglas 
won  by  a  score  of  24  to  16.  Horse  racing  and  broncho  busting  con- 
cluded the  day's  program  and  there  was  a  dance  in  the  evening.  The 
towns  of  Bothwell  and  Bessemer  also  celebrated  the  day,  .  .Engineers 
J.  B.  Bradley  and  E.  H.  French  on  July  15,  1889,  began  the  work  of 
taking  the  levels  of  the  streets  of  Casper  preparatory  to  the  grading 
that  was  to  be  done  before  winter  set  in.  .  .  The  first  wedding  to  occur 
in  the  town  of  Casper  was  on  Thursday  evening.  May  29,  1890,  when 
Joseph  L.  Barnett  and  Miss  Nellie  Gillespie  and  J.  B.  Wegman  and 
Miss  Elizabeth  Baird  were  united  in  the  holy  bonds.  Rev.  J.  J. 
Hancock  of  Lusk  officiated.  .  .  The  Casper  Board  of  Trade  was  or- 
ganized in  1890  with  the  following  officers:  W.  E.  Hawley,  president; 
W.  F.  Dunn,  secretary;  George  Mitchell,  J.  J.  Hurt,  George  Weber, 
A.  McKinney  and  H.A.Lilly,  directors;  CharlesO'Neall,  treasurer.  .  . 
The  cattlemen  of  Wyoming  in  the  summer  of  1890  offered  rewards 
amounting  to  $22,000  for  the  conviction  of  any  person  stealing,  de- 
facing, unlawfully  killing,  or  altering  brands  on  their  stock.  News- 
papers in  all  parts  of  the  state  claimed  "that  the  cattlemen  have  made 
every  effort  in  an  attempt  to  secure  convictions  for  cattle  stealing,  but 
each  attempt  has  proved  a  failure,  not  for  the  want  of  proper  evidence, 
but  from  a  lack  of  principle  in  the  men  who  are  drawn  as  jurors.  The 
maverick  rustlers  and  cattle  thieves  are  becoming  alarming  and  the 
officers  should  show  their  ability  to  control  these  violations  of  the 
law." 

The  report  of  the  town  treasurer  of  the  town  of  Casper  for  the 
current  year,  ending  June  i,  1891,  showed  the  following: 


,     .^ .  1^..  i  riDiii 


^s^.'^.ti 


-     ->"*  i i,^'  ,-«tV'  f-^^f  .,^1'. 


Loading  Up  the   Freight  Wagons 


-.--If 


Indians  on  Second  Street,  Casper,  Coming  to  Town  for  Supplies — 1892 


EARLY    NEWS    ITEMS    OF    INTEREST   TODAY  167 

Receipts  Disbursements 

Bal.  on  hand  June  i,  1890. .$1,147.75  By  general  fund $    554.36 

Liquor  licenses 1,200.00  Salary  fund 1,525.42 

Gambling  licenses 1,350.00  Town  buildings 2,101.75 

Billiard  licenses 125.00  Cash  on  hand 199-38 

Dray  and  dog  licenses 63.00 

Justice  fines 217.00 

Town  hall  rent 44-75 

Taxes  collected,  1890 102.38 

Taxes  collected,  1891 131.03 


$4,380.91  $4,380.91 

Casper's  first  brass  band  was  organized  the  latter  part  of  Decem- 
ber, 1890,  with  the  following  named  members:  James  Robinson, 
Alex  Weber,  W.  Melia,  W.  S.  Kimball,  C.  F.  G.  Bostleman,  C.  W. 
Wixcey,  H.  A.  Lilly,  Fred  Padden,  Major  Palmer,  L.  A.  Ross,  Dr.  Joe 
Benson  and  C.  W.  Evans.  .  .  A  boy  was  born  on  Tuesday,  September 
22,  1891,  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Hogadone  at  Eadsville,  on  Casper 
mountain.  This  was  the  first  child  to  be  born  in  the  new  mining  camp 
and  all  the  miners  took  a  day  off  to  celebrate  the  occasion.  .  .  The 
Grand  Central  hotel  was  formally  opened  on  Monday  evening,  April 
30,  1894.  At  that  time  it  was  announced  that  the  "Grand  Central 
was  the  largest,  finest,  and  best  equipped  hotel  in  the  state  of  Wyo- 
ming and  the  only  hotel  in  Casper  running  a  bus  to  and  from  all 
trains.  When  the  guests  were  shown  through  the  building  exclama- 
tions of  surprise  and  admiration  greeted  the  ear  on  all  sides.".  .  On 
August  I,  1899,  proprietors  of  the  mercantile  houses  of  Casper  agreed 
to  close  their  places  of  business  Saturday  nights  at  11  o'clock  and  re- 
main closed  until  Monday  morning  at  7  o'clock.  Heretofore,  the 
stores  were  kept  open  on  Sundays  from  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  until 
noon.  .  .  Commencing  the  first  of  August,  1900,  a  daily  stage  mail 
service  was  established  between  Casper,  Wolton,  Thermopolis,  and 
Lander.  Heretofore,  the  service  was  three  days  each  week.  .  .  The 
mail  arriving  in  Casper  during  the  year  1901  averaged  400  pounds 
per  day.  This  included  mail  to  Lander,  Thermopolis,  Freeland, 
Alcova,  Independence  Rock,  and  other  towns  west  which  was  delivered 
by  stages  going  from  Casper.  .  .  On  the  12th  of  May,  1903,  bonds 
for  ^14,500  were  voted  by  the  people  of  Casper  for  the  purpose  of 
building  sewers  in  the  town.  O'Brien  and  Rhoades  of  Denver  were 
awarded  the  contract  for  laying  the  pipe,  and  Thomas  B.  Sheppard 
of  Denver  was  the  engineer  who  made  the  survey.  The  contract  for 
the  construction  of  the  sewer  system  was  awarded  to  the  above  named 
firm  for  ^11,137.50.  The  work  was  commenced  about  the  first  of 
April.  Fifty  men  were  employed  and  there  were  fourteen  carloads  of 
material.    The  work  was  completed  on  June  2  and  was  accepted  by 


l68  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  mayor  and  the  members  of  the  town  council.  This  was  Casper's 
first  sewer  system.  .  .  The  Natrona  County  Racing  association  was 
organized  on  June  3,  1903,  capitahzed  at  $2,000.  A  track  was  built 
near  the  east  end  of  Second  street  and  a  grandstand,  judges'  stand 
and  other  improvements  were  ordered  made  on  the  ground  which  had 
been  leased  for  twenty  years.  .  .  Christian  Twisty,  a  cabinet  maker 
of  Casper,  worked  eight  years  on  a  "palace  car,"  which  was  com- 
pleted in  September,  1903.  On  October  4,  Twisty,  with  his  wife  and 
child,  started  for  Salt  Lake  with  a  four-horse  team  hitched  to  his 
"palace."  Flags  were  flying  from  the  vehicle;  Twisty  was  in  the 
boot  driving  the  team,  and  Mrs.  Twisty  and  the  baby  occupied  the 
observatory.  The  "palace"  contained  all  the  comforts  and  con- 
veniences of  a  home,  but  it  was  so  heavy  the  horses  could  not  pull  it 
over  the  hills  and  through  the  sand,  and  it  was  abandoned  after 
travelling  about  three  miles.  Twisty  made  arrangements  with  Guy 
Trevett  to  haul  the  vehicle  back  to  Casper,  and  later  it  was  taken  to 
the  Trevett  ranch,  about  six  miles  west  from  town,  since  which  time 
it  has  been  used  for  a  bunk  house.  Two  light  buggies  were  hitched 
behind  the  "palace"  when  it  was  first  taken  out  of  town,  and  in  these 
Twisty  loaded  his  bedding,  provisions  and  his  wife  and  child,  and 
hitching  his  teams  to  the  lighter  vehicles,  proceeded  toward  the  set- 
ting sun,  and  he  never  returned.  .  .  Casper's  Commercial  club  was 
organized  in  March,  1903,  with  a  membership  of  about  150  business 
men,  the  executive  committee  being  W.  S.  Kimball,  A.  J.  Mokler, 
Patrick  Sullivan,  A.  J.  Cunningham,  M.  P.  Wheeler,  and  W.  A. 
Denecke.  J.  M.  Hench  was  the  temporary  secretary.  At  the  first 
meeting  many  committees  were  appointed  and  there  was  a  variety  of 
sentiment  on  all  propositions  for  the  advancement  and  prosperity  of 
the  town.  It  was  predicted  that  those  present  would  live  to  see  five 
and  six  story  buildings  on  our  main  streets,  the  streets  paved,  a  sewer 
system,  beautiful  parks,  a  fine  court  house  and  city  hall,  a  fine  federal 
building,  a  trans-continental  railway,  and  the  town  having  a  popu- 
lation of  15,000.  The  prediction  has  more  than  come  true  and  all 
those  on  the  executive  committee,  except  one,  have  shown  their  faith 
in  the  town  by  remaining  here  and  doing  their  bit  toward  making  it 
not  only  the  largest,  but  the  most  progressive  and  prosperous  city  in 
Wyoming. 

Casper's  Old  Town  Hall  and  New  City  Building 

At  the  meeting  of  the  town  council  of  the  town  of  Casper,  held 
the  first  part  of  April,  1890,  it  was  decided  by  unanimous  vote  that  it 
was  necessary  to  have  a  town  hall,  and  accordingly  plans  and  speci- 


Casper's  old  town  hall  and  new  city  building     169 

fications  were  drawn  by  Chris  Baysel  for  a  building  25x74  feet. 
This  was  to  be  the  first  brick  building  to  be  built  in  the  town.  On 
April  21  Emanuel  Erben  was  awarded  the  contract  for  the  construc- 
tion of  the  building  at  a  cost  of  $1,985.  Mr.  Erben  did  the  carpenter 
work  and  W.  T.  Evans  did  the  work  of  laying  the  brick.  The  build- 
ing was  finished  during  the  summer  of  that  year.  This  building  was 
located  on  the  west  side  of  Center  street,  between  Second  and  First, 
in  about  the  middle  of  the  block,  being  on  the  south  half  of  lot  15,  in 
block  8,  having  a  frontage  of  thirty  feet,  and  140  feet  deep.  A  small 
frame  building,  or  rather  a  shed,  was  built  on  the  lot  immediately 
south  of  the  town  hall,  in  which  the  fire  department  kept  its  appara- 
tus. This  was  on  the  north  half  of  lot  14,  block  8,  with  a  frontage  of 
thirty  feet,  and  140  feet  deep.  Later  this  frame  building  was  con- 
verted into  a  corrugated  iron  covered  building,  and  was  used  for  the 
purpose  of  housing  the  fire  company's  property.  Thus  was  the  town 
the  owner  of  two  half  lots,  with  a  frontage  of  sixty  feet  and  140 
feet  deep,  which  now  bears  the  street  numbers  of  132.  to  142  South 
Center. 

The  town  council  at  its  meeting  in  January,  1895,  decided  to  re- 
arrange the  town  hall  and  make  a  first-class  opera  house  out  of  it.  The 
stage  was  to  be  brought  forward  several  feet,  a  solid  arch  front  put  up 
and  the  footlight  arrangement  constructed  after  the  most  approved 
plan.  A  new  drop  curtain  and  a  full  set  of  scenery  was  to  be  added, 
doors  cut  from  the  back  of  the  stage  and  a  suite  of  dressing  rooms 
built  on  the  end  of  the  hall.  "All  these  changes  were  made,"  said  a 
local  newspaper,  "at  a  nominal  expense,  and  when  finished  would 
give  Casper  the  finest  opera  hall  in  Central  Wyoming."  The  Casper 
Dramatic  company,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Casper  band,  was  at  the 
time  rehearsing  several  new  plays  which  were  to  be  put  on  as  soon  as 
the  stage  was  ready.  This  hall,  in  the  early  days,  was  where  nearly 
all  the  public  gatherings  were  held,  such  as  mass  meetings,  where  the 
citizens  met  to  discuss  matters  of  public  interest;  political  meetings, 
dances,  church  services  and  school  sessions  were  also  held  in  this 
building;  the  board  of  trade.  Commercial  club,  or  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, held  meetings  here  that  were  of  vital  importance  to  the  busi- 
ness men  and  professional  men  of  the  town;  sessions  of  the  district 
court  were  held  here  and  many  a  decision  has  been  rendered  by 
the  court,  and  many  a  verdict  returned  by  a  jury,  that  meant  fi- 
nancial success  or  failure,  and  sometimes  liberty  and  even  life  to  a 
defendant. 

The  new  drop  curtain,  heretofore  mentioned,  depicted  a  moun- 
tain peak,  a  slough,  with  huge  cat-tails  along  the  edge,  a  large,  light- 
ning-splintered tree,  and  many  other  things  that  could  be  conjured 


I70  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

only  in  the  fertile  brain  of  an  artist  and  produced  with  a  brush,  paint 
and  palette.  On  the  border  of  this  unusual  painting  were  advertising 
signs  of  Casper's  leading  business  and  professional  men.  What  a 
treasured  relic  that  curtain  would  be  today  for  our  historical  society, 
but  like  many  other  things  that  would  now  be  valuable  as  keepsakes, 
but  at  that  time  were  considered  of  no  value  at  all,  it  was  cast  aside 
and  destroyed.  Theater  troupes,  barnstormers  and  home  talent  com- 
panies performed  on  this  stage  in  a  manner  that  brought  tears  to 
the  eyes  of  many  people  in  the  audience,  and  sometimes  made 
their  blood  boil  with  rage.  The  tragedies  and  comedies  that  were 
enacted  in  the  old  buildmg,  by  theater  companies  and  otherwise,  were 
many,  and  it  would  require  pages  and  pages  to  enumerate  them. 

In  1910  the  moving  pictures  commenced  to  come  to  Casper,  and 
the  town  hall  was  rented  for  a  moving  picture  house.  It  was  then 
given  the  name  of  the  Bell  Theatre,  because  there  was  a  bell  in  the 
cupola  on  top  of  the  front  part  of  the  building.  Shortly  after  mid- 
night on  the  8th  of  January,  191 2,  fire  broke  out  in  this  building  and 
the  roof  and  front  part  of  the  structure  were  destroyed.  The  loss  to 
the  building  was  estimated  at  $i  ,000.  In  the  summer  of  that  year  the 
roof  and  the  front  were  rebuilt  and  the  building  was  remodeled  into  a 
fire  house,  with  offices  in  the  rear  where  the  meetings  of  the  town 
council  were  held,  with  living  rooms  upstairs. 

In  191 7  the  buildings  and  the  two  half  lots,  which  were  then  con- 
sidered among  the  most  valuable  sites  for  business  buildings  in  the 
town,  was  traded  by  the  mayor  and  members  of  the  town  council  for 
a  triangular  piece  of  ground  in  the  rear,  or  south  of  the  federal  build- 
ing, with  Wolcott  street  on  the  west  and  East  Midwest  avenue  on  the 
south.  It  was  proposed  by  the  town  council  at  that  time  to  erect  a 
town  hall  on  this  three-cornered  piece  of  ground,  and  bonds  in  the 
amount  of  $55,000  were  voted  in  August,  1917,  for  that  purpose,  but 
before  the  bonds  could  be  sold  the  city  administration  was  changed, 
and  at  a  meeting  of  the  new  administration  on  February  28,  1918,  it 
was  decided  to  build  the  new  city  hall  on  the  block  300x300  feet 
square,  with  Center  street  on  the  east,  David  street  on  the  west. 
Seventh  street  on  the  north  and  Eighth  street  on  the  south,  and  the 
triangular  lot  in  the  rear  of  the  postoffice  was  seeded  with  grass,  a 
little  brick  rest  room  was  built,  a  drinking  fountain  was  put  in,  seats 
were  placed  under  the  trees,  and  in  the  summer  time  the  seats  are 
filled  with  idle  men,  and  discarded  newspapers  and  rubbish  are  scat- 
tered about  the  lawn,  making  a  real  "homey"  looking  place  for  the 
men  who  spend  their  time  there. 

On  June  17,  191 8,  the  contract  was  let  for  the  building  of  the  i7ew 
city  hall  for  $76,553.50.     The  cornerstone  for  the  new  buildi-ng -was 


4, 


'ii\  4?!%!^' 


^   t 


Wkst  SiDi:  OF  Center  Street,  Between  Second  and  Firsi,  Jllv  4,  iqoi 
The  building  with  the  bell  and  tower  was  Casper's  town  hall,  built  in  1890.    The 
building  to  the  left  ot  the  town  hall  was  Casper's  "tire"  house,  where  the  hose 
carts  were  kept. 


Casper  Band  Marching  Down  Center  Street,   1908 

Buildings  on  east  side,  from  left  to  right:    Trevett's  store,  Norton  &:  Hagens'  law 

office,  Tribune  office,  Webel's  store. 


CASPER  S  ELECTRIC  LIGHT  PLANTS         I7I 

laid  by  the  Masonic  order  on  August  28,  1918,  and  on  April  23,  1919, 
the  building  was  completed,  and  a  thorough  inspection  and  survey  of 
the  structure  was  made  by  the  members  of  the  city  council.  At  the 
time  this  inspection  and  survey  was  made,  the  architect,  George  E. 
McDonald,  made  the  statement  to  the  members  of  the  council  that  "he 
was  exceptionally  proud  of  the  interior  arrangement  of  the  building, 
and  that  its  perfect  construction  would  be  a  monument  to  his  archi- 
tectural ability."  This  statement  seemed  to  satisfy  the  members  of 
the  city  council,  for  at  a  regular  meeting  held  on  May  5,  the  building 
was  accepted  from  the  contractors.  On  the  evening  of  May  29  the  new 
building  was  formally  opened  to  the  public,  and  a  great  many  people 
were  present,  who  enjoyed  the  music  of  the  orchestra,  participated  in 
the  dancing  and  partook  of  the  refreshments  that  were  served.  With- 
in a  few  days  the  building  was  occupied  by  the  city  officers,  since 
which  time  many  defects  have  been  discovered,  both  in  the  architec- 
tural arrangement  and  the  construction,  and  it  is  a  monumental  botch, 
at  least  a  century  out  of  date,  and  the  palmmg  off  of  this  building 
upon  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  progressive  cities  in  the  middle 
west  was  equal  to  the  transaction  wherein  the  valuable  building  site, 
in  the  heart  of  the  city,  was  exchanged  for  the  triangular  piece  of 
ground,  worth  less  than  half  the  original  site  of  the  town  hall  and  fire 
station. 

Casper's  Electric  Light  Plants 

"In  the  beginning  God  created  the  Heaven  and  the  earth.  And 
the  earth  was  without  form  and  void;  and  darkness  was  upon  the  face 
of  the  deep.  And  the  spirit  of  God  moved  upon  the  face  of  the  waters. 
And  God  said.  Let  there  be  light;  and  there  was  light.  And  God  saw 
the  light,  that  it  was  good;  and  God  divided  the  light  from  the  dark- 
ness." 

Immediately  after  W.  S.  Kimball  delivered  the  above  quotation 
from  Genesis,  on  June  12,  19CO,  at  10  o'clock  at  night,  Mrs.  Kimball 
pressed  a  button  which  for  the  first  time  lighted  a  number  of  build- 
ings and  the  streets  in  the  town  of  Casper  with  electricity.  A  large 
number  of  guests  had  assembled  in  the  dining  room  of  the  Grand 
Central  hotel  where  a  banquet  was  served  in  honor  of  C.  H.  King  and 
Dr.  F.  Salathe,  who  had  established  the  lighting  system.  The  honor 
of  lighting  Casper  with  electricity  for  the  first  time  in  its  history  was 
accorded  Mrs.  Kimball  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  Mr.  Kimball  was 
mayor  of  the  town  when  the  Casper  Electric  company  was  given  its 
franchise. 

Ninety  guests  were  seated  at  the  two  long  tables  m  the  dining 
room.    Those  who  were   present   considered   this   one   of  the   most 


172  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Important  steps  in  the  advancement  of  Casper  that  had  ever  been 
taken  and  the  banquet  was  befitting  the  occasion. 

After  the  room  had  been  lighted  by  electricity,  Rev.  J.  H.  Gilles- 
pie invoked  the  blessing  of  the  Deity  on  those  assembled  and  upon 
the  enterprise.  Speeches  were  made  after  the  banquet  by  many  of  the 
business  men  and,  lastly,  Mr.  King  gave  a  description  of  the  plant 
which  consisted  of  two  forty-horsepower  engines,  two  dynamos  of 
i,ooo  light  capacity  and  one  eighty-horsepower  boiler.  The  build- 
ing which  housed  the  plant  was  a  small  frame  structure  located  where 
the  present  plant  of  the  Natrona  Power  is  now  located.  Light  was 
furnished  to  about  twenty  business  houses  and  150  residences.  There 
were  four  arc  lights  which  lighted  the  streets  of  the  town.  This  com- 
pany was  incorporated  September  23,  1908,  under  the  name  of  the 
Casper  Electric  company.  The  capacity  of  the  plant  was  increased 
from  time  to  time  as  the  town  increased  in  growth,  and  on  October  6, 
1913,  a  second  company  was  granted  a  franchise  under  the  name  of 
the  Wyoming  Electric  company.  This  company's  plant  was  formally 
opened  to  the  public  February  24,  1914.  Both  plants  were  in  opera- 
tion until  January  4,  1918,  when  the  original  plant  was  destroyed  by 
fire.  New  machinery  was  purchased  and  the  plant  was  rebuilt.  On 
January  18,  1918,  the  two  companies  were  consolidated  under  the 
name  of  the  Natrona  Power  company,  which  now  supplies  the  city 
with  light,  power,  and  heat. 

A  comparison  of  the  plant  when  it  was  first  put  in  operation  with 
the  plant  in  1922  is  an  indication  of  the  growth  of  Casper  since  June 
12,  1900. 

The  Natrona  Power  company's  plant  today  consists  of  a  modern 
steam  generating  station  located  on  the  site  of  the  original  plant,  and 
an  oil  engine  plant  located  a  few  blocks  away.  The  steam  equipment 
comprises  a  boiler  plant,  steam  turbines  and  engines  of  an  aggregate 
capacity  of  1,800  horsepower.  The  steam  for  the  central  steam  heat- 
ing system,  covering  the  entire  business  district  of  the  city,  as  well  as 
a  portion  of  the  residential  district,  is  supplied  from  this  plant.  The 
oil  engine  plant  contains  five  machines,  with  a  total  capacity  of  1,500 
horsepower,  which,  with  the  steam  plant,  makes  a  total  system  gener- 
ating capacity  of  3,300  horsepower. 

The  company's  service  lines  cover  every  section  of  the  city, 
and  practically  all  of  the  city  inhabitants  have  electric  service 
available.  Over  5,000  electric  customers  are  now  served  and  about 
100  customers  are  availing  themselves  of  the  steam  heating  service. 
A  commercial  office  and  salesroom  is  maintained  in  a  building  adja- 
cent to  the  steam  plant  where  all  modern  electrical  appliances  are 
obtainable. 


CASPER  S  TELEPHONE  SERVICE  I73 

Casper's  Telephone  Service 

Saturday,  March  22,  1902,  the  Rocky  Mountain  Bell  Telephone 
company  established  telephone  service  in  the  business  houses  and 
residences  in  the  town  of  Casper,  the  system  established  being  known 
as  the  "Geneseo"  type.  Forty-nine  instruments  were  in  service,  but 
it  was  announced  that  the  company  was  assured  of  at  least  a  dozen 
more  patrons  after  the  system  was  in  thorough  working  order.  The 
cost  of  establishing  the  system  was  about  ^5,500.  The  central  office 
was  located  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Stock  Exchange  saloon  build- 
ing, in  one  room,  about  sixteen  feet  square.  The  Stock  Exchange  was 
located  on  the  west  side  of  Center  street,  between  Second  and  Mid- 
west avenue.  Miss  Elizabeth  McDonald  was  the  day  operator  and 
Miss  Jo  Scherck  attended  the  night  calls.  Each  of  these  opera- 
tors worked  a  twelve-hour  shift,  but  they  had  plenty  of  time 
between  calls  for  rest  and  recreation.  There  were  no  outside  con- 
nections, and  consequently  no  long-distance  calls  at  that  time,  but 
work  was  to  be  commenced  in  the  early  summer  on  the  Lander  and 
Thermopolis  lines,  and  the  line  was  already  being  built  from  Chey- 
enne to  Casper,  and  it  was  hoped  that  connections  could  be  made 
before  the  end  of  the  year. 

The  manager  of  the  Casper  exchange  left  with  each  subscriber  a 
card,  printed  by  a  local  printing  office,  bearing  the  name  of  each  sub- 
scriber and  his  number,  together  with  the  following  instructions: 

"To  get  central,  remove  the  receiver  from  the  hook  and  place 
it  to  your  ear.  Wait  until  central  replies,  then  state  the  number  you 
desire.  Wait  until  the  party  answers,  then  deliver  your  message. 
When  you  have  finished  talking,  hang  the  receiver  back  on  the  hook, 
with  the  small  end  up,  which  signals  central  you  are  through." 

By  following  these  instructions  the  patrons  found  the  service 
very  convenient  and  satisfactory,  and  it  was  highly  appreciated.  Be- 
fore the  inauguration  of  the  telephone  in  the  town  when  a  business 
man  or  anyone  else  desired  to  deliver  a  message  or  transact  any  kind 
of  business  he  was  compelled  to  leave  his  store,  office  or  shop  and 
walk  a  number  of  blocks,  and  if  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  find 
his  party  in,  after  transacting  the  desired  business  and  remaining 
the  usual  half  hour  or  more  visiting,  his  absence  from  his  own  busi- 
ness cost  him  seldom  less  than  an  hour's  time. 

By  the  time  the  system  was  in  perfect  working  order  the  dozen 
more  patrons,  who  had  promised  to  install  telephones,  had  made 
good  their  pledge,  and  with  them  came  a  dozen  more;  with  this  en- 
couragement the  company  was  hopeful  of  having  at  least  one  hundred 
subscribers  in  the  town  before  the  first  of  the  coming  year,  1903. 


174  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Casper  and  Douglas  were  connected  by  'phone  in  June,  1902,  and 
the  patrons  in  each  of  the  towns  on  the  first  day  of  the  service  were 
allowed  to  converse  with  each  other  as  many  times  and  as  long  as  they 
desired  without  charge.  The  Freeland  telephone  line,  which  included 
Bessemer,  was  completed  about  the  middle  of  December,  1902,  with 
the  following  ranchmen  as  subscribers:  J.  W.  Price,  O.  M.  Rice, 
Martin  Gothberg,  Alex  Mills,  Dan  Speas,  Denecke  &  Wright,  Roily 
Clark,  C.  N.  Richards,  G.  W.  Martin,  A.  G.  Cheney,  W.  D.  Kennedy, 
Ira  Karman,  W.  D,  Blattenberg,  Harold  Banner,  Goose  Egg  Ranch, 
E.  L.  McGraugh,  D.  and  J.  Michie,  J.  G.  White,  Miller  Bros., 
Cheney's  Bates  Creek  ranch  and  the  Norman  Calmon  ranch.  Two 
years  later  the  Big  Muddy  line  was  established,  and  then  followed  a 
line  to  the  Oil  City  country. 

Casper  gradually  increased  in  population,  and  with  this  increase 
came  new  residences  and  additional  business  houses  which  were  sup- 
plied with  telephones,  and  in  February,  1907,  the  room  originally 
occupied  by  the  exchange  became  so  crowded  with  one  additional 
operator  and  more  equipment  that  the  company  moved  into  three 
rooms  in  the  Rohrbaugh  block,  on  the  south  side  of  Second  street, 
between  Center  and  Wolcott.  The  Geneseo  system  was  discarded 
and  the  common  battery  system  was  established,  the  number  of 
operators  was  increased  from  three  to  four,  three  for  the  day  calls 
and  one  at  night,  in  addition  to  the  manager,  who  acted  as  book- 
keeper, collected  the  bills,  corrected  the  line  troubles,  took  a  turn  on 
the  switchboard  occasionally  and  entertained  the  patrons  who  called 
to  register  a  complaint  or  to  spend  an  hour  or  more  in  social  inter- 
course. 

The  Rocky  Mountain  Bell  Telephone  company  was  merged  into 
the  Mountain  States  Telephone  and  Telegraph  company  on  July  20, 
191 1,  and  the  plant  at  Casper  has  since  been  operated  under  this 
name. 

The  town  continued  to  increase  in  population,  more  business 
houses  were  established  and  new  residences  were  built.  With  this 
increase  the  demand  for  telephones  increased,  and  the  company's 
goal  for  1910  was  300  instruments;  this  goal  was  reached  and  the  500 
mark  looked  to  be  not  far  off.  The  three  rooms  were  inadequate, 
more  operators  and  other  additional  help  were  required,  until  there 
were  half  a  dozen  operators  on  the  switchboard,  a  regular  bookkeeper 
was  employed,  and  there  was  a  regular  trouble  man,  and  several  line- 
men and  repairmen  constant!}'  employed.  This  was  after  the  oil 
boom  in  Salt  Creek,  when  the  building  of  the  refinery  in  Casper  had 
been  started,  and  with  this  boom  came  many  new  residences,  pro- 
fessional men  and  business  concerns,  and  many  new  telephones  were 


CASPER  S  TELEPHONE  SERVICE 


175 


required,  and  the  company  demanded  more  room  for  its  additional 
equipment,  until  the  whole  of  the  west  side  of  the  upper  floor  in  the 
business  block  was  utilized.  But  Casper  continued  to  grow  and  ex- 
pand, and  in  order  to  keep  pace  with  the  town  the  telephone  company 
required  more  room,  and  in  1917-18  erected  a  two-story  and  full 
basement  building  45x50  feet  on  its  lot  immediately  east  from  the 
postoffice,  which  is  used  exclusively  by  the  company  for  its  business 
oflSces,  operating  rooms,  and  housing  of  equipment,  with  storage  and 
battery  rooms  in  the  basement,  and  the  Casper  telephone  exchange  is 
now  equal  to  any  in  the  state.  The  switchboard  is  of  the  latest  type, 
manually  operated  board.  The  multiple  system  is  employed,  which 
means  that  the  operator  can  connect  and  ring  any  line  on  the  board; 
however,  each  operator  receives  calls  only  from  those  lines  connected 
to  her  special  position.  On  January  i,  1923,  there  were  forty  operators 
employed  in  this  exchange,  including  the  lady  chief.  They  work  in 
eight-hour  shifts,  but  are  relieved  every  two  hours  for  a  brief  rest.  A 
retiring  room  is  maintained,  adjacent  to  the  operating  room,  and  this 
room  is  supplied  with  many  comforts,  including  current  magazines, 
newspapers  and  stationery.  Tea,  coflFee,  chocolate  and  milk  are  fur- 
nished by  the  company  to  the  operators  without  charge. 

The  calls  handled  through  this  exchange  are  a  revelation  in  num- 
ber. The  record  for  the  average  day  is  about  28,000.  The  busiest 
period  is  just  before  noon,  when  the  average  is  about  2,400  per  hour. 
The  average  calls  from  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening  are  about  2,100  per  hour.  There  is  a  rapid  increase  from 
seven  until  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  after  which  hour  the  number 
of  calls  commences  to  decrease. 

The  unusually  large  number  of  changes  and  removals  in  Casper 
adds  to  the  burden  of  the  operators.  Fully  500  changes  are  made  dur- 
mg  a  directory  period,  or  every  three  months.  While  these  changes 
are  in  process  it  requires  the  closest  attention  on  the  part  of  operators 
to  observe  the  markings  on  the  multiples,  which  indicate  changes  and 
disconnections,  to  prevent  the  ringing  of  wrong  numbers. 

It  has  been  and  still  is  a  problem  in  extension  work  to  keep  pace 
with  the  growth  of  Casper.  Since  1917  there  has  been  a  gain  of  2,500 
telephones,  670  of  which  came  in  1921  and  650  in  1922.  There  is 
now  a  total  of  4,170  subscribers  using  the  local  telephone  service.  The 
company  put  in  $30,000  worth  of  new  cable  during  1920,  and  more 
than  duplicated  it  in  1921. 

It  IS  fortunate  that  reasonable  allowance  was  made  for  future 
extension  when  the  Casper  exchange  was  constructed,  otherwise  the 
company  could  never  have  answered  the  public  demand  as  well  as 
It  has,  for  during  the  first  nine  months  of  1922  the  company  completed 


176  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

an  expenditure  of  more  than  fifty  thousand  dollars  for  equipment,  the 
larger  portion  of  which  was  used  for  aerial  and  underground  cables 
and  new  pole  lines  to  outlying  additions  to  the  city.  In  addition  to 
the  fifty  thousand  dollars  expended  during  the  nine  months  of  1922, 
the  company  built  a  private  leased  wire  to  Teapot  Dome  for  the 
Mammoth-Sinclair  Oil  company  interests  and  added  three  toll  lines 
from  Casper  to  Salt  Creek,  in  addition  to  which  the  company  in- 
stalled three  hundred  additional  subscribers'  lines  on  its  switchboard 
before  the  end  of  1922  for  its  Casper  patrons. 

Compared  with  the  original  plant  in  1902,  which  was  installed 
at  an  expense  of  $5,500,  the  company's  plant  twenty  years  later  is 
second  to  none  in  the  state,  and  instead  of  forty-nine  instruments 
there  are  now  4,170;  then  two  operators  attended  the  switchboard  dur- 
ing the  twenty-four  hours  and  now  there  are  forty;  then  two  men 
took  care  of  all  the  business  for  the  company,  installing  new  instru- 
ments when  required,  keeping  the  lines  in  repair  and  performing 
such  other  duties  as  were  required  and  now  there  are  twenty-two 
employed. 

A.  W.  Scott  was  the  telephone  company's  first  manager  in 
Casper,  remaining  from  March,  1902,  until  1903,  when  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  J.  E.  Frisby.  Mr.  Frisby  was  succeeded  by  H.  B.  Lovett 
in  1904,  and  he  remained  until  1905,  and  then  came  J.  A.  Bell,  with 
his  wife  and  six-year-old  daughter.  Mr.  Bell  spent  more  time  on  the 
gambling  tables  than  he  did  in  looking  after  his  company's  affairs, 
and  he  squandered  so  much  of  the  company's  funds  that  he  was  un- 
able to  make  good  his  shortage,  and  he  squared  the  account  by 
swallowing  about  two  ounces  of  carbolic  acid.  Homer  F.  Shaffer  took 
charge  as  manager  in  August,  1906,  and  remained  until  April,  1909, 
during  which  time  he  made  many  improvements  in  the  system  and 
the  service.  E.  E.  Stone  succeeded  Mr.  Shaffer,  remaining  until 
March,  1910.  Then  came  B.  H.  Engelke,  who  remained  until  August, 
191 1.  He  was  succeeded  by  Charles  A.  Cullen,  who  remained  from 
191 1  until  June,  1918.  J.  Frank  Cowan  was  manager  from  1918  until 
May,  1920,  who  was  succeeded  by  H.  D.  McCormack,  who  is  the 
present  (1923)  manager. 

The  company  has  made  arrangements  for  the  expenditure  of 
more  than  $100,000  on  its  Casper  plant  in  1923,  $20,000  of  which  will 
go  toward  an  addition  to  its  building.  This  addition  will  mean  the 
enlargement  of  the  present  operating  room  on  the  second  floor  and 
the  terminal  room  on  the  ground  level.  There  will  also  be  approxi- 
mately nine  miles  of  new  cable,  a  large  part  of  which  will  be  relief  un- 
derground cables.  These  cables  will  be  on  East  Second  street  and 
Yellowstone  avenue.   These  cables  will  be  sufficient  to  care  for  a  city 


CASPER    WANTED    THE    CAPITAL  1 77 

with  a  population  of  75,000.  A  total  of  ^43,400  will  be  expended  on 
the  cable  improvements.  Thirteen  thousand  dollars  will  be  spent  on 
a  new  telephone  repeater  and  ^13,500  on  central  office  equipment. 
The  addition  to  the  building  means  that  the  structure  will  be  en- 
larged thirty  feet  to  the  south  and  extended  the  width  of  the  present 
terminal  section  of  the  structure.  The  telephone  repeater  serves  as 
sort  of  a  booster  station  for  long-distance  calls  going  through  the  city. 
The  addition  of  this  repeater  means  that  there  will  be  four  in  use  in 
Casper.  The  Casper  exchange,  with  these  improvements,  will  be  the 
largest  of  any  telephone  exchange  in  Wyoming,  and  on  January  i, 
1923,  had  over  1,000  more  telephones  installed  than  any  other  city  in 
the  state. 

Casper  Wanted  the  Capital 

"The  trend  of  events  and  the  progress  of  the  state  of  Wyoming 
are  such  that  a  change  of  the  location  of  the  state  capital  is  inevitable 
and  imperative.    It  must  come  sooner  or  later,  considering  the  future 
possibilities  of  that  part  of  the  state  farthest  removed  from  the  pres- 
ent location  of  the  seat  of  government."   This  was  the  announcement 
made  by  the  people  of  Casper  in  the  fall  of  1904,  when  the  matter  of 
voting  for  the  permanent  location  of  the  state  capital  was  to  come  to 
a  vote  at  the  general  election  in  November.    Casper  was  an  aspirant 
for  the  capital  at  that  time,  and  it  was  argued  that  no  city  in  the  state 
had  a  more  legitimate  claim  than  this  progressive  town;  "located  as 
we  are,  in  the  center  of  the  state,  it  is  the  logical  and  proper  place  for 
the  seat  of  government.    Casper  is  typically  a  Wyoming  town  and 
has  the  interests  of  her  own  state  most  fully  at  heart,  as  has  been  most 
clearly  demonstrated  by  the  active  part  which  it  takes  and  always 
has  taken  in  every  enterprise  that  boosts  the  possibilities  of  Wyoming. 
Every  voter  in  the  state  who  has  interests  of  the  state  at  heart  should 
keep  these  points  in  view  when  he  casts  his  ballot.    With  the  con- 
struction of  two  large  government  reservoirs  now  under  way  in  Cen- 
tral and  Northern  Wyoming  and  with  the  introduction  of  new  rail- 
roads into  this  portion  of  the  state,  we  are  just  entering  upon  a  period 
of  unprecedented  development,  and  it  is  particularly  essential  to  the 
best  interests  of  our  fair  state  to  prevent  the  permanent  location  of 
the  capital  from   being  established  in  one  corner  of  its  territory. 
Now  that  the  western,  northern  and  central  parts  of  the  state  are 
about  to  become  available  for  the  entry  of  thousands  of  settlers,  it  is 
the  prime  moment  to  make  this  important  decision.    If  Casper  does 
not  carry  the  state  this  year,  even  though  Cheyenne  does  not  get  the 
majority,  it  will  be  years  before  the  question  will  arise  again  for  the 
determination  of  the  voters  of  the  state.    Meanwhile  Cheyenne  will 


178  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

deprive  the  rest  of  the  state  of  the  great  advantages  of  a  central  loca- 
tion for  the  state  capital. 

"Cheyenne  is  unfavorably  situated  on  the  map  for  the  perma- 
nent location  of  the  capital.  No  one  who  has  the  best  interests  of  the 
state  as  a  whole  at  heart,  and  who  realizes  the  great  possibilities  and 
the  future  of  the  western,  northern  and  central  parts  of  the  state  will 
for  a  moment  contend  that  in  so  great  a  state  as  ours  the  capital  is 
properly  located  in  one  corner  of  the  state,  more  inaccessible  to  some 
parts  of  the  state  than  the  city  of  Chicago.  This  is  an  abnormal  and 
undesirable  state  of  facts.  Developing  Cheyenne  does  not  develop 
the  state.  She  is  as  large  as  she  ever  will  be.  There  are  no  more  new 
fields  of  industry  around  Cheyenne  to  discover  or  reclaim.  It  is  the 
old  town.  For  years  her  chief  resources  have  been  principally  the 
legislature  and  her  capacity  to  get  a  whack  out  of  every  appropriation 
made  by  the  state.  The  chief  support  of  her  citizens  is  the  town's 
political  graft.  Of  the  salaried  appointive  offices  her  citizens  hold 
nine-tenths.  Every  town  in  the  state  has  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the 
Cheyenne  politicians.  Cheyenne  is  not  strictly  a  Wyoming  town,  she 
is  essentially  a  Nebraska  town,  and  so  dependent  is  she  upon  Nebraska 
that  her  newspapers  look  to  Nebraska  for  their  chief  support.  The 
main  object  of  the  Cheyenne  politicians  in  their  endeavor  to  procure 
the  Pathfinder  dam,  as  every  one  knows,  is  to  secure  the  benefit  of 
the  irrigation  of  Nebraska  lands  near  Cheyenne.  About  two-thirds 
of  the  water  stored  in  this  reservoir  will  be  used,  as  is  well  known,  in 
irrigating  Nebraska  lands." 

This  and  other  strong  arguments  were  used  and  scattered  broad- 
cast. The  people  of  Casper  were  united  and  they  put  forth  their  best 
efforts  to  secure  votes,  but  they  finished  a  poor  third  in  the  race. 
Cheyenne  received  11,781  votes;  Lander,  8,667;  Casper,  3,610;  Rock 
Springs,  429,  and  Sheridan,  122.  It  was  surprising,  but  nevertheless 
true,  that  many  of  the  towns  in  the  central  and  northern  parts  of  the 
state  voted  for  Cheyenne  in  preference  to  Casper. 

But  the  permanent  location  of  the  state  capital  was  not  definitely 
settled,  for  no  town  received  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast.  At  the 
meeting  of  the  state  canvassing  board  held  on  December  21,  1904,  it 
was  declared: 

"The  board  finds  and  declares  that  no  city,  town  or  village  re- 
ceived a  majority  of  the  votes  cast  at  the  election  upon  the  question 
of  the  permanent  location  of  the  seat  of  government. 

"And  Fenimore  Chatterton,  president  and  member  of  the 
board,  further  finds  and  declares  that,  therefore,  no  city,  town  or 
village  has  been  elected  as  the  permanent  location  of  the  seat  of 
government,  to  which  said  finding  and  declaration  of  the  said  Feni- 


HORSE    RACING    IN    THE    EARLY   DAYS  1 79 

more  Chatterton,  William  C.  Irvine,  secretary  and  member  of  the 
board,  dissents  and  objects.  Leroy  Grant,  auditor,  refused  to  sit  with 
the  board." 

At  the  session  of  the  state  legislature  in  1923  a  bill  was  intro- 
duced in  the  house  providing  that  the  state  capital  be  moved  from 
Cheyenne  to  Casper,  but  the  bill  had  not  been  disposed  when  this 
volume  had  gone  to  press. 

Horse  Racing  in  the  Early  Days 

Horse  racing  was  the  most  exciting  and  popular  sport  in  Natrona 
county  in  the  early  days.  To  go  on  a  bear  hunt,  or  spend  a  week  or 
ten  days  in  the  mountains  and  bag  a  few  deer,  elk  or  mountain  sheep 
furnished  amusement  and  excitement  for  some  people,  but  a  horse 
race  was  always  the  big  event  that  attracted  every  man,  woman  and 
child  in  the  county.  There  would  have  been  no  horse  racing,  how- 
ever, if  there  could  have  been  no  betting.  The  people  of  the  county 
then  divided  and  lined  up  for  their  favorite  horse  in  the  race,  praised 
and  applauded  his  good  points  and  displayed  as  much  enthusiasm 
as  they  do  in  this  enlightened  age  upon  their  favorite  candidate 
during  an  election  campaign.  During  the  first  two  or  three  years 
after  the  town  of  Casper  was  organized  these  races  were  between  cow 
ponies  and  range  horses,  but  in  the  early  spring  of  1893  Dan  Robert- 
son went  to  Chadron,  Nebraska,  and  bought  a  real  race  horse;  his 
name  was  Doc  Middleton.  Doc  was  famous  in  Nebraska,  for  several 
seasons  having  won  every  race  he  entered.  Mr.  Robertson  did  not 
advertise  that  Doc  was  a  race  horse,  but  said  he  was  a  fancy  buggy 
horse.  The  Fourth  of  July  was  when  the  big  races  generally  took 
place,  and  six  weeks  before  the  races  were  to  occur  Doc  was  sent  out 
to  the  Charles  Richards  ranch  in  Bates  Park  to  be  trained  for  the 
track.  The  fact  that  Doc  was  a  blooded  race  horse  was  supposed  to 
be  kept  a  secret,  but  to  keep  secret  the  fact  that  a  blooded  race  horse 
had  been  brought  into  the  country  was  as  impossible  then  as  it  would 
be  now  to  keep  the  people  from  knowing  that  it  was  cold  in  the  winter 
or  hot  in  the  summer  time.  Besides  the  owner  of  Doc,  JefF  Crawford 
and  Charlie  Richards  were  his  principal  backers.  Hugh  Patton  con- 
ceived the  idea  that  it  would  be  interesting  and  profitable  to  bring  a 
better  horse  here  and  enter  the  race  against  Doc,  and  he  sent  word  to 
Jim  Dahlman,  who  then  lived  in  Chadron,  to  get  a  race  horse  that 
could  beat  Doc  Middleton  and  bring  him  to  Casper  to  enter  the  race 
on  the  Fourth  of  July.  Dahlman  went  to  Chicago  and  bought  a 
horse  named  Sorrel  John,  and  sent  him  to  Casper  by  express  with  a 
professional  jockey.    Sorrel  John  was  in  town  about  a  week  before 


l8o  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  Fourth,  and  he  displayed  speed  that  astonished  those  who  saw 
him  travel,  and  the  backers  of  Doc  were  skeptical  about  backing 
their  horse  for  a  large  amount  of  money. 

A  kite-shaped  half-mile  track  was  built  by  Charlie  Crow  in  the 
then  extreme  eastern  edge  of  town;  the  judges'  stand,  which  consisted 
of  a  large  box,  borrowed  from  one  of  the  stores,  was  located  at  the 
intersection  of  North  Durbin  and  East  A  streets,  where  John  T. 
McGrath  now  has  his  residence.  The  back  stretch  was  between 
First  and  A  streets.  At  that  time  this  part  of  the  country  was  not 
platted  into  streets  and  town  lots,  but  was  a  rough  greasewood  and 
sagebrush  flat.  The  building  of  this  race  track  was  financed  by  pop- 
ular subscription.  There  was  no  grand  stand  and  no  seats  of  any 
kind,  and  no  admission  fee  was  charged.  Sorrel  John  was  trained  and 
tried  out  on  this  track  by  the  professional  jockey  for  a  week  before 
the  date  of  the  big  event,  and  Doc  Middleton  was  trained  every  day 
at  the  Richards  ranch.    The  purse  for  the  winner  was  $500. 

The  owners  and  backers  of  Sorrel  John  were  willing  and  anxious 
to  wager  most  any  amount  of  money  that  their  horse  would  win,  but 
the  backers  of  Doc  were  not  so  confident,  and  the  bets  they  made 
were  in  small  amounts,  but  Charlie  Richards  put  up  all  the  money  on 
Doc  Middleton  that  he  had  and  all  he  could  borrow. 

During  the  forenoon  of  the  Fourth  the  usual  Independence  day 
program  was  carried  out,  and  at  2:15  in  the  afternoon  the  big  race 
was  to  be  run.  Everybody  gathered  around  the  track.  Charlie 
Richards  was  to  ride  Doc  Middleton  against  John  Tracy,  the  pro- 
fessional jockey,  on  Sorrel  John.  There  was  another  horse,  King 
George,  who  entered  the  race,  but  he  had  no  chance  of  winning  a 
place  unless  the  other  horses  fell  dead  on  the  track.  The  time  had 
arrived  for  the  race;  all  the  business  houses  in  town  were  closed,  and 
everybody  was  at  the  race  track.  Sorrel  John  won  the  pole.  Doc 
Middleton  was  second  and  King  George  was  on  the  outside;  the 
horses  were  scoring  up;  the  expert  jockey  from  Chicago  was  using 
all  the  tricks  he  knew  and  was  taking  every  advantage  possible;  men, 
women  and  children  were  crowded  around  the  track,  craning  their 
necks  to  see  every  move  of  the  racers.  It  was  a  half-mile  dash;  a  man 
with  a  snare  drum  was  the  official  starter;  the  racers  came  up  to  the 
scratch,  but  the  spread  was  so  great  it  was  not  a  go;  the  starter 
pounded  on  his  drum  and  the  horses  returned  for  a  new  start;  again 
they  crossed  the  scratch,  and  again  they  were  called  back  by  the 
starter  with  his  drum;  the  third  time  they  came  up  the  starter  cried 
"  Go,"  and  they  were  off;  Sorrel  John  was  ten  feet  in  the  lead  of  Doc 
Middleton,  and  King  George  was  fully  thirty  feet  in  the  rear.  The 
backers  of  Doc  and  the  King  protested  that  it  should  not  have  been 


HORSE    RACING    IN    THE    EARLY    DAYS  161 

a  go,  but  it  was  no  use,  the  race  was  on.  For  the  first  three  hundred 
feet  Doc  gained  on  John,  and  at  six  hundred  feet  from  the  scratch 
they  were  neck  and  neck;  then  a  shout  went  up  from  the  crowd;  the 
horses  were  neck  and  neck  all  the  way  'round  the  track  until  they 
reached  the  home  stretch,  when  Doc  forged  slightly  ahead  of  John;  the 
riders  of  both  horses  persuaded  their  mounts  forward  and  the  animals 
were  making  a  supreme  effort  to  go  faster;  Doc's  throat  latch  was  under 
the  wire  when  John's  nose  reached  it;  Doc  won;  King  George  was 
forgotten  entirely;  then  most  of  the  great  crowd  of  people  sent  forth 
cheer  after  cheer,  and  it  was  said  that  the  owner  of  Doc  was  so  happy 
that  he  opened  his  mouth  and  forgot  to  close  it,  but  just  stood  there 
taking  in  the  sights  supposedly  thinking  he  was  cheering  with  the 
crowd.   There  were  other  races  that  day,  but  the  big  event  was  over. 

Like  all  sporting  events  where  the  game  is  close,  the  backers  of 
Sorrel  John  found  plenty  of  excuses  for  their  horse  coming  in  second 
under  the  wire,  and  they  were  anxious  to  arrange  for  another  race. 
Doc  Middleton's  backers  had  now  gained  confidence  and  they  were 
willing  to  risk  the  reputation  of  their  horse  and  their  money  on  a 
second  race.  A  quarter-mile  dash  was  arranged  for  on  the  20th  of 
July  and  a  wager  of  ^500  a  side  was  put  up,  in  addition  to  which  there 
were  many  side  bets;  Charlie  Richards  put  up  all  the  money  he  had 
won  and  again  all  he  could  borrow.  This  second  race  attracted  fully 
as  great  a  crowd  as  was  in  town  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  The  race  was 
on  the  same  track  as  the  first  race.  Doc  won  the  pole  this  time  and 
the  start  was  very  nearly  even;  Doc  took  the  lead,  but  at  200  yards 
John  pushed  ahead,  but  was  unable  to  hold  it;  Doc  soon  closed  up 
the  gap,  and  the  horses  ran  side  by  side  until  they  came  to  the  home 
stretch,  when  Doc  pushed  to  the  front  and  scored  half  a  length 
ahead  of  John. 

Jim  Dahlman  was  a  good  sport,  and  acknowledged  that  Doc 
was  the  faster  horse,  but  he  said  it  had  cost  him  more  than  a  thou- 
sand dollars  to  be  convinced,  and  it  was  his  intention  to  get  back  his 
expense  money.  The  gambling  tables  were  in  operation  in  Casper  those 
days,  and  dealers  were  on  duty  at  all  hours,  both  day  and  night;  the 
sky  was  the  limit,  and  nobody  was  barred.  Faro  gave  the  house  the 
advantage  only  of  the  "splits,"  and  those  playing  against  the  house 
could  place  their  bets  to  their  best  advantage.  Dahlman  chose  this 
game  to  replenish  his  depleted  exchequer;  he  played  from  early 
evening  until  after  midnight  and  when  he  retired  he  was  short  more 
than  $1,600.  The  next  day  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Chadron.  In 
after  years  he  moved  to  Omaha  where  he  was  more  successful  than 
he  was  in  Casper,  and  was  several  times  elected  mayor  of  that  city 
and  was  known  as  the  "Cowboy  Mayor." 


1 82  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Charlie  Richards  took  Doc  Middleton  to  all  the  races  in  South- 
ern Wyoming,  and  won  every  race  he  entered,  but  in  the  fall  of  the 
year  the  horse  injured  himself  in  some  way  and  Mr.  Richards  shot 
him. 

There  have  been  many  horse  races  in  Casper  since  that  event; 
we  have  had  much  better  race  tracks,  and  we  have  provided  grand 
stands  with  good  seats  and  a  good  view  of  the  track,  but  there  has 
never  been  so  much  interest  or  excitement  displayed  in  any  of  these 
later  events  as  there  was  when  Doc  Middleton  beat  Sorrel  John  in 
1893. 

Lost  in  a  Cloudburst 

A  tremendous  cloudburst  occurred  on  Casper  mountain  at  the 
head  of  Garden  creek,  at  about  nine  o'clock  Tuesday  night,  July  30, 
1895,  and  a  sea  of  water  twenty  feet  deep  came  thundering  down  into 
the  valley,  carrying  with  it  large  boulders,  logs,  and  debris  of  all  kinds, 
and  the  terrific  force  of  the  current  left  death  and  destruction  in  its 
path. 

Dark  clouds  commenced  to  gather  over  the  mountainside  early 
in  the  evening,  and  at  first  there  was  quite  a  heavy  rainfall  which  in- 
creased in  its  fury  until  the  terrific  downpour  lashed  the  trees  and  the 
rocks  and  the  winds  buffeted  the  living  creatures  along  the  foot  hills 
of  the  mountains  and  in  the  valleys  below,  and  between  the  gusts  one 
could  hear  the  wail  of  the  storm-tossed  trees  and  the  distant  roar  of 
the  flood  foaming  across  the  lands.  In  the  little  town  of  Casper  the 
sound  of  the  thunder  and  the  flashes  of  lightning  and  the  downpour 
of  the  rain  were  terrific  for  several  hours.  It  was  fully  an  hour  after 
the  storm  had  abated  before  the  people  of  Casper  were  apprised  of 
the  terrible  disaster  that  had  been  caused  by  the  storm. 

A  freighter  named  Newby  and  his  family  were  camped  just  south 
of  the  CY  gate,  about  two  miles  south  of  Casper,  and  as  they  were  in 
bed  when  the  cloudburst  occurred,  the  water  was  upon  them  before 
they  realized  they  were  in  danger.  Mrs.  Newby  and  her  child  were 
carried  away  in  the  flood,  but  the  husband  and  father  escaped  by 
clinging  to  a  log.  Samuel  Harrison  and  his  family  were  camped  near 
Newby  and  two  of  his  small  children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  were  carried 
away.  Mrs.  Harrison  escaped  with  one  of  her  children  in  her  arms, 
but  Mr.  Harrison  was  carried  down  the  stream  over  a  hundred  yards 
until  he  caught  hold  of  the  trunk  of  a  tree  and  hung  on  until  the  force 
of  the  torrent  was  past.  Others  who  camped  in  the  path  of  the  tor- 
rent were  E.  E.  liams,  Ed  Kerns,  James  Smith,  Fred  Seely  and 
Frank  Arbiter,  most  of  whom  were  freighters,  and  their  entire  outfit 
was  carried  away  and  dashed  to  splinters  on  the  boulders.    Along  the 


CEREBROSPINAL    MENINGITIS  183 

path  of  the  flood  was  scattered  wreckage  of  every  description,  cloth- 
ing, bedding,  groceries,  pieces  of  wagons  and  harness.  Those  who 
escaped  with  their  Hves  were  clad  only  in  their  night  clothes  and  they 
suffered  a  great  deal  from  exposure.  The  people  of  Casper,  however, 
furnished  them  with  clothing  and  food,  and  in  the  morning  nearly 
every  man  in  the  town  went  out  to  the  scene  of  the  disaster  to  assist 
in  the  search  for  the  bodies  that  had  been  carried  with  the  flood. 

The  remains  of  the  two  Harrison  children  were  recovered  along 
the  banks  half  a  mile  below  where  they  were  camped,  and  the  body 
of  Mrs.  Newby  was  found  covered  with  wreckage,  and  her  baby  was 
found  close  to  the  bank  in  a  tree  a  considerable  distance  below.  The 
remains  of  the  three  children  and  the  lady  were  brought  to  Casper 
and  placed  in  the  town  hall  where  the  ladies  of  Casper  dressed  them 
and  prepared  them  for  burial. 

Everything  possible  was  done  to  assist  the  surviving  unfortu- 
nates; they  were  supplied  with  the  necessities  of  life;  houses  were  fur- 
nished the  families;  the  men  were  provided  with  employment  and 
except  for  the  loss  of  life,  it  was  not  long  until  all  had  fully  recovered 
from  their  terrible  experience. 

Cerebrospinal  Meningitis 

Many  children  in  Casper  died  from  the  effects  of  cerebrospinal 
meningitis  during  the  latter  part  of  May,  1898,  and  the  people  be- 
came so  alarmed  that  nearly  all  the  mothers  in  the  town  took  their 
children  away.  On  the  loth  of  May  more  than  fifty  children  and 
twenty-five  women  left  on  the  train  for  the  east  and  each  day  follow- 
ing for  a  week  women  and  children  left  the  stricken  town  until  hardly 
a  child  was  left  and  those  who  did  remain  were  not  allowed  to  venture 
on  the  streets  and  were  scarcely  allowed  outside  the  doors  of  their 
dwelling  places.  The  schools  were  closed,  church  services  were  dis- 
continued, and  the  homes  in  the  town  were  left  uninhabited  except 
by  the  head  of  the  family. 

In  one  day  more  than  a  dozen  children  were  stricken,  and  as 
there  were  but  two  physicians  in  town,  Dr.  Leeper  and  Dr.  Bennett, 
they  made  their  visits  and  administered  to  the  little  sufferers  during 
the  day  and  night  without  rest  or  sleep. 

The  disease  made  its  appearance  without  warning,  the  first 
symptoms  being  pain  in  the  head,  fever,  and  acceleration  of  the  pulse. 
Purple  spots  appeared  on  the  surface  of  the  body,  the  muscles  became 
rigid,  the  head  was  drawn  back,  and  the  pain  was  very  violent.  The 
patient  became  stupid  and  deaf  and  death  supervened  within  forty- 
eight  hours. 


l84  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Concerning  the  origin  or  producing  causes  of  the  terrible  disease 
and  respecting  the  modes  of  treatment,  the  physicians  at  that  time 
knew  but  Httle.  Some  claimed  that  the  disease  was  caused  by  the 
unsanitary  condition  of  the  town.  The  town  was  at  that  time  in  a 
most  unsanitary  condition.  The  local  newspaper  made  a  plea  to  the 
town  council  to  compel  the  citizens  to  clear  their  residences  of  all  gar- 
bage, to  remove  the  cow  corrals  and  hog  pens  that  were  maintained 
in  the  middle  of  the  town  and  clear  the  streets  and  alleys  of  all  rub- 
bish. The  town  council  acted  favorably  upon  the  plea  and  in  less 
than  a  month  all  signs  of  the  disease  had  disappeared;  the  mothers 
with  their  children  commenced  to  return  and  by  the  middle  of  the 
summer  the  children  were  allowed  to  come  out  on  the  streets  and 
mingle  together. 

Indians  Dance  in  Casper  Streets 

The  last  Indian  dance  to  be  given  on  the  streets  of  Casper  was 
on  the  evening  of  October  20,  1897,  by  about  forty  Shoshones  on 
Second  street  in  front  of  the  Odd  Fellows  building.  The  principal 
part  of  their  dress  was  on  their  heads  and  there  was  scarcely  anything 
on  their  bodies.  The  music  was  furnished  by  six  buck  Indians,  who 
pounded  on  an  oil  barrel  with  sticks  while  all  the  Indians  chanted 
their  weird  songs.  The  dancers  circled  around  a  bonfire  in  the  middle 
of  the  street.  The  bucks  led  the  dance  for  an  hour  and  then  the 
squaws  joined  in.  Nearly  every  white  person  in  the  city  viewed  the 
dance  and  contributed  a  small  amount  of  cash  which  was  turned  over 
to  the  Indians.  In  the  early  days  Indians  dancing  on  the  streets  was 
not  uncommon.  The  editor  of  the  Tribune  at  that  time  described  the 
affair  in  the  following  manner: 

"One  of  the  most  enjoyable  and  highly  entertaining  dances  of  the  season  was  that 
given  by  about  forty  Shoshone  Indians  in  the  street  in  front  of  the  Odd  Fellows  building 
last  Tuesday  evening.  Those  who  participated  in  the  affair  were  dressed  in  the  grand- 
est style  of  ball  room  paraphernalia.  Falling  Star,  the  boss  buck,  wore  a  crow  on  his 
head  and  a  pair  of  moccasins  on  his  feet  and  that  was  about  the  extent  of  his  clothing. 
Afraid-to-Ride-a-Horse  wore  one  feather  in  his  hair  and  a  V-cut  pair  of  stockmgs,  very 
low.  He  danced  the  two-step  and  gavotte  schottishe  in  elegant  style.  Red  Cow  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  dancers  wore  paint  on  their  bare  legs  and  low-cut  moccasins  and 
danced  to  the  sweet  music,  which  was  furnished  by  the  Indian  orchestra,  the  musical 
instrument  being  an  oil  barrel  turned  upside  down  and  half  a  dozen  Indians  pounding 
on  it  with  sticks.  As  the  dance  went  on,  all  the  musicians  sang  a  song  which  sounded 
very  much  like  a  dozen  cats  on  a  roof  in  the  night  time.  The  bucks  kept  up  the  dance 
till  9:30  and  then  the  squaws  joined  in  and  danced  around  the  fire  once  or  twice,  after 
which  all  dispersed  to  their  respective  tents  to  count  out  the  money  that  was  con- 
tributed by  the  people  who  witnessed  the  war  dance." 


WHEN    CASPER   WAS    A    "  SUNDAY    SCHOOL   TOWN"       1 85 

When  Casper  Was  a  "Sunday  School  Town" 

At  the  seventh  session  of  the  town  council  of  the  town  of  Casper, 
which  was  held  July  20,  1889,  the  mayor  and  councilmen  were  forc- 
ibly impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  time  had  arrived  when  a  limit 
must  be  set  for  some  of  the  women  to  parade  the  streets,  visit  the 
saloons  and  frequent  the  dance  halls,  and  in  the  wisdom  of  the  city 
fathers,  at  this  meeting  it  was  decided  that  from  ten  o'clock  at  night 
until  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  should  be  about  right  and  proper 
for  a  "wide  open"  town  where  "everything  went,"  and  accordingly  an 
ordinance  was  adopted  to  that  effect,  the  exact  wording  of  the  new 
town  law  being: 

"  It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  woman  to  frequent  or  remain  in  the  barroom  of  any 
saloon  in  the  town  of  Casper  between  the  hours  of  7  a.m.  and  10  p.m.,  and  any  woman 
who  shall  enter,  frequent  or  remain  in  the  barroom  of  any  saloon  in  said  town  between 
the  hours  of  7  a.m.  and  10  p.m.,  shall,  upon  conviction  thereof,  be  fined  in  any  sum  not 
less  than  five  dollars  nor  more  than  twenty-five  dollars. 

"  It  shall  be  unlawful  for  any  woman  to  use  any  vile,  profane  or  indecent  language, 
or  to  act  in  a  boisterous  or  lewd  manner,  or  to  smoke  any  cigar,  cigarette  or  pipe  on  any 
street  in  Casper,  and  if  any  woman  shall  use  any  vde,  profane  or  indecent  language,  or 
shall  act  in  a  boisterous  or  lewd  manner,  or  shall  smoke  any  cigar,  cigarette  or  pipe  on  any 
street  in  Casper  she  shall,  upon  conviction  thereof,  be  fined  in  any  sum  not  less  than 
five  dollars  nor  more  than  twenty-five  dollars." 

This  ordinance  was  not  as  rigidly  enforced  as  it  should  have  been, 
but  for  several  months  after  its  adoption  the  women  whose  conduct  it 
sought  to  regulate  did  not  parade  the  streets  so  brazenly  as  they  had 
heretofore.  After  ten  o'clock  at  night,  however,  and  until  seven  in  the 
morning,  it  being  legitimate  and  lawful  for  these  women  to  visit  the 
saloons  and  parade  the  streets,  they  exercised  their  franchise  to  the 
full  extent  and  without  restraint.  Every  saloon  had  its  piano,  and 
some  of  them  had  two,  besides  other  musical  instruments,  and  the 
program  consisted  of  music  and  dancing,  drinking  and  gambling. 

The  men  and  women  who  thus  made  night  hideous  for  weeks  and 
months,  celebrating,  as  they  considered,  with  proper  conviviality, 
commenced  to  encroach  upon  the  time  set  apart  for  the  decent  citi- 
zens to  appear  on  the  streets  and  visit  the  business  houses,  and  it  was 
not  long  until  the  ordinance  was  considered  a  dead  letter.  Lewd 
women  paraded  the  streets  and  frequented  the  barrooms  at  all  times 
of  the  day  and  night,  and  the  officers  of  the  law  gave  them  a  free  hand 
to  do  as  they  pleased. 

This  condition  existed  until  it  became  intolerable  by  the  better 
class  of  citizens,  and  the  grand  jury  was  appealed  to  to  regulate  the 
morals  of  the  town.  The  first  grand  jury  to  sit  in  Casper  was  in 
session  in  August,  1891,  and  after  due  deliberation  the  jury  made  its 


l86  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

report  to  the  court,  and  referring  to  the  moral  condition  of  the  town, 
it  was  recommended  that: 

"Appreciating  the  fact  that  the  town  of  Casper  is  a  part  of  Natrona  county,  and 
the  jurors'  attention  have  been  called  to  the  loose  manner  in  which  matters  pertaining 
to  public  morals  is  allowed  to  go  on  and  the  authorities  decline  to  take  cognizance  of 
the  matter,  believing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  the  town  officials  to  punish  practice  of  open 
lewdness  within  the  town,  we  do  recommend  that  the  town  officials  cause  those  living 
in  disregard  of  law  to  be  punished,  and  that  if  the  officials  whose  duty  it  is  to  bring 
them  to  justice  fail  to  do  their  duty  that  they  put  in  office  men  who  will,  and  not  try  to 
shift  the  responsibility." 

Accordingly  the  court  ordered  that  the  town  officers  enforce  the 
laws,  but  even  at  its  best  the  town  was  far  from  being  classed  as  a 
"Sunday  school  town,"  especially  by  the  tenderfeet  who  often  visited 
here.  These  tenderfeet  sometimes  participated  in  the  "carnivals"  for 
a  one-night  stand  only,  and  while  the  carousal  was  by  no  means  a 
tame  affair,  the  visitors,  in  their  reports,  after  they  left  the  "wild  and 
woolly"  place,  exaggerated  the  affair  at  least  two-fold  and  sometimes 
ten-fold. 

As  late  as  1897  this  scum  attempted  to  dominate  the  town 
elections,  and  sometimes  they  were  successful  in  electing  a  councilman 
or  two.  At  these  elections  the  contest  was  bitter,  but  the  better 
element  each  year  gained  in  numbers,  and  men  were  put  in  office  who 
made  the  laws  more  stringent. 

The  "ten  at  night  till  seven  in  the  morning"  ordinance  was 
repealed  in  1898,  and  the  lewd  women  were  kept  off  the  streets  and 
out  of  the  saloons  entirely,  and  Casper  then  became  a  "  Sunday  school 
town"  proper.  The  worst  of  the  tough  element  who  did  not  volun- 
tarily leave  town  were  ordered  to  move.  They  were  given  a  reason- 
able length  of  time  to  arrange  their  affairs,  but  they  were  forcibly  in- 
formed that  if  they  were  in  town  after  the  date  specified  for  them  to 
make  their  departure,  the  officers  of  the  law  would  not  be  responsible 
for  what  might  happen  to  them.  Needless  to  say  none  of  them  were 
ever  seen  in  town  after  the  time  announced  for  their  departure,  and 
most  of  them  left,  attracting  as  little  attention  as  possible. 

There  was  one  woman,  however,  who  proved  an  exception.  On 
the  date  set  for  her  to  make  her  exit  she  mounted  the  rear  platform 
of  the  last  railway  coach  and  as  the  train  was  pulling  out,  she  ad- 
dressed the  citizens  at  the  depot  with  the  hardest  and  most  blas- 
phemous oaths  the  human  tongue  could  articulate.  The  authorities 
at  Douglas  were  notified  to  place  her  under  arrest  and  she  was  returned 
to  Casper.  The  heaviest  fine  possible  under  the  law  was  placed 
against  her,  but  the  fine  was  remitted  if  she  would  leave  the  town  at 
once  and  never  return,  which  she  agreed  to  do,  but  when  she  reached 
her  room  she  swallowed  a  dose  of  laudanum  with  suicidal  intent.    An 


WHEN    CASPER   WAS    A    "  SUNDAY    SCHOOL    TOWN "       187 

emetic  relieved  her  of  the  poison,  and  in  a  few  days  she  made  her 
departure,  but  before  she  went  she  thanked  the  pohce  magistrate  for 
the  consideration  that  had  been  extended  to  her  and  she  apologized 
to  the  peace  officers  for  all  the  trouble  she  had  caused  them,  and  said 
she  was  indeed  sorry  for  having  used  such  vile  language  before  such 
a  large  number  of  decent  people.  Upon  her  departure  she  said  she 
would  never  return,  and  if  she  said  anything  else,  good,  bad  or 
indifferent,  it  was  uttered  in  a  low  breath. 

From  1898  until  191 1  the  saloons  of  Casper  were  conducted  along 
about  the  same  lines  that  saloons  in  any  of  the  western  towns  were 
conducted.  Most  of  the  saloon  men  here  obeyed  the  law  in  regard  to 
selling  liquor  to  minors  and  habitual  drunkards,  and  they  conducted 
their  places  with  decorum,  but  there  were  others  who  took  every 
advantage  of  the  law  by  selling  liquor  to  young  boys  and  confirmed 
drunkards;  men  who  became  hopelessly  and  helplessly  drunk  in  their 
places  were  robbed  of  all  their  money  and  then  kicked  out  on  the 
street.  This,  of  course,  had  a  tendency  to  reflect  upon  the  better  class 
of  saloon  men,  as  well  as  those  who  had  no  regard  for  the  law,  and  on 
March  26,  191 1,  the  town  council  ordered  all  the  saloons  of  Casper  to 
be  closed  on  Saturday  nights  at  midnight  and  remain  closed  until 
Monday  mornings  at  12:01.  This  was  the  first  time  the  saloons  had 
been  closed  on  Sundays  since  the  existence  of  the  town  in  1888.  The 
better  class  of  the  saloon  men  obeyed  this  order  strictly,  as  they  did 
all  other  laws  and  orders  of  the  authorities,  but  there  were  some  who 
persisted  in  keeping  their  back  doors  open  and  furnishing  liquor  to 
all  who  called  for  it.  As  a  whole  the  saloon  keepers  of  Casper  con- 
ducted their  places  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  law  and 
commanded  more  respect  than  the  men  in  that  class  of  business 
usually  commanded,  but  the  few  who  violated  the  laws  are  the  ones 
who  brought  condemnation  upon  all  of  them  and  it  was  also  this  class 
of  saloon  men  who  no  doubt  caused  the  law  to  be  enacted  which  at 
midnight  on  June  30,  1919,  put  them  all  out  of  business  in  the  whole 
of  the  United  States.  There  were  nine  saloons  and  a  brewery  in 
Casper  when  the  prohibition  law  went  into  effect.  Funds  were  raised 
for  the  building  of  the  brewery  during  the  summer  of  1914,  and  it  was 
formally  opened  on  July  26,  191 5.  More  than  a  thousand  people 
were  at  the  opening  on  this  date,  who  were  served  with  "Wyoming 
Light  Lager,"  cheese  and  sausages.  No  one  returned  to  the  city 
hungry  or  thirsty;  the  limit  of  the  amount  a  man  ate  and  drank 
was  his  capacity.  The  opening  was  such  a  grand  success  and  the 
brewery  was  so  popular  that  the  management  kept  open  house 
during  the  entire  week,  and  on  Saturday  night  the  immense  crowd 
that   congregated    there  voted    the   opening  "a   great   success,  the 


1 88  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

management  most  generous,  the  beer  and  eats  delicious  and  the 
music  charming." 

The  names  of  the  saloons  in  Casper  when  the  prohibition  law 
went  into  effect  may  be  interesting  in  future  years.  They  were:  Mid- 
west Bar,  Grand  Central  Bar,  The  Wyoming,  The  Buffet,  Stock  Ex- 
change, Elkhorn,  The  Inn,  Parlor  Car,  Burke's  Place.  For  several 
months  previous  to  the  closing  of  the  saloons  a  thriving  business  in 
the  liquor  traffic  was  done,  many  truck  loads  of  whiskey,  wine,  and 
beer  being  hauled  to  the  residences  of  those  who  desired  to  lay  in  a 
supply.  After  the  first  of  July  a  number  of  the  saloons  continued 
business  with  the  same  fixtures,  in  the  serving  of  soft  drinks,  and  con- 
siderable business  was  done  by  bootleggers  who  sold  whiskey  at  prices 
ranging  from  three  to  five  dollars  per  pint.  When  the  supply  of  the 
bootleggers  was  exhausted  many  of  the  private  supplies  in  the  cellars 
of  the  residences  were  stolen  and  peddled  out,  and  when  this  was 
gone  the  moonshine,  private  stills  and  home  brew  came  into  existence. 

Realizing  that  the  officers  would  experience  difficulty  in  the 
enforcement  of  the  prohibition  law  Governor  Robert  D.  Carey 
addressed  letters  to  all  the  sheriffs  and  prosecuting  attorneys  in  the 
state  as  follows: 

"I  want  to  impress  upon  you  the  necessity  for  the  strict  enforcement  of  the  law, 
and  your  insistence  that  the  spirit  of  and  letter  of  the  same  be  carried  OLit  from  the 
time  that  the  law  becomes  effective.  As  governor  of  this  state  it  is  my  duty  to  see  that 
this  law  is  enforced  but  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  or  any  one  else  to  enforce  it  without 
your  hearty  co-operation,  and  I  want  to  feel  that  we  can  count  on  the  same  co-operation 
on  your  part." 

That  the  state  and  county  officers  have  made  an  effort  to  enforce 
the  prohibition  law,  not  only  in  the  state  of  Wyoming,  but  in  all  the 
states  of  the  Union,  is  evidenced  by  the  large  number  of  arrests  and 
the  enormous  amount  of  liquor  that  has  been  confiscated  and  de- 
stroyed, but  when  the  saloons  went  out  of  business  at  midnight  on 
June  30,  1919,  bootlegging  and  the  illegal  sale  of  liquor  was  com- 
menced at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  July  i,  1919,  and  has  rapidly 
increased  every  day  since,  and  many  heinous  crimes  have  been  com- 
mitted and  many  men  have  been  sentenced  to  long  terms  in  prison 
because  of  the  illegitimate  manufacture  and  sale  of  ardent  spirits, 
and  many  men  have  been  poisoned  by  drinking  that  baneful  and 
noxious  substance  called  moonshine. 


Sheep  Shearing  Plant 

The  first  steam  sheep  shearing  plant  to  be  operated  in  the  United 
States  was  erected  near  the  town  of  Casper  in  the  early  spring  of  1894 
by  J.  B.  Okie,  and  associates.    At  3 :30  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  on 


SOME  OF  Casper's  hotels  189 

Sunday,  April  22,  the  signal  was  given  to  start  the  engine.  A  large 
number  of  sheep  owners,  sheep  shearers,  wool  buyers  and  citizens  of 
Casper  were  present.  The  local  newspaper  announced  that  "Amid 
much  applause,  the  first  sheep  was  sheared  by  Mrs.  Okie,  the  wife  of 
the  man  who  was  instrumental  in  initiating  this  method  of  sheep 
shearing  to  the  American  people,  and  Mrs.  Okie  enjoys  the  distinc- 
tion of  shearing  the  first  sheep  ever  shorn  by  this  method  in  America, 
and  she  performed  the  task  in  less  than  five  minutes." 

Some  of  Casper's  Hotels 

The  Graham  house  and  the  Wentworth  hotel,  one  located  on  the 
southwest  corner  of  Midwest  avenue  and  Center  street,  and  the  other 
situated  on  the  southeast  corner  of  the  same  streets,  were  the  leading 
hostelries  of  Casper  from  the  date  of  the  town's  incorporation  until 
1894,  when  the  Grand  Central  hotel  was  built  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Second  and  Center  streets  by  David  Graham.  For  many 
years  the  Grand  Central  was  considered  the  best  hotel  in  the  state 
outside  of  Cheyenne,  and  traveling  men  who  were  compelled  to  be 
in  the  central  part  of  the  state  the  latter  part  of  the  week  made  it  an 
object  to  spend  their  Sundays  in  Casper,  where  they  were  sure  of  the 
best  hotel  accommodations.  Many  banquets  were  given  in  honor  of 
distinguished  guests  and  many  social  functions  were  held  in  the  din- 
ing room  of  the  Grand  Central  from  1894  until  191 3.  By  this  time 
the  town  had  grown  considerably  and  there  were  so  many  transients 
coming  in  that  the  need  of  a  larger  and  more  modern  hotel  was 
recognized,  and  on  April  8,  1913,  the  Midwest  Hotel  company  was 
incorporated,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000,  with  W.  F.  Hen- 
ning,  R.  D.  Brooks  and  N.  S.  Wilson  as  directors.  Lots  17  and  18, 
block  8,  on  the  southwest  corner  of  First  and  Center  streets,  were 
bought  for  $19,000.  The  Midwest  Oil  company  subscribed  for 
$64,000  of  the  bonds  and  the  public  spirited  citizens  of  Casper  sub- 
scribed for  $36,000.  To  encourage  the  building  of  this  new  hotel, 
which  by  this  time  the  town  was  sorely  in  need  of,  the  town  council, 
at  its  regular  meeting  held  on  May  5,  1913,  by  a  unanimous  vote 
adopted  the  following  resolution: 

"Comes  now  the  Industrial  club  of  the  town  of  Casper  and  asks  that  as  an  induce- 
ment to  secure  the  erection  of  a  modern  hotel  building  the  town  council  of  the  town  of 
Casper  make  some  concession  upon  water  rates. 

"Resolution  was  then  offered  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  The  Midwest  Hotel  company  is  planning  the  erection  of  a  large  mod- 
ern hotel  on  lots  17  and  18,  in  block  8  in  the  town  of  Casper  at  a  cost  of  about  $125,- 
000.00;  and, 

"Whereas,  The  rapid  growth  of  the  town  of  Casper,  and  the  inadequacy  of  the 
present  hotels  have  demanded  such  hotel  as  necessary  to  the  welfare  of  the  town;    and, 


190  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"Whereas,  Said  Midwest  Hotel  company  has  appealed  to  the  public  for  bond 
stock  subscriptions  to  aid  in  the  great  undertaking,  and  has  met  with  prompt  response; 
and, 

"Whereas,  The  Industrial  club  of  said  town  has  requested  the  town  of  Casper  to 
assist  in  the  accomplishment  of  the  enterprise  as  an  inducement  to  the  company  to 
proceed  with  the  construction  of  the  hotel,  by  selling  water  to  said  company  at  a 
nominal  water  rental,  as  is  customary  in  other  towns  and  cities:  therefore,  be  and  it 
hereby  is, 

"Resolved,  That  the  town  of  Casper  through  its  duly  authorized  officers  enter 
into  a  contract  for  a  period  of  five  years  with  the  Midwest  Hotel  company  for  the  fur- 
nishing by  the  said  town  of  Casper  of  water  to  said  Midwest  Hotel  company  for  the 
sole  purposes  of  the  hotel  building  at  an  annual  water  rental  of  $1.00  per  annum; 
Provided,  That  the  said  hotel  company  shall  at  all  times  during  the  period  covered  by 
said  contract  as  a  condition  thereof  exercise  due  care  to  avoid  unnecessary  waste  of 
such  water  so  furnished  under  such  contract,  including  the  use  of  automatic  shut-offs 
at  all  water  openings. 

"Moved  by  Councilman  Morgan,  seconded  by  Councilman  Wood  that  the  same 
be  adopted.    Motion  being  put,  same  was  carried  unanimously." 

The  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  building  was  awarded  to 
Howard  &  Wood  of  Cheyenne  on  July  23,  1913,  for  $59,350.  This 
price  did  not  include  the  installation  of  the  elevator,  cost  of  archi- 
tecture, electric  wiring,  refrigerator  system,  vacuum  cleaning  system, 
telephones  or  the  plumbing  and  heating  systems.  Work  was  commen- 
ced on  the  excavation  for  the  basement  on  July  31,  and  the  building 
was  finished  in  April,  1914.  Frank  J.  Donohoe  formally  opened  the 
hotel  May  5,  1914.  A  dinner  was  served  at  7  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
at  which  it  was  announced  that  the  guests  could  eat  and  drink  to 
their  hearts'  content  at  five  dollars  per  plate.  The  dining  room  was 
filled  with  people  from  7  until  10,  but  the  barroom  was  open  all 
night. 

Mr.  Donohoe  conducted  the  hotel  until  March  22,  191 5,  when 
the  sheriff  of  Natrona  county  took  charge  by  foreclosure  proceedings 
executed  against  the  furniture  in  the  sum  of  $19,334.  The  furniture 
was  removed  and  the  doors  of  the  building  were  locked.  The  hotel 
remained  closed  until  May  5,  1915,  when  half  a  dozen  of  Casper's 
progressive  men  refurnished  the  building  throughout  and  secured  the 
services  of  C.  W.  Adams  as  manager. 

Work  was  commenced  on  the  excavation  for  the  basement  and 
foundation  of  the  Midwest  hotel  annex  the  first  part  of  December, 
1916,  and  the  contract  for  the  erection  of  the  building  was  let  to 
Archie  Allison  of  Cheyenne  for  $30,500,  which  did  not  include  the 
plumbing,  electric  wiring,  etc.,  etc.  Instead  of  this  hotel  being  called 
the  Midwest  Annex,  as  was  at  first  intended,  it  was  named  the 
Henning,  in  honor  of  the  man  who  owned  the  building.  The  Henning 
was  formally  opened  August  15,  1917.  The  two  hotels  were  con- 
solidated under  the  name  of  the  Henning  on  January  12,  1919,  and 
on  March  i,  1919,  A.  K.  Bott  was  secured  as  manager. 


GAMBLING    WAS    A    LAWFUL    PROFESSION  I9I 

Gambling  Was  a  Lawful  Profession 

Gambling  in  Wyoming  up  until  1901  was  licensed  by  the  laws  of 
the  state,  and  was  considered  as  legitimate  a  business  as  banking  or 
any  other  kind  of  commercialism,  and  games  of  poker,  faro,  monte 
and  roulette  were  in  operation  in  all  the  villages,  towns  and  cities  of 
the  state  all  day  and  all  night.  Every  saloon  in  Casper  had  its  gam- 
bling paraphernalia,  and  the  games  were  played  on  the  square;  an 
employeewould  be  discharged  if  he  were  caught  cheating  a  patron,  just 
as  quickly  as  a  clerk  in  a  store  would  be  discharged  for  overcharging 
or  cheating  a  customer.  Nearly  everybody  frequented  the  gambling 
places;  there  were  some,  however,  who  did  not  participate  in  the 
games,  but  they  went  for  the  purpose  of  looking  at  others  play,  and 
they  seemed  to  think  no  more  of  it  than  if  they  were  going  to  a  base- 
ball game.  On  more  than  one  occasion,  when  big  stakes  were  up, 
some  of  the  pillars  of  the  churches  and  even  some  of  the  ministers 
were  onlookers. 

The  money,  large  piles  of  currency  and  stacks  of  gold  and  silver, 
was  stacked  in  the  racks  on  the  gambling  tables,  similar  to  the  manner 
in  which  the  money  was  placed  on  the  counters  in  a  bank.  If  a  patron 
came  in  and  won,  his  chips  were  cashed  the  same  as  though  he  had 
sold  produce  at  a  grocery  store ;  if  he  lost,  it  was  considered  a  legitimate 
business  transaction,  and  no  complaint  was  made.  Everybody  was 
considered  on  the  square  until  he  was  proven  otherwise,  and  it  was 
seldom  that  anyone  was  even  suspected  of  being  dishonest.  There 
was  one  man,  however,  called  Black  Dick,  a  tin-horn  and  roustabout, 
who  on  a  Sunday  night  in  the  fall  of  1890  "lifted"  a  stack  of  silver 
from  one  of  the  monte  tables  in  the  White  saloon  while  a  big  game 
of  poker  was  going  on  at  another  table.  When  it  was  discovered 
that  the  money  was  gone,  Dick  was  suspected  and  more  of  an  effort 
was  made  by  the  people  to  apprehend  him  than  there  is  nowadays  to 
capture  a  man  who  will  hold  up  a  woman  on  the  street  and  rob  her  of 
her  pocketbook.  Dick  immediately  left  town  with  the  cash,  but  the 
next  morning  the  sheriff  caught  him  at  Big  Muddy  station  when  he 
attempted  to  board  an  east-bound  train.  He  was  brought  back  to 
Casper,  and  there  were  some  people  who  were  inclined  to  lynch  him, 
but  they  were  induced  to  forego  this  severe  punishment.  He  was, 
however,  tried  in  court,  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  ninety  days 
in  jail.  He  was  then  taken  to  Douglas  where  he  served  his  sentence. 
Natrona  county  did  not  afford  a  jail  at  that  time  and  all  our  prisoners 
were  kept  in  the  Converse  county  jail.  Neither  did  the  state  have  a 
penitentiary  at  that  time,  and  all  the  state's  prisoners  were  taken  to 
the  penitentiary  at  Joliet,  Illinois.   On  account  of  the  expense  of  tak- 


192  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

ing  prisoners  to  the  penitentiary  there  were  not  many  trials  in  the 
district  court.  If  anyone  committed  a  crime  that  would  not  justify 
the  expense  of  a  trial  and  transportation  to  jail  or  the  penitentiary, 
the  law-abiding  citizens  ordered  him  out  of  town  and  if  he  did  not  go 
his  punishment  was  more  severe  than  a  term  in  the  penitentiary. 

As  evidence  of  how  the  people  considered  gambling  in  those 
days,  we  quote  an  item  from  the  Wyoming  Derrick  on  February  18, 
1894:  "The  town  is  the  liveliest  in  the  state.  Business  of  every  kind  is 
good,  and  as  a  further  evidence  of  our  prosperity  there  are  four  stud 
poker  games  in  full  blast.  There  were  two  games  at  the  Stock  Ex- 
change last  week,  the  game  continuing  the  entire  night.  A  large  sum 
of  money  changed  hands,  and  there  was  much  excitement." 

Another  news  item  which  appeared  in  the  Natrona  County 
Tribune  in  1900  was  to  the  effect  that  "two  tin-horn  gamblers  in 
Casper  'loaded'  a  roulette  wheel  in  one  of  the  gambling  houses  in  the 
afternoon  while  business  was  dull  and  when  there  was  no  one  attend- 
ing the  wheel,  and  in  the  evening  when  operations  were  commenced 
and  after  a  few  plays  had  been  made,  the  discovery  was  made  that 
there  was  something  wrong  and  the  men  who  did  the  job  were  spotted. 
They  soon  made  their  escape  from  the  building  and  left  town  before 
the  people  could  deal  with  them  in  accordance  with  their  feelings. 
A  man  who  would  cheat  at  a  gambling  table  is  considered  the  worst 
kind  of  a  cheat." 

At  the  sixth  session  of  the  Wyoming  state  legislature,  held  in 
1901,  the  anti-gambling  law  was  enacted.  It  was  after  this  law  went 
Into  effect  that  the  gambling  tables  were  moved  into  the  back  rooms. 
The  legitimate,  or  square,  gambler  went  out  of  business,  but  the 
crooked  gambler,  who  would  violate  the  laws  of  the  state  had  no 
hesitancy  in  violating  the  laws  of  percentage  in  the  break  of  the  cards, 
and  at  every  turn  took  advantage  of  the  unsophisticated  player  who 
was  inveigled  into  the  game,  and  if  he  could  not  be  induced  to  lose  his 
last  dollar  at  the  gambling  table,  he  was  generally  doped  and  then 
robbed  of  his  money,  which  was  fully  as  legitimate  a  way  of  getting 
it  as  at  a  crooked  game  at  the  table. 

A  Walk  to  the  Pathfinder  Dam 

It  is  no  easy  task  for  a  man  of  middle  age  and  ordinary  weight  to 
walk  from  Casper  to  the  Pathfinder  dam  in  forty-eight  hours,  a 
distance  of  about  fifty  miles,  under  ordinary  conditions,  but  for  a 
man  past  fifty  years  of  age  and  weighing  285  pounds  to  plod  over  the 
rough  road,  under  a  broiling  sun  for  more  than  nine-tenths  of  the 
distance,  and  through  a  drenching  rain  and  heavy  mud  the  remainder 


A    WALK   TO    THE    PATHFINDER    DAM  I93 

of  the  way,  is  a  difficult  undertaking,  but  on  August  9,  1909,  Louis  J. 
Price,  whom  no  one  would  dispute  as  to  the  age  and  weight,  left  Casper 
at  7  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  a  wager  of  ^250,  and  he  arrived  at  the 
dam  at  5:15  on  the  morning  of  the  nth,  one  hour  and  forty-five 
minutes  ahead  of  time.  A  wagon  loaded  with  provisions  and  bedding 
preceded  him.  For  the  first  twenty  miles  it  was  easy  going  and  the 
pedestrian  earned  about  $10.00  for  each  mile  he  traveled,  but  the 
second  morning  out  Mr.  Price  discovered  that  he  had  a  sprained  ankle 
and  both  feet  were  badly  blistered,  and  the  going  over  the  rocky  road 
was  hard.  The  scorching  rays  of  the  sun  added  nothing  to  his  com- 
fort, but  he  plodded  on  until  he  reached  Alcova,  a  distance  of  thirty- 
five  miles.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon;  here  he  rested  for  an  hour  and 
then  resumed  his  journey,  and  after  going  about  eight  miles  he  en- 
countered a  terrific  rain  storm,  and  he  was  compelled  to  "lay  by" 
from  8  o'clock  until  midnight.  He  had  about  seven  miles  further  to  go, 
but  that  seven  miles  was  the  hardest  part  of  the  whole  trip;  he  was 
weary  and  foot-sore;  the  mud  was  deep,  and  the  night  was  dark;  he 
stumbled  over  rocks,  and  the  gumbo  clung  to  his  shoes  until  he  car- 
ried several  pounds'  extra  weight  on  each  foot,  and  the  tracks  he 
made  in  the  mud  were  larger  than  an  elephant  would  make;  his  stride 
was  short  and  his  progress  was  slow;  he  slipped  and  fell  many  times. 
When  daylight  came  he  was  within  sight  of  the  dam,  but  for  every  ten 
steps  he  took  it  seemed  as  though  the  dam  had  moved  away  twice 
that  distance;  he  was  now  counting  the  steps  instead  of  the  miles. 
He  realized  the  time  was  getting  short  in  order  for  him  to  win  the 
wager  and  he  made  an  extraordinary  effort,  and  finally  he  caught  up 
with  the  river  which  seemed  to  be  so  rapidly  moving  off  in  a  southerly 
direction,  and  then  the  goal  was  reached;  he  had  covered  the  distance 
in  forty-six  hours  and  fifteen  minutes,  and  he  laid  down  on  the  ground 
along  the  canyon  completely  exhausted.  If  he  had  had  another  half 
mile  to  travel  he  could  not  have  covered  the  distance  within  the  time 
limit,  and  he  would  not  only  have  lost  his  wager,  but  it  was  the  most 
trying  effort  of  his  life,  and  although  his  reward  was  a  fraction  more 
than  five  dollars  per  hour  for  the  time  he  had  put  in,  it  was  the  hard- 
est money  he  ever  earned.  He  was  reduced  in  flesh  just  ten  pounds 
in  the  forty-eight  hours  and  the  hardships  he  endured  cannot  be 
described. 

Alfred  Willey,  a  wool  buyer,  who  made  the  wager  with  him,  had 
no  witnesses  along  the  route;  he  said  he  required  none;  he  was  willing 
to  pay  over  the  money  if  Mr.  Price  said  he  had  won  it,  for  he  knew 
there  would  be  no  cheating;  he  knew  that  the  wagon  was  close  at  hand 
and  he  also  knew  that  if  Mr.  Price  had  gotten  in  the  wagon  to  ride 
that  the  wagon  would  have  been  headed  toward   Casper  and   not 


194  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

toward  the  Pathfinder  dam,  and  this  confidence  placed  in  him  was  of 
more  satisfaction  than  the  money  he  received  or  the  gratification  of 
reaching  the  goal  within  the  specified  time. 


Casper  Has  Millions  in  Automobiles 

There  is  not  a  county  in  the  state  of  Wyoming  and  probably  not 
a  county  in  any  of  the  western  states  that  has  as  many  high-class 
automobiles,  according  to  population,  as  Natrona  county.  In  the 
city  of  Casper  for  a  distance  of  at  least  three  blocks  on  either  side  of 
Center  street,  and  about  the  same  distance  on  Second  street,  parking 
room  is  at  a  premium  from  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  ii  o'clock 
at  night,  and  the  estimated  value  of  the  cars  in  these  six  blocks  runs 
up  to  more  than  a  million  dollars.  In  addition  to  these  there  are 
always  several  hundred  cars  parked  on  many  of  the  side  streets. 

In  the  spring  of  1908  there  was  not  an  automobile  in  the  county. 
During  the  summer  of  1908,  Mr.  J.  P.  Cantillon,  the  division  super- 
intendent of  the  Wyoming  &  Northwestern  railway,  brought  the 
first  automobile  to  Casper.  It  was  shipped  in  on  the  train,  and  upon 
its  arrival  attracted  more  attention  than  "Tricky"  Brown's  one-horse 
cart  would  attract  at  this  time  were  it  to  pass  down  the  street. 
Mr.  Brown  was  a  gatherer  of  junk  in  Casper  in  the  early  days  and  his 
horse  and  cart  and  harness  compared  very  favorably  with  the  junk  he 
picked  up  from  the  dumping  grounds.  Mr.  Brown  was  nicknamed 
"Tricky"  on  account  of  his  very  clever  sleight-of-hand  performances. 
But  going  back  to  Mr.  Cantillon 's  auto.  It  was  a  second-hand  Pope- 
Toledo,  twenty  h.  p.  five-passenger  machine.  The  first  day  it  was 
driven  up  Center  street,  the  chug,  chug,  chug  could  be  heard  for  a 
distance  of  ten  blocks,  and  the  smoke  that  emitted  from  the  exhaust 
could  be  seen  for  an  equal  distance.  The  noise  and  the  smoke  from 
this  "horseless  carriage,"  as  it  was  then  called  by  many,  caused  every 
business  man  and  clerk  to  rush  out  of  the  stores  and  view  the  wonder- 
ful spectacle.  The  machine  turned  the  corner  on  Second  street  east 
and  was  driven  as  far  as  the  stock  yards  and  back,  without  stopping, 
which  was  considered  a  wonderful  feat.  To  start  the  car  it  was 
cranked  from  the  side,  and  the  cranking  process  oftentimes  required 
at  least  half  an  hour.  The  favored  few  who  had  an  opportunity  to  ride 
in  this  machine  always  went  prepared  to  walk  home,  and  they  were 
seldom  disappointed,  but  the  car  occasionally  came  back  without 
being  hauled  in  by  a  team,  for  an  item  in  one  of  the  local  newspapers 
recorded  the  fact  that  "it  has  made  numerous  long  trips,  among 
them  being  a  trip  to  Pathfinder  dam  and  to  the  Salt  Creek  oil  wells, 
both  places  being  a  distance  of  fifty  miles  from  Casper." 


CASPER    HAS    MILLIONS    IN    AUTOMOBILES  I95 

C.  M.  Elgin  was  the  second  owner  of  an  automobile  in  Casper. 
On  April  15,  1909,  he  brought  in  a  new  Chalmers-Detroit,  thirty  h.  p. 
five-passenger  car.  There  were  no  side  doors  at  the  front  seat,  for 
they  did  not  put  doors  in  front  those  days.  Mr.  Elgin  drove  this  car 
from  Denver  to  Casper  and  the  local  newspaper  said  it  was  "a  most 
remarkable  trip,  driving  from  Denver  to  Cheyenne  in  five  hours  and 
forty-five  minutes;  from  Cheyenne  to  Douglas  in  ten  hours  and  from 
Douglas  to  Casper  in  three  hours,  or  eighteen  hours  and  forty-five 
minutes  from  Denver  to  Casper.  This  was  the  actual  driving  time, 
the  time  spent  along  the  road  when  the  car  was  not  in  operation 
being  deducted." 

The  Nicolaysen  Lumber  company  during  the  summer  of  1909 
had  shipped  in  an  "International  auto  buggy,"  twenty-two  h.  p.  five- 
passenger.  This  machine  had  a  forty-inch  front  wheel  and  a  forty- 
four-inch  rear  wheel,  with  solid  rubber  tires.  One  of  the  astonish- 
ingly long  trips  made  with  this  buggy  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
when  it  was  driven  to  the  Bates  Park  country,  a  distance  of  thirty- 
five  miles,  in  a  little  better  than  two  hours. 

M,  N.  Castle  owned  the  fourth  car  in  Casper.  It  was  a  second- 
hand Reo,  twenty  h.  p.,  and  was  bought  during  the  summer  of  1909. 
He  used  this  car  in  connection  with  his  livery  business,  and  it  was  the 
first  automobile  to  make  a  trip  to  Garden  creek,  but  it  was  pushed  up 
most  of  the  steep  hills.  With  these  four  automobiles  in  town,  B.  A. 
Elias  considered  it  a  good  field  for  the  establishment  of  a  garage  and 
repair  shop,  and  about  the  middle  of  July,  1909,  he  located  here,  and 
brought  with  him  a  Buick  eighteen  h.  p.  car.  In  August  Mr.  Elias  and 
Wm.  Noonan  opened  up  Casper's  first  garage  and  repair  shop  and  to 
keep  the  five  automobiles  in  good  running  order  kept  them  very  busy, 
for  there  was  always  one  machine  out  of  repair  and  sometimes  the 
five  of  them  were  out  of  commission  at  the  same  time. 

In  1910,  quite  a  number  of  new  cars  were  brought  in,  and  since 
that  time  a  new  car  has  attracted  but  little  attention,  and  in  1922  it 
was  estimated  that  there  was  one  automobile  in  Casper  for  every 
six  persons. 

Realizing  that  the  automobile  tourist  trade  and  good  will  were 
valuable  assets  to  any  city,  the  Casper  Motor  club  and  Chamber  of 
Commerce  made  plans  in  the  spring  of  1921  for  a  tourist  camp  for 
Casper.  With  the  true  Casper  spirit  it  was  decided  to  make  this  the 
best  camp  in  the  west.  Ten  acres  of  ground  at  the  south  end  of 
Durbin  street  was  dedicated  by  the  city  of  Casper  for  the  purpose  and 
a  modern  camp  building  with  all  possible  home  requirements  was 
built  at  a  cost  of  $7,500,  by  the  Casper  Motor  club.  The  building  is 
40x40  feet,  equipped  with  gas,  electric  light,  and  telephone.  There  is 


196  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

a  large  screened  porch  where  the  guests  may  eat  after  cooking  their 
meals  in  the  modern  kitchen.  Toilet  rooms  for  men  and  women  are 
equipped  with  tubs  and  showers,  and  a  laundry  room  with  tubs, 
electric  washer,  and  ironing  board.  The  living  room  is  spacious  and 
there  are  writing  desks  and  a  Victrola.  A  matron  in  charge  looks  after 
the  needs  of  the  visitors,  gives  information  concerning  the  city,  and 
extends  to  them  a  cordial  welcome  to  Casper,  which  they  in  turn  are 
asked  to  spread  to  anyone  they  may  meet  along  the  road.  The  camp 
justified  itself  fully  during  its  first  season.  Although  it  was  not  opened 
until  July  2,  1921,  the  records  showed  that  to  October  5,  2,340  cars 
stopped  at  least  one  night  and  the  expenditures  made  by  the  visitors 
according  to  their  own  figures  were  $33,362.39.  an  average  of  $14.26 
for  each  car.  c  u 

During  the  season  of  1922,  or  from  June  i  to  September  15, 
3,385  cars  stopped  at  this  camp,  and  the  tourists  spent  more  than 
$'51,000  in  the  city.  Every  state  in  the  Union  except  Vermont  and 
Delaware  was  represented  and  cars  from  outside  the  United  States 
were  from  Alaska,  Korea,  New  Zealand  and  Canada.  Even  with  this 
splendid  showing  it  was  estimated  that  only  one  in  every  five  cars 
that  passed  through  Casper  stopped  at  this  camp,  many  of  them 
stopping  at  the  hotels,  while  others  passed  through  without  stopping 
over  for  a  day.  These  latter,  of  course,  were  not  included  in  the  above 
figures.  During  the  month  of  June,  695  cars  stopped  at  this  camp;  in 
July,  1,076;  August,  1,212;  September,  402.  Seventy-seven  different 
makes  of  cars  were  registered.  More  than  one  hundred  people  who 
were  travehng  through  as  tourists  became  permanent  residents  of 
Casper  in  1922.  Three  persons  are  employed  at  this  camp  during  the 
tourist  season,  a  man  and  his  wife,  who  care  for  the  buildings  and 
equipment,  and  a  man  who  has  charge  of  the  sanitation  and  regis- 
tration. 

Airplanes  in  Casper 

An  airplane  soared  over  the  city  of  Casper  at  3:55  in  the  after- 
noon of  September  29,  1919,  with  Bert  L.  Cole  as  the  pilot  and  Jay 
Y.  Stock,  the  passenger,  this  being  the  first  time  that  human  beings 
had  ever  viewed  the  city  from  the  air  in  a  flying  machine.  Mr.  Stock 
was  the  owner  of  the  machine,  and  had  it  brought  here  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  aerial  service  to  the  people  who  might  desire  it 
for  either  pleasure  or  business. 

Although  traveling  by  airplane  had  become  quite  commonplace 
in  other  parts  of  the  country  the  atmospheric  conditions  in  Central 
Wyoming  caused  the  aviators  to  shun  this  part  of  the  country. 
Arrangements  were  made  about  ten  years  previous  to  this  for  an 


AIRPLANES    IN    CASPER  I97 

exhibition  flight  at  a  Fourth  of  July  celebration  by  an  aviator  from 
BilHngs,  Montana,  but  his  machine  never  rose  from  the  ground, 
although  a  start  was  made,  but  instead  of  soaring  in  the  air  the  man 
and  the  machine  skimmed  along  the  surface  of  the  earth  at  top  speed 
for  several  hundred  yards,  and  then  the  machine  tore  its  way  through 
a  fence  and  was  stopped  after  it  had  entered  a  large  tent,  with  its 
wings,  flys  and  steering  apparatus  so  badly  crippled  that  it  was 
necessary  to  send  it  to  the  factory  for  repairs;  consequently  when  the 
Stock  airplane  came  sailing  over  the  city  it  was  the  first  time  that 
many  of  our  citizens  had  ever  seen  an  airplane  in  action  and  naturally 
attracted  the  attention  of  nearly  every  man,  woman  and  child  in  the 
city. 

This  machine  was  brought  from  Springfield,  Massachusetts,  to 
Casper,  making  the  entire  distance  through  the  air.  From  Denver  to 
Casper  the  flying  time  was  three  hours  and  fifteen  minutes.  It  was 
brought  to  Casper  to  be  used  by  the  public,  and  it  was  announced 
that  passengers  would  be  taken  to  New  York  City  if  they  desired,  and 
if  they  were  willing  to  pay  the  price.  There  is  no  record  of  anyone  hav- 
ing chartered  the  car  for  New  York,  but  flights  were  made  over  the 
town  with  passengers,  who  paid  twenty  dollars  for  a  twenty-minute 
ride.  Later,  several  trips  were  made  to  Cheyenne  and  Denver  on 
urgent  business. 

This  ship  was  described  as  being  driven  by  a  six-cylinder  motor 
with  dual  feed  and  ignition  systems,  having  two  magnetos,  two  spark 
plugs  on  each  cylinder,  two  carburetors  and  two  complete  sets  of 
wiring  on  the  engine  in  operation  all  the  time.  Both  systems  were  tested 
out  before  the  plane  left  the  ground  on  every  flight.  The  gasoline 
used  was  of  a  very  high  test,  a  seventy-degree  baume  being  found  the 
most  desirable  and  the  lubricating  oil  was  composed  of  half  castor  oil 
and  half  petroleum  lubricant,  the  latter  of  very  high  grade  stock.  It 
was  said  that  this  ship  was  better  adapted  for  the  high  altitude  of 
this  region  than  any  other  make  of  plane  and  was  readily  capable  of 
making  a  flight  of  20,000  feet  in  the  air.  With  its  fuel  tanks  full,  the 
plane  could  stay  in  the  air  five  and  a  half  hours  and  make  an  average 
speed  of  1 10  miles  per  hour  without  exertion. 

A  splendid  landing  field  about  a  mile  east  from  Casper  was  pre- 
pared and  a  five-thousand-dollar  hangar  was  built,  which  included  a 
complete  electric  light  plant,  ofiice  equipment  and  living  quarters  for 
the  employees.  Business  was  so  good  that  another  plane  was  soon 
brought  in,  and  it  was  announced  that  two  huge  passenger  planes  had 
been  ordered,  which  would  cost  ^70,000;  each  of  these  planes  would 
seat  eight  passengers,  and  regular  flights  would  be  made  to  Denver, 
Cheyenne,  Laramie  and  other  cities.    These  two  "Pullmans  of  the 


198  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

air"  were  said  to  be  fitted  out  like  real  coaches  on  the  inside.  Wicker 
chairs  were  arranged  in  tiers  of  two,  and.  the  seats  were  placed  so  that 
full  view  was  provided  of  the  surrounding  country  from  any  one  of 
the  fifteen  windows  in  the  ship.  Each  of  the  planes  was  capable  of 
making  130  miles  per  hour. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  Casper  had  been  placed  in  a  predominat- 
ing position  regarding  aviation,  the  city  council  heartily  endorsed  the 
actions  of  the  promoter  of  this  enterprise  and  at  a  meeting  of  the 
council  held  on  January  4,  1920,  an  appropriation  of  $3,000  was  made 
toward  aiding  the  aviation  program  and  putting  in  improvements  for 
the  landing  field  and  hangar,  and  it  was  announced  that  "this  was 
one  of  Casper's  biggest  assets. "  The  appropriation  of  this  amount  of 
money  was  not  approved  by  some  of  the  city's  taxpayers,  who  com- 
plained that  the  councilmen  "sure  had  the  bug,"  and  they  said  that 
within  a  year  all  the  members  of  the  city  council,  as  well  as  all  the 
taxpayers,  would  realize  their  mistake.  At  this  point,  it  is  not  out  of 
place  to  state  that  the  two  huge  passenger  planes  which  were  to  cost 
$70,000  that  were  to  have  been  bought,  have  not,  up  to  the  present 
time,  which  is  early  in  the  year  1923,  ever  made  their  appearance  in 
or  over  the  city,  and  that  the  prediction  made  by  those  who  objected 
to  the  appropriation  of  $3,000  came  true  before  the  specified  time. 

The  Western  Airplane  and  Motor  company  was  incorporated  in 
January,  1920,  with  a  capital  stock  of  half  a  million  dollars,  and  the 
purpose  of  the  incorporation  was  announced  as  being  "for  the 
development  of  aerial  navigation  in  this  part  of  the  country,  with 
Casper  as  the  center  of  operations,  and  the  establishment  of  aerial 
passenger  routes  between  Casper  and  Denver,  Casper  and  Salt 
Creek,  Casper  and  Yellowstone  park  and  other  points,  as  well  as 
the  regular  service  of  aerial  sight-seeing  flights  in  the  vicinity  of 
this  city. 

"The  company  starts  with  two  machines;  the  150-horsepower 
Curtiss  Oriole,  a  2-passenger  machine,  and  the  90-horsepower  Curtiss 
JN4-D,  a  i-passenger  machine,  both  of  which  have  been  in  use 
here  for  some  time.  The  8-passenger  Eagle  will  be  delivered  as  soon 
as  the  factory  can  turn  it  out  and  in  this  connection  the  most  sen- 
sational boosting  trip  ever  staged  in  behalf  of  Casper  will  be  under- 
taken. 

"The  aviation  business,  since  it  was  established  here  has  been 
popular  and  profitable  and  its  future  appears  more  promising.  A  big 
engagement  for  the  eight-passenger  Pullman  has  already  been  booked. 
It  has  been  chartered  to  take  a  party  of  ten  prominent  men  to  the 
Dempsey-Carpentier  fight,  wherever  it  may  take  place,  in  this  coun- 
try, in  Canada  or  in  Lower  California." 


AIRPLANES    IN    CASPER  199 

An  accident  occurred  on  the  morning  of  January  14,  1920,  in 
which  Miss  Maud  Toomey  was  killed,  and  Bert  Cole,  the  pilot,  was 
slightly  injured.  The  pilot  and  the  passenger  had  been  in  the  air  with 
the  machine  about  twenty  minutes,  and  were  about  to  make  a  landing 
when  the  plane  took  a  nose  dive  of  nearly  500  feet  into  the  landing 
field.  The  front  portion  of  the  plane  was  a  mass  of  splinters  and  it  was 
necessary  to  tear  away  the  wreckage  to  remove  the  body  of  the  young 
lady,  who  was  yet  alive,  but  was  unconscious.  As  soon  as  she  could 
be  extricated  from  the  mass  she  was  taken  to  the  hospital  where  she 
died  in  three  hours.  Her  injuries  were  enumerated  as  having  been  two 
broken  arms,  a  broken  leg,  fractured  ribs  and  a  skull  fracture,  and  the 
fracture  of  the  vertebrae  about  her  neck.  Cole's  injuries  were  but  a 
few  slight  cuts  and  bruises,  and  he  was  in  the  hospital  but  one  day. 
After  this  accident  the  aviation  business  was  not  quite  so  "popular 
and  profitable"  as  it  had  heretofore  been. 

During  the  summer  of  1920  an  effort  was  made  by  the  Casper 
Chamber  of  Commerce  to  have  airplane  mail  connections  estab- 
lished between  Casper  and  Cheyenne  and  Denver,  thus  connecting 
with  the  transcontinental  service  arriving  in  Cheyenne  from  Omaha, 
but  this  effort  failed,  and  the  mail  continues  to  come  in  over  the 
slow-going  cars  propelled  by  steam  engines. 

By  this  time  the  thrills  of  tail  spins,  falling  leaf  twirls,  fancy 
spins,  loop-the-loop  and  straight  line  speeding  at  a  rate  of  more  than 
one  hundred  miles  an  hour  had  gotten  to  be  an  old  story,  and  did  not 
interest  the  people  as  they  did  when  the  plane  first  made  its  appear- 
ance over  the  city,  and  something  new  and  more  daring  must  be 
brought  forth  to  create  interest  and  attract  attention,  consequently 
on  May  20  at  6  o'clock  in  the  evening  Pilot  Cole  and  a  young  man 
named  Frank  E.  Hansen  soared  into  the  air  more  than  five  thousand 
feet,  when  the  machine  was  turned  bottom  side  up  and  Hansen  leaped 
out.  He  dropped  through  space  several  hundred  feet  with  the  swift- 
ness of  a  bullet  shot  from  a  rifle,  and  then  the  parachute  opened  from 
its  folds  and  Hansen  slowly  and  safely  descended  to  the  earth.  More 
than  five  thousand  people  were  on  the  aviation  field  to  see  the  man 
flirt  with  death,  and  it  may  be  said  that  all  were  greatly  relieved  when 
the  stunt  was  safely  over.  The  performance  was  repeated  time  and 
again  until  the  evening  of  July  2,  when  an  ascension  of  4,400  feet  was 
made  and  Hansen  leaped  out  with  his  parachute.  The  parachute 
opened  as  usual  but  almost  immediately  collapsed.  The  aviator  saw 
the  parachute  collapse,  and  knowing  that  it  meant  sure  death  to  his 
companion,  he  veered  his  ship  into  a  sharp  dive  and  made  an  effort 
to  intercept  the  falling  man.  The  plane  shot  beneath  Hansen,  the 
aviator  attempting  to  get  under  him  so  that  he  might  land  on  the 


200  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

wings  of  the  plane,  but  Hansen  missed  the  ship  by  about  twenty  feet  and 
when  he  struck  the  ground  it  was  with  such  force  that  his  body  was 
half  buried  in  the  earth.  His  right  side  was  crushed  and  mangled  to  a 
pulp  and  it  was  said  that  every  bone  in  the  man's  body  was  broken 
except  the  upper  bone  in  the  right  arm  and  the  bone  in  the  right  thigh. 
This  accident,  together  with  the  one  when  Miss  Toomey  lost  her  life, 
lessened  the  enthusiasm  of  those  who  had  a  desire  to  fly,  and  although 
one  of  the  planes  made  ascents  nearly  every  day  during  the  remainder 
of  the  summer  months  there  were  but  few  passengers  who  went  up. 
During  the  winter  months  the  planes  remain  in  the  hangar,  but  are 
brought  out  occasionally  during  the  summer,  but  they  are  not  nearly 
so  popular  as  they  were  when  they  first  made  their  appearance  over 
the  city. 

During  the  summer  of  1922  an  airway  service  was  established 
between  Casper  and  Salt  Creek,  trips  being  made  in  the  airplane  on 
Mondays,  Wednesdays  and  Saturdays,  but  this  mode  of  travel  was 
not  popular  with  the  public,  and  proved  unprofitable  for  the  company 
and  was  soon  abandoned. 

On  August  II,  1922,  aerial  photographs  of  the  Salt  Creek  and 
Teapot  oil  fields  were  taken  by  government  representatives.  Flying 
at  a  height  of  ten  thousand  feet  and  at  a  rate  of  eighty-five  miles  an 
hour  an  exposure  was  made  of  the  oil  fields  every  twenty-nine  seconds. 
It  required  seven  days  for  the  aviator  and  the  photographer  to  com- 
plete the  work,  which  resulted  in  securing  a  series  of  overlapping 
pictures,  which  when  trimmed  made  one  large  photograph  of  the 
fields.  The  camera  used  was  the  same  as  those  used  in  war  times,  and 
was  almost  entirely  of  aluminum,  weighing  approximately  thirty 
pounds.  The  machine  was  fastened  securely  to  the  plane  and  was 
operated  with  a  trigger,  similar  to  the  trigger  on  a  machine  gun. 

Casper's  Wireless  Telegraph  Systems 

The  first  wireless  telegraph  system  to  be  established  in  Natrona 
county  was  erected  in  1916  by  Major  Ormsby.  The  aerial  wires  were 
strung  above  his  residence  property  on  Center  street,  between  Sixth 
and  Seventh  streets.  Another  system  was  established  at  his  Spear- 
head ranch  in  Converse  county,  more  than  fifty  miles  distant,  and  a 
great  many  messages  were  sent  and  received  from  these  two  stations. 
Another  system  was  erected  the  same  year  near  the  Burlington  pas- 
senger station  by  one  of  the  telegraph  operators  and  was  used  merely 
to  pick  up  any  messages  that  came  through  the  air  waves.  During 
the  world  war  in  191 7  the  government  required  these  systems  to  be 
dismantled  and  they  were  not  again  put  in  operation,  and  no  more 


ASSESSED    VALUATION    OF    CASPER    PROPERTY  20I 

wireless  systems  were  established  in  the  city  until  1922,  when  more 
than  two  dozen  radiophones  were  installed.  Some  were  put  in 
private  homes  and  others  were  put  in  stores  for  the  entertainment  of 
the  public,  and  others  were  put  in  club  rooms  for  the  entertainment 
and  enlightenment  of  the  members.  The  Daily  Tribune  had  one  in- 
stalled in  its  office  for  its  convenience  and  entertainment,  but  the 
largest  system  in  the  city  was  erected  during  the  month  of  August, 
1922,  by  the  Illinois  Pipeline  company,  which  is  used  to  receive  and 
send  private  messages  to  Lima,  Ohio,  the  headquarters  of  the  com- 
pany. The  aerial  wires  are  strung  from  two  150-foot  steel  towers, 
which  are  500  feet  apart.  The  wave  length  of  this  system  is  1,685 
meters,  and  the  sending  and  receiving  radius  of  the  instrument  is 
2,000  miles.  This  is  the  largest  system  in  the  western  states,  except- 
ing several  government  stations  on  the  Pacific  coast. 

Assessed  Valuation  of  Casper  Property 

The  assessment  of  the  town  of  Casper  and  Natrona  county  was 
made  separately  from  1891  to  191 3.  During  those  years  the  town 
clerk  acted  as  town  assessor,  and  in  1891  the  town's  assessed  valua- 
tion was  $80,459;  in  1895  it  had  increased  to  $231,486.50;  and  with 
each  succeeding  year  there  was  a  substantial  increase  which  is  shown 
as  follows:  Nineteen  hundred,  $300,511;  1901,  $396,217;  1903,  $411,- 
088;  1907,  $628,508;  1910,  $1,685,657;  1913,  $2,456,831.  An  increase 
of  more  than  twenty-two  and  one-half  million  dollars  was  made  in 
the  assessed  valuation  of  the  property  in  Casper  in  the  succeeding 
eight  years,  the  exact  figures  for  1921  showing  the  assessed  valuation 
to  be  $24,810,371,  and  in  1922  the  assessed  valuation  of  the  city  was 
$26,886,062. 


Retrospective  and  Prospective  View 
of  Casper 

THIRTY-FOUR  years — from  1888  to  1922 — is  not  a  very  long 
time  for  the  building  up  of  a  city  with  an  assessed  valuation  of 
twenty-seven  million  dollars  and  the  home  of  twenty-seven 
thousand  people — one  thousand  dollars  for  each  and  every  man, 
woman  and  child  in  the  city;  the  largest,  the  most  progressive  and 
the  most  prosperous  city  in  Wyoming.  This  twenty-seven  million  dol- 
lars' assessed  valuation  does  not  include  nearly  four  million  dollars 
worth  of  property  in  the  name  of  the  city,  nor  does  it  include  the  prop- 
erty in  the  name  of  Natrona  county,  and  it  is  only  fair  to  presume 
that  the  assessed  valuation  is  not  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  full 
valuation  of  the  property,  therefore  to  say  that  there  is  more  than 
forty  million  dollars'  worth  of  property  in  Casper  belonging  to  the 
taxpayers,  the  city  of  Casper  and  Natrona  county  would  be  putting 
it  at  an  exceedingly  low  figure. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  1888,  the  tract  of  land  now  occupied  by  the 
city  of  Casper,  with  its  hundreds  of  business  houses,  thousands  of 
dwellings  and  many  large  manufacturing  establishments,  was  but  a 
barren  waste  of  sand,  sage  brush  and  cactus;  not  a  house,  or  a  tent  or 
a  living  soul  occupied  the  land  at  that  time;  even  the  cattle  did  not 
linger  long  here,  on  account  of  the  unproductiveness  of  the  soil.  The 
roaring  of  the  wind  during  the  day  and  the  yelping  of  the  coyote  dur- 
ing the  night  were  then  the  only  signs  of  action  on  these  bleak  plains. 
But  it  was  at  about  this  time  that  John  Merritt  rode  into  the  valley 
on  horseback,  and  he  camped  along  the  river  bank;  he  was  the  sole 
resident  of  Casper  for  nearly  a  week,  then  on  the  7th  of  June  came 
C.  W.  Eads,  with  his  daughter  Fannie,  his  son  Kise,  and  Abe  Nelson 
and  John  Johnson.  They  put  up  the  first  tent  on  the  ground;  John 
Merritt  had  slept  in  a  round-up  bed  until  they  came.  The  next  day 
after  Mr.  Eads  and  his  party  arrived  a  number  of  others  came  in  and 
each  succeeding  day  brought  in  many  others,  and  before  the  middle  of 
the  month  there  were  about  one  hundred  people  here.  The  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railway  company  reached  this  point  with  its  branch 
line  on  the  15th  of  June,  and  before  the  end  of  the  month  another 
hundred  residents  had  been  added  to  the  town.  This  "tent  town"  was 
situated  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  east  from  where  the  Natrona 

202 


Center  Street,  Casper,  i^ 


Same  Street  in  1900 


^■^v.. 


..*^€!!I?? 


„.-.«»*■ 


Same  Street  in  1922 


RETROSPECTIVE  AND  PROSPECTIVE  VIEW  OF  CASPER  203 

county  court  house  is  now  located.  Where  the  town  was  to  be  per- 
manently located  had  not  yet  been  platted  or  surveyed,  and  this 
work  was  not  completed  until  late  in  October,  after  which  the  town 
lots  were  sold,  and  in  November  of  that  year  the  work  of  moving  the 
buildings  down  from  the  temporary  location  and  the  construction  of 
new  buildings  on  the  permanent  location  was  commenced. 

On  the  9th  of  April,  1889,  John  Merritt  made  application  to 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Carbon  county  (Natrona  had 
not  yet  been  organized)  to  have  the  town  of  Casper  incorporated, 
and  on  the  8th  of  July,  1889,  the  first  mayor  and  councilmen  were 
elected. 

The  business  lots  in  the  town  were  25  x  100  feet  and  the  residence 
lots  were  6ox  140  feet.  The  corner  lots  in  the  business  section  sold  for 
$250  and  the  inside  lots  sold  for  ^200,  while  the  residential  corner  lots 
sold  for  $125,  and  the  inside  lots  brought  ^100.  In  1895  ^^^  prices  on 
these  lots  were  doubled,  and  in  1909  the  prices  of  the  residential  lots 
were  raised  again,  to  $300  and  $375;  all  the  business  lots  had  by  this 
time  been  sold  by  the  townsite  company.  In  191 2  another  raise  was 
was  made  in  the  prices  to  ^500  and  $650,  and  again  in  1917  the  prices 
went  up  to  ^1,000  and  $1,250.  Many  new  additions  and  subdivisions 
to  the  town  had  been  made  and  the  lots  that  were  being  sold  at  the 
above  prices  were  quite  a  distance  from  the  business  section  of  the 
town,  and  in  1922  the  prices  on  these  lots  had  increased  to  $4,000  and 
$5,000.  With  the  phenomenal  upbuilding  of  the  town  and  prospects 
for  a  bright  future  the  city  of  Casper  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1923  offers  unbounded  opportunities  for  the  investor  of  capital,  for 
the  home  owner  and  for  industries  of  many  kinds.  Ideally  situated 
at  the  foot  of  Casper  mountain,  in  the  North  Platte  river  valley,  and 
almost  in  the  geographical  center  of  the  state,  it  is  the  metropolis  of 
an  industrial  empire. 

The  city  now  boasts  of  a  business  district  extensive  in  scope  and 
metropolitan  in  arrangement.  Its  extensive  residence  district  spreads 
over  many  broad  acres.  Beautiful  business  buildings  and  homes  are 
monuments  of  tribute  to  the  foresight  of  the  pioneers. 

During  the  past  five  years  Casper,  it  is  estimated,  has  spent 
approximately  $20,000,000  in  transforming  its  outward  appearances 
exclusive  of  approximately  the  same  sum  spent  by  the  oil  refineries 
that  are  located  here. 

Casper's  unique  location,  as  outlet  of  the  Lander  valley  and  the 
Big  Horn  basin  has  made  it  the  jobbing  center  of  Central  Wyoming. 
This  field  is  scarcely  tapped  yet  but  the  advent  of  huge  jobbing  houses 
here,  already  in  existence  and  contemplated,  will  entrench  Casper's 
position  during  the  coming  years. 


204  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Casper  is  also  a  division  point  of  the  Burlington  and  North- 
western railroads  and  averages  yearly  greater  freight  tonnage,  due 
principally  to  oil  shipments,  than  many  of  the  great  industrial  cities 
of  the  country.  The  freight  earnings  of  these  two  railroads  during  the 
year  1922  was  more  than  twenty-two  million  dollars. 

Casper  supports  a  packing  plant  which  has  an  employing  capac- 
ity of  100  persons.  The  Natrona  Power  company  furnishes  electric 
service  both  power  and  lights  at  a  moderate  rate.  The  plant  invest- 
ment of  the  company  here  approximates  ^1,000,000. 

Casper  has  an  approximate  valuation  of  $40,000,000.  It  is  the 
capital  of  Natrona  county  which  has  an  assessed  valuation  of  $61,- 
000,000,  all  of  which  is  tributary  to  Casper  and  finds  its  outlet  in  this 
city. 

It  is  the  home  of  the  best  school  system  in  the  state  of  Wyoming 
and  many  modern  buildings,  including  seven  modern  grade  school 
buildings,  a  general  high  school  and  a  new  vocational  high  school, 
which  represents  investment  of  over  $2,000,000,  are  operated  here. 
Bonds  in  the  amount  of  $500,000  were  voted  by  the  district  in 
the  summer  of  1922  for  the  construction  of  another  high  school 
building. 

During  1920  and  1921  Casper  spent  approximately  $2,500,000  in 
municipal  improvements  including  extension  of  water  and  sewer 
systems  to  provide  adequate  protection  and  service  to  every  section  of 
the  city. 

Casper  is  now  one  of  the  most  important  cities  of  two  automobile 
highways,  the  Grant  Memorial  highway  which  extends  from  Chicago 
to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  the  Yellowstone  highway  which  is  looped 
with  the  Park  to  Park  highway,  aflPording  continuous  avenue  to  visit 
all  national  parks  in  the  western  country. 

Nearly  every  religious  denomination  is  represented  in  Casper. 
All  sects  have  erected  handsome  new  structures  or  contemplating 
erection  of  new  homes  during  the  coming  year. 

Blessed  with  an  adequate  supply  of  water  furnished  by  the  North 
Platte  river  and  the  smaller  streams  from  the  mountains,  with  central 
location,  facility  for  advancement,  abundance  of  natural  gas  for  fuel 
and  with  the  spirit  of  progress,  the  accomplishments  of  the  past  will 
soon  be  outstripped  by  the  undertakings  of  the  future. 

The  Casper-Alcova  irrigation  project  which  contemplates  open- 
ing up  125,000  acres  of  land  tributary  to  Casper,  is  a  matter  of  future 
accomplishment.  Government  surveys  have  shown  the  project 
feasible.  Adequate  supply  of  water  is  contained  in  the  Pathfinder 
dam  to  transform  the  district  covered  from  an  arid  stock  grazing 
land  into  an  area  which  will  afford  homes  for  potential  thousands. 


RETROSPECTIVE  AND  PROSPECTIVE   VIEW  OF  CASPER      205 

At  the  session  of  congress  in  December,  1922,  the  estimates  of  appro- 
priations for  the  fiscal  year  ending  June  30,  1924,  submitted  by  the 
bureau  of  the  budget,  among  the  interior  department  items,  was 
$1,420,000  for  this  project.  It  may  be  several  years  before  this  project 
is  completed,  but  it  will  surely  come,  then  these  125,000  acres  of 
irrigated  fertile  soil  will  supply  sugar  beets  for  a  factory  to  be  located 
in  Casper  with  an  annual  production  of  16,000  tons  of  sugar.  The 
pulp  derived  from  110,000  tons  of  raw  beets,  which  should  be  the 
average  annual  production  for  11,000  acres  of  beets,  will  fatten  6,875 
two-year-old  steers  every  season.  This  will  enable  the  cattle  men  to 
fatten  their  own  range  stock  for  market  at  minimum  cost.  Sugar  beet 
pulp  is  also  excellent  feed  for  fattening  sheep,  of  which  we  have 
225,000  in  Natrona  county. 

Fifty  thousand  acres  of  alfalfa  averaging  three  tons  to  the  acre, 
150,000  tons  annually,  will  provide  hay  for  thousands  of  cattle  and 
sheep  and  thus  permit  the  Natrona  county  ranchman  to  pick  his  own 
market  and  avoid  seasonal  marketing  which  has  always  been  a  serious 
handicap  to  Wyoming  ranchmen.  Our  alfalfa  is  unexcelled  for  the 
making  of  alfalfa  meals  and  stock  foods. 

Fifteen  thousand  acres  of  small  grains  will  produce  a  crop  of 
250,000  bushels  of  wheat,  41,000  bushels  of  oats,  18,000  bushels  of 
rye,  37,000  bushels  of  barley  annually.  The  wheat  will  supply  a  flour 
mill  in  Casper  having  108  barrels  daily  capacity  and  most  of  the  other 
grains  will  be  fed  to  stock  by  the  farmer. 

Five  thousand  acres  of  potatoes  should  yield  annually  an  average 
of  750,000  bushels,  enough  to  feed  the  city  of  Casper  and  operate  a 
starch  factory  with  an  annual  output  of  5,625,000  pounds  of  starch. 

Four  thousand  acres  of  corn  should  produce  an  average  annual 
yield  of  100,000  bushels  of  corn,  or  28,000  tons  of  ensilage.  Twenty- 
eight  thousand  tons  of  ensilage  will  winter  3,000  head  of  dairy  cattle 
and  13,660  head  of  beef  cattle. 

This  wealth  and  these  industries  will  be  incentives  for  other 
capital  and  other  industries  to  locate  here,  and  then  Casper  will  be 
to  Wyoming  what  Denver  is  to  Colorado. 

In  the  accomplishments  of  the  past  and  the  undertakings  of  the 
future,  the  strong  financial  institutions  of  Casper  have  played  and  will 
play  an  important  role.  During  the  past  year  these  institutions 
cleared  in  excess  of  $50,000,000.  The  banking  institutions  of  Casper 
have  kept  pace  with  the  city. 

Casper's  Chamber  of  Commerce,  boasting  of  1,300  members  and 
the  largest  per  capita  membership  of  any  city  in  the  country,  has  done 
much  to  foster  the  growth  of  the  city  and  assist  in  its  upbuilding  dur- 
ing the  past  few  years. 


206  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

In  1922  the  city  of  Casper  showed  a  two-milHon-dollar  increase 
in  property  assessed  valuation  over  1921.  In  1921,  Casper's  assessed 
property  valuation  was  $24,810,371  and  in  1922  it  was  $26,886,062. 
This  increase  was  made  despite  the  fact  that  all  valuations  on  im- 
provements were  cut  10  per  cent. 

A  comparison  of  the  inventories  of  the  property  belonging  to  the 
city  of  Casper  on  January  i,  1912,  and  on  January  i,  1922,  a  period  of 
ten  years,  is  of  special  interest.  The  191 2  inventory  showed : 

1912 

Water  works,  reservoirs,  etc $  96,349-55 

Sewer  works,  manholes,  etc 39,610.88 

Horses,  wagons,  harness,  etc 1,600.00 

Miscellaneous  merchandise,  etc 5,265.20 

Contents  of  jail,  cells,  etc 690.85 

Lots  where  jail  stands 2,500.00 

Jail  building,  residence,  barns  and  corral 3,000.00 

Town  Hall  lots 6,000.00 

Town  Hall,  hose  house  and  sheds 2,500.00 

Safe 75-00 

Fire  fighting  apparatus,  furniture,  etc 8,174.00 

Unused  portions  of  books,  records,  etc 100.00 

Water  right 6,000.00 

Parks  in  Park  addition 7,000.00 

Parks  in  Capitol  Hill 2,000.00 

Park  at  library 500.00 

Trees  on  streets 5,000.00 

Cemetery 10,000.00 

Cross  walks  iH  miles 7,000.00 

Sidewalks,  6  miles  of  6  feet,  i  mile  1 2  feet 28,000.00 

Value  of  streets  and  alleys 175,000.00 

Value  of  right  of  way,  water  ditch,  etc 10,000.00 

Total  value  of  property ;S4i6,365.48 

The  1922  inventory  gave  nearly  three  and  three-quarter  million 
dollars,  as  follows.  1^22 

Public  buildings  and  equipment,  including  grounds $    321,846.63 

Water  works  system ._ 704,238.44 

Sidewalks,  curbing,  alleys  and  street  crossings 347,535.60 

Paving,  including  grading 1,636,674.90 

Sewer  and  drainage  system 444,794.35 

City  park,  block  31 75,000.00 

Lots  14  and  15,  block  4  (Postoffice  park) 25,000.00 

Park  in  White's  addition,  block  46 15,000.00 

Corner  Park  and  Second  streets,  2,435  square  feet 4,000.00 

Equipment  of  City  park 809.68 

Equipment  of  Postoffice  park 3,021.50 

Real  estate,  south  half  of  northeast  quarter,  north  half  of  southeast 

quarter,  section  10 70,000.00 

Cemetery  equipment,  on  above  property 311.60 

Fire  department  equipment 47,690.00 

Police  department  equipment 7,830.00 

Street  department  equipment 11,895.00 

Engineering  department  equipment : 6,766.40 

Gamewell  fire  alarm  system 19,916.83 

Total  value  of  property $3,742,286.43 


RETROSPECTIVE  AND   PROSPECTIVE   VIEW  OF  CASPER      207 

The  balance  sheet  at  the  beginning  of  business  January  i,  1922, 
for  the  city  showed  the  following  assets: 

Cash  on  hand  and  In  bank $153,655.02 

Less  special  improvement  funds 41,392.11  $    112,262.91 

Taxes  1921,  due  and  unpaid 300,205.49 

Public  improvements 3,455,044.92 

Park  system  and  improvements 122,831.18 

Cemetery  property 47,911.60 

Departmental  equipment 94,098.73 

Total $4,132,354.83 

The  liabilities  were: 

General  fund  warrants  outstanding $      38,665.85 

Water  fund  warrants  outstanding 2,592.34 

Bonds  outstanditig 1,612,000.00         $  1,653,258.19 

Net  worth  of  City 2,479,096.64 

Total $4,132,354.83 

Sixty-four  thousand  square  yards  of  street  paving  were  laid  in 
the  city  of  Casper  during  the  year  1922.  The  paving  of  streets  in 
Casper  has  added  a  great  deal  to  the  scenic  beauty  of  the  city  as  well 
as  being  of  great  convenience  to  all.  Plans  for  paving  during  1923 
will  cover  fully  as  many  yards  as  were  covered  in  1922,  and  it  is 
expected  within  a  few  years  most  of  the  streets  within  the  city  limits 
will  be  paved. 

With  Casper's  splendid  fire  department  and  fire-fighting  equip- 
ment, the  city  is  equally  well  protected  with  a  competent  police 
department,  as  will  be  shown  by  the  number  of  arrests  made  during 
1921  and  1922  and  the  fines  collected:  There  were  1,956  arrests  made 
in  1921,  with  fines  amounting  to  ^38,861.50.  In  1922,  2,991  people 
were  arrested,  and  ^33,613  in  fines  were  collected,  and  in  addition  to 
this  amount  there  were  $3,450  in  fines  which  were  satisfied  through 
the  serving  of  sentences  in  the  city  jail.  Charge  of  intoxication,  boot- 
legging, traffic  violations  and  disturbances  of  the  peace  headed  the 
Hst.  In  addition  to  the  arrests  made  by  the  city  police  department, 
there  were  529  arrests  made  during  1922  by  the  sheriff's  office  of 
Natrona  county.  The  crimes  committed  show  a  wide  scope,  ranging 
from  murder  to  shoplifting.  Violations  of  the  liquor  law  predomi- 
nated with  161;  fifty-five  were  arrested  for  gambling;  thirty-four  for 
stealing  automobiles;  eight  I.  W.  W.'s  were  arrested;  three  for  at- 
tempted murder  and  two  for  murder,  and  one  for  confidence  opera- 
tions and  one  for  embezzlement. 

The  vital  statistics  for  Casper  shows  an  amazing  increase  in 
population,  in  buildings,  water  and  sewer  mains,  the  paving  of  streets, 


208  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

building  of  sidewalks,  postoffice  facilities,  electric  light,  power  and 
gas  accounts,  as  follows: 

Population  —  1890,  544;  1900,  883;  1910,  2,639;  1915,  4,040; 
1920,  11,447;  1922,  *24,597;  1923,  *27,309. 

Building  Permits  —  1919,  229  permits,  cost  of  buildings,  ^1,232,- 
334;  1920,  574,  $1,950,110;  1921,  969,  $2,104,340;  1922,  985,096. 

Water  and  Sewer  Mains,  Paving  —  The  city  of  Casper  on  Jan- 
uary I,  1923,  had  forty-seven  miles  of  water  mains,  ranging  in  size 
from  4-inch  distributing  mains  to  14-inch  trunk  lines;  more  than 
twenty  miles  of  bitulithic  and  concrete  street  paving;  thirty-four 
miles  of  8,  10,  12  and  15-inch  sanitary  sewers,  and  fourteen  miles  of 
8  to  72-inch  storm  sewers. 

The  Mountain  States  Telephone  and  Telegraph  company  on 
January  i,  1923,  had  4,170  telephones  in  operation  in  Casper. 

Power,  Light  and  Gas  —  The  Natrona  Power  company  had  5,400 
service  accounts  on  January  i,  1923;  and  the  New  York  Oil  company 
had  740  gas  service  accounts  April  i,  1921;  1,800  October  i,  1921; 
2,700  April  I,  1922;  3,450  October  i,  1922,  and  4,030  January  i, 
1923. 

*  Estimated  on  basis  of  increase  in  school  census  from  1920  to  1922  and  1923. 


The  Schools  ol  Natrona  County 

NINETEEN  pupils  were  enrolled  in  the  subscription  school 
taught  in  Casper  by  Mrs.  Adah  E.  Allen,  which  was  com- 
menced on  Monday,  March  5,  1889,  and  ended  the  middle 
of  April.  This  was  the  first  school  conducted  in  Casper.  Mrs.  Allen 
came  to  Casper  the  latter  part  of  February  from  Lusk  with  the  inten- 
tion of  going  to  Ervay  to  teach  school  at  that  place,  but  the  citizens 
of  Casper  induced  her  to  remain  here.  Concerning  the  opening  of  the 
school,  the  Casper  M<rz// of  March  8  said:  "Mrs.  Allen  commenced  a 
subscription  school  last  Monday.  The  outlook  is  good  for  a  success- 
ful term,  although  there  is  great  need  of  more  room  and  conveniences 
for  the  pupils.  The  children  all  seem  bright  and  will  doubtless  ap- 
preciate the  privilege  afforded  them.  One  of  Casper's  needs  at  present 
is  a  school  house."  In  the  same  issue  of  the  newspaper,  Mrs.  Allen 
called  attention  to  the  fact  that,  "Those  persons  who  so  kindly  agreed 
to  donate  toward  a  private  school  will  please  leave  the  amount  with 
Mr.  C.  C.  Wright  at  the  postoffice  and  receive  credit  for  the  same," 
and  in  the  issue  of  April  18,  Mrs.  Allen  announced  that,  "The  citizens 
of  Casper  and  vicinity  will  please  accept  my  sincere  thanks  for  the 
many  favors  received  and  for  their  support  toward  the  private  school." 
There  is  no  record  of  the  school  closing  at  this  time,  but  the  above 
would  indicate  that  her  term  had  ended,  inasmuch  as  she  had  thanked 
the  people  for  the  favors  and  support  they  had  given  her. 

The  first  act  toward  the  establishment  of  a  public  school  in 
Casper  was  at  a  meeting  held  March  28,  1889,  for  the  organization  of 
school  district  No.  33,  in  Carbon  county  (now  Natrona).  At  this 
meeting  the  following  trustees  were  elected:  C.  W.  Eads  for  the  short 
term,  or  until  May,  1890;  Joshua  Stroud,  for  the  middle  term,  or 
until  May,  1891;  and  P.  A.  Demorest,  for  the  long  term,  or  until 
May,  1 891.  Mr.  Demorest  was  elected  president  of  the  board  and 
Mr.  Eads  secretary.  An  official  call  was  made  for  a  meeting  of  the 
board  as  follows:  "Notice  of  annual  school  meeting  of  district  No.  33, 
in  Carbon  county,  is  called  by  Charles  W.  Eads,  clerk,  to  meet  at  the 
store  of  N.  S.  Bristol  &  Co.,  at  i  o'clock,  the  6th  day  of  May,  1889,  to 
transact  such  business  as  may  properly  come  before  said  meeting." 

No  record  can  be  found  of  the  meeting  held  on  the  above  date, 
but  it  is  evident  that  at  this  meeting  provisions  were  made  for  a 
teacher  and  for  the  rental  of  a  building  suitable  for  school  purposes, 

209 


2IO  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

for  the  first  public  school  in  the  village  of  Casper  was  opened  on  Mon- 
day, July  8,  1889,  in  the  Congregational  Tabernacle,  with  Miss  Anna 
Weber  (later  Mrs.  W.  A.  Denecke)  as  teacher.  The  tabernacle  was 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  Durbin  street  and  Third  avenue  (now 
First  street)  where  the  New  York  Oil  company's  offices  are  located. 
A  picture  of  this  building  is  published  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Miss 
Weber  had  charge  of  the  school  until  the  middle  of  April,  1890,  when 
she  resigned.  Mr.  M.  P.  Wheeler,  who  had  recently  come  to  Casper 
from  Johnstown,  Nebraska,  was  engaged  to  finish  the  term,  and  he 
had  charge  of  the  school  for  ten  weeks  after  April  22.  In  the  first 
issue  of  the  Wyoming  Derrick,  May  21,  1890,  announcement  was 
made  that  "The  enrollment  of  the  Casper  schools  is  an  even  5o. 
Principal  M.  P.  Wheeler  started  in  less  than  three  weeks  ago  with  an 
attendance  of  only  26.  He  is  evidently  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place,  and  if  he  continues  the  work  he  has  so  ably  begun,  Casper  can 
soon  boast  of  the  best  schools  in  Central  Wyoming."  Mr.  Wheeler 
received  ^75  per  month  for  his  services,  or  a  total  of  $187.50  for  the 
ten  weeks'  work. 

It  is  evident  that  at  the  meeting  of  the  school  board  held  on  May 
6,  1889,  the  number  of  the  district  was  changed  from  33  to  14,  and  that 
a  new  member  of  the  board  was  elected,  for  an  official  notice  pub- 
lished in  the  Casper  Mail  October  11,  1889,  which  is  the  first  record 
of  any  meeting  that  can  be  found  since  May  6,  is  as  follows:  "Pro- 
posals will  be  received  until  October  15,  1889,  for  the  erection  of  a 
school  house  in  school  district  No.  14,  town  of  Casper,  county  of 
Carbon,  according  to  plans  and  specifications  now  on  file  at  the  Bank 
of  Casper. 

"Casper,  Wyoming,  October  3,  1889. 
"C.  C.  Wright,  clerk.  "P.  A.  Demorest,  president." 

The  business  transacted  at  the  meeting  held  on  October  15  is 
also  a  conjecture,  for  no  more  records  appear  until  after  Natrona 
county  was  organized,  on  April  12,  1890,  but  it  is  known  that  the 
proposed  school  house  was  not  built,  for  the  Congregational  Taber- 
nacle was  used  for  school  purposes  until  the  1 889-1 890  term  was 
finished  by  Miss  Weber  and  Mr.  Wheeler. 

School  district  No.  2  was  formed  by  Cordelia  M.  Cheney,  county 
superintendent  of  schools,  on  May  7,  1890,  four  weeks  after  the 
organization  of  Natrona  county.  The  boundaries  of  this  district  were 
nearly  the  same  as  the  boundaries  of  original  district  No.  33,  which 
was  afterwards  changed  to  district  No.  14.  Mrs.  Cheney  designated 
May  19,  at  10  o'clock  in  the  forenoon,  as  the  time  for  the  electors  of 
this  district  to  elect  three  trustees.    G.  E.  Butler  was  chairman  and 


THE    SCHOOLS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  211 

John  McGrath  acted  as  secretary  at  the  election.  H.  A.  Lilly  was 
elected  trustee  for  one  year;  Charles  O'Neall,  two  years;  George 
Weber,  three  years.  These  trustees  met  at  the  office  of  the  Casper 
Mail  on  May  20  when  Charles  O'Neall  was  elected  director;  George 
Webej,  treasurer;  H.  A.  Lilly,  clerk.  At  this  meeting  $630  was  appro- 
priated for  a  school  house  fund,  $630  for  teachers'  fund,  and  $100  for 
a  library  fund. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  trustees  was  held  at  the  Bank  of  Casper 
on  May  23,  when  a  call  was  issued  for  a  special  election  to  be  held  on 
Monday,  June  30,  1890,  to  vote  upon  the  proposition  of  bonding  the 
district  in  the  sum  of  $4,000  for  the  purpose  of  securing  funds  with 
which  to  erect  "a  handsome,  commodious,  and  creditable  brick  school 
house."  Eighty-seven  votes  were  cast  for  the  bonds  and  none  against. 
Joel  L.  Hurt  bought  these  bonds,  but  before  he  would  accept  them 
and  turn  over  the  money,  twenty  men  of  Casper  signed  a  note  guar- 
anteeing to  pay  back  the  money  if  the  school  district  was  in  such 
financial  distress  when  the  bonds  became  due  that  it  could  not  meet 
Its  obligation.  The  bonds  were  promptly  taken  up  by  the  school 
district  when  they  became  due.  Mr.  Weber  resigned  as  a  member 
August  9,  and  on  August  19,  J.  J.  Hurt  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy. 
Advertisements  for  bids  for  the  building  of  the  new  school  house 
were  published  in  August  and  bids  were  received  on  September  6, 
1890.  Messrs.  Erben  and  Merrian  were  awarded  the  contract,  the 
price  being  $4,225.  Chris  Baysel  was  the  architect.  Work  was  com- 
menced at  once  and  the  building,  consisting  of  four  rooms,  was  to  be 
completed  by  November  15.  The  new  building  was  described  as  being 
"two  stories  high,  with  a  tower  twelve  feet  square,  projecting  six  feet 
outside  and  six  feet  inside  the  building,  forty-eight  feet  in  height. 
The  floor  arrangement  is  the  same  in  each  story,  there  being  two 
school  rooms  on  each  floor,  each  23x30  feet,  and  also  two  recitation 
rooms  16x16  feet.  Only  two  rooms  are  required  at  this  time  and  only 
the  upper  rooms  will  be  finished  until  the  lower  rooms  are  needed." 
The  two  rooms  were  not  ready  for  occupancy  until  January  20,  1891. 
The  lower  rooms  in  the  building  were  not  finished  until  the  fall  of 
1894.  The  bondsmen  for  the  contractors  were  required  to  pay  to  the 
school  district  the  sum  of  $620.62,  on  account  of  the  building  not 
being  finished  at  the  time  specified,  but  this  money  was  afterwards 
paid  back  to  the  bondsmen  by  the  school  district. 

School  was  commenced  in  the  new  building  on  January  20,  1891, 
with  an  attendance  of  fifty  pupils.  J.  C.  WiUiams  was  principal,  and 
Miss  Clementine  Evans  (now  Mrs.  P.  C.  Nicolaysen)  was  assistant. 
The  largest  number  of  pupils  in  attendance  during  the  term  was 
twenty-six  in   Mr.  Williams'   room   and   thirty-six  in   Miss   Evans' 


212  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

room.  The  term  closed  on  June  26,  with  the  usual  last-day-of-school 
exercises.  Mr.  Williams  received  a  salary  of  $70  a  month  and  Miss 
Evans  received  $50  a  month. 

At  the  annual  election  held  on  May  4,  1891,  E.  A.  Johnson  was 
elected  trustee  to  succeed  H.  A.  Lilly,  whose  term  of  office  expired. 
Mr.  Johnson  was  elected  clerk.  Miss  Ryan  of  Buffalo  was  engaged 
to  teach  room  A,  and  Miss  Franc  Butler,  (now  Mrs.  Franc  Sheffner) 
had  charge  of  room  B,  during  the  1 891-2  term.  Miss  Ryan  resigned 
early  in  the  term  and  Mr.  George  Fallan  finished  the  term.  Mr.  R. 
L.  Carpenter  and  Miss  Butler  were  the  teachers  hired  for  the  1892-3 
term.  Mr.  Carpenter  taught  six  weeks  and  resigned  and  Guy  Cleve- 
land was  hired  to  finish  the  term.  Mr.  Cleveland  was  a  man  of  won- 
derful physical  ability,  which,  in  those  days,  was  required  in  addition 
to  other  qualifications  attendant  upon  a  successful  school  teacher, 
and  it  is  said,  with  a  hickory  rod  somewhat  smaller  than  the  handle 
of  a  broom,  Mr.  Cleveland  finished  the  term  in  a  manner  that  proved 
highly  satisfactory  to  the  school  board,  although  some  of  the  larger 
boys  whose  education  needed  training  from  the  rod  rather  than  from 
books,  did  not  admire  his  method  of  teaching  or  his  manner  of  admin- 
istering corporal  punishment. 

R.  A.  Ball  was  the  principal  of  the  school  for  the  1893-4  term  and 
again  Miss  Butler  was  the  assistant. 

Messrs.  Charles  O'Neall,  N.  S.  Bristol,  and  H.  A.  Lilly  were  the 
trustees  during  the  1894-5  term  and  at  the  meeting  held  June  16,  the 
following-named  teachers  were  hired:  M.  L.  Edwards,  principal; 
Etta  Lipson,  intermediate  department;  Franc  Butler,  primary  de- 
partment. 

On  December  14,  Mr.  Edwards  tendered  his  resignation  to  take 
effect  the  first  of  the  year  and  Joseph  A.  Williams  was  secured  for  the 
balance  of  the  term.  On  complaint  of  Mr.  Williams  and  many  of  the 
parents  whose  children  were  attending  school,  on  January  17,  1895, 
the  school  board  asked  and  demanded  the  resignation  of  Miss  Etta 
Lipson,  a  teacher  in  the  intermediate  department  of  the  Casper 
schools,  "because  the  room  in  which  she  was  a  teacher  was  not  prop- 
erly conducted."  The  action  of  the  board  did  not  meet  with  the  ap- 
proval of  a  great  many  of  the  parents  who  had  children  in  the  school, 
and  a  mass  meeting  was  held  -at  the  town  hall  on  the  evening  of 
January  22,  1895,  at  which  nearly  one  hundred  men  and  women  were 
present.  At  this  mass  meeting  the  members  of  the  board  were  asked 
to  be  present  and  give  some  further  and  definite  reason  for  Miss 
Lipson's  dismissal,  but  none  of  the  members  of  the  board  were  present 
and  they  had  refused  to  give  any  further  reason  for  the  dismissal  of 
the  teacher.    A  petition  was  then  circulated  and  signed  by  a  great 


THE    SCHOOLS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  21 3 

number  of  the  voters  in  the  district  requesting  the  board  to  rescind 
its  action,  because  the  signers  considered  it  unwise  and  against  the 
best  interest  of  the  school.  Still  the  members  of  the  board  did  not 
comply  with  the  request,  and  then  came  a  set  of  resolutions  asking 
the  board  to  resign,  the  whereases  and  resolves  being  couched  in 
language  as  follows: 

"Whereas,  A  petition  has  been  circulated  among  the  patrons  of  the  Intermediate 
department  and  among  the  citizens  of  School  district  No.  2,  and  said  petition  has  been 
signed  by  at  least  one  half  of  the  electors  in  School  district  No.  2,  and  said  petition  has 
been  duly  presented,  asking  that  Miss  Etta  Lipson  be  retained  in  her  position  as  a 
teacher  in  our  public  school,  and  said  board  of  trustees  refuse  to  receive  and  recognize 
said  petition,  but  have  wholly  ignored  the  said  petition;  and 

"Whereas,  The  best  interests  of  the  public  schools  are  injured  by  the  removal 
of  a  teacher  in  the  middle  of  the  term;  and 

"Whereas,  Upon  due  request  from  persons  having  authority  to  ask  said  board 
to  file  specific  charges  against  said  Etta  Lipson  as  a  teacher,  and  they  have  wholly 
failed  to  do  so;  and 

"Whereas,  Upon  due  inquiry  said  board  is  unable  to  give  any  well  founded 
reasons  for  the  removal  of  said  Etta  Lipson,  the  teacher  in  our  public  schools,  and  as  it 
is  the  belief  of  those  that  have  gone  to  the  members  of  the  school  board  and  conversed 
with  them  about  the  matter,  that  the  board  is  acting  partial  in  the  matter,  and  with 
malicious  spite  in  the  matter,  and  with  anything  but  the  best  interests  of  the  school  at 
heart; 

"Therefore,  We,  the  citizens,  electors  and  patrons  of  the  public  schools  of  Casper, 
in  mass  meeting  assembled,  do  ask  and  request  that  the  present  trustees  of  School 
district  No.  2,  to-wit:  Charles  O'Neall,  N.  S.  Bristol  and  H.  A.  Lilly,  that  they  resign 
as  trustees  in  and  for  said  School  district,  and  do  hereby  prefer  charges  against  them 
as  follows,  to-wit:  Acting  with  malicious  spite  in  asking  for  the  resignation  of  Miss  Etta 
Lipson  as  a  teacher  in  our  public  schools  at  this  time. 

"  Second:  Acting  partially  in  the  matter,  and  for  the  promotion  of  unknown  and 
divers  personal  reasons  known  only  to  themselves. 

"Third:  As  bemg  enemies  to  the  best  interests  of  our  public  schools. 

"Fourth:  As  acting  unwisely  and  arbitrarily  in  ignoring  and  failing  to  take  into 
consideration  the  petition  heretofore  presented  to  them  protesting  against  the  removal 
of  Miss  Lipson  as  a  teacher." 

The  members  of  the  board  were  still  inclined  to  the  opinion  that 
they  were  right  in  the  dismissal  of  the  teacher  and  Miss  Lipson  was 
not  allowed  to  finish  the  term  and  the  members  of  the  board  did  not 
resign.  Miss  Lipson,  however,  did  not  send  in  her  resignation  as  re- 
quested by  the  board  and  on  January  25  she  was  tendered  a  check  in 
payment  for  her  services  for  the  full  time  she  had  taught  and  Mrs. 
L.  Brown  was  secured  to  finish  the  term  and  she  was  installed  as 
teacher  on  January  28.  Miss  Lipson  also  appeared  at  the  school  room 
on  the  morning  of  the  28th  and  the  members  of  the  board  requested 
her  to  deliver  to  them  the  keys  to  the  school  building  and  the  register, 
but  she  refused  and  carried  them  home  with  her.  Then  she  brought 
action  in  the  courts  against  the  board  for  her  salary.  The  board  re- 
taliated by  bringing  action  against  Miss  Lipson  for  the  recovery  of 
the  school  register  and  the  keys  to  the  school  house.    The  school 


214  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

board  secured  the  register  and  the  keys,  but  Miss  Lipson  did  not  get 
the  salary  she  asked  for.  Mr.  WiHiams,  the  principal,  went  to  Omaha 
the  latter  part  of  January  where  he  was  called  on  account  of  sickness 
in  his  family,  and  failing  to  return,  at  the  meeting  of  the  board  held 
on  February  5,  five  dollars  was  appropriated  to  pay  for  telegrams 
sent  out  to  secure  another  principal.  Professor  S.  E.  Notson  was  finally 
secured,  and  he  finished  the  term  in  a  manner  that  was  highly  satis- 
factory to  all  concerned.  The  enrollment  during  this  school  year  was 
140,  the  grammar  department  having  41;  intermediate  department, 
45;  primary  department,  54. 

In  1895,  our  school  had  grown  to  such  proportions  that  four 
teachers  were  required.  Professor  S.  E.  Notson  was  in  charge  and 
Mary  E.  Hurlburt,  Hattie  Bethards  and  Mrs.  Notson  were  the 
teachers  in  the  grammar,  intermediate  and  primary  departments. 
The  enrollment  was  124,  with  24  in  the  high  school,  30  in  the  grammar 
department,  28  in  the  intermediate  department,  and  42  in  the  primary 
department.  Mrs.  Notson  resigned  during  the  term  and  Miss  Minnie 
Burns  was  hired  to  finish  the  term.  For  the  1896-7  term  the  same 
corps  of  teachers  was  hired  who  had  finished  the  1895-6  term.  George 
James  Wilson  and  Elizabeth  Jameson  graduated  at  the  end  of  this 
term,  and  these  were  the  first  students  to  graduate  from  the  public 
schools  of  Casper. 

For  the  1897-8  term  a  kindergarten  department  was  established 
in  the  Casper  schools  and  Miss  Adah  Turner  (now  Mrs.  F.  W.  Cott- 
man)  had  charge  of  this  department.  The  other  teachers  were  the 
same  as  those  who  taught  the  1896-7  term. 

The  second  teachers'  institute  for  Natrona  county  convened  in 
Casper  on  June  14,  1897,  with  Miss  Wilhelmena  Clark  as  county 
superintendent.  The  following-named  teachers  were  present:  Alma 
Morgan  of  Winthrop;  Clyde  L.  Carpenter,  Freeland;  Matilda  Leeper, 
Ervay;  Mattie  Ervay,  Ervay;  Paulina  Smith,  Casper;  EflRe  Cum- 
mings,  Casper;  Adah  Turner,  Casper;  Minnie  Burns,  Casper;  Hattie 
Bethards,  Casper;  Minnie  Hurlburt,  Casper;  S.  E.  Notson,  Casper. 

For  the  1898-9  term,  S.  E.  Notson  was  retained  as  principal  and 
Miss  Adah  Turner  again  had  charge  of  the  kindergarten.  Mrs.  T.  A. 
Dean,  Miss  Eva  Cantlin  and  Miss  May  Hamilton  were  the  other 
teachers.  On  account  of  ill  health  Mr.  Notson  resigned  after  teaching 
about  a  month  and  Mrs.  E.  C.  Jameson  took  his  place  until  Will  F. 
Chase  came  in  January.  The  second  graduation  exercises  of  the 
Casper  public  schools  were  held  on  April  3,  1900,  and  Clark  Johnson 
was  the  only  graduate. 

Will  F.  Chase  was  retained  as  the  principal  for  the  1 899-1 900 
term,  and  Mrs.  Dean,  Miss  Hamilton,  Miss  Cantlin  and  Miss  Turner 


THE    SCHOOLS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  215 

were  the  other  teachers.  The  enrollment  was  34  for  the  high  school; 
grammar  department,  15;  intermediate  department,  30;  second  pri- 
mary, 27;  first  primary,  55;  total,  161.  Mr.  Chase  was  a  failure  as 
a  teacher  and  an  executive  in  a  school  room,  and  although  he  was 
allowed  to  finish  the  term,  he  came  nearly  finishing  the  school  at  the 
same  time. 

The  school  enrollment  on  September  6,  1900,  was:  Kindergarten, 
first  and  second  grades,  55;  Miss  Turner  and  Miss  Leeper  teachers; 
third  and  fourth  grades,  38,  Miss  Edith  Evans  teacher;  fifth  and 
sixth  grades,  23,  Miss  Hamilton,  teacher  (Miss  Hamilton  resigned 
January  i,  to  take  the  position  of  county  superintendent  of  schools 
and  she  was  succeeded  by  Miss  Eflfie  Cummings,  who  finished  the 
term);  seventh  and  eighth  grades,  23,  Miss  Cantlin,  teacher;  high 
school,  27,  F.  E.  Matheny,  principal.   Total  enrollment,  166. 

At  the  annual  school  election  held  on  May  6,  1901,  an  appropria- 
tion of  $3,700  was  made  for  school  purposes  for  district  No.  2,  $2,500 
of  which  was  to  be  used  for  the  payment  of  teachers'  salaries  and  the 
remainder  was  to  be  used  for  incidental  expenses.  The  enrollment  for 
the  past  year  averaged  255,  seventy-two  more  than  the  previous  year. 

Teachers  retained  for  the  1901-2  term  were  F.  E.  Matheny, 
J.  B.  Ruple,  Carrie  Friend,  Effie  Cummings,  Nora  Crow,  Edith  Evans, 
Mrs.  F.  E.  Matheny,  Mary  Craig. 

The  proposition  to  issue  bonds  for  the  erection  of  a  new  school 
house  and  to  vote  a  levy  of  two  mills  to  pay  for  the  same  was  voted 
upon  at  a  special  election  held  on  Saturday,  January  2,  1901.  There 
were  sixty  votes  for  the  bonds  and  two  votes  against.  The  new  build- 
ing was  to  be  42x68  feet,  containing  four  rooms,  each  room  to  be 
28x32  feet.  The  site  for  the  new  building  was  on  Center  street,  be- 
tween Park  and  Milton  streets  (now  Eighth  and  Ninth  streets),  where 
the  Park  school  is  now  situated.  The  contract  for  the  construction 
of  this  building  was  let  to  local  contractors  and  the  members  of  the 
school  board  were  superintending  the  work.  There  was  some  jealousy 
among  other  local  builders  and  considerable  feeling  was  worked  up 
against  the  members  of  the  board  by  these  builders  and  their  friends, 
the  claim  being  made  that  the  contractors  were  not  complying  with 
the  specifications,  and  on  August  14,  1901,  a  warrant  was  issued  by 
County  Attorney  Alex  T.  Butler,  charging  the  members  of  the  board, 
consisting  of  Frank  Wood,  S.  W.  Conwell,  and  W.  E.  Tubbs,  with  the 
"misappropriation  of  public  funds  for  the  erection  of  a  public  building, 
the  said  public  buildingnotbeingerectedaccordingto the  accepted  and 
adopted  plans  and  specifications."  When  the  warrant  was  served  by 
the  sheriff,  the  members  of  the  board  were  at  the  site  of  the  building 
making  an  investigation  of  the  work  that  had  thus  far  been  done,  and 


2l6  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

upon  which  considerable  complaint  had  been  made  by  some  of  the 
taxpayers  and  competitors  of  the  contractors.  After  being  placed 
under  arrest  the  members  of  the  board  appeared  before  Justice  of  the 
Peace  Frank  Jameson,  and  asked  that  their  preliminary  trial  be  ex- 
tended for  ten  days.  The  request  was  granted  and  each  of  the  mem- 
bers was  placed  under  a  bond  of  five  hundred  dollars  to  appear  for 
trial.  The  members  refused  to  give  the  bond  and  they  were  placed 
under  charge  of  the  sheriff,  who,  by  order  of  the  county  attorney, 
incarcerated  them  in  the  county  jail.  The  members  of  the  board  were 
served  with  a  sumptuous  dinner  by  the  sheriff,  at  the  expense  of  the 
county,  and  nearly  everyone  in  the  town,  except  the  county  attorney 
and  the  families  of  the  members  of  the  board,  looked  upon  the  matter 
as  a  joke.  After  dinner  the  sheriff  took  upon  himself  the  responsibility 
of  releasing  the  members  upon  their  own  recognizances  to  appear  for 
trial  upon  the  date  set  by  the  court. 

The  information  issued  by  the  county  attorney  contended  that 
"the  school  building  was  not  being  erected  according  to  plans  and 
specifications;  that  changes  had  been  made  in  the  building  which  were 
less  costly  than  the  original  plans;  that  work  on  the  building  could 
not  be  safely  proceeded  with,  and  if  the  building  was  completed  as 
per  the  changes  that  had  been  made,  it  would  not  be  a  safe  and  strong 
building."  The  members  of  the  board  claimed  that  they  were  looking 
after  the  building  in  a  businesslike  manner;  that  the  contractors  were 
proceeding  satisfactorily;  that  no  complaint  had  ever  been  made  to 
them  as  to  unsatisfactory  workmanship  on  the  building  or  material 
in  the  building,  and  that  not  as  much  as  one  penny  had  been  mis- 
appropriated knowingly  by  them. 

Before  the  day  set  for  trial  the  county  attorney  indicated  that 
the  case  would  be  dismissed,  but  a  subpoena  was  served  on  the  officer, 
requiring  that  he  be  brought  into  court  on  August  24,  1901,  at  10 
o'clock  a.m.  with  all  the  affidavits  and  other  papers  relative  to  the 
case.  On  the  24th  of  August,  the  case  was  postponed  until  September 
16,  on  account  of  sickness  of  Justice  Jameson.  At  the  trial  the  case 
was  dismissed,  and  the  board  was  vindicated. 

The  enrollment  for  Casper  schools  in  September,  1901,  was: 
High  school,  24;  grammar  department,  24;  intermediate  A,  35;  inter- 
mediate B,  27;  primary  A,  20;  primary  B,  29;  kindergarten,  34;  total 
193.  The  teachers  retained  for  the  1901-2  school  year  were  F.  E. 
Matheny,  principal,  J.  B.  Ruple,  assistant  principal,  Carrie  Friend, 
grammar  department,  Effie  Cummings,  fifth  grade,  Nora  M.  Crow, 
fourth,  Edith  Evans,  second  primary,  Mrs.  Matheny,  first  primary, 
Mary  Craig,  kindergarten.  The  three  first-named  teachers  were 
located  in  the  new  building  referred  to  in  the  preceding  paragraph. 


THE    SCHOOLS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  21/ 

The  teachers  for  the  1902-3  term  were,  F.  E.  Matheny,  E.  M. 
Childs,  Mrs.  F.  E.  Matheny,  Mary  Craig,  Edith  Evans,  Althea 
Marian  Jones,  Emma  Yard,  Minnie  B.  Whitmore,  Bertha  B.  Goetz- 
man.  The  enrollment  was:  High  school,  21,  seventh  and  eighth 
grades,  27;  fifth  and  sixth  grades,  34;  fourth  grade,  25;  third  grade, 
33;  second  grade,  24;  first  primary,  29;  kindergarten,  23;  total,  216. 

The  schools  had  made  a  decided  improvement  under  this  corps 
of  teachers  and  Mr.  Matheny  was  retained  as  superintendent  for  the 
1903-4  term,  with  the  following  teachers:  J.  J.  Jewett,  principal, 
Bertha  Goetzman,  Effie  Cummings,  Mrs.  Matheny,  Sue  Merriam, 
Bertha  Imhoff,  Mary  Holmes,  Mary  Craig.  In  the  Central  school 
building  there  were  the  kindergarten,  first,  second,  third,  and  fourth 
grades,  and  in  the  Park  school  building,  there  were  fifth,  sixth,  gram- 
mar, and  high  school.  The  enrollment  was  253.  The  school  census 
taken  in  Casper  in  June,  1904,  showed  312  people  in  district  No.  2 
between  the  ages  of  six  and  twenty-one  years.  At  the  school  election 
of  district  No.  2,  held  in  1905,  the  secretary's  report  showed  an  en- 
rollment of  287  pupils.  There  were  ten  teachers.  It  cost  the  district 
^9'9i5-54  to  conduct  the  schools  of  the  preceding  year.  Of  this 
amount  ^6,477.93  was  paid  to  the  teachers,  $2,802.23  for  other  ex- 
penses in  maintaining  the  schools,  $160.00  library  fund,  and  $472.38 
kindergarten  fund. 

Mr.  Matheny  was  engaged  as  superintendent  for  the  1904-5 
term,  and  Mr.  Jewett  was  the  principal.  Miss  Catherine  Gries,  Miss 
Bertha  Goetzman,  Miss  Effie  Cummings,  Miss  Allie  West,  Miss  Sue 
Merriam.  Miss  Bertha  ImhofF,  and  Miss  Mary  Craig  were  the  teachers. 
For  the  1905-6  term  the  enrollment  was  slightly  increased  and  one 
additional  teacher  was  hired.  For  the  maintenance  of  the  schools  in 
district  No.  2  there  was  drawn  on  the  teacher's  fund,  $6,930.07,  and 
on  the  special  fund,  $2,200.80;  making  a  sum  total  of  $9,130.87. 

The  average  monthly  salary  for  male  teachers  in  Wyoming  in 
1906  was  $74.14,  and  for  female  teachers  $49.50.  In  1907  the  average 
salary  for  male  teachers  was  $85.20,  and  for  female  teachers  $53.50. 

Thus  far  we  have  given  somewhat  at  length  the  commencement, 
growth,  success  and  vicissitudes  of  our  schools,  the  trials  of  the 
teachers,  the  hardships  of  the  pupils,  the  difficulties  of  the  members 
of  the  school  board  and  the  interest  of  the  parents,  because  a  full 
description  was  necessary  in  order  that  the  people  nowadays  might 
appreciate  the  cumbersomeness  of  building  up  a  school  in  a  frontier 
village  to  the  magnitude  of  the  present  school  system,  but  to  con- 
tinue the  minor  details,  giving  the  names  of  teachers,  the  number  of 
pupils,  the  personnel  of  the  school  board,  et  cetera,  for  each  year  from 
1906  up  to  1922,  would  make  a  large  volume  in  itself,  on  account  of 


2l8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  wonderful  improvements,  changes  and  increase  in  the  number 
of  pupils  and  teachers  that  have  been  made,  therefore  we  will  have 
to  be  content  with  a  brief  resume  of  the  schools  up  to  the  present  time 
and  a  comparison  of  the  same  from  the  first  day  that  Mrs.  Adah  E. 
Allen  called  her  little  flock  of  nineteen  pupils  to  order  until  the  end 
of  the  year  1922,  when  there  were  nearly  4,400  pupils  and  about  170 
teachers  in  the  city  of  Casper,  which  is  considered  the  biggest  and 
most  up-to-date  school  town  in  the  state.  The  census  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  2,  taken  in  May,  1910,  showed  529  persons  of  school  age, 
against  465  the  previous  year.  Three  colored  children  were  included 
in  the  1910  census. 

The  contract  was  let  for  the  building  of  the  Natrona  County 
High  school  on  May  21,  1913,  for  $35,550,  and  $6,000  for  the  plumb- 
ing and  heating.  C.  R.  Inman  was  the  building  contractor  and  W. 
W.  Keefe  did  the  plumbing.  This  was  one  of  Casper's  public  buildings 
that  was  erected  without  dissension  from  "Casper's  Trouble  Makers 
Club,"  most  of  the  members  of  which  had  been  called  hence  or  moved 
to  other  climes  where  progress  and  push  were  not  so  much  in  evidence 
as  at  Casper. 

There  were  enrolled  in  the  Casper  schools  on  November  i,  1919, 
2,080  pupils.  Of  this  number  226  were  students  in  the  High  school. 
Eighty-three  teachers  were  employed  in  the  city.  On  account  of  the 
congested  condition  of  the  school  buildings  a  room  in  the  public 
library  and  one  in  the  Episcopal  gymnasium  were  used  for  classes, 
and  later  it  was  found  necessary  to  use  two  additional  rooms  in  the 
basement  of  the  library.  During  the  1919-20  school  year  $80,285.27 
was  expended  for  teachers'  salaries,  and  $89,929.82  was  expended  for 
school  house  expenses  and  supplies.  The  school  census  showed  an 
increase  from  958  in  1915  to  2,797,  i"  1920.  At  the  end  of  the  term  in 
1921  the  enrollment  was  3,046. 

In  1921,  a  material  increase  was  made  in  the  salaries  of  the 
teachers  in  the  grade  schools  of  district  No.  2  as  well  as  for  the  in- 
structors in  the  Natrona  County  High  school,  and  sex  discrimination 
was  entirely  eliminated.  A  minimum  of  $1,600  a  year  for  all  grade 
teachers,  with  an  increase  of  $100  a  year  as  long  as  they  remained  in 
the  Casper  schools,  and  a  minimum  of  $2,000  for  High  school  in- 
structors. Formerly  an  instructor  in  the  Casper  schools,  teaching 
grades  below  the  sixth,  was  started  at  $1,560,  with  an  increase  of 
$60  a  year.  In  the  sixth,  seventh  and  eighth  grades  the  minimum  was 
$1,620  a  year,  with  a  $60  increase.  By  placing  all  grade  teachers  on 
the  same  plane,  teachers  below  the  sixth  grade  were  to  receive  an  in- 
crease in  salary,  as  well  as  women  members  of  the  High  school  faculty. 
In  the  high  school  a  woman  instructor  was  started  at  $1,956,  while  a 


THE    SCHOOLS    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY  219 

man  received  $2,076,  but  it  was  decided  that  both  men  and  women 
instructors  should  receive  $2,000  for  the  first  year  of  their  service, 
with  the  yearly  increase  as  above  stated. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  term  in  1921  there  was  an  enrollment 
of  3^338  pupils  in  school  district  No.  2  which  includes  the  city  of 
Casper,  Mills  and  Salt  Creek.  A  comparison  of  the  enrollment  in 
1920  and  1 92 1  is  herewith  shown: 

School  1920  1921     Increase 

West  Casper 200  422  222 

Central 561  564  3 

rark 473  500  27 

East  Casper 482  608  126 

Elk  Street 200  200 

North  Casper 218  399  181 

High  school 220  375  155 


Mills. 


Salt  Creek 58         153 


35         120  85 

95 


The  rooms  in  all  the  school  buildings  of  Casper,  as  well  as  those 
at  Mills  and  Salt  Creek  were  overcrowded,  and  it  was  at  once  de- 
cided to  erect  a  new  ten-room  building  in  North  Casper  and  a  six- 
room  building  in  South  Casper.  New  buildings  were  in  course  of 
construction  at  Mills  and  Salt  Creek.  At  the  beginning  of  this  term 
there  were  120  teachers,  but  fifteen  more  teachers  were  added  to  the 
force  at  once. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1922,  there  was  an  enrollment  of 
3,950  pupils  in  the  district,  against  472  in  191 1,  and  there  were  150 
grade  teachers  and  twenty-five  High  school  teachers,  against  fifteen 
in  191 1.  A  summary  of  the  Natrona  County  High  school  on  Decem- 
ber 31,  1921,  showed  an  enrollment  of  436  students,  185  boys  and  251 
girls;  there  were  twenty  full-time  instructors  and  five  were  employed 
part  of  the  time.  The  equipment  and  property  of  the  High  school 
district  was  listed  as  follows:  Books  in  library,  1,121  volumes;  26 
magazines;  special  librarian  in  charge  throughout  the  day.  Cost  of 
apparatus:  Science,  $2,175;  domestic  science,  $2,450;  music,  $720; 
maps,  $175;  gymnasium,  $2,000;  manual  training,  $5,000;  commer- 
cial, $1,880.  Two  large  and  up-to-date  buildings.  Area  of  eight  acres 
of  land,  with  grandstand  and  well-fenced  field  of  such  unusual  quality 
as  is  rarely  found  in  connection  with  high  schools.  Two  well  equipped 
gymnasiums. 

At  the  end  of  1922  there  were  thirty  High  school  instructors,  with 
three  supervisors  in  the  Natrona  County  High  school,  located  in 
Casper;  there  were  136  grade  teachers,  with  five  supervisors  and  six 
special  teachers  for  subnormal  and  abnormal  children.  There  were 
about  4,400  pupils  in  the  district  with  535  in  the  High  school,  and  the 


220  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

balance  in  the  grade  schools  of  Casper,  Mills  and  Salt  Creek,  with  all 
the  school  buildings  crowded  and  overflowing. 

Bonds  were  voted  in  the  summer  of  1922  for  a  $500,cxdo  buildmg 
for  the  Natrona  County  High  school  district,  to  be  located  in  Casper. 
A  list  of  the  buildings  constructed  in  1920-21,  the  number  of  rooms, 
and  the  cost  of  each  building  is  given  below: 

School                                                                                          No.  Rooms  Cost 

Vocational  High $250,000 

West  Casper IS  100,000 

Elk  Street 7  35, 000 

North  Casper 14  125,000 

Mills 6  35,000 

South  Casper 7  3S,ooo 

Salt  Creek 4  20,000 

Mud  Springs i  1,500 

Horse  Camp i  800 

Country  Club i  800 

Total $608, 1 00 

In  1922  a  new  fifteen-room  building  was  constructed  in  North  Cas- 
per and  six  rooms  were  added  to  the  East  Casper  school  building.  There 
were  six  teachers  in  Salt  Creek  and  180  pupils,  and  five  teachers  in 
Mills  and  160  pupils.  Of  the  other  rural  schools  in  the  county,  in  1922, 
district  No.  3  comprised  the  Freeland  school,  with  7  pupils;  Dickin- 
son, 4  pupils;  Laney's,  4  pupils.  No.  4,  Bessemer,  10  pupils,  with 
25  more  pupils  in  this  district,  near  Emigrant  Gap  and  on  the  Yellow- 
stone Highway,  not  attending  school.  No.  5,  Split  Rock,  or  Dumb 
Bell,  3  pupils;  Sanford,  i  pupil.  No.  6,  Clarkson,  or  Childers,  2 
pupils;  Jourgensen,  I  pupil.  No.  7,  Alcova,7  pupils.  N0.9,  Bucknum, 
8  pupils;  Wilson  Creek,  10  pupils.  No.  10,  Winthrop,  or  Clark's, 
13  pupils.  No.  II,  Muddy,  or  Brooks,  14  pupils.  No.  12,  Greenlaw, 
2  pupils.  No.  13,  Oil  City,  6  pupils;  Waltman,  10  pupils;  Brotherson, 
5  pupils.  No.  15,  Deer  Creek  Park,  3  pupils.  No.  16,  Natrona,  19 
pupils;  Powder  River,  11  pupils.  No.  17,  Pathfinder,  2  pupils.  No. 
18,  Arminto,  16  pupils;  Wolton,  11  pupils;  Badwater,  3  pupils; 
Keiver,  2  pupils.  In  addition  to  the  above  the  schools  at  Wilson,  or 
the  Poor  Farm,  the  Country  Club,  Horse  Ranch,  Ohio  Oil  company's 
South  Camp,  Kasoming,  Mud  Springs,  Glenrock-Carter  Camp, 
all  of  which  are  in  district  No.  2,  should  be  termed  as  rural  schools. 

Thus  it  may  be  seen  that  the  schools  of  Natrona  county  have 
kept  pace  with  the  growth  and  improvement  in  the  business  and 
professional  lines  and  it  may  be  truly  said  that  the  spirit  of  the 
school  is  high,  the  moral  standards  strong,  the  attitude  of  pupils 
favorable,  the  educational  aims  and  achievements  promising,  and  the 
support  of  the  public  liberal  and  loyal. 


Natrona  County's  Towns 

Bessemer  Town 

THE  town  of  Bessemer  was  established  In  the  summer  of  1888, 
at  about  the  same  time  people  commenced  to  locate  in  Casper, 
and  it  was  called  by  its  enthusiastic  citizens  the  "Queen  City  of 
the  West." 

The  Wyoming  Improvement  company  surveyed  the  site  and 
platted  the  town  lots  which  consisted  of  forty-nine  blocks,  In  addition 
to  which  grounds  were  reserved  "upon  which  to  erect  the  future 
capitol  building  of  Wyoming."  A  bridge  was  built  across  the  river 
and  advertising  folders  were  issued  in  February,  1889,  setting  forth  the 
resources  and  advantages  of  the  place.  A  great  many  town  lots  were 
sold,  and  the  citizens  had  been  given  assurance  that  the  railroad 
would  be  built  Into  the  town  not  later  than  1890. 

Miss  Clementine  Evans  (now  Mrs.  P.  C.  Nicolaysen),  was  Bes- 
semer's  first  school  teacher.  There  were  in  the  town  a  drug  store, 
two  general  merchandise  stores,  a  saloon,  a  newspaper,  blacksmith 
shop,  hotel,  restaurant  and  the  other  establishments  that  went  to 
make  up  a  typical  frontier  village. 

In  the  spring  of  1890  the  newspaper,  the  Bessemer  Journal, 
stated  that  Max  A.  Jaensch  was  in  the  town  making  arrangements 
for  the  construction  of  a  brewery,  and  a  wholesale  and  retail  liquor 
house  was  to  be  established  there  as  soon  as  the  buildings  could  be 
completed. 

A  stage  line  was  operated  between  Casper  and  Bessemer,  round 
trips  being  made  twice  each  day,  leaving  each  point  at  7  o'clock  in 
the  morning  and  arriving  at  2:30  in  the  afternoon.  Among  the  well- 
known  men  who  were  engaged  in  business  there  and  who  are  yet 
residents  of  the  county  are  W.  A.  Blackmore,  who  was  proprietor 
of  the  drug  store,  and  G.  W.  Johnson,  who  was  postmaster  and  also 
conducted  a  general  store.  Others  who  were  engaged  in  business  there, 
but  who  long  ago  left  the  county  or  have  been  called  hence,  were 
G.  C.  Riggles,  harness  and  saddlery;  Frank  J.  Posvar,  dry  goods  and 
groceries;  Conrad  Houk,  saloon;  J.  Enos  Walte,  publisher  Bessemer 
Journal;  C.  W.  Eads,  livery;  Mrs.  C.  M.  Doss,  hotel;  Charles  Peter- 
son, real  estate;  Charles  Ford,  brick  plant;  J.  W.  Van  Gordon,  board- 
ing house.    Wm.   Clark  was  proprietor  of  the  "Searlght   House," 

221 


222  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

which  he  advertised  as  being  "the  best  hotel  in  Central  Wyoming, 
with  accommodations  unsurpassed."  He  also  "supplied  parties  with 
good  rigs  and  saddle  horses  at  reasonable  rates  who  wished  to  go  over 
the  oil  regions."  John  Clark  was  proprietor  of  the  Bessemer-Casper 
stage  line.  Chris  Baysel  was  the  architect  and  builder  of  Bessemer. 
Mr.  Baysel's  energy  and  enthusiasm  was  probably  more  commendable 
than  his  ability  as  a  builder,  for  the  houses  he  constructed  were  quite 
susceptible  to  the  high  winds  that  prevailed  on  the  open  prairies  and 
although  none  of  them  were  ever  blown  down,  they  failed  to  keep  out 
the  dust  in  the  summer  or  the  snows  of  winter.  He  was  given  the 
contract  to  draw  the  plans  and  specifications  for  the  bridge  crossing 
the  Platte  river  at  Bessemer,  and  during  its  construction,  in  addition 
to  being  the  architect,  he  voluntarily  assumed  the  responsibility  as 
foreman  of  the  construction  gang,  which  caused  dissension  among 
the  workmen.  One  evening  after  work  a  meeting  was  held  by  the 
workmen  and  Frank  Verden  was  chosen  as  their  boss,  and  the  next 
morning  when  Baysel  appeared  on  the  bridge  and  commenced  to 
direct  the  men,  Mr.  Verden,  who  was  a  tall  and  very  strong  man, 
lifted  him  in  the  air  and  pitched  him  into  the  river,  about  fifteen  feet 
below.  Baysel,  after  emerging  from  the  stream,  went  home,  changed 
clothing,  and  in  a  short  time  moved  to  Casper,  where  his  services 
were  somewhat  in  demand. 

Bessemer  was  a  candidate  on  April  8,  1890,  against  Casper  for 
the  county  seat  of  Natrona  county,  and  the  people  of  that  precinct 
cast  667  votes,  while  in  Casper  precinct  304  votes  were  cast.  It  was 
estimated  that  there  were  at  least  three  times  as  many  votes  cast  in 
Bessemer  as  there  were  men,  women,  and  children;  and  it  was  like- 
wise said  that  the  people  of  Casper  did  not  overlook  casting  her  full 
quota,  and  a  few  votes  possibly  might  have  been  cast  in  Casper  that 
were  a  shade  off  color.  It  is  not  improbable  that  some  Casper  electors 
exercised  their  franchise  more  than  once  that  day.  The  Bessemer 
vote  was  thrown  out,  however,  and  the  town  lost  not  only  the  county 
seat,  but  the  railroad  did  not  come  through  as  was  promised  and 
expected;  the  oil  well,  which  was  being  drilled  close  to  the  town  turned 
out  to  be  a  duster;  the  residents  commenced  to  pack  up  and  leave; 
and  the  business  houses  commenced  to  close  up.  Everything  went 
from  bad  to  worse  and  in  a  very  few  years  there  was  not  a  house  or 
building  of  any  kind  left  in  the  town.  They  had  all  been  torn  down 
and  moved  away.  Today  there  is  nothing  left  of  Bessemer  but  a  few 
holes  in  the  ground,  and  thus  died  the  town  that  "hit  the  ball"  and 
was  up  and  doing  from  the  date  of  its  birth  until  she  lost  the  railroad, 
the  county  seat,  her  oil  well,  and  her  life  all  at  about  the  same  time. 
During  the  middle  of  the  summer  of  1891  the  first  house  built  in  Bes- 


-♦W^;   *i» 


Town   uk   Bkssemhr,  1890 


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f    1 


■,_^. 


— — TTm 


l!l^s|\iiK     POSTOFFICE,    1892 (JhORGF     W.    JoHNSON,    W  \\  h    AND    SoN 


NATRONA    county's    TOWNS  223 

semer  was  torn  down  and  moved  to  Casper.  The  people  had  already 
given  up  hope  of  the  railroad  coming  that  way,  and  quite  a  number 
of  people  who  went  there  with  great  expectations  had  moved  away, 
selling  their  property  and  their  goods  at  the  best  price  they  could. 

The  Bessemer  Journal  suspended  publication  in  December,  1890. 
J.  Enos  Waite,  who  published  the  paper  under  contract  with  the 
Wyoming  Improvement  company,  being  unwilling  to  continue  the 
struggle,  and  the  Improvement  company,  being  reluctant  to  put  any 
more  money  in  the  proposition,  came  to  the  mutual  understanding 
that  the  pubhcation  should  cease.  The  newspaper  plant  was  attached 
by  an  Omaha  paper  jobbing  house  to  satisfy  a  claim  for  paper  fur- 
nished the  company,  and  the  sheriff  had  the  types  and  presses  and 
other  material  moved  from  Bessemer  to  Casper  on  February  24,  and 
sold  at  auction  on  the  28th.  Waite  then  went  to  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
where  he  published  the  Real  Estate  News  for  a  couple  of  months,  and 
then  returned  to  Casper  and  commenced  the  publication  of  the 
Natrona  Tribune  on  June  I,  1 891,  the  plant  used  for  this  paper  being 
the  old  Bessemer  Journal  plant.  It  had  been  purchased  by  about  a 
dozen  Casper  men  who  had  incorporated  the  Republican  Publishing 
company. 

The  records  at  the  court  house  show  that  on  August  4,  1892, 
"The  Wyoming  Improvement  company  being  indebted  to  the  county 
in  the  amount  of  $265.78  for  taxes,  and  as  the  said  company  is  the 
owner  of  a  bridge  across  the  Platte  river  at  Bessemer,  it  is  ordered 
that  the  county  treasurer  be  instructed  to  accept  a  conveyance  of  the 
bridge  to  the  county,  and  the  county  cancel  any  and  all  taxes  that 
may  stand  on  the  books  for  the  years  1890  and  1891  against  the 
company."  This  was  the  last  chapter  of  the  town  of  Bessemer  and 
the  Wyoming  Improvement  company,  so  far  as  their  importance  in 
Natrona  county  was  concerned.  Bessemer  Bend,  however,  is  today 
one  of  the  prettiest  spots  in  Natrona  county.  Located  at  the  west 
end  of  the  foothills  of  Casper  mountain,  along  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
Platte  river  about  fifteen  miles  west  from  Casper,  are  a  dozen  beauti- 
ful and  prosperous  ranches.  These  ranches  are  in  a  valley  which  is 
protected  from  the  winds  that  usually  sweep  down  over  the  country. 
A  large  spring  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  furnishes  an  abundance  of 
water  for  irrigating  purposes  and  bountiful  crops  of  small  grains  are 
raised  and  in  the  valley  there  are  several  orchards  where  luscious 
apples  are  grown  in  great  quantities. 

A  company  was  organized  in  1920-21  which  drilled  several 
thousand  feet  for  oil  in  the  Bessemer  valley,  but  the  result  was  a  dis- 
appointment to  the  stockholders.  But  their  disappointment  was  of 
small  moment  compared  to  the  mortification  of  the  sturdy  men  and 


224  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

women  who  did  their  bit  toward  building  a  town  on  the  bleak  prairie 
where  there  was  no  water  to  supply  the  needs  of  even  the  household, 
where  there  was  no  shelter  from  the  scorching  suns  of  the  summer  or 
the  howling  storms  of  winter  and  where  nothing  would  grow  but 
cactus  and  sage  brush. 

The  "Searight  House,"  previously  mentioned  as  being  operated 
by  Wm.  Clark,  was  not  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town  of 
Bessemer,  but  was  located  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  the  town 
proper.  This  house  was  built  in  the  late  '70's  or  early  '8o's,  by  the 
Searight  Cattle  company  of  Texas,  and  it  is  still  standing.  The 
lumber,  hardware  and  other  material  used  in  the  building  of  this 
house  was  hauled  from  Cheyenne  by  freight  teams,  a  distance  of 
more  than  225  miles.  Joe  Black  was  foreman  for  the  Searight  outfit 
for  a  number  of  years  and  made  his  headquarters  at  this  house,  which 
was  then,  and  is  yet,  known  as  the  Goose  Egg  ranch  house.  Martin 
Gothberg  was  one  of  the  cowboys  for  the  Searight  company.  The 
place  was  sometimes  called  the  Stone  ranch,  because  the  house  is 
built  of  stone,  but  the  original  and  proper  name  is  the  Goose  Egg. 
J.  M.  Carey  bought  the  Goose  Egg  property  in  1886  and  is  yet  the 
owner.  In  the  early  days  this  ranch  house  was  the  scene  of  many 
sociable  events  among  the  cattlemen  and  cowboys,  and  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  interesting  history  in  connection  with  it. 

Owen  Wister  selected  the  Goose  Egg  ranch  as  the  location  for 
one  of  the  most  interesting  and  exciting  episodes  of  his  "Virginian." 
Although  Wister,  in  his  "Virginian,"  says  that  the  Goose  Egg  is 
located  on  Bear  creek,  it  must  be  remembered  that  writers  of  fiction 
are  always  careless  as  to  names,  dates  and  locations.  The  Goose  Egg 
is  located  near  the  mouth  of  Poison  Spider  creek,  where  it  empties 
into  the  Platte  river,  while  Bear  creek  is  in  Converse  county,  about 
seventy-five  miles  east  of  the  Goose  Egg  ranch.  But  Wister  does  not 
claim  that  his  description  of  the  country  is  correct  or  all  the  events 
mentioned  in  his  book  are  true,  and  he  purposely  changed  the  names 
of  people,  ranches,  creeks,  and  mountains  that  went  to  make  up  his 
most  interesting  story,  therefore  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
"Virginian"  is  a  novel,  and  not  a  history,  and  Wister  is  a  writer  of 
fiction  and  not  of  facts,  and  he  says  in  the  beginning  that  the  char- 
acters in  his  book,  the  events  and  many  of  the  places  are  not  real, 
therefore  it  is  not  the  purpose  of  the  author  of  this  book  to  discredit 
Wister's  "Virginian"  but  is  rather  our  aim  to  caution  the  reader  of 
the  novel  not  to  place  too  much  reliance  upon  it,  and  more  especially 
upon  a  joke  perpetrated  upon  some  eastern  newspaper  writers  who 
passed  through  Casper  in  191 1,  when  it  was  represented  to  them  that 
a  well  known  CY  cowboy,  who  afterwards  made  his  home  in  Casper,  was 


^^ 


ALCOVA  S    BRIGHT    PROSPECTS  225 

selected  as  the  hero  of  the  "Virginian."  It  should  be  remembered  that 
the  hero  was  supposed  to  have  come  to  Wyoming  from  Virginia.  The 
joke  has  been  carried  so  far  that  many  of  the  recent  arrivals  in  Natrona 
county  actually  believe  that  the  Virginian  was  this  former  CY  cowboy. 
But  let  us  get  back  to  the  Goose  Egg  ranch  house,  near  where 
the  town  of  Bessemer  was  located.  It  was  here  according  to  Wister, 
that  the  Virginian  came  more  than  one  hundred  miles  on  horse  back 
to  be  present  at  the  Swinton  barbecue,  to  see  Molly  Wood,  the  school 
teacher,  and  to  attend  the  dance;  it  was  here  that  the  Virginian  again 
met  Trampas  and  made  him  "stand  on  his  laigs"  and  admit  that  he 
was  a  liar  when  he  made  some  derogatory  remarks  about  the  school 
teacher;  it  was  in  this  house  that  the  school  teacher  snubbed  the  hero 
because  he  asked  her  to  dance  with  him  before  he  had  been  introduced 
to  her,  and  he  felt  so  badly  over  it  that  he  and  Lin  McLean,  another 
cowboy,  who  came  from  Massachusetts,  got  gloriously  drunk,  and, 
while  in  their  cups  and  while  the  dancers  were  enjoying  themselves  in 
another  room,  changed  the  clothing  on  a  dozen  babies  and  then 
changed  the  babies  from  the  positions  their  mothers  had  left  them, 
and  the  change  was  not  noticed  until  the  mothers  and  fathers  reached 
home  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning,  and  then  found  that  they  had 
brought  home  with  them  their  own  baby's  clothing  but  not  their 
own  baby;  it  was  here  that  a  dozen  mothers  and  fathers  returned  with 
all  possible  haste  and  after  all  had  assembled  it  took  the  mothers 
about  two  hours  to  straighten  out  the  mix-up  and  for  each  of  them 
to  get  back  her  own  baby  with  its  proper  wearing  apparel,  all  of 
which  makes  interesting  reading  and  was  a  good  joke  on  the  mothers, 
if  such  a  thing  had  ever  occurred,  but,  according  to  many  old-timers 
who  would  have  known  of  it,  such  a  thing  never  happened  at  the 
Goose  Egg  ranch  house  or  any  other  ranch  house  in  this  part  of 
Wyoming,  and  while  there  were  dances  at  the  Goose  Egg  ranch  house 
occasionally,  the  barbecue  as  described  by  Wister  and  the  baby  mix- 
up  was  wholly  and  entirely  imaginary,  and  those  who  have  been  led 
to  believe  that  certain  of  Casper's  citizens  were  the  instigators  of  the 
baby  episode  and  that  some  of  Casper's  matrons  were  some  of  the 
babies  connected  with  the  story,  it  may  be  depended  upon  that  they 
have  been  imposed  upon,  as  were  the  newspaper  writers  from  the  east 
who  visited  Casper  in  191 1,  and  as  a  joke  were  given  this  interesting 
data  upon  which  they  could  write  an  entertaining  article  for  their 
newspapers. 

Alcova's  Bright  Prospects 

The  prospects  for  Alcova,  about  thirty-five  miles  southwest  from 
Casper  to  become  one  of  the  greatest  summer  and  health  resorts  in 


226  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  west  thirty  years  ago  were  very  encouraging,  but,  like  some  men, 
it  was  ambitious  beyond  its  station,  and  thus  far  has  been  doomed  to 
disappointment.  In  the  early  spring  of  1891  an  eastern  syndicate, 
headed  by  Isaac  Van  Horn,  purchased  the  hot  springs  and  the  town- 
site  from  G.  C.  Riggles.  It  was  then  announced  that  $250,000  would 
be  expended  to  make  the  improvements  that  the  company  contem- 
plated, and  that  $75,000  would  be  expended  that  year.  A  steam 
engine  was  to  be  purchased  and  used  to  pump  water  from  the  river 
for  the  purpose  of  irrigating  lands  adjacent  to  the  springs  and  making 
fine  lawns  and  beautifying  the  town  lots.  Two  streets  were  laid  out, 
one  of  them,  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  was  to  be  one  and  one- 
half  miles  in  length,  and  towm  lots  were  platted  on  either  side  of  this 
street.  A  similar  street  was  laid  out  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 
Four  or  five  seven-room  cottages  were  to  be  erected  at  once  by  the 
members  of  the  company,  who  were  to  move  their  families  there  and 
reside.  A  suspension  foot  bridge  was  to  be  built  from  wall  to  wall  in 
the  center  of  the  canyon,  about  250  feet  above  the  water  and  the 
president  of  the  company  said  he  was  negotiating  for  cable  with  which 
to  build  this  bridge.  Walks  were  to  be  constructed  in  the  canyon  on 
both  sides,  connecting  with  the  foot  bridge,  and  this  was  to  be  grand 
beyond  comparison.  A  first-class  stage  road  was  to  be  built  from 
Casper  to  the  springs  by  this  company.  Hotels  and  bathing  accom- 
modations were  to  be  prepared,  and  as  soon  as  everything  was  in 
readiness  a  daily  stage  line  would  be  established  from  Casper  to  the 
new  health  resort,  and  a  stage  line  was  also  to  be  put  on  from  Alcova 
to  the  Yellowstone  National  park.  This  was  the  announcement 
made  in  April. 

In  October  of  the  same  year  the  company  sent  a  representative 
to  Casper  to  contract  for  lumber  for  the  first  buildings,  bridges,  etc., 
which  was  to  be  hauled  to  the  grounds  at  once  and  it  was  said  that 
work  upon  the  buildings  would  continue  during  the  entire  winter, 
and  in  June,  1892,  they  expected  to  have  everything  in  readiness  to 
throw  open  to  the  thousands  of  visitors,  who  would  surely  come  to 
avail  themselves  of  the  healing,  health-giving  waters,  but  in  the 
meantime  the  water  from  the  springs  was  free  to  all  who  desired  to 
go  there  and  "camp"  and  bathe. 

"Until  the  railroad  is  built  in,"  the  syndicate  announced,  "we 
will  run  a  daily  stage  line  of  six-horse  stage  coaches  from  Casper  over 
the  romantic  and  scenic  road.  We  will  build  a  bridge  across  the  river 
about  twenty  miles  from  Casper,  and  this  structure  will  be  built 
entirely  of  native  lumber,  with  piers  of  different  colored  stone.  We 
may  also  put  in  a  line  of  small  steamers  and  sail  boats  between  Casper 
and  the  springs  for  those  who  would  prefer  the  water  route. 


ALCOVA  S  BRIGHT  PROSPECTS  227 

"All  the  buildings  and  improvements  at  the  springs  will  be 
modern  and  of  the  latest  and  most  improved  designs.  There  will  be 
pavilions,  driveways,  walks  and  cozy  nooks  and  dark  caverns,  glass 
bath  tubs,  plunge  and  swimming  baths,  boats  and  steam  yachts  and 
every  convenience  for  the  accommodation  of  our  guests,  and  in  a 
few  years  the  Alcova  Hot  springs  will  be  the  Arkansas  of  the  West." 

Then  money  matters  tightened  up  in  the  fall  and  all  work  was 
suspended  until  the  following  spring,  when  T.  C.  VanHorn  and  E.  P. 
Weatherly,  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  Alcova  Hot  Springs  com- 
pany, arrived  from  the  east  and  went  out  to  the  property.  They 
claimed  that  they  had  succeeded  in  putting  the  company  on  a  sound 
financial  basis  and  would  now  complete  the  improvements  contem- 
plated. And  upon  the  strength  of  these  promises,  some  more  Alcova 
town  lots  were  sold,  but,  like  the  promises  heretofore  made,  they 
were  not  kept,  and  the  "  resort "  failed  to  materialize.  Hope,  however, 
was  not  entirely  lost,  for  again  in  the  fall  of  1898  an  effort  was  made  to 
revive  interest,  raise  capital  and  put  new  life  in  the  little  village.  A 
pamphlet  was  issued  called  the  "Problem  of  Life,"  the  title  of  which, 
it  must  be  admitted,  was  not  inappropriately  applied.  In  this  pam- 
phlet the  leading  article  stated  that  "Mother  Nature  has  endowed 
Alcova  with  a  beautiful  and  ideal  valley  to  rest  in,  encircling  it  with 
rock-ribbed  hills  that  were  upheaved  by  some  volcanic  action  ages 
ago.  Fremont  canyon  is  an  example;  it  must  have  been  level  with  the 
valley  but  now  it  stands  1,000  feet  high,  cleft  in  twain,  and  through 
its  solid  rock  walls  the  river  Platte,  300  feet  wide,  passes  and  from  its 
perpendicular  side  a  score  or  more  of  springs  of  hot  water  flow,  rang- 
ing from  132  to  139  degrees  Fahrenheit.  The  analysis  of  these  waters 
shows  them  to  be  of  wonderful  medical  qualities,  and  miraculous 
cures  have  been  experienced  through  them. 

"The  chemists  say  the  water  will  be  very  beneficial  as  a  bath. 
Taken  internally  it  will  prove  a  mild  laxative,  and  taken  in  connection 
with  the  bath  would  be  beneficial  in  chronic  diseases,  such  as  rheu- 
matism, gout,  stiff"  joints,  etc. 

"The  hot  springs  have  intrinsic  value  alone,  justifying  the  sick  in 
making  a  journey  of  thousands  of  miles  to  bathe  and  drink  the  healing 
draught.  These,  coupled  with  the  many  attractive  features  of  the 
surroundings,  will  aid  nature's  cures,  and  while  the  fountain  of  youth 
may  not  be  found  here,  yet  it  will  instill  and  renew  the  feelings  of 
youth. 

"The  city  has  an  altitude  of  6,000  feet.  It  is  hemmed  in  on  the 
south  and  west  by  Fremont  canyon,  on  the  east  by  the  Red  cliff  and 
on  the  north  by  the  conglomerate  reef  facing  La  Bonte  canyon  that 
contains  the  most  stupendous  works  of  the  elements.   On  the  face  of 


228  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

this  reef  is  exposed  the  greatest  variety  of  stone  ever  known  to  exist 
in  one  quarry.  There  is  granite,  marble,  limestone,  red  and  white 
sandstone  in  layers  that  breaks  into  squares  ready  for  the  builder's 
use.  This  quarry  won  the  premium  at  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago. 
The  pen  may  describe,  the  camera  may  portray  but  the  artist  must 
plant  his  easel  in  this  canyon  at  the  setting  of  the  sun  on  some  clear 
June  day  to  gather  the  varied  hues  and  catch  the  colorings  in  the  land- 
scape of  nature's  wonderland;  nothing  grander  will  ever  be  spread  on 
canvas. 

"These  canyons,  cliffs  and  reefs  are  800  to  i,2CXD  feet  high, 
protecting  Alcova  from  storms  and  making  a  cozy  retreat  in  the 
winter,  which  insures  to  the  sick  the  finest  and  healthiest  climate  all 
the  year  of  any  springs  resort  on  earth. 

"To  the  southwest  is  a  canyon  six  miles  long,  with  rock  walls 
often  1,500  feet  high.  The  Platte  river  flows  through  it;  the  scenery 
is  grand,  but  no  boat  can  pass  through  it  on  account  of  cataracts. 
Fremont  lost  his  boats  and  some  of  his  men  there  in  1842  making  the 
attempt. 

"To  the  west  are  saponite  beds,  a  beautiful  white  substance  like 
sapolio,  but  much  finer  grain.  Place  it  powdered  upon  a  burn,  it  will 
relieve  the  pain  and  heal  the  burn  in  a  few  hours,  leaving  no  scar. 
Powdered  and  snuffed  up  the  nostrils  it  makes  nature's  own  cure  for 
catarrh.  Rub  the  tooth  brush  across  the  cake  and  it  makes  the  finest 
of  tooth  powders,  cleansing,  purifying  and  whitening  even  old 
tobacco-stained  teeth. 

"The  weather  is  always  superb,  making  boating  most  enjoyable. 
Fishing  is  a  splendid  treat,  as  one  can  catch  perch,  cat  and  pike  as 
long  as  your  arm.  These  pleasures  are  at  your  hand  and  it  is  no 
trouble  to  reach  them,  as  the  river  flows  through  Alcova. 

"Nature,  with  generous  care,  having  provided  hot  springs, 
climate,  scenery  and  raw  materials  sufficient  to  build  a  city  that  will 
be  an  honor  to  her  majesty,  awaits  the  magic  touch  and  charm  that 
will  improve  with  modern  facilities  her  wondrous  work  for  the  healing 
of  mankind." 

More  than  thirty  years  have  passed  since  the  bright  future  was 
thus  promised  for  the  little  town  at  the  foothills  of  the  mountains. 
Today  there  is  a  small  general  store  there,  a  school  house,  several 
comfortable  residences  and  about  a  dozen  log  cabins,  most  of 
them  unoccupied.  The  great  hopes  of  the  promoters  and  bright 
prospects  for  the  town  are  blasted,  for  the  time  being,  at  least,  but  the 
wonderful  hot  springs,  whose  waters  contain  marvelous  mineral 
properties,  are  yet  flowing  and  gushing  from  the  rocks  alongside 
the  river,   and  some  day  capital  may  be  invested  there,  and  the 


TOWN    OF    BOTHWELL  229 

brightest  dreams  and  greatest  hopes  of  the  people  of  the  little  town 
may  be  realized.    Who  knows? 


Town  of  Bothwell 

There  was  a  movement  on  foot  early  in  the  year  of  1889  to  es- 
tablish the  town  of  "Bothwell"  in  the  Sweetwater  country,  situated 
about  two  and  a  half  miles  north  from  the  banks  of  Sweetwater  river 
and  nearly  opposite  Horse  creek,  where  the  Bothwell  ranch  houses 
were  originally  located.  The  Sweetwater  Land  and  Improvement 
company  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  ^300,000,  with  J.  R. 
Bothwell  and  A.  J.  Bothwell  at  the  head.  Circulars  were  issued  in 
January,  1889,  setting  forth  the  advantages  of  the  new  town,  and 
town  plats  were  executed.  The  lots  were  offered  at  from  $150  to  ^400 
each. 

"Fertile  valleys  and  large  stock  interests,  close  connection  to  the 
oil  fields  and  mining  interests  and  soda  beds,  and  at  no  distant  date 
the  removal  of  the  state  capital,  the  Wyoming  Central  extension  of 
the  Fremont,  Elkhorn,  and  Missouri  Valley  railway  will  move  west 
from  Casper  through  the  Sweetwater  valley  before  the  close  of  the 
year,"  were  some  of  the  advantages  set  forth  in  the  circular  booming 
the  new  town.  There  was  a  store,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  newspaper 
called  the  Szveetzvater  Chief,  a  postoffice,  a  saloon,  owned  by  James 
Averell,  and  a  "hog  ranch"  owned  by  Ella  Watson,  spread  over  the  flat 
during  the  summer  of  '89,  but  for  the  reason  that  the  townsite  was 
forty-five  miles  from  the  railroad,  that  the  "fertile  valleys"  were  pro- 
ducing nothing  more  than  wild  grass,  grease  wood,  sage  brush  and 
cactus,  and  that  up  to  date  no  precious  minerals  or  oil  had  been  found 
in  the  vicinity,  and  because  of  the  fact  that  the  price  of  the  town  lots 
was  above  and  beyond  all  reason,  very  few,  if  any,  Bothwell  town 
lots  were  ever  sold. 

In  the  middle  of  the  summer  when  the  boom  was  on,  Averell  and 
the  Watson  woman  were  hanged  by  some  cattlemen  to  the  limb  of  a 
tree,  and  their  dead  bodies  were  buried  in  the  door  yard  of  Averell's 
saloon;  the  newspaper  suspended  publication  for  the  lack  of  news 
and  the  want  of  support;  the  storekeeper  moved  away;  the  black- 
smith closed  up  his  shop,  and  thus  the  town  of  Bothwell  winked  out 
and  died. 

There  is  now  nothing  on  the  proposed  Bothwell  townsite  but  the 
graves  of  Jim  Averell  and  Ella  Watson.  The  Bothwell  ranch  house 
and  other  buildings  were  moved  about  a  mile  to  the  north  a  number 
of  years  ago.  Thus  Bothwell  townsite  is  left  with  nothing  but  a  mem- 
ory of  the  little  settlement  where  there  were  many  interesting  and 


230  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

exciting  escapades  in  which  the  cowboys,  the  cattle  owners,  the  cattle 
rustlers,  and  the  all  'round  bad  man  played  their  parts. 


Rise  and  Fall  of  Eadsville 

Twenty  acres  of  land  on  top  of  Casper  mountain,  ten  miles  due 
south  from  Casper,  was  filed  upon  in  1890  by  Charles  W.  Eads,  and  it 
was  surveyed  and  platted  for  a  site  for  a  stamp  mill.  It  attained  the 
name  of  a  "town"  early  in  the  year  1891,  and  its  name  was  Eads- 
ville, but  the  "town"  consisted  of  only  three  log  cabins  at  that  time. 
Lots  were  sold  during  the  years  of  189 1-2  and  ten  or  twelve  more 
cabins  were  put  up  during  those  years.  In  the  center  of  the  town  was 
a  large  spring  of  pure,  ice-cold  water,  of  sufficient  flow  to  supply 
several  thousand  people. 

Gold,  silver,  galena,  copper,  lead,  and  asbestos  mines  were  opened 
up  on  the  mountains  in  all  directions  from  the  town,  and  for  several 
years,  in  the  early  90's,  there  were  forty  to  fifty  people  who  made  their 
home  at  this  point. 

The  first  real  mining  excitement  in  this  camp  occurred  in  January, 
1 891,  when  S.  A.  (Jack)  Currier  received  a  certificate  of  an  assay 
from  Omaha  upon  some  ore  he  had  sent  in,  the  returns  from  which 
showed  33  ounces  in  silver  and  82  per  cent  lead.  In  February  of  the 
same  year,  upon  the  strength  of  this  assay,  a  telegram  was  received 
from  Deadwood  requesting  that  six  carloads  of  ore  per  day  be  shipped 
to  the  mills  there,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  snow  in  the  canyons 
was  from  six  to  ten  feet  deep,  and  that  the  mines  had  not  yet  been 
properly  opened  up,  the  shipments  could  not  be  made.  Many  letters 
were  received  in  Casper  every  day  from  mining  men  inquiring  about 
the  camp  and  the  grade  of  ore  that  was  being  taken  out,  which,  it 
was  said,  was  growing  richer  with  each  day's  work,  and  many  men  were 
put  to  work  to  open  up  the  prospects  and  have  them  in  shape  to  be 
properly  shown  when  an  expert  from  a  Denver  mining  syndicate 
came  up  in  the  early  spring  to  make  an  examination. 

The  copper  "lead"  on  the  west  end  of  the  mountains  was  found 
by  Bailey  and  Johnson  in  February,  1891,  with  a  hanging  wall  and  a 
ledge  more  than  six  feet  wide  without  the  foot  wall  yet  being  found, 
the  hole  being  but  eight  feet  deep,  but  ore  was  plentiful,  even  at  this 
shallow  depth,  being  of  a  rich  green  oxide  of  copper,  which  assays 
showed  33  per  cent  in  white  metal  and  42  per  cent  in  copper.  This 
mining  camp  was  called  Copperopolis.  About  this  time  it  was  an- 
nounced that  J.  E.  Daine,  who  had  been  a  prospector  and  miner  all 
his  life,  had  prospected  and  mined  all  over  Colorado,  Arizona  and  New 
Mexico  for  thirty-three  years,  and  whose  knowledge  of  rocks  and 


RISE    AND    FALL    OF    EADSVILLE  23 1 

formations  was  gained  by  intimate  association  with  them,  now 
appeared  on  the  scene,  and  after  a  visit  to  the  camps,  he  gave  it  out 
that  he  was  "very  much  surprised  at  the  richness  of  Casper  moun- 
tain." He  had  examined  the  ore  very  closely,  and  it  was  his  belief 
that  Casper  mountain  was  a  wonderful  camp,  with  copper  ore  enough 
there  to  supply  a  smelter  now,  and  he  had  no  doubt  but  one  would  be 
built  before  fall. 

The  excitement  grew  more  intense  with  each  day,  and  the  samples 
of  ore,  running  rich  with  copper  and  silver,  caused  great  interest 
among  all  classes.  The  railroad  company  put  on  an  extra  coach  and 
arranged  to  keep  up  with  the  rush  and  furnish  accommodations  for 
the  multitudes  that  would  flock  here  during  the  spring,  the  advance 
guard  of  which  was  already  arriving. 

A  petition  was  circulated  and  signed  by  nearly  all  the  business 
men  of  Casper  asking  that  a  postofhce  be  established  at  Eadsville 
and  the  maintaining  of  a  daily  mail  route  between  Casper  and  that 
place.  "The  miners  at  the  several  camps,"  said  the  newspapers,  "are 
put  to  much  trouble,  expense  and  delay  in  communicating  with  the 
business  men  of  Casper  as  well  as  the  financial  centers  of  the  east 
concerning  the  wonderful  strikes  that  are  being  made  there  daily, 
which  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  they  should  be  known  at  the 
earliest  possible  moment." 

Reports  were  brought  down  from  the  mountain  on  February  22 
that  there  was  so  much  excitement  over  the  finds  that  were  made  on 
the  Bailey  and  Johnson  claims  on  the  west  end  of  the  mountain  that 
prospectors  were  camped  all  over  the  mountain,  and  that  hundreds 
of  claims  were  being  located.  This  report  caused  a  movement  to 
immediately  start  to  organize  a  company  among  the  business  men 
of  the  town  to  handle  and  ship  the  ore,  and  to  advertise  the  camp  in 
the  east.  Both  the  hotels  in  Casper — the  Graham  and  the  Went- 
worth — were  being  enlarged  to  take  care  of  the  great  rush  that 
would  come  in  the  spring,  stores  were  also  bemg  enlarged,  and  mining 
supplies  added,  and  every  arrangement  was  being  made  to  take  care 
of  the  people  who  were  sure  to  come  when  the  great  rush  was  on, 
which  would  be  when  the  snow  melted  and  the  ore  could  be  brought 
down  from  the  mountain  in  wagons. 

Another  report  the  latter  part  of  March  said:  "All  the  miners 
are  elated  and  the  camp  is  booming.  Cowboys  have  quit  the  range 
and  gone  to  prospecting,  and  everybody  in  and  around  Casper  is 
putting  money  in  the  companies  that  are  being  organized.  H.  E. 
Sherman,  a  practical  miner  and  assayer,  arrived  on  March  2  from  the 
Black  Hills  to  make  an  examination  of  the  properties.  He  had  made 
assays  of  some  of  the  ore  sent  from  here  which  run  78  per  cent  copper. 


232  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  he  says  that  if  the  lead  is  an  assured  fact  this  will  be  a  greater 
mining  camp  than  the  Anaconda  in  Montana.  Mr.  Sherman  spent 
two  weeks  on  the  mountains  and  when  he  came  down  he  had  no 
hesitancy  in  declaring  that  the  ore  was  all  that  could  be  desired  and 
that  he  had  no  doubt  that  there  was  an  immense  body  of  it.  He 
offered  to  sink  a  shaft  one  hundred  feet  deep  on  one  claim  in  the 
vicinity  of  Copperopolis  for  a  half  interest  in  it,  and  he  returned  to 
the  mountain  hoping  to  be  able  to  make  a  deal  with  some  of  the 
locaters." 

Gold  was  discovered  near  the  west  end  of  the  mountain  on  March 
6,  1891,  by  J.  E.  Daine  and  G.  E.  Butler.  Although  the  snow  was  very 
deep,  Mr.  Daine,  "the  experienced  and  practical  miner,"  discovered 
a  quartz  vein,  which  upon  being  tested  showed  it  to  be  rich  in  gold. 
"There  is  no  mistaking  the  fact,"  said  the  Wyovting  Derrick,  "as  all 
the  town  witnessed  the  test  which  was  made  on  Sunday,  and  the  rich- 
ness of  the  vein  is  very  extensive." 

The  excitement  continued  during  the  early  spring  and  summer 
months.  New  mines  were  found  and  new  leads  were  discovered  every 
day,  many  deals  were  made  and  some  of  the  miners  became  million- 
aires over  night;  they  did  not  get  the  cash,  however,  but  they  had  the 
property,  which  they  claimed  was  just  the  same.  In  the  meantime 
Eadsville  continued  to  grow  in  population  and  wealth. 

On  October  28,  1891,  a  car  load  of  copper  ore,  consisting  of 
seventeen  tons,  which  was  brought  down  from  the  mountains,  was 
shipped  to  a  smelter  in  Chicago,  and  tacked  on  the  side  of  the  car 
was  a  streamer  in  large  letters  which  read: 


COPPER  ORE  FROM  THE  GREAT 
CASPER,  WYOMING,  CAMP 


Before  the  returns  were  received  on  the  first  car  load  of  ore, 
several  more  car  loads  were  shipped  to  the  same  smelter  in  Chicago. 
More  claims  changed  hands,  and  options  were  sold  on  six  claims  for 
ten  thousand  dollars  for  each  claim,  the  money  to  be  paid  when  the 
lead  was  found. 

In  due  time,  when  the  excitement  was  at  its  highest  point,  a 
report  was  received  from  the  smelter  and  it  was  not  difficult  to  figure 
out  that  the  returns  were  not  sufficient  to  justify  the  work  and  cash 
outlay  in  the  production  and  transportation  of  the  ore. 

Like  the  rush  of  an  avalanche  from  the  mountainside  fell  the 
news  that  their  dreams  were  only  dreams  and  the  crushing  con- 
sciousness that  the  ore  on  Casper  mountain  contained  neither  copper, 


HOGADONE  S    TRAIL  233 

silver  nor  gold  in  sufficient  quantity  to  warrant  working  the  claims 
that  only  a  short  time  before  were  considered  worth  millions. 

For  many  days  gloom  reigned  unbroken  in  the  little  town  of 
Casper  as  well  as  at  the  many  mining  camps  on  Casper  mountain 
because  of  the  hard  truth  that  the  test  ore  of  the  first  shipment  was 
a  disappointment  and  failure. 

But  after  the  first  shock,  some  of  the  miners  hung  on  and  con- 
tinued to  look  for  new  and  better  locations,  and  during  the  summer  of 
1892  there  seemed  to  be  as  much  excitement  and  more  hope  for  the 
camp  than  there  was  before  the  unfavorable  returns  were  received 
from  the  smelter  at  Chicago.  For  five  years  some  of  the  men  remained, 
but  they  gradually  dropped  out  one  at  a  time,  until  Eadsville  be- 
came a  deserted  camp. 

No  one  is  living  there  now,  but  a  number  of  the  log  cabins  are 
still  standing.  The  spring,  with  its  pure,  ice-cold  water  flows  as  full 
as  ever,  and  during  the  summertime  campers  occasionally  go  there 
to  avoid  the  heat  and  hide  away  from  business  cares.  It  is  a  beautiful 
place  to  camp  during  the  summer  months,  but  its  attraction  as  a 
mining  center  is  gone  forever. 

Should  you  go  to  Eadsville  alone  and  remain  over  night  it  will 
not  be  difficult  to  appreciate  the  change  that  has  been  wrought,  where 
during  the  day  there  was  the  sound  of  men's  voices  in  boisterous 
laughter,  the  loud-resounding  stroke  of  the  axe  which  felled  the  trees 
to  timber  the  mines  and  the  sharp  report  of  the  blast  of  powder  in 
the  shaft  and  tunnel  and  in  the  night,  around  the  shining  fires  groups 
of  men  in  fantastic  costumes  told  tales  of  marvelous  adventures,  or 
sung  some  old-remembered  song,  or  were  absorbed  in  a  game  of 
chance,  but  now  there  is  but  superb  silence  and  majestic  loneliness, 
and  even  the  atmosphere  itself  seems  changed  to  its  original  purity, 
and  solitude  reigns  supreme. 

Hogadone's  Trail 

The  Hogadone  trail,  on  Caspermountain,  a  short  cut  from  Casper 
to  the  once  lively  camp  of  Eadsville,  is  named  after  John  C.  Hogadone, 
one  of  the  first  men  to  take  up  a  mining  claim  on  the  mountain. 
In  1888-89,  ^he  nearest  road  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  was  through 
the  CY  canyon,  but  in  the  summer  of '89  Hogadone  blazed  this  trail, 
coming  down  and  returning  on  horseback,  but  all  the  miners  on  the 
mountain  put  in  as  much  time  as  they  could  spare  working  on  this 
during  the  summer  and  they  succeeded  in  getting  it  in  such  a  condition 
that  a  mountain  buggy  with  a  team  could  make  the  trip  to  and  from 
the  mountain  over  this  route.    It  was  then  named  the  Hogadone  trail 


234  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  that  is  the  name  that  will  stay  with  it  as  long  as  there  is  even  as 
much  as  a  bridle  path  there. 


The  Town  of  Wolton 

The  first  settlement  where  the  old  town  of  Wolton  was  located 
was  made  in  the  early  nineties  by  Jack  Clark,  now  of  Powder  River, 
who  established  a  stage  station  for  his  father  who  was  operating  a 
mail  line  from  Casper  to  Lost  Cabin  over  the  old  Bridger  trail.  This 
was  known  as  Poison  Creek  station.  In  1896  the  Northwestern  Rail- 
way company  built  a  reservoir  on  section  8,  township  36,  range  87, 
on  Poison  creek,  about  sixty  miles  northwest  of  Casper,  which  was 
one  of  a  string  of  reservoirs  built  for  the  accommodation  of  stock 
trailing  from  the  Lander  valley  and  the  Big  Horn  basin  to  Casper  for 
shipment  to  market.  In  the  winter  of  1896  and  spring  of  1897  a  store 
was  built  at  this  place  and  a  postoffice  established  by  the  Wolton 
Commercial  company,  which  was  organized  by  C.  H.  King,  one  of 
the  pioneers  of  Casper.  The  new  postoffice  was  called  Wolton  and 
the  first  postmaster  was  R.  L.  Carpenter,  now  of  Casper,  who  was 
also  manager  of  the  store.  Mr.  Carpenter  remained  in  charge  of  the 
store  and  postoffice  until  the  fall  of  1898,  when  he  was  succeeded  by 
W.  H.  Dickinson  of  Lander.  In  January,  1899,  the  stock  of  the 
Wolton  Commercial  company  was  purchased  by  A.  J.  Cunningham 
and  associates  of  Casper,  who  afterward  operated  the  Wolton  store 
as  a  branch  of  the  Casper  store.  At  the  time  of  the  transfer  to  the 
new  owners  O.  G.  Johnson,  now  of  Casper,  was  appointed  manager 
and  remained  in  charge  a  number  of  years,  being  succeeded  in  1905 
by  J.  A.  Warlaumont.  At  the  time  of  the  establishment  of  the  store 
and  postoffice  at  Wolton  one  of  the  largest  machine  sheep-shearing 
plants  in  the  west  was  built  at  that  place  and  was  operated  for  a 
number  of  years  under  the  management  of  J.  D.  HoUiday.  Many 
thousands  of  sheep  were  shorn  here  every  spring,  the  wool  being 
shipped  by  wagon  freight  to  Casper.  A  good  water  supply  for  the 
town  was  obtained  from  a  spring  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away.  A 
tank  was  built  on  the  high  ground,  a  windmill  put  up,  a  pipe  hne  laid 
to  the  tank  and  to  all  buildings  in  the  place,  so  that,  so  far  as  water 
was  concerned,  the  place  had  the  conveniences  of  a  city.  In  the  early 
days  of  Wolton  the  range  was  all  open  and  free;  there  were  no  home- 
steaders and  the  sheep  owners  and  their  flocks  moved  at  will  from 
one  locality  to  another.  Among  those  making  Wolton  a  supply  place 
and  shearing  point  in  the  early  days  might  be  mentioned  J.  D.  Wood- 
ruff, Wm.  Madden,  Ed.  Merriam,  Andrew  Cazanave,  D.  H.  Ralston, 
T.  B.  Hood,  Colin  Campbell,  J.  A.  Delfelder,  C.  D.  Hemry,  Joe  Jay, 


ARMINTO    INCORPORATED  235 

E.  B.  Conkling,  Orchard  Brothers  and  a  great  number  of  others  of  the 
old-timers  of  western  Natrona  and  eastern  Fremont  counties.  With 
the  establishment  of  other  business  a  road  ranch,  or  hotel,  became 
necessary,  and  the  Wolton  road  ranch  was  opened.  The  buildings 
were  constructed  of  logs,  which  were  hauled  from  the  Big  Horn 
mountains,  a  distance  of  forty  miles.  The  first  eating  house  was 
operated  by  Billy  Day,  in  a  shack  afterwards  used  as  a  warehouse  by 
the  Wolton  Commercial  company.  This  was  soon  replaced  by  the 
log  buildings  built  and  operated  by  Harry  Brower.  In  connection 
with  the  road  ranch  was  the  (at  that  time)  inevitable  saloon,  and 
Wolton  was  the  scene  of  many  wild  times  which  resulted  in  a  few 
fatalities,  mention  of  which  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  The 
road  ranch  passed  into  the  hands  of  T.  B.  Hood,  one  of  the  oldest 
residents  of  the  county,  who  operated  it  for  a  number  of  years,  selling 
out  to  E.  O.  Orchard.  Early  in  1904  the  road  ranch  and  saloon  busi- 
ness passed  into  the  hands  of  J.  D.  Holliday  and  J.  L.  Marquis,  under 
the  management  of  Mr.  Marquis,  who  conducted  the  business  until 
the  fall  of  1905,  when  it  passed  again  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  Orchard. 
He  conducted  the  business  at  the  old  place  until  the  summer  of  1906, 
when  he  moved  the  buildings  and  business  to  the  new  town  of  Ma- 
koma,  afterward  called  Waltman,  about  eight  miles  east.  Early  in 
the  spring  of  1906  the  Northwestern  railroad  was  extended  from 
Casper  to  Lander,  and  a  station  was  established  about  three  miles 
west  of  Wolton.  The  new  place  was  called  Wolton  and  the  post- 
office  and  store  of  the  Wolton  Commercial  company  were  moved  to 
the  new  location.  A  nice  hotel  was  also  built  in  the  new  town  by  J.  L. 
Marquis  and  associates.  A  few  stockmen  established  residences  at 
the  new  place  and  a  school  was  established  in  1907,  with  George  A. 
Davis,  F.  V.  Marsh,  and  C.  D.  Hemry  as  the  first  school  board  and 
Miss  Mae  Wetzel  as  the  first  teacher.  In  1914,  with  the  completion 
of  the  Burlington  railroad  from  Thermopolis  to  Casper,  the  hotel  and 
store  were  moved  about  seven  miles  northeast  to  the  new  town  of 
Arminto  on  that  road.  Wolton  then  became  a  very  quiet  place  and  at 
present  (1923)  is  the  railroad  point  for  a  colony  of  homesteaders,  the 
stock  business  of  the  surrounding  country  having  been  practically 
crowded  out  by  the  settlers.  The  new  Yellowstone  highway  passes 
through  Wolton,  but  like  many  of  the  other  towns  which  sprang  up 
in  the  county  and  flourished,  it  no  doubt  has  seen  its  best  days. 

Arminto  Incorporated 

Arminto  was  the  second  town  in  Natrona  county  to  be  incor- 
porated.   This  town  was  named  after  Manuel  Armenta,  who  owned 


236  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  "Jack  Pot"  ranch  which  was  near  that  station.  The  Burlington 
Railroad  company  changed  the  "e"  to  an  "i"  and  the  "a"  to  an  "o" 
in  the  spelling,  as  the  railroad  company  changed  the  "a"  to  an  "e" 
in  the  spelling  of  Casper,  which  was  named  after  Caspar  W.  Collins. 
Arminto  is  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  railroad,  fifty-eight  miles  west  from 
Casper,  and  like  some  of  the  other  small  towns  in  Natrona  county,  its 
people  at  one  time  had  great  expectations  of  it  becoming  a  thriving 
business  center,  but  those  expectations  have  gone  a-glimmering 
and  it  has  now  settled  down  to  a  substantial  little  trading  point  for 
the  ranchmen  and  stockmen  in  that  vicinity. 

During  the  month  of  December,  1914,  George  Davis  took  a 
census  of  the  town  for  the  purpose  of  determining  whether  there  was 
a  sufficient  number  of  electors  there  to  incorporate,  and  on  February 
3,  191 5,  he  appeared  before  the  board  of  county  commissioners  in 
Casper  with  a  survey  map,  a  census  of  the  proposed  town,  an  appli- 
cation signed  by  218  people  who  resided  in  the  proposed  territory  of 
the  town,  asking  that  the  place  be  incorporated.  The  board  of  com- 
missioners ordered  that  C.  W.  Kittle,  C.  E.  DeGroot  and  W.  I.  Lewis 
be  appointed  inspectors  and  that  they  call  an  election  at  some  con- 
venient time,  and  that  they  perform  such  other  duties  as  are  imposed 
upon  the  inspectors  as  provided  by  law  in  such  cases. 

The  election  was  held  on  February  27,  1915,  when  sixty  votes 
were  cast  in  favor  of  the  incorporation  and  two  votes  were  cast 
against  incorporating.  The  election  of  tow^n  officers  occurred  on 
March  22,  when  D.  H.  Ralston  was  elected  mayor;  C.  W.  Kittle, 
T.  A.  Hall,  W.  I.  Lewis  and  C.  E.  DeGroot,  councilmen.  The  first 
meeting  of  the  town  council  was  held  March  23,  in  the  parlors  of  the 
Big  Horn  hotel,  and  the  following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  appointed: 
J.  L.  Marquis,  marshal;  Mrs.  C.  W.  Kittle,  clerk;  Mrs.  W.  I.  Lewis, 
treasurer;  J.  R.  Mitchell,  police  magistrate. 

A  big  dance  was  given  in  the  evening  at  the  school  house  by  the 
mayor  and  councilmen,  and  at  midnight  a  sumptuous  banquet  was 
served  at  the  Big  Horn  hotel  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  L.  Marquis,  there 
being  about  sixty  guests  present. 

The  Arminto  Flockmaster,  a  four-page  weekly  newspaper,  was 
issued  March  17,  1915,  and  for  several  months  thereafter  it  came  forth 
with  the  local  news  of  the  town,  but  like  its  many  predecessors,  after 
the  newness  had  worn  off,  interest  waned,  the  advertising  diminished 
and  then  the  Flockmaster  failed  to  appear  and  it  was  no  more. 

At  the  time  the  town  was  incorporated  it  had  two  general  stores, 
the  Wolton  Commercial  company,  with  C.  W.  Kittle  as  manager;  the 
Arminto  store,  owned  by  J.  B.  Okie,  managed  by  F.  H,  Harper;  a 
twenty-five-room  hotel,  owned  and  operated  by  J.  L.  Marquis;  one 


THE    TOWN    OF    MILLS  237 

rooming  house,  owned  by  W.  I.  Lewis,  one  saloon,  a  billiard  hall,  a 
restaurant,  one  blacksmith  shop,  a  livery  stable,  a  school  house,  two 
wool  warehouses,  railroad  depot  and  section  house,  stock  yards, 
sheep  shearing  pens  and  numerous  substantial  residences. 

The  Town  of  Mills 

The  town  of  Mills,  located  about  two  miles  west  from  the  city 
of  Casper,  is  the  second  largest  town  in  Natrona  county  and  was  the 
third  town  in  the  county  to  be  incorporated.  The  land  upon  which 
it  is  situated  is  described  as  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  7,  township  33  north,  range  79  west  of  the  sixth 
principal  meridian,  and  was  homesteaded  by  Charles  M.  Hawks  on 
December  21,  1906.  Mr.  Hawks  sold  the  land  to  the  Mills  Construc- 
tion company  in  1919,  and  this  company  put  up  some  buildings  on  the 
land  where  headquarters  were  established  for  their  construction 
works.  It  was  then  known  as  the  Mills-Baker  addition  to  the  city 
of  Casper.  Engineering  work  preparatory  to  the  platting  of  the  land 
into  town  lots  was  commenced  on  April  3,  1919,  by  John  B.  Cleary, 
under  the  direction  of  James  Mills,  William  Mills,  Thomas  Mills 
and  Floyd  E.  Pendell,  who  were  the  officers  of  the  Mills  Construction 
company. 

On  account  of  the  desirable  location,  it  being  situated  immedi- 
ately north  of  the  Platte  river  and  on  the  Northwestern  railway  line, 
many  people  bought  town  lots  and  established  for  themselves  homes, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1920  the  village  had  a  population  of  about  500. 
Then  a  petition  for  the  incorporation  of  the  town  of  Mills  was  filed 
with  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of  Natrona  county.  Favor- 
able action  was  taken  on  the  petition,  and  an  election  was  ordered 
by  the  county  commissioners,  to  be  held  on  May  10,  1921.  At  this 
election  George  E.  Boyle  was  the  successful  condidate  against  Clyde 
Riley  for  mayor,  and  Fred  Hunter,  Fred  Shackleford,  G.  W.  Lindsay 
and  Michael  Kennedy  were  elected  as  councilmen.  At  the  first 
meeting  of  the  new  town  council,  held  on  May  14,  1921,  officers  were 
appointed  as  follows:  Wm.  Mills,  clerk  and  treasurer;  Floyd  E. 
Pendell,  attorney;  Luke  M.  Wilkinson,  marshal;  W.  R.  Hunt,  police 
magistrate.    No  other  business  was  transacted  at  this  meeting. 

The  first  school  to  be  established  in  Mills  was  in  September, 
1920,  with  Miss  Gladys  Tharp  and  Miss  Nora  Essenpries  as  teachers. 
There  were  about  seventy  pupils  in  attendance.  During  the  fall  of 
1921  a  modern  six-room  brick  school  building  was  erected,  and  during 
the  1921-22  school  year  there  was  an  average  attendance  of  130 
pupils,  with  the  following  named  teachers:  R.  E.  Robertson,  princi- 


238  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

pal;Miss  Florence  Fowler,  grammar  department;  Miss  Gladys  Tharp, 
intermediate;  Miss  Lillian  Larsen,  second  grade;  Miss  Nora  Essen- 
pries,  first  grade.  The  town  has  two  churches,  the  Free  Methodist, 
with  Mrs.  Hattie  Lambert  as  pastor  in  charge,  and  the  Presbyterian, 
with  Rev.  James  S.  Mclnnes  in  charge.  In  connection  with  each  of 
these  churches  there  is  a  Sunday  school,  which  is  largely  attended. 
The  Presbyterians  completed  their  tabernacle,  located  on  the  corner 
of  Fifth  street  and  Midwest  avenue,  in  March,  1922,  and  the  church 
was  formally  organized  and  dedicated  April  i,  1922.  The  elders 
ordained  and  installed  at  this  meeting  were  John  S.  McKnight, 
John  Husted  and  E.  A.  Mason.  Rev.  James  S.  Mclnnes  of  Ouray, 
Colorado,  who  was  the  first  regular  minister  in  charge,  entered  upon 
his  duties  September  4,  1922. 

The  Mills  postoffice  was  established  August  13,  1921,  with 
Thomas  J.  Bassett  as  postmaster.  The  mail  is  delivered  in  the  town 
daily  by  special  service  from  Casper.  At  the  beginning  there  were 
about  twenty-five  pounds  of  mail  each  day,  but  within  a  year's  time 
it  had  increased  to  more  than  100  pounds  daily. 

The  Mills  Volunteer  fire  department  was  organized  in  January, 
1922,  with  Walter  Stewart  as  chief;  H.  B.  Brakebill,  financial  secre- 
tary; Julian  Hanson,  recording  secretary,  and  G.  W.  Lindsley, 
treasurer.  It  was  provided  that  any  man  living  in  the  town  should 
be  a  member  of  this  organization. 

The  Mills  Booster  club  was  organized  October  9,  1921,  with  the 
following  named  officers:  John  McKnight,  president;  Mrs.  Edith 
Elliott,  secretary;  D.  McDaniels,  treasurer. 

The  town  hall  and  town  jail,  a  two-story  concrete  building,  was 
finished  in  April,  1922.  Town  council  meetings  and  other  meetings 
of  a  public  nature  are  held  in  the  upper  rooms  of  this  building  and 
the  ground  floor  is  used  for  obstreperous  violators  of  the  town  or- 
dinances and  those  who  do  not  conform  to  the  laws  of  the  state  and 
nation. 

The  regular  town  election  held  on  May  9,  1922,  was  of  particular 
importance  and  interest  to  the  residents  of  the  town  of  Mills,  for  the 
proposition  was  submitted  of  voting  bonds  in  the  amount  of  $70,000 
to  provide  a  system  of  water  works  for  the  town.  Mayor  Boyle  and 
his  associate  councilmen  favored  the  bonds,  but  there  was  some 
opposition,  as  there  usually  is  in  such  matters,  and  Mrs.  Florence 
E.  McKane  was  the  opposition's  candidate  for  mayor,  and  G.  L. 
Elmore  and  R.  J.  Beaver  were  the  candidates  for  the  council  who  were 
opposed  to  the  bonds,  while  George  E.  Boyle,  G.  W.  Lindsley  and 
Fred  T.  Shackleford  were  the  candidates  for  mayor  and  councilmen 
who  favored  the  bonds,  the  latter  being  re-elected  by  a  vote  of  more 


TEAPOT   TOWN  239 

than  three  to  one,  and  the  ^70,ocxd  water  bonds  proposition  received 
about  the  same  vote  in  its  favor. 

With  the  splendid  advantages  and  the  progressive  spirit  of  a 
majority  of  the  people  who  have  made  the  town  of  Mills  their  abiding 
place  the  town  is  destined  to  become  a  city  that  Natrona  county  may 
well  be  proud  of.  On  May  7,  1922,  the  ^70,000  bonds  were  sold  and  on 
June  15,  bids  were  opened  for  the  construction  of  the  water  system. 
Nine  bids  were  received,  the  highest  bid  being  $96,000  and  the  lowest 
$62,900,  the  latter  bid  being  by  the  Mills  Construction  company. 
Work  was  commenced  on  the  system  in  the  summer  of  1922  and  was 
completed  in  December. 

On  May  25,  1921,  the  Mills  Construction  company  was  granted 
a  franchise  to  supply  the  town  of  Mills  with  electric  lights  and  power 
but  the  franchise  was  turned  over  to  the  Natrona  Power  company  of 
Casper  and  light  and  power,  both  day  and  night,  was  furnished  the 
new  town  at  once. 

The  Mountain  States  Telephone  and  Telegraph  company  on 
October  26,  1921,  was  granted  a  franchise  to  erect  poles,  string  wires 
and  do  all  other  things  necessary  for  the  establishment  of  telephone 
service  in  the  town,  and  during  the  month  of  June,  1922,  service  was 
established  in  the  business  houses  and  residences,  connections  being 
made  from  the  central  office  in  Casper. 

R.  E.  Wertz  of  the  Producers  and  Refinery  company  on  October 
27,  1921,  was  granted  a  franchise  to  furnish  the  town  with  gas  for 
heating  purposes,  and  during  the  early  fall  of  1922  this  company 
extended  its  pipe  line  through  the  town  and  supplied  gas  to  those  who 
desired  it.  The  Producers  company  has  built  a  large  reducing  plant 
along  the  Yellowstone  Highway,  just  north  of  the  town  of  Mills. 

During  the  first  three  years  the  town  enjoyed  a  very  substantial 
growth  in  population  and  many  creditable  business  buildings  and 
modern  dwellings  have  been  erected,  among  which  may  be  mentioned 
a  splendid  three-story  hotel,  an  up-to-date  moving  picture  house, 
concrete  block  postoffice  building,  McGillivery's  store  building, 
Boyle's  store  building,  the  Brakebill  store  building,  McKnight's  store 
building,  and  many  others.  There  is  also  a  splendid  swimming  pool 
in  the  town,  with  135  dressing  rooms  in  the  building.  The  pool  is 
126x143  feet,  and  is  liberally  patronized  by  the  people  of  Casper. 

Teapot  Town 

Teapot,  located  on  section  3,  township  38,  range  79,  about 
thirty-six  miles  north  of  Casper,  on  the  Casper-Salt  Creek  highway, 
was  added  to  the  map  of  Natrona  county  on  August  11,  1922,  when 


240  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  Teapot  Development  company  placed  on  the  market  1,040  town 
lots,  which  had  been  surveyed  and  platted  as  a  townsite.  The  land 
comprising  this  townsite,  consisting  of  160  acres,  was  originally  filed 
upon  by  John  Beaton  as  a  homestead,  and  is  one  of  the  very  few 
pieces  of  land  mside  of  the  Teapot  oil  structure  upon  which  a  patent 
had  been  issued  with  no  royalty  restrictions.  The  officers  of  the  town- 
site  company  were  C.  M.  Elgin,  president;  V.  E.  Stanley,  vice- 
president,  and  George  F.  Stenberg,  secretary-treasurer.  The  oil 
structure  surrounding  this  townsite  is  being  developed  by  the  Mam- 
moth Oil  company  for  the  naval  reserve  of  the  United  States  govern- 
ment, and  during  1922  a  number  of  producing  wells  were  brought  in, 
the  quality  and  quantity  of  oil  being  equal  to  any  of  the  producing 
wells  in  the  Salt  Creek  field. 

An  office  for  the  Teapot  townsite  company  and  several  other  build- 
ings were  erected  during  the  month  of  June,  1922,  but  the  sale  of  the 
town  lots  did  not  commence  until  August  11,  and  after  the  first  three 
days  of  the  sale  the  company  reported  that  275  lots  had  been  contracted 
for,  and  three  months  later  a  total  of  903  lots  had  been  disposed  of, 
with  137  remaining  unsold.  A  supply  store  and  several  other  business 
houses  were  established  at  once,  and  the  town  of  Teapot  is  now  a 
substantial  and  flourishing  oil  camp  town. 

The  Town  of  Evansville 

The  town  of  Evansville,  on  the  Yellowstone  highway,  three 
miles  east  from  Casper,  is  the  newest  town  in  Natrona  county,  but 
by  no  means  of  the  least  importance.  The  sale  of  Evansville  town 
lots  was  commenced  in  March,  1922,  and  on  August  10  the  entire 
group  of  lots,  consisting  of  222,  had  been  sold,  with  the  exception 
of  one.  The  demand  for  lots  in  the  new  town  was  so  great  that  an 
addition  of  137  lots  were  platted  adjoining  the  original  townsite  on 
the  west,  and  placed  on  the  market.  This  addition  is  to  have  all  the 
utilities  of  the  original  townsite  extending  to  it.  The  prospects  for 
the  town  to  further  expand  soon  became  so  encouraging  that  in  the 
fall  of  1922,  addition  number  two,  with  eighty-two  lots,  was  platted 
immediately  north  of  the  original  townsite  and  put  on  the  market. 

The  tracks  of  the  Burlington  and  Northwestern  railways  pass 
immediately  by  the  town,  and  each  of  these  railway  companies  have 
promised  that  passenger  and  freight  depots  will  soon  be  erected,  and 
that  Evansville  shall  be  a  station  where  all  the  trains  will  make  a  stop. 
The  Evansville  Water  company,  with  a  capitalization  of  $100,000, 
with  L.  H.  Sennett,  H.  G.  Taylor  and  E.  H.  Banta  as  incorporators, 
was  organized  in  September,  and  arrangements  have  been  made  with 


THE    TOWN    OF    EVANSVILLE  24I 

the  Guaranteed  Investment  company,  with  T.  J.  Diamond  as  presi- 
dent; Dr.  J.  E.  Seal,  vice-president,  and  P.  H.  Smith,  secretary- 
treasurer,  to  furnish  the  water  and  complete  a  sewer  system  to  the 
business  portion  and  residential  section  of  the  town.  The  Natrona 
Power  company  has  extended  its  electric  lighting  service  from  Casper 
to  the  new  town  and  the  telephone  company  will  establish  an  exchange 
there  probably  during  the  summer  of  1923;  arrangements  are  being 
made  for  gas  service  for  all  the  residences  and  business  houses.  A 
number  of  store  buildings,  apartment  houses  and  dwelling  houses 
were  completed  during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1922  and  the  Baptist 
church  was  also  built  late  in  the  fall.  This  church  building  was 
equipped  with  school  furniture,  and  on  January  2,  1923,  school  was 
opened,  with  an  enrollment  of  twenty  pupils,  with  Daniel  C.  Adler 
as  teacher.  The  Texas  company's  refining  plant  (which  is  described 
in  this  volume  under  the  heading  of  "Oil  Fields  and  Refineries"),  is 
immediately  east  of  the  town,  and  was  completed  to  such  extent  that 
fire  was  placed  under  the  stills  and  the  production  of  gasoline  and 
refined  oils  was  commenced  in  February,  1923,  and  a  great  many  of 
the  employees  at  this  plant  have  bought  lots  and  established  homes  in 
the  new  town.  The  fact  that  the  refinery  was  built  here  was  the  in- 
centive for  the  sale  of  the  lots  so  rapidly  and  the  cause  of  the  wonder- 
ful boom  that  has  taken  place,  and  which,  in  the  not  distant  future, 
will  put  Evansville  on  the  map  as  one  of  the  leading  towns  in  Central 
Wyoming. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1923  Evansville  had  an  estimated 
population  of  150,  exclusive  of  the  refinery  workers  who  make  their 
homes  in  Casper.  About  sixty  dwelling  houses,  fifteen  business 
houses  and  one  church  comprised  the  buildings  of  the  town  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1923.  Among  the  business  houses  in  the  new 
town  were  the  Evansville  garage,  a  filling  station  and  grocery  store 
combined,  three  pool  halls,  three  restaurants,  two  grocery  stores, 
one  gents'  furnishing  goods  store,  three  rooming  and  boarding  houses, 
one  furniture  and  hardware  store,  one  second-hand  furniture  ex- 
change, a  barber  shop  and  a  lumber  yard. 


Our  Oil  Fields  and  Oil  Refineries 

UNLIKE  the  streets  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  the  streets  of  the 
city  of  Casper  are  not  paved  with  gold,  but  richer  than  the  gold 
mines  of  California,  in  the  qualities  of  usefulness  and  conven- 
ience to  the  human  race,  are  the  oil  wells  in  Natrona  county,  which 
have  spouted  forth  their  liquid  treasures  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
bringing  forth  untold  wealth  to  many  men  and  making  land  that  was 
considered  almost  valueless  worth  millions  of  dollars,  and  creating, 
almost  as  if  by  magic,  new,  vast  and  profitable  industries,  and  well- 
nigh  realizing  the  wildest  conceptions  of  sudden  and  golden  fortune 
found  in  Arabian  legends.  But  with  all  the  fortunes  that  have  been 
made  from  the  oil  fields  in  Natrona  county  the  reports  that  have 
been  sent  out  were  greatly  exaggerated.  If  a  man  invested  one 
thousand  dollars  in  an  oil  prospect  and  received  in  return  ten  thousand 
dollars  on  his  investment,  by  the  time  the  report  had  traveled  a 
thousand  miles  the  fortune  had  risen  to  a  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
and  the  farther  the  report  traveled  the  larger  the  fortune  had  grown, 
and  when  one  well  with  a  500-barrel  production  was  brought  in,  by 
the  time  the  report  had  gone  a  thousand  miles  the  number  of  wells 
had  reached  at  least  a  dozen,  and  each  of  these  dozen  wells  was  pro- 
ducing at  least  two  thousand  barrels  of  oil  each  day.  The  many, 
many  dry  holes  and  non-producing  wells  that  were  drilled,  and  the 
many,  many  thousands  of  dollars  that  were  lost  were  not  broadcasted 
as  were  the  producing  wells  that  were  brought  in,  and  the  many, 
many  people  who  lost  their  hard-earned  money  in  drilling  for  oil 
received  no  publicity;  it  was  only  the  successful  enterprises  and 
prosperous  men  that  were  so  extensively  advertised. 

The  original  oil  prospectors  of  Central  Wyoming  had  the  right 
idea  of  the  wonderful  oil  fields  that  surrounded  Casper,  but  only  a 
few  of  them  lived  to  enjoy  the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the  flowing 
wells.  Very  different  from  the  original  prospectors  were  the  men  of 
the  new  type  who  assisted  in  the  development  of  the  oil  fields  in  this 
part  of  the  country  and  who  made  for  themselves  vast  fortunes. 
Many  of  them  were  amateurs  in  the  oil  game;  there  were  lawyers, 
doctors,  merchants,  ministers  and  men  in  all  walks  of  life  who  were 
chafing  under  their  lot  and  were  dissatisfied  with  the  returns  from 
their  avocations,  and  they  put  into  a  pool  what  money  they  could 
raise  for  the  drilling  of  a  well.     If  their  first  well  was  a  producer, 

242 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  243 

another  and  another  well  was  drilled  until  the  field  was  fairly  covered 
with  derricks.  It  was  not  so  with  the  old  prospector.  He  would 
locate  his  land,  dig  a  prospect  hole  and  do  such  other  development 
work  as  was  required  by  law  to  hold  the  land,  and  there  his  develop- 
ment work  ended,  for  the  reason  that  he  did  not  have  sufficient 
capital  to  drill  down  to  the  oil  sand,  and  even  though  he  did  get  a 
producing  well,  there  was  no  demand  for  his  product. 

The  fur  traders  and  trappers  probably  were  the  original  discov- 
erers of  oil  in  what  is  now  Central  Wyoming,  but  when  the  dis- 
covery was  made  cannot  be  stated.  The  first  record  made  of  its  dis- 
covery was  in  1832,  when  Captain  Bonneville  was  on  his  exploring 
expedition.  In  regard  to  the  finding  of  oil  by  Captain  Bonneville,  we 
quote  the  following  from  Washington  Irving's  "Adventures  of 
Captain  Bonneville": 

"There  appeared  to  be  no  soil  favorable  for  vegetation,  nothing  but  coarse 
gravel;  yet,  all  over  this  isolated,  barren  landscape,  were  diffused  such  atmospherical 
tints  and  hues,  as  to  blend  the  whole  into  harmony  and  beauty.  In  this  neighborhood 
the  captain  made  search  for  the  'great  tar  springs,'  one  of  the  wonders  of  the  moun- 
tains; the  medical  properties  of  which,  he  had  heard  extravagantly  lauded  by  the 
trappers.'  After  a  toilsome  search  he  found  it  at  the  foot  of  a  sand-bluff,  a  little 
to  the  east  of  the  Wind  River  mountains,  [near  the  Popo  Agie  river]  where  it  exuded 
in  a  small  stream  of  the  color  and  consistency  of  tar.  The  men  immediately  hastened 
to  collect  a  quantity  of  it  to  use  as  an  ointment  for  the  galled  backs  of  their  horses, 
and  as  a  balsam  for  their  own  pains  and  aches.  From  the  description  given  of  it,  it  is 
evidently  the  bituminous  oil,  called  petroleum  or  naphtha,  which  forms  a  principal 
ingredient  in  the  potent  medicine  called  British  Oil.  It  is  found  in  various  parts  of 
Europe  and  Asia,  in  several  of  the  West  India  islands,  and  in  some  places  of  the 
United  States.  In  the  state  of  New  York  it  is  called  Seneca  Oil,  from  being  found  near 
Seneca  lake." 

It  is  said  that  Cy  Iba  found  oil  oozing  out  of  the  ground  in  the 
Seminoe  mountain  country  in  the  fall  of  1851.  Mr.  Iba  was  then  in 
the  company  of  Kit  Carson,  Jim  Bridger  and  Cimineau  Lajeunesse. 
Mr.  Iba  said  that  the  half-breeds  sold  this  oil  to  the  emigrants  for 
axle  grease.  It  was  also  applied  to  sores  on  the  feet  of  horses  and 
cattle.  Mr.  Iba  went  westward  with  the  tide  of  emigration,  going 
first  to  Alaska.  Afterwards  he  mined  in  California,  and  the  western 
territories,  bringing  up  in  the  Black  Hills  in  1875,  where  he  was  one 
of  the  original  discoverers  of  placer  gold.  In  1882  he  again  visited 
the  Seminoe  oil  springs  and  made  a  number  of  locations  there.  He 
also  located  numerous  claims  in  the  Salt  Creek  field,  one  of  which  is 
the  famous  "Iba  Eighty."  Although  a  considerable  number  of 
locations  had  been  made  on  oil  lands  in  the  central  part  of  Wyoming 
in  the  early  '8o's,  nothing  much  was  done  toward  the  development 

'Inasmuch  as  Captain  BonnevOle  had  been  informed  of  the  existence  of  these  "great  tar  springs" 
which  had  been  "lauded  by  the  trappers,"  he  cannot  properly  be  given  credit  for  the  discovery  of  them, 
as  some  historians  have  done. 


244  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

of  the  fields  until  several  years  later.  It  was  in  January,  1889,  that 
the  oil  fields  of  Wyoming  commenced  to  attract  attention  of  the 
people  in  the  east,  and  the  Casper  Mail  thus  tells  of  these  fields: 

"To  the  west  of  Casper  are  the  Poison  Spider,  Rattlesnake,  Popo  Agie  and  Argo 
oil  basins;  on  the  north  are  the  Salt  Creek,  South  Fork  of  Powder  river,  and  Big  Horn 
basins.  The  Popo  Agie  is  the  only  basin  that  has  been  extensively  tested,  there  being 
in  this  basin  three  wells,  the  aggregate  flow  of  which  is  600  barrels  per  day,  therefore 
forever  settling  the  question  of  oil  in  paying  quantities  in  Wyoming.  The  surface 
indications  in  this  basin  consist  of  oil  springs,  which  is  the  case  in  all  of  them;  the  Salt 
Creek  basin,  however,  showing  more  indications  on  the  surface  than  any  of  the  other 
basins,  and  in  formation  and  topography  being  a  facsimile  of  the  Popo  .Agie  basin. 
There  are  some  who  are  skeptical  regarding  these  oil  fields,  but  the  verdict  of  those  who 
have  investigated  them  is  that  the  half  has  not  been  told.  There  are  springs  in  various 
localities  that  flow  all  the  way  from  one  gallon  to  ten  barrels  per  day.  It  is  by  these 
springs  that  the  various  basins  are  marked,  and  it  is  by  these  springs  that  the  oil  belt 
of  Wyoming  is  traced  for  more  than  two  hundred  miles." 

The  first  drilling  for  oil  in  Natrona  county  was  commenced  in 
the  fall  of  1888,  the  location  of  the  well  being  about  three  miles  north- 
west from  Casper.  It  was  called  the  "Casper  Well,"  and  on  March 
15,  1889,  the  Casper  Weekly  Mail  announced  that  "the  reported  oil 
strike  at  the  Casper  well  last  week  is  still  shrouded  in  mystery. 
Work  has  been  stopped  and  everything  at  the  derrick  locked  up, 
the  workmen  claiming  that  the  two-inch  cable  is  broken  and  the  drill 
at  the  bottom  of  the  well.  It  is  a  noticeable  fact  that  the  manager  and 
his  men  have  been  locating  oil  claims  ever  since  the  'break'  occurred. 
Oil  men  in  this  vicinity  are  convinced  that  oil  has  been  found,  and 
considerable  excitement  prevails.  It  is  hoped  that  by  the  next  issue 
of  the  Mail,  some  definite  information  can  be  given.  The  managers 
at  the  well  stoutly  deny  the  report  that  oil  has  been  struck  at  the 
derrick." 

In  May,  1889,  the  Blair  Oil  and  Mining  company  located  on 
3,200  acres  of  land  known  as  the  Oil  Mountain  Springs,  about  thirty 
miles  west  of  Casper,  on  Poison  Spider  creek,  and  it  was  said  that 
drilling  for  oil  would  be  commenced  just  as  soon  as  5,000  shares  of  the 
stock  could  be  sold  at  $2 .  00  per  share.  The  5,000  shares  of  stock  were 
not  sold  and  consequently  the  well  was  not  drilled. 

On  June  7,  1889,  a  total  of  ninety  filings  were  made  on  oil  lands 
in  Natrona  county,  covering  more  than  14,000  acres.  Most  of  this 
land  was  in  the  Salt  Creek  field,  and  the  names  of  the  locators  were: 
Ernest  Riall,  Russell  J.  Straight,  Albert  M.  Kitchen,  Daniel  H. 
Dorsett,  Ernest  V.  Johnson,  Charles  P.  Collins,  Frank  A.  Hecht, 
W.  E.  Hawley  and  P.  M.  Shannon.  These  were  eastern  people,  and 
the  filing  on  the  land  caused  a  great  deal  of  enthusiasm  among  the 
people  of  Casper.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  the  active  oil  operations  in 
Natrona  county  were  two  rigs  near  Ervay,  one  at  Bessemer  and  a  new 


?r1'"^ 


•"^JBS 


^^'^- 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  245 

outfit  being  taken  to  Salt  Creek  (now  known  as  the  Shannon  field). 
Operations  on  the  "Casper  well"  had  not  yet  been  resumed. 

The  drilling  of  the  first  well  in  the  Salt  Creek  field  was  commen- 
ced by  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  &  Gas  company  in  the  fall  of  1889.  The 
drillers  had  considerable  trouble  in  getting  this  well  down  to  the 
oil-bearing  sand  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  formation  was  a  great  deal 
diflPerent  from  that  in  the  Pennsylvania  fields,  where  the  drillers  came 
from.  The  hole  first  caved  in  and  after  this  trouble  was  remedied 
large  boulders  were  encountered,  which  threw  the  drill  to  one  side, 
and  caused  a  crooked  hole,  and  this  stopped  operations  until  the 
following  February.  George  B.  McCalmont,  vice-president  of  the 
company,  came  to  Casper  in  the  spring  of  1890  and  took  charge  of 
the  drilling  operations.  Other  members  of  the  company  were:  P.  M. 
Shannon  of  Pittsburgh,  president;  and  C.  P.  Collins  and  R,  J. 
Straight,  both  of  Bradford,  Pennsylvania. 

In  the  summer  of  1890  there  was  a  great  deal  of  activity  in  the 
oil  fields  in  this  part  of  the  state  and  on  June  26  the  Wyoming  Derrick, 
published  in  Casper,  made  the  following  announcement: 

"If  there  is  any  one  of  the  many  resources  of  this  territory  of 
greater  importance  than  another,  and  calculated  to  bring  it  into 
immediate  general  notice,  it  is  the  immense  oil  deposits  being  opened 
up.  The  country  is  dotted  over  with  surface  indications  in  every 
direction.  The  oil-producing  belt  extends  diagonally  across  the 
territory  from  the  northeast  corner  to  the  extreme  southwest.  Work 
of  development  in  the  Salt  Creek  and  Powder  River  basins,  in  the 
southern  part  of  Johnson  county,  shows  the  deposit  to  cover  an  area — 
in  these  districts  alone — more  than  double  in  extent  the  entire  Penn- 
sylvania fields,  and  a  product  far  richer  than  that  of  any  other  oil 
region  known  to  the  world.  Chemical  investigation  demonstrates 
that  the  oils  of  these  basins  possess  both  lubricating  and  illuminating 
qualities. 

"E.  H.  French  last  week  located  oil  lands  for  nearly  every  busi- 
ness man  in  Casper.  People  here,  realizing  the  true  value  of  the  oil 
fields  perhaps  better  than  any  one  else,  are  putting  all  the  money  they 
can  spare  into  oil  lands.  Can  the  public  at  large  ask  for  any  better 
evidence  of  the  genuineness  of  our  oil  fields  and  the  value  thereof.^" 

The  first  well  to  be  brought  in  by  the  Pennsylvania  company  was 
on  June  30,  1890,  at  a  depth  of  1,090  feet,  which  proved  to  be  a  good 
producer.  As  soon  as  the  well  came  in  the  derrick  was  fenced  and 
guarded,  and  no  one  allowed  to  approach  it.  All  those  who  were 
connected  with  the  company  denied  that  oil  had  been  found,  but  in 
spite  of  this  denial  the  fact  was  out  and  the  denials  had  no  effect 
upon  the  minds  of  the  people,  but  it  was  the  middle  of  October  before 


246  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  oil  company  officials  would  admit  they  had  oil,  the  reason  given 
for  the  denial  being  that  they  wanted  to  be  sure  of  a  clear  title  to  the 
land. 

The  oil  was  sent  to  Pittsburgh  for  analysis,  and  it  was  a  great 
surprise,  not  only  to  members  of  the  company,  but  to  all  the  chemists 
who  made  a  test  of  it.  The  chemists  declared  that  the  product  could 
not  be  a  natural  mineral  from  the  ground,  for,  they  declared,  no  such 
oil  had  ever  been  found  in  the  world.  They  said  this  oil  must  have 
been  compounded  with  animal  oils,  and  the  members  of  the  company 
had  been  deceived  by  some  one  who  had  compounded  it  and  sent 
samples  to  them,  but  when  President  Shannon  assured  them  that  it 
was  the  natural  crude  oil,  just  as  it  came  from  the  ground,  the  chem- 
ists said  that  nature  had  done  more  for  this  oil  in  the  ground  than 
the  best  and  latest  refining  and  compounding  processes  had  done  for 
other  oils.  This  oil  sold  for  ten  dollars  a  barrel.  The  report  of  the 
chemists  decided  the  company  to  drill  other  wells  and  develop  the 
Salt  Creek  field.  The  drilhng  of  the  second  well  was  commenced  in 
1 891,  but  proved  a  failure,  having  had  bad  luck  with  the  hole  and 
failing  to  go  down  deep  enough  to  reach  the  oil.  The  second  hole 
caved  at  a  depth  of  about  500  feet,  and  they  got  what  is  called  a  flat 
hole,  and  then  a  crooked  hole,  so  crooked  that  the  tools  would  not  go 
down,  and  thus  the  second  hole  was  abandoned. 

The  drilling  of  the  third  well  was  commenced  in  1892,  and  the 
oil  sand  was  reached  in  due  time.  In  1893-4-5  and '96  wells  numbers 
4,  5,  6,  7  and  8  were  brought  in,  and  they  were  all  good  producers. 
All  these  wells  were  within  a  mile  of  each  other  and  their  depth  ranged 
from  600  to  1,100  feet. 

In  the  fall  of  1894  the  Union  Pacific,  Denver  and  Gulf  Railway 
company  ordered  a  car  load  of  this  oil  as  a  sample  and  it  gave  such 
satisfaction  that  the  company  used  it  exclusively  as  a  lubricant  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  for  five  months  this  railroad  company  used  the 
crude  oil  without  it  even  being  strained,  there  being  no  refinery  here 
at  that  time. 

The  oil  was  hauled  from  the  fields  to  Casper  in  tanks  by  string 
teams.  These  teams  would  haul  supplies  to  the  field  and  return  with  a 
load  of  oil.  A  description  of  these  string  teams  is  thus  given  by  a  local 
newspaper  at  that  time:  "Two  string  teams  were  loaded  out  from 
here  with  26,000  pounds  of  piping.  One  of  the  teams  was  made  up 
with  sixteen  head  of  horses  and  four  wagons  and  when  the  wagons 
were  coupled  out  to  receive  the  piping,  the  entire  outfit  occupied  a 
space  of  ground  240  feet  long,  and  was  the  longest  string  outfit  which 
ever  went  out  of  Casper.  The  company  now  has  five  teams  on  the 
road,  two  of  four  horses,  one  of  ten,  one  of  twelve,  and  one  of  sixteen. " 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  247 

Early  in  the  year  of  1895  F.  J.  Carman,  a  chemist  and  refiner, 
erected  a  small  refinery  for  the  Pennsylvania  company  in  Casper, 
just  east  from  where  the  Natrona  Power  company's  plant  is  now  loca- 
ted, and  railroad  oils,  dynamo  and  other  lubricating  oils  were  refined. 
The  fires  were  started  under  the  stills  of  this  refinery  on  the  5th  of 
March,  1895.  The  plant  had  a  capacity  of  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
barrels  of  finished  oils  each  day,  the  product  being  valve,  engine  and 
car  oil,  the  company  confining  itself  to  the  manufacture  of  lubricat- 
ing oils  only. 

The  company  had  stored  in  tanks  in  the  field  4,000  barrels  of  the 
crude  oil,  and  2,000  barrels  of  the  refined  product  were  stored  in 
Casper  which  was  kept  ready  for  shipment  to  its  customers  on  short 
notice  in  case  of  an  emergency. 

By  this  time  the  oil  fields  in  this  part  of  the  country  were  attract- 
ing so  much  attention,  that  metropolitan  newspapers  were  sending 
representatives  here  for  the  purpose  of  making  an  investigation  of  the 
fields  and  publishing  a  description  of  them. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  1895,  the  announcement  was  made  that 
"sixty  barrels  of  refined  engine  oil  had  been  shipped  from  the  refinery 
the  past  week,  for  which  the  company  received  $14.00  per  barrel,  net. " 
From  six  to  ten  men  were  employed  at  the  refinery,  which  included  the 
office  force  and  the  workmen  at  the  plant.  For  two  years  the  business 
was  carried  on  with  but  few  changes  in  the  plant,  but  in  July,  1897, 
the  company's  business  had  increased  to  such  proportions  that  a  new 
still  of  150-barrel  capacity  was  installed  and  a  car  load  of  steel  drums 
in  which  to  ship  the  refined  product  was  purchased. 

For  the  month  of  August,  1902,  the  company's  pay  roll  amounted 
to  $5,200,  which  included  the  drillers  and  other  workmen  in  the  field, 
the  freighters  and  the  men  at  the  refinery;  this  also  included  the  office 
force,  and  it  was  remarked  at  the  time  by  one  of  the  local  newspapers, 
"this  means  much,  indeed,  to  our  town  and  community."  At  that 
time  well  number  13  was  being  drilled  and  when  it  was  brought  in  it 
was  estimated  that  there  would  be  a  daily  output  of  about  forty-five 
barrels,  but  it  was  announced  that  the  company  would  continue 
drilling  wells  until  there  would  be  an  output  of  100  barrels  daily. 

The  people  of  Casper  were  very  proud  of  the  oil  refinery  and 
boasted  that  "it  was  the  only  oil  refinery  in  the  state."  When  the 
town  was  honored  by  distinguished  visitors,  such  as  our  United 
States  senators,  congressman,  governor  or  any  of  the  state  officers, 
who  were  candidates  for  re-election,  and  who  usually  came  to  see  us 
just  before  election  time,  a  delegation  of  prominent  citizens  never 
failed  to  pilot  them  through  the  refinery,  and  explain  to  them  all  the 
details  of  how  the  oil  was  produced  from  its  crude  state  to  the  refined 


248  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

product.  In  making  the  rounds  through  the  refinery,  which  required 
about  forty-five  minutes,  the  visitors  generally  emerged  with  their 
shoes  covered  with  oil  and  their  clothing  somewhat  soiled,  but  the 
residents  were  used  to  it  and  it  did  not  seem  to  bother  the  distin- 
guished visitors. 

In  the  fall  of  1902  three  string  teams  were  making  regular  trips 
to  the  oil  fields  from  Casper,  hauling  out  supplies  and  bringing  in  the 
oil,  and  on  account  of  the  increased  production  from  the  new  wells 
six  new  tanks,  with  a  capacity  of  ninety  barrels  each,  were  built 
and  taken  out  to  the  field  to  store  the  oil. 

In  1900  and  1901,  nearly  a  million  acres  of  land  in  Natrona 
county  was  withdrawn  from  agricultural  entry  by  the  United  States 
land  commissioner  which  was  classed  as  oil  land.  Two  special  agents 
had  been  in  this  territory  a  number  of  months  making  an  investiga- 
tion of  the  land  and  they  recommended  the  withdrawal  of  the  land. 
Four  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  Salt  Creek  country  was 
included  in  the  segregation.  Stockmen  and  ranchmen  in  the  county 
made  a  vigorous  protest  against  the  segregation,  claiming  that  not 
one-fourth  of  the  land  withdrawn  was  oil-bearing  land ;  that  the  assess- 
ment work  on  most  of  the  "oil"  land  consisted  of  hauling  a  few  loads 
of  rock  in  the  road  and  of  dragging  a  rail  over  the  sagebrush,  and  then 
making  an  affidavit  that  honest  assessment  work  had  been  done,  and 
that  the  oil  men  were  not  trying  to  develop  the  country,  but  they 
were  acquiring  the  land  for  speculative  purposes.  On  March  28,  1903, 
the  land  commissioners,  acting  upon  a  petition  from  Natrona  county, 
signed  by  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  taxpayers,  restored  to  entry 
all  the  oil  lands  in  Natrona  county  excepting  the  area  upon  which 
actual  development  work  had  been  done  by  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  & 
Gas  company. 

The  Societe  Belgo-American  des  Petroles  du  Wyoming  early 
in  November,  1903,  bought  all  the  holdings  in  Wyoming  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Oil  &  Gas  company,  the  property  consisting  of  the  refinery 
in  Casper,  fourteen  producing  wells  and  105,000  acres  of  oil  land  in  the 
Salt  Creek  field.  The  price  paid  was  ^600,000.  The  deal  was  made 
through  J.  H.  Lobell  of  Chicago.  In  less  than  a  month  after  the  deal 
was  consummated  the  new  company  announced  that  it  would  build  a 
railroad  from  Cheyenne  to  Lander  and  from  Casper  to  Salt  Creek. 
The  Casper  town  council  on  February  27,  1904,  granted  to  the  Belgo- 
American  company  forty  acres  of  land  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  the  town,  or  adjacent  thereto,  suitable  for  an  oil  refinery,  and  the 
proposed  railroad  to  be  built  by  the  same  company  was  granted  a 
right-of-way  through  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town  for  all  railroad 
and  depot  grounds  that  the  company  desired  to  use  in  the  construe- 


* 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  249 

tion  and  maintenance  of  the  road  and  depots.  And  in  the  event 
the  company  established  an  oil  refinery  in  Casper  the  town  council 
agreed  to  give  the  company,  without  cost,  so  much  of  the  town's 
surplus  water  as  might  be  necessary  for  the  use  of  the  refinery  and  all 
the  buildings  in  connection  therewith,  and  the  company's  property 
was  to  be  exempt  from  all  municipal  tax  for  a  period  of  ten  years. 

The  survey  for  the  railroad  was  made  from  Cheyenne  to  Lander. 
Lander  people  also  wanted  the  refinery  built  in  that  town,  and  made 
fully  as  liberal  inducements  as  Casper  had  made.  Some  of  the  officers 
of  the  company  made  a  visit  to  Casper  during  the  summer  and  they 
were  feasted  and  entertained  as  only  the  best  people  of  Casper  could 
provide.  From  Casper  the  delegation  proceeded  on  its  way  to  Lander. 
The  trip  was  made  in  buggies  over  the  route  of  the  proposed  railroad. 
The  telephone  poles  for  a  distance  of  three  miles  outside  of  Lander 
were  decorated  with  flags  and  bunting.  A  delegation  of  Lander  citi- 
zens, headed  by  a  brass  band,  met  the  oil  company  officers  at  the 
three-mile  station  and  escorted  them  into  the  town.  The  streets  of 
the  town  had  been  cleaned,  the  buildings  decorated  and  everything 
was  in  holiday  attire.  The  officers  of  the  company  were  feted  lavishly, 
and  the  many  advantages  were  pointed  out  why  the  refinery  should 
be  built  there.  The  officers  of  the  company  made  no  promises  to 
either  Casper  or  Lander,  but  took  note  of  all  that  was  said  and  offered 
and  then  suggested  that  Orin  Junction  was  a  very  desirable  location 
for  a  refinery  and  a  splendid  location  for  a  modern  city,  such  as  would 
be  builded,  wherever  the  refinery  might  be  located. 

For  more  than  a  year  the  people  of  Casper  and  Lander  were  on 
the  anxious  seat;  both  tov/ns  continued  to  offer  the  best  they  had  if 
the  company  would  decide  upon  their  town  as  the  place  to  build  the 
refinery;  but,  alas,  the  company  decided  upon  neither  Casper,  Lander 
or  Orin  Junction  as  the  place  to  build  its  refinery,  but  on  account  of 
some  irregularities  and  financial  difficulties  it  was  compelled  to  decide 
that  it  would  build  neither  a  refinery  nor  a  railroad.  Some  of  the 
members  of  the  company  were  arrested  for  fraud  and  others  lost  their 
standing  for  honesty  in  the  community  in  which  they  lived,  and  the 
hopes  and  dreams  of  the  people  of  Casper,  Lander  and  Orin  Junction 
were  blasted,  so  far  as  having  a  new  refinery  and  a  new  railroad  were 
concerned.  Casper  was  content  with  having  the  "only  oil  refinery 
in  the  state,"  and  Lander  was  compelled  to  get  along  as  best  it  could 
without  a  refinery  or  a  railroad  and  Orin  Junction  abandoned  hope 
of  ever  being  an  oil  town.  But  on  account  of  the  alleged  irregularities 
and  chicanery  of  some  of  the  members  of  the  Belgo-American  com- 
pany, who  bought  the  property  of  the  Pennsylvania  Oil  &  Gas  com- 
pany, and  the  intricacies  of  the  law,  all  operations  at  the  refinery  in 


250  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Casper  were  soon  suspended  and  the  plant  was  out  of  commission 
until  the  summer  of  1907,  when  the  business  men  of  the  town  con- 
sidered it  a  menace  and  fire  trap,  and  signed  a  petition  requesting 
the  town  council  to  order  it  removed  and  that  the  oil  pond  adjacent 
to  the  refinery  be  filled  with  earth.  Although  the  town  council  made 
an  order  in  compliance  with  the  request  of  the  petitioners,  the  old 
refinery  remained  inoperative  and  undisturbed  and  the  oil  pond  was 
not  filled  up. 

Early  in  the  year  of  1910  the  Franco-Wyoming  Oil  company 
was  incorporated,  and  secured  through  purchase  all  the  lands, 
properties  and  assets  of  every  kind  of  the  Belgo-American  company. 
New  capital  and  new  men  were  put  in  to  manage  the  affairs  of  the 
company.  John  M.  Thurston  of  Nebraska  was  the  attorney,  and 
W.  G.  Young,  an  American,  from  the  east,  was  the  field  manager, 
with  headquarters  in  Casper.  The  principal  stockholders  of  the 
Franco-Wyoming  company  were  Douglas  Read,  president  Banque 
Intermediare  of  Paris  and  director  of  the  Credit  Foncier  of  France; 
Count  Puytonaine  of  Paris,  ex-U.  S.  Senator  John  M.  Thurston  of 
Nebraska,  Judge  Mayer  and  Rudolph  Mayer  of  Philadelphia,  and 
Ernest  F.  Ayerault  of  New  York  City.  With  the  new  ofl&cers  and  new 
capital  this  company  commenced  operations  at  once  to  develop  its 
Salt  Creek  property  and  on  April  8,  1910,  the  first  shipment  of  drilling 
machinery  arrived  in  Casper  and  was  immediately  taken  out  to  Salt 
Creek  where  the  drilling  for  oil  was  commenced.  Work  was  con- 
tinued in  the  field  during  the  summer  and  fall  and  up  into  the  winter 
until  the, cold  weather  caused  the  company  to  cease  operations,  but 
work  w^as  resumed  early  in  the  spring.  The  company  had  decided  to 
build  a  refinery  in  Casper  for  the  purpose  of  refining  the  oil  that  was 
produced  from  the  twenty  wells  or  more  that  had  been  drilled  and  a 
pipe  line  was  to  be  built  from  Salt  Creek  to  Casper.  The  town  of 
Casper  by  an  act  of  the  town  council  leased  to  the  company  twenty 
acres  of  land  immediately  east  from  Highland  cemetery  where  a 
refinery  was  to  be  built.  There  were  a  few  people  of  Casper  who 
objected  to  this  property  being  leased  for  refinery  or  for  any  other 
except  cemetery  purposes,  and  it  was  proposed  to  get  out  an  injunc- 
tion preventing  the  company  from  occupying  the  ground,  but  the 
principal  objections  were  mysteriously  removed  and  work  on  the 
refinery  was  commenced  in  the  summer  of  191 1.  It  was  announced 
that  this  refinery  would  have  a  daily  capacity  of  5,000  barrels.  Work 
progressed  rather  slowly  at  this  refinery,  and  it  was  on  June  11,  1912, 
when  the  fires  were  first  started  under  the  stills.  This  refinery  was 
owned  by  the  Natrona  Pipe  Line  and  Refinery  company,  which  was 
a  subsidiary  of  the  Franco-Wyoming  company. 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  25 1 

On  June  17,  191 1,  a  resolution  was  again  adopted  by  the  Casper 
town  council  ordering  that  the  old  refinery  situated  in  the  town 
of  Casper,  between  Center  and  Wolcott  streets,  south  of  the  C.  & 
N.  W.  railway  tracks,  be  removed  on  account  of  the  building  being 
dangerous  and  unsafe;  that  it  was  readily  exposed  to  fire,  and  should 
it  catch  on  fire,  other  property  in  that  vicinity  was  in  great  danger 
of  being  destroyed.  The  Franco-Wyoming  company  at  once  removed 
the  building  and  machinery,  and  the  city  filled  up  the  pond  of  sludge 
which  was  an  eye-sore  and  a  nuisance,  and  thus  was  removed  all 
evidence  of  the  first  oil  refinery  in  the  state  of  Wyoming,  of  which 
in  the  early  days  Casper  was  the  proud  possessor. 

The  Midwest  Oil  company  was  incorporated  early  in  the  year  of 
1910,  with  Oliver  H.  Shoup,  president,  and  Verner  Z.  Reed,  Karl 
Schuyler,  H.  M.  Blackmer,  R.  D.  Brooks  and  Bern  Hopkins  his  associ- 
ates. This  company  had  acquired  considerable  land  in  the  Salt  Creek 
field  and  was  a  rival  of  the  Franco-Wyoming  company.  The  Mid- 
west company  was  very  active  in  drilling  wells  and  building  a  refinery 
west  of  Casper  and  a  pipe  line  and  telephone  line  from  Salt  Creek  to 
Casper.  The  first  car  load  of  pipe  for  the  pipe  line  arrived  in  Casper 
May  25,  1911,  and  by  the  first  of  December,  1911,  the  company  had 
expended  $650,000  for  the  purposes  above  named.  Twelve  producing 
wells  had  been  brought  in,  the  pipe  line  and  pumping  stations  were 
complete,  the  telephone  line  was  in  operation,  many  storage  tanks 
were  in  place  and  the  refining  plant  was  far  advanced,  and  on  January 
15,  191 2,  at  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  fire  was  turned  on  under 
one  still,  the  machinery  was  put  in  operation  and  the  production  of 
gasoline,  naphtha,  kerosene,  gas  oil  and  fuel  oil  was  commenced.  It 
was  announced  that  in  several  weeks  other  stills  would  be  ready  and 
the  capacity  of  the  plant  would  be  3,000  barrels  per  day  when  the 
plant  was  completed.  Arrangements  had  been  made  with  the  Union 
Tank  Car  company  for  twelve  tank  cars  to  transport  the  product  to 
market.  The  Midwest  company  had  rented  three  office  rooms  on 
the  second  floor  in  the  Kimball  building  on  Center  street,  where  the 
business  of  the  company  was  transacted  until  the  14th  of  April,  1914, 
when  they  moved  to  their  new  quarters  in  the  Midwest  (now  the 
Henning)  hotel,  which  comprised  eleven  rooms  on  the  second  floor. 
These  offices  were  maintained  until  early  in  the  spring  of  1917,  when 
the  top  floor,  consisting  of  twenty-five  office  rooms  in  the  Oil  Exchange 
(now  the  Consolidated  Royalty)  building  were  occupied.  But  even 
these  commodious  quarters,  in  addition  to  the  offices  of  the  company 
at  the  refinery  in  this  city  and  those  in  the  First  National  Bank 
building  in  Denver,  were  soon  outgrown  and  on  March  7,  1921,  the 
company  moved  into  the  Midwest  Refining  company  building  on 


252  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Second  and  Wolcott  streets,  occupying  the  two  top  floors,  consisting 
of  sixty-six  rooms,  a  three-story  administration  building  was  erected 
at  the  refining  plant,  where  splendid  offices  were  maintained,  and 
additional  offices  were  required  in  Denver  where  the  head  offices 
were  maintained. 

The  Midwest  Oil  company  and  the  Franco-Petroleum  company 
(the  latter  having  been  merged  from  the  Franco- Wyoming  company 
and  the  Natrona  Pipe  Line  and  Refining  company)  were  merged  on 
February  28,  1914,  and  the  new  company  was  capitalized  at  ^20,000,- 
000,  under  the  name  of  the  Midwest  Refining  company.  At  this  time 
the  new  company  had  a  total  daily  charging  capacity  of  12,800 
barrels  and  a  boiler  capacity  of  1,875  horsepower.  Improvements 
were  made  and  equipment  was  added  continually,  and  five  years 
later,  or  on  January  i,  1920,  the  total  still  charging  capacity  of  the 
plant  was  46,900  barrels  per  day,  and  there  were  under  construction 
at  that  time  stills  which  would  charge  an  additional  12,000  barrels, 
which  would  give  the  company  a  total  still  charging  capacity  of 
58,900  barrels.  The  boiler  capacity  of  the  plant  at  that  time  was 
14,000  horsepower.  The  capacity  of  the  storage  and  operating  tanks 
amounted  to  approximately  2,500,000  barrels.  At  the  loading  racks 
200  cars  could  be  loaded  at  one  time.  Fourteen  hundred  men  were 
employed  at  the  refinery  in  Casper  by  the  Midwest  company  on 
January  i,  1920,  in  addition  to  the  several  hundred  men  in  the 
offices  here  and  four  or  five  hundred  more  at  the  fields  in  Salt  Creek, 
Big  Muddy  and  the  other  fields  near  by.  In  addition  to  the  refinery 
at  Casper,  the  Midwest  company  was  operating  a  refinery  at  Gray 
Bull  with  a  daily  still  charging  capacity  of  3,000  barrels  and  one  at 
Laramie  with  a  daily  still  charging  capacity  of  4,800  barrels. 

During  the  summer  months  of  1922  contracts  were  let  by  the 
Midwest  company  for  the  building  of  eighty-six  storage  tanks  of 
80,000  barrels  capacity  each,  and  in  December  a  contract  was  let  for 
the  building  of  forty  more  tanks  of  the  same  capacity,  and  negotia- 
tions were  also  being  made  at  the  same  time  for  the  building  of  thirty 
more  80,000-barrel  tanks,  but  without  the  construction  of  the  latter 
thirty  tanks,  when  all  the  containers  have  been  completed  that  have 
been  contracted  for  the  company  will  have  tankage  capacity  for  the 
storage  of  approximately  fourteen  million  barrels  of  crude  oil  at 
its  tank  farm  on  the  north  side  of  the  Platte  river  within  two  miles 
northwest  from  the  city  of  Casper.  It  was  by  mere  chance  that  the 
people  who  organized  the  Midwest  Oil  company,  which  later  became 
the  Midwest  Refining  company,  became  interested  in  the  Salt  Creek 
field  and  built  its  refinery  in  Casper.  Very  little  work  had  been  done 
in  the  territory  where  the  hundreds  of  producing  wells  are  now  located 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  253 

in  the  summer  of  1910  when  Bern  Hopkins  and  A.  M.  Johnson  of 
Colorado  Springs,  who  were  in  the  employ  of  Verner  Z.  Reed,  stopped 
over  night  at  the  Henshaw  and  Fitzhugh  camp  in  Salt  Creek  while 
making  the  trip  with  a  team  and  buggy  from  Casper  to  Sheridan. 
E.  T.  Williams  was  in  charge  of  the  camp  at  that  time  and  he  was 
doing  some  validating  work  for  Henshaw  and  Fitzhugh,  who  had 
located  upon  all  the  land  they  possibly  could.  This  land  was  about 
five  miles  south  of  the  Shannon  field,  and  the  first  development  work 
done  here  was  by  a  company  under  the  title  of  the  Petroleum  Mach- 
ippij  Salt  Creek,  The  Hague,  Holland,  who  had  brought  in  a  produc- 
ing well  in  1908  at  a  depth  of  1,000  feet,  but  on  account  of  there  being 
no  means  of  transportation  to  a  refinery  except  by  teams  and  wagons, 
there  was  no  demand  for  the  product,  and  the  well  was  practically 
abandoned.  (The  Machippij  company  and  the  Franco-Wyoming 
company  in  1910  were  consolidated,  and  took  the  name  of  the  Wyom- 
ing Oil  Fields  company.)  Then  came  Henshaw  and  Fitzhugh  in  1910 
who  were  doing  their  validating  work  by  the  spring  pole  method. 
While  stopping  over  night  at  the  Henshaw  camp,  Messrs.  Hopkins 
and  Johnson  became  interested  in  the  tales  told  about  this  oil  field, 
and  upon  their  return  from  Sheridan  they  again  stopped  at  the  oil 
camp  and  then  arranged  with  E.  T.  Williams  to  lease  the  "Middy" 
claim,  the  lease  being  in  the  name  of  Bern  Hopkins  as  trustee  for 
Verner  Z.  Reed  and  associates,  which  later  became  the  Reed  Invest- 
ment company.  This  company  drilled  its  first  well  on  11-39-79,  and 
at  a  depth  of  1,860  feet  produced  a  water  well.  Oliver  H.  Shoup,  who 
was  office  manager  for  Mr.  Reed,  in  company  with  Bern  Hopkins, 
then  made  a  trip  to  Paris  where  they  interested  some  French  capi- 
talists in  this  field  and  development  work  progressed  until  it  was 
a  proven  field  and  the  men  interested  in  the  company  were  made 
millionaires.  During  the  progress  of  this  development  work  a  great 
many  conflicts  arose  as  to  title  of  the  lands.  Line  riders  were  hired 
by  the  several  companies  and  many  a  contest  was  the  result.  These 
line  riders  were  men  of  nerve  and  they  put  up  a  fight  for  their  com- 
panies equal  to  the  fights  on  the  range  made  in  the  earlier  days  by 
the  cowboys  for  what  they  considered  their  rights.  That  many  a  strip 
of  land  was  acquired  by  might,  rather  than  right,  there  is  no  question. 
It  was  generally  the  stronger  forces  that  won,  and  oftentimes  men 
and  material  were  moved  off  a  claim  which  was  settled  upon  by  the 
stronger  faction.  Some  of  these  combats  among  the  employees  of  the 
different  companies  resulted  in  a  hasty  visit  of  the  sheriff  and  a  num- 
ber of  deputies  to  the  battle  ground,  and  a  great  deal  of  expensive 
litigation  resulted  before  the  ownership  of  considerable  of  the  land 
was  settled,  but  with  all  the  contests,  conflicts  and  litigation,  the 


254  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Midwest  in  ten  years  grew  from  a  very  small  concern  to  a  fifty 
million  dollar  corporation,  and  at  the  time  it  was  absorbed  by  the 
Standard  Oil  company  it  was  the  dominating  influence  of  the  moun- 
tain states  oil  industry. 

In  the  spring  of  1913  the  Standard  Oil  company  of  Indiana 
decided  to  build  a  refinery  in  Casper,  but  the  oflScers  of  the  company 
did  not  announce  the  fact  from  the  house  tops.  Agents  for  the  com- 
pany came  here  and  went  over  the  ground  very  thoroughly  before  a 
move  was  made  that  would  indicate  that  the  company  intended 
coming  here  to  do  business.  On  July  6,  1913,  C.  B.  Manbeck  bought 
from  J.  M.  Carey  &  Brother  eighty-four  acres  of  land  in  the  western 
limits  of  Casper.  This  land  was  not  bought  in  the  name  of  the  Stand- 
ard Oil  company,  but  in  the  name  of  Mr.  Manbeck,  and  the  Carey 
company  was  not  aware  that  it  was  for  the  Standard  company  until 
the  public  announcement  was  made.  The  price  paid  for  the  land 
was  $24,000,  or  a  fraction  less  than  $300  per  acre.  The  only  stipula- 
tion in  the  contract  was  that  the  property  should  not  be  laid  out  in 
town  lots  or  additions  to  the  town  of  Casper  and  should  not  be  used 
for  residential  purposes  for  at  least  ten  years  after  the  filing  of  the 
deed.  No  doubt  the  Standard  company  would  have  paid  $1,000  per 
acre  for  the  land  if  the  Carey  company  had  demanded  that  price. 

The  announcement  that  the  Standard  company  would  build  a 
refinery  on  the  property  acquired  by  Mr.  Manbeck  was  not  made 
until  July  18,  1913,  when  articles  of  incorporation  were  filed  with  the 
secretary  of  state,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $30,000,000,  the  filing  fee 
being  $6,011.  The  list  of  the  stockholders  comprised  550  names.  The 
work  of  clearing  the  land  for  the  refinery  plant  was  commenced  at 
once,  and  on  July  22  Mr.  Manbeck  with  a  number  of  construction 
men  arrived  in  Casper  to  make  the  preliminary  arrangements  for  the 
building  of  the  refinery.  The  work  progressed  rapidly  under  men  of 
experience,  and  on  March  11,  1914,  the  first  unit  of  the  plant  was  in 
operation,  but  a  large  number  of  men  were  employed  in  the  construc- 
tion and  the  enlargement  of  the  plant,  and  improvements  and  addi- 
tions have  been  continually  made  until  the  Standard's  plant  in  this 
city  is  one  of  the  largest  and  most  modern  of  any  refinery  in  the  United 
States.  In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1921  this  company  made  im- 
provements and  additions  to  its  plant  which  virtually  tripled  its 
producing  capacity,  and  when  completed  there  were  in  operation 
275  pressure  stills,  eighty  coke  stills  and  many  other  reducing  devices 
that  were  necessary  to  handle  the  oil  from  the  producing  fields  near 
Casper.  Ten  storage  tanks,  forty  feet  high  and  120  feet  in  diameter, 
with  a  capacity  of  85,000  barrels  to  each  tank  were  built,  in  addition 
to  which  a  great  many  smaller  tanks  were  built.    These  gave  the 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  255 

company  a  storage  capacity  at  the  refinery  in  excess  of  a  million 
barrels  of  oil,  and  when  this  building  program  was  completed  the  plant 
was  capable  of  handling  25,000  barrels  of  oil  per  day.  These  im- 
provements were  estimated  to  cost  not  less  than  ten  million  dollars. 

On  June  3,  1921,  a  meeting  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Standard 
company  met  at  Whiting,  Indiana,  and  voted  to  increase  the  capital 
stock  of  the  company  from  one  hundred  million  dollars  to  one  hundred 
forty  millions.  This  increase  was  made  in  order  that  the  additional 
stock  could  be  used  in  exchange  for  stock  of  the  Midwest  Refining 
company,  which  was  capitalized  at  twenty  million  dollars,  and  on 
October  i,  1921,  the  refining  plants  of  the  Midwest  company  passed 
to  the  control  of  the  Standard  company,  the  two  refineries  in  Casper 
and  the  plants  at  Gray  Bull  and  Laramie  then  being  under  control  and 
operated  by  the  giant  and  powerful  Standard  company.  The  Mid- 
west company,  however,  continued  to  operate  the  producing  depart- 
ment as  well  as  the  marketing  of  the  product  from  the  refineries. 

During  the  year  1922  the  Standard  plants  on  the  western  out- 
skirts of  the  city  of  Casper  were  operating  almost  at  their  full  ca- 
pacity, where  in  the  past  they  had  been  operating  only  at  from  thirty 
to  sixty  per  cent  of  their  actual  capacity.  The  cause  of  the  increased 
production  was  through  an  order  of  two  million  barrels  of  gasoline 
to  be  shipped  to  a  foreign  country.  Large  shipments  were  made 
each  month  to  the  Magnolia  Oil  company  at  Baton  Rouge,  Louisiana, 
and  from  there  it  is  shipped  on  boats  to  foreign  ports.  To  fill  this  order 
the  company  sent  out  on  an  average  two  train  loads  of  tank  cars  each 
week,  each  train  consisting  of  about  19,000  barrels  of  gasoline,  with 
sixty  cars  to  each  train.  This  was  in  addition  to  all  the  other  orders 
for  domestic  consumption  that  were  filled  by  the  company. 

Although,  at  times,  the  shipments  were  somewhat  delayed,  on 
account  of  some  changes  being  made  in  the  specifications,  the  com- 
pany came  within  100,000  barrels  of  filling  the  order  during  the 
twelve-month  period,  and  so  satisfactory  was  the  service  and  the 
product  that  the  contract  was  renewed  to  furnish  two  million  barrels 
during  the  year  of  1923.  The  renewal  of  this  contract  assures  a 
market  for  the  entire  output  for  the  number  three  plant,  located 
immediately  west  of  the  city  of  Casper,  and  with  plants  numbered 
one  and  two  furnishing  gasoline  for  domestic  consumption  will 
necessitate  the  operation  of  all  three  plants  to  their  full  capacity 
during  the  entire  year  of  1923. 

Such  progress  was  made  in  the  manufacture  of  gasoline  during 
1922  that  from  the  standpoint  of  volume  of  gasoline  produced,  the 
Casper  refinery  of  the  Standard  is  the  largest  plant  in  the  world. 
During  1922  the  Casper  plant  averaged  1,350,000  barrels  of  crude  run 


256  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

each  month,  or  approximately  45,000  barrels  daily.  About  615,000 
barrels  of  gasoline  were  manufactured  each  month,  while  the  plants 
produced  also  170,000  barrels  of  refined  oil,  or  kerosene,  monthly. 
The  three  plants  operated  by  the  Standard  in  Casper  manufactured 
30,000  barrels  of  lubricating  oils.  Other  by-products  manufactured 
included  2,500,000  pounds  of  paraffin  wax  each  month.  In  addition, 
5,000  tons  of  coke  were  made  each  month.  The  remainder  of  the 
crude  except  that  lost  through  the  process  of  manufacture  found  its 
way  into  fuel  oil,  gas  oil,  asphalt,  engine  distillate  and  similar  products. 

The  Producers  and  Refiners  corporation  has  the  largest  absorp- 
tion plant  in  the  world  about  two  miles  west  from  the  city  of  Casper. 
This  plant  absorbs  the  gasoline  from  the  gas  which  is  piped  from  the 
Mahoney  Dome  and  the  Wertz  and  Ferris  fields.  Work  was  com- 
menced on  the  erection  of  this  plant  in  the  summer  of  1922  and  it  was 
finished  in  December.  This  plant  has  a  daily  capacity  for  the  handling 
of  forty  million  cubic  feet  of  natural  gas,  from  which  it  will  recover 
the  gasoline  before  delivering  the  product  to  the  refineries  for  fuel. 
It  is  estimated  that  the  output  of  natural  gasoline  will  run  from 
7,500  to  10,000  gallons  daily  when  the  plant  is  operating  at  its  full 
capacity. 

The  Texas  company,  after  several  months'  conference  and 
negotiation  with  the  Casper  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  the  citizens 
of  Casper,  decided  on  July  7,  1922,  to  build  its  refinery  three  miles 
east  from  Casper  instead  of  at  Glenrock,  where  the  company  had 
already  acquired  a  tract  of  land  upon  which  to  build  its  plant.  This 
decision  was  brought  about  at  a  luncheon  held  by  the  members  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  officers  of  the  Texas  company  on  the 
above  date  when  it  was  pledged  that  the  citizens  of  Casper  would 
contribute  $50,000  for  the  purchase  of  the  site,  and  the  Texas  com- 
pany would  give  in  exchange  the  500  acres  of  land  near  Glenrock 
upon  which  it  had  intended  to  erect  its  plant.  The  Civic  Land  com- 
pany was  formed,  an  appraisal  committee  was  appointed  and  the 
amount  which  the  business  men  and  property  owners  of  Casper 
should  invest  was  decided  upon.  The  land  owned  by  the  Wyoming 
Refining  company  was  sold  to  the  Civic  Land  company  at  cost,  and 
the  Evans  Realty  company  donated  120  acres,  thus  making  the  total 
area  of  the  land  for  the  Texas  company's  refinery  site  640  acres. 
Within  a  week  the  $50,000  was  raised  and  title  to  the  land  was  given 
to  the  Texas  company. 

Heavy  shipments  of  material  to  the  new  site  were  made  at  once, 
and  by  the  first  of  August  there  were  225  men  on  the  pay  roll  of  the 
Texas  company,  in  addition  to  375  men  employed  on  the  works 
through   contractors.    These   men  were  employed   on   the   railroad 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  257 

yards  and  switches,  loading  yard  tracks,  the  large  smoke  stacks, 
brick  work  for  the  crude  stills,  concrete  work,  the  building  of  hun- 
dreds of  tanks  and  the  many  other  things  attendant  upon  the  building 
of  a  modern  oil  refining  plant.  In  addition  to  these  600  men  who  were 
working  on  the  refinery  plant,  there  was  a  large  force  of  carpenters, 
masons,  cement  workers  and  other  workmen  busy  in  the  erection  of 
business  houses,  shops  and  residences  in  the  town  of  Evansville, 
which  is  in  close  proximity  to  the  refinery. 

The  Central  Pipeline  company  is  the  carrier  of  the  crude  oil  from 
the  Salt  Creek  field  to  the  Texas  company's  plant,  and  on  October 
8,  1922,  the  first  oil  entered  the  Salt  Creek  end  of  the  line  and  within 
a  few  days  a  large  stream  of  the  "liquid  gold"  was  flowing  into  the 
tanks  that  had  been  built  to  receive  it.  In  February,  1923,  fires  were 
started  under  the  stills  of  the  Texas  company,  and  Casper's  third 
large  oil  refinery  was  in  operation. 

Several  hundred  miles  of  pipe  lines  have  been  built  from  the  oil 
fields  into  Casper  which  are  used  to  transport  crude  oil,  gasoline, 
gas  and  water.  These  pipe  lines  have  been  put  in  at  an  expense  of 
several  millions  of  dollars,  but  with  all  this,  new  lines  are  continually 
being  built,  which  are  necessary  to  transport  the  product  to  the 
refineries.  Among  the  pipe  lines  coming  into  Casper  are:  The  Mid- 
west Refining  company's  forty-two  mile  six-inch  line  from  Salt  Creek 
to  Casper;  the  same  company  has  two  eight-inch  forty-two  mile 
lines  from  Salt  Creek  to  Casper,  for  the  transportation  of  crude  oil, 
also  one  three-inch  and  one  four-inch  forty-two  mile  gasoline  line  and 
one  six-inch  forty-two  mile  water  line  from  Salt  Creek  to  Casper.  The 
Western  Pipeline  company  has  an  eight-inch  forty-five  mile  line  from 
Salt  Creek  to  Casper  and  the  Central  Pipeline  company  has  a  forty-five 
mile  eight-inch  line  from  Salt  Creek  to  Casper.  The  Illinois  Pipeline 
company  has  a  twenty-two  mile  eight-inch  line  from  Big  Muddy  to 
Casper.  The  New  York  Oil  company  has  a  thirty-eight  mile  6-12  pipe 
line  for  gas  from  Poison  Spider  to  Casper;  the  Producers  and  Refiners 
corporation  has  a  ninety-mile  10-14  i"ch  line  for  gas  from  the  Ma- 
honey  Dome  to  Casper,  and  the  Bolton  Oil  company  has  a  thirty-two 
mile  six-inch  line  from  Bolton  creek  to  Casper. 

In  addition  to  the  manufacturing  and  producing  companies 
mentioned  heretofore,  there  are  a  great  many  producing  companies 
maintaining  offices  in  Casper  with  a  large  force  of  men  in  the  field, 
among  them  being  the  Sinclair-Wyoming  and  the  Mammoth  Oil 
company,  who  are  drilling  the  Teapot  dome  for  the  United  States 
navy  as  well  as  doing  considerable  other  development  work,  the 
Fargo  Oil  company,  the  E.  T.  Williams,  the  Ohio,  the  Chappel, 
Staley  Syndicate,  Bessemer,  Western  States,  Salt  Creek  ConsoHdated, 


258  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Wyokans,  Kasoming,  Elkhorn,  Salt  Creek  Producers,  Boston-Wyo- 
ming, Marine,  Merritt,  Fensland,  Domino,  Mountain  and  Gulf,  Glen- 
rock  Oil,  Consolidated  Royalty,  Five  Tribes,  Royalty  and  Producers, 
Carter,  Gypsy  and  many  others. 

More  than  half  a  billion  barrels  of  crude  oil  were  produced  in 
America  in  1921,  from  which  123,000,000  barrels  of  gasoline  were 
refined,  thus  it  takes  nearly  four  barrels  of  crude  oil  to  make  one 
barrel  of  gasoline.  There  are  forty-two  gallons  of  oil  in  a  barrel. 
Of  these  25  . 6  per  cent  goes  into  gasoline;  9 .  7  per  cent  kerosene;  47 . 9 
per  cent  fuel  and  gas  oil;  4.3,  lubricating  oil;  2.4  wax,  coke,  and 
asphalt;  6  per  cent  miscellaneous  and  4.  i  per  cent  loss. 

Although  a  franchise  was  granted  on  March  9,  191 1,  to  "B.  H, 
Hopkins,  his  successors  and  assigns,  for  the  laying  of  oil  pipe  lines 
in  the  streets  and  alleys  of  the  town  of  Casper,  for  the  purpose  of 
selling,  furnishing  and  distributing  petroleum  or  its  products,  and  gas 
to  consumers  within  the  town  of  Casper,"  the  first  tangible  evidence 
of  the  residents  of  Casper  being  supplied  with  natural  gas  was  on 
January  13,  1920,  when  the  New  York  Oil  company,  whose  head- 
quarters were  in  Casper,  announced  that  a  contract  had  been  let  to 
the  Hope  Engineering  and  Supply  company  to  build  a  gas  pipe  line 
from  the  company's  holdings  in  the  Iron  Creek-Poison  Spider  and 
South  Casper  creek  fields  to  the  city  of  Casper.  The  greater  part 
of  the  line  was  to  be  of  twelve-inch  pipe,  with  reinforced  Dressier 
couplings  to  insure  the  line  against  gas  escaping.  In  a  statement  at 
that  time,  in  reference  to  supplying  the  citizens  of  Casper  with  gas, 
Mr.  Frank  G.  Curtis,  president  of  the  New  York  Oil  company,  said: 
"To  be  able  to  bring  this  great  relief  to  Casper  will  forbid  the  mer- 
cenary motive  pervading  the  effort.  All  we  want  is  a  fair  return  for 
the  investment  and  operation  and  the  achievement  will  mark  our 
greatest  desire."  Upon  the  franchise  being  granted  by  the  city 
council  surveys  were  immediately  made  for  the  lines  from  Casper  to 
the  gas  fields  and  the  line  was  completed  October  11,  1920,  and  gas 
was  turned  on  at  the  Midwest  refinery  the  next  day  where  it  was  used 
in  the  various  processes  of  refining  oil.  At  that  time  the  company 
had  eight  producing  gas  wells,  but  the  fields  had  been  only  partially 
developed.  The  first  gas  well  to  be  brought  in  at  Iron  Creek  was  on 
December  17,  1917,  and  the  first  gas  well  to  be  brought  in  at  Poison 
Spider  was  December  24,  1917.  The  gas  is  brought  from  the  field 
under  a  heavy  pressure  and  this  pressure  is  delivered  into  the  city  to 
certain  points  where  regulators  that  work  automatically  are  placed. 
These  regulators  cut  down  the  heavy  gas  pressure  of  several  hundred 
pounds  to  only  a  few  ounces  and  deliver  this  low  pressure  to  the  city 
mains  from  which  it  feeds  direct  to  the  homes  and  business  houses. 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  259 

These  regulators  are  so  built  that  when  anything  goes  wrong,  they 
immediately  shut  off  all  gas  so  that  there  is  no  danger  from  the  gas 
suddenly  failing  in  the  night  and  then  coming  on  again  to  cause 
trouble. 

On  account  of  the  convenience  and  economy  of  gas  for  fuel,  both 
for  industrial  and  domestic  purposes,  it  was  estimated  that  the  city 
of  Casper  would  experience  a  rapid  growth  in  population  as  well  as 
the  establishment  of  many  new  industries  where  gas  could  be  used, 
such  as  glass  factories,  iron  and  asbestos  industries  and  other  enter- 
prises. In  December,  1920,  the  first  month  of  the  service,  more  than 
three  hundred  million  cubic  feet  of  gas  was  consumed  in  the  city  of 
Casper  and  at  the  Midwest  Refining  company's  plant  for  fuel  pur- 
poses, and  more  than  500  applications  were  on  file  for  connections 
to  be  made  with  residences  in  the  city. 

After  one  year's  trial  the  consumers  of  gas  expressed  themselves 
as  being  highly  pleased  with  the  service,  the  convenience  and  the 
price,  and  instead  of  three  hundred  million  cubic  feet  being  consumed 
in  a  month,  in  December,  1921,  the  company  was  supplying  2,300 
families  and  twenty  factories,  laundries,  etc.,  which  consumed  fifty- 
three  million  cubic  feet  and  in  addition  to  this  the  Standard  refineries 
consumed  542,000,000  cubic  feet  with  a  total  of  595,000,000  cubic 
feet  consumed  during  the  month,  and  a  total  of  6,214,000,000  cubic 
feet  consumed  during  the  year,  with  an  assurance  that  more  than  six 
billion  cubic  feet  for  each  year  would  be  consumed  as  long  as  the 
company  could  supply  the  gas. 

In  regard  to  the  supply  of  gas  in  the  fields  a  careful  estimate  has 
been  made  by  geologists  of  national  reputation  who  estimate  that  the 
production  in  the  Iron  Creek-Poison  Spider  fields  will  furnish  more 
than  six  billion  cubic  feet  each  year  for  at  least  twenty  years,  and 
with  the  many  other  fields  adjacent  to  the  city  of  Casper  the  citizens 
may  be  assured  that  the  supply  will  not  be  exhausted  for  at  least 
a  century. 

In  the  whole  state  of  Wyoming  there  are  said  to  be  fifteen  light 
oil  structures,  producing  or  capable  of  producing  paraffin  base  crudes 
on  a  par  with  Pennsylvania  oils,  the  daily  production  of  which  is 
about  78,000  barrels,  with  several  fields  shut  down  and  others 
running  only  a  portion  of  the  oil.  The  potential  production  of  Wyo- 
ming's light  oil  fields  is  about  180,000  barrels  per  day.  The  cost  of 
development  of  these  fifteen  light  oil  fields  up  until  1922,  was  about 
$62,872,500,  which  takes  in  the  cost  of  edge  wells,  classing  the  latter 
as  producers  except  where  no  oil  whatever  was  found  in  the  hole. 
Besides  these  fifteen  light  oil  fields,  there  are  seven  black  oil  fields 
with  a  daily  production  of  425  barrels,  a  potential  production  of  3,750 


26o  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

barrels,  a  development  cost  of  $3,448,560  and  four  fields  shut  down. 
There  are  fourteen  gas  fields  producing  in  Wyoming  and  in  some 
instances  these  gas  fields  also  produce  oil.  The  cost  of  developing 
these  gas  fields  up  until  1922,  was  $4,635,000. 

Besides  the  above  listed  fields,  there  are  also  seven  structures 
in  the  state  where  oil  in  commercial  quantities  is  known  to  exist.  The 
cost  of  the  development  of  these  seven  fields,  as  nearly  as  can  be 
estimated,  is  $1,778,600.  The  cost  of  the  development  of  the  produc- 
ing fields  in  the  state,  most  of  which  are  in  Natrona  county  and 
adjacent  to  the  city  of  Casper,  is  as  follows: 

The  Midwest  Refining  company,  $22,768,480,  paid  out  for  the 
drilling  of  wells  on  successful  structures.  The  Ohio  Oil  company, 
$18,342,660,  expended  in  the  development  of  successful  structures; 
the  Kasoming  Oil  company,  $2,230,000;  Producers  and  Refiners 
corporation,  $1,456,900;  New  York  Oil  company,  $1,340,000;  The 
Texas  company,$i,322,72o;  General  Petroleum  company, $1,320,500; 
Sinclair  Oil  company,  $254,000;  Carter  Oil  company,  $308,000; 
Union  Oil  company,  $120,000;  and  the  Inland  Oil  &  Refining  com- 
pany, $150,000.  The  rest  of  the  firms  operating  in  Wyoming  are 
listed  as  miscellaneous  and  show  a  total  expenditure  of  $4,650,000. 
The  above  figures  are  for  successful  development  only,  no  dry  holes 
are  considered.  The  following  figures  give  an  approximate  expendi- 
ture by  each  firm  on  dry  holes  where  the  whole  amount  was  a  total 
loss  or  nearly  so:  Ohio  Oil  company,  $2,437,654;  Midwest  Refining 
company,  $1,976,000;  Kasoming  Oil  company,  $658,000;  Inland  Oil 
&  Refining  company,  $535,000;  The  Texas  company,  $1,387,530; 
Producers  &  Refiners  corporation,  $51 1,000;  Associated  Oil  company, 
$445,000;  Carter  Oil  company,  $360,000;  Empire  Gas  &  Fuel  company, 
$210,000;  Union  Oil  company  (Calif.),  $1,200,000;  Standard  Oil  of 
California,  $322,090;  Cosden  Oil  &  Gas  company,  $110,000;  Gypsy 
Oil  company,  $52,330,  and  miscellaneous  companies,  $10,947,690. 

The  state  of  Wyoming  is  credited  with  one-twentieth  of  all  the 
oil  reserves  in  the  United  States.  On  January  i,  1922,  the  average 
daily  production  from  the  225,000  producing  wells  in  the  United 
States  was  four  and  one-half  barrels,  whereas  the  average  daily  pro- 
duction in  Wyoming  was  forty  barrels.  Wyoming  leads  all  other  fields 
in  the  average  daily  production  of  wells.  The  crude  oil  of  Wyoming 
has  the  highest  gasoline  extraction  of  any  field  in  the  United  States, 
running  forty  per  cent  to  fifty  per  cent  as  compared  to  twenty-four  per 
cent  in  the  Appalachian  and  twelve  per  cent  in  the  California  fields.  In 
Wyoming  but  nine  and  one-half  per  cent  of  the  estimated  crude  in  the 
ground  in  the  first  sand  has  been  extracted  compared  to  thirty-five 
per  cent  in  California,  sixty-one  per  cent  in  Louisiana,  eighty-nine 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  261 

per  cent  in  the  Appalachian  fields  and  thirty-six  per  cent  in  the  mid- 
continent  fields.  Many  practical  oil  men  consider  the  Salt  Creek  field, 
the  greatest  single  oil  pool  of  high  grade  gasoline  oil  in  the  United 
States  or  even  in  the  world.  Certain  sections  of  this  wonderful  field 
produced,  from  1914  to  1919,  63,500  barrels  of  oil  per  acre.  With  the 
single  exception  of  Spindle  Top  in  Texas,  where  the  oil  is  much 
inferior  in  quality  from  the  standpoint  of  gasoline  content,  this  Salt 
Creek  production  exceeds  that  of  any  other  high  grade  oil  field  east 
of  the  Rocky  mountains.  The  average  production  in  Salt  Creek 
during  the  last  several  years  has  been  19,500  barrels  per  acre,  which 
average,  with  the  single  exception  of  Spindle  Top,  is  greater  than 
any  field  east  of  the  Rockies.  The  Kern  river  field  of  California  has  an 
average  production  of  25,698  barrels  per  acre,  but  this  is  low  grade 
oil  and  not  to  be  compared  in  quality  with  Salt  Creek.  The  famous 
Cushing  pool  in  Oklahoma  has  an  average  of  4,350  barrels  per  acre; 
the  Gleen  pool  a  little  more  than  3,000  barrels  per  acre;  the  Augusta, 
Kansas,  pool,  4,800. 

During  the  year  1921  the  Salt  Creek  field  produced  11,362,000 
barrels  of  oil.  Out  of  a  total  of  261  producing  oil  wells  completed  in 
the  state  of  Wyoming  during  1921,  120  of  them  were  located  in  the 
Salt  Creek  field.  The  drilling  record  for  the  state  during  the  year  was 
the  completion  of  339  wells,  261  of  which  were  producing  oil  wells, 
fifteen  were  gassers,  and  there  were  sixty-three  failures.  In  1920 
there  were  348  wells  drilled,  284  of  which  were  oil  wells,  thirty-one 
gassers  and  sixty-three  failures. 

During  the  year  1922  the  Salt  Creek  field  produced  23,725,000 
barrels  of  crude  oil,  but  this  only  in  a  small  degree  represents  the 
amount  this  field  could  produce  with  the  release  of  oil  now  confined 
or  shut-in  at  "producing"  wells.  From  January  i  to  December  31, 
1922,  the  average  daily  output  of  Salt  Creek  was  65,000  barrels, 
covering  periods  of  pipe  line  runs  of  thirty  per  cent,  fifty  per  cent  and 
forty  per  cent  of  production  of  uncapped  wells.  During  several  days 
of  the  last  week  in  December,  the  Salt  Creek  pipe  lines  handled  as 
high  as  78,000  barrels  but  65,000  barrels  is  reported  on  authority  as 
the  daily  average  covering  the  entire  year  under  the  three  pro  ratas. 
The  best  of  authorities  estimate  that  the  Salt  Creek  field  will  produce 
a  flow  of  oil  for  at  least  fifty  years,  or  until  1972,  with  the  same  amount 
of  drilling  that  has  been  in  operation  for  1921  and  1922,  and  that  one- 
twentieth  of  the  field  has  not  yet  been  developed.  There  are  about 
thirty  square  miles  in  this  one  vast  dome,  where  practically  every 
hole  drilled  means  an  oil  well.  There  are  two  known  producing  oil 
sands  and  three  other  possible  sands  below  these,  and  it  is  said  that 
if  this  is  not  a  billion  dollar  oil  field,  there  is  none  in  the  United  States. 


262  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Entering  Salt  Creek  from  the  south,  almost  as  through  a  gateway, 
the  great  oil  field  comes  suddenly  into  view,  a  natural  amphitheatre, 
the  massive  outcrops  of  the  Shannon  sandstone  banked  against  the 
skyline  like  spectators  of  the  activity  far  below.  Seven  miles  to  the 
north  the  bowl  extends,  and  four  miles  east  and  west.  Minor  hills  and 
valleys  extend  all  over  the  field,  but  the  general  effect  from  the  high 
entering  road  is  one  of  flatness. 

Derricks  are  sparsely  spotted  over  the  great  area,  some  new  and 
clean,  others  blackened  old-timers,  kept  on  the  job  for  cleaning  opera- 
tions or  deeper  drilling.  Most  of  the  steady  producers  are  not  dis- 
cernible from  a  distance,  the  rigs  having  been  dismantled,  and  the 
wells  quietly  discharging  into  the  feeder  lines. 

Over  the  many  roads  crawl  fleets  of  motor  trucks,  carrying  cas- 
ing, timber,  machinery  and  supplies,  up  hill  and  down  dale,  supplying 
the  many  camps  dotted  here  and  there. 

About  the  center  of  the  field  is  the  village  of  Salt  Creek.  Here  is 
the  postoffice,  Midwest  offices.  Midwest  hotel,  large  and  commo- 
dious, a  splendid  new  brick  school  building,  comfortable  residences 
and  all  that  goes  to  make  up  the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  a 
small  town  such  as  a  theater,  church,  newspaper,  etc. 

Near  the  south  end  of  the  field  there  is  a  new  village  known  as 
the  Ohio-Columbine  camp,  which  consists  of  a  long  row  of  modern 
houses,  which  flank  the  main  street,  and  in  addition  to  these  houses 
there  are  many  other  comfortable  residences  on  the  other  streets  which 
have  been  laid  out.  Following  the  main  road  northward,  the  next 
settlement  of  importance  is  the  Midwest  gasoline  extraction  plant. 
Here  the  streets  are  well  laid  out,  with  many  comfortable  residences. 

Drilling  activity  at  the  north  end  of  the  field  is  not  as  marked  as 
at  the  south  end,  probably  seventy  per  cent  of  the  new  rigs  being  at 
the  south  end,  but  some  day  the  north  end  of  the  field  no  doubt  will 
have  as  many  rigs  as  are  now  on  the  south  end. 

At  this  time  (1923)  there  is  an  average  of  only  about  eight  pro- 
ducing wells  per  square  mile,  or  two  wells  per  quarter  section.  The 
problem  in  the  Salt  Creek  field  is  not  in  getting  the  crude  oil,  but  how 
to  get  a  market  for  it  is  the  perplexing  question. 

In  addition  to  the  wonderful  Salt  Creek  field,  many  new  fields  in 
Natrona  county  are  being  opened  up,  which  goes  to  show  that  Casper 
will  be  an  "oil  town"  for  at  least  a  century  from  this  date,  and  is 
destined  to  be  not  only  the  largest  and  wealthiest  city  in  the  state, 
but  one  of  the  leading  cities  in  the  middle  west  of  the  United  States. 

During  the  latter  part  of  1916  and  for  nine  months  in  1917 
Casper  experienced  a  wonderful  oil  boom.  Men  in  all  walks  of  life 
neglected  their  business   and   their  professions  to   buy  and  sell  oil 


OUR    OIL    FIELDS    AND    OIL    REFINERIES  263 

stocks.  It  was  a  small  day's  business  if  half  a  million  dollars'  worth 
of  oil  stocks  were  not  sold;  for  a  number  of  months  the  several  hun- 
dred oil  brokers  each  made  a  profit  of  from  $100.00  to  $1,000.00  per 
day.  Oil  exchanges,  where  stocks  were  sold  at  auction,  were  estab- 
lished, and  during  the  afternoons  and  evenings  the  rooms  were  filled 
with  men  and  women  who  bought  and  sold  stocks;  in  the  evenings 
the  rooms  were  not  large  enough  to  accommodate  all  the  customers 
and  many  remained  out  on  the  side  walk,  but  they  bought  and  sold 
stocks  just  the  same.  In  the  lobby  of  the  Midwest  (now  the  Henning 
hotel)  was  where  most  of  the  trading  was  done.  Many  brokers  had 
desks  in  the  small  rooms  adjacent  to  the  lobby,  and  an  enormous 
rental  was  paid  for  these  little  rooms;  there  were  a  great  many  people 
who  had  no  office  nor  desk,  but  they  did  their  trading  on  the  floor 
of  the  lobby.  Most  of  these  brokers  always  had  on  hand  stocks  worth 
from  $5,000  to  $25,000.  Checks  were  given  for  stock  amounting  to 
several  thousand  dollars,  and  no  doubt  was  ever  entertained  but 
there  was  money  in  the  bank  sufficient  to  cover  the  amount  of  the 
check;  if  some  of  the  men  who  then  wrote  a  check  for  $5,000  which 
was  accepted  without  question,  were  to  write  a  check  today  for  $500 
it  would  be  taken  with  a  considerable  degree  of  suspicion  as  to  whether 
it  would  be  cashed  at  the  bank.  Orders  were  given  among  these 
brokers  for  the  purchase  of  stocks  at  a  given  time  and  price,  and  if 
the  stock  was  delivered  before  the  time  specified,  it  was  accepted  by 
the  broker  who  gave  the  order,  even  though  the  price  had  gone  down 
several  points  and  the  transaction  involved  a  considerable  loss. 
Square  dealing  and  honesty  was  the  rule  among  the  brokers,  and  when 
one  failed  to  act  upon  the  square  he  was  blacklisted  and  boycotted. 

New  oil  companies  were  organized  every  day  and  the  stock  was 
placed  on  the  market.  Many  of  these  companies  had  land  that  turned 
out  very  valuable,  and  the  price  of  their  stock  today  is  from  ten  to 
twenty  times  as  much  as  it  sold  for  when  the  companies  were  first 
organized,  but  on  the  other  hand  many,  many  of  the  companies  that 
were  organized  then  and  sold  their  stock  at  from  fifty  cents  to  one 
dollar  per  share  today  are  unheard  of,  and  many  people  have  stored 
away  certificates  of  a  sufficient  number  to  decorate  four  sides  and  the 
ceiling  of  a  large-sized  office  room,  all  of  which  would  not  sell  for 
enough  money  to  pay  for  their  postage  carriage  if  they  were  to  be 
delivered  to  the  purchaser  by  mail  service. 

In  the  fall  of  1917  many  of  the  brokers  had  gone  out  of  business; 
there  was  but  little  trading;  men  who  had  loaded  up  on  stocks  in  the 
spring  and  summer  were  now  selling  out  for  any  price  they  could  get, 
while  others  took  their  loss  like  good  philosophers  and  charged  it 
up  to  bad  judgment.    But  those  were  the  real  boom  days  in  Casper. 


Tragedies  of  Natrona  County 

Hanging  of  "Cattle  Kate"  and  Jim  Averell 

THOUSANDS  upon  thousands  of  cattle  perished  in  the  middle 
western  states  during  the  severe  and  long-continued  storms  of 
the  winters  of  1886,  '87  and  '88,  and  in  the  summers  that  fol- 
lowed the  hills  and  hollows  of  the  open  range  were  literally  covered 
with  the  bones  of  the  beasts,  which  were  bleached  by  the  scorching 
rays  of  the  summer's  sun.  The  stockmen  of  Wyoming  were  the  great- 
est losers  of  any  of  the  cattle  states,  and  many  of  the  men  who  were 
comfortably  well-to-do  in  the  fall  of  '86  were  financially  wrecked  in 
the  spring  of  '88,  and  others  were  left  only  a  shadow  of  their  large 
herds  which  had  been  turned  out  after  the  fall  roundups  to  rustle 
their  feed  and  find  shelter  from  the  winter's  storms. 

But  the  rigorous  winters  and  hot,  dry  summers  were  not  the  only 
menace  that  confronted  the  cattlemen  and  which  bid  fair  to  diminish 
their  herds.  The  cattle  thieves,  or  "rustlers,"  so  called  in  those  days, 
were  now  boldly  making  their  presence  felt  more  than  ever  before,  by 
blotching  the  brands  of  the  estray  cattle  they  could  find  and  putting 
their  irons  on  the  calves  they  could  pick  up.  The  thieves  had  steadily 
increased  in  numbers  year  after  year  until  the  cattle  owners  were  in 
the  minority,  and  the  rustlers'  influence,  or  rather,  their  means  of 
intimidation,  was  much  greater  on  the  range  than  that  of  the  "cattle 
kings." 

The  cattle  owners,  after  seeing  their  large  herds  nearly  wiped  out 
by  the  elements,  were  forcibly  impressed  with  the  fact  that  the  laws 
of  our  statutes  did  not  protect  them  from  the  now  strong  band  of  rust- 
lers, and  they  must  organize  and  adopt  and  enforce  a  law  of  self- 
preservation,  or  go  out  of  business  entirely.  The  man  who  owned  a 
great  number  of  cattle  and  large  tracts  of  land  was  looked  upon  by  the 
rustlers  as  a  prey,  and  the  brand  on  his  stock  was  blotched  and  the 
animals  were  driven  off  from  their  range  with  impunity,  hence  the 
organization  of  the  cattle  owners,  who  declared  that  "an  injury  to 
one  is  a  concern  to  all,"  and  it  did  not  take  them  long  to  adopt  their 
own  methods  of  protecting  their  property  and  set  up  their  own 
laws  as  punishment  for  the  transgressor. 

The  rustlers  had  friends  in  nearly  every  settlement,  and  some- 
times even  among  the  cowboys  working  for  the  large  outfits  they 

264 


TRAGEDIES  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY         265 

found  sympathizers.  On  account  of  their  reckless  unlawfulness  there 
were  many  people  who  protected  them  through  fear,  and  it  is  said 
that  in  some  cases  men  who  served  as  jurors,  and  some  of  the  judges 
on  the  bench  failed  to  do  their  sworn  duty,  either  through  fear  or 
actually  favoring  the  thieves;  and  up  to  this  day  there  are  some  people 
who  contend  that  these  men  were  justified  in  their  depredations, 
because  the  big  cattle  outfits  many  times  exceeded  their  rights  in 
taking  up  large  tracts  of  land  and  monopolized  thousands  of  acres  of 
the  open  range,  thus  starving  and  driving  out  the  settlers  and  owners 
of  small  bunches  of  cattle.  Courts  had  become  a  farce.  There  was  no 
chance  of  securing  a  conviction  upon  a  charge  of  cattle  stealing  in 
those  days,  and  because  of  their  security  from  the  law  some  of  the 
rustlers  oftentimes  committed  crimes  greater  than  stealing  cattle, 
and  little  was  said  and  nothing  was  done  about  it. 

The  first  case,  in  what  is  now  Natrona  county,  to  require  the 
cattle  owners  to  apply  the  law  of  "self-preservation,"  occurred  in  the 
present  peaceful  and  prosperous  Sweetwater  country.  The  day  and 
date  was  Saturday,  July  20,  1889,  when  James  Averell,  a  man  who 
conducted  a  saloon  and  small  store  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and 
Ella  Watson,  who  ran  a  "hog  ranch,"  and  who  adopted  the  name  of 
Kate  Maxwell,  but  who  was  dubbed  by  her  friends  "Cattle  Kate," 
and  was  a  consort  of  Averell,  were  hanged  to  the  limb  of  a  tree,  in 
Spring  canyon,  near  the  Sweetwater  river,  about  five  miles  west 
from  the  Averell  ranch,  and  their  bodies  were  left  dangling  side 
by  side  for  more  than  thirty  hours,  until  the  authorities  from  Casper 
went  out,  let  them  down,  held  an  inquest,  and  then  buried  them 
side  by  side  on  the  ranch  in  close  proximity  to  the  saloon  where  they 
had  carried  on  their  nefarious  business. 

Averell's  place  of  business  was  a  "hang-out"  for  the  rustlers,  but 
many  of  the  cowboys  came  there  for  a  night's  carousal,  and  before 
they  left  the  place  Averell  generally  had  all  their  money  and  "Cattle 
Kate"  had  the  promise  of  her  brand  on  from  one  to  half  a  dozen 
calves.  Kate  had  taken  up  a  homestead  about  a  mile  northwest 
from  the  Averell  ranch,  near  "Steamboat"  rock,  where  she  built  a 
cabin  and  had  a  pasture  fenced  in,  and  in  a  very  few  months  had 
accumulated  a  very  nice  herd  of  cattle.  When  questioned  as  to  how 
she  acquired  the  stock,  she  simply  said  she  "bought"  them,  and  there 
was  no  law  to  disprove  that  she  was  not  the  rightful  owner  of  them. 

Both  Averell  and  the  Watson  woman  were  avowed  and  open 
enemies  of  the  large  cattle  and  land  owners,  and  on  April  7,  1889, 
Averell  wrote  a  letter  for  publication  to  the  Casper  Weekly  Mail 
condemning  the  cattlemen  who  were  operating  in  the  Sweetwater 
country,  and  among  other  things  he  said: 


266  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"They  are  land-grabbers,  who  are  only  camped  here  as  speculators  in  land  under 
the  desert  land  act.  They  are  opposed  to  anything  that  would  settle  and  improve 
the  country  or  make  it  anything  but  a  cow  pasture  for  eastern  speculators.  It  is 
wonderful  how  much  land  some  of  these  land  sharks  own  —  in  their  minds  —  and 
how  firmly  they  are  organized  to  keep  Wyoming  from  being  settled  up.  They  advance 
the  idea  that  a  poor  man  has  nothing  to  say  in  the  affairs  of  his  country,  in  which  they 
are  wrong,  as  the  future  land  owner  in  Wyoming  will  be  the  people  to  come,  as  most 
of  these  large  tracts  are  so  fraudulently  entered  now  that  it  must  ultimately  change 
hands  and  give  the  public  domain  to  the  honest  settler.  Is  it  not  enough  to  excite  one's 
prejudice  to  see  the  Sweetwater  river  owned,  or  claimed,  for  a  distance  of  seventy-five 
miles  from  its  mouth,  by  three  or  four  men?  Change  the  irrigation  laws  so  that  every 
bona  fide  settler  can  have  his  share  of  the  water;  and  as  soon  as  possible  cancel  the  desert 
land  act,  and  then  you  will  see  orchards  and  farms  in  Wyoming.  Who  was  it  that  in 
the  year  1884  tried  to  have  an  act  passed  in  the  territorial  legislature  to  bond  each 
county  in  the  territory  to  the  amount  of  $300,000  to  run  a  railroad  tunnel  through  the 
Seminoe  mountains?    It  was  one  of  the  Sweetwater  land  grabbers." 

Averell  had  homesteaded  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  along  the  Sweet- 
water upon  land  that  he  mentioned  in  his  communication  as  being 
claimed  by  these  "three  or  four  men,"  and  the  Watson  woman  put  up 
her  shack  and  fenced  in  a  pasture  not  much  more  than  a  mile  distant 
from  Averell,  and  the  two  places  were  the  incentive  for  many  a 
hideous  carousal  and  disregard  for  decency,  where  unlawful  con- 
tracts were  entered  into  for  mavericks  that  were  to  be  turned  into  the 
"Cattle  Kate"  pasture  where  her  brand  could  be  put  on  them.  They 
were  so  open  in  their  dealings  that  the  cattle  owners  in  the  neighbor- 
hood decided  that  drastic  measures  must  be  adopted,  and  the  man 
and  woman  must  be  dealt  with  severely,  and  the  sentence  of  death 
was  accordingly  carried  out  with  dispatch. 

The  first  news  of  the  hanging  to  reach  Casper  was  on  Sunday 
morning,  July  21 ,  at  about  eleven  o'clock,  nearly  a  whole  day  after  the 
tragedy  occurred,  when  E.  J.  Healy  rode  hurriedly  into  the  village 
on  horseback  and  told  the  authorities  that  Averell  and  the  Watson 
woman  had  been  taken  by  a  mob  and  hanged  side  by  side  to  a  tree 
near  Averell's  ranch.  The  people  of  Casper  were  aware  that  trouble 
had  been  brewing  in  that  neighborhood  for  a  considerable  length  of 
time,  and  Phil  Watson,  the  deputy  sheriff,  whose  headquarters  were 
in  Casper,  immediately  started  out  with  a  posse  of  men  to  make  an 
investigation.  Upon  arriving  at  the  Averell  ranch  the  deputy  sheriff 
and  his  men  ascertained  that  the  facts  were  as  represented  by  Healy, 
and  the  bodies  had  not  yet  been  taken  down. 

The  deputy  sheriff  and  several  men  were  guided  from  the  Averell 
ranch  by  Frank  Buchanan  about  five  miles  up  the  Sweetwater  river, 
and  turning  to  the  south,  following  up  the  gulch  leading  into  the  rocks, 
in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  they  found  the  bodies  hanging  close 
together,  each  at  the  end  of  a  rope,  which  had  been  thrown  over  the 
limb  of  a  scrub  pine  tree.   The  authorities  cut  the  ropes  and  let  down 


TRAGEDIES  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY         267 

the  bodies  and  carried  them  to  the  Averell  ranch  where  an  inquest  was 
held  by  Esquire  Emery,  Dr.  Joe  Benson,  Tom  Denson,  Jess  Lock- 
wood,  E.  J.  Healy,  Jud  Brazil  and  Frank  Denson. 

From  the  evidence  given  by  Frank  Buchanan,  Ralph  Cole, 
'Gene  Crowder,  and  John  DeCory,  the  coroner's  jury  returned  a 
verdict  that  "the  deceased  man  and  woman,  James  Averell  and  Ella 
Watson,  came  to  their  deaths  by  being  hanged  by  the  neck  at  the 
hands  of  A.  J.  Bothwell,  Tom  Sun,  John  Durbin,  R.  M.  Galbraith, 
Bob  Connor,  E.  McLain  and  an  unknown  man.  The  unknown  man 
is  said  to  have  been  George  B.  Henderson,  who  was  shot  and  killed 
about  a  year  later,  an  account  of  which  is  published  elsewhere  in  this 
volume.  The  next  morning  two  graves  were  dug  a  short  distance 
east  from  the  Averell  building  and  the  bodies  were  buried  by  the 
deputy  sheriff  and  the  other  men  who  were  there  at  the  time,  and 
although  the  graves  were  quite  shallow,  it  is  said  there  was  at  least 
twelve  inches  of  water  in  them  when  the  bodies  were  interred,  the 
water  having  seeped  through  from  the  river,  which  was  about  on  a 
level  with  the  burial  spot. 

'Gene  Crowder,  a  lad  about  fourteen  years  of  age,  who  was  at  the 
Watson  woman's  cabin  when  the  men  drove  up,  gave  his  version  of 
the  taking  away  of  the  man  and  woman  as  follows:  "I  was  at  Ella's 
house  trying  to  catch  a  pony  when  the  men  drove  up.  John  Durbin 
took  down  the  wire  fence  and  drove  the  cattle  out  of  the  pasture, 
while  McLain  and  Connor  kept  Ella  from  going  to  the  house.  After 
a  while  they  told  her  to  get  into  the  wagon,  and  she  asked  them  where 
they  were  going  to  take  her.  They  told  her  to  Rawlins.  She  said  she 
wanted  to  go  into  the  house  to  change  her  clothing,  but  the  men  would 
not  permit  her  to  do  so,  and  they  made  her  get  into  the  wagon. 
Bothwell  told  her  that  he  would  rope  and  drag  her  if  she  did  not  get 
in.  She  got  in  and  then  we  all  started  for  Jim  Averell's  place.  I  tried 
to  ride  around  the  cattle  and  get  ahead  of  them,  but  Bothwell  took 
hold  of  my  pony's  bridle  and  made  me  stay  with  them.  I  then  stayed 
with  Durbin  and  helped  him  drive  the  cattle,  while  the  others  went 
ahead  and  met  Jim,  who  was  just  inside  his  second  gate,  and  who  was 
just  starting  to  go  to  Casper.  They  made  him  throw  up  his  hands, 
and  they  told  him  they  had  a  warrant  for  his  arrest,  and  after  they 
made  him  unhitch  his  team,  they  all  came  up  where  the  cattle  were 
and  Jim  asked  Durbin  where  the  warrant  w^as.  Durbin  and  Bothwell 
both  threw  their  guns  on  Jim  and  told  him  that  was  warrant  enough. 
They  then  made  Jim  get  into  the  wagon  and  drove  back  a  way  and 
around  on  the  north  side  of  the  rocks.  John  DeCory  and  I  hurried 
down  to  Jim's  house  and  told  the  folks  there  that  they  had  taken 
Jim  and  Ella  and  were  driving  around  the  rocks  with  them.    Frank 


268  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Buchanan  got  on  a  horse  and  followed  them,  and  he  was  gone  several 
hours.  When  he  came  back  he  told  us  they  had  hanged  Jim  and 
Ella." 

Frank  Buchanan  testified  before  the  coroner's  jury  to  the  effect 
that  "when  the  boy  told  him  Jim  and  Ella  were  being  taken  away  by 
the  mob,  he  got  his  six-shooter  and  a  horse  and  went  around  to  the 
west  end  of  the  rocks  and  saw  them  going  toward  the  river.  They 
drove  into  the  ford  and  followed  up  the  bed  of  the  stream  for  about 
two  miles,  once  stopping  a  long  time  in  the  water  and  arguing  loudly, 
but  he  could  not  understand  what  they  said.  After  they  came  out  of 
the  river,  on  the  south  side,  they  went  toward  the  mountains  and 
pulled  up  a  gulch  leading  into  the  timber  and  among  the  rocks."  He, 
the  witness,  then  said  he  "rode  around  on  the  south  side  of  the  rocky 
hills,  tied  his  horse  and  crawled  over  close  to  where  they  were.  Both- 
well  had  the  rope  around  Jim's  neck  and  had  it  tied  to  a  limb.  He 
told  Jim  to  be  game  and  jump  off.  McLain  was  trying  to  put  a  rope 
around  Ella's  neck,  but  she  was  dodging  her  head  so  that  he  did  not 
succeed  at  the  time.  I  opened  fire  on  them,  but  do  not  know  whether 
I  hit  anyone  or  not.  They  turned  and  began  shooting  at  me.  I 
unloaded  my  six-shooter  twice,  but  finally  had  to  run,  for  they  were 
shooting  at  me  with  Winchesters.  I  ran  to  my  horse  and  rode  back 
to  the  ranch  and  told  them  that  Jim  and  Ella  had  been  hanged,  and 
then  I  started  for  Casper.  I  got  lost  and  pulled  up  at  'Tex's'  ranch 
about  3  o'clock  next  morning.  The  hanging  took  place  about  twelve 
hours  before." 

"Tex"  is  E.  J.  Healy,  who  brought  the  news  to  Casper,  and 
whose  homestead  shack  was  not  far  from  where  the  government 
bridge  now  crosses  the  Platte  river,  about  twenty-five  miles  south- 
west from  Casper. 

Buchanan  further  said:  "Averell  never  owned  any  cattle  and 
there  were  none  in  his  pasture  at  the  time  of  the  trouble;  the  whole 
affair  grew  out  of  land  troubles.  Averell  had  contested  the  land  that 
Connor  was  trying  to  hold  and  he  had  made  Durbin  some  trouble  on  a 
final  proof,  and  he  had  kept  Bothwell  from  fencing  in  the  whole  of  the 
Sweetwater  valley.  Ella  Watson  had  a  small  bunch  of  cattle,  nearly 
all  of  which  were  freshly  branded,  as  she  only  recently  got  her  brand 
recorded." 

Bob  Connor,  who,  it  is  said,  never  denied  that  he  was  with  the 
party  that  did  the  hanging,  told  some  of  his  friends  that  when  they 
started  out  to  get  Averell  and  the  Watson  woman,  they  had  no 
intention  of  hanging  them,  but  they  did  intend  to  scare  them  and 
force  them  to  leave  the  country.  After  forcing  them  to  get  into  the 
wagon  they  took  them  to  the  Sweetwater  river  and  told  them  that 


Spring  Crekk  Canyon.  Ihis  is  where  Ella  Watson  and  James  Averell  were  taken  to  be 
hanged.  "The  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard,"  and  the  road  to  the  place  of 
execution  was  rougli.  +  indicates  tree  where  they  were  hanged.  Inset:  Ella 
Watson's  cabin,  near  Steamboat  rock,  in  the  Sweetwater  country. 


The  Tree  Upon  Which   Eel  \  Wxkson    and  James   Averell   were    Hanged   by 
Catilkmen,  Jlly  20,  1889. 


TRAGEDIES  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY         269 

they  would  drown  them  if  they  did  not  promise  to  go  away.  Instead 
of  promising  to  leave  the  country  the  man  and  woman  laughed  at 
them,  and  told  them  there  was  not  water  enough  in  the  stream  to  give 
them  a  decent  bath.  Some  bitter  words  were  passed  by  both  sides, 
and  then  they  came  out  of  the  stream  and  the  victims  were  taken  up 
into  the  gulch  known  as  Spring  canyon,  among  the  timber  and 
rocks,  and  ropes  were  thrown  over  the  limb  of  a  small  tree  and  nooses 
were  placed  about  the  necks  of  the  man  and  woman.  They  were  once 
more  told  that  if  they  would  agree  to  leave  the  country  they  would 
be  turned  loose,  but  they  again  laughed  at  them  and  said  that  they 
did  not  dare  to  hang  them,  and  then,  it  is  said,  Bothwell  gave  Averell  a 
push  and  Henderson  pushed  the  woman,  and  they  both  swung  out 
between  heaven  and  earth,  and  the  two  souls  were  sent  into  eternity. 
In  contradiction  of  this,  it  was  said  at  the  time  that  Ella  Watson, 
while  struggling  to  keep  the  rope  from  being  placed  around  her  neck, 
begged  the  men  in  the  name  of  God  to  spare  her  life,  imploring  them  as 
they  loved  their  mother  and  revered  their  sisters,  not  to  send  a  help- 
less and  erring  woman  thus  unprepared  before  her  Maker,  but  as  no 
one  was  present  except  those  who  participated  in  the  hanging  and 
the  victims,  this  statement  cannot  be  verified. 

Ella  Watson  was  wearing  a  pair  of  Indian  moccasins  at  the  time 
the  men  forced  her  to  get  into  the  wagon,  and  after  she  was  hanged  the 
moccasins  dropped  from  her  feet,  but  they  were  not  picked  up  by  the 
men  who  cut  the  ropes  and  let  the  bodies  down.  Two  days  after  the 
hanging  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  C.  Jameson  went  to  the  scene  of  the  tragedy 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  some  photographs,  and  they  found  the 
moccasins  under  the  tree,  and  Mrs.  Jameson  still  has  them  in  her 
possession.  Mrs.  Jameson  took  a  photograph  of  the  scrub  pine  tree 
which  served  as  a  scaffold  upon  which  the  victims  met  their  doom, 
and  the  accompanying  half-tones  were  made  from  the  original  photo- 
graphs which  were  taken  July  22,  1889. 

Six  of  the  men  accused  of  the  crime  were  in  time  arrested  by 
Sheriff  Frank  Hadsell  of  Rawlins  and  given  a  preliminary  hearing,  and 
each  of  them  was  placed  under  bond  of  ^5,000,  which  was  furnished 
and  the  men  were  allowed  to  go  their  way  until  they  might  be  sum- 
moned to  the  district  court  or  before  a  grand  jury.  George  B. 
Henderson's  name  was  not  among  those  on  the  warrant. 

A  brother  of  Averell  from  Tacoma,  Washington,  came  to  Wyo- 
ming as  soon  as  he  heard  of  the  tragedy.  He  was  very  quiet  in  his 
dealings,  and  succeeded  in  working  up  a  very  strong  feeling  against 
the  men  accused  of  committing  the  act,  and  for  a  number  of  weeks  a 
subscription  paper  was  circulated  and  a  large  fund  was  raised  to 
carry  on  the  prosecution.    The  county  attorney  was  to  be  aided  by 


270  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

some  of  the  best  criminal  lawyers  obtainable,  and  the  feeling  became 
so  intense  that  no  one  in  the  Sweetwater  country  ventured  from  his 
premises  without  being  well  armed. 

Ella  Watson's  father  came  from  his  home  near  Lebanon,  Kansas, 
and  made  his  headquarters  at  Rock  Springs,  where  he  remained 
until  after  the  case  against  the  men  was  disposed  of  by  the  grand  jury. 
Mr.  Watson  said  that  Ella  was  his  oldest  daughter,  and  she  was 
twenty-eight  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  death. 

The  grand  jury  of  Carbon  county  convened  in  Rawlins  on  Monday, 
October  14,  1889,  with  John  Milliken,  Alfred  Crove,  H.  A.  Andrews, 
James  Candlish,  John  C.  Dyer,  W.  B.  Hughes,  John  Mahoney,  W. 
L.  Evans,  Charles  Hardin,  F.  M.  Baker,  I.  C.  Miller,  J.  H.  Mulhson, 
C.  W.  Burdick,  T.  J.  Dickinson,  Harry  Haines  and  George  Mitchell 
as  grand  jurors.  On  Tuesday,  the  15th,  the  case  of  the  Territory  of 
Wyoming  vs.  Albert  J.  Bothwell,  Earnest  McLain,  Robert  B.  Con- 
nor, Tom  Sun,  Robert  M.  Galbraith  and  John  Durbin  came  before 
the  court,  and  in  his  charge  to  the  men  who  were  to  decide  whether 
or  not  a  true  bill  should  be  returned  against  the  accused.  Judge  Corn 
said: 

"It  is  not  ordinarily  necessary  to  charge  a  grand  jury  with  reference  to  special 
crimes,  but  it  has  come  to  my  ears  and  is  the  subject  of  much  conversation  in  this 
community  and  has  been  widely  published  in  the  newspapers  that  certain  persons  are 
charged  with  the  hanging  of  a  certain  man  and  woman  by  lynch  law  in  this  county, 
and  it  is  evident  that  there  is  great  feeling  and  excitement  in  the  community  in  regard 
to  it.  In  such  matters  you  are  pre-eminently  the  guardians  of  the  safety  of  the  people 
and  the  good  order  of  society.  You  have  sworn  to  present  none  through  malice  or  ill, 
and  to  leave  none  unpresented  through  fear,  favor  or  affection.  It  becomes  you  in 
connection  with  this  matter  to  be  especially  regardful  of  this  oath.  Some  of  the  ancients 
portrayed  Justice  as  a  goddess  blindfolded.  Her  eyes  were  hood-winked,  that  she  might 
not  know  even  the  persons  upon  whom  she  was  called  to  pass  judgment.  In  one  hand 
she  held  the  balances  to  weigh  the  evidence  with  impartiality,  and  in  the  other  a  sword 
with  which  to  execute  her  decrees.  This  idea  of 'Justice  blind'  should  be  your  guide  in 
this  matter.  Weigh  the  evidence  with  absolute  impartiality  and  without  regard  to 
persons,  and  then  strike,  no  matter  where  the  blow  may  fall." 

The  accused  were  represented  by  Attorneys  Corlett,  Lacey  and 
Riner  and  J.  R.  Dixon,  and  the  state  was  represented  by  David  H. 
Craig,  the  prosecuting  attorney  for  Carbon  county,  and  he  was  as- 
sisted by  D.  A.  Preston.  A  challenge  of  the  array  of  the  grand  jury 
was  made  by  the  attorneys  for  the  accused,  but  the  challenge  was 
denied  by  the  court,  and  after  due  deliberation  by  the  grand  jury  it 
reported  as  follows: 

"Territory  of  Wyoming  vs.  Albert  J.  Bothwell,  Earnest  McLain, 
Robert  B.  Connor,  Tom  Sun,  Robert  M.  Galbraith  and  John  Durbin. 
Not  a  true  bill."  The  records  then  follow:  "The  grand  jury  at  the 
present  term  of  this  court,  having  failed  to  find  a  true  bill  of  indict- 
ment against  the  above-named  defendants,  or  either  of  them,  it  is 


TRAGEDIES  OF  NATRONA  COUNTY         27 1 

ordered  by  the  court  that  the  above-named  defendants  and  each  of 
them,  and  their  bonds  be  discharged.    Samuel  T.  Corn,  Judge." 

It  was  claimed  by  the  friends  of  Averell  and  Ella  Watson  that  no 
bills  were  returned  because  of  the  lack  of  witnesses;  that  Buchanan, 
the  material  witness  for  the  prosecution,  who  was  under  a  five- 
hundred-dollar  bond  to  appear,  was  "induced"  to  leave  the  country. 
He  came  to  Casper  in  September  and  slept  in  a  livery  stable  for  two 
nights,  then  mysteriously  disappeared  and  has  never  again  been  seen 
by  anyone  here.  His  bonds  were  forfeited  and  suit  ordered  against 
his  bondsmen  to  recover  the  amount.  John  DeCory  and  Ralph  Cole 
also  mysteriously  disappeared,  and  'Gene  Crowder,  the  fourteen- 
year-old  boy,  died  of  Bright's  disease,  before  the  case  came  to  a  hear- 
ing, and  thus  the  case  ended,  until  each  individual  should  be  taken 
and  tried  before  that  Higher  Court,  where  no  guilty  man  escapes. 

The  story  is  told  that  Ralph  Cole  left  the  Averell  ranch  the  night 
after  the  hanging,  and  he  was  followed  by  George  B.  Henderson. 
Cole  reached  a  surveyor's  camp  late  at  night  and  remained  there  until 
morning.  The  next  day,  while  trying  to  make  his  way  to  a  station  on 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  he  was  overtaken  by  Henderson,  who  shot 
him,  and  the  body  of  the  victim  was  burned  to  ashes.  Whether  or 
not  this  is  true  can  not  be  verified,  but  the  fact  remains  that  Cole 
has  not  since  been  seen,  although  every  effort  was  made  by  friends  to 
find  him. 

Regarding  the  disappearance  of  Cole,  Dr.  Mercer  in  his  "Ban- 
ditti of  the  Plains,"  written  in  1894,  says  that  "he  was  hunted  like  a 
wild  beast,  and  the  supposition  is  that  he  sleeps  beneath  the  sod  in 
some  lonely  mountain  gorge,  where  naught  but  the  yelp  of  the  passing 
wolf  disturbs  the  solemnity  of  his  last  resting  place.  Or,  perchance, 
this  same  howling  beast  picked  the  bones  and  left  them  to  bleach  on 
the  barren  hillside." 

On  January  21,  1891,  the  lands  filed  upon  by  Ella  Watson  and 
James  Averell  were  contested  by  Henry  H.  Wilson.  The  Averell 
homestead  was  filed  upon  February  24,  1886,  in  the  Cheyenne  land 
oflice,  and  was  described  as  follows:  West  half  of  the  northwest 
quarter,  section  26,  and  north  half  northeast  quarter,  section  27, 
township  80,  range  85  west.  The  Ella  Watson  homestead  was  filed 
upon  March  24,  1888,  the  description  of  her  land  being  the  west  half, 
southwest  quarter,  section  23,  and  south  half,  southeast  quarter,  sec- 
tion 22,  township  30,  range  85  west.  The  contestee  stated  that  Averell 
and  Watson  "died  in  July,  1889,  without  legitimate  issue  of  their 
bodies,  being  each  a  single  person,  and  that  the  improvements  on  the 
said  lands  had  been  sold  by  the  administrators  of  the  estates  of  the 
said    persons,  and    since  their  death  the  said   premises  have  been 


272  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

entirely  abandoned."  At  the  same  time  that  the  contest  notices  were 
being  pubHshed,  there  appeared  in  the  dehnquent  tax  Hst  at  the 
county  treasurer's  office  of  Carbon  county  the  information  that  the 
Averell  estate,  with  G.  W.  Durant  of  RawHns  as  administrator,  owed 
the  county  $12.44  for  taxes,  and  that  the  Ella  Watson  estate  was 
indebted  to  the  county  for  taxes  to  the  amount  of  $2.49.  Wilson  in 
due  time  filed  on  the  land  above  described  and  after  proving  up  he 
sold  the  tracts  to  A.  J.  Bothwell. 

The  little  shack  owned  by  the  woman,  in  which  high  carnival  was 
held  many  a  night  by  men  crazy  with  drink,  was  moved  by  Bothwell 
from  its  original  location,  near  Steamboat  rock,  to  the  bank  of  a  small 
stream  known  as  Horse  creek,  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  east  of  the 
buildings  on  the  Bothwell  ranch,  where  it  served  the  purpose  of  an 
ice  house  for  thirty  years  after  the  tragedy,  but  in  1921  it  was  torn 
down. 

The  Averell  buildings  have  long  since  been  torn  down  and  moved 
away.  The  two  unmarked  graves  cannot  be  found,  and  even  the 
trees  among  the  crags  where  the  tragedy  was  enacted  have  nearly  all 
disappeared,  and  only  the  rugged  rocks  remain  unchanged  by  time. 

Today,  a  little  more  than  thirty-three  years  from  the  time  of  the 
tragedy,  four  of  the  men  who  are  said  to  have  participated  in  this 
hanging,  have  been  called  hence,  "where  the  wicked  cease  from 
troubling  and  the  weary  shall  find  rest."  Whether  or  not  they  were 
justified  in  their  acts  they  have  already  answered  before  the  spirits  of 
the  two  poor  creatures  they  sent  before  them,  and  judgment  has  long 
since  been  pronounced  upon  them  by  the  Judge  on  High.  At  this 
time,  1923,  three  are  still  living:  A.  J.  Bothwell  retired  from  the  stock- 
raising  business  in  191 5  and  moved  to  Los  Angeles,  California,  where 
he  has  since  made  his  home;  R.  B.  Connor  went  back  to  his  old  east- 
ern home  at  Mauch  Chunk,  Pennsylvania,  shortly  after  the  tragedy, 
but  returned  to  Central  Wyoming  several  times  on  visits;  R.  M.  Gal- 
braith  went  to  Little  Rock,  Arkansas,  and  engaged  in  the  banking 
business,  became  wealthy  and  retired.  He  has  visited  this  part  of 
the  country  several  times  in  recent  years.  Earnest  McLain,  who,  with 
several  of  the  others,  claimed  to  be  an  unwilling  member  of  the  party, 
left  the  country  a  few  years  after  the  unfortunate  affair  and  has  not 
since  been  heard  from  and  it  is  supposed  that  he  is  dead. 

Time  has  to  some  extent  healed  the  bitter  feeling  that  existed 
between  the  friends  of  the  men  who  set  themselves  up  as  judge,  jury, 
and  executioner,  and  the  friends  of  the  two  unfortunates  who  were 
sent  out  of  this  world  and  before  their  Maker  without  being  given 
time  or  opportunity  to  ask  forgiveness  for  the  wrongs  they  had 
committed  or  to  repent  of  their  sins. 


THE    KILLING    OF    HENDERSON  273 

The  Killing  of  Henderson 

George  B.  Henderson,  who  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  partici- 
pants in  the  hanging  of  James  Averell  and  Ella  Watson  in  the  Sweet- 
water country  in  July,  1889,  and  who  was  accused  a  few  days  later  of 
shooting  one  of  the  principal  witnesses  and  burning  his  body,  was 
range  manager  for  the  71  Cattle  outfit,  and  from  the  day  of  the 
Sweetwater  tragedy  it  seems  that  he  was  burdened  with  troubles  of 
many  kinds,  which  subsequently  resulted  in  his  being  killed.  His  last 
quarrel  was  with  a  night  herder  named  John  Tregoning,  who  went  by 
the  name  of  Smith. 

Instead  of  looking  after  the  stock  as  he  was  supposed  to,  Tregon- 
ing usually  built  a  camp  fire  and  slept  beside  it,  while  the  herd  of  cattle 
was  allowed  to  roam  at  will.  For  his  neglectfulness  Tregoning  was 
discharged  by  Henderson.  Tregoning  went  to  Buffalo,  in  Johnson 
county,  after  he  was  discharged  by  Henderson,  and  a  few  days  later 
Henderson  went  to  Buffalo  after  delivering  some  cattle  to  Johnson 
county  parties.  Tregoning  met  Henderson  and  asked  him  for  some 
money,  which  he  alleged  was  due  him  for  work.  Henderson  gave  him 
a  check  for  nine  dollars  and  told  him  that  was  all  that  was  due  him, 
and  he  must  consider  himself  discharged  from  the  71  Cattle  company. 
Tregoning  contended  that  more  money  was  due  him,  and  that  he 
would  consider  himself  in  the  employ  of  the  company  until  he  ar- 
rived at  the  ranch  and  was  paid  in  full.  After  Henderson  left  town 
Tregoning  became  boisterous,  using  some  very  abusive  and  vile 
language,  and  said  that  he  would  get  even  with  Henderson  in  some 
other  way.  Tregoning  then  went  to  a  hardware  store  where  he  bought 
a  .45  Colt's  six-shooter. 

The  next  morning  Tregoning  left  Buffalo,  going  to  the  Sheehan 
ranch,  about  two  miles  up  the  Sweetwater  river  from  the  71  ranch. 
He  turned  the  two  71  horses  which  he  had  borrowed,  into  Sheehan's 
pasture,  and  catching  one  of  his  own  horses,  he  rode  over  to  the  71 
ranch.  Henderson  had  just  arrived  home.  Tregoning  had  his  .45 
Colt's  in  his  holster,  and  Henderson  ordered  him  to  take  it  off,  inform- 
ing him  that  it  was  against  the  rules  to  carry  a  gun  while  on  the 
ranch.  Tregoning  refused  to  take  off  his  gun.  Henderson  then  went 
into  the  ranch  house  and  Tregoning  went  to  the  bunk  house.  Mrs. 
Henderson  kept  a  close  watch  on  Tregoning,  and  she  called  to  her 
husband  that  Tregoning  was  going  to  shoot  at  him.  Henderson  im- 
mediately went  out  of  the  ranch  house  with  a  Winchester  rifle  and 
forced  Tregoning  to  take  off  his  six-shooter,  after  which  the  matter  of 
wages  that  were  due  Tregoning  was  satisfactorily  settled,  and  Tregon- 
ing was  told  to  leave  the  ranch  and  return  the  two  horses  belonging 


274  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

to  the  71  outfit,  which  Craig,  the  foreman,  had  loaned  him,  and 
Tregoning  agreed  to  return  the  horses. 

Henderson  then  told  Tregoning  that  he  had  been  told  of  the 
threats  made  against  him  and  said:  "This  is  very  serious,  and  if  I 
hear  of  you  making  any  further  threats  against  me,  the  next  time  we 
meet,  you  must  come  a-shooting." 

Tregoning  then  left  the  ranch,  and  three  days  had  lapsed  without 
the  borrowed  horses  being  returned,  when  Henderson,  accompanied 
by  Pete  Stickles,  a  man  employed  on  the  71  ranch,  went  over  to  the 
Sheehan  ranch.  Arriving  at  the  ranch,  Henderson  dismounted  from  his 
horse  at  the  horse  corrals,  and  some  cowboys  told  him  that  Tregoning 
was  in  the  cabin.  Henderson  started  for  the  cabin,  leading  his  horse 
by  the  bridle  reins,  and  Stickles  rode  behind  him  on  his  horse.  Hen- 
derson had  his  six-shooter  strapped  upon  him,  but  Stickles  was 
unarmed.  When  Henderson  was  within  about  forty  feet  of  the  cabin 
door  Tregoning  came  out  with  a  Winchester  rifle  and  advanced  to  the 
path  and  a  man  named  Berry  also  came  out  of  the  cabin,  and  he  was 
also  armed  with  a  Winchester.  Tregoning  ordered  Henderson  to  stop 
and  take  off  his  gun,  but  Henderson  continued  to  go  forward,  his 
head  being  bowed  down  to  avoid  the  wind,  which  was  blowing  at  a 
terrific  gale.  Tregoning  again  called  out :  "  Stop !  Mr.  Henderson !  Mr. 
Henderson,  stop  and  take  off  your  gun."  Henderson  then  stopped, 
looked  up  from  the  ground,  and  pointing  his  finger  at  Tregoning, 
said :  "  Smith,  put  down  that  gun,"  and  Stickles  called  out  to  the  men, 
saying:  "Two  of  you  have  guns;  one  of  us  is  unarmed.  If  there  is  any 
trouble  between  you  put  down  your  guns  and  talk  it  over  like  men." 

Tregoning  looked  back  over  his  shoulder  at  Berry,  and  then  level- 
ing his  rifle  at  Henderson,  he  pulled  the  trigger,  and  Henderson  fell  to 
the  ground,  exclaiming,  "My  God,  I  am  shot,"  and  he  died  almost 
immediately. 

The  jury  who  tried  the  case  in  Lander,  the  murder  having  been 
committed  in  Fremont  county,  deliberated  for  twenty-seven  hours 
before  returning  a  verdict,  eleven  of  the  jurymen  favoring  murder  in 
the  first  degree  for  both  Tregoning  and  Berry,  but  a  compromise  was 
reached  on  murder  in  the  second  degree  for  Tregoning  and  manslaugh- 
ter for  Berry. 

Prosecuting  Attorney  Vidal  of  Fremont  county  was  assisted  by 
Attorneys  A.  C.  Campbell  and  W.  C.  Stoll  of  Cheyenne,  who  were 
employed  by  the  71  outfit,  and  the  defendants  were  represented  by 
Attorney  Look  of  Greeley,  Colorado,  D.  A.  Preston  and  E.  H.  Fort 
of  Lander. 

Tregoning  was  sentenced  to  life  imprisonment  in  the  state 
penitentiary  and   Berry  received   a  sentence  of  twenty-five  years. 


A    DANCE    HALL    MURDER  275 

Tregoning  made  his  escape  from  the  penitentiary  after  serving  a  Httle 
more  than  two  years,  and  at  that  time  it  was  intimated  that  the 
warden's  daughter  assisted  in  his  escape.  The  prisoner  is  known  to 
have  come  back  to  the  same  part  of  the  state  where  he  committed  his 
crime,  and  the  cattle  rustlers  protected  him  and  assisted  him  in  getting 
out  of  the  country,  and  he  has  never  been  captured. 

Governor  John  E.  Osborne  pardoned  Berry  after  having  served 
seven  years,  and  the  pardon  met  with  no  objection  because  he  did  not 
shoot  at  Henderson,  made  no  threats  and  it  is  said  would  not  have 
been  convicted  if  he  had  had  a  separate  trial  from  Tregoning. 

Henderson  had  been  shot  at  several  times  and  had  had  numerous 
quarrels  between  the  time  of  the  hanging  of  Averell  and  Ella  Watson 
and  the  day  he  met  his  tragic  death.  Two  weeks  after  the  hanging 
of  the  man  and  woman,  an  attempt  was  made  on  Henderson's 
life,  which  was  described  by  the  Carbon  County  Journal  as  follows: 
"About  9  o'clock  Wednesday  morning  as  George  B.  Henderson, 
manager  of  the  71  Cattle  company,  whose  home  ranch  is  near  the 
Three  Crossings  on  the  Sweetwater,  was  leisurely  driving  along  the 
road  about  a  mile  this  side  of  Bell  Springs,  he  was  fired  at  by  a  con- 
cealed assassin,  the  bullet  striking  his  off  horse  in  the  left  hip,  lodging 
near  the  hip  joint.  Upon  being  hit  with  the  bullet  the  horse  pitched 
and  started  to  run.  It  took  Mr.  Henderson  several  minutes  to  get  his 
team  quieted,  by  which  time  nothing  was  in  sight  to  show  from 
whence  the  shot  came.  From  the  direction  of  where  the  shot  came 
and  the  position  of  Mr.  Henderson  in  the  buggy,  the  bullet  must 
have  passed  very  close  to  his  body." 

George  B.  Henderson's  correct  name  is  said  to  have  been  John 
Powers.  He  came  to  Wyoming  from  the  coal  camps  of  Pennsylvania, 
where,  it  is  said,  he  was  mixed  up  in  the  killing  of  a  man  while  acting 
as  a  "coal  and  iron  police."  He  was  the  first  of  the  seven  men  who 
were  named  in  the  unfortunate  Averell-Watson  affair  to  meet  his 
death,  and  it  being  of  so  tragic  a  nature,  many  people  deemed  it  a 
well-merited  and  salutary  act  of  retributive  justice,  which  was  not 
long  in   its  coming. 

A  Dance  Hall  Murder 

The  first  murder  that  was  committed  in  Casper  occurred  on 
Saturday  night,  September  20,  1890,  at  about  eleven  o'clock,  in  the 
dance  house  conducted  by  the  notorious  Lou  Polk,  at  which  time  and 
place  John  Conway  shot  and  killed  A.  J.  Tidwell,  better  known  as 
"Red  Jack,"  a  cowboy  in  the  employ  of  the  FL  Cattle  company.  A 
number  of  cowboys  were  in  town  that  evening  and,  as  was  their 


276  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

custom  when  in  town,  visited  the  dance  house  for  a  lark,  "Red  Jack" 
being  among  the  crowd. 

H.  J.  Summers,  Jr.,  who  was  better  known  as  "Sonny,"  a  vioHn- 
ist,  was  chief  musician  at  the  hall  that  evening,  and  about  the  hour 
mentioned,  when  the  boys  had  begun  to  feel  the  effects  of  their 
numerous  drinks,  Jimmie  Hines,  one  of  the  cowboys,  approached 
"Sonny,"  with  whom  he  was  acquainted,  and  saluted  him  familiarly. 
"Sonny"  was  not  feeling  well  and  failed  to  respond,  whereupon 
Hines  became  indignant  and  attempted  to  quarrel  with  him.  The 
matter  was  finally  peacefully  settled,  but  a  little  later  Hines  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  renewing  the  quarrel,  and  solicited  the  assistance 
of  "Red  Jack."  As  soon  as  the  quarrel  was  renewed,  Conway,  who 
was  acting  as  barkeeper,  interfered  and  he  and  "Red  Jack"  ex- 
changed a  few  blows.  But  Conway  suddenly  broke  away,  and  running 
back  of  the  bar,  got  a  six-shooter  and  began  flourishing  it.  None  of 
the  cowboys  were  armed,  having  deposited  their  six-shooters  with 
friends,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of  bloodshed,  as  was  their  habit 
before  starting  in  on  a  spree.  Conway  continued  to  flourish  his 
gun,  and  there  was  a  general  stampede.  Nearly  everyone  ran  out 
of  the  north  door,  including  "Sonny,"  who  ran  against  a  limb  of 
a  pine  tree  standing  in  front  of  the  door,  and  his  left  eye  was 
gouged  out. 

"Red  Jack"  ran  out  of  the  east  door,  with  Conway  in  close  pur- 
suit. When  he  saw  Conway  coming  out  of  the  door  with  the  gun  he 
exclaimed,  "I  am  going!  I  am  going!"  But  Conway  rushed  up  to 
him,  struck  him  on  the  head  with  his  six-shooter  and  knocked  him 
down,  after  which  he  deliberately  shot  him  as  he  lay  upon  the 
ground.  The  ball  from  the  six-shooter  entered  at  the  left  side, 
above  the  hip,  and  passed  through  Tidwell's  body,  causing  almost 
instant  death. 

One  of  the  female  inmates  of  the  establishment  ran  over  to 
Center  street  after  Constable  Hugh  Patton,  and  when  she  found  the 
oflftcer  she  cried:  "Oh,  come,  quick.  They  are  fighting  and  shooting 
over  at  the  dance  hall."  Mr.  Patton  immediately  hurried  over,  and 
upon  his  entrance  was  greeted  by  Conway  with  the  remark,  "Well,  I 
guess  I  am  your  prisoner.  Here's  my  gun."  The  constable  asked  him 
what  he  had  done,  and  he  said:  "I  knocked  a  lame  fellow  down  and 
shot  at  him.    I  expect  I  killed  him." 

The  ofl&cer  then  ordered  Conway  to  accompany  him,  but  when 
they  reached  the  door  the  prisoner  demurred  and  demanded  his  gun, 
expressing  a  fear  that  the  cowboys  would  do  him  violence.  The 
officer  assured  him  he  would  be  protected,  and  finally  compelled  him 
to  go.    He  was  taken  over  to  one  of  the  saloons  and  left  under  guard 


A    DANCE    HALL    MURDER  277 

and  Mr.  Patton  returned  to  the  dance  house  to  ascertain  the  ex- 
tent of  Jack's  injuries  and  found  him  in  the  building,  where  his  friends 
had  carried  him,  a  corpse.  Conway  was  immediately  lodged  in  jail 
and  guarded  until  morning,  when  the  inquest  was  held.  The  verdict 
of  the  jury  was  that  Tidwell  came  to  his  death  by  a  shot  fired 
from  a  pistol  in  the  hands  of  John  Conway,  without  just  cause  or 
provocation. 

Conway  was  immediately  returned  to  the  town  jail,  and  a  close 
guard  was  put  over  him.  The  cowboys  were  justly  indignant  over  the 
unprovoked  murder  of  one  of  their  number,  and  to  their  friends  freely 
talked  of  lynching  the  murderer.  All  day  Sunday  the  cowboys  were 
on  the  go,  and  by  evening  every  "puncher"  within  a  radius  of  many 
miles  was  in  town.  The  officers  scented  trouble,  and  then  resorted  to 
a  ruse  to  elude  the  would-be  lynchers. 

Accordingly,  in  the  afternoon,  the  sheriff  made  a  confidant  of 
Conductor  Hines  and  secured  a  key  to  a  passenger  coach,  standing 
near  the  engine  house  on  the  railroad  track.  He  then  postponed  the 
burial  of  Tidwell's  remains  until  almost  dusk,  so  that  the  cowboys, 
who  intended  to  follow  the  corpse  to  the  grave,  would  be  detained 
until  after  dark.  The  body  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  about  a  mile 
east  of  town.  (All  the  bodies  buried  there  have  since  been  removed 
to  the  Highland  cemetery.)  Rev.  Macomber  of  the  Congregational 
church  conducted  the  burial  service  by  moonlight,  and  the  cowboys 
and  citizens  stood  about  the  grave  with  bared  heads,  while  no  sound 
was  to  be  heard  but  the  minister's  solemn  voice  and  the  champing  of 
bits  by  the  cowboys'  ponies.  The  lid  of  the  coffin  was  raised,  and  it 
was  an  aff"ecting  scene  to  see  the  band  of  cowboys,  many  of  them  in 
their  rough  clothes  just  as  they  had  come  off-duty,  and  with  belts  and 
six-shooters  on,  take  a  last  sad  farewell  of  the  remains  of  the  comrade 
whom  they  had  all  known  and  esteemed  so  highly.  Tears  were  in  the 
eyes  of  many,  and  all  were  deeply  aff"ected,  while  no  doubt  some  of 
them  then  and  there  vowed  to  be  avenged. 

But  while  this  was  going  on  and  the  cowboys  were  out  of  town, 
the  officers  were  not  idle.  SheriflF  Jaycox  went  to  the  funeral,  well 
knowing  that  the  boys  would  mistrust  nothing  if  he  accompanied 
them.  However,  the  officers  in  town  were  posted  as  to  the  part  they 
were  to  perform,  and  the  cowboys  were  no  sooner  out  of  town  and 
darkness  settled  down,  than  the  prisoner  was  hurried  from  the  jail 
to  the  passenger  car,  where  he  was  guarded  during  the  night. 

The  cowboys  came  in  town  after  the  funeral,  but  contrary  to 
their  custom  they  did  not  remove  their  six-shooters,  wearing  them 
throughout  the  night.  A  committee  soon  reported  that  the  prisoner 
had  flown,  or  at  least  was  not  in  the  jail,  and  after  fruitless  efforts  to 


278  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

ascertain  his  whereabouts  the  boys  at  about  the  dawn  of  day,  left 
town. 

The  people  who  were  not  aware  of  the  prisoner  being  removed 
from  the  jail,  when  they  arose  the  following  morning,  expected  that 
Conway  had  been  lynched.  However,  when  the  hour  set  for  the 
preliminary  hearing  had  arrived  the  prisoner  was  produced.  He 
waived  examination,  and  was  hustled  from  the  court  room  to  the 
train  and  taken  to  Douglas,  where  he  was  lodged  in  the  Converse 
county  jail. 

Regarding  the  tragedy,  the  Wyoming  Derrick,  which  was  being 
published  by  W.  S.  Kimball  at  that  time,  said:  "Ever  since  her  esca- 
pade last  spring,  wherein  Lou  Polk  was  forcibly  abducted  by  'Dogae' 
Lee,  a  reckless  adventurer  with  whom  she  had  been  cohabiting  and 
who  had  become  jealous  of  her,  and  who  cut  off  her  nose  upon  being 
compelled  to  abandon  her  owing  to  the  close  pursuit  of  officers,  she 
had  imagined  herself  a  heroine,  or  '  badman,'  as  it  were.  She  assumed 
entire  control  of  the  dance  house  which  she  and  Dogae  had  formerly 
owned  in  partnership,  and  set  herself  up  as  'Queen  of  the  Demi- 
monde.' Her  word  was  law  in  the  establishment,  and  she  delighted 
to  show  her  authority.  She  breeds  more  discontent  and  trouble  than 
any  other  dozen  characters  in  the  town,  and  when  she  finally  obtained 
the  services  of  John  Conway,  it  is  said  she  boasted  that  she  had  a 
man  killer,  and  would  like  to  see  the  person  who  dared  to  kick  up  a 
row  in  her  house.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  killing  she  purchased  the 
weapon  with  which  the  murder  was  committed,  and  it  is  probable 
that  Conway  had  been  encouraged  to  use  it  in  case  a  row  should 
occur. 

"Human  life  must  be  protected,  at  any  cost.  Jack  Tidwell  was 
killed  out  of  pure  cussedness,  by  a  man  of  whom  it  had  been  boasted 
that  he  was  a  man  killer,  and  who  evidently  wanted  to  show  his  mis- 
tress, the  dance  house  queen,  that  she  had  not  overestimated  him.  If 
we  must  have  a  dance  house,  let  it  pass  into  the  hands  of  some  one 
who  will  at  least  keep  an  orderly  place.  There  was  never,  perhaps,  a 
more  excuseless  murder  than  that  committed  Saturday  night,  and 
Conway  should  stretch  hemp." 

An  attempt  was  made  to  burn  the  dance  house  Wednesday  night, 
September  24,  at  about  9  o'clock.  During  the  absence  of  the  inmates 
kerosene  had  been  poured  over  the  front  door  and  floor,  and  a  lighted 
match  applied  to  it.  One  of  the  men  connected  with  the  house  dis- 
covered the  fire  just  as  the  oil  had  been  burned  off  and  the  wood  was 
beginning  to  blaze,  and  he  extinguished  it,  but  it  was  freely  pre- 
dicted and  generally  believed  by  the  citizens  that  the  house  would  be 
burned  within  a  month. 


HODGE    KILLS    WARREN  279 

Conway  was  held  in  the  Converse  county  jail  at  Douglas  for 
just  one  year,  waiting  trial  in  the  district  court  to  be  held  in  Natrona 
county.  On  September  10,  1891,  he  was  brought  to  Casper,  where 
court  was  in  session,  with  Judge  Blake  on  the  bench.  F.  H.  Harvey  of 
Douglas  and  Walter  Stoll  and  A.  C.  Campbell  of  Cheyenne  appeared 
as  attorneys  for  the  defendant,  and  Alex  T.  Butler,  the  prosecuting 
attorney  for  Natrona  county  at  that  time,  and  Judge  Davidson  were 
the  prosecutors.  The  trial  consumed  three  days,  and  after  the  state's 
evidence  was  adduced  the  attorneys  for  the  defense  held  an  all-night 
consultation,  and  the  next  morning  at  the  convening  of  court  Mr. 
Campbell  made  the  announcement  that  his  client  desired  to  with- 
drew his  plea  of  not  guilty  of  wilful  murder,  but  desired  to  enter  a  plea 
of  murder  in  the  second  degree.  The  plea  was  accepted  by  the  state, 
and  the  prisoner  was  sentenced  to  serve  a  term  of  twenty-five  years 
in  the  penitentiary.  He  served  four  or  five  years  and  was  pardoned  by 
the  governor.  Conway  went  to  Colorado  after  being  released  from 
the  Wyoming  penitentiary,  and  it  was  not  long  until  he  was  in  trouble 
again  of  a  similar  nature.  At  his  trial  he  was  convicted  and  was 
sentenced  to  serve  a  term  of  fifteen  years  in  the  penitentiary  at  Can- 
yon City.  His  sentence  was  commuted  to  eight  years,  and  after 
gaining  his  liberty  he  went  to  Denver  where  he  adopted  the  pro- 
fession of  petty  thief  and  hold-up,  for  which  he  was  arrested,  tried 
and  convicted  and  sentenced  to  serve  fourteen  years  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. 

Hodge  Kills  Warren 

William  Hodge,  town  marshal,  in  the  performance  of  his  duty, 
shot  and  killed  William  Warren,  a  cowboy  in  the  employ  of  the  CY, 
on  Sunday  morning  May  10,  1891.  Warren,  with  a  number  of  other 
cowboys,  rode  into  town  from  the  CY  ranch  and  patronized  the  sa- 
loons so  liberally  that  it  was  not  long  until  Warren  became  thoroughly 
drunk,  and  while  in  this  condition  he  marched  up  and  down  the 
street  declaring  in  a  boisterous  manner  that  he  was  a  fighter,  and  that 
he  was  anxious  to  demonstrate  his  ability.  Citizens  objected  to  the 
language  being  used  by  the  man,  and  they  urged  the  town  marshal 
to  do  his  duty  and  preserve  the  peace.  The  marshal  told  Warren  to 
go  inside  one  of  the  saloons,  and  if  he  appeared  on  the  street  again 
in  his  drunken  condition  he  would  take  him  to  jail.  Warren  went  into 
a  saloon  but  in  a  short  time  came  out,  mounted  his  horse  and  com- 
menced to  whip  and  spur  the  animal.  The  horse  commenced  to  buck 
and  came  near  going  into  the  Windslow  store.  The  marshal  ran 
across  the  street,  calling  twice  for  Warren  to  stop,  but  he  did  not  stop. 
The  marshal  then  fired  and  Warren  started  his  horse  down  the  street. 


28o  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

The  marshal  fired  again,  and  the  cowboy  reeled  and  fell  dead  from  his 
horse. 

Sentiment  was  about  evenly  divided  as  to  whether  the  marshal 
was  justified  in  the  shooting,  some  of  the  citizens  declaring  that  the 
officer  should  be  upheld  as  a  lesson  to  others  who  might  want  to 
march  up  and  down  the  street  swearing  and  cursing,  and  then  en- 
danger the  lives  of  innocent  people  by  making  a  horse  buck  on  the 
main  thoroughfare,  while  others  declared  that  the  action  of  the 
marshal  was  hasty,  rash  and  not  justifiable  and  that  he  exceeded  his 
authority.  Some  of  the  cowboys  and  friends  of  Warren  were  inclined 
to  avenge  the  death  of  their  comrade,  but  they  were  advised  not  to 
make  a  bad  matter  worse,  and  they  concluded  to  allow  the  law  to  take 
its  course.  Hodge  was  arrested  and  held  to  the  district  court  for 
trial,  and  the  case  came  up  on  Friday,  September  4,  1891,  immediately 
following  the  Conway  trial.  Alex  T.  Butler  was  attorney  for  the 
state  and  C.  C.  Wright  was  for  the  defendant.  The  trial  was  long  and 
drawn  out,  requiring  several  days  before  it  went  to  the  jury,  and  then 
the  jury  deliberated  forty-seven  hours  and  was  discharged  without 
being  able  to  reach  a  verdict,  but  it  was  said  at  one  time  the  ballot 
stood  eleven  for  conviction  to  one  for  acquittal.  The  case  was  con- 
tinued until  the  next  term  of  court  and  the  defendant's  bond  was 
placed  at  $3,000,  and  at  the  second  trial  the  defendant  was  acquitted. 

Boy  Shoots  and  Kills  Ranch  Foreman 

On  Monday,  September  21,  1891,  at  the  V — V  ranch,  DeitlefF 
Kramhoft,  aged  35,  was  shot  by  Virgil  Turner,  aged  14.  The  man  and 
boy  were  in  the  cow  corral  doing  the  evening  chores  when  the  man 
threatened  to  whip  the  boy,  and  called  him  some  vile  names.  Turner 
left  the  corral  in  haste  and  went  to  the  bunk  house  where  he  waited 
with  a  .22  target  gun  for  Kramhoft  to  come  along.  The  boy  de- 
manded that  Kramhoft  retract  the  vile  names  he  had  called  him. 
With  an  oath  on  his  lips  the  man  jumped  forward  and  grabbed  the 
muzzle  of  the  gun,  and  during  the  struggle  the  boy  pulled  the  trigger 
and  the  bullet  entered  the  man's  left  side.  The  injured  man  was 
brought  to  Casper  and  placed  under  the  care  of  a  physician.  The  day 
following  the  shooting  Kramhoft  made  an  ante  mortem  statement, 
giving  the  facts  as  above  stated  and  requested  that  the  boy  be  not 
punished.  The  boy  was  arrested,  however,  and  taken  to  Douglas, 
where  he  was  placed  in  jail  to  await  the  result  of  the  wounds  inflicted 
by  the  shooting.  On  October  14  it  appeared  as  though  Kramhoft  was 
going  to  recover,  and  the  boy  was  brought  up  from  Douglas  and  his 
trial  was  had  before  Justice  G.  E.  Butler.   G.  B.  McCalmont  appeared 


DUNBAR  MURDER  CASE  281 

for  the  defendant  and  the  prosecuting  attorney  asked  permission  to 
change  the  information  from  felony  to  assault  and  battery.  Per- 
mission being  granted  to  change  the  information,  the  boy  pleaded 
guilty  to  the  charge,  and  he  was  sentenced  to  three  months  in  the 
county  jail,  and  he  was  accordingly  taken  to  Douglas  where  he 
served  out  the  sentence  of  the  court.  Kramhoft  lingered  along  until 
the  first  of  November  when  he  died  early  in  the  morning,  and  his 
remains  were  buried  in  the  evening  of  the  same  day.  Kramhoft 
conveyed  all  his  property  to  the  county  for  the  payment  of  medi- 
cal attendance  and  burial  expenses.  Nothing  more  was  done  with 
Turner,  and  he  made  his  home  in  Casper  until  about  1900,  during 
which  time  he  was  a  good  citizen. 

Dunbar  Murder  Case 

On  Tuesday  night,  April  12,  1892,  about  nine  o'clock  Lewis 
Adams,  a  colored  man,  and  several  others  were  playing  poker  in 
Carter  &  Brenham's  saloon.  Wm.  Dunbar  was  running  the  game  and 
Jeff,  his  brother,  was  sitting  near  the  table  looking  on.  Adams,  known 
as  "Juaquin,"  after  losing  his  money,  tore  up  the  cards  and  the 
dealer  protested.  Hot  words  followed  and  a  fight  seemed  imminent, 
but  they  were  parted  by  Jeff,  and  the  dealer  had  taken  his  seat 
again  when  Adams  commenced  cursing  and  calling  him  vile  names. 
Jeff  then  hit  Adams,  knocking  him  against  the  door,  then  pulled  a 
gun  and  struck  the  negro  over  the  head.  "Pecos"  Hughes  here 
interfered,  grabbing  the  gun,  and  Adams  grabbed  it  about  the  same 
time.  A  scuffle  then  ensued.  After  scuffling  a  few  minutes  Adams 
let  go  of  the  gun  and  grabbed  a  billiard  cue.  Dunbar  then  said  to 
"Pecos":  "Turn  me  loose,"  which  he  did.  Dunbar  then  told  Adams 
to  stop.  "Don't  you  take  another  step,"  he  said,  pointing  the  gun 
at  the  colored  man.  Adams  said:  "Shoot  away,  it's  fine  music  to  my 
ears,"  and  kept  coming  toward  Dunbar  with  the  billiard  cue.  Dun- 
bar fired  three  shots  in  the  wall  and  one  in  the  floor  but  Adams 
kept  on  coming,  and  then  Dunbar  shot  Adams  and  killed  him. 

After  the  shooting  Dunbar  coolly  reloaded  his  revolver  and 
walked  out  of  the  saloon  the  back  way,  going  to  the  stable  where  he 
and  his  brother  stood  talking,  when  the  sheriff  and  his  deputy  came 
up.  Dunbar  said:  "Who  are  you?"  Sheriff  Rice  replied:  "It  is  me, 
and  I  want  you."  Dunbar  answered:  "All  right,  I  intended  to  give 
myself  up. 

A  preliminary  trial  was  held  and  Dunbar  was  held  to  the  dis- 
trict court  for  trial,  without  bail,  and  he  was  taken  to  Douglas 
and  remained  in  jail  to  await  trial.   At  the  trial  in  the  district  court 


282  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Dunbar  was  acquitted,  the  jury  finding  that  he  shot  the  negro  in 
self-defense. 

The  Dunbars  left  Casper  after  the  trial,  going  to  Dixon,  Carbon 
county,  then  a  new  town  on  the  Union  Pacific  railroad.  In  1895  the 
brothers  got  into  a  fight  with  a  man  named  Jim  Davis.  JefF  Dunbar 
shot  Davis'  right  thumb  off  and  knocked  the  gun  out  of  his  antag- 
onist's hand.  Davis  picked  up  the  gun  with  his  left  hand  and  shot 
JefF  and  killed  him.  Wm.  Dunbar  then  went  from  Dixon  to  Montana 
and  that  is  the  last  that  has  been  heard  of  him. 


Hurt  Kills  Milne 

At  about  9  o'clock  on  Wednesday  evening,  April  3,  1895,  Joel  J. 
Hurt,  state  senator  from  Natrona  county  and  then  mayor  of  the 
town  of  Casper,  shot  and  killed  William  Milne,  a  sheepowner  who 
had  been  in  business  with  Hurt.  The  shooting  occurred  on  Center 
street,  in  front  of  the  Senate  saloon,  and  the  evidence  showed  that 
Hurt  was  prepared  for  the  tragedy  and  that  the  shooting  of  Milne 
was  undoubtedly  premeditated,  for  he  w^alked  up  behind  the  man, 
touched  him  on  the  shoulder  and  said:  "Turn  your  face  around." 
Milne  turned,  and  the  men  were  separated  nine  feet  apart  when 
Hurt  fired  the  first  shot,  striking  Milne  in  the  left  arm;  Hurt  fired  a 
second  shot  and  the  ball  pierced  Milne's  heart.  At  about  the  same 
time  Hurt  fired  the  second  shot  Milne  had  drawn  his  gun  from  the 
inside  of  his  coat,  and  he  fired,  but  Hurt  was  not  hit.  Milne  then  ran 
into  the  Senate  saloon  and  fell  upon  the  floor  with  the  exclamation: 
"  My  God,  I'm  shot,"  and  immediately  expired.  The  shooting  was  the 
outcome  of  a  scandal  in  which  Mrs.  Hurt  and  Milne  were  the  prin- 
cipals. Hurt  had  left  his  home  six  months  previous  to  the  shooting  on 
a  plea  of  ill-health,  and  returned  only  about  ten  days  before  the 
tragedy.  During  the  absence  of  Hurt,  Milne  made  his  home  at  the 
mayor's  residence  and  stabled  his  horses  in  Hurt's  barn  when  he  came 
to  town  from  the  range.  Hurt  sent  the  man  word  to  keep  away  from 
his  home,  but  no  heed  was  paid  to  the  warning,  but  threats  were 
made  to  the  eflPect  that  Hurt  himself  would  be  punished  whenever 
the  two  men  met. 

After  the  shooting  Hurt  was  taken  to  the  county  jail  and  on 
Saturday  the  preliminary  trial  was  commenced  before  Justice  of  the 
Peace  Wm.  Ford.  Chester  B.  Bradley  and  E.  D.  Norton  appeared 
for  the  defense  and  George  Walker  and  Alex  T.  Butler  were  attorneys 
for  the  state.  The  preliminary  trial  was  concluded  on  Tuesday,  and 
after  all  the  evidence  was  adduced  and  the  argument  of  the  attorneys 
completed,  the  defendant  was  held  to  the  district  court  for  trial  on 


ROBERT  GORDON  KILLED  ON  THE  RANGE      283 

the  charge  of  manslaughter,  and  the  bond  was  fixed  at  five  thousand 
dollars,  which  was  furnished  and  the  prisoner  was  given  his  liberty. 

The  trial  was  had  in  the  district  court  held  in  Casper  in  May, 
1895,  and  Judge  Hayford  gave  instructions  to  the  jury  as  follows: 

"The  court  instructs  the  jury  that  if  the  jury  believes  from  the 
evidence  that  at  the  time  the  said  defendant  is  alleged  to  have  shot 
the  deceased,  the  circumstances  surrounding  the  defendant  were  such 
as  in  sound  reason  would  justify,  or  induce  in  his  mind,  an  honest 
belief  that  he  was  in  danger  of  receiving,  from  the  deceased,  some 
great  bodily  harm,  and  that  the  defendant,  in  doing  what  he  did, 
was  acting  from  the  instinct  of  self-preservation,  then  he  is  not 
guilty. 

"The  court  charges  you  that  no  wrong  which  the  defendant  may 
have  suffered  at  the  hands  of  William  Milne  constitutes  any  lawful 
pretext  for  his  taking  vengeance  into  his  own  hands,  and  slaying  the 
man  who  has  wronged  him. 

"The  court  charges  you  that  no  matter  what  wrongs  the  de- 
fendant may  have  suffered  at  the  hands  of  William  Milne  he  was 
thereby  not  justified  in  becoming  his  slayer;  but  if  you  believe  from  the 
evidence  that  as  a  result  of  these  wrongs  and  of  brooding  over  them 
this  defendant  was  wrought  up  into  a  condition  of  frenzy  and  emo- 
tional insanity  which  rendered  him  irresponsible  for  his  acts,  the 
defendant  is  entitled  to  a  verdict  of  acquittal  at  your  hands." 

The  jury  retired  and  in  five  minutes  returned  a  verdict  of  not 
guilty,  on  the  grounds  of  "emotional  insanity,  which  rendered  him 
irresponsible  for  his  acts."  Mr.  Hurt's  mind  soon  was  "restored," 
however,  and  after  several  years  he  moved  to  South  Omaha.  The 
family  soon  divided  and  scattered  to  different  parts  of  the  country. 

Robert  Gordon  Killed  on  the  Range 

On  Sunday  morning,  May  30,  1897,  at  about  7:30  o'clock  Robert 
Gordon,  a  man  about  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  was  shot  and  killed  at 
Kenneth  McRae's  sheep  camp  on  Fales  creek,  about  sixty  miles 
southwest  from  Casper.  The  body  was  brought  to  Casper  by  Mc- 
Rae  on  the  Wednesday  following  the  tragedy,  and  he  reported  that 
the  man  came  into  the  sheep  wagon  where  he,  McRae,  was  lying  in 
bed,  and  only  a  minute  or  so  after  Gordon  had  come  in  he  heard  the 
report  of  a  gun,  which  was  lying  on  the  foot  of  the  bed,  and  he  felt 
the  force  of  the  explosion.  Gordon  jumped  out  of  the  wagon  and  cried 
"I  am  shot!  I  am  shot!"  A  sheep  herder  named  Peter  Keith  was 
sleeping  in  a  camp  bed  under  the  wagon  when  the  shooting  occurred, 
and  he  sent  word  to  Casper  that  McRae's  statement  was  not  true 


284  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  that  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  tragedy  should  be  made.  A 
coroner's  jury  was  appointed  and  McRae  was  placed  under  arrest. 
After  an  investigation,  the  coroner's  jury  returned  a  verdict  to  the 
effect  that  the  deceased  came  to  his  death  from  a  gunshot  wound  from 
a  gun  in  the  hands  of  Kenneth  McRae.  A  preliminary  trial  was  had 
and  the  evidence  was  sufficient  to  warrant  the  defendant  being  held 
to  the  district  court  for  trial  upon  the  charge  of  murder.  The  trial 
in  the  district  court  was  had  at  the  November  term  of  court.  E.  D. 
Norton  was  the  prosecuting  attorney,  and  he  was  assisted  by  M.  C. 
Brown  of  Laramie.  Chester  B.  Bradley  appeared  for  the  defendant. 
The  trial  was  commenced  January  14,  1898,  but  the  jury  failed  to 
bring  in  a  verdict,  the  ballot  standing  eight  for  acquittal,  and  four  for 
murder  in  the  second  degree.  The  defendant  was  then  released  upon 
a  bond  of  thirty  thousand  dollars.  A  second  trial  was  immediately 
called,  and  on  Friday  morning,  February  22,  1898,  a  verdict  was 
returned  finding  the  defendant  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree. 
A  motion  for  a  new  trial  was  made  and  Judge  Bramel  set  March  11 
as  the  date  for  the  hearing  of  the  argument.  On  March  ii  a  post- 
ponement was  taken  until  April  5.  On  that  date  Attorneys  Norton 
and  Brown  were  ordered  to  present  proof  of  the  charges  against  the 
court  of  bribery  and  corruption  which  they  had  made  or  show  cause 
why  they  should  not  be  in  contempt  of  court.  The  attorneys  apol- 
ogized and  said  they  were  mistaken,  and  the  court  accepted  the 
apology  but  reprimanded  them. 

The  hearing  of  the  motion  for  a  new  trial  occupied  two  days,  and 
on  the  7th  of  April  a  new  trial  was  granted,  and  the  matter  of  the 
bribery  and  corruption  charges  against  the  court,  and  the  attorneys 
being  in  contempt  of  court  were  dismissed.  The  defendant  was 
taken  to  Carbon  county  and  there  placed  in  charge  of  the  sheriff  of 
that  county,  but  the  sheriff  of  Carbon  county  at  first  refused  to  accept 
the  prisoner  on  the  ground  that  Natrona  county  was  insolvent  and 
Carbon  would  not  be  reimbursed  for  the  prisoner's  keep,  but  after 
being  guaranteed  that  Natrona  county  was  not  bankrupt,  and  that 
all  indebtedness  would  be  liquidated,  the  officials  of  Carbon  county 
accepted  the  charge.  The  trial  was  commenced  in  Rawlins  on  May  2, 
and  on  June  2,  a  verdict  of  not  guilty  was  returned,  and  the  defendant 
was  discharged  without  prejudice.  The  three  trials  cost  Natrona 
county  more  than  six  thousand  dollars  and  much  bitter  feeling 
ensued  for  a  dozen  years  after  the  trial.  At  the  trial  in  Rawlins 
the  attorneys  for  the  state  were  E.  D.  Norton  of  Casper,  C.  E. 
Blydenberg  of  Rawlins  and  M.  C.  Brown  of  Laramie.  The  de- 
fendant's attorneys  were  C.  B.  Bradley  of  Casper,  J.  W.  Lacey  of 
Cheyenne  and  F.  Chatterton  of  Rawlins. 


DEE    BLAIR    MURDERED  285 

Dee  Blair  Murdered 

Dee  Blair,  a  boy  about  ten  years  of  age,  was  murdered  on  the 
Platte  river  bank  about  a  mile  west  from  Casper  on  or  about  the  first 
of  July,  1901,  but  the  body  was  not  found  until  July  17,  and  then  it 
was  in  such  a  decayed  and  wasted  condition  that  it  could  not  be 
recognized  except  by  the  clothing  and  a  gold  ring  which  the  boy 
wore  on  the  middle  finger  of  his  right  hand.  A  coroner's  jury  was 
impaneled  and  a  verdict  was  returned  to  the  effect  that  the  lad  had 
come  to  his  death  from  causes  unknown.  The  remains  were  interred 
in  Highland  cemetery,  and  the  general  public  was  of  the  opinion  that 
the  boy  met  his  death  by  accident,  but  a  brother  of  the  lad  who  came 
to  Casper  from  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  upon  making  an  investiga- 
tion of  the  premises,  found  a  number  of  human  teeth,  some  hair  and 
several  blood  spots;  there  were  numerous  tracks  in  the  low  lands  which 
showed  that  the  boy  had  been  chased  by  other  boys,  and  there  was 
evidence  of  a  struggle  in  a  clump  of  brush  near  the  river  bank,  and 
from  the  brush  it  was  evident  that  the  boy  made  his  escape  to  a  small 
knoll  and  it  was  there  that  the  lad  was  shot  in  the  back  with  a  shot 
gun,  the  tracks  indicating  that  the  person  who  did  the  shooting  was 
about  four  feet  from  the  boy.  The  murdered  boy  was  wearing  shoes, 
but  the  three  boys  who  chased  him  and  the  one  that  evidently  shot 
him  were  in  their  bare  feet. 

After  this  discovery  had  been  made  the  body  of  the  boy  was 
exhumed  and  as  the  body  was  raised  from  the  grave  to  the  earth's  sur- 
face, shot  fell  from  the  skeleton  and  the  wad  from  a  shot  gun  shell  was 
found  in  the  cavity  of  the  boy's  heart.  The  body  was  again  interred 
and  a  further  investigation  was  made  of  the  premises  where  the 
tragedy  occurred.  An  empty  shot  gun  shell  was  found  about  seventy- 
five  yards  from  where  the  body  was  found,  and  the  murdered  boy's 
hat  was  found  about  ninety  yards  distant.  A  man's  tracks  were  found 
leading  directly  to  where  the  body  lay  on  the  knoll,  and  this  man  had 
evidently  moved  the  body  about  four  feet  from  where  it  first  fell, 
but  why  it  had  been  moved  could  not  be  conjectured. 

The  governor  of  the  state  offered  five  hundred  dollars  reward 
for  the  apprehension  of  the  murderers  and  the  board  of  county  com- 
missioners of  Natrona  county  offered  a  like  amount. 

Suspicion  pointed  to  Charles,  Roy  and  Archie  Walker  and 
Harry  Guy  as  the  guilty  parties.  These  boys  and  the  murdered  boy 
had  had  trouble  concerning  some  set  lines  in  the  river,  and  the  man's 
tracks  leading  to  the  body  of  the  murdered  boy  were  thought  to  be 
the  tracks  of  the  Walker  boys'  father.  The  four  boys  were  placed 
under  arrest  upon  the  charge  of  carrying  a  gun  without  a  license. 


286  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

An  old  single-barrel  shot  gun  was  found  in  the  Walker  residence,  and 
loaded  shells  were  found  in  which  there  was  the  same  size  shot  as 
were  found  in  the  murdered  boy's  body,  and  the  shells  were  of  the 
same  kind  as  the  empty  shell  found  on  the  ground  where  the  murder 
was  committed. 

Every  effort  was  made  to  get  a  confession  from  the  boys  who 
were  placed  under  arrest,  but  they  all  maintained  that  they  knew 
nothing  about  the  tragedy,  and  they  were  discharged  without  a 
trial. 

The  Walker  family  and  the  Guy  family  soon  left  Casper  and  none 
of  them  has  ever  returned.  The  murdered  boy's  mother  also  left  the 
town  shortly  afterwards,  and  Amos  Blair,  the  brother  of  the  murdered 
boy,  went  away  with  a  vow  that  he  would  avenge  his  brother's  death, 
but  whether  he  has  vet  fulfilled  his  vow  no  one  here  has  ever  heard. 


Vigilance  Committee  Hangs  Woodard 

Vigilance  committees  and  "lynch  law"  are  terms  of  similar  and 
familiar  meaning  in  the  American  vocabulary.  But  this  summary 
method  of  dealing  with  offenders  who  would  otherwise  go  "unwhipped 
of  justice,"  sometimes  is  excusable  and  a  public  necessity.  Such  was 
the  condition  in  Natrona  county  when,  goaded  and  outraged  beyond 
endurance,  well-disposed  citizens  determined  to  become  a  law  unto 
themselves  and  to  administer  that  law  in  the  interest  of  justice 
and  self-protection  with  promptness  and  decision.  Numerous  cold- 
blooded murders  had  been  committed  in  Natrona  county  and  not 
once  had  the  assassin  been  required  to  pay  adequate  punishment  and 
in  a  number  of  cases  they  were  turned  scot-free. 

The  first  and  only  case  where  the  extreme  punishment  was 
meted  out  by  an  organized  body  of  men  to  a  person  with  whom  the 
law  seemed  too  lenient  occurred  on  Friday,  March  28,  1902,  forty 
minutes  after  midnight  when  twenty-four  masked  men  went  to  the 
county  jail,  knocked  on  the  door  of  the  sheriff's  office  and  told 
Sheriff  Warren  E.  Tubbs  they  had  a  prisoner  to  be  put  in  the  jail 
and  when  the  sheriff  appeared  at  the  door  he  was  overpowered,  bound 
and  gagged  and  taken  into  one  of  the  private  rooms  where  two  men 
stood  guard  over  him.  The  keys  to  the  jail  were  taken  from  him  and 
Charles  F.  Woodard  was  taken  from  his  cell  and  hanged  to  the 
gallows  which  had  been  built  for  his  legal  execution.  Woodard  had 
been  given  a  trial  in  the  district  court,  found  guilty,  and  sentenced 
by  Judge  Charles  W.  Bramel  to  be  hanged  on  the  day  the  vigilance 
committee  did  its  work,  but  the  condemned  man  had  been  granted 
a  stay  of  execution  by  the  supreme  court  in  order  that  it  might 


VIGILANCE    COMMITTEE    HANGS    WOODARD  287 

review  the  case  to  decide  upon  a  new  trial,  application  for  which  had 
been  made  by  the  condemned  man's  attorney. 

Woodard  made  no  outcry  or  resistance  when  the  masked  men 
appeared  at  the  door  of  his  cell,  but  when  he  was  being  taken  out  he 
asked  to  be  allowed  to  put  on  his  clothes.  He  was  told  that  he  would 
require  no  clothmg,  that  he  need  not  be  afraid  of  freezing  to  death. 
A  tight-fitting  flannel  shirt  was  all  that  covered  his  body  and  this  was 
considerably  shrunk  from  frequent  laundering  and  left  the  nether 
man  exposed  to  the  biting  blasts  of  the  severe  March  weather. 
There  were  several  inches  of  snow  on  the  ground. 

The  gallows  was  constructed  on  the  north  side  of  the  jail  and  a 
stockade  had  been  built  around  it.  The  condemned  man  had  to 
walk  about  twenty  yards  in  the  snow  from  the  door  of  the  jail  to  the 
gallows.  A  rope  was  placed  around  the  man's  neck  as  soon  as  he  was 
taken  from  his  cell,  and,  surrounded  by  the  men,  he  was  thus  led  up 
to  the  death  trap.  The  other  end  of  the  rope  was  thrown  over  the 
cross-bar  and  it  was  then  the  trembling  and  frightened  man  cried  out: 

"Boys,  let  me  kneel  down  and  pray  for  you;  I  want  to  pray  for 
all  of  you! 

"These  are  the  last  words  to  my  blessed  little  wife:  Tell  my 
dear  little  wife  that  I  loved  her  dearly.  Won't  you  tell  her  that,  boys  ? 
I  pray  that  you  have  the  papers  print  this.  O,  God,  forgive  me  for  my 
sins.  I  pray  for  myself  and  I  pray  for  Charley  Ricker.  I  never  had 
any  grudge  against  him  in  God's  world. 

"Don't  choke  me,  boys.  For  God's  sake,  you  are  choking  me. 
Don't  choke  me  to  death.  O,  God,  have  mercy  on  me.  God  have 
mercy  on  my  soul  and  I  pray  for  my  blessed  little  wife.  Don't  choke 
me  to  death,  boys!  You  are  choking  me.  Please  don't  choke  me.  I 
did  not  shoot  Charley  Ricker  on  purpose.  Lord,  have  mercy  on  me  and 
my  dear  little  wife." 

With  the  rope  tightly  drawn  about  his  neck  he  was  then  lifted 
on  the  trap,  but  he  gave  a  spring  off  from  it  before  the  lever  could  be 
pulled  and  in  making  the  jump,  he  slipped  and  fell.  He  was  then 
picked  up  by  several  of  the  men  and  thrown  over  the  railing  on  the 
north  side  of  the  gallows.  When  the  rope  was  drawn  to  full  tension, 
there  were  a  few  fearful  struggles  and  nervous  twitches  of  the  body 
dangling  in  the  air,  and  two  of  the  men  caught  hold  of  his  feet  and 
gave  them  several  hard  jerks.  They  then  drew  the  body  toward  the 
north  and  letting  loose  the  dangling  and  almost  lifeless  form  of 
the  wretched  man,  it  swung  back  and  struck  the  framework  of  the 
gallows. 

They  then  all  stood  back  and  watched  the  writhing  form.  A 
gurgling  sound  came  forth,  which  was  the  most  sickening  noise  human 


288  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

being  ever  heard.  He  was  choking  to  death.  Everybody  was  silent 
for  a  moment  and  the  gurgHng  sound  kept  getting  fainter  and 
fainter,  until  life  was  extinct.  A  card  was  pinned  on  the  man's  shirt 
which  read  as  follows: 

"  Process  of  law  is  a  little  slow, 

So  this  is  the  road  you'll  have  to  go. 

Murderers  and  thieves,  Beware! 

PEOPLE'S  VERDICT." 

The  men  then  filed  out  of  the  stockade  and  scattered  in  all 
directions.  It  was  just  one  hour  from  the  time  Woodard  was  taken 
from  his  cell  until  his  lifeless  body  was  cut  down  from  the  gallows  and 
taken  to  the  town  hall.  E.  H.  French,  Steve  Tobin  and  John  Grieve 
were  impaneled  as  a  coroner's  jury  and  they  returned  a  verdict  to  the 
effect  that  Charles  Francis  Woodard  met  his  death  from  strangulation 
by  being  hanged  by  the  neck  with  a  rope  by  a  vigilance  committee, 
the  names  of  the  men  being  unknown  to  them. 

Governor  Fenimore  Chatterton  the  next  day  wired  Prosecuting 
Attorney  Alex  T.  Butler  to  make  every  effort  to  ascertain  the  names 
of  the  men  of  the  vigilance  committee  and  vigorously  prosecute  them 
for  "debauching  the  state's  fair  name."  The  prosecuting  attorney 
could  no  doubt  have  easily  discovered  who  most  of  the  members 
of  the  vigilance  committee  were,  but  he,  like  most  of  the  citizens, 
considered  that  the  vigilance  committee  had  done  a  good  job  and  the 
matter  of  an  investigation  was  overlooked  entirely. 

Woodard  was  arrested  during  the  month  of  November,  1901, 
on  a  charge  of  grand  larceny.  He  was  bound  over  to  the  district 
court  for  trial,  and  being  unable  to  procure  bondsmen,  was  incar- 
cerated in  the  county  jail.  On  the  night  of  December  30,  he,  with  sev- 
eral other  prisoners,  escaped  from  the  jail  by  sawing  off  one  of  the 
bars  in  the  corridor  window  and  crawling  through. 

Sheriff  W.  C.  Ricker  and  a  number  of  deputies  went  to  the 
Woodard  ranch,  near  Garfield  Peak,  about  seventy-five  miles  west 
from  Casper,  in  search  of  the  escaped  prisoners,  reaching  there  on  the 
evening  of  January  2.  The  sheriff  and  his  men  put  their  horses  in  the 
stable  and  went  to  the  house.  Woodard  arrived  at  the  ranch  shortly 
afterwards,  and  seeing  the  horses  in  the  barn,  he  knew  the  officers 
were  waiting  for  him.  He  went  into  the  barn  intending  to  take  a 
horse  belonging  to  one  of  the  officers  and  ride  away.  Sheriff  Ricker 
told  his  men  he  thought  he  heard  a  noise  in  the  barn  and  that  he 
would  go  down  and  investigate.  When  the  sheriff  was  within  ten  feet 
of  the  barn  door,  Woodard  fired  at  the  officer,  shooting  him  through 
the  body,  and  while  the  sheriff  was  lying  on  the  ground  in  a  dying 


VIGILANCE    COMMITTEE    HANGS    WOODARD  289 

condition,  Woodard  emerged  from  the  barn  and  struck  him  in  the  face 
with  his  six-shooter,  thus  knocking  the  last  spark  of  Hfe  out  of  the 
already  dying  man.  He  then  robbed  the  dead  officer  of  forty-five 
dollars  in  money  and  took  his  six-shooter  and  a  belt  filled  with 
cartridges.  The  deputies  at  the  house  by  this  time  commenced 
shooting  toward  the  barn  and  Woodard  fired  at  them,  preventing 
them  from  coming  to  the  rescue  of  their  fallen  comrade. 

During  the  night,  Woodard  made  his  escape  from  the  barn  on 
one  of  the  officers'  horses.  He  traveled  over  the  country  for  about  ten 
days,  sleeping  in  some  abandoned  cabin  when  he  slept  at  all  and  his 
sustenance  consisted  of  rabbits  that  he  killed  and  half-cooked.  A 
posse  of  more  than  one  hundred  men  was  organized  to  apprehend  him, 
but  he  managed  to  elude  them.  A  reward  of  $1,000  was  oflFered  by  the 
county  for  his  capture  and  cards  giving  a  description  of  the  criminal 
and  announcing  the  reward  were  sent  broadcast. 

He  reached  Arvada,  a  small  station  on  the  Burlington  railroad 
In  northern  Wyoming,  after  about  ten  days  and  there  abandoned  his 
horse,  and  mounting  a  freight  train  went  to  Billings;  from  Billings 
he  went  to  Laurel,  Montana,  where  he  met  a  man  named  Owens  and 
went  to  the  Owens  ranch  to  work,  giving  his  name  as  Bill  Gad.  Owens 
had  read  about  Woodard's  crime  and  recognized  him,  but  promised 
to  protect  him.  However,  after  writing  to  the  authorities  in  Casper 
and  being  assured  that  he  would  receive  the  reward  if  he  captured 
Woodard,  he  and  a  man  named  Berkhelmer  set  about  to  turn  him  over 
to  the  authorities.  One  day  as  the  three  men  were  eating  their  dinner, 
Berkhelmer  got  up  from  the  table,  pretending  that  he  was  sick.  He 
went  behind  Woodard's  chair,  and  at  the  same  time  Owens  arose  and 
pointing  a  gun  at  Woodard  ordered  him  to  surrender.  Woodard 
started  to  get  up  and  he  was  struck  on  the  head  with  a  gun  by 
Berkhelmer  and  a  terrible  fight  ensued.  Woodard's  head  was  cut 
open  In  three  places,  both  eyes  were  blackened,  and  his  face  was 
bruised  and  cut  In  such  a  horrible  manner  that  he  could  hardly  be 
recognized  by  the  people  who  knew  him.  He  was  taken  to  Billings 
and  there  placed  in  jail.  The  authorities  of  Natrona  county  were 
notified  of  the  capture  and  Sheriff  Tubbs  and  Deputy  Sheriff  James 
B.  Grieve  went  to  Billings  and  brought  him  to  Casper.  They  arrived 
here  at  11  o'clock  on  the  night  of  January  29.  There  were  over  300 
people  at  the  depot,  most  of  whom  were  bent  on  taking  the  prisoner 
from  the  sheriff  and  lynching  him.  About  thirty  men  formed  a  V 
at  the  steps  of  the  passenger  coach  when  the  officers  and  the  criminal 
emerged  and  they  surrounded  the  three  men  and  escorted  them  to  the 
county  jail,  but  the  large  crowd  followed  the  party  to  the  jail  deter- 
mined to  lynch  the  murderer  if  they  could  get  hold  of  him. 


290  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

District  court  was  in  session  at  the  time,  and  Woodard  was  given 
a  speedy  trial.  Judge  Bramel  appointed  C.  de  Bennet  and  John  M. 
Hench  to  defend  the  prisoner  and  Alex  T.  Butler  prosecuted  the  case. 
The  trial  was  held  in  the  town  hall  which  was  then  located  on  Center 
street  directly  opposite  from  where  the  Consolidated  Royalty  Oil 
company  building  now  stands.  The  little  room  was  filled  to  overflow- 
ing every  day  of  the  trial.  After  all  the  evidence  was  adduced  and  the 
attorneys  made  their  arguments,  the  court  gave  his  instructions. 
It  did  not  take  the  jury  long  to  return  a  verdict  of  "Guilty  of  murder 
in  the  first  degree,"  and  in  pronouncing  sentence  upon  the  condemned 
man,  Judge  Bramel  said: 

"To  pronounce  the  dreadful  sentence  which  is  to  cut  a  fellow  mortal  oflF  from 
society,  to  deprive  him  of  existence,  and  to  send  him  to  the  bar  of  his  creator,  and  his 
God,  where  his  destiny  must  be  fixed  for  eternity,  is  at  all  times,  and  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, most  painful  to  the  court.  But  to  be  compelled  to  consign  to  the  gallows 
a  man  in  the  full  prime  of  manhood  presses  upon  my  feelings  with  a  weight  which  I  can 
neither  resist  nor  express. 

"If,  in  the  discharge  of  this  most  painful  duty  which  can  ever  devolve  on  any 
court,  I  should  in  portraying  the  horrid  circumstances  of  this  case,  make  use  of  strong 
language  to  express  the  enormity  of  your  guilt,  and  the  deep  depravity  which  it 
indicates,  I  wish  you  to  rest  assured  it  is  not  with  any  intention  of  wounding  the  feel- 
ings of  your  relatives,  nor  for  the  purpose  of  adding  one  pang  to  your  own  afflictions 
which  the  righteous  hand  of  an  offended  God  is  pressing  so  heavily  upon  you.  But  it 
will  be  for  the  purpose,  if  possible,  of  awakenmg  you  to  a  proper  sense  of  your  awful 
situation,  and  to  prepare  you  to  meet  the  certain  and  ignominious  death  which  shortly 
awaits  you.  It  is  to  endeavor,  if  possible,  to  soften  your  heart,  and  to  produce  a  ref- 
ormation in  your  feelings;  that,  by  contrition  and  repentance  you  may  be  able  to 
shun  a  punishment  infinitely  more  dreadful  than  any  that  can  be  inflicted  by  human 
laws — the  eternal  and  irretrievable  ruin  of  your  guilty  soul. 

"  From  the  testimony  which  was  given  at  the  trial,  there  is  no  room  to  doubt  the 
certainty  of  your  guilt,  and  the  aggravated  circumstances  of  the  bloody  deed.  The  man 
you  murdered  was  an  officer  of  the  law,  and  treated  you  kindly  while  you  were  in  his 
custody.  In  following  you  up  after  your  escape  from  jail,  he  was  simply  performing  a 
duty  imposed  on  him  by  law.  On  the  evening  when  you  perpetrated  this  crime,  he 
was  unconscious  of  the  hatred  for  him  which  found  lodgment  in  your  heart,  and  walked 
towards  the  stable  where  you  were  lying  in  wait  for  him,  he  believed  that  his  treatment 
of  yourself  as  well  as  the  other  prisoners  who  escaped  with  you,  insured  him  protection 
at  your  hands.  Instead  of  this  you  waited  his  approach,  concealed  by  the  darkness 
of  night,  you  prepared  for  the  crime,  and  as  he  approached  the  stable  door  you  de- 
liberately shot  him  down.  Following  this,  and  while  he  was  in  the  throes  of  his  death 
agony,  you  struck  him  with  your  six-shooter  to  finish  him,  as  you  yourself  have  ex- 
pressed it,  and  then  you  robbed  his  remains  like  a  ghoul.  While  in  your  own  statement 
upon  the  stand  you  have  denied  doing  some  of  these  things,  the  conclusion  that  you 
did  do  them  is  inseparable  from  the  evidence. 

"The  punishment  of  death  has  been  pronounced  against  the  crime  of  murder, 
not  only  by  the  laws  of  civilized  nations,  but  also  by  the  law  which  was  written  by  the 
pen  of  inspiration  under  the  dictation  of  the  unerring  wisdom  of  the  Most  High.  And 
as  God  himself  has  prescribed  the  righteous  penalty  for  this  offense,  so  there  is  strong 
reason  to  believe  that  very  few  murders  are  committed  which  are  not  ultimately  dis- 
covered, and  the  wicked  perpetrators  thereof  brought  to  justice. 

"  Wretched  and  deluded  man;  in  vain  you  have  attempted  to  escape  the  consequence 
of  your  act;  in  vain  have  you  ridden  through  the  winter  storms  to  elude  the  vigilance 
of  your  pursuers;  in  vain  have  you  attempted  to  impress  upon  the  hearts  of  twelve 
good  and  true  men  who  sat  upon  your  trial,  that  you  should  have  clemency. 


MURPHY   MURDER    CASE  29I 

"One  can  almost  see  the  hand  of  God,  in  the  weaving  together  of  the  remarkable 
chain  of  evidence,  that  makes  your  escape  from  the  punishment  that  waits  you  im- 
possible. The  sword  of  human  justice  trembles  over  you,  and  is  about  to  fall  upon  your 
guilty  head.  You  are  about  to  take  your  final  leave  of  this  world  and  enter  upon  the 
untried  retributions  of  a  never-ending  eternity.  And  I  beg  of  you,  do  not  delude  your- 
self with  the  vain  hope  of  pardon  or  executive  clemency,  which  can  never  be  realized. 
Your  destiny  for  this  world  is  fixed  and  your  fate  is  inevitable.  Let  me,  therefore,  en- 
treat you,  by  every  motive,  temporal  and  eternal,  to  reflect  upon  your  present  situa- 
tion, and  the  certain  death  that  surely  awaits  you. 

"There  is  but  one  who  can  pardon  your  offenses;  your  creator.  Let  me,  therefore, 
entreat  you  to  fly  to  him  for  that  mercy  and  that  pardon  which  you  must  not  expect 
from  mortals. 

"When  you  have  returned  to  the  solitude  of  your  prison,  where  you  will  be  per- 
mitted to  remain  for  a  few  short  weeks,  let  me  entreat  you  by  all  that  is  still  dear  to  you, 
in  time,  by  all  that  is  dreadful  in  the  retributions  of  eternity,  that  you  seriously  reflect 
upon  your  present  situation  and  upon  the  conduct  of  your  past  life.  Bring  to  your 
mind  the  horror  of  that  dreadful  night,  when  the  soul  of  the  murdered  sheriff  was  sent 
unprepared  into  the  presence  of  his  God,  where  you  must  shortly  meet  it  as  an  accusing 
spirit  against  you. 

"  Bring  to  your  recollection  the  mortal  struggles  and  dying  groans  of  the  man 
who  had  been  kind  to  you  and  yours.  Think  of  the  situation  of  your  wife,  and  your 
aged  mother  who  nursed  you  in  the  lap  of  affection  and  watched  over  the  tender 
years  of  your  infancy.  Then  think  of  the  widow  and  orphan  children  of  the  murdered 
sheriff,  left  alone  as  they  are  to  battle  the  storm  of  life,  by  your  hand,  and  when  by  such 
reflections  as  these  your  heart  shall  have  become  softened,  let  me  again  entreat  you, 
before  your  bloodstained  hands  are  raised  in  unavailing  supplication  before  the  judg- 
ment seat  of  Christ,  that  you  fly  for  mercy  to  the  arms  of  the  Savior  and  endeavor  to 
seize  upon  the  salvation  of  the  cross. 

"Listen,  now,  to  the  dreadful  sentence  of  the  law,  and  then  farewell,  forever, 
until  the  court  and  you,  with  all  this  assembled  audience  shall  meet  together  in  the 
land  from  whence  no  man  returneth. 

"  You,  Charles  Francis  JVoodard,  are  to  be  taken  from  hence  to  the  county  jail  of  this 
county,  and  therein  confined,  under  proper  guard  as  provided  by  law,  until  the  28th  day  of 
March,  IQ02,  at  which  time,  between  the  hours  of  g  a.  m.  and  5  p.  m.  you  are  to  be  taken  to 
an  enclosure,  specially  prepared  within  the  jail  yard  of  said  county,  and  that  at  said  time 
and  place  you  be  hanged  by  your  neck,  until  you  are  dead. 

"And  may  that  God  whose  laws  you  have  broken,  and  before  whose  tribunal  you 
must  then  appear,  have  mercy  on  your  soul." 


Murphy  Murder  Case 

At  the  head  of  Deep  creek  in  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  on  June 
14,  1902,  at  about  9:30  at  night,  at  the  sheep  camp  of  E.  S.  Murphy, 
Fred  Kassahn,  twenty-three  years  of  age,  was  shot  and  killed  and 
Van  Ferris,  eighteen  years  old,  was  shot  in  the  right  arm  by  a  posse 
of  men  composed  of  E.  S.  Murphy,  Elmer  Roe,  W.  F.  Edgerton,  J.  B. 
Okie,  William  Griffin,  Harry  Martin,  T.  J.  Hicks,  and  Fred  Urine. 
Kassahn's  head  was  shot  off  and  it  was  necessary  to  amputate 
Ferris'  arm  at  the  shoulder.  The  two  men  had  been  working  in 
Murphy's  sheep  camp  and  a  quarrel  resulted  when  the  men  were  paid 
off.  Kassahn  and  Ferris  had  caused  considerable  trouble  and  had 
made  numerous  threats  against  Murphy  and  his  men.  On  the  day 
they  left  Murphy's  employ  they  beat  the  camp  mover  with  a  quirt, 


292 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


tried  to  run  Murphy  down  with  a  horse  and  threatened  to  kill  him 
and  burn  his  property.  They  then  went  to  Murphy's  sheep  wagon  on 
Deep  creek  and  took  possession. 

The  posse  organized  in  the  evening  and  went  over  to  the  wagon 
where  the  two  men  had  taken  possession.  The  posse  surrounded  the 
wagon  and  called  to  the  men  to  come  out.  The  men  arose  from  their 
bed  and  Ferris  ran  out,  but  before  he  got  out  of  the  wagon  he  was  shot 
in  the  arm.  Kassahn  secured  a  gun  before  he  attempted  to  get  out 
and  his  head  was  shot  off  while  he  was  yet  in  the  wagon. 

Criminal  complaints  were  issued  against  Murphy  and  Martin, 
charging  them  with  the  murder  of  Kassahn  and  at  the  preliminary 
trial,  held  June  21,  Murphy  was  held  to  the  district  court  for  trial  and 
his  bond  was  fixed  at  $10,000.  Martin  was  also  held  and  his  bond 
placed  at  $2,000.  At  the  preliminary  trial,  Murphy  and  Martin  took 
the  full  responsibility  of  the  shooting,  but  when  the  trial  came  up  in 
the  district  court,  which  was  held  the  latter  part  of  November,  the 
names  of  all  the  men  who  participated  in  the  affair  were  brought  to 
light.  The  first  trial  resulted  in  a  disagreement  of  the  jury.  Court 
was  then  adjourned  and  the  case  came  to  trial  again  in  July,  1903,  and 
again  the  jury  could  not  reach  a  verdict,  the  vote  showing  eleven  for 
conviction  against  one  for  acquittal,  while  in  the  previous  trial,  the 
jury  stood  nine  for  acquittal  and  three  for  conviction.  These  two 
trials  had  cost  the  county  in  the  neighborhood  of  $12,000  and  there 
were  but  about  250  men  left  in  the  county  qualified  to  act  as  jurors 
in  the  case.  At  this  time,  Murphy  made  an  affidavit  to  the  effect 
that  he  was  bankrupt  and  destitute;  that  he  had  no  money,  no 
property,  and  no  credit,  and  that  he  could  not  secure  counsel  to 
defend  him  at  another  trial  and  he  asked  that  the  court  appoint  an 
attorney  for  his  defense  and  that  the  county  provide  the  fee  for 
said  attorney. 

The  court  adjourned  and  the  case  was  set  for  January  11,  1904, 
but  at  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  held  October 
6,  1903,  the  following  resolution  was  adopted:  "Be  it  resolved  that 
the  board  of  county  commissioners  request  the  county  attorney  to 
dismiss  the  case  of  the  State  versus  Edwin  S.  Murphy."  The  resolu- 
tion was  adopted  by  the  following  vote:  E.  L.  McGraugh,  aye;  P.  C. 
Nicolaysen,  nay;  T.  S.  Steed,  aye.  This  ended  the  case.  Murphy 
disposed  of  what  interests  he  had  left  in  the  county  and  returned  to 
his  former  home  in  the  east  where  he  has  been  content  to  remain  ever 
since. 

The  first  two  trials  were  held  before  Judge  C.  W.  Bramel.  Alex 
T.  Butler  was  prosecuting  attorney,  E.  D.  Norton,  F.  D.  Hammond, 
of  Casper,  and  T.  F.  Burke,  of  Cheyenne,  were  the  attorneys  for  the 


DEATH    OF   JAMES    CAREY  293 

defense.  At  the  last  trial,  C.  E.  Carpenter  was  the  trial  judge  and 
J.  M.  Hench  was  the  prosecuting  attorney,  while  the  same  attorneys 
acted  for  the  defense.  In  accordance  with  the  resolution  adopted  by 
the  board  of  county  commissioners,  a  nolle  proseqtii  was  entered  at 
the  January,  1904,  term  of  court.  The  case  against  Martin  was  also 
dismissed  and  no  charge  was  ever  preferred  against  any  of  the  other 
men  who  participated  in  the  shooting. 

Death  of  James  Carey 

James  M.  Carey  was  found  dead  in  his  ranch  house  in  the  Muddy 
country  seventeen  miles  east  from  Casper  on  the  evening  of  October 
19,  1903.  In  the  barn  were  two  dead  horses  which  had  starved  to 
death.  The  body  was  discovered  by  Hugh  Atkinson,  Oscar  Creel 
and  Myron  Spencer.  It  was  badly  decomposed,  and  it  was  evident 
that  death  had  resulted  two  weeks  before.  It  was  evident  that  the 
man  had  died  from  natural  causes  and  a  verdict  was  so  rendered  by  a 
coroner's  jury.  A  grave  was  dug  a  short  distance  from  the  house  and 
the  body  was  interred  where  it  remained  several  months,  when 
relatives  caused  it  to  be  disinterred  and  brought  to  Casper. 

Some  people  seemed  to  be  of  the  opinion  that  the  man  had  been 
murdered,  and  to  satisfy  them  before  the  body  was  interred  in  High- 
land cemetery  Drs.  A.  F.  Hoff  and  T.  A.  Dean  made  a  post  mortem 
examination,  taking  out  the  heart  and  stomach  and  sawing  the  skull 
open.  They  also  made  a  thorough  examination  of  the  body.  They 
were  unable  to  find  any  indications  of  violence,  bullet  holes,  bruises, 
fractures,  or  poison,  and  they  decided  that  he  came  to  his  death  from 
natural  causes. 

James  Carey  was  a  bachelor,  possessing  considerable  ranch 
property  in  the  Big  Muddy  country.  He  made  frequent  trips  to 
Casper  and  after  making  small  purchases  at  the  stores,  he  generally 
visited  the  saloons  where  he  drank  whiskey  until  he  was  in  such  a 
condition  that  he  was  helpless.  He  had  visited  Casper  shortly 
before  his  death  and  it  is  supposed  that  he  died  from  exposure  and 
alcoholism. 

Justifiable  Homicide 

Ed.  Baker,  a  colored  man,  forty-one  years  of  age,  was  shot  and 
killed  at  2:45  in  the  morning,  December  18,  191 2,  by  Mrs.  Clarence 
Hill,  also  colored.  Baker,  with  half  a  dozen  other  colored  people, 
spent  the  night  at  the  Hill  residence  on  south  David  street  in  Casper, 
and  all  consumed  a  considerable  quantity  of  intoxicating  liquor. 
They  were  having  a  hilarious  time,  and  there  was  more  or  less  quar- 


294  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

reling.  The  guests  were  finally  ordered  to  leave  the  house  and  when 
they  were  out  in  the  yard  Baker  made  some  remarks  and  a  threat 
which  aroused  the  anger  of  the  hostess  and  without  further  ado  she 
shot  him  in  the  stomach  and  he  died  within  a  few  hours.  Mrs.  Hill 
was  held  to  the  district  court  for  trial  upon  the  charge  of  murder, 
and  at  the  January,  1913,  term  the  jury  returned  a  verdict  of  not 
guilty,  deeming  it  justifiable  homicide. 

George  Edwards  Kills  Two  Men 

Roy  Landers,  alias  Roy  Grant,  alias  Grant  Smith,  was  shot  and 
killed  on  the  streets  of  Casper  by  George  Edwards  on  January  26, 
191 3.  Landers  had  worked  on  the  Edwards  ranch  in  Bates  Park  and 
induced  Mrs.  Edwards  to  go  with  him  to  Nebraska,  leaving  her 
husband  and  four  little  children.  Landers  was  brought  back  to 
Casper  and  pleaded  guilty  to  the  charge  of  inducing  Mrs.  Edwards  to 
leave  the  state  with  him,  and  was  sentenced  to  serve  fifteen  months 
in  the  penitentiary.  Sheriff  J.  A.  Sheffner  was  escorting  Landers  and 
another  prisoner,  named  J.  E.  Wolford,  from  the  court  house  to  the 
Northwestern  railway  passenger  station,  with  the  intention  of  tak- 
ing them  to  the  penitentiary.  The  two  prisoners  were  handcuffed 
together  and  were  walking  several  feet  ahead  of  the  sheriff  and  his 
deputy.  Edwards  stood  in  the  recess  of  the  side  door  of  the  Webel 
store  on  Center  street  and  when  the  men  came  along  the  sidewalk 
opposite  to  where  he  was  standing,  he  shot  Landers  through  the  chest 
near  the  heart.  The  sheriff  took  the  gun  away  from  Edwards  and 
hastened  to  his  prisoners,  who  had  gone  a  distance  of  about  thirty 
feet  into  the  street  before  the  wounded  man  fell.  The  sheriff  unlocked 
the  handcuffs  and  took  charge  of  Wolford,  turned  Edwards  over  to 
the  deputy  and  started  the  wounded  man  for  the  hospital  in  an 
ambulance,  but  he  died  within  an  hour  after  being  shot.  A  coroner's 
jury  was  impaneled  to  make  an  investigation  of  the  shooting,  and 
a  verdict  was  returned  to  the  effect  that  "Roy  Landers  came  to  his 
death  as  a  result  of  a  gun-shot  wound,  inflicted  by  a  party  or  parties 
unknown."  The  sympathy  of  the  community  was  with  Edwards,  and 
although  many  witnesses  testified  that  they  saw  Edwards  fire  the 
shot  and  saw  Landers  fall  immediately  afterwards,  the  members  of 
the  coroner's  jury  contended  that  they  could  not  tell  whether  it  was 
the  bullet  from  Edwards'  gun  or  from  some  one's  else  that  killed  the 
man.  Notwithstanding  the  result  of  the  coroner's  jury  and  the  senti- 
ment of  the  people  in  favor  of  Edwards,  he  was  held  to  the  district 
court  for  trial  without  bail  upon  the  charge  of  murder  in  the  first 
degree.   The  trial  was  had  within  a  few  days  after  the  tragedy  and  he 


CUT  HIS  WIFE  S  THROAT  WITH  A  RAZOR      295 

was  acquitted.  Edwards  returned  to  his  ranch  with  his  wife  and 
children,  but  the  kilHng  of  a  man  on  account  of  her  unfaithfulness  did 
not  seem  to  cause  a  very  deep  or  lasting  impression  upon  Mrs. 
Edwards,  and  on  June  17,  1913,  Edwards  shot  and  killed  Fred  Ott, 
the  cause  of  this  shooting  being  unfaithfulness  of  Mrs.  Edwards,  the 
same  as  the  one  which  had  occurred  less  than  five  months  previous. 
The  tragedy  occurred  at  the  Edwards  ranch  in  Bates  Park.  Three 
shots  were  fired  by  Edwards  while  the  two  men  and  the  woman  were 
in  the  house,  tw^o  of  the  bullets  entering  Ott's  back,  the  third  missed. 
Ott  ran  out  of  the  house  and  made  his  way  to  the  bunk  house.  The 
woman  rode  to  the  nearest  neighbors  and  telephoned  to  Casper  for 
a  doctor  and  for  the  sheriff.  After  Mrs.  Edwards  had  gone  to  the 
neighbors,  Edwards  followed  Ott  to  the  bunk  house  and  while  the 
prostrate  man  was  pleading  for  his  life  Edwards  deliberately  shot  him 
in  the  back  again,  which  ended  his  life.  Edwards  was  brought  to 
Casper  and  lodged  in  the  county  jail,  with  a  charge  against  him  of 
murder  in  the  first  degree.  A  change  of  venue  was  taken,  and  his 
trial  was  had  in  Douglas,  Converse  county,  in  January,  1914,  about 
a  year  after  his  trial  in  Casper  for  the  killing  of  Landers.  A  verdict  of 
manslaughter  was  returned  by  the  jury  and  he  was  sentenced  to 
serve  twenty  years  in  the  penitentiary.  After  he  was  sentenced  Mrs. 
Edwards  took  from  her  finger  her  wedding  ring  and  handed  it  to  the 
condemned  man  with  the  remark  that  she  was  through  with  him. 
After  serving  several  years  in  the  penitentiary  Edwards  received  a 
pardon,  and  made  a  new  start  in  life  by  taking  a  ranch  and  establish- 
ing a  home  for  his  children  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  state. 

Cut  His  Wife's  Throat  with  a  Razor 

While  in  their  room  at  their  boarding  house  in  Salt  Creek  on 
Friday  afternoon,  January  8,  1915,  Wilmer  P.  Palmer  murdered  his 
wife  by  cutting  her  throat  w^ith  a  razor.  He  then  slashed  his  own 
throat  with  the  razor  but  the  wound  was  slight.  He  was  brought  to 
Casper  and  placed  in  the  hospital  and  was  fully  recovered  in  a 
week.  At  a  preliminary  trial  held  upon  his  removal  from  the  hospital 
he  was  held  to  the  district  court  for  trial  without  bond  upon  the 
charge  of  murder  in  the  first  degree.  On  April  19,  191 5,  he  was 
found  guilty  as  charged  and  the  next  morning  at  about  2:30  he  again 
attempted  to  commit  suicide  by  cutting  the  arteries  of  his  left  wrist 
with  a  safety  razor  blade.  Some  of  the  other  prisoners  at  once 
notified  the  sheriff  and  a  physician  was  called  and  prevented  him 
from  bleeding  to  death.  Within  a  week  after  he  was  found  guilty 
the  court  sentenced  him  to  be  hanged  on  Friday,  August  6,  191 5, 


296  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  he  was  taken  to  the  penitentiary  at  Rawhns  where  the  sentence 
of  the  court  was  obeyed  on  the  above  date  by  the  warden  of  the 
state  penitentiary. 

The  Bess  Fisher  Tragedy 

Bess  Fisher,  a  woman  of  the  underworld,  on  October  26,  1917, 
shot  and  killed  Lawrence  Barrett  in  the  Rhinoceros  restaurant  at 
Casper.  The  woman  alleged  that  Barrett  had  squandered  consider- 
able of  her  money  while  they  lived  at  Anchorage,  Alaska,  and  when 
her  money  was  gone  he  would  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  her  and 
soon  left  Alaska.  She  followed  him  to  Casper,  hoping  to  win  back  his 
affections  or  have  her  money  returned.  After  arriving  in  Casper  she 
had  several  unsatisfactory  conferences  with  him  and  on  the  above 
date,  while  she  was  sitting  at  a  table  in  the  restaurant,  Barrett  and 
his  wife  came  in.  As  Barrett  was  about  to  sit  down  at  a  table  the 
Fisher  woman  arose  from  her  chair  with  such  haste  and  excitement 
that  she  turned  the  table  over  and  spilled  the  dishes  on  the  floor,  but 
before  Barrett  had  taken  his  seat  she  drew  a  gun  from  her  pocket  and 
fired.  The  bullet  entered  Barrett's  right  arm,  passed  through  his 
heart  and  through  his  body  and  came  out  under  his  left  arm  above 
the  elbow.  After  Barrett  had  fallen  to  the  floor  the  Fisher  woman 
held  the  smoking  gun  in  her  hand,  and  with  a  sneer  on  her  face 
looked  at  Mrs.  Barrett  as  if  to  say  that  if  she  could  not  have  him  no 
other  woman  could.  She  then  went  to  the  counter  and  gave  up  her 
gun.  She  was  taken  to  jail  and  her  trial  was  had  at  the  March  term 
of  court  in  1918.  Before  the  jury  she  pretended  to  be  sick,  almost 
fainting  several  times,  and  when  she  talked  she  would  speak  scarcely 
above  a  whisper.  She  acted  the  part  so  well  that  some  of  the  jurors 
no  doubt  were  to  a  considerable  extent  influenced  in  favor  of  returning 
a  verdict  that  they  would  not  have  returned  for  Barrett  had  the 
situations  been  reversed.  She  testified  in  her  own  behalf,  claiming 
that  she  shot  the  man  in  self-defense;  that  when  Barrett  entered  the 
restaurant  he  said  to  her:  "Fll  get  you  yet."  She  then  stepped  back 
from  her  chair  and  fired.  This  was  her  strongest  argument  for  shoot- 
ing and  killing  the  man  she  pretended  to  love;  the  man  who  had 
squandered  her  money  and  deserted  her;  the  man  who  was  married 
to  another  woman,  but  it  was  enough  to  satisfy  eleven  jurors,  and  after 
deliberating  sixty-three  hours,  a  verdict  was  not  reached,  one  juror 
holding  out  for  conviction,  against  eleven  who  favored  acquittal. 
The  jury  was  discharged.  Court  adjourned  without  a  re-trial,  and  in 
June  the  woman  was  released  from  the  county  jail  under  bonds  of 
^5,000,  and  at  the  September  term  of  the  district  court  the  case  was 


GAMBLERS    COMMIT   MURDER  297 

dismissed,  and  once  more  the  statue  of  "Justice,"  standing  above  the 
court  house  doors,  was  a  misnomer. 


Gamblers  Commit  Murder 

Lawrence  Nina  Friccero  was  shot  and  killed  at  about  2  o'clock  in 
the  morning  of  December  21,  1918,  by  Zura  Eagleston.  Eagleston 
was  aided  and  abetted  by  Sam  Larsen.  The  shooting  occurred  in  a 
room  over  the  Iris  theater,  which  was  used  as  a  gambling  joint. 
The  killing  of  Friccero  was  in  cold  blood,  while  he  had  his  hands  in  the 
air  begging  for  his  life.  Eagleston,  Larsen  and  Friccero  were  engaged 
in  a  game  of  poker  when  an  argument  arose,  and  Larsen  pulled  a 
knife  on  Friccero  and  Eagleston  pulled  a  gun.  Friccero  backed  in  a 
corner  with  his  hands  in  the  air  and  declared  that  he  did  not  want  to 
fight;  that  he  was  unarmed  and  that  if  the  men  would  let  him  go 
away  there  would  be  no  more  argument  or  quarreling.  The  two  men 
searched  Friccero  and  then  Eagleston  deliberately  shot  him  through 
the  stomach.  The  wounded  man  was  taken  to  the  hospital  and  died 
in  about  twelve  hours.  Eagleston  and  Larsen  were  arrested,  but  Lar- 
sen was  discharged.  At  the  term  of  the  district  court  in  March, 
Eagleston  was  convicted  of  murder  in  the  second  degree  and  was 
sentenced  to  serve  from  twenty-one  to  twenty-five  years  in  the 
penitentiary. 

Bootleggers  Murder  an  Officer 

Charles  Moore,  H.  J.  Evans,  H.  B.  Armstrong,  Roy  E.  Martin 
and  Lawson  Hallowell,  the  three  former  being  taxi-drivers  and  the  two 
latter  engaged  in  the  plumbing  business,  but  whose  principal  occupa- 
tion was  bootlegging,  were  the  principals  in  an  atrocious  murder 
Sunday  morning,  November  2,  1919,  when  Deputy  Sheriff  Tom 
Majors  was  shot  in  the  arm  and  the  head  with  a  shot  gun  and  in- 
stantly killed  and  County  Jailer  George  McKenzie  was  shot  in  the 
right  shoulder.  Martin  was  shot  in  the  right  breast  three  times  and 
the  thumb  of  his  right  hand  was  shot  off  by  one  of  the  deputy  sheriffs. 
McKenzie  and  Martin  were  taken  to  the  hospital  and  in  due  time 
both  recovered  from  their  wounds. 

Armstrong  and  Moore  had  previously  been  arrested  upon  the 
charge  of  stealing  $40,000  worth  of  whiskey,  but  the  case  against  them 
was  dismissed  on  account  of  the  lack  of  evidence.  It  was  learned  that 
about  two  hundred  cases  of  liquor  had  been  stored  on  the  Martin 
property,  and  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  Sheriff  Pat  Royce,  Deputy 
Sheriffs  Tom  Majors,  W.  E.  Kilgore,  Charles  Easton  and  George 
McKenzie  and  Special  Detective  Roberts  of  the  Burlington  railway 


298  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

went  to  the  Martin  plumbing  shop  to  make  a  raid  on  the  bootleggers. 
When  the  officers  surrounded  the  building,  Armstrong  and  Martin 
came  around  a  corner  armed  with  shot  guns.  Majors  saw  them  ap- 
proaching and  called  to  them  to  put  up  their  hands.  "Go  to  hell! 
Put  up  your  own,"  was  the  answer  and  command  of  Armstrong,  and 
without  further  parley  he  fired  at  the  officer.  The  first  shot  shattered 
the  deputy  sheriff's  right  hand  and  the  second  shot  struck  him  full 
in  the  mouth,  the  charge  passing  through  and  blew  out  the  back  of 
his  head.  Martin  opened  fire  at  about  the  same  time  and  wounded 
McKenzie,  but  before  he  could  fire  a  second  time  Roberts  opened 
fire  on  him,  with  the  result  of  four  bullets  taking  effect,  three  in  his 
chest  and  one  shattering  his  thumb.  Armstrong  and  Martin  then  ran 
to  Martin's  house  which  was  near  by.  When  the  smoke  of  the  tragedy 
had  cleared  away  search  was  made  of  the  premises  and  great  quanti- 
ties of  liquor  were  found  buried  under  the  floor  of  the  plumbers' 
shop,  the  cases  being  covered  with  several  inches  of  earth. 

Armstrong  and  Moore  were  placed  in  jail  and  Martin  was 
guarded  by  a  deputy  sheriff  in  the  hospital.  Evans  and  Hallowell 
were  dismissed.  The  board  of  county  commissioners  appointed 
C.  E.  Winter  and  M.  W.  Purcell  as  special  prosecutors  for  the  county 
to  prosecute  the  case  against  the  assassins.  This  action  of  the 
county  commissioners  caused  Prosecuting  Attorney  W.  E.  Patten 
to  feel  slighted,  and  he  caused  the  arrest  of  Sheriff  Royce  and  Deputy 
Kilgore  at  2:30  in  the  morning  of  November  6,  charging  them  with 
feloniously  attacking  Armstrong  on  the  morning  of  November  2, 
with  the  purpose  of  committing  violent  injury  upon  him.  The  sheriff 
and  his  deputy  were  dispossessed  of  the  office  and  Constable  John 
McClellan,  who  served  the  warrants  on  the  officers,  took  charge. 
The  trial  of  the  sheriff  and  his  deputy  were  had  before  Judge  W.  E. 
Tubbs  without  delay  and  the  cases  against  them  were  dismissed, 
and  the  sentiment  of  the  community  was  so  strong  against  the 
prosecuting  attorney  that  he  was  forced  to  resign,  and  the  feeling 
against  the  men  who  were  charged  with  the  murder  of  the  deputy 
sheriff  was  such  that  a  number  of  citizens  organized  and  no  doubt 
would  have  dealt  out  justice  without  waiting  for  trial  by  the  courts 
had  they  not  been  assured  by  the  special  prosecuting  attorneys,  the 
county  commissioners  and  other  county  officers  that  a  speedy  trial 
would  be  had  and  that  justice  would  be  meted  out  without  unneces- 
sary delay.  Circulars  were  distributed  about  the  city  and  notices 
were  published  in  the  newspapers  by  the  county  commissioners  as 
follows : 

"In  face  of  the  terrible  tragedy,  in  the  interest  of  the  welfare  of  our  city  and 
county,  we  appeal  to  all  good  citizens  to  remain  calm  and  assist  the  officers  in  maintain- 


JOHN    J,    CORBETT    SLAIN  299 

ing  law  and  order.   They  have  our  assurance  that  those  responsible  for  the  tragedy  will 
be  brought  speedily  to  trial." 

An  editorial  appeared  in  the  Daily  Tribune  as  follows: 

"Because  he  enforced  the  law  against  bootleggers  and  murderers  the  sheriff 
of  this  county  is  ordered  thrown  in  jail  by  a  county  attorney,  and  an  unexperienced 
constable  ordered  placed  in  entire  charge  of  the  court  house.  Not  only  are  our  officers 
murdered  in  cold  blood  by  bootleggers,  but  the  sheriff  and  his  deputies  who  arrested 
the  murderers  are  ordered  arrested.  Where  will  this  state  of  affairs  lead  us  to?  What 
will  be  the  result  of  this  latest  insult  to  constituted  authority?  Do  these  thugs,  thieves 
and  bootleggers  and  their  accomplices  believe  the  people  will  fold  their  hands  and  look 
on  with  complacency  while  our  laws  are  being  trampled  under  foot  and  dragged  in  the 
slime  of  corruption?  Where  in  the  history  of  court  proceeding  has  such  an  outrage  a 
parallel?  We  may  even  look  to  Bolshevik  Russia  for  a  precedent  and  come  away  in 
bitter  disappointment.  Casper  has  drained  the  cup  of  lawlessness  down  to  its  bitter 
dregs,  and  the  upright  citizen's  blood  is  beginning  to  boil.  Law  and  order  must  be 
preserved.  Bolshevism  rnust  be  crushed.  The  spirit  of  outlawry  must  be  smothered. 
Without  respect  for  constituted  authority  and  reverence  for  the  rule  of  right,  democratic 
government  will  crumble,  our  institutions  become  a  mockery  and  our  glories  a  dream.' 

Upon  the  assurance  that  a  speedy  trial  would  be  had  the  people 
calmly  awaited  the  action  of  the  courts.  At  a  preliminary  trial  held 
before  Justice  Tubbs  on  November  16  the  three  men  were  held  to  the 
district  court  for  trial  without  bond  upon  the  charge  of  murder  in  the 
first  degree.  At  the  December  term  of  the  district  court  in  Natrona 
county  a  change  of  venue  was  demanded  and  granted  and  the  case 
was  ordered  to  be  tried  in  Douglas  before  a  Converse  county  jury  at 
the  April  term  of  the  district  court.  The  case  against  Armstrong  was 
the  first  to  come  to  trial.  There  was  no  question  in  the  minds  of  the 
people  of  Casper  but  a  conviction  would  be  had,  and  if  ever  a  man 
deserved  hanging  it  was  the  defendant,  but  be  it  said  to  the  everlast- 
ing shame  of  the  jurymen,  some  of  the  witnesses  who  gave  perjured 
testimony,  and  others  connected  with  the  trial,  a  verdict  of  not 
guilty  was  returned  by  the  jury,  and  once  more  the  people  of  Natrona 
were  compelled  to  witness  a  travesty  of  justice  and  the  rights  of 
good  citizenship  flung  to  the  four  winds.  The  charges  against  Moore 
and  Martin  were  immediately  dismissed  after  the  verdict  of  not 
guilty  was  returned  in  the  Armstrong  case,  and  thus  ended  the  farce 
with  the  courts,  and  the  murder  of  Tom  Majors  has  never  been 
avenged. 

John  J.  Corbett  Slain 

One  of  the  most  deplorable  and  ruthless  murders  in  the  annals  of 
Natrona  county  was  committed  on  or  about  January  20,  1920.  John 
J.  Corbett,  46  years  old,  a  pioneer  ranchman  living  about  five  miles 
southeast  of  Casper,  was  shot  down  in  cold  blood  by  a  robber  whom 
he  surprised  in  the  act  of  looting  the  ranch  house.  The  crime  was  not 
discovered  for  about  a  week  after  it  was  committed,  for  Corbett 


300  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

lived  alone  and,  although  well  liked  by  his  neighbors,  he  visited  them 
rarely.  Starving  livestock  first  attracted  the  attention  of  Ray  Car- 
roll, who  resided  on  an  adjoining  ranch.  He  went  to  the  Corbett 
ranch,  and  seeing  no  one  about,  fed  the  cattle  and  two  work  horses 
which  were  tied  in  the  stable.  Carroll  reported  the  matter  to  the 
sheriff's  office  that  afternoon  and  the  next  morning  at  daylight  a 
posse  went  to  the  Corbett  place  to  make  an  investigation.  They 
found  Corbett's  body  in  the  cellar  which  had  been  locked  and  the 
door  nailed  with  several  large  spikes.  There  were  five  bullet  wounds, 
one  of  them  a  flesh  wound.  Any  one  of  the  other  four  would  have 
caused  death.  A  saddle  pony  was  found  shot  and  in  the  barn  were  a 
blood-stained  saddle  and  saddle  blanket.  The  interior  of  the  house 
was  in  utter  confusion.  The  robber  had  emptied  the  dresser  and 
desk  drawers,  strewing  the  contents  on  the  floor.  Every  possible 
hiding  place  for  money  was  ransacked.  A  grip  had  been  cut  open  with 
a  knife.  Money  seemed  to  be  the  only  object  of  the  robber's  search, 
for  he  left  behind  several  hundred  dollars'  worth  of  jewelry  and 
negotiable  papers.  A  sorrel  horse  was  missing  from  the  ranch  and  it 
was  assumed  that  the  murderer  had  ridden  it  away.  It  was  recovered 
near  Glendo.  A  rancher  there  had  purchased  it  and  was  able  to  give 
a  complete  description  of  the  man  from  whom  he  had  bought  it. 
This  was  valuable  information,  but  the  chances  of  capturing  the 
criminal  were  still  slight.  Jack  Corbett,  as  he  was  known  to  his 
friends,  was  well  liked  by  all  who  knew  him  and  it  was  said  he  had  not 
an  enemy.  Rewards  for  the  apprehension  of  the  murderer  amounting 
to  ^i  ,500  were  offered  by  the  county  and  by  friends.  Sheriff  Pat  Royce 
and  County  Attorney  A.  R.  Lowey  made  every  eflPort  to  solve  the 
mystery.  Thousands  of  circulars  were  distributed  by  the  sheriff. 
Every  sheriff  and  chief  of  police  in  the  country  was  notified  and 
Sheriff  Royce  kept  in  close  touch  with  every  peace  officer  and  rail- 
road detective  known  to  him.  It  was  a  discouraging  chase  and 
dragged  on  for  months.  Then  on  October  7,  the  sheriff  received  the 
following  message:  "Alamogordo,  New  Mexico,  October  7.  Have 
party  in  jail  that  fills  description  perfectly  of  R.  L.  Livingston  alias 
Richie.  He  is  your  man  without  doubt.  Can  you  come  and  identify? 
Ben  West,  Lieutenant  Railroad  Police."  The  Alamogordo  officials 
were  wired  to  hold  the  man  and  send  a  photograph  for  identification. 
The  photograph  tallied  with  the  description  furnished  by  the  Glendo 
rancher  and  the  sheriflF  went  to  New  Mexico.  Ben  West  had  just  re- 
ceived a  post  card  from  Sheriff  Royce  on  the  night  the  fugitive  was 
captured,  when  he  ran  into  him  in  a  restaurant.  The  description  on 
the  card  tallied  so  closely  with  the  man's  appearance  that  West 
picked  him  up  and  held  him  for  the  Natrona  county  authorities.   The 


MURDER    AND    SUICIDE  3OI 

reward  of  ^1,500  was  paid  to  West  shortly  afterwards.  Sheriff  Royce 
carefully  followed  all  the  threads  of  evidence  against  the  prisoner 
before  resting  assured  that  he  had  the  right  man.  He  traced  the 
fellow's  movements  from  the  time  he  left  Casper  until  he  reached 
Alamogordo.  The  sheriff  traced  the  guns  taken  from  the  Corbett 
ranch  and  later  pawned  and  also  recovered  a  pair  of  chaps  identified 
by  the  Glendo  rancher  as  those  worn  by  the  man  from  whom  he  had 
purchased  the  sorrel  horse.  The  criminal  was  brought  to  Denver  and 
Attorney  Lowey  gave  him  the  "third  degree"  for  two  days  in  a 
room  in  a  hotel  in  that  city  and  finally  secured  a  complete  confession. 
He  confessed  to  a  series  of  burglaries  and  admitted  that  he  had  es- 
caped from  the  Michigan  reformatory  and  was  a  deserter  from  the 
army.  He  claimed  that  his  name  was  neither  Livingston  nor  Richie, 
but  was  Jesse  R.  Atkins.  Upon  investigation  this  was  found  to  be 
correct.  The  laws  of  the  state  of  Wyoming  do  not  permit  a  district 
judge  to  pronounce  sentence  upon  a  man  charged  with  first  degree 
murder  without  a  trial.  Even  though  Atkins  had  confessed,  it  was 
necessary  to  hold  a  trial  before  a  jury  and  appoint  legal  counsel  for 
the  accused.  He  was  tried  in  January,  1921,  and  although  the 
authorities  had  declared  they  would  seek  the  death  penalty  for 
Corbett's  slayer,  they  found  upon  investigation  that  it  might  be 
impossible  to  secure  such  a  verdict.  The  prisoner  was  under  age  and 
it  was  discovered  that  his  attorneys  would  be  able  to  use  some  damag- 
ing insanity  evidence.  Atkins's  mother  at  last  reports  was  confined 
in  an  insane  asylum  at  Kalamazoo  and  two  brothers  had  been  com- 
mitted to  the  asylum  before  their  deaths.  On  January  19,  1921, 
Atkins  pleaded  guilty  to  second  degree  murder  and  was  sentenced  to 
life  imprisonment  in  the  state  penitentiary. 

Murder  and  Suicide 

Claude  Teanor,  a  cook  in  a  Casper  restaurant,  shot  and  killed 
his  wife  and  then  committed  suicide  in  the  Wyatt  hotel  on  September 
28,  1920.  The  tragedy  was  the  result  of  two  weeks'  brooding  by 
Teanor  over  an  estrangement.  Teanor  had  abused  his  wife  for  months 
previous  to  their  separation  and  she  had  been  forced  to  leave  him 
and  obtain  employment  as  a  waitress.  She  refused  to  return  to  her 
husband,  although  he  had  made  many  appeals  to  her.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  tragedy  Teanor  went  to  his  wife's  room  which  she  occupied 
with  two  other  girls.  None  of  them  had  arisen,  but  Mrs.  Teanor  got 
out  of  bed  and  admitted  him  to  the  room.  After  Teanor  demanded 
that  his  wife  return  to  live  with  him,  he  asked  with  an  air  of  finality: 
"Are  you  coming  back  to  me?"    She  replied,  "No,"  whereupon  he 


302  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

drew  a  revolver  and  shot  her  twice,  through  her  heart  and  her  head. 
She  died  instantly.  He  then  shot  himself  under  the  right  eye  and 
died  a  few  hours  later  at  the  state  hospital. 


Another  Murderess  "Not  Guilty" 

The  quotation  that  "Hell  hath  no  fury  like  unto  a  woman 
scorned,"  was  truly  applicable  in  the  case  of  Mrs.  Jessie  Ackerman, 
who  murdered  Adelbert  Hoffay  in  Casper  on  the  night  of  October  6, 
1920.  The  Ackerman  and  HofFay  families  were  intimate  friends;  Mrs. 
Ackerman  called  upon  Mrs.  Hoffay  late  in  the  afternoon  on  the  above 
date  and  was  invited  to  remain  for  supper;  she  said  she  would  re- 
main provided  Mr.  Hoffay  would  accompany  her  home;  she  said 
she  was  afraid  to  go  home  alone  after  dark.  Hoffay  agreed  to  go  home 
with  her,  but  after  supper  he  delegated  his  wife  to  accompany  Mrs. 
Ackerman  home.  This  caused  the  Ackerman  woman  to  fly  into  a 
rage,  and  she  freely  expressed  her  opinion  of  Hoffay  in  abusive  and 
foul  language.  At  about  7:30  Hoffay  went  to  the  Ackerman  home 
after  his  wife;  Mrs.  Ackerman  came  to  the  door,  apologized  for  her 
hasty  words  and  invited  Hoffay  to  come  in.  Hoffay  said:  "I  don't 
care  to  enter  your  house  after  the  way  you  acted  tonight."  Mrs. 
Ackerman  flew  into  another  rage  and  cried  out:  "I'll  kill  you  for 
that!"  and  immediately  started  for  another  room  after  a  gun,  and  she 
came  forth  with  a  small  gauge  shot  gun  and  pressed  it  against  the 
man's  side.  He  said:  "I  didn't  come  here  to  have  trouble  with  you. 
I  came  to  take  my  wife  home;  go  ahead,  I'm  not  afraid  of  a  gun," 
whereupon  Mrs.  Ackerman  cocked  the  gun  and  pulled  the  trigger. 
The  charge  from  the  gun  entered  the  man's  side  below  the  left  shoul- 
der blade,  the  shot  ranging  downward,  puncturing  the  lung  and 
shattering  the  spinal  column.  When  the  man  fell,  Mrs.  Ackerman 
stooped  over  him  and  said:  "Forgive  me,  Del,  before  you  die."  The 
wounded  man  was  taken  to  the  hospital,  where  in  a  short  time 
hemorrhage  of  the  lungs  caused  his  death.  The  woman  was  taken  to 
jail  and  on  November  9  at  her  preliminary  trial  she  was  held  to  the 
district  court  for  trial  without  bond  upon  the  charge  of  murder  in  the 
first  degree. 

The  case  came  to  trial  on  March  13.  The  court  room  was 
jammed  full  of  people,  mostly  women,  during  the  four  days  of  the 
trial.  Many  of  the  women  came  to  the  court  room  an  hour  before 
court  convened,  and  brought  lunch  with  them  so  they  could  hold 
their  seats  during  the  entire  session  of  the  day.  The  aisles  on  the  sides 
and  between  the  seats  were  crowded  with  so  many  people  that  there 
was  danger  of  the  floor  giving  way. 


DE    WALD    SHOOTS    ROSENBERRY  303 

Mrs.  HofFay  and  her  nine-year-old  son  Meredith,  both  of  whom 
witnessed  the  shooting,  testified  that  Mrs.  Ackerman  wilfully, 
deliberately  and  maliciously  shot  their  husband  and  father,  and 
although  both  underwent  the  most  severe  cross-examination  their 
testimony  was  not  shaken  in  any  particular. 

Testifying  in  her  own  behalf,  between  sobs,  which  were  put  on  in  a 
manner  that  would  have  been  a  credit  to  a  professional  actress,  Mrs. 
Ackerman  admitted  that  she  fired  the  shot  that  caused  the  death  of 
HofFay,  and  that  she  was  angry  with  him  when  she  fired  the  shot, 
"but  I  didn't  know  the  gun  was  loaded,"  she  said,  "and  merely  used 
it  to  scare  HofFay  away  from  my  house  after  we  had  some  words. 
Never  at  any  time  did  I  threaten  to  kill  him,  and  when  the  gun  went 
ofF  I  was  sorry  and  terribly  scared.  I  jabbed  him  with  the  barrel  of 
the  gun  and  then  it  exploded." 

This  was  the  strongest  testimony  adduced  in  behalf  of  the 
defendant,  but  it  was  enough.  The  jury  cast  aside  the  testimony  of 
the  wife  and  son  of  the  dead  man,  cast  aside  the  law  in  the  case,  cast 
aside  the  common-sense  judgment  that  God  w-as  supposed  to  have 
given  them,  and  yielded  to  sentiment  and  sympathy  and  returned  a 
verdict  of  not  guilty,  and  another  woman  with  a  man's  life  blood  on 
her  hands  walked  out  of  the  hall  of  "Justice"  free,  thus  ending  the 
crowning  farce  ever  enacted  in  the  courts  of  Natrona  county. 

De  Wald  Shoots  Rosenberry 

An  old  grudge  resulted  in  the  killing  of  Frank  Rosenberry,  45,  a 
rancher,  by  John  P.  De  Wald,  a  teamster  and  ranch  hand,  early  on 
the  morning  of  October  10,  1920,  at  Bucknum.  The  men  were  in  the 
kitchen  of  a  boarding  house  conducted  by  Mrs.  Alta  Rosenberry,  a 
sister-in-law  of  Rosenberry's.  When  Rosenberry  entered  the  room, 
he  began  to  abuse  and  threaten  De  Wald,  as  was  his  custom.  To 
avoid  trouble,  De  Wald  left  the  house,  but  Rosenberry  followed  him, 
and,  with  the  statement  that  he  was  going  to  kill  De  Wald  right  then, 
he  put  his  hand  into  his  hip  pocket.  At  this,  De  Wald  drew  a  revolver 
and  fired  four  shots,  two  of  which  took  efFect.  De  Wald  wired  the 
sherifF's  office  at  Casper,  saying  he  had  killed  a  man  and  to  come  for 
him  and  bring  a  coroner.  He  then  calmly  awaited  the  arrival  of  the 
officers.  Rosenberry  was  an  old-timer  in  Natrona  county  and,  with 
his  brother,  John,  operated  a  ranch  on  North  Casper  creek.  He  was 
also  part  owner  of  the  boarding  house  where  he  met  his  death.  De 
Wald  was  employed  by  a  soda  company  at  Sodium.  Previous  to  his 
enlistment  in  the  army,  he  was  a  sheep  herder.  He  had  seen  twenty- 
six  months'  service  abroad  during  the  world  war  and  had  taken  part 


304  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

in  the  Verdun  offensive.  At  the  preHminary  hearing  De  Wald  was 
bound  over  to  the  district  court  on  a  charge  of  second  degree  murder 
and  his  bond  was  fixed  at  ^2,000.  It  was  one  of  the  longest  preHm- 
inary hearings  ever  held  in  Natrona  county  and  there  were  more 
witnesses  introduced  than  at  any  other  similar  hearing.  The  trial 
was  held  over  two  terms  of  court  and  finally  Judge  C.  O.  Brown  or- 
dered it  brought  up  on  November  3,  1921.  Unique  in  court  pro- 
cedure here,  M.  W.  Purcell,  the  prosecuting  county  attorney,  de- 
fended De  Wald,  while  W.  H.  Patten  and  S.  E.  Phelps  acted  for  the 
state.  Mr.  Purcell  stepped  out  of  his  position  as  public  prosecutor  in 
order  to  represent  De  Wald  because  at  the  original  hearing  which  was 
held  before  Mr.  Purcell's  appointment  to  the  office,  he  had  been  re- 
tained by  De  Wald.  His  main  object,  it  is  said,  in  defending  De  Wald 
was  that  he  had  promised  De  Wald's  mother  that  he  would  do  his 
utmost  to  clear  her  son.  The  trial  developed  the  facts  that  Rosen- 
berry  and  De  Wald  had  clashed  several  times,  that  on  the  day  of  the 
shooting,  Rosenberry  had  taken  the  offensive  and  that  De  Wald 
fired  only  after  repeated  threats  by  Rosenberry  against  his  life. 
Mr.  Purcell  defended  him  valiantly  and  when  the  case  went  to  the 
jury  at  10  o'clock  on  the  night  of  November  3,  Mr.  Purcell  asked  that 
a  verdict  of  not  guilty  be  returned  in  fifteen  minutes.  De  Wald  was 
acquitted  on  the  first  ballot,  the  jury  returning  in  ten  minutes. 

Peckham  Kills  His  Wife 

John  Peckham  killed  his  wife  and  committed  suicide  on  Febru- 
ary 4,  1921,  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Beatrice  Maltby,  whom  he  also  shot 
and  seriously  wounded.  The  Peckhams  had  been  married  but 
eighteen  months,  but  in  that  time  had  been  separated  twice.  At  the 
time  of  the  shooting,  they  had  been  separated  for  about  a  week  and 
Mrs.  Peckham  was  living  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Maltby.  Several  times 
each  day,  Peckham  visited  his  wife  and  begged  her  to  return  to  him. 
On  the  day  of  the  shooting,  after  writing  farewell  notes  to  his  former 
wife  and  his  children  and  his  father  and  mother,  he  went  to  see  his 
wife  again.  She  refused  his  appeals  to  return  to  him  and  he  drew  a 
gun  and  shot  her.  Mrs.  Maltby  interceded  for  Mrs.  Peckham  and  he 
turned  on  her  and  shot  her  through  the  breast.  He  then  shot  Mrs. 
Peckham  once  more  and  turned  the  gun  on  himself  and  sent  a  bullet 
through  his  brain.  Peckham  was  an  employee  of  the  Midwest  field 
garage  and  Mrs.  Peckham  had  been  employed  in  Casper  as  a  domestic. 
They  were  both  about  49  years  of  age. 


CONVICTED    MURDERER    ESCAPES    JAIL  305 

Convicted  Murderer  Escapes  Jail 

On  March  10,  1921,  Edward  Shuster,  about  30  years  of  age,  a 
taxi  driver,  was  shot  and  killed  by  L.  B.  Nicholson,  a  former  police 
officer  of  Casper.  Shuster  had  been  called  to  a  chop  suey  restaurant 
on  the  Sandbar,  and  when  he  drove  up  in  front  of  the  place,  Nicholson 
is  said  to  have  approached  him  and  after  the  two  men  had  exchanged 
heated  words,  Nicholson  shot  Shuster  and  ran  away.  Shuster  was 
found  to  be  dying  from  a  bullet  wound  in  the  neck.  There  were  many 
witnesses  to  the  affray,  one  of  them  being  a  policeman.  Earl  Barkalow. 
He  made  no  effort  to  pursue  Nicholson  and  was  later  arrested  and 
then  dismissed  from  the  police  force  on  a  formal  charge  of  cowardice. 
Nicholson  was  taken  into  custody  near  the  scene  of  the  shooting  after 
he  had  made  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  dispose  of  two  revolvers.  One 
was  found  in  an  ash  can  and  the  other  was  lying  on  the  ground. 
Nicholson  had  been  discharged  from  the  Casper  police  department 
three  years  previous  on  a  charge  of  grafting.  Later,  he  was  arrested 
on  a  charge  of  assault  with  intent  to  kill  for  firing  on  Police  Captain 
W.  E.  Kilgore.  This  charge  against  him  was  quashed,  however.  He 
was  also  said  to  have  been  convicted  of  murder  at  one  time  in  Camp- 
bell county  in  connection  with  the  killing  of  a  sheep  herder,  but  se- 
cured his  release  on  a  supreme  court  decision.  Shuster  was  said  to 
have  borne  a  good  reputation  among  his  associates.  In  the  trial  of 
Nicholson,  it  was  brought  out  that  the  two  men  had  borne  a  personal 
grudge  against  one  another  for  some  time  and  that  the  shooting  was 
the  culmination  of  this  trouble.  After  an  eventful  trial,  which  was 
bitterly  fought  on  both  sides,  the  jury  balloted  for  twenty-three  hours 
and  returned  a  verdict  of  manslaughter.  He  was  sentenced  on 
September  16,  1921,  to  serve  from  fifteen  to  twenty  years  in  the  state 
penitentiary,  but  on  the  night  of  October  1 1,  1921,  Nicholson  and  five 
other  prisoners  escaped  from  the  Natrona  county  jail.  The  prisoners 
had  been  locked  in  their  cells  for  the  night  on  the  east  side  of  the  jail. 
Friends  on  the  outside  sawed  the  bars  from  one  of  the  windows  on  the 
west  side  with  a  motor  saw,  cut  the  lock  on  the  master  lock  box,  and 
opened  the  cell  doors,  permitting  the  six  men  to  get  away.  It  is 
thought  they  escaped  m  waiting  automobiles.  Two  Mexicans,  who 
were  among  the  six  fugitives,  were  captured  as  they  were  attempting 
to  leave  town  in  an  automobile.  In  due  time  two  of  the  other  men 
were  apprehended,  but  a  nation-wide  search  for  Nicholson  in  par- 
ticular was  instituted  and  there  were  rumors  of  his  capture  at  various 
points,  but  no  definite  trace  of  him  was  ever  found. 


306  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Mysterious  Death  of  Joe  Reeder 

J.  S.  Reeder,  proprietor  of  a  shoe  store  and  shoe  repair  shop  in 
Casper,  was  shot  and  killed  at  about  6:30  in  the  evening  on  January 
II,  1921,  while  on  his  way  home  from  his  store.  The  motive  was 
supposed  to  be  robbery,  for  Mr.  Reeder  had  on  his  person  diamonds 
valued  at  about  $3,000  and  quite  a  large  sum  of  money,  but  the 
robbers  evidently  were  so  anxious  to  make  their  escape  after  the 
shooting  that  they  did  not  attempt  to  take  from  the  body  the  money 
or  the  valuables.  At  that  time  there  were  a  great  many  hold-ups  and 
robberies  being  committed  in  Casper,  and  two  men  named  Neil  and 
Probe  were  arrested  upon  suspicion  of  havmg  committed  the  crime, 
but  on  account  of  the  lack  of  evidence,  after  a  most  thorough  invest- 
igation, they  were  turned  loose  and  no  other  arrests  ever  followed. 
Residents  of  the  neighborhood  where  the  dead  man  was  found,  which 
was  within  a  half  block  of  his  home,  heard  the  reports  from  four  shots, 
and  there  was  a  clear  distinction  between  the  first  three  reports  and 
the  last  one.  When  found  the  dead  man  held  in  his  right  hand  a  .25 
caliber  automatic  revolver  and  three  shots  had  been  fired  from  it. 
There  were  some  people  who  were  of  the  opinion  that  he  had  taken  his 
own  life,  but  when  the  bullet  was  removed  from  his  neck  it  was  found 
to  be  a  .45  caliber,  and  the  theory  of  suicide  was  dispelled  and  the 
conclusion  was  that  he  was  met  by  a  hold-up,  but  instead  of  submitting 
he  attempted  to  shoot  the  man  or  men  who  were  attempting  to  rob 
him  but  failed  to  hit  them  and  in  order  to  make  good  their  escape  they 
shot  him. 

Mexican  Kills  His  Partner 

Jim  Ladas,  55,  proprietor  of  the  Burlington  cafe  in  Casper,  was 
shot  and  killed  on  June  6,  1921,  by  Nick  Camets,  50,  after  the  two 
men  had  quarreled  over  the  ownership  of  the  place.  Camets  purchased 
a  .38  Colt's  revolver  and  went  to  the  cafe  and  demanded  of  Ladas  that 
he  give  him  the  half  interest  in  the  business  that  had  once  been  his. 
Ladas  ran  out  of  the  restaurant  upon  being  threatened  by  Camets 
and  started  down  Wolcott  street  with  Camets  following.  Camets 
fired  one  shot  which  did  not  take  effect  but  served  to  attract  hundreds 
of  people  to  the  scene.  As  they  neared  the  Ohio  Oil  company's 
offices,  Camets  fired  three  times,  all  three  shots  taking  effect.  Ladas 
started  across  the  street,  but  was  knocked  down  by  an  auto  truck. 
As  he  lay  prostrate  in  the  street,  Camets  stepped  up  and  took  delib- 
erate aim,  and  shot  him  through  the  right  lung.  After  a  short  chase, 
Camets  was  captured  by  Joe  Rodman,  a  former  police  officer.  In 
September,  1921,  at  the  term  of  the  district  court,  Camets  pleaded 


ONE    WOMAN    CONVICTED  307 

guilty  to  second  degree  murder,  and  his  sentence  was  twenty-five  to 
thirty  years  in  the  penitentiary. 


One  Woman  Convicted 

John  W.  Delury  was  killed  June  16,  1921,  by  Mrs.  Ida  Graham, 
who  shot  him  because  he  wrecked  her  home  in  Oklahoma.  Delury 
and  Mrs.  Graham  had  lived  together  as  man  and  wife  in  the  oil  fields 
of  Texas  for  two  years,  but  they  quarreled  and  Mrs.  Graham  went  to 
Duncan,  Oklahoma.  Delury  followed  her  and  when  she  refused  to 
resume  her  former  relationship  with  him,  he  demolished  her  furniture 
with  an  axe  and  cut  into  bits  with  a  razor,  her  curtains  and  other 
articles  of  furnishings  and  equipment;  then  he  left  her  and  came  to 
Casper.  When  Mrs.  Graham  learned  where  he  had  located  she  fol- 
lowed him  here  and  appealed  to  the  prosecuting  attorney  of  the 
county  to  have  him  arrested,  but  the  alleged  crime  having  been 
committed  in  another  state,  a  warrant  could  not  be  issued.  During 
the  evening  Mrs.  Graham  saw -Delury  in  the  "Sandbar  district" 
where  there  was  a  carnival.  Mrs.  Graham  at  her  trial  on  September  1 1 
testified  that  Delury  said  to  her:  "Now,  damn  you,  I  have  you,"  and 
made  a  motion  as  if  to  strike  her  with  a  knife,  and  she  shot  him  in 
self-defense,  but  the  fact  that  she  was  looking  for  Delury,  and  carried 
a  gun  was  the  damaging  evidence  against  her,  and  the  jury,  after 
deliberating  five  hours,  returned  a  verdict  finding  her  guilty  of 
second  degree  murder.  She  was  sentenced  to  serve  from  twenty-one 
to  twenty-two  years  in  the  penitentiary. 

Homicide  on  the  Range 

On  July  II,  1921,  John  Nennes,  30,  an  employee  of  the  William 
(Scotty)  Henry  Sheep  outfit,  was  shot  and  killed  by  Ed.  Holmes,  an 
employee  of  Robert  Wilson,  about  twenty-five  miles  northwest  of 
Arminto.  Each  of  the  men  had  a  band  of  sheep  in  his  care  and  they 
were  feeding  close  together.  A  dispute  arose  over  a  water  hole  first 
and  after  that  the  two  herders  quarreled  frequently.  Nennes  is  said 
to  have  charged  Holmes  with  encroaching  on  the  Henry  range.  The 
trouble  between  them  became  serious  when  the  two  bands  of  sheep 
drifted  so  close  together  that  Holmes  walked  between  them  to  keep 
them  from  running  together.  Nennes  objected  to  this  and  becoming 
hostile  told  Holmes:  "  I  have  carried  a  gun  for  twenty  years  and  I  am 
looking  for  action."  He  went  to  his  horse  and  took  a  .25-.30  caliber 
Winchester  from  the  holster.  As  he  turned  toward  Holmes,  the 
latter  fired  a  rifle  shot  into  Nennes'  heart.    Holmes  reported  the 


3o8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

matter  at  the  Henry  ranch  and  then  returned  to  the  range  and 
watched  both  bands  of  sheep  until  the  officers  arrived.  At  the  prehm- 
inary  trial  he  was  exonerated. 

White  Woman  Shoots  Negro 

Robert  Brown,  a  negro  58  years  of  age,  who  attempted  to 
force  his  way  into  a  boarding  house  in  Casper  owned  by  Mrs.  Pearl 
WiUiams,  was  shot  and  killed  by  the  landlady  on  October  2,  1921. 
Brown  had  been  caUing  Mrs.  Williams  over  the 'phone  every  day  for  a 
week  asking  her  to  meet  him.  Mrs.  Williams  did  not  know  who  the 
man  was,  and  she  reported  the  trouble  to  the  police,  but  they  were 
unable  to  locate  him.  On  the  night  of  the  shooting  the  negro  appeared 
at  the  front  door  of  the  Williams  boarding  house  and  announced  that 
"I  am  the  man  who  has  been  'phoning  to  you,  honey,"  and  Mrs. 
Williams  started  shooting  without  further  ado.  Six  shots  were  fired, 
two  of  which  took  efFect,  from  the  result  of  which  the  man  died.  The 
house  where  the  negro  lived  was  searched  and  clothing  and  articles 
valued  at  several  thousand  dollars,  which  had  been  stolen  from 
residences  in  Casper,  were  found.  Mrs.  Williams  was  exonerated 
and  should  have  been  given  a  medal. 

Would-be  Hold-ups  Are  Killed 

On  the  night  of  December  21,  1921,  Sheriff  Joe  L.  Marquis  was 
informed  by  an  anonymous  telephone  call  that  the  grocery  store  of 
M.  L.  Small  at  446  South  Oak  street,  Casper,  was  going  to  be  robbed. 
Three  officers  were  sent  out  from  the  sheriff's  office  and  two  of  them 
concealed  themselves  in  the  store,  while  the  third  was  posted  as 
lookout  on  the  outside.  The  proprietor  of  the  store  was  instructed  to 
appear  surprised  upon  the  arrival  of  the  highwaymen  and  to  obey  any 
commands  given  by  them.  Scarcely  had  the  defense  been  planned 
when  two  men  stopped  in  front  of  the  store,  adjusted  masks  and  en- 
tered the  store.  With  drawn  guns  they  commanded  the  proprietor 
to  throw  up  his  hands.  The  same  order  was  given  to  J.  K.  Willis,  in 
charge  of  the  meat  department.  The  two  men  were  ordered  to  go  to 
the  rear  of  the  store.  Small  started  to  run  and  was  fired  upon.  At 
this  point  the  officers  stepped  out  from  their  hiding  places  and  a 
pitched  battle  followed.  When  the  melee  subsided,  both  robbers  were 
dead  and  Willis  had  been  shot  in  the  arm  accidentally  by  one  of  the 
officers.  One  of  the  robbers  was  later  identified  as  George  Otto  Boche, 
a  dope  fiend,  and  the  other  was  believed  to  be  J.  S.  Brown,  a  gunman 
who  had  been  active  through  the  west. 


WOULD-BE    HOLD-UPS    ARE    KILLED  309 

When  the  bodies  were  taken  to  the  morgue  they  were  erroneously 
identified  as  Earl  Pike  and  Barry  Gorden,  two  notorious  criminals. 
It  was  later  learned,  however,  that  at  the  same  time  the  Casper 
affair  was  being  enacted,  Gorden  and  Pike  were  attempting  to  loot  a 
store  in  Billings.  They  were  trapped  by  a  telephone  call  and  one  of 
them.  Earl  Pike,  was  killed.  This  is  the  most  unusual  coincidence 
ever  recorded  in  criminal  records.  Another  unusual  circumstance 
connected  with  this  case  is  the  fact  that  Willis,  who  was  working  in  the 
store  where  the  attempted  hold-up  occurred,  brought  action  against 
Sheriff  Marquis  to  recover  a  large  sum  of  money  for  damages  on 
account  of  having  been  wounded  by  one  of  the  officers  who  was  shoot- 
ing at  the  hold-ups. 

Author's  Note: 

"Why  drag  into  the  light  of  day 
The  errors  of  an  age  long  passed  away?" 
I  answer,  "  For  the  lesson  that  they  teach — 
The  tolerance  of  opinion  and  of  speech." 

In  justification  of  the  publication  of  a  brief  history  of  the  many  crimes  that  have 
been  committed  in  the  county  from  1888  until  1922,  and  in  answer  to  the  criticism  that 
will  surely  come  from  some  sources,  the  author  will  merely  say  that  he  did  not  make  the 
history,  but  has  recorded  the  plain  facts,  and  every  statement  and  assertion  is  verified 
by  the  court  records.  Not  to  publish  the  details  of  any  of  the  crimes  that  have  been 
committed  in  the  county  would  not  be  publishing  a  history,  and  to  record  the  details 
of  one  crime,  all  should  be  recorded. 


Hole-in-the-Wall  Gang  and  Other 
Bad  Men 

Deputy  Sheriff  Watson  and  Other  Horse  Thieves 

ON  Tuesday  evening,  September  lo,  1889,  Sheriff  John  WiUiams 
of  Douglas  and  the  sheriff  from  Sundance,  in  Crook  county, 
arrived  in  Casper  on  a  special  train,  and  about  midnight  they 
served  warrants  on  Phil  Watson,  Jess  Lockwood  and  James 
("Pecos")  Hughes,  on  the  charge  of  horse  stealing.  At  the  time  he 
was  arrested  Watson  was  the  town  marshal  of  Casper  and  deputy 
sheriff  in  this  part  of  Carbon  county;  Lockwood  was  an  ex-cow 
puncher,  but  at  that  time  was  a  hanger-on  around  the  saloons; 
"  Pecos"  was  a  gambler,  and  was  wanted  as  a  witness  against  the  other 
two  men.  The  men  were  taken  to  Sundance  and  given  a  preliminary 
examination,  and  they  were  held  to  the  district  court  for  trial,  Wat- 
son's bond  being  placed  at  ^1,500  and  Lockwood's  at  ^5,000.  Hughes' 
deposition  was  taken  and  he  was  allowed  to  go  his  way.  About  ten 
days  later  E.  J.  ("Tex")  Healy,  whose  homestead  was  on  Fish  creek, 
about  thirty  miles  southwest  from  Casper,  was  arrested  upon  the 
charge  of  being  an  accomplice  of  Lockwood  and  Watson.  He  was 
placed  under  bond  of  ^500,  which  was  secured  by  J.  J.  Hurt.  "Tex" 
lost  no  time  in  leaving  the  country,  and  has  not  since  been  seen,  and 
his  bond  was  forfeited. 

At  the  trial  in  the  district  court  it  was  proven  that  Lockwood, 
Watson  and  Healy  were  connected  with  an  organized  gang  of  horse 
thieves,  who  operated  in  Montana  and  Northern  and  Central 
Wyoming.  The  horses  were  gathered  up  in  Montana  and  the  northern 
part  of  Wyoming,  and  driven  into  the  Sweetwater  country  by  a  couple 
of  the  gang,  where  they  were  turned  over  to  Lockwood  and  "Tex";, 
they  were  then  driven  to  the  homestead  of  "Tex"  on  Fish  creek,  and 
then  brought  to  Casper  and  turned  over  to  Watson,  who  would  sell 
them  here  or  ship  them  to  an  eastern  market. 

P.  C.  Nicolaysen  bought  one  of  the  horses  from  Watson  that  had 
been  stolen  from  Crook  county,  and  Dave  Graham  loaned  some 
money  on  several  others,  and  these  two  citizens  of  Casper  went  to 
Sundance  as  witnesses  for  the  state.  Both  of  the  defendants  were 
convicted,  and  Lockwood  was  sentenced  to  serve  a  term  of  eight  years 
in  the  penitentiary  and  Watson  was  sentenced  to  a  term  of  five  years. 

310 


HOLE-IN-THE-WALL    GANG    AND    OTHER    BAD    MEN     3 II 

When  they  had  served  their  time  they  are  said  to  have  gone  into 
Montana,  but  they  have  ever  since  gone  around  Casper. 

It  will  be  noted  that  Lockwood  and  "Tex"  were  on  the  coroner's 
jury  who  inquired  into  the  death  of  James  Averell  and  Ella  Watson, 
who  were  hanged  by  Sweetwater  cattlemen  in  July  of  that  year, 
and  that  Watson  was  the  officer  who  went  out  from  Casper  and  cut 
down  the  bodies,  and  it  has  been  said  that  the  whole  gang,  including 
Averell  and  the  Watson  woman,  were  working  together,  but  whether 
that  is  true  or  not,  it  will  be  noted  that  none  of  them  escaped  being 
punished  for  their  misdeeds. 

Not  long  after  Watson  had  been  convicted  and  sentenced  to  the 
penitentiary.  Sheriff  Frank  Hadsell  came  to  Casper  from  his  home 
in  Rawlins,  and  he  was  indulging  in  considerable  raillery  with  the 
people  of  Casper  over  the  fact  that  they  had  signed  a  petition  re- 
questing him  and  the  board  of  county  commissioners  to  appoint 
Watson  deputy  sheriff  for  this  section  of  Carbon  county,  and  after 
telling  the  people  that  all  one  had  to  do  was  to  take  one  good  look  at 
Watson  and  they  would  have  known  he  was  a  rascal  and  a  thief,  a 
letter  was  produced  which  Sheriff  Hadsell  had  written  to  some  of  his 
friends  in  Casper  asking  them  to  circulate  a  petition  requesting 
Watson's  appointment.  Like  the  good  sport  that  he  is,  Hadsell 
acknowledged  writing  the  letter,  and  openly  said  that  up  until  the 
time  he  was  arrested  he  thought  Watson  was  all  right,  "but,"  he 
said,  "people  have  no  right  to  keep  personal  letters  like  that,  and 
springing  them  on  a  fellow  when  he  has  no  chance  to  get  out  of  it." 

While  he  was  an  officer  it  pleased  Watson  to  prove  to  the  people 
of  Casper  that  he  was  a  competent  official  and  a  brave  man,  and  one 
afternoon  when  a  "bad  man"  rode  into  town  from  the  west  and  had 
imbibed  freely  of  corn  juice  he  became  so  boisterous  that  some  one 
in  the  saloon  requested  him  to  tone  down  a  little.  In  a  flash  the  "bad 
man"  whipped  out  two  six-guns  and  fired  them  into  the  ceiling,  then 
backed  up  to  the  wall  and  threatened  to  shoot  the  first  man  that  made 
a  menacing  move.  Just  about  that  time  Watson  happened  to  come 
in ;  his  sheriff's  badge  was  prominently  displayed,  and  the  "  bad  man  " 
pointed  both  pistols  at  him,  warning  him  not  to  come  forward  another 
step.  Watson  said  not  a  word;  neither  did  he  stop,  falter  or  hesitate 
to  walk  straight  ahead  toward  the  "bad  man"  and  the  two  big  guns 
pointing  directly  at  him.  When  within  two  feet  of  the  man  the 
deputy  sheriff  made  a  quick  draw,  and  in  less  than  a  second  his  two 
six-guns  were  pointing  from  his  hip  in  the  direction  of  the  man's 
stomach. 

"Give  me  those  guns,"  said  Watson,  just  as  cool  as  though  he 
were  asking  the  fellow  for  a  match.   The  big  "  bad  man  "  eyed  Watson 


312  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

for  a  second  and  then  handed  over  his  artillery.  Watson  then  told 
him  to  get  out  of  town  and  to  get  quick,  and  the  fellow  got.  Watson's 
act  of  bravery  was  told  and  retold  for  months  afterwards,  but  the 
people  at  that  time  did  not  know  the  "bad  man"  was  one  of  Watson's 
horse  thief  pals;  that  he  and  Watson  had  been  out  on  the  range  to- 
gether all  morning,  and  that  the  whole  proceeding  had  been  fixed  up 
and  rehearsed  several  hours  before. 

The  "Tex"  ranch  on  Fish  creek  was  on  the  old  Oregon  Trail, 
near  where  a  government  stage  station  had  been  located,  and  it  is 
said  of  "Tex"  that  the  hungry  and  tired  traveler  who  passed  that 
way  never  left  the  place  without  being  well  fed  and  properly  cared 
for.  The  "Tex"  ranch  extended  about  seven  miles  south  of  his  Fish 
creek  ranch  house  to  the  Platte  river,  about  twenty-five  miles  from 
Casper,  where  there  is  a  sharp  bend  in  the  stream.  The  banks  on  the 
south  and  east  are  protected  by  high  walls  and  to  the  north  there  is  a 
stretch  of  meadow  land,  and  it  was  here  that  "Tex"  kept  the  horses 
that  were  brought  in  from  the  north  by  the  gang  of  thieves.  In 
those  early  days  this  was  the  smoothest  gang  of  thieves  that  operated 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  Half  of  the  gang  worked  in  Montana 
and  Northern  Wyoming,  while  the  other  half  carried  on  their  opera- 
tions in  the  central  part  of  the  state.  The  horses  were  kept  in  this 
stretch  of  meadow  land,  and  it  was  here  that  the  exchange  of  horses 
was  made,  the  northern  horses  being  brought  to  Casper  where  they 
were  sold  and  shipped  and  the  horses  that  had  been  stolen  from  the 
central  and  southern  part  of  the  state  were  taken  to  the  north  where 
they  were  disposed  of. 

The  Hole-in-the-Wall 

No  two  names  in  Wyoming  are  so  well  known  to  the  outside 
world  as  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  and  Powder  river.  To  many  they  epito- 
mize all  that  might  be  written  of  our  lawlessness,  our  feuds  and  our 
state's  wild  youth  with  its  trappings  of  guns  and  holsters,  spurs  and 
lariats.  Many  a  boy  in  the  detective  story  stage  of  his  literary  studies 
is  thrilled  by  the  magic  spell  of  these  names  pregnant  with  tales  of 
rustlers  and  banditti.  It  is  singular  that  these  two  most  widely 
known  names  should  be  so  closely  linked  geographically.  The  Hole- 
in-the-Wall  is  in  the  Powder  River  country.  The  water  flowing 
through  the  "Hole"  empties  into  Powder  river,  and  its  ensanguined 
waters,  red  with  the  blood  of  10,000  mythical  bandits,  finally  mingle 
with  the  more  peaceful  but  muddy  tide  of  the  Missouri. 

Our  soldiers  in  the  great  world  war  carried  the  slogan  of  "  Powder 
river"   to  every  part    of   Central    Europe.     Boys  from   Salt  Creek 


THE    HOLE-IN-THE-WALL  3x3 

shouted  it  as  they  helped  turn  the  tide  of  the  whole  war  at  Chateau 
Thierry.  It  echoed  through  the  forest  of  the  Argonne  and  cheered  the 
lads  who  bravely  rushed  the  bridges  of  the  Meuse.  Where  less 
serious  work  was  in  hand  and  Sammy  knew  a  little  relaxation  this 
yell  of  "Powder  River"  was  a  vent  for  his  spirits.  Parisians  who 
knew  no  other  English  word  could  say  "Poudre  Rive,"  and  fan  the 
air  with  a  hat.  It  is  something  of  which  we  might  boast  that  a  state 
with  a  population  equal  only  to  the  city  of  Denver  and  a  congressional 
delegation  of  three  gave  the  entire  Union  its  battle  cry  in  the  biggest 
war  ever  waged  by  man.  Such  phrases  as  "Powder  river,  let  'er 
buck,"  "Powder  river,  a  mile  wide  and  an  inch  deep,"  can  be  heard 
in  the  logging  camps  of  Maine  and  the  salmon  canneries  of  Oregon. 
The  ancient  war  cries  of  "St.  Denis"  and  "St.  George, "the  helmet  of 
Navarre  waving  its  white  plume  over  Ivry's  bloody  field,  must  make 
room  for  a  noisy  and  barbaric  successor  from  the  pinnacled  summits 
of  a  new  continent. 

No  one  can  say  just  when  or  just  where  the  shout  of  "Powder 
River"  had  its  noisy  birth.  But  it  certainly  was  a  lusty  and  well- 
lunged  child  from  the  beginning.  It  first  grew  into  popularity  at  either 
Casper  or  Buffalo.  These  two  towns  were  the  chief  resorts  of  the 
"boys"  from  the  Powder  River  country.  Even  a  drunken  man  will 
shout  for  the  home  ball  team  and  bet  on  a  home  horse.  Men  from 
Powder  river,  with  a  few  drinks  under  their  belts,  had  to  yell.  So  did 
men  from  Meadow  creek  and  Sweetwater.  You  were  expected  to 
proclaim  that  the  locality  you  hailed  from  was  about  the  toughest  on 
earth  and  try  to  prove  it.  "Powder  River"  is  more  easily  shouted  than 
such  names  as  Sweetwater,  Stinking  Water  or  the  Platte.  Its  vowels 
gave  it  a  pre-eminence.  It  grew  to  be  almost  universally  used  when 
you  felt  the  need  of  intensive  yelling.  There  are  moments  when  noth- 
ing but  yelling  will  do.  There  are  times  to  laugh  and  times  to  sing, 
but  there  are  other  times  when  we  simply  want  to  get  out  and  yell. 
As  to  date,  it  can  be  said  that  throughout  Natrona,  Johnson  and 
Converse  counties  its  general  use  on  festive  occasions  dates  from  the 
period  between  1895  and  1900.  There  can  be  no  registry  of  birth  for  a 
thing  of  such  slow  growth. 

The  Hole-in-the-Wall  first  gained  a  national  notoriety  through 
the  train  robbery  at  Wilcox,  Wyoming,  on  June  2,  1899,  The  robbers 
left  the  Union  Pacific  railroad  and  headed  north  to  Casper.  Crossing 
the  Platte  on  the  Casper  bridge,  they  headed  toward  the  Hole-in-the- 
Wall  and  eventually  escaped  into  Montana.  This  robbery  attracted 
wide  attention,  and  newspaper  men  all  over  the  Union  were  smitten 
with  the  spell  of  the  name  of  "  Hole-in-the-Wall."  Paragraphers  and 
joke-smiths  roped   and  hogtied  it  in  record  time.     Following  this, 


314  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

every  fugitive  from  justice  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region  was 
reported  in  Chicago  and  New  York  papers  to  be  "headed  for  the 
Hole-in-the-Wall."  Escaped  convicts  in  New  Mexico  and  embez- 
zling cashiers  from  Denver  were  said  to  be  en  route  for  the  capacious 
Hole.  One  nauseated  writer  on  a  Chicago  paper  asked  why  Wyoming 
did  not  fill  up  the  Hole  with  dirt.  He  suggested  fresnos  and  wheel 
scrapers  as  a  remedy  for  police  inefficiency.  The  name  "Hole-in-the- 
Wall"  is  such  a  hint  and  help  to  a  lurid  imagination  that  a  famishing 
literary  hack  seizes  on  it  with  a  fiendish  avidity. 

It  is  scarcely  necessary  to  once  more  announce  to  our  Deadwood 
Dicks  and  Nick  Carters  that  the  fearsome  Hole  is  no  hole  at  all.  It 
is  a  wide  and  beautiful  canyon  by  which  a  stream  finds  its  way 
through  a  remarkable  ridge  about  thirty  miles  long,  known  as  the 
Red  Wall.  This  wall  of  red  earth  and  sandstone  parallels  the  Big 
Horn  mountains  for  many  miles  on  their  southern  extremity  in 
Natrona  county.  Between  the  ridge  and  the  mountains  lies  a  broad 
valley  through  which  flows  BuflTalo  creek.  On  the  upper  waters  of 
this  creek  lies  the  old  Houck  and  Mahoney  ranch,  one  of  the  oldest  in 
the  county  and  now  owned  by  the  Buffalo  Creek  Cattle  company. 
The  creek  winds  eastward  between  the  Big  Horns  and  the  Red  Wall, 
seeking  a  chance  to  break  through,  but  does  not  find  it  until  the  break 
in  the  wall  is  found  near  the  border  of  Natrona  and  Johnson  counties. 
Here  the  creek  escapes  into  the  lower  country  and  gives  to  the  world 
the  name  of  "The  Hole-in-the-Wall."  Who  first  gave  the  canyon 
this  name  is  not  known.  There  is  a  probability  that  it  came  through 
the  group  of  Englishmen  headed  by  the  two  Frewens  who  in  1878 
located  a  ranch  on  the  Middle  and  North  forks  of  Powder  river. 
These  men  had  birth,  money  and  brains.  Yet,  with  all  three,  they 
failed  to  make  a  success  of  the  range  cattle  business.  They  built  a  fine 
log  ranch  house  with  fire  places  and  mantels  reminiscent  of  the  stately 
homes  they  had  known  in  England.  They  gave  names  to  many  local- 
ities. A  great  castled  rock  on  Castle  creek  is  called  "  Frewen  Castle," 
after  Mr.  Mortimer  Frewen,  one  of  the  party.  They  also  gave  Castle 
creek  its  name.  Their  native  isle  was  a  land  of  castles.  There  was  a 
spot  in  London  known  as  the  "Hole-in-the-Wall."  As  early  as  1722, 
Mr.  Tom  Brown,  a  well  known  writer  of  that  day,  says:  "Address  me 
at  Mr.  Seward's  at  the  'Hole-in-the-Wall,'  in  Baldwin's  Gardens." 
Some  of  these  Londoners  at  the  Frewen  ranch  in  the  early  eighties 
probably  christened  the  canyon  with  its  unforgetable  name. 

A  cowboy  battle  near  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  in  July,  1897,  gave 
the  locality  its  first  bit  of  state-wide  notoriety.  In  this  fight  Bob 
Smith  was  killed,  while  his  brother-in-law,  Al  Smith,  and  Bob  and 
Lee  Devine  were  wounded.    Peace  held  her  reign  for  two  years  and 


^: 


l{i 


m^jMi 


i 
I 


The   "Holk-in-ih[-Wah  ■'  C\i! 


•tS^^^ 


The  "Hole-in-the-\Vall"   Ranch,  Red  Bllffs  in  the   Distance 


THE    HOLE-IN-THE-WALL  315 

then,  in  1899,  came  the  Union  Pacific  train  robbery  at  Wilcox.  The 
sensational  escape  of  these  bandits  to  Montana  through  the  Hole-in- 
the-Wall  region  drew  the  eyes  of  the  whole  nation  to  this  canyon  and 
hung  the  picture  of  its  rugged  beauties  in  the  Hall  of  Fame  among 
other  immortal  cavities.  The  name  of  the  Red  Wall  was  also  lurid 
and  suggestive  enough  to  please.  Perched  on  its  liver-colored  rim- 
rocks  a  morbid  imagination  could  run  wanton  and  youthful  bandits 
could  stalk  precociously.  We  will  write  of  these  two  battles  in  their 
chronological  order. 

Bob  Devine  was  foreman  of  the  CY  Cattle  outfit.  The  CY  was 
one  of  the  largest  cattle  companies  in  the  state,  being  owned  by 
J.  M.  Carey  &  Brother.  The  CY  riders,  together  with  those  of  the 
Ogallala  company  and  the  Pugsleys  on  Meadow  creek,  in  Converse 
county,  were  preparing  to  work  the  Red  Wall  country,  but  had  been 
warned  to  keep  out. 

In  1897,  Devine,  who  was  a  very  determined  man,  gave  public 
notice  that  he  intended  to  cover  that  region  and  recover  anything 
with  a  CY  brand  on  it.  Bob  and  Al  Smith,  who  were  brothers-in-law, 
with  Bob  Taylor,  put  themselves  at  the  head  of  the  army  of  defense 
and  called  out  the  home  guards.  The  reckless  spirit  and  calm  courage 
of  an  earlier  day  on  the  open  range  was  certainly  not  lacking,  even  in 
1897,  as  witness  the  following  notice  from  Devine,  published  in  the 
Casper  Tribune  in  July,  1897: 

"Casper,  Wyoming,  July  ig,  1897. 
"Editor,  Casper  Tribune. 

"I  have  seen  all  sorts  of  reports  bearing  upon  the  John  R.  Smith  and  Nolan 
gang  stopping  the  round-up  from  working  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  country.  They  will 
have  a  hard  time  of  it.  Neither  the  CY  boys,  the  Keystone  nor  the  Pugsley  outfits  are 
hunting  a  fight.  We  are  all  working  men  and  only  want  such  cattle  as  belong  to  our 
employers  and  it  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  is  a  hiding  place  for 
thieves,  and  has  been  for  years.  Thousands  of  dollars'  worth  of  cattle  have  been 
stolen  by  these  outlaws,  brands  burned  out  and  their  own  brands  substituted.  Their 
friends  then  help  them  to  dispose  of  the  burned  cattle.  Every  year  I  have  gotten  back 
cattle  from  them  that  were  taken  from  their  mothers  and  lots  of  cattle  on  which  the 
brands  were  changed.  I  am  going  to  work  that  country  and  have  asked  the  sheriffs  of 
Natrona  and  Johnson  counties  to  work  with  us  and  see  that  everybody  is  treated  right. 
The  time  has  come  for  all  honest  working  men  to  declare  themselves  in  favor  of  law 
and  justice.   And,  if  those  men  want  to  fight  us,  when  we  know  we  are  right,  I  say  fight. 

"R.  M.  Devine." 

As  a  further  illustration  of  the  spirit  of  the  times  and  the  nature 
of  this  feud  we  reprint  a  reply  to  Devine.  It  is  also  a  good  example 
of  that  sharp  and  incisive  literary  style  so  much  affected  by  our 
"Riders  of  the  Purple  Sage."  A  lack  of  this  directness  and  this  pro- 
fanity is  what  spells  failure  for  all  western  plays.  The  hero  cannot 
swear  hard  enough.  To  the  western  listener  it  all  sounds  weak  and 
insipid.  When  in  the  arena  our  finest  swearers,  like  our  finest  wrest- 
lers, find  their  best  holds  barred. 


3i6 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


The  answer  to  Devine's  letter  follows: 

"Bob  Devine  you  think  you  have  played  hell  you  have  just  begun  you  will  get 
your  dose  there  is  men  enufF  up  here  yet  to  kill  you.  we  are  going  to  get  you  or  lose 
12  more  men  you  must  stay  out  of  this  country  if  you  want  to  live  we  are  not  going  to 
take  any  chances  any  more  but  will  get  you  any  way  we  can  we  want  one  hair  a  piece 
out  of  that  damned  old  chin  of  yours  you  have  give  us  the  worst  of  it  all  the  way 
through  and  you  must  stay  out  or  die.  you  had  better  keep  your  damned  outfit  out 
if  you  want  to  keep  them,  don't  stick  that  damned  old  gray  head  of  yours  in  this 
country  again  if  you  don't  want  it  shot  off  we  are  the  12  men  appointed  a  purpose  to 
get  you  if  you  don't  stay  out  of  here.  "  Revenge  Gange." 

Devine  and  his  men  disregarded  the  threat  of  the  "Revenge 
Gange"  and  went  to  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  at  the  appointed  time  to 
gather  their  cattle,  and  on  July  23,  1897,  the  fight  occurred.  A  con- 
densed description  of  the  fight,  which  appeared  in  Casper  newspapers 
under  date  of  July  29,  1897,  and  several  subsequent  issues  is  as  follows: 

"All  Casper  was  precipitated  into  a  feverish  excitement  last  Friday  morning 
when  a  party  of  eight  riders,  headed  by  R.  M.  Devine,  foreman  of  the  CY  round-up, 
came  into  town  with  a  captured  cattle  rustler  and  announced  that  a  battle  had  been 
fought  between  the  round-up  boys  and  some  rustlers  up  in  the  Red  Wall  country,  about 
three  miles  west  of  the  far-famed  and  notorious  Hole-in-the-Wall  ranch.  Devine  and 
his  son,  Lee,  both  of  whom  were  m  the  party  that  brought  the  prisoner  in,  participated 
in  the  fight  and  both  had  been  wounded,  the  senior  Devine  receiving  only  a  slight 
flesh  wound  from  a  bullet  from  Bob  Smith's  six-shooter,  and  Lee  Devine  having  a 
bullet  wound  from  Bob  Taylor's  six-shooter  which  passed  diagonally  through  the 
muscles  of  his  lower  right  forearm,  ranging  from  the  elbow  toward  the  wrist.  The 
others  of  the  party  saw  that  their  prisoner  was  safely  locked  within  the  steel  cage  in 
the  county  jail. 

"The  news  of  the  battle  had  been  anticipated,  since  Devine  had  gone  in  the  face 
of  the  oft-repeated  threats  made  by  the  cattle  thieves  that  they  would  kill  him  if  he 
ever  dared  to  come  to  their  country. 

"Last  Wednesday  night  the  two  round-ups  camped  at  the  famous  Bar  C  ranch, 
which  is  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  the  notorious  Hole-in-the-Wall  ranch.  On  the  after- 
noon of  Thursday  a  party  of  twelve  men  rode  from  camp  in  search  of  a  bunch  of 
cattle  that  they  had  been  told  was  thrown  up  back  of  the  McDonald  pasture  and 
were  being  held  there.  The  party  consisted  of  R.  M.  Devine,  Lee  Devine  and  Tom 
McDonald,  of  the  CY;  Bill  Rogers  and  Lee  Mathers,  of  the  Ogallala;  Ike  Dedman, 
Doc  Dildine,  Frank  Ramsey  and  Charles  Davis,  of  Pugsley's  outfit;  and  Joe  LaFors, 
United  States  deputy  marshal;  and  Jim  Drummond,  Montana  live  stock  inspector; 
and  Walter  Monnett,  a  "rep"  for  the  Circle  L  outfit. 

"In  passing  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  ranch  the  cow-boys  stopped  to  inquire  about 
the  cattle  they  were  in  search  of,  but  found  no  one  there.  Riding  on,  they  had  gone 
about  three  miles  in  a  roundabout  course  when  they  saw  three  men  on  horseback  com- 
ing toward  them.  These  men  were  Bob  and  Al  Smith  and  Bob  Taylor.  When  they 
came  up  together  many  recognized  and  addressed  each  other  in  a  friendly  way.  The 
men  in  both  parties  stopped  and  the  three  men  were  asked  if  they  had  seen  any  cattle 
belonging  to  the  CY  or  the  other  outfits.  V\  ithout  answering  the  question  Bob  Smith 
commenced  to  draw  his  six-shooter  and  remarked  to  Devine:  'You  damn  old  son  of  a 
b ,  I  am  going  to  get  you  this  time!' 

"Devine  said,  'Don't  you  shoot  me,  Smith.' 

"Bob  Smith  yelled:  'Yes,  I  will,  you  old  son  of  a  b ,'  and  leveling  his  six- 
shooter  at  Devine,  fired. 

"The  war  then  commenced.  More  than  an  hundred  shots  were  fired  by  the  men 
on  both  sides,  and  when  the  smoke  of  battle  had  cleared  away,  it  was  found  that  Bob 
Smith  was  mortally  wounded.  Bob  Devine's  horse  was  killed,  and  Devine  and  a 
number  of  the  men  on  both  sides  were  slightly  wounded.    During  the  shooting  the  men 


THE    HOLE-IN-THE-WALL  317 

were  yelling  and  cursing,  the  horses  were  running  and  pitching,  and  the  dust  raised 
by  the  horses  and  the  smoke  from  the  firing  of  the  guns  made  it  almost  impossible  for 
the  men  to  see  each  other. 

"In  five  minutes  the  shooting  ceased.  Al  Smith  escaped  on  his  horse  after  his 
six-shooter  had  been  shot  out  of  his  right  hand  and  the  bullet  had  torn  the  flesh  from 
his  thumb  and  entered  his  wrist.  Bob  Taylor  had  dropped  from  his  horse  and  got  into 
a  little  washout,  and  threw  up  his  hands  and  asked  for  mercy;  Bob  Smith  was  lying  on 
the  ground,  calling  for  the  men  to  come  to  him.  The  men  went  to  him  and  rolled  him 
over.  He  told  them  not  to  shoot  him  again;  that  he  was  already  mortally  wounded. 
He  said  that  he  had  commenced  the  fight  and  had  fired  the  first  shot. 

"Taylor  was  placed  on  a  horse  without  a  bridle,  but  a  rope  was  around  its  neck. 
He  was  taken  to  the  Bar  C  ranch  and  subsequently  was  brought  to  Casper,  but  the 
tragedy  having  occurred  in  Johnson  county,  the  authorities  in  this  county  had  no 
jurisdiction  over  him,  and  he  was  turned  over  to  the  Johnson  county  authorities,  who 
brought  no  action  against  him. 

"  Bob  Devine  gave  himself  over  to  the  Johnson  county  authorities  and  was 
placed  under  bond  of  $15,000  to  appear  for  trial  at  the  next  term  of  the  district  court, 
but  the  officers  of  the  law  from  both  Natrona  and  Johnson  counties  thought  it  best  to 
avoid  further  trouble  and  discontinue  the  feud,  if  possible,  and  the  case  against  Devine 
was  dismissed. 

"About  the  first  of  August,  Devine  and  twenty-seven  men  again  went  to  the 
Hole-in-the-Wall  prepared  to  fight  if  necessary  and  get  their  cattle  out  of  there.  They 
succeeded  in  bringing  several  hundred  head  of  cattle  out  of  the  Hole,  and  although 
they  could  see  a  great  many  men  on  horseback  at  a  distance,  they  were  not  disturbed." 

In  contradiction  of  the  above  story,  the  details  of  which  were 
gleaned  from  Devine,  Bob  Taylor  said  that  after  Smith  had  been 
shot  he  rode  with  him  about  half  a  mile  into  a  gulch,  when  Smith 
became  so  weak  from  the  loss  of  blood  and  the  suffering  from  his 
wound  he  could  ride  no  farther.  He  helped  the  wounded  man  off  his 
horse  and  laid  him  on  the  ground,  remaining  with  him  a  short  time, 
and  then  he  came  back  toward  Devine  and  his  men  with  his  hands 
raised,  and  asked  for  help  for  Smith.  He  said  he  voluntarily  sur- 
rendered in  order  that  he  might  get  help  for  his  wounded  companion. 
They  all  started  for  the  spot  where  Smith  was  lying  helpless  and 
dying,  and  while  on  their  way  Devine  shot  at  him  while  his  hands 
were  up,  and  no  doubt  would  have  murdered  him  had  it  not  been 
for  Joe  LaFors,  who  knocked  Devine's  gun  aside  just  as  he  was 
about  to  fire  and  remarked:  "For  God's  sake,  don't  murder  the 
man!"  When  they  reached  the  place  where  Smith  was  lying  on  the 
ground  the  wounded  man  was  pleading  for  water,  but  Devine  refused 
to  allow  anyone  to  give  him  water  or  relieve  his  suffering  in  any  way. 
They  remained  here  for  nearly  half  an  hour  when  Tom  Gardner  and 
several  other  men  came  riding  up.  Devine  ordered  Gardner  and  the 
other  men  to  hand  over  their  guns,  but  they  refused  to  do  so.  Gard- 
ner said  he  was  going  to  get  some  water  for  Smith,  and  Devine  said 
he  would  kill  anyone  who  attempted  to  help  him  in  any  way.  In  the 
face  of  this  threat  Gardner  went  to  the  creek,  which  was  close  by, 
and  getting  some  water  in  his  hat  brought  it  to  the  dying  man. 
Devine  did  not  attempt  to  shoot  Gardner. 


3l8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Bob  Devine  and  his  son  remained  in  Natrona  county  with  the 
CY  outfit  for  several  years,  and  subsequently  moved  to  Missouri, 
where  they  established  themselves  on  a  farm  and  they  have  lived 
there  peacefully  ever  since. 

Although  Bob  Devine  claimed  the  credit,  or  blame,  whichever 
the  case  may  be,  for  the  killing  of  Bob  Smith,  it  is  said  that  Joe 
LaFors,  who  was  the  only  cool-headed  man  in  the  bunch  at  the  time 
of  the  shooting,  fired  the  fatal  shot. 

The  Hole-in-the-Wall  country  is  now  a  quiet,  peaceful  pasturage 
for  sheep  and  cattle.  The  automobile  has  made  State  street  and 
Broadway  safer  haunts  for  the  bandit  and  robber  than  was  the 
rough  mountain  and  the  gloomy  canyon  in  the  day  of  the  saddle- 
horse.  The  same  swift  auto  makes  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  a  pleasant 
picnic  ground  for  pleasure-seekers  from  Casper.  On  any  Sunday  you 
can  enjoy  its  scenic  beauties  and  meet  nothing  more  deadly  than  an 
occasional  kodak  fiend  or  a  chicken  sandwich. 

The  Wilcox  Train  Robbery 

The  Union  Pacific  continental  west-bound  mail  train  was  held 
up,  dynamited  and  robbed  at  about  I  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
June  2,  1899,  near  Wilcox,  a  lonely  station  on  the  Wyoming  division 
about  100  miles  south  of  Casper.  The  train  was  flagged,  two  men 
entered  the  engine  cab,  and  with  drawn  revolvers  ordered  the  engi- 
neer to  pull  across  the  bridge  and  stop.  The  order  was  complied  with, 
and  then  the  bridge  was  blown  up  with  dynamite  in  order  to  prevent 
the  second  section  of  the  train,  which  was  ten  minutes  behind,  from 
crossing.  The  first  section  of  the  train  was  then  run  a  couple  of  miles 
farther  west  and  the  express,  baggage  and  mail  cars  were  looted  and 
the  safe  in  the  express  car  was  blown  open  with  dynamite  and  about 
^60,000  in  unsigned  bank  notes  were  secured.  More  than  one  hun- 
dred pounds  of  dynamite  was  found  near  the  scene  of  the  robbery  the 
following  day.  The  robbers  had  their  horses  tied  a  short  distance 
from  where  the  robbery  occurred,  and  after  securing  their  loot  they 
mounted  their  horses  and  headed  toward  the  north. 

Word  was  received  in  Casper  for  the  authorities  to  be  on  the 
lookout  for  the  men,  and  W.  E.  Tubbs,  with  six  men,  was  sent  to 
Alcova  to  guard  the  bridge  at  that  place.  These  men  were  on  guard 
thirty-six  hours,  nearly  all  the  time  being  exposed  to  a  heavy  down- 
pour of  rain. 

On  Saturday  afternoon  a  special  Union  Pacific  train  arrived  in 
Casper  over  the  Northwestern  tracks  with  half  a  dozen  railroad 
detectives,    and    Sheriff  Joe    Hazen,   of  Converse   county.     Sheriff 


THE  WILCOX  TRAIN  ROBBERY  319 

Hazen,  Sheriff  Oscar  Hiestand  of  Natrona  county,  and  Detective 
Vizzard  of  the  Union  Pacific  were  put  in  charge  at  this  point.  No 
trace  of  the  robbers  was  discovered  until  Sunday  morning,  when  Al 
Hudspeth  came  in  from  the  north  and  reported  that  three  men  were 
camped  in  a  cabin  on  Casper  creek,  about  six  miles  northwest  from 
town.  He  said  he  rode  up  toward  the  cabin  and  two  men  came  out 
with  rifles  in  their  hands  and  told  him  to  "hit  the  road,  and  hit  it 
quick."  Hudspeth  came  to  town  and  reported  the  occurrence.  It  was 
learned  afterwards  that  the  three  men  were  in  Casper  Saturday  night 
and  secured  food  and  provisions,  and  undoubtedly  were  assisted  by 
friends  in  making  their  escape  out  of  town  and  across  the  Platte 
river  bridge.  Up  to  this  time  the  identity  of  the  robbers  was  not 
known,  but  it  was  later  learned  that  they  were  George  Currie,  whose 
brother  was  an  employee  in  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railroad 
round  house  here,  Harve  Logan,  and  one  of  the  Roberts  boys,  three 
of  the  worst  outlaws  in  the  west. 

A  posse  of  men  composed  of  Sheriff  Hiestand  and  Sheriff  Hazen, 
Dr.  J.  F.  Leeper,  E.  T.  Payton,  AI  Hudspeth,  J.  F.  Crawford,  Sam 
Fish,  J.  B.  Bradley,  Lee  Devine,  Tom  McDonald  and  Charles 
Heagney  immediately  left  in  pursuit  of  the  outlaws. 

The  robbers  had  left  the  cabin,  but  their  tracks  were  followed  to 
a  point  about  five  miles  west  from  the  Horse  ranch  on  the  Salt  Creek 
road.  At  this  point  the  robbers  dismounted  behind  a  hill  and  when 
the  pursuers  were  within  half  a  mile  of  them  the  robbers  fired  about 
twenty  shots  at  the  officers.  A  horse  belonging  to  one  of  the  posse  was 
shot,  and  while  Sheriff  Hiestand  was  adjusting  his  rifle,  with  the 
bridle  rein  thrown  over  his  left  arm,  a  bullet  struck  the  ground  in 
front  of  his  horse  and  the  animal  broke  loose  and  ran  away.  The 
sheriff  walked  fifteen  miles  to  secure  another  horse  and  then  he  came 
to  town  to  get  a  better  mount  and  to  order  provisions  for  the  men  on 
the  chase,  who  had  been  in  the  saddle  from  Sunday  noon  until  Mon- 
day night  without  anything  to  eat.  Sheriff  Hazen  and  the  other  men 
kept  on  the  trail  of  the  bandits  all  Sunday  night,  and  on  Monday  in 
the  forenoon  Sheriff  Hazen  and  Dr.  Leeper  dismounted  and  were 
walking  up  a  draw,  following  the  track  of  the  outlaws'  horses.  The 
sheriff  and  the  doctor  were  about  one  hundred  yards  apart  when  the 
sheriff  called  that  he  was  on  the  trail.  Dr.  Leeper  came  up  to  within 
about  six  feet  of  Sheriff  Hazen  when  the  robbers,  who  were  concealed 
behind  a  rock,  opened  fire  on  the  two  men.  Sheriff  Hazen  was  hit  in 
the  stomach  and  the  bullet  went  through  his  body.  Dr.  Leeper  fell 
to  the  ground,  to  avoid  being  hit  by  the  bullets  that  were  being  shot 
at  him  b}^  the  bandits,  the  firing  continuing  for  about  ten  minutes. 
The  doctor  administered  to  the  wounded  man  as  best  he  could  when 


320  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  firing  ceased  and  the  robbers  took  this  opportunity  to  make  their 
escape  to  Castle  creek,  which  was  only  a  short  distance  below.  They 
waded  down  this  stream  for  several  hundred  yards  in  order  to  throw 
the  posse  off  their  trail.  They  left  their  horses  and  some  of  the  plunder 
they  had  taken  from  the  train.  Their  horses  were  caught  and  were 
ridden  by  some  of  the  posse  in  pursuit  of  them. 

Sheriff  Hazen  was  brought  to  Casper,  and  from  here  he  was 
taken  to  Douglas  on  a  special  train,  and  on  Tuesday  morning  at  about 
5  o'clock  he  died  from  the  effects  of  his  wound.  By  this  time  more 
than  fifty  men  were  scouring  the  country  in  pursuit  of  the  outlaws, 
and  all  kinds  of  reports  were  brought  in  by  the  men  who  came  from 
the  range  after  provisions  and  ammunition.  The  robbers,  according 
to  reports,  were  seen  in  half  a  dozen  different  places  at  the  same  time, 
and  the  number  in  the  gang  ranged  from  four  to  ten.  It  was  finally 
learned,  after  about  a  week,  that  the  three  bandits,  after  shooting 
Sheriff  Hazen,  went  north  down  Castle  creek,  and  the  next  morning 
ate  breakfast  at  Jim  Nelson's  sheep  camp,  which  was  located  on 
Sullivan's  springs,  where  John  DeVore  was  herding  sheep,  but  at 
the  time  DeVore  was  ignorant  of  the  identity  of  the  men  or  the  crimes 
they  had  committed.  From  here  they  went  into  the  Tisdale  moun- 
tains and  then  made  their  way  to  Hill's  ranch,  on  the  north  fork  of 
the  Powder  river,  near  Kaycee,  where  they  were  furnished,  or  at  least 
secured  a  change  of  clothing,  and  with  fresh  horses  made  their  escape 
farther  north.  By  this  time  the  United  States  marshal,  with  a  num- 
ber of  deputies,  ten  picked  men  from  the  Buffalo  militia,  a  dozen 
railroad  detectives  and  at  least  one  hundred  men,  and  half  a  dozen 
bloodhounds  had  joined  m  the  hunt,  but  the  outlaws  w^ere  now  among 
friends  and  they  were  furnished  with  food,  shelter  and  horses,  and 
their  trail  was  covered  up  by  their  friends,  and  they  made  good  their 
escape,  probably  to  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  country,  and  from  there 
they  scattered  in  different  directions,  and  nothing  definite  was  heard 
from  any  of  them  until  April  19,  1900,  when  Sheriff  Oscar  Hiestand 
received  a  telegram  from  Thompsons,  Utah,  which  stated  that 
George  Currie  had  been  shot  and  killed  by  Sheriff  Tyler  of  Grand 
county,  Utah.  Currie  had  been  stealing  cattle  in  that  country  for  a 
number  of  months.  The  sheriff  came  upon  Currie  unexpectedly,  and 
ordered  him  to  surrender.  Currie  said:  "I  will  not  surrender  to  you 
or  to  anyone,"  and  thereupon  shot  at  the  officer,  but  missed.  Currie 
immediately  mounted  his  horse,  and  a  running  fight  ensued  for  about 
six  miles,  but  finally  the  sheriff  succeeded  in  shooting  Currie  through 
the  back  of  the  head,  killing  him  instantly.  Currie  was  positively 
identified  by  John  DeVore,  the  sheep  herder  from  Casper,  at  whose 
wagon  the  bandit  visited  while  being  chased  through  Natrona  county 


THE    WILCOX    TRAIN    ROBBERY  321 

the  year  before.  The  body  of  Currie  was  taken  to  Chadron,  Nebraska, 
by  his  father  where  it  was  interred,  and  thus  ended  the  career  of 
"Flat  Nose  George,"  who  was  a  cow  puncher  in  Central  Wyoming  in 
the  early  days  until  he  turned  bad  and  joined  the  "wild  bunch."  He 
had  robbed  postoffices  and  country  stores,  stolen  horses  and  cattle, 
and  had  held  up  trains  and  looted  the  mail  and  express  cars,  and 
justly  merited  the  ignominious  death  that  was  meted  out  to  him. 

Harve  Logan,  alias  "Kid  Curry,"  the  leader  of  the  bandits,  and 
undoubtedly  the  boldest  and  worst  desperado  that  ever  infested  the 
west,  who  was  positively  known  to  have  killed  at  least  nine  men,  but 
who  was  accused  of  having  committed  more  than  forty  murders, 
went  to  Montana  from  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  country,  where  he 
remained  for  about  two  years.  On  July  3,  1901,  he  and  his  gang  held 
up  a  Great  Northern  train  near  Warner,  Montana.  They  secured 
^40,000  in  new  bank  notes,  but  the  notes  lacked  the  signatures  of  the 
bank  officials,  as  did  those  that  were  secured  at  the  Wilcox  robbery. 
Logan  then  left  Montana,  going  to  Knoxville,  Tennessee.  In  Knox- 
vllle  he  went  into  a  clothing  store  and  made  a  purchase  of  some  wear- 
ing apparel,  tendering  a  fifty-dollar  bank  note  in  payment.  The  clerk 
did  not  have  enough  money  in  the  register  to  make  change  and  asked 
Logan  to  wait  until  it  was  sent  to  a  nearby  bank.  At  the  bank  the 
cashier  recognized  it  as  one  of  the  notes  stolen  at  the  hold-up  of  the 
Great  Northern  train  in  Montana.  A  telephone  message  was  sent  to 
police  headquarters,  and  two  detectives  were  detailed  to  arrest  Logan. 
The  officers  entered  the  clothing  store  with  drawn  revolvers,  but  had 
not  counted  on  their  man.  Logan  saw  them  first,  and  in  the  fight  that 
followed  he  shot  both,  wounding  one  so  badly  that  he  was  in  a  pre- 
carious condition  for  several  months,  but  finally  recovered.  Logan 
escaped  from  the  store,  and  knocking  the  driver  off  an  ice  wagon, 
drove  away  in  the  vehicle  at  top  speed.  He  was  later  run  down  and 
captured. 

He  was  tried  in  Knoxville  at  the  November  term  of  the  United 
States  court,  being  charged  with  canceling  bank  notes  to  the  amount 
of  $9,620,  and  with  forging  the  names  of  the  Montana  bank  officials  to 
the  notes,  and  with  passing  and  having  in  his  possession  illegal  money. 
He  was  convicted  on  ten  counts,  and  he  stood  to  receive  a  sentence  of 
not  less  than  thirty  years  and  not  more  than  ninety  years  in  the  federal 
prison,  but  before  he  was  sentenced  he  escaped  from  the  Knoxville 
jail.  One  afternoon  at  about  five  o'clock,  while  the  guard  in  the  jail 
had  his  back  toward  him,  Logan  threw  a  wire  over  his  head,  lassoing 
him  and  tying  him  tight  to  the  bars  of  the  cage.  He  secured  the  wire 
by  unwrapping  it  from  a  broom  handle  that  had  been  left  in  his  cell. 
Having  one  entire  floor  to  himself,  Logan  next  secured  two  pistols 


322  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

that  had  been  placed  in  the  corridor  of  the  jail  for  use  by  the  officers 
if  needed.  When  the  jailer  appeared  in  answer  to  a  knock  on  the  door 
of  the  corridor,  Logan  covered  him  with  a  pistol  and  forced  him  to 
unlock  the  door  and  take  him  to  the  basement  of  the  jail.  Then  he 
forced  the  jailer  to  take  him  to  the  sheriff's  stable  and  saddle  the 
sheriff's  horse.  This  done,  Logan  mounted  and  rode  away  in  the 
direction  of  the  mountains.  A  posse  started  in  pursuit  of  the  des- 
perado within  an  hour,  but  they  did  not  succeed  in  capturing  him.  A 
few  months  afterwards  Logan  was  seen  near  Kaycee,  in  Wyoming,  by 
a  man  who  knew  him  well.  He  was  on  foot  and  was  with  another 
man.  From  Kaycee  the  men  went  to  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  country. 
John  May  and  Robert  Tisdale  were  stopping  at  the  McDonald  ranch 
that  night,  and  some  time  during  the  night  one  of  Mr.  McDonald's 
horses  and  a  saddle  were  stolen,  and  John  May's  horse,  saddle,  chaps 
and  six-shooter  were  stolen.  Mr.  McDonald  sent  a  man  to  Kaycee 
who  notified  Deputy  Sheriff  Beard  of  the  theft.  Beard  and  Alva 
Young  trailed  the  thieves  up  the  Red  Valley  to  Buffalo  creek,  and 
from  there  they  followed  the  trail  to  Walt  Putney's  ranch,  on  Bridger 
creek,  about  forty  miles  southwest.  W^hen  the  officers  came  in  sight 
of  the  Putney  ranch,  they  saw  two  men  riding  over  a  hill  to  the  west. 
The  officers  followed  the  men,  and  while  they  were  riding  down  into  a 
gulch  they  saw  a  man  coming  back  afoot  over  the  top  of  a  hill.  The 
officers  dismounted  and  got  into  a  small  ravine.  The  man  on  the  hill 
shot  at  the  officers  and  the  fire  was  returned.  The  battle  continued 
until  the  man  on  the  hill,  who  was  Logan,  was  hit.  It  was  then  that 
Logan's  companion  came  in  sight  with  two  horses.  Logan  was  helped 
on  his  horse  by  the  man  and  they  made  their  escape  into  the  hills. 

Two  nights  after  this  fight  occurred  two  men  rode  into  Ther- 
mopolis  at  about  nine  o'clock.  They  were  wearing  masks  when  they 
called  at  Dr.  Julius  A.  Schulke's  office.  They  were  heavily  armed,  but 
they  informed  the  doctor  that  they  would  do  him  no  harm  if  he  would 
do  as  they  said.  They  ordered  him  to  gather  such  instruments  and 
procure  such  medicine,  bandages  and  other  things  necessary  to  treat 
a  human  being  suffering  from  a  serious  gun-shot  wound,  and  to  do  the 
things  they  ordered  quietly  and  quickly.  The  doctor  complied  with 
the  demands  with  dispatch.  He  was  then  blindfolded  and  led  out  to 
a  buggy  and  assisted  into  it.  The  men  then  drove  away  with  him, 
and  they  were  on  the  road  several  hours,  but  the  doctor  did  not  know 
how  far  or  in  what  direction  he  was  from  Thermopolis  when  the  team 
stopped.  He  was  assisted  out  of  the  vehicle  and  into  a  house,  and  was 
taken  into  a  room  where  blankets  were  hung  up  around  a  bed  so  he 
could  not  recognize  the  room  if  he  had  ever  been  there  before  or  if 
he  ever  came  again.    It  was  here  that  the  blindfold  was  taken  from 


THE    CURRIE    GANG  323 

his  eyes,  and  he  saw  a  man  of  very  dark  complexion  lying  on  the  bed. 
The  man  had  been  shot  through  the  groin  with  a  soft-nosed  rifle 
bullet,  which  was  similar  to  the  bullets  used  by  Deputy  Sheriff  Beard. 
The  wound  was  dressed  and  the  physician  left  medicine  and  direc- 
tions for  the  treatment  of  the  patient.  The  doctor  was  then  blind- 
folded again,  and  was  taken  from  the  house  to  the  buggy  and 
returned  to  his  home  in  Thermopolis,  arriving  there  just  before  day- 
light. He  was  given  a  liberal  fee  and  was  told  to  remember  nothing 
that  had  transpired  that  night.  A  few  nights  later  two  men  again 
appeared  in  the  same  manner  and  at  about  the  same  time  as  the 
previous  visit.  He  received  the  same  orders  and  was  carried  away  in 
the  same  condition  and  to  the  same  place  as  before,  and  he  adminis- 
tered to  the  same  wounded  man,  but  the  wound  had  become  infected 
and  the  patient  was  delirious.  The  physician  told  the  men  that,  in 
his  opinion,  death  would  result  within  a  few  days.  The  physician  was 
then  blindfolded  and  returned  to  Thermopolis  as  before  and  he  was 
again  given  a  liberal  fee.^  The  doctor  received  no  more  calls  of  the 
same  nature,  and  Harve  Logan  has  not  since  been  seen  or  heard  from. 

It  is  said  by  some  that  he  did  not  die,  but  after  he  recovered  he 
went  away,  with  the  declaration  that  he  would  never  again  steal  a 
horse  or  a  cow,  that  he  was  through  with  the  train  robbing  business, 
and  that  he  intended  to  settle  down  and  live  a  quiet,  peaceful  life. 
The  physician  who  treated  him,  however,  was  of  the  opinion  that  he 
died.  The  supposition  is  that  the  patient  was  Harve  Logan  and  that 
he  was  shot  by  Deputy  SheriflF  Beard. 

It  is  said  of  Logan  that  before  he  robbed  the  train  in  Montana, 
he  killed  the  sheriff^  who  had  shot  George  Currie,  and  he  had  killed 
every  man  he  imagined  had  ever  done  him  an  injury;  that  he 
always  came  back  and  got  his  man,  and  he  had  no  more  compunction 
about  killing  a  man  than  he  had  in  stealing  a  bunch  of  cattle  or 
horses.  That  he  never  came  back  after  the  officer  who  shot  him 
strengthens  the  hypothesis  that  he  died.  That  the  officer  who  shot 
him  did  the  best  job  that  was  ever  done  in  Wyoming  there  is  no 
question. 

The  Currie  Gang 

The  Currie  gang  operated  in  Wyoming,  Montana,  and  South 
Dakota,  from  1894  to  1900,  stealing  horses,  robbing  postoffices  and 
trains  and  holding  up  stores  and  banks  and  committing  murder  upon 
the  least  provocation.  The  leaders  were  Harvey  Logan,  alias  "Kid 
Curry,"  George  Currie,  alias  "Flat  Nose  George,"  and  Tom  and 

'Dr.  Schuike,  who  died  near  DeRanch  from  an  overdose  of  morphine  in  August,  igo3,  in  a  stage 
coach,  while  on  his  way  from  ThermopoHs  to  Casper,  told  of  this  incident  to  one  of  his  closest  friends,  who, 
after  the  doctor's  death,  felt  at  liberty  to  make  it  public. 


324  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

George  Dickson,  alias  Tom  and  George  "Jones,"  alias  the  "Roberts 
Brothers."  They  were  also  at  the  head  of  the  notorious  Hole-in-the- 
Wall  gang,  and  were  noted  as  the  most  desperate  of  all  the  marauding 
bands  who  terrorized  the  district  where  they  carried  on  their  opera- 
tions. People  were  in  constant  fear  of  them  and  property  was  in 
jeopardy. 

Two  members  of  this  gang  appeared  at  Wolton,  an  interior  town 
sixty  miles  west  from  Casper,  one  evening  about  9  o'clock  early  in 
June,  1898.  Entering  the  store,  they  selected  about  sixty  dollars' 
worth  of  goods.  After  the  package  had  been  wrapped,  a  third  man 
came  into  the  store  with  a  handkerchief  over  his  face  and  the  three 
men  drew  their  guns  and  ordered  the  manager  of  the  store,  R.  L. 
Carpenter,  and  the  clerk,  Jay  Harmon,  to  throw  up  their  hands. 
While  two  of  the  men  covered  the  manager  and  clerk  with  their  guns, 
the  third  rifled  the  safe  and  robbed  the  postofiice.  About  ^300  in 
money  and  goods  were  taken.  Carpenter  and  Harmon  were  then 
marched  out  to  the  corrals  and  were  backed  against  the  fence  while 
the  robbers  prepared  to  leave.  The  bundles  were  tied  on  the  horses 
and  a  buggy  team  belonging  to  H.  B.  Brower,  the  hotel  proprietor, 
and  Carpenter's  saddle  horse  were  stolen.  Carpenter  and  Harmon 
were  warned  if  they  valued  their  lives,  not  to  report  the  robbery  for 
twenty-four  hours.  The  outlaws  then  bade  the  men  "good  night," 
and  rode  away.  The  next  day  at  noon  the  hold-up  was  reported  and  a 
posse  was  organized  and  followed  the  trail  of  the  robbers  southwest 
for  twenty  miles,  where  they  found  Carpenter's  horse,  but  all  trace 
of  the  men  was  lost.  The  gang  was  next  heard  from  at  Belle  Fourche, 
South  Dakota.  After  adding  three  more  desperate  characters  to  their 
party  they  held  up  the  bank  at  that  place  on  the  28th  of  June  and 
secured  nearly  $4,000  in  cash. 

At  about  9  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  six  men  rode  into  town  on 
horseback  and  went  immediately  to  the  bank.  Upon  entering,  they 
covered  the  customers  and  employees  of  the  bank  with  their  guns  and 
took  all  the  money  in  sight.  One  of  the  thieves  rushed  out  of  the  front 
door  and  the  others  went  out  the  side  door.  They  had  six-shooters  in 
each  hand  and  fired  in  all  directions.  Then  they  deliberately  tightened 
the  cinches  of  their  saddles  and  mounting,  rode  out  of  town.  One  of 
them  was  unable  to  mount  his  horse,  which  shied,  broke  away  from 
him,  and  started  after  the  others.  He  made  a  frantic  eflPort  to  secure 
another  horse  and  finally  rushed  around  the  crowd  and  attempted  to 
cut  the  harness  off  a  mule,  which  was  hitched  to  a  cart,  but  he  was 
captured.  He  had  in  his  possession  $392,  and  gave  his  name  as  Tom 
O'Day.  The  others  were  followed  by  a  posse  of  fifty  men,  who  over- 
took them  at  the  Clay  ranch,  twelve  miles  from  town.    A  gun  fight 


THE    CURRIE    GANG  325 

ensued  in  which  some  of  the  posse  were  hit  by  bullets  and  some  of 
their  horses  were  killed.  Several  hundred  shots  were  fired,  but  the 
robbers  escaped  without  being  hurt.  O'Day  was  taken  to  the  jail  at 
Deadwood,  but  made  his  escape  after  about  two  weeks.  He  was 
retaken,  however,  and  at  the  trial,  the  state's  attorney  was  unable  to 
prove  that  he  was  one  of  the  hold-up  men  and  he  was  turned  loose. 

The  Currie  gang  was  again  heard  from  on  August  20,  when  they 
held  up  Postmaster  Budd  at  Big  Piney,  Uinta  county,  and  secured 
about  $300.  They  also  made  an  attempt  to  rob  the  store  and  post- 
office  at  Granger,  Wyoming,  but  were  unsuccessful. 

Government  detectives  and  county  sheriffs  trailed  the  thieves  up 
Green  river  and  on  to  the  headwaters  of  the  Gros  Ventres,  and  in  a 
narrow  defile  of  the  mountains  the  sheriff's  party  was  ambushed  and 
fired  upon  by  the  fugitives  and  one  of  the  posse  was  badly  wounded. 
The  surprise  was  so  complete  that  the  robbers  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape  without  even  being  shot  at.  The  sheriff's  men  were 
carrying  their  guns  with  the  stocks  down  and  could  not  get  them  in 
action  until  the  robbers  had  fled.  Upon  going  to  the  spot  where  the 
attack  was  made,  it  was  found  that  the  shots  were  fired  at  a  distance 
of  only  fifteen  paces.  The  robbers  were  driven  back  into  the  rocks 
and  were  followed  to  a  point  on  the  Shoshone  Indian  reservation  forty 
miles  below  Fort  Washakie.  There  they  disappeared  and  there  was 
no  trace  of  them  for  several  days,  but  on  September  9,  they  were  seen 
crossing  the  Big  Wind  river  thirty-five  miles  above  Fort  Washakie. 
On  September  14,  they  crossed  the  Belle  Fourche  river  near  the  Mis- 
souri Buttes  and  the  Devil's  Tower.  By  this  time  they  had  ridden 
more  than  400  miles  in  five  days.  They  covered  one  stretch  of  150 
miles  in  twenty-four  hours,  which  conveys  the  wonderful  endurance 
of  the  fugitives.  The  authorities  were  on  their  trail  for  more  than  six 
weeks  and  the  chase  led  them  through  Wyoming,  South  Dakota, 
North  Dakota,  Montana,  and  finally  almost  to  the  Canadian  line, 
in  the  region  of  the  Pecatts  rapids.  Here  they  were  overtaken  while 
they  were  in  camp,  wholly  unaware  of  the  proximity  of  the  officers. 
They  were  all  seated  on  the  ground  with  their  guns  within  easy  reach 
and  their  horses  were  unsaddled.  When  the  officers  were  seen,  the  men 
with  the  agility  of  cats  jumped  to  their  feet,  seized  their  guns,  and  in 
a  moment  were  mounted  bareback  and  in  full  flight.  As  they  re- 
treated, both  sides  opened  fire  and  many  shots  were  exchanged,  but 
no  one  was  injured.  The  posse  returned  to  the  camp  after  the  fugi- 
tives had  made  their  escape  and  they  found  a  fine  assortment  of 
saddles  and  fifteen  head  of  horses,  which  had  been  stolen. 

The  fugitives  returned  to  the  Big  Horn  basin  country  about  ten 
days  later  and  took  up  their  rendezvous  in  the  country  which  is  said 


326  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

to  be  the  most  romantic  in  North  America.  The  roads  wind  through 
beautiful  natural  pastures  and  deep,  dark  gullies,  the  district  for  200 
miles  north  and  south  and  100  east  and  west  being  a  mighty  basin, 
once  the  bed  of  an  ancient  lake.  In  the  rugged  mountains  which 
border  the  basin  are  retreats  with  which  the  fugitives  were  perfectly 
familiar,  and  it  was  here  the  most  skilled  sheriffs  and  county  officers 
of  Wyoming  and  Montana  were  baffled,  acknowledged  defeat,  and 
gave  up  the  chase. 

Rode  Out  of  Town  on  a  Rail 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1901,  when  President  William  Mc- 
Kinley  died  from  his  wounds  which  were  inflicted  by  a  bullet  fired  by 
an  anarchist,  a  man  named  Wagner,  who  had  been  in  Casper  but  a 
few  days,  remarked  that  "he  ought  to  have  been  shot  a  year  ago." 
The  fellow  made  the  remark  in  one  of  the  saloons  in  the  evening,  but 
nothing  was  done  or  said  about  it  at  the  time.  The  next  morning, 
however,  about  9  o'clock  when  some  of  the  business  men  of  the  town 
were  told  about  it,  eight  prominent  Casper  men  went  to  the  saloon 
and  took  the  fellow  out  and  led  him  to  the  Nicolaysen  lumber  yard. 
He  was  then  put  on  a  2  x  6  scantling,  and  with  four  men  at  each  end 
of  the  piece  of  lumber,  the  fellow  was  carried  to  the  railroad  where 
he  was  unloaded  and  told  to  travel  east,  and  not  to  look  back.  The 
fellow  complied  with  the  order  and  thus  saved  the  citizens  the  trouble 
of  giving  him  a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers  and  probably  a  severe  beating 
which  he  justly  deserved.  The  men  who  put  the  fellow  on  the  rail  and 
carried  him  out  of  town  were  criticized  by  most  of  the  people  in  the 
town — because  they  let  the  fellow  off  so  easy. 

"Driftwood  Jim"  McCloud 

"  Driftwood  Jim  "  McCloud,  who  shot  Ben  Minick,  a  sheep  owner 
in  the  Black  mountain  district,  east  of  Thermopolis,  m  1902,  and 
who  robbed  the  Buffalo  postoffice,  blew  a  safe  at  Thermopolis  and  held 
up  the  Buffalo-Sheridan  stage,  all  within  a  year's  time,  was  arrested 
at  Thermopolis  in  the  summer  of  1903  upon  a  charge  of  robbing  the 
Buffalo  postoffice.  He  was  taken  from  Thermopolis  to  Cody  in  a 
wagon  drawn  by  four  horses  and  from  Cody  he  was  taken  to  Basin. 
"Driftwood  Jim"  and  the  driver  occupied  the  front  seat  of  the  wagon 
and  in  the  rear  seat  were  two  guards  with  rifles  and  revolvers,  and 
surrounding  the  wagon  were  six  men  on  horseback,  all  of  whom  were 
armed  with  revolvers.  "Driftwood  Jim"  wore  handcuffs  on  his 
wrists  and  shackles  on  his  ankles.    McCloud  had  been  arrested  many 


HORSE    THIEF    TOM    O  DAY  327 

times  before,  and  had  as  many  times  made  his  escape  from  jail  and 
the  officers.  The  notorious  Tom  O'Day,  with  his  gang,  had  planned 
to  rescue  Jim  from  the  officers  on  this  occasion,  but  when  Tom  and 
his  men,  who  were  hidden  in  the  brush  along  the  roadside  about  ten 
miles  out  from  Thermopolis,  saw  the  strength  of  the  officers,  they  did 
not  make  the  attempt  to  deliver  their  comrade  and  partner  in  crime. 
"Driftwood  Jim"  was  taken  from  Basin  to  Cheyenne  under  an  escort 
of  six  men.  In  Cheyenne  he  escaped  from  jail  with  Tom  Horn,  the 
killer,  but  both  men  were  recaptured  within  half  an  hour  after  their 
escape.  Horn  was  hanged  in  the  Laramie  county  jail  on  November 
20,  1903,  and  at  the  January,  1904,  term  of  the  federal  court,  "Drift- 
wood Jim  "  pleaded  guilty  to  robbing  the  Buffalo  postoffice  on  the  27th 
of  April,  1903,  and  was  sentenced  by  Judge  Riner  to  serve  four  years 
in  the  federal  prison  at  Leavenworth.  Before  he  came  to  Wyoming 
he  robbed  the  postoffice  at  Topeka,  Kansas,  and  was  arrested  upon 
the  charge  and  was  placed  in  the  county  jail  to  await  trial,  but  he 
made  his  escape  and  came  west.  After  having  served  his  term  in  the 
federal  prison  for  the  robbery  of  the  Buffalo  postoffice  he  was  re- 
arrested and  taken  to  Topeka,  where  he  was  tried,  found  guilty  and 
sentenced  to  serve  two  years  in  the  prison  from  which  he  had  just 
been  released.  After  having  been  released  from  prison  the  second 
time  he  has  not  made  his  presence  known  in  Wyoming.  Like  Tom 
O'Day,  McCloud  was  a  coward  at  heart,  and  always  showed  the 
"white  feather"  when  in  a  tight  place,  but  when  he  had  the  advan- 
tage of  his  victim  he  was  a  vicious  brute  and  cared  no  more  for  human 
life  than  a  decent  man  would  care  for  the  life  of  a  coyote. 

Horse  Thief  Tom  O'Day 

Tom  O'Day,  the  notorious  horse  thief  and  all  'round  bad  man, 
was  captured  at  the  break  of  day  on  the  Big  Horn  mountains,  no 
miles  from  Casper  on  Sunday,  November  23,  1903,  by  Sheriff  Frank 
K.  Webb.  At  the  time  of  his  capture,  O'Day  had  twenty-three  head 
of  horses  in  his  possession  which  he  was  attempting  to  drive  into 
Montana  where  he  hoped  to  deliver  them  to  some  of  his  confederates. 
The  sheriff  and  his  prisoner  arrived  in  Casper  at  1 145  the  following 
Tuesday  afternoon,  the  trip  being  made  on  horseback,  O'Day  riding 
ahead  and  the  sheriff  and  two  deputies  in  the  rear. 

The  sheriff  trailed  O'Day  to  a  cabin  on  the  mountains  in  the 
evening,  but  waited  until  morning  before  the  attempt  was  made  to 
take  him.  O'Day  had  gathered  the  bunch  of  horses  in  Converse  and 
Natrona  counties  and  had  been  driving  them  for  a  week  before  he 
was  overtaken.    When  he  came  out  of  the  cabin,  the  sheriff  had  the 


328  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

drop  on  him  and  demanded  that  he  throw  up  his  hands.  O'Day  was 
taken  by  surprise,  and  at  first  hesitated  to  raise  his  hands,  but  the 
sheriff  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  did  not  comply  immediately. 
O'Day  said,  "Good  God,  Webb,  don't  kill  me,"  and  raised  his  hands 
in  the  air.  He  had  on  his  person  a  .45  six-shooter  and  there  was  a 
.30-.30  rifle  in  the  cabin  which  he  carried  on  his  saddle  in  the  daytime 
while  he  was  driving  the  horses  out  of  the  country. 

The  horses  were  taken  to  Lost  Cabin  where  they  were  put  in  a 
corral,  but  during  the  night  the  animals  were  turned  out  and  driven 
away  by  men  who  were  supposed  to  be  friends  and  in  partnership 
with  O'Day.  Twenty-one  of  the  horses  were  recovered  in  about  a 
week  and  they  were  brought  to  Casper  and  in  due  time  were  turned 
over  to  their  lawful  owners. 

O'Day's  trial  came  up  at  the  February,  1904,  term  of  the  district 
court.  The  first  jury  did  not  agree,  there  being  six  in  favor  of  convic- 
tion and  six  for  acquittal.  This  was  not  a  great  surprise  to  the  law- 
abiding  people,  for  it  was  the  common  talk  that  O'Day  had  too  many 
friends  in  the  country  and  that  a  conviction  could  not  be  reached,  no 
matter  how  strong  the  proof  of  his  guilt  might  be.  Another  jury  was 
drawn  and  it  also  disagreed,  there  being  eleven  for  conviction  and  one 
for  acquittal.  This  gave  the  officers  and  the  good  people  some 
encouragement.  The  third  jury  was  drawn  and  the  trial  was  again 
the  center  of  attraction.  Judge  Craig  was  presiding.  A  verdict  of 
guilty  was  soon  reached  by  this  jury  after  the  testimony  was 
adduced  and  the  instructions  of  the  court  were  given.  The  verdict 
seemed  to  be  a  great  surprise  for  O'Day,  and  he  displayed  consider- 
able temper  toward  the  sheriff,  the  prosecuting  attorney,  the  court, 
and  the  jury.  Six  years  in  the  penitentiary  was  the  sentence  of  the 
court,  but  before  the  sentence  was  pronounced.  Judge  Craig  gave  the 
convicted  man  a  lecture.  "In  the  early  days  of  Wyoming,"  the  court 
said,  "it  was  the  custom  to  rustle  stock,  and  if  a  list  could  be  compiled 
of  all  the  men  who  had  gotten  a  start  in  life  by  this  method,  it  would 
make  quite  a  large  catalogue.  But  those  days  are  past,  and  Tom,  you 
ought  to  have  quit  when  the  rest  of  the  boys  did.  If  I  were  to  sentence 
you  for  all  the  crimes  you  have  committed,  you  would  go  to  the 
penitentiary  for  the  remainder  of  your  life,  but  your  sentence  shall 
be  only  for  the  crime  upon  which  you  have  been  convicted. 

"No  man  ever  made  himself  rich  by  stealing;  men  will  always  be 
better  off  if  they  take  only  that  which  rightfully  and  lawfully  belongs 
to  them;  men  who  are  dishonest  never  have  very  much  to  leave  to 
their  widows  and  children.  After  you  serve  your  sentence,  try  and 
lead  an  honest  life;  you  will  find  that  it  pays;  there  is  but  one  result 
for  those  who  steal." 


OTTO    CHENOWETH    AND     'STUTTERING    DICK"        329 

After  the  sentence,  O'Day  said  to  Sheriff  Webb,  "If  I  had  a  gun 
you  would  never  put  me  in  that  jail  again  and  I'm  not  in  the  pen  yet. 
I  want  you  to  remember  that."  The  sheriff  told  him  that  he  was  care- 
ful to  see  that  he  didn't  have  a  gun,  and  therefore  there  would  be  no 
trouble  in  getting  him  back  to  jail,  "and  it  won't  be  long  until  you 
are  in  the  pen,  I  want  you  to  remember  that." 

A  few  days  after  the  sentence  the  sheriff  put  O'Day  and  two  other 
men  who  were  under  sentence  in  the  baggage  car,  where  he  was 
securely  ironed.  An  attempt  was  made  by  O'Day's  sister,  who  was  in 
Casper  from  Omaha,  to  visit  her  brother  in  the  car,  but  she  as  well  as 
all  others  were  denied  that  privilege. 

He  was  landed  safely  in  the  penitentiary  without  trouble  except 
at  Wheatland  where  they  were  eating  supper.  O'Day  attempted  to 
get  the  sheriff's  gun  from  its  scabbard.  Failing,  he  tried  to  pass  it  off 
as  a  joke.  He  served  his  sentence,  making  a  model  prisoner.  After 
his  release  he  went  to  Iowa,  bought  a  small  farm,  followed  Judge 
Craig's  advice  about  being  honest,  at  least  as  far  as  horse  stealing  was 
concerned,  and  became  a  prosperous,  horny-handed  son  of  the  soil. 

The  three  court  trials  cost  the  county  $2,684.05,  and  the  expense 
of  his  capture  was  $586.55,  making  a  total  of  $3,270.60,  but  it  was 
money  well  spent,  for  it  was  the  means  of  breaking  up  one  of  the  worst 
gangs  of  horse  thieves  that  ever  operated  in  Central  Wyoming. 

Otto  Chenoweth,  the  Gentleman  Horse  Thief,  and 
"Stuttering  Dick" 

Otto  Chenoweth  was  known  as  Central  Wyoming's  "Gentleman 
Horse  Thief."  He  was  a  man  of  good  appearance,  well  educated,  a 
good  conversationalist,  and  acceptable  company  anywhere.  He  came 
to  Wyoming  from  the  effete  east  in  1884  or  '85  and  worked  for  the 
4  W  cow  outfit  on  the  Cheyenne  river.  His  purpose  in  coming  out 
west  from  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  was  to  get  ideas  on  painting 
western  scenes — he  was  an  artist  of  considerable  ability.  Instead  of 
cultivating  artistic  ideas,  he  formed  a  friendship  with  Kid  Anderson 
and  Dad  Young,  two  notorious  thieves,  and  the  three  of  them  drifted 
to  the  Sundance  country  where  they  rustled  cattle  and  stole  horses 
until  one  day  Chenoweth  came  face  to  face  with  Joe  Elliott,  a 
"killer"  for  the  stock  association.  He  knew  Elliott  and  Elliott  knew 
him  and  he  knew  what  Elliott  would  do  to  him,  but  he  made  his 
getaway  and  went  to  Chadron,  where  he  sold  his  horses. 

He  then  went  home  to  his  mother,  where  he  intended  to  remain 
and  reform,  but  he  could  not  shake  off  the  western  fever,  and  in  the 
fall  of  1892,  he  came  to  Casper.    He  went  to  work  herding  sheep  for 


330  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Robert  Parkhurst,  and  one  stormy  night  in  the  spring  of  1893,  while 
camped  about  fifteen  miles  northeast  of  Casper,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  he  heard  his  sheep  commence  to  move.  He  arose  from  his 
bed  and  in  his  underclothing  ran  out  to  see  if  he  could  not  stop  them 
from  drifting  with  the  storm.  The  night  was  dark  and  the  blinding 
snow  storm  soon  caused  him  to  lose  the  location  of  his  camp. 

Finally  he  started  for  Casper,  and  after  traveling  for  hours  and 
hours  through  the  storm  and  over  a  rough  country,  he  reached  the 
Platte  river  bridge  west  from  town,  almost  exhausted  and  nearly 
frozen.  From  here  he  had  but  a  mile  to  walk,  but  in  traveling  that 
mile  he  fell  numerous  times  and  made  part  of  the  distance  by  crawling 
on  his  hands  and  knees.  With  a  supreme  effort  he  finally  reached 
town,  and  after  a  few  days  recovered  from  his  terrible  experience. 
He  did  not  return  to  work  on  the  range,  but  went  to  work  as  a 
gambler,  and  followed  this  occupation  off  and  on  for  about  seven 
years.  He  finally  went  into  the  sheep-raising  business  with  Nick 
Schreiner,  but  in  the  fall  of  1900  was  arrested  upon  the  charge  of 
stealing  150  head  of  sheep  from  Leslie  Gantz.  At  the  first  trial  the 
jury  failed  to  agree  and  when  his  name  was  called  for  the  second  trial 
in  July,  1901,  he  did  not  appear,  and  his  bond  of  $500  was  forfeited. 

He  went  to  the  Kaycee  country  where  he  and  Richard  Hale, 
alias  "Stuttering  Dick,"  alias  "Black  Dick,"  formed  a  partnership 
and  went  to  Medora,  South  Dakota,  where  they  stole  a  bunch  of 
blooded  horses  belonging  to  the  Little  Missouri  company.  The 
horses  were  valued  at  ^10,000.  While  the  thieves  were  driving  the 
stock  away,  they  came  across  a  number  of  CY  cow-boys  whom  they 
thought  were  officers  and  a  running  battle  ensued.  They  abandoned 
their  horses  and  made  their  escape,  but  the  officers  later  took  up  their 
trail  and  followed  them  to  Billings,  Montana,  where  Chenoweth  was 
captured,  but  Dick  escaped.  Chenoweth  was  taken  to  Medora  and 
placed  in  jail  and  after  two  months  had  won  the  friendship  and 
confidence  of  the  sheriff  to  such  extent  that  he  was  made  a  trusty, 
and  one  day  while  the  sheriff  was  absent,  he  walked  away.  In  due 
time  he  arrived  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  worked  in  a  restaurant. 
Later  he  went  to  Seattle,  then  to  Montana,  and  then  returned  to  the 
Lost  Cabin  country.  He  made  his  headquarters  at  the  Walt  Putney 
ranch,  where  in  a  short  time  he  was  captured  by  Sheriff  Webb.  The 
sheriff  brought  him  to  Lost  Cabin,  arriving  there  at  about  10  o'clock 
at  night,  where  he  intended  to  remain  until  morning  and  come  to 
Casper  the  next  day.  While  lunch  was  being  prepared  in  the  J.  B. 
Okie  residence  for  the  sheriff  and  his  prisoner,  Chenoweth  told  the 
sheriff  he  was  going  into  the  kitchen  for  a  drink  of  water,  but  instead 
of  stopping  in  the  kitchen  he  ran  through  to  the  parlor,  where  a  dance 


OTTO    CHENOWETH    AND       STUTTERING    DICK  33  I 

was  in  progress,  and  a  great  many  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  present. 
The  sheriff,  with  a  drawn  revolver  ran  after  him,  and  naturally  there 
was  considerable  of  a  commotion  and  excitement  among  the  dancers. 
Chenoweth  escaped  into  the  open,  with  the  sheriff  m  hot  pursuit,  and 
after  firing  half  a  dozen  shots  and  running  at  top  speed  for  a  distance 
of  at  least  three  hundred  yards,  the  officer  finally  recaptured  the 
prisoner  and  brought  him  back  to  the  house,  where  the  two  men  had 
their  lunch,  after  which  Chenoweth  sent  apologies  to  the  ladies  in  the 
parlor  for  so  unceremoniously  intruding  upon  their  presence,  and  he 
also  apologized  for  the  rudeness  of  the  sheriff  in  entering  the  parlor  in 
such  an  ungentlemanly  manner,  and  having  a  revolver  in  his  hand. 
The  next  day  he  was  brought  to  Casper  and  from  here  he  was  taken 
to  Medora  to  stand  trial  upon  the  charge  of  horse  stealing,  but  instead 
of  being  convicted  of  stealing  horses,  he  was  adjudged  insane,  and 
sent  to  the  asylum  at  Jamestown,  S.  D.  After  a  short  time  his  mother 
came  and  got  him  and  took  him  to  his  former  home  at  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  promising  to  have  him  confined  in  a  private  sanitari- 
um, until  he  recovered  from  his  mental  aberration  and  his  desire  to 
steal  and  rob. 

"Stuttering"  or  "Black"  Dick  Hale  was  never  captured,  but  he 
came  into  the  limelight  again  by  being  classed  as  one  of  the  Hole-in- 
the-Wall  gang.  He  was  charged  as  a  cattle  rustler,  horse  thief,  and 
train  robber,  and  rewards  aggregating  more  than  $3,000  were  offered 
for  his  apprehension.  In  November,  1901 ,  the  Johnson  county  author- 
ities overtook  him  at  Wolton  and  after  a  battle  in  which  Dick's  horse 
was  shot  and  killed,  he  pretended  that  he  was  severely  injured  when 
the  horse  fell  with  him.  He  was  taken  to  the  Buck  Camp  ranch  and 
put  to  bed  in  the  bunk  house  with  a  sheep  herder  guarding  him. 
During  the  night.  Hale  overpowered  his  guard,  took  his  six-shooter 
and  went  to  the  ranch  house  where  he  held  up  the  inmates  and  secured 
a  rifle  and  a  belt  full  of  cartridges.  He  then  went  to  the  barn,  saddled 
and  bridled  a  horse,  and  rode  away.  A  number  of  shots  were  fired 
after  him  and  one  bullet  took  effect,  but  he  was  not  dangerously 
wounded.  The  next  day.  Hale  was  trailed  a  distance  of  thirty  miles 
by  spots  of  blood  that  fell  from  his  wound,  but  he  took  to  a  stream 
and  threw  his  pursuers  off  the  trail.  William  Madden  offered  a 
reward  of  $1,000  for  his  capture.  Early  in  January,  Dick  was  located 
in  Routt  county,  Colorado,  but  he  got  wind  of  the  officers'  coming  and 
fled  to  Utah.  About  the  middle  of  February,  he  was  located  in  the 
mountains  near  Thompsons,  Utah,  but  he  was  warned  by  friends  of 
the  approach  of  the  officers  and  again  escaped  and  was  never  cap- 
tured. The  story  that  he  had  killed  a  number  of  men  was  not  true. 
So  far  as  known  he  never  committed  murder.     He  was  desperate, 


332  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

however,  and  would  fight  to  the  last  ditch  if  cornered.  He  was  a 
superb  horseman,  a  crack  shot  with  both  rifle  and  pistol,  and  an 
expert  in  handling  the  lariat. 


Tom  Horn,  the  "Killer" 

Tom  Horn  made  his  living  by  killing  people.  He  was  hired  under 
the  guise  of  a  detective  by  the  Wyoming  Stockgrowers'  association, 
but  his  real  business  was  to  "dispose"  of  men  who  were  "marked" 
by  some  of  the  members  of  the  association.  Although  there  is  no 
record  of  anyone  in  Natrona  county  ever  having  been  "disposed"  of 
by  him,  it  was  known  that  he  often  came  here  and  was  seen  during  the 
evenings  in  the  vicinity  of  the  homes  of  ranchers  whom  the  members 
of  the  association  accused  of  using  a  long  rope  and  a  branding  iron  on 
cattle  and  calves  that  were  picked  up  on  the  open  range.  The  men 
who  were  "marked"  were  aware  of  it  and  whenever  Horn  came  to 
the  country,  the  "marked"  men  kept  out  of  sight  until  the  killer 
went  away,  and  more  than  one  man  has  slept  in  the  brush  while  Horn 
lurked  about. 

Horn  came  to  Wyoming  in  the  early  '90's  from  the  Pinkerton 
Detective  agency.  Shortly  after  he  commenced  operations,  two  men, 
named  Powell  and  Lewis,  were  shot  and  killed  in  the  Iron  mountain 
district.  Horn  did  not  deny  being  responsible  for  their  deaths  and  he 
is  said  to  have  told  publicly  how  Powell  begged  him  to  spare  his  life, 
and  he  joked  about  how  he  killed  them.  Numerous  other  men  came 
to  their  deaths  from  bullets  fired  by  this  professional  killer,  and  for  a 
long  time  many  business  men,  as  well  as  the  men  on  the  range,  and 
even  some  of  the  ofl&cers  of  the  law,  seemed  to  be  afraid  of  him. 

On  July  18,  1901,  he  shot  and  killed  Willie  Nickell,  a  thirteen- 
year-old  lad,  in  the  vicinity  of  where  Powell  and  Lewis  were  killed. 
A  stone  was  placed  under  the  dead  boy's  head,  which  was  said  to  be 
the  manner  in  which  Horn  always  left  his  victims  so  that  his  employers 
would  know  that  he  was  responsible  for  the  deed.  The  boy's  father, 
Kels  P.  Nickell,  was  marked  as  a  rustler,  and  while  Horn  was  lying 
in  wait  for  the  father,  the  boy  came  past  and  discovered  him.  Horn 
realized  that  he  had  been  seen  by  the  lad,  and  in  order  to  prevent  his 
informing  his  father,  Horn  deliberately  killed  him  and  then  left  the 
place  with  all  possible  haste.  About  ten  days  later,  Kels  Nickell, 
while  working  in  his  garden,  was  shot  at  twice  from  ambush,  both 
shots  taking  eflFect,  one  in  the  arm  and  the  other  in  the  hip. 

The  crime  of  killing  an  innocent  boy  was  so  dastardly  that  the 
whole  state  became  aroused  and  demanded  that  the  guilty  party  be 
apprehended    and   punished.     Deputy   United    States   Marshal  Joe 


TOM    HORN,    THE        KILLER  333 

LaFors,  who  was  also  a  detective  for  the  stockmen,  but  who,  it  may 
be  said  to  his  credit,  never  stooped  to  cold-blooded  murder,  was 
reasonably  sure  that  Horn  committed  the  crime.  On  January  lo, 
1902,  he  obtained  a  confession  from  Horn,  while  Horn  was  intoxicated, 
that  he  had  killed  the  boy,  remarking  that  it  was  the  "best  and 
dirtiest  shot  I  ever  made."  LaFors  had  made  arrangements  for  Horn 
to  come  to  his  room,  and  had  concealed  two  expert  stenographers  in 
an  adjoining  room  who  heard  everything  that  was  said  and  took  it 
down  in  shorthand.  Horn  told  of  the  many  killings  that  he  had  made 
and  among  the  rest,  he  described  how  he  killed  the  Nickell  boy.  A 
few  days  after  he  made  the  confession,  while  standing  in  the  lobby 
of  the  Inter  Ocean  hotel  at  Cheyenne,  he  was  arrested  by  Sheriff 
Smalley  of  Laramie  county.  Every  precaution  had  been  made  by  the 
sheriff  to  kill  Horn  if  he  attempted  to  resist,  but  when  he  was  placed 
under  arrest  he  merely  treated  it  as  a  joke,  unaware  that  he  had  been 
tricked  by  LaFors  into  making  the  confession  and  relying  upon  the 
strong  organization  back  of  him  to  prevent  his  conviction.  At  the 
October  term  of  court  his  trial  was  had.  Walter  R.  Stoll,  one  of  the 
best  criminal  lawyers  in  the  west,  prosecuted  the  case.  Horn  was 
represented  by  able  counsel,  but  on  October  24,  the  jury  returned  a 
verdict  of  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  against  the  defendant, 
and  he  was  sentenced  to  be  hanged  in  January,  1903,  but  a  stay  of 
execution  was  granted  by  the  supreme  court.  In  the  meantime, 
Horn's  friends  left  nothing  undone  to  effect  his  escape,  even  to  mak- 
ing arrangements  to  blow  up  the  county  jail  where  he  was  confined. 

On  August  6,  Horn  and  "Driftwood  Jim"  McCloud  did  escape 
from  the  jail  by  their  overpowering  the  jailer,  taking  away  his  keys, 
and  arming  themselves  with  two  automatic  revolvers  which  were  in 
the  jailer's  possession.  The  men  did  not  know  how  to  use  the  auto- 
matics, however,  for  that  kind  of  firearm  had  come  into  use  after  they 
had  been  incarcerated.  They  were  recaptured  within  half  an  hour 
after  they  were  on  the  streets  and  after  that  every  precaution  was 
taken  to  avoid  another  jail  delivery. 

The  time  set  for  Horn's  hanging  was  November  20,  1903,  and 
several  days  before  the  execution,  members  of  the  state  militia  were 
put  on  duty  around  the  jail  and  no  one  was  allowed  to  pass  the  guard 
without  having  an  official  permit.  On  the  day  of  the  hanging,  the 
streets  in  the  vicinity  of  the  jail  were  crowded  with  people,  but  they 
were  kept  away  from  the  jail  by  the  militia,  Horn  mounted  the 
gallows  without  a  tremor  and  remarked,  "A  man  must  die  some  time, 
and  it  may  as  well  be  one  time  as  another."  After  a  brief  ceremony, 
the  trap  was  sprung  and  Horn  shot  down  through  the  opening  and  the 
ignominious  death  that  he  so  justly  deserved  was  meted  out  to  him, 


334  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  his  soul  went  staggering  into  the  lowest  and  darkest  depths  of 
hell,  there  to  suffer  for  evermore  the  torments  of  perdition. 


The  Trout-Biggs  Kidnaping  Case 

At  the  February,  1904,  term  of  the  district  court  in  Natrona 
county,  Anna  E.  Trout  and  her  daughter,  Viola  Biggs,  were  con- 
victed of  kidnaping  the  three  weeks'  old  bab}^  boy  of  William  J. 
Biggs  and  Viola  Biggs,  and  Mrs.  Trout  was  sentenced  to  serve 
eighteen  months  in  the  penitentiary  at  Rawlins  and  Viola  Biggs  was 
sentenced  to  serve  twelve  months.  William  Biggs  and  his  wife,  Viola, 
separated  before  their  child  was  born  and  the  young  wife  Hved  with 
her  father  and  mother.  After  the  child  was  born,  the  young  mother 
claimed  that  she  could  not  support  it  and  she  asked  her  mother  to 
take  it  away  and  have  it  placed  in  an  orphans'  home.  Mrs.  Trout 
took  the  child  to  Denver  and  attempted  to  have  it  placed  in  an 
orphans'  home,  but  she  refused  to  answer  the  necessary  questions 
before  the  child  was  taken  in  and  the  infant  was  refused  admission. 
Mrs.  Trout  then  took  the  baby  to  the  Union  depot,  pinned  a  note  on 
the  little  one's  clothing,  giving  its  name  and  date  of  birth  and  left  it 
in  a  seat  in  the  waiting  room.  The  depot  matron  found  the  child  and 
took  it  to  the  police  station  and  from  there  it  was  taken  to  the 
orphanage,  where  it  was  recognized.  Subsequently,  it  was  brought 
back  to  Casper,  and  the  mother  and  grandmother  were  arrested, 
tried,  and  convicted. 

The  two  women  served  about  six  months  of  their  sentence  in  the 
penitentiary  when  they  were  released  by  the  supreme  court  upon 
some  technicality  in  the  proceedings  of  the  court.  These  were  the 
only  women  at  that  time  who  had  ever  been  sentenced  to  the  peni- 
tentiary from  Natrona  county,  and  it  was  a  most  pitiful  sight  to  look 
upon  the  young  woman  twenty  years  of  age  and  her  mother  about 
fifty  years  of  age,  taken  to  the  state's  prison,  especially  when  the 
grandmother  was  leaving  two  daughters,  one  eight  years  of  age  and 
the  other  fourteen  years  of  age,  to  have  the  finger  of  disgrace  pointed 
at  them  from  every  direction. 

Other  women  in  Casper,  who  have  committed  the  most  cold- 
blooded murders,  have  been  given  their  liberty  in  recent  years  and  by 
some  people  have  been  lauded  for  the  part  they  played. 

Lincoln  Morrison  Shot 

Lincoln  Morrison,  a  Casper  boy,  was  shot  on  Saturday  night, 
May   29,    1904,  while  herding  a  band  of  sheep  on  Alkali  gulch,  on 


DEPUTY  SHERIFF  ED  LEE,  ET  AL.,  STEAL  HORSES   335 

Kirby  creek,  in  Big  Horn  county,  about  fourteen  miles  from  De- 
Ranch  and  twenty  miles  from  Thermopolis.  The  bullet  entered  the 
boy's  stomach  and  passed  through  his  body  in  an  oblique  direction. 
A  reward  of  ^2,500  was  offered  for  the  arrest  and  conviction  of  the 
party  who  did  the  shooting;  ^1,000  was  offered  for  a  chain  of  evidence 
that  would  lead  to  the  conviction  of  the  person  who  did  the  shooting; 
$500  was  offered  for  corroborative  evidence  sworn  to  and  used  on 
behalf  of  the  state  in  the  trial  of  the  guilty  party,  and  $1,000  was 
offered  for  the  dead  body  of  the  party  who  did  the  shooting.  Morrison 
recovered  from  his  wounds,  but  the  guilty  party  was  never  appre- 
hended. 

Deputy  Sheriff  Ed  Lee,  et  al,  Steal  Horses 

Lee  Clubb,  alias  Ed  Lee,  George  Jones  and  Dave  Meckley,  alias 
J.  Z.  Clark,  the  first  two  acting  as  deputy  sheriffs  of  Natrona  county, 
did  a  thriving  business  in  horse  stealing  during  the  early  months  of 
1905.  Jones  and  Meckley  would  go  out  on  the  range  and  round  up  a 
bunch  of  horses,  and  then  Lee  would  join  them  and  the  three  men 
would  change  the  brands.  After  a  few  days  the  horses  were  brought 
to  Casper,  and  Lee,  as  deputy  sheriff,  would  inspect  them  according 
to  law,  before  they  were  shipped.  He  would  turn  a  copy  of  the  inspec- 
tion certificate  in  to  the  railroad  agent  but  no  record  of  the  inspection 
or  the  shipment  was  made  in  the  sheriff's  office.  Sheriff  Frank  K. 
Webb  became  suspicious  that  there  was  something  crooked,  and  in 
March,  1905,  made  a  trip  to  Omaha,  Saint  Joe,  East  Saint  Louis  and 
other  markets,  where  he  found  a  number  of  horses  that  had  been 
shipped  by  different  parties,  all  of  which  had  been  inspected  by  Lee, 
but  upon  which  no  returns  had  been  made  in  the  sheriff's  ofiice.  From 
East  Saint  Louis,  Sheriff  Webb  sent  a  telegram  to  the  prosecuting 
attorney  of  Natrona  county  apprising  him  of  the  thefts  and  ordering 
Lee's  arrest.  Lee's  arrest  created  considerable  surprise,  for  he  appar- 
ently was  a  trust-worthy  officer  and  a  model  young  man,  and  he  had 
many  friends  who  were  firm  in  their  belief  that  it  was  all  a  mistake, 
but  he  was  lodged  in  jail.  At  the  preliminary  trial  Jones  turned  state's 
evidence  and  Lee  was  bound  over  to  the  district  court  for  trial  without 
bond,  upon  the  charge  of  stealing  horses,  returning  false  brands  upon 
horses  that  he  had  inspected  and  accepting  bribes.  By  this  time  it 
had  been  learned  that  Lee  and  Meckley  had  been  convicted  of  steal- 
ing cattle  in  Colorado  and  that  Meckley  had  served  a  term  in  the 
penitentiary  and  that  Lee,  who,  at  the  time  of  his  conviction,  was  less 
than  twenty-one  years  of  age,  had  served  time  in  the  reform  school. 

On  Friday,  May  13,  1905,  which  proved  to  be  a  lucky  day  for 
Lee,  at  5  o'clock  in  the  evening,  as  the  deputy  sheriff  unlocked  the 


336  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

cage  door  to  hand  in  some  food  for  the  prisoners,  he  was  overpowered 
by  Lee,  Martin  Trout  and  a  man  named  Wardlow.  The  deputy's 
keys  and  a  gun  were  taken  from  him,  and  he  was  locked  in  a  celh  The 
three  men  then  went  to  the  residence  portion  of  the  jail  where  they 
overpowered  Mrs.  Webb,  wife  of  the  sheriff,  and  locked  her  in  the  cell 
with  the  deputy.  They  told  the  deputy  and  Mrs.  Webb  that  they 
would  leave  the  keys  where  they  could  be  easily  found  and  when  the 
sheriff  returned  he  would  have  no  trouble  in  finding  them,  and  that 
they  would  be  locked  in  the  cell  only  a  few  hours.  The  three  men  then 
bade  the  deputy  sheriff  and  Mrs.  Webb  good-bye  and  departed. 
Wardlow  was  soon  captured,  but  Lee  and  Trout  could  not  be  found. 
A  reward  of  $1,000  was  offered  for  Lee's  capture,  but  no  trace  of  him 
could  be  found.  In  February,  1906,  Sheriff  Webb  made  a  trip  to  old 
Mexico,  where  he  was  informed  that  Lee  was  located.  The  sheriff  was 
absent  six  weeks,  but  returned  without  his  man.  He  said,  however, 
that  for  several  weeks  he  was  hot  on  the  trail  of  Lee,  but  the  fugitive 
always  kept  a  few  days  ahead  of  him.  Hope  of  capturing  the  prisoner 
was  practically  abandoned,  and  in  a  few  years  the  charges  against 
him  were  stricken  from  the  docket  of  the  district  court,  but  in 
February,  1910,  it  was  learned  that  Lee  was  in  Rock  Springs,  and 
ex-Sheriff  Webb  went  there,  arrested  him  and  brought  him  to  Casper, 
but  when  the  ex-sheriff  attempted  to  have  him  confined  in  the 
county  jail,  the  sheriff  would  not  accept  him  as  a  prisoner,  and  the 
prosecuting  attorney  said  that  inasmuch  as  all  the  charges  against 
him  had  been  stricken  from  the  court  docket  he  would  not  file  an 
information  against  him  or  reinstate  the  cases  on  the  docket  until  he 
was  assured  that  competent  witnesses  could  be  secured  to  appear  and 
testify  against  him.  The  witnesses  were  not  secured  and  Lee  was 
given  his  liberty,  told  to  go  his  way  and  sin  no  more.  He  remained  in 
the  city  several  days  and  then  left  for  Rock  Springs  where  he  had  a 
wife  and  had  established  for  himself  a  comfortable  home.  He  said 
that  when  he  escaped  from  the  Natrona  county  jail  in  May,  1905,  he 
went  in  a  southwesterly  direction,  to  the  CY  pasture,  where  he  laid 
down  in  a  ditch  until  dusk,  and  then  he  started  to  walk  toward  the 
Laramie  Plains  and  after  three  days  and  nights  of  traveling  he  arrived 
in  Carbon  county  where  he  herded  sheep  for  nearly  two  years;  then 
he  took  charge  of  a  saloon  at  Wamsuter  for  a  year;  then  he  went  to 
Rock  Springs  and  was  in  charge  of  a  saloon  for  a  year,  then  moved  to 
Great  Falls,  Montana,  and  remained  there  for  a  few  months.  While 
at  Rock  Springs  he  was  married.  He  claimed  that  the  two  men,  Jones 
and  Meckley,  "double-crossed"  him  while  he  was  deputy  sheriff, 
and  that  he  was  always  honest  with  his  horse  inspections.  His  state- 
ment about  being  "double-crossed"  and  being  honest  with  his  horse 


FRANK    DAVIS,    ALIAS        BLACK    MIKe"  337 

inspections  was  doubted  by  everybody  who  knew  anything  about  the 
case,  but  it  was  then  immaterial,  and  the  taxpayers  and  stockmen  of 
the  county  were  satisfied  to  let  him  go  and  prayed  that  he  would 
never  return. 

Frank  Davis,  Alias  "Black  Mike" 

Frank  Davis,  abas  "Black  Mike  Smith,"  sneak  thief,  horse 
thief,  check  forger,  and  postoffice  robber,  on  May  ii,  1905,  attempted 
to  pass  a  forged  check  in  the  Wolton  saloon,  which  caused  trouble  and 
in  order  to  make  his  escape  he  pulled  his  six-shooter  and  shot  pro- 
miscuously into  the  crowd.  One  bullet  went  through  Pete  Nutson's 
hat  and  furrowed  the  top  of  his  scalp.  Manuel  Armenta  and  Oscar 
Hoback,  deputy  sheriffs,  then  attempted  to  place  Davis  under  arrest, 
and  the  fellow  shot  off  Hoback's  thumb.  Four  shots  were  fired  at  the 
deputy  sheriffs  and  Davis  made  his  escape  from  the  saloon.  He  ran  to 
a  cabin  about  300  yards  distant  where  he  secured  a  rifle  and  fired 
several  shots  into  the  crowd  of  men.  He  then  made  a  run  for  the 
hills,  and  after  going  about  200  yards  dropped  into  a  small  ravine. 
He  was  surrounded  by  about  twenty  men,  but  he  held  them  at  bay  by 
shooting  at  them,  and  although  several  of  the  men  were  hit,  the 
remainder  stood  guard  for  several  hours  until  Joe  Marquis,  Jack 
Peterson,  and  Manuel  Armenta  had  filled  a  cart  with  bales  of  hay  and 
bedding,  and  pushed  it  ahead  of  them  to  where  the  desperado  was 
hidden  in  the  ditch.  Davis  shot  into  the  cart  numerous  times,  but  the 
men  behind  it  were  perfectly  safe  and  proceeded  on  their  way  until 
they  were  within  a  distance  of  fifty  yards  of  him.  Davis  then  sur- 
rendered and  was  brought  to  Casper.  He  pleaded  guilty  to  shooting 
at  Nutson  with  the  intent  to  commit  murder  and  was  sentenced  by 
Judge  Charles  E.  Carpenter  to  serve  three  years  in  the  penitentiary. 
Davis  had  a  number  of  forged  checks  on  his  person  at  the  time  he 
was  arrested,  and  he  was  identified  as  the  man  who  two  months 
previous  to  his  Wolton  escapade  held  up  the  saloon  at  Lost  Cabin 
and  secured  $200.  He  was  also  accused  of  being  connected  with  the 
hold-up  of  the  Cody  bank  where  Cashier  Middaugh  was  shot  and 
killed.  At  the  time  these  crimes  were  committed,  there  was  no 
railroad  west  from  Casper  and  the  interior  towns  were  easily  robbed. 
After  serving  his  sentence  in  the  penitentiary,  Davis  went  to  Colorado 
and  has  not  since  made  his  appearance  in  Wyoming. 

Country  Postoffice  Robbers 

John  Williston,  a  burglar,  who  had  served  two  years  in  the 
Montana  penitentiary,  and  Frank  Connors,  a  horse  thief,  who  had 


338  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

escaped  from  the  Oregon  penitentiary,  robbed  the  postoffices  at 
Moneta  and  Powder  River  on  March  12  and  13,  1913,  and  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th  they  were  captured  by  Henry  A.  Johnson  near 
the  Johnson  ranch,  and  brought  to  Casper.  They  were  turned  over 
to  the  federal  authorities  and  taken  to  Cheyenne  where  they  pleaded 
guilty  to  robbing  a  United  States  postoffice  and  each  was  sentenced 
to  serve  five  years  in  the  penitentiary.  Their  criminal  career  in 
Wyoming  was  short,  but  they  were  desperate  characters  who  were 
capable  and  inclined  to  establish  for  themselves  a  record  that  would 
compare  with  Tom  O'Day,  Jim  McCloud  and  many  other  horse 
thieves  and  postoffice  robbers,  had  they  not  been  apprehended  so 
soon. 

George  W.  Pike 

George  W.  Pike  was  a  horse  thief,  who  operated  in  Central 
Wyoming  for  many  years,  but  never  served  a  term  in  the  penitentiary, 
and  died  a  natural  death,  and  the  people  who  knew  him  said  he  was 
lucky.  His  headquarters  were  in  Converse  county,  but  occasionally, 
when  his  business  required  it,  came  into  Natrona  county  to  pick  up 
some  loose  stock.  He  committed  perjury  in  the  Tom  O'Day  trial  in 
Casper  in  1904  and  a  warrant  was  issued  for  his  arrest,  but  he  was 
never  apprehended.  When  he  died  in  1908  he  was  given  a  decent 
burial  in  the  Douglas  cemetery,  and  a  monument  was  erected  over 
his  grave  by  Lee  Moore,  a  cattleman,  with  this  inscription: 

George  W.  Pike 

Under  this  stone  in  eternal  rest 

Sleeps  the  wildest  one  of  the  wayward  West; 

He  was  a  gambler,  sport  and  cowboy,  too, 

And  he  led  the  pace  in  an  outlaw  crew, 

He  was  sure  on  the  trigger,  and  stayed  to  the  end, 

But  he  was  never  known  to  quit  a  friend. 

In  the  relation  of  death  all  mankind  is  alike, 

But  in  life  there  was  only  one  George  W.  Pike. 

Tied  on  the  Railroad  Tracks 

At  about  ID  o'clock  on  the  night  of  November  11,  1911,  two 
masked  men  bound  Adolph  Kuhrtz,  the  fireman  and  watchman  at 
the  Midwest  Oil  company's  refinery  plant,  and,  after  chloroforming 
him,  dragged  him  to  the  Wyoming  &  Northwestern  railway  tracks,  a 
distance  of  several  hundred  yards,  where  they  bound  him  to  the  rails, 
his  head  being  bound  to  one  of  the  rails  and  his  feet  to  the  opposite 
rail.  His  hands  were  tied  behind  his  back  with  a  piece  of  rope.  The 
man  was  unconscious  for  some  time,  but  when  he  regained  con- 


WOULD    BLOW    UP    THE    REFINERY  339 

sciousness  he  worked  his  hands  loose  from  the  rope,  but  by  this  time 
they  were  so  numb  from  the  cold  that  he  could  not  free  himself 
from  the  track.  Horace  Evans,  who  was  to  relieve  Kuhrtz  at  mid- 
night, found  the  water  low  in  the  boiler  when  he  appeared  for  duty 
and  suspected  that  an  accident  had  occurred  and  immediately  made 
a  search  for  the  man,  but  it  was  half  an  hour  before  he  found  him. 
Evans  released  the  half-unconscious  and  almost  frozen  man  and 
helped  him  back  to  the  plant,  and  from  there  he  was  taken  to  the 
hospital  where  it  was  found  that  both  hands  and  both  feet  had  been 
frozen.  The  motive  for  the  crime  was  never  solved  and  the  men  who 
committed  the  act  were  never  caught.  A  reward  of  ^i,ooo  was  offered 
for  their  apprehension  and  detectives  worked  on  the  case  several 
months,  but  finally  gave  it  up  as  a  mystery. 

Would  Blow  Up  the  Refinery 

L.  A.  Reed,  superintendent  of  the  Midwest  Refining  company, 
received  a  letter  on  November  i8,  191 5,  which  threatened  to  blow  up 
the  refining  plant  unless  he  provided  the  writer  of  the  letter  with 
^5,000.    The  letter  was  as  follows: 

"Mr.  Reed,  Sir:  We  wish  to  inform  you  that  for  the  last  six  weeks  we  have  laid 
about  600  pounds  of  dynamite  under  tanks,  stills  and  boiler  houses  with  the  intention 
of  blowing  the  Midwest  straight  into  hell.  Do  you  get  that?  Now,  Reed,  you  gave 
us  a  damn  dirty  deal  a  while  back,  and  it  is  up  to  you  to  make  good  or  we  will  set  off 
that  dynamite  as  sure  as  there  is  a  gray  hair  in  your  head.  We  have  pledged  our  lives 
to  put  this  thing  through,  and  we  will  if  we  burn  the  entire  town  of  Casper.  There  is 
a  concrete  bridge  on  the  road  that  leads  out  east  of  town,  the  first  bridge  after  you  get 
past  the  brewery  going  east.  Come  to  that  bridge  between  6:20  and  7  o'clock  Satur- 
day, the  20th,  with  ^5,000  in  bills  or  gold.  Drive  on  the  bridge  and  drop  it  over  the 
upper  side.  Come  alone,  and  be  damn  sure  that  you  are  alone.  If  you  bring  anybody 
with  you  or  drop  anything  over  that  isn't  money,  or  try  in  any  way  to  stop  this  deal, 
we  will  touch  off  the  dynamite.  There  is  not  men  enough  in  the  state  of  Wyoming  to 
stop  us  from  this  stunt.  One  shot  at  the  bridge  and  we  will  blow  the  Midwest  to 
hell.   ^  .  "A  B  C  D   E   F." 

"Put  this  money  down  as  we  say  and  we  will  remove  the  dynamite.  Fail  and 
we  will  blow  up  the  Midwest  as  sure  as  there  is  a  God  in  heaven." 

Suspicion  pointed  toward  W.  L.  Frank  as  being  the  author  of  the 
communication.  He  had  been  working  at  the  Midwest  plant  but  was 
discharged.  He  was  arrested  on  Sunday,  the  21st.  Paper  similar  to 
that  on  which  the  note  was  written  was  found  in  a  valise  belonging  to 
him,  and  upon  other  evidence  produced  he  was  held  to  the  district 
court  for  trial  under  bond  of  ^1,000.  At  the  January  term  of  the 
district  court  he  was  tried,  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  serve  a 
term  of  from  three  to  four  years  in  the  penitentiary.  He  made  a 
model  prisoner,  and  after  his  term  expired  returned  to  Casper  and 
has  been  a  peaceable,  quiet,  law-abiding  citizen. 


340  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Bill  Carlisle,  the  Train  Robber 

William  Carlisle's  career  showed  a  flash  of  the  old  time  "bad 
man"  days.  He  was  a  tall,  red-headed,  loose-jointed  fellow,  who  first 
came  into  prominence  when  he  was  about  twenty-seven  years  old. 
His  first  known  banditry  was  perpetrated  on  February  9,  1916,  when 
he  held  up  a  Union  Pacific  passenger  tram  west  ot  Rock  ^pnngs 
With  a  six-shooter  in  each  hand,  he  covered  the  brakeman  and  forced 
him  to  collect  money  from  the  passengers,  then  jumped  from  the 
moving  train  with  his  loot  and  disappeared.  Tram  robbmg  is  a 
capital  oflFense  in  Wyoming  and  the  crime  drew  nation-wide  interest. 
A  reward  of  $1,000  was  offered  for  his  capture  by  the  railroad  com- 
pany, but  without  result.  . 

A  few  weeks  later,  the  railroad  company  received  a  note  trom 
the  fugitive  warning  them  that  before  long  he  would  commit  another 
robbery  on  one  of  their  trains  in  Wyoming.  Although  the  letter  was 
not  taken  in  absolute  seriousness,  armed  detectives  were  placed  on 
all  the  trains  in  the  state  and  the  search  for  Carhsle  was  renewed.  On 
the  night  of  April  4,  1916,  Carlisle  climbed  onto  the  observation  plat- 
form of  the  Overland  Limited  as  it  was  leaving  the  Cheyenne  yards 
and  after  holding  up  a  guard  employed  to  protect  the  train  against 
him  Carlisle  robbed  the  male  passengers  of  about  $600  in  money  and 
iewelry.  The  women  were  gallantly  undisturbed.  As  the  tram  was 
pulling  into  Corlett  Junction,  seven  miles  west  of  Cheyenne,  the 
robber  dropped  from  the  observation  platform  and  escaped  into  the 
darkness.  Frantic  efforts  to  capture  him  were  made.  All  the  trains 
that  had  passed  that  point  on  the  line  that  night  and  the  next  day 
were  searched.  It  did  not  occur  to  the  searchers  that  their  quarry 
might  attempt  to  escape  by  walking,  but  that  is  what  he  did.  He 
walked  directly  north  from  the  railroad,  obtaining  food  and  shelter  at 
ranches  and  homesteaders'  places.  He  arrived  in  Casper  April  10, 
and  while  here  bought  for  himself  a  suit  of  clothes  and  some  other 
wearing  apparel.  From  Casper  he  went  to  Denver,  where,  it  was  said, 
he  lived  in  the  most  extreme  luxury  for  a  short  time,  but  he  was 
smart  enough  to  avoid  suspicion  of  being  the  train  robber 

Before  going  into  the  train  robbing  business  Carlisle  was  a 
freighter  in  the  Sussex  and  Kaycee  country  for  about  a  year,  and  on 
account  of  his  good  nature  and  good  behavior,  was  well  known  and 
well  liked.  He  was  known  there  as  "Paddle  Foot,  the  nickname 
having  been  given  him  owing  to  the  extraordinary  size  of  his  feet. 

His  love  for  adventure  and  notoriety  did  not  permit  him  to 
remain  in  obscurity  long  and  in  a  short  time  he  again  wrote  the 
officials  of  the  Union  Pacific  of  his  intention  to  commit  a  train  rob- 


BILL    CARLISLE,    THE    TRAIN    ROBBER  34I 

bery  on  one  of  their  trains  in  Wyoming.  As  evidence  of  his  identity, 
he  enclosed  a  watch  taken  from  one  of  his  victims  on  the  Overland 
Limited.  The  railroad  officials  were  thoroughly  aroused  this  time 
and  droves  of  heavily  armed  detectives  were  on  guard  from  Pine 
Bluffs  to  Evanston, 

A  sick  man  boarded  a  train  at  Greeley,  Colorado,  on  the  after- 
noon of  April  21,  1916,  and  took  a  berth  in  a  Pullman  which  was 
switched  onto  train  number  21  at  Cheyenne.  The  man's  suffering 
seemed  so  great  that  it  gained  for  him  the  sympathy  of  his  fellow 
passengers.  He  recovered,  however,  entirely  and  quickly  as  the  train 
was  leaving  Hanna,  140  miles  west  of  Cheyenne.  He  was  Carlisle. 
He  held  up  the  guard,  fired  one  shot  to  convince  the  conductor  that 
he  was  in  earnest  and  then  took  ^400  from  the  men  passengers  and 
leaped  from  the  train  as  it  neared  Edson  tunnel.  The  railroad  company 
and  the  sheriff  of  Carbon  county  rushed  searchers  to  the  scene  imme- 
diately. A  special  train  bearing  horses  and  a  posse  armed  to  the  teeth 
was  run  out  from  Cheyenne.  The  Union  Pacific  announced  a  reward 
of  $5,000  and  the  state  offered  $500  for  the  capture  of  the  outlaw. 
Hundreds  of  men  turned  out  to  look  for  Carlisle.  It  is  said  that  there 
were  so  many  men  on  the  hunt  that  they  were  in  constant  danger  of 
shooting  one  another.  Late  in  the  afternoon  on  the  day  after  the 
robbery,  Carlisle  was  captured  about  thirty  miles  north  of  the  rail- 
road. On  the  loth  of  May,  he  was  found  guilty  of  train  robbery  and 
sentenced  to  life  imprisonment  in  the  state's  prison.  There  were  so 
many  claims  for  the  $5,500  reward  that  the  matter  was  finally  settled 
in  court. 

For  three  years  and  five  months,  Carlisle  served  time  in  the 
Rawlins  penitentiary.  He  was  a  good  prisoner  and  never  broke  a 
rule.  His  life  term  was  commuted  on  September  8,  1919,  to  from  25 
to  50  years'  imprisonment  and  this  seemed  to  please  him  greatly  and 
cause  him  to  be  more  content  with  his  fate. 

On  Saturday,  November  15,  1919,  Carlisle  did  not  respond  to 
roll  call  at  supper  time.  An  alarm  was  sounded  and  a  search  of  the 
prison  was  made.  It  was  subsequently  discovered  that  Carlisle  had 
escaped  by  concealing  himself — with  the  aid  of  two  fellow  prisoners 
— in  a  box  of  shirts  sent  out  from  the  prison  factory  that  afternoon. 
A  saw  had  been  smuggled  in  to  him  a  few  days  before,  and  after  the 
box  had  been  deposited  in  the  railroad  freight  house  and  the  freight 
agent  had  gone  home  for  the  night,  Carlisle  effected  his  freedom. 
Boarding  a  freight  train,  he  traveled  west  fifteen  miles  to  Creston, 
where  he  was  forced  to  leave  the  train  on  account  of  the  bitter  cold. 
Bloodhounds  were  taken  out  and  a  large  posse  took  up  the  search,  but 
no  trace  of  the  fugitive  was  found  until  Tuesday  night  when  he  boldly 


342  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

boarded  and  robbed  the  Union  Pacific  Los  Angeles  limited,  number  19, 
between  Rock  River  and  Medicine  Bow,  ninety-five  miles  west  of 
Cheyenne.  As  was  his  custom,  after  robbing  the  passengers,  he 
dropped  from  the  moving  train  into  the  darkness.  Just  before  he  left 
the  train,  some  one  fired  a  shot  at  him,  the  bullet  striking  his  hand. 
This  injury  proved  to  be  his  undoing,  but  not  before  he  had  stirred  up 
the  entire  country  and  aroused  the  citizens  to  a  high  pitch.  One  fea- 
ture of  the  man  hunt,  one  that  infuriated  the  railroad  officials,  was 
the  apparent  sympathy  of  the  general  public  for  the  criminal.  The 
entire  state  was  searched  and  researched.  Rumors  of  Carlisle's 
appearance  in  widely  separated  cities  confused  the  authorities  and 
made  the  pursuit  more  difficult.  A  man  who  looked  like  Carlisle, 
entered  a  Casper  newspaper  office  and  gave  the  excited  reporter  an 
interview  and  then  filed  a  message  at  the  telegraph  office  addressed 
to  the  Union  Pacific  at  Cheyenne,  which  read,  "Thanks  for  haul  on 
your  limited.  Some  detective  force.  Carlisle."  These  incidents 
occupied  the  detectives  for  several  days.  Then  messages  and  letters 
purporting  to  be  from  Carlisle,  began  pouring  in  to  the  civil  and  rail- 
road authorities.  They  were  written  in  every  tone  from  ridicule  to 
pleading. 

In  the  meantime  the  fugitive  had  been  innocent  of  all  the  letter 
writing.  He  had  gone  to  the  Laramie  Peak  country  south  of  Douglas 
and  was  being  sheltered  from  day  to  day  by  the  residents  of  that 
section.  Sheriff  Roach  of  Converse  county  was  trailing  him  and 
Carlisle  was  going  as  fast  as  he  could  to  keep  ahead  of  him.  The  bullet 
was  still  in  his  hand  and  he  was  suflFering  intense  pain  so  that  his  pace 
became  slower  and  slower.  The  posse  overtook  him  once  at  a  ranch 
house,  but  he  escaped  through  a  window.  A  heavy  snowstorm  covered 
his  tracks  and  the  posse  did  not  find  him  again  until  the  next  day 
when  they  discovered  him  at  the  Williams  ranch  house  in  the  wildest 
part  of  the  region.  The  sheriff  commanded  him  to  throw  up  his 
hands,  which  he  did.  A  paroxysm  of  pain  in  his  wounded  hand  caused 
him  to  lower  it  and,  at  this,  the  sheriff  shot  Carlisle  through  the 
lung.  He  was  taken  to  the  Douglas  hospital  where  he  remained 
until  his  wounds  healed  sufficiently  to  permit  his  removal  to  the 
state's  prison. 

Since  being  returned  to  the  penitentiary,  he  has  made  a  model 
prisoner,  as  he  did  before  his  escape.  During  his  spare  time  he 
manufactures  many  novelties  and  places  them  on  sale  at  differ- 
ent towns  throughout  the  state  at  the  holiday  season.  With  the 
proceeds  from  the  sale  of  these,  he  purchases  law  books.  He  is 
studying  law  and  hopes  to  become  an  attorney  if  he  lives  out  his 
sentence  or  is  paroled. 


MEXICAN    SHOPLIFTER   ATTEMPTS    MURDER  343 

Mexican  Shoplifter  Attempts  Murder 

A.  J.  Cunningham,  president  of  the  Casper  National  bank  and 
the  Richards  &  Cunningham  store,  was  shot  in  the  left  arm,  near  the 
shoulder,  and  A.  E.  Biglin  was  shot  through  the  fleshy  part  of  his  left 
leg,  above  the  knee,  on  February  24,  1922,  by  a  Mexican  named  John 
Cisenaros.  The  Mexican  had  stolen  two  pairs  of  shoes  from  the 
Cunningham  store  and  Mr.  Cunningham  apprehended  him  and  was 
about  to  call  the  sheriflF  when  the  shooting  commenced.  The  first 
shot  took  effect  in  Mr.  Cunningham's  arm,  and  two  other  shots  were 
fired  without  hitting  any  one,  and  it  was  the  fourth  shot  which  took 
effect  on  Mr.  Biglin.  Mr.  Cunningham  was  confined  to  his  home  for 
three  months  and  Mr.  Biglin  was  out  within  a  week.  The  Mexican 
pleaded  guilty  in  the  district  court  to  shooting  with  intent  to  kill  and 
was  sentenced  to  thirteen  years  and  six  months  in  the  penitentiary. 

The  city  and  county  authorities  and  a  committee  of  citizens  on 
the  28th  of  the  month  rounded  up  about  two  dozen  Mexicans  and 
negroes  who  had  no  visible  means  of  support,  loaded  them  in  a  box 
car  and  they  started  north,  and  they  were  given  to  understand  that 
they  would  not  be  protected  by  the  law  should  a  citizens'  vigilance 
committee  decide  to  operate  upon  them.  They  seemed  as  anxious 
to  leave  as  the  people  were  to  have  them  go,  and  it  is  not  likely  they 
will  ever  return. 


Tragedies  on  the  Range 

Cattlemen's  Invasion  of  Johnson  County 

CATTLE  rustling  seemed  to  be  a  popular  and  profitable  pastime 
for  a  great  many  people  in  Wyoming  in  the '8o's  and  early  '90's 
but  to  this,  like  all  things  else,  an  end  had  to  come,  and  many  of 
the  men  who  did  not  quit  when  the  business  lost  its  popularity  paid 
dearly  for  their  folly.  Many  a  nester  started  into  the  cattle  business 
with  but  little  more  than  a  cow  pony,  a  rope,  a  round-up  bed,  a  run- 
ning iron,  and,  of  necessity,  a  lack  of  conscience.  After  a  few  years, 
if  he  were  cautious,  he  had  a  nice  little  herd  of  cattle  with  a  brand  of 
his  own.  To  put  a  brand  on  a  maverick'  in  those  days  was  considered 
not  exactly  cattle  stealing.  The  man  who  applied  the  iron  w^ould 
merely  say  to  himself  that  if  he  had  not  done  it,  someone  else  would, 
and  this  left  his  conscience  clear,  for  he  knew  he  was  telling  himself 
the  truth.  But  unbranded  strays  on  the  open  range  were  not  numer- 
ous after  the  first  few  years  the  nester  commenced  to  operate,  for 
there  were  too  many  people  engaged  in  the  branding  business.  Then, 
in  order  to  increase  their  herds  there  were  some  who  would  shoot  the 
mothers  and  drive  the  calves  away,  and  there  were  others  who  would 
blotch  the  brand  on  a  steer  and  drive  it  out  of  its  range. 

But  the  nester  w^as  not  the  only  one  accused  of  swinging  the  long 
rope  and  operating  the  branding  iron.  Some  of  the  big  cattle  outfits 
were  accused  not  only  of  branding  mavericks  which  no  doubt  did  not 
belong  to  them,  but  other  dishonest  practices  were  attributed  to 
them.  It  is  said  that  when  the  Frewen  brothers  came  from  England 
in  the  early  '8o's  and  located  on  the  North  and  Middle  forks  of  Powder 
river,  they  negotiated  with  the  76  outfit  on  the  Sweetwater  for  3,500 

1  Samuel  Maverick  was  owner  of  a  large  number  of  cattle  in  Southern  Texas  in 
the  early  '40's,  whose  ambition  was  to  be  able  to  travel  from  San  Antonio  to  El  Paso 
and  from  El  Paso  to  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Grande  on  his  own  land.  He  secured  title 
to  more  than  two  million  acres  of  land,  but  his  desire  to  travel  on  his  own  land  from  the 
points  named  was  never  realized.  Maverick  had  a  debt  agamst  a  stockman  which  he 
was  unable  to  collect  in  money,  and  he  took  400  head  of  cattle  at  S3  per  head  and  can- 
celled the  debt.  At  the  end  of  four  years  he  sold  these  cattle  at  $6  per  head,  including 
the  natural  increase,  upon  which  he  had  never  placed  his  brand,  and  consequently 
there  were  on  the  range  a  large  number  of  unbranded  cattle,  and  when  the  cowboys 
and  stockmen  came  across  a  bunch  of  unbranded  cattle  they  would  remark  they 
"belonged  to  Maverick,"  or  "they  were  Maverick's."  This  is  how  the  term  maverick 
originated  and  was  applied  to  unbranded  cattle  by  the  stockmen  and  cowboys,  and  is 
in  common  use  nowadays. 

344 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  345 

head  of  cattle,  book  count,  for  which  they  were  to  pay  ^75,000.  The 
Frewens  wanted  to  see  the  cattle  and  also  to  make  a  rough  tally  of 
them,  and  accordingly,  they  started  up  Horse  creek  with  the  76  rep- 
resentatives, where  they  located  cattle  all  the  way  to  the  foot  of 
Rattlesnake  canyon.  Then  they  crossed  over  to  the  head  of  Fish 
creek,  which  stream  they  followed  for  a  considerable  distance  and 
there  were  76  cattle  all  the  way  down  Fish  creek.  But  the  cow 
punchers  had  made  a  short  cut  from  Horse  creek  to  Fish  creek,  push- 
ing the  cattle  ahead  of  them  and  arriving  at  Fish  creek  ahead  of  the 
Frewens,  who  had  gone  the  longer  route.  The  Frewens  counted 
these  cattle — the  same  cattle  they  had  counted  on  Horse  creek,  but 
they  did  not  recognize  them — and  they  found  in  the  neighborhood 
of  3,500,  but  there  were  actually  only  2,200.  The  Frewens  were  satis- 
fied with  the  count  and  the  money  was  paid  over  to  the  76  outfit  and 
the  brand  and  the  stock  were  afterwards  owned  by  the  Frewens.  A 
man  named  Foley  was  agent  for  and  a  member  of  the  76  outfit  and  he 
was  responsible  for  the  short  cut  from  Horse  creek  to  Fish  creek  made 
by  the  cow  punchers  and  the  cattle.  When  the  Frewens  made  their 
fall  round-up  and  found  they  were  short  about  1,300  cattle,  they  were 
of  the  opinion  that  their  shortage  was  caused  by  cattle  rustlers,  but 
some  of  the  cowboys  explained  the  "joke"  to  them.  The  Frewens 
accepted  the  matter  like  good  sports,  but  they  did  not  remain  long  in 
the  cattle  business,  for  they  displayed  no  more  business  judgment 
in  other  things  than  they  did  when  they  thought  they  were  buy- 
ing 3,500  head  of  cattle  and  got  but  2,200.  Their  experience  in  the 
cattle  business  in  Wyoming  is  said  to  have  cost  them  half  a  million 
dollars. 

The  cattlemen  did  not  seriously  object  to  having  a  few  of  their 
mavericks  branded  by  a  man  who  was  ambitious  and  wanted  to  get  a 
start.  In  fact,  many  of  the  large  cattle  outfits  applied  their  brands 
on  calves  and  sometimes  on  two-year-olds  when  they  had  serious 
doubts  as  to  whether  the  stock  rightfully  belonged  to  them.  But 
when  the  practices  of  blotching  the  brands  on  steers  and  shooting  the 
mothers  of  calves  were  started,  the  cattlemen  realized  the  time  had 
come  when  the  rustling  of  cattle  must  come  to  an  end.  The  courts 
could  not,  or  would  not,  stop  it.  Large  rewards  were  offered  for  the 
arrest  and  conviction  of  cattle  thieves;  livestock  detectives  were 
brought  into  the  state  to  gather  evidence  against  the  rustler;  many 
arrests  were  made,  and  although  there  appeared  to  be  an  abundance 
of  evidence  to  convict,  yet  rustler  after  rustler  was  turned  loose  and 
the  courts  were  considered  a  joke  and  a  farce. 

After  all  lawful  means  of  protecting  their  property  seemed  to 
have  failed,  the  cattlemen  commenced  to  make  laws  of  their  own  and 


346  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

to  mete  out  punishment  that  in  their  minds  seemed  adequate  to  the 
crimes  committed,  and  a  number  of  men  who  were  said  to  have  been 
rustlers  were  shot,  but  even  this  did  not  seem  to  have  the  effect  of 
suppressing  the  business  of  cattle  stealing. 

Then  the  cattlemen  formed  an  organization  known  as  the 
"Regulators."  They  imported  gunmen  from  Texas,  Idaho,  Colorado, 
and  other  states.  These  men  were  to  receive  five  dollars  a  day  and 
expenses,  and  they  were  to  go  where  they  were  commanded  and  do 
the  things  they  were  told.  For  a  number  of  weeks  plans  and  prepara- 
tions were  made  by  the  Regulators  to  invade  the  cattle  country  and 
strike  a  blow  that  would  terrorize  the  rustlers  and  cause  those  who 
were  not  killed  to  flee  for  their  lives. 

The  KC  ranch,  in  Johnson  county,  was  selected  as  the  first  scene 
of  action,  and  in  writing  an  account  of  the  battle  that  occurred  there, 
we  shall  give  the  unvarnished  facts  without  bias  or  prejudice.  In 
dealing  with  the  incidents,  the  cattlemen  shall  be  termed  the  "regu- 
lators" and  those  whom  they  sought  to  punish  shall  be  termed  the 
"settlers." 

On  the  4th  and  5th  of  April,  1892,  definite  plans  were  perfected 
by  the  regulators  to  leave  Cheyenne  and  invade  the  cattle  country 
and  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  a  special  train  arrived  in  Cheyenne 
from  Denver  bearing  the  gunmen  who  had  been  hired  as  "detec- 
tives." This  train  was  taken  to  the  Cheyenne  stockyards  where 
three  stock  cars  had  been  loaded  with  wagons,  horses,  harness,  tents, 
ammunition,  and  provisions  sufficient  to  carry  the  party  through  a 
ten  days'  expedition.  The  stock  cars  were  attached  to  the  special 
train  of  three  passenger  coaches  and  at  6  o'clock  the  start  was  made 
for  Casper. 

The  train  arrived  at  the  stockyards  a  mile  east  of  Casper  at  4:20 
in  the  mornmg,  April  6.  The  paraphernalia  was  immediately  taken 
from  the  cars  and  at  about  5:30  three  new  w^agons,  with  four  horses 
to  each  wagon,  passed  through  town.  Two  of  these  wagons  were 
loaded  with  provisions  and  the  other  contained  bedding  and  ammuni- 
tion. The  men  of  the  party  who  were  not  connected  with  the  wagons, 
crossed  the  river  on  horseback  about  three  miles  east  of  town  and 
joined  the  wagon  party  on  Casper  creek,  a  few  miles  northwest.  All 
the  mounted  men  were  armed  with  Winchester  rifles  and  Colt's 
revolvers.  Major  Wolcott  was  in  command;  F.  M.  Canton  was 
captain  of  the  Wyoming  men  and  Tom  Smith  was  captain  of  the  gun- 
men who  were  brought  in  from  the  other  states.  There  were  fifty-two 
men  in  the  party.  Friends  of  the  regulators  in  Douglas  and  Casper 
had  been  instructed  to  give  out  the  information  that  the  men  were 
surveyors  on  their  way  to  the  Bald  mountains. 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  347 

On  their  way  to  Johnson  county  the  regulators  met  a  number  of 
men  on  the  road  coming  toward  Casper  whom  they  compelled  to  turn 
back  and  travel  with  them  for  hours  or  forced  them  to  go  through  with 
the  expedition.  About  four  miles  from  Casper,  on  Casper  creek,  the 
party  overtook  Oscar  Lehman  and  Bert  Lambert,  who  were  looking 
after  a  band  of  sheep.  Lehman,  who  had  been  married  but  a  short 
time,  was  ordered  to  fall  in  the  front  ranks  and  Lambert  in  the  rear. 
Lehman  made  such  a  strong  plea  to  be  released  that  his  request  was 
granted  upon  his  promising  that  he  would  go  directly  to  his  wife, 
who  was  in  a  sheep  wagon  several  miles  back.  Word  was  passed  to 
the  rear  that  the  two  men  were  to  be  set  free.  Upon  their  release,  both 
men  headed  toward  the  sheep  wagon,  but  neither  knew  that  his  friend 
was  also  to  be  given  his  liberty.  When  Lambert,  upon  looking  back, 
saw  a  horseman  coming  toward  him  he  imagined  it  was  one  of  the 
regulators  who  was  urging  him  to  go  faster.  Lehman  thought  the 
man  ahead  of  him  was  one  of  the  regulators  who  had  broken  ranks 
and  was  going  to  the  sheep  wagon  to  inform  his  bride  that  he  was 
being  taken  away  and  he  naturally  gave  chase.  When  the  two  men 
were  near  the  wagon,  they  recognized  each  other  and  their  fright 
was  turned  to  joy. 

Later  in  the  day  the  regulators  met  J.  C.  (Dad)  Renfro  and  a  man 
named  McGhee,  whom  they  forced  to  accompany  the  expedition  to 
Tisdale's  ranch  where  they  were  detained  for  two  days.  One  night 
while  they  pretended  they  were  asleep,  they  overheard  the  plans  of 
the  leaders  and  they  recognized  the  names  of  more  than  forty  men 
who  were  "marked"  as  rustlers  and  who  were  to  be  shot.  Eleven  of 
the  men  mentioned  lived  in  Natrona  county,  twenty-two  in  Con- 
verse county  and  the  balance  were  from  Johnson  county.  After  the 
second  day  Renfro  and  McGhee  were  released,  and  they  started  imme- 
diately for  Casper.  Upon  their  arrival  here,  however,  they  refused  to 
disclose  any  news  or  details  of  the  happenings  while  they  were  held 
by  the  regulators,  as  they  had  been  warned  to  keep  silent  or  suffer 
death. 

Just  before  reaching  the  Tisdale  ranch  the  advancing  force  was 
met  by  Mike  Shonsy,  foreman  for  the  Western  Union  Beef  company. 
He  informed  them  that  there  were  rustlers  at  Nolan's  KC  ranch. 
Upon  receipt  of  this  information,  the  regulators  decided  to  camp  at 
Tisdale's  until  their  supply  wagons  had  time  to  catch  up  with  them. 
Friday,  the  8th  of  April,  was  spent  at  the  Tisdale  ranch.  In  the  after- 
noon, Shonsy  was  sent  out  in  charge  of  a  squad  to  reconnoiter.  After 
dark  they  resumed  their  journey  and  before  daylight  arrived  at  the 
KC  ranch.  They  surrounded  the  buildings  and  concealed  themselves 
in  the  stable,  along  the  creek,  and  in  the  brush  along  the  ravine  and 


348  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

awaited  orders.  Shortly  after  daylight,  WilHam  W.  Walker,  a  trapper 
who  had  spent  the  night  at  the  ranch,  came  out  of  the  house  w^ith  a 
bucket  and  walked  toward  the  creek.  He  was  taken  prisoner.  Ben 
Jones,  another  trapper,  then  came  out  of  the  house  and  walked 
toward  the  stable.  He  too  was  taken  prisoner.  Nick  Ray  was  the 
next  to  come  out  of  the  house  and  he  had  walked  but  a  few  steps  when 
he  was  shot  in  the  head  and  fell  in  his  tracks.  Nate  Champion  then 
came  to  the  door  and  fired  a  number  of  shots  at  the  besiegers  and  they 
returned  the  fire  hotly.  He  closed  the  door  and  from  a  window 
watched  Ray  slowly  crawl  toward  the  house.  When  Ray  had  almost 
reached  the  doorstep.  Champion  opened  the  door,  sent  another 
volley  of  shots  toward  the  stable  and  creek  and  then  stepped  out  and 
dragged  Ray  into  the  house  while  a  hail  of  shot  was  sent  toward  him. 

Champion  evidently  realized  that  his  chances  of  escape  were 
hazardous,  for  he  wrote  down  in  a  notebook  the  progress  of  the  battle 
so  that  his  friends  could  be  informed  of  the  details  in  case  of  his  death. 
Ray  died  at  9  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Champion  would  not  give  up, 
but  fired  at  the  besiegers  occasionally.  At  2:30  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon "Black  Jack"  Flagg  and  his  stepson  came  by  and  they  were 
shot  at  by  the  regulators.  Flagg's  account  of  the  attack  on  him  was  as 
follows : 

"The  morning  of  the  9th  I  started  from  my  ranch,  eighteen  miles  above  the 
river,  to  go  to  Douglas.  I  was  on  horseback,  and  my  stepson,  a  boy  17  years  of  age, 
started  with  me  to  go  to  the  Powder  river  crossing.  He  was  driving  two  horses  and 
had  only  the  running  gear  of  a  314  wagon.  We  got  to  the  KC  ranch  about  2:30.  I  was 
riding  about  fifty  yards  behind  the  wagon.  We  could  not  see  the  stable,  behind  which 
the  murderers  were  concealed,  until  we  were  within  seventy-five  yards  of  it.  When  the 
wagon  hove  in  sight  the  murderers  jumped  up  and  commanded  the  boy  to  halt,  but  he 
urged  up  his  horses  and  drove  for  the  bridge.  When  they  saw  he  would  not  stop,  one 
of  them  took  aim  on  the  corner  of  the  fence  and  fired  at  him.  The  shot  missed  him  and 
scared  his  team,  which  stampeded  across  the  bridge  and  on  up  the  road. 

"There  were  twenty  men  behind  the  stable,  and  seven  came  up  on  horseback, 
three  from  one  side  of  the  road  and  four  from  the  other,  and  closed  in  behind  rne. 
When  the  men  behind  the  stable  saw  me,  they  began  to  jump  for  their  guns,  which 
were  leaning  against  the  fence,  and  called  on  me  to  stop  and  throw  up  my  hands.  I  did 
not  comply  with  their  order,  but  kept  straight  for  the  bridge.  When  I  got  to  the  nearest 
point  to  them — forty-seven  steps — a  man  whom  I  recognized  as  Ford,  stepped  from 
the  crowd  and,  taking  deliberate  aim  at  me  with  his  Winchester,  fired.  Then  they  all 
commenced  firing.  I  threw  myself  on  the  side  of  my  horse  and  made  a  run  for  it.  The 
seven  horsemen  followed  me.  When  I  overtook  my  wagon,  which  had  my  rifle  in  it,  I 
told  my  boy  to  hand  it  to  me,  which  he  did;  I  then  told  him  to  stop  and  cut  one  of  the 
horses  loose  and  mount  him.  The  seven  horsemen  were  following  me,  and  when  I 
stopped,  were  350  yards  behind,  but  as  soon  as  they  saw  I  had  a  rifle,  they  stopped. 
I  only  had  three  cartridges  for  my  rifle,  and  did  not  want  to  fire  one  of  them,  unless 
they  came  closer,  which  they  did  not  seem  inclined  to  do." 

After  Flagg's  escape,  the  regulators  brought  back  the  wagon  he 
had  left  and  loading  it  with  hay  and  some  pitch  pine,  wheeled  it 
against  the  house  and  set  it  on  fire.  This  was  about  4  o'clock.  The 
house  was  soon  in  flames  and  Champion  was  forced  out.    When  he 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  349 

ran  from  the  building,  he  was  in  his  stocking  feet  and  hatless.  He  had 
a  rifle  in  his  hands  and  a  six-shooter  in  his  belt.  He  had  gone  but 
about  fifty  yards  when  he  saw  a  number  of  men  in  front  of  him.  He 
raised  his  rifle  and  fired  once,  but  just  then  a  volley  rang  out  and  he 
fell  to  the  ground,  his  body  riddled  with  twenty-eight  bullet  holes. 

A  notebook  was  found  in  Champion's  vest  pocket  soaked  with 
blood,  and  with  a  bullet  hole  through  it.  Under  the  printed  date  of 
April  9th,  the  following  entry  was  written  in  pencil: 

"Me  and  Nick  was  getting  breakfast  when  the  attack  took  place.  Two  men 
here  with  us — Bill  Jones  and  another  man.  The  old  man  went  after  water  and  did 
not  come  back.  His  friend  went  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter  and  he  did  not  come 
back.  Nick  started  out  and  I  told  him  to  look  out,  that  I  thought  that  there  was  some 
one  at  the  stable  and  would  not  let  them  come  back.  Nick  is  shot,  but  not  dead  yet. 
He  is  awful  sick.  I  must  go  and  wait  on  him.  It  is  now  about  two  hours  since  the  first 
shot.  Nick  is  still  alive.  They  are  still  shooting  and  are  all  around  the  house.  Boys, 
there  is  bullets  coming  in  like  hail.  Them  fellows  is  in  such  shape  I  can't  get  back  at 
them.  They  are  shooting  from  the  stable  and  river  and  back  of  the  house.  Nick  is 
dead.  He  died  about  9  o'clock.  I  see  a  smoke  down  at  the  stable.  I  think  they  have 
fired  it.    I  don't  think  they  intend  to  let  me  get  away  this  time. 

"  It  is  now  about  noon.  There  is  some  one  at  the  stable  yet.  They  are  throwing 
a  rope  out  at  the  door  and  dragging  it  back.  I  guess  it  is  to  draw  me  out.  Boys, 
don't  knowwhat  they  have  done  with  them  two  fellows  that  stayed  here  last  night.  Boys, 
I  feel  pretty  lonesome  just  now.  I  wish  there  was  some  one  here  with  me,  so  we  could 
watch  all  sides  at  once.  They  may  fool  around  until  I  get  a  good  shot  before  they 
leave.  It's  about  3  o'clock  now.  There  was  a  man  in  a  buckboard  and  one  on  horse- 
back just  passed.  They  fired  on  them  as  they  went  by.  I  don't  know  if  they  killed 
them  or  not.  I  seen  lots  of  men  come  out  on  horses  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  and 
take  after  them.  I  shot  at  the  men  in  the  stable  just  now;  don't  know  if  I  got  any  or 
not.  I  must  go  and  look  out  again.  It  don't  look  as  if  there  is  much  show  of  my  getting 
away.  I  see  twelve  or  fifteen  men.  One  looks  like  |name  scratched  outj.  I  don't  know 
whether  it  is  or  not.  I  hope  they  did  not  catch  them  fellows  that  run  oyer  the  bridge 
towards  Smith's.  They  are  shooting  at  the  house  now.  If  I  had  a  pair  of  glasses  I 
believe  I  would  know  some  of  these  men.   They  are  coming  back.    I've  got  to  look  out. 

"Well,  they  have  just  got  through  shelling  the  house  like  hail.  I  hear  them 
splitting  wood.  I  guess  they  are  going  to  fire  the  house  to-night.  I  think  I  will  make  a 
break  when  night  comes,  if  alive.  Shooting  again.  I  think  they  will  fire  the  house  this 
time.  It's  not  night  yet.  The  house  is  all  fired.  Good-bye,  boys,  if  I  never  see  you 
again. 

Nathan  D.  Champion." 

Sam  T.  Clover,  special  correspondent  of  the  Chicago  Herald,  who 
accompanied  the  regulators,  after  describing  the  trip  from  Cheyenne 
to  the  KC  ranch,  the  capture  of  the  two  trappers  and  the  shooting  of 
Nick  Ray,  gave  the  following  account  of  Nate  Champion's  tragic 
death: 

"The  roof  of  the  cabin  was  the  first  to  catch  fire,  spreading  rapidly  downward 
until  the  north  wall  was  a  sheet  of  fiames.  Volumes  of  smoke  poured  in  at  the  open 
window  from  the  burning  wagon,  and  in  a  short  time  through  the  plastered  cracks  of  the 
log  house  puff's  of  smoke  worked  outward.  Still  the  doomed  man  remained  doggedly 
concealed,  refusing  to  reward  them  by  his  appearance.  The  cordon  of  sharpshooters 
stood  ready  to  fire  upon  him  the  instant  he  started  to  run.  Fiercer  and  hotter  grew  the 
flames,  leaping  with  mad  impetuosity  from  room  to  room  until  every  part  ot  the  house 
was  ablaze  and  only  the  dugout  at  the  west  end  remained  intact. 


350  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"  'Reckon  the  cuss  lias  shot  himself,'  remarked  one  of  the  waiting  marksmen. 
'No  fellow  could  stay  in  that  hole  a  minute  and  be  alive.' 

"These  words  were  barely  spoken  when  there  was  a  shout, 'There  he  goes!' and  a 
man  clad  in  his  stocking  feet,  bearing  a  Winchester  in  his  hands  and  a  revolver  in  his 
belt,  emerged  from  a  volume  of  black  smoke  that  issued  from  the  rear  door  of  the 
house,  and  started  off  across  the  open  space  surrounding  the  cabin  into  a  ravine,  fifty 
yards  south  of  the  house,  but  the  poor  devil  jumped  square  into  the  arms  of  two  of  the 
best  shots  in  the  outfit,  who  stood  with  leveled  Winchesters  around  the  bend  waiting 
for  his  appearance.  Champion  saw  them  too  late,  for  he  overshot  his  mark  just  as  a 
bullet  struck  his  rifle  arm,  causing  the  gun  to  fall  from  his  nerveless  grasp.  Before  he 
could  draw  his  revolver  a  second  shot  struck  him  in  the  breast  and  a  third  and  fourth 
found  their  way  to  his  heart. 

"Nate  Champion,  the  king  of  cattle  thieves,  and  the  bravest  man  in  Johnson 
county,  was  dead.  Prone  upon  his  back,  with  his  teeth  clenched  and  a  look  of  mingled 
defiance  and  determination  on  his  face  to  the  last,  the  intrepid  rustler  met  his  fate 
without  a  groan  and  paid  the  penalty  for  his  crimes  with  his  life.  A  card  bearing  the 
significant  legend,  'Cattle  thieves,  beware!'  was  pinned  to  his  bloodsoaked  vest,  and 
there  in  the  dawn,  with  his  red  sash  tied  around  him  and  his  half-closed  eyes  raised 
toward  the  blue  sky,  this  brave  but  misguided  man  was  left  to  lie." 

Early  in  the  morning  of  the  attack,  Terrence  Smith,  a  ranchman 
living  four  miles  north,  heard  the  sound  of  firing  and  rode  over  to 
investigate.  When  he  saw  what  was  takmg  place,  he  rode  with  all 
possible  haste  to  Buffalo,  arriving  there  at  7:30  in  the  evening,  and 
notified  Sheriff  Angus.  The  sheriff  called  upon  Captain  Meuardi  to 
assemble  Company  C  of  the  National  Guard  to  assist  him  in  repelling 
the  invasion  and  arresting  the  men.  Captain  Meuardi  refused  to 
comply  with  the  sheriff's  order  and  gave  as  his  reason  an  order 
received  by  him  from  the  governor  a  few  days  prior,  commanding 
him  to  obey  no  call  in  aid  of  the  civil  authorities,  except  through  the 
commander-in-chief.  The  sheriff  then  swore  in  a  posse  of  six  men  and 
started  for  the  KC  ranch. 

Flagg  and  his  stepson,  Alonzo  Taylor,  after  their  escape,  hur- 
ried on  to  John  R.  Smith's  ranch,  arriving  there  about  four  o'clock. 
Flagg  was  a  delegate  to  the  democratic  convention  at  Douglas  and 
had  planned  to  meet  the  other  Johnson  county  delegates  at  Smith's 
ranch  and  proceed  to  the  convention  with  them.  He  told  of  his 
experiences  at  the  KC  ranch  and  then  rode  to  Trabing,  thirty  miles 
distant,  reaching  there  at  9  o'clock.  Three  men  joined  him  at  this 
place  and  they  returned  to  the  Nolan  ranch.  On  the  way  they  met 
twelve  more  men  who  had  been  called  out  by  Terrence  Smith  while 
on  his  way  to  Buffalo.  As  this  combined  force  was  about  to  proceed, 
the  regulators  were  seen  approaching.  Flagg  and  the  other  men  pre- 
pared to  give  battle  from  ambush,  but  their  camp  fire  and  the  acci- 
dental discharge  of  one  of  their  guns  warned  the  regulators  and  they 
detoured,  returning  to  the  Buffalo  road. 

Flagg  and  his  men  then  camped  for  the  night  and  the  next  morn- 
ing started  for  Buffalo  and  on  their  way  passed  the  regulators,  who 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  351 

were  at  Dr.  Harris's  TA  ranch  on  Crazy  Woman  creek.  They  were 
building  a  fortification  at  this  place,  which  naturally  led  to  the  sup- 
position that  they  expected  the  settlers  to  make  an  attack  upon  them 
in  retaliation  for  the  killing  of  Ray  and  Champion  and  the  burning 
of  the  KC  ranch  house.  When  Flagg  reached  Buffalo  Sunday  fore- 
noon, the  authorities  had  not  yet  left  for  the  field  of  battle.  Couriers 
had  been  sent  out  in  all  directions  calling  for  volunteers  to  fight  the 
regulators,  and  Sunday  evening  at  8:30,  forty-nine  men  armed  with 
rifles  and  revolvers  started  to  do  battle  at  the  TA  ranch.  A.  S.  Brown 
was  the  leader  and  when  they  arrived  near  the  TA  ranch  at  about 
midnight,  pickets  were  posted  around  the  buildings  and  both  sides 
waited  for  daylight  before  the  fight  would  commence.  Just  at  the 
break  of  day,  the  posse  took  positions  in  sheltered  places  on  all  sides 
of  the  buildings.  The  regulators,  who  had  gotten  their  fort  in  good 
shape,  opened  fire  on  the  posse,  but  no  one  was  hit.  How^ever,  they 
kept  the  members  of  the  posse  from  getting  near  enough  to  do  any 
effective  shooting. 

Sheriff  Angus,  who  had  gone  to  the  KC  ranch  to  see  what  damage 
had  been  done,  returned  to  Buffalo  at  about  i  o'clock  Monday  after- 
noon and  after  informing  the  people  of  the  killing  of  Champion  and 
Ray  and  the  burning  of  the  ranch  house,  a  number  of  men  were  sent 
out  to  bring  in  the  bodies.  The  sheriff  then  started  for  the  TA  ranch, 
accompanied  by  about  forty  men.  Reinforcements  from  all  sections 
of  Johnson  county  as  well  as  from  Sheridan  county  had  gathered  at 
the  seat  of  trouble  until  Tuesday  afternoon,  when  there  were  more  than 
250  men  assembled,  acting  under  orders  from  Sheriff  Angus.  In  the 
meantime,  the  sheriff's  posse  had  captured  two  of  the  wagons  belong- 
ing to  the  regulators.  These  wagons  contained  provisions,  bedding, 
ammunition,  kerosene  and  two  cases  of  dynamite. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  trouble  the  telegraph  line  had  been  cut, 
but  by  Tuesday  evening  it  had  been  repaired  and  dispatches  were  sent 
to  the  governor  in  Cheyenne  and  the  president  at  Washington. 
Major  Martin  was  ordered  by  the  governor  to  assume  command  of  C 
Company  of  the  National  Guard  and  to  act  under  the  orders  of  the 
mayor  of  the  town  of  Buffalo  to  protect  life  and  property  in  that  town. 

Colonel  Van  Horn  of  the  United  States  cavalry,  with  three 
troops,  was  ordered  by  the  war  department  from  Fort  McKinney  at 
2  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  13th  to  proceed  to  the  TA  ranch  and 
place  the  regulators  under  arrest.  The  troops  arrived  at  6  o'clock  in 
the  morning.  Before  they  arrived,  the  posse  had  dismantled  the 
two  wagons  they  had  captured  and  by  using  the  hind  axles  and  wheels 
had  constructed  a  portable  breastworks  and  were  rapidly  advancing 
on  the  fort.   A  dozen  men  who  were  safely  behind  the  movable  breast- 


352  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

works  had  advanced  to  within  about  200  feet  of  the  fort  when  the 
troops  arrived.  The  posse  was  ordered  by  Colonel  Van  Horn  to  cease 
firing  and  the  men  behind  the  shield  were  ordered  to  the  rear.  Colonel 
Van  Horn,  Major  Fechet,  Captain  Parmelee,  of  the  governor's  staff, 
two  orderlies  and  three  color  sergeants,  then  advanced  to  the  fortifica- 
tions waving  a  flag  of  truce.  Major  Wolcott,  who  was  in  command  of 
the  regulators,  came  forth  and  in  reply  to  a  command  from  Colonel 
Van  Horn  to  surrender,  said,  "I  will  surrender  to  you,  but  to  that 
man  [turning  and  pointing  to  Sheriff  Angus],  never.  I  have  never 
seen  him  before,  but  I  have  heard  enough  of  him  and  rather  than  give 
up  to  him,  we  will  die  right  here.  He  has  the  best  of  us  now,  because 
our  plans  have  miscarried,  but  it  will  be  different  yet." 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  timely  arrival  of  the  federal  troops,  the 
settlers  with  the  bullet-proof  portable  shield  would  have  advanced 
to  the  fort  and  set  it  on  fire,  using  the  same  means  to  protect  them- 
selves as  did  the  regulators  when  they  set  fire  to  the  KC  ranch  house. 
Had  this  occurred,  there  is  no  doubt  but  all  the  men  in  the  fort  would 
have  been  killed. 

An  examination  of  the  buildings  at  the  TA  ranch  showed  that 
the  fortifications  constructed  by  the  cattlemen  were  wellnigh  im- 
pregnable and  that  the  storming  of  them  would  have  entailed  a 
heavy  loss  of  life  upon  the  besiegers.  Breastworks  four  feet  high, 
made  of  sawed  pine  logs,  8x12  inches,  were  laid  up  on  the  north,  east, 
and  south  sides  of  the  house,  which  itself  was  built  of  the  same  mate- 
rial. The  ice  house  north  of  the  main  building  was  also  loopholed.  A 
fort  had  been  built  200  yards  west  of  the  dwelling  house,  of  the  same 
material  and  in  it  ten  men  were  concealed.  The  horses  belonging  to 
the  party  were  shut  up  in  the  stable  which  was  situated  half  way 
between  the  dwelling  and  the  fort  referred  to  and  the  walls  of  the  loft 
of  the  stables  had  been  strengthened  and  loopholed. 

The  government  troops  took  charge  of  the  situation  immediately 
upon  the  surrender  of  the  regulators  and  one  troop  of  the  cavalry 
surrounded  the  buildings;  all  the  regulators  were  disarmed  and,  with 
the  exception  of  one  man  who  was  wounded,  were  marched  to  Fort 
McKinney,  where  they  were  kept  under  guard.  Among  the  men 
arrested  were  Major  Wolcott,  W.  C.  Irvine,  J.  N.  Tisdale,  F.  M. 
Canton,  W.  J.  Clarke,  F.  H.  Labertoux,  F.  G.  S.  Hesse,  Phil  Du  Fran, 
D.  R.  Tisdale,  M.  Shonsy,  L.  H.  Parker,  C.  S.  Ford,  and  A.  R.  Powers, 
all  of  whom  were  either  cattle  owners  or  working  for  large  cattle  out- 
fits. The  remainder  of  the  fifty-two  men  were  the  gunmen  imported 
from  outside  the  state. 

By  this  time  the  news  had  spread  over  the  country  like  wild  fire. 
In  Buffalo,  Casper,  Douglas,  Sheridan,  Cheyenne,  and  many  other 


I 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  353 

towns  in  the  state,  all  was  excitement  and  unrest.  Rumors  of  all 
kinds,  preposterous,  ludicrous,  probable,  and  improbable  were  in 
the  air.  It  was  the  main  topic  of  conversation  whenever  two  or  more 
men  were  together.  There  were  some,  but  they  were  very  few,  who 
contended  that  the  invaders  were  justified  in  their  acts.  But  there 
was  no  question  that  they  were  not  acting  within  the  confines  of  the 
law  when  they  burned  the  KC  ranch  house  and  killed  Champion  and 
Ray,  even  though  the  place  was  a  rendezvous  for  rustlers  and  if  it 
were  true  that  the  two  men  were  cattle  thieves.  The  man  who 
sympathized  with  the  regulators  was  exceedingly  unpopular. 

In  Casper  a  mass  meeting  was  held  at  the  town  hall  at  which 
nearly  every  business  man  in  town  was  present  and  after  much  dis- 
cussion, the  following  resolutions  were  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  we  extend  to  the  people  of  Johnson  county  our  sympathy  in 
this,  the  hour  of  their  trial,  and  congratulate  them  on  their  moderation  and  prudence 
during  the  whole  affair,  and  trust  that  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  they  may  be  guided 
by  prudence,  wisdom  and  unswerving  loyalty  to  the  principles  of  a  free  government, 
namely;  the  maintenance  and  execution  of  the  law. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  do  detest  and  condemn  stealing  in  all  forms  and  do  severally 
and  collectively  pledge  our  property,  our  lives  and  our  sacred  honor  to  the  protection 
of  the  property  and  lives  of  all  who  may  come  among  us,  or  become  interested  in 
property  in  our  state. 

"  Resolved,  That  we  especially  regret  the  state  of  distrust  and  fear  that  has  been 
engendered  among  people  not  personally  cognizant  of  the  true  condition  of  affairs,  and 
that  we  do  assure  them  that  their  fears  are  groundless,  and  that  in  investing  in  Wyom- 
ing and  helping  develop  its  untold  resources,  they  are  perfectly  safe  and  will  reap  a 
plentiful  reward." 

Guns  and  ammunition  sufficient  to  arm  two  dozen  men  were 
stored  in  a  small  building  in  the  business  section  of  Casper  and  men 
had  been  selected  who  held  themselves  ready  at  all  times  to  use  them 
should  the  occasion  arise.  Reports  were  circulated  to  the  effect  that 
another  body  of  the  regulators  was  coming  to  assist  the  first  detach- 
ment and  arrangements  were  made  to  send  a  body  of  men  from  here 
to  assist  the  civil  authorities  of  Johnson  county  should  the  reports 
prove  true.  Men  were  on  guard  day  and  night;  the  road  to  Buffalo 
was  watched  and  everything  was  in  readiness  for  war  should  another 
detachment  of  regulators  make  its  appearance.  Excitement  was  at  a 
high  pitch  for  a  week;  and  not  until  the  captured  regulators  were 
taken  to  Fort  Russell  did  the  people  relax  and  settle  down  to  a  feeling 
of  safety. 

Two  days  after  the  surrender  of  the  regulators,  the  burial  of 
Champion  and  Ray  took  place  in  Buffalo,  and  also  that  of  Coroner 
Watkins,  who  had  died  while  engaged  in  holding  an  inquest  over  the 
remains.  The  funeral  services  were  held  in  a  vacant  store  building  on 
Main  street.    The  room  was  full  of  women;  few  men  could  get  in. 


354  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

The  caskets  were  profusely  decorated  with  flowers.  Rev.  W.  J. 
McCulHrn  off^ered  prayer  in  which  he  said:  "We  thank  Thee,  O  God, 
that  there  are  those  who  have  stood  by  the  law.  We  pray  that  the 
law  may  be  strengthened;  that  if  we  cannot  get  justice  here,  then  in 
the  other  world."  The  funeral  procession  then  moved  out  to  the 
cemetery.  The  hearse  was  followed  by  carriages,  wagons,  footmen 
and  last,  150  mounted  men,  three  women  and  two  boys. 

Criminal  complaints  had  been  sworn  out  against  the  fifty-two 
men,  charging  them  with  murder  and  arson  and  Sheriff  Angus 
appeared  before  Colonel  Van  Horn  at  Fort  McKinney  demanding  the 
surrender  of  the  men  to  the  civil  authorities  of  Johnson  county,  but 
the  demand  was  denied.  Sheriff  Angus  then  made  an  appeal  to  Acting 
Governor  Barber  requesting  that  the  prisoners  be  turned  over  to  the 
civil  authorities  for  trial.  Governor  Barber  replied  that  such  action 
would  not  be  taken  until  order  had  been  established  in  Johnson 
county  and  the  sheriff  was  directed  to  turn  over  the  prisoners  he  had 
lodged  in  the  jail  previous  to  the  surrender  of  the  cattlemen.  After 
the  governor  had  ordered  the  men  turned  over  to  the  military 
authorities  on  an  order  from  the  secretary  of  war  to  that  effect, 
Colonel  Van  Horn  telephoned  to  Sheriff  Angus  to  know  if  one  troop 
of  cavalry  would  be  sufficient  to  send  over  for  Allen,  the  prisoner  in 
the  sheriff's  charge,  or  whether  he  had  better  send  three  troops.  The 
sheriff  replied,  "If  you  send  one  or  three  troops,  the  chances  are  that 
there  will  be  trouble.  But  if  you  want  your  man,  detail  one  soldier." 
Accordingly,  a  sergeant  and  driver  were  sent  in  an  open  wagon. 
When  they  arrived  at  the  court  house  there  were  200  armed  men  in 
line  on  either  side  of  the  walk  leading  from  the  street  to  the  court 
house  door.  The  sheriff  met  the  sergeant  at  the  sidewalk,  the  men 
fell  back,  leaving  a  five-foot  open  way  to  the  door  through  which  the 
sheriff  and  detail  walked  and  entering  the  court  house,  they  went 
directly  to  the  jail  door.  The  prisoner,  Allen,  was  brought  out,  the 
soldier  signed  a  receipt  for  him,  and  the  three  went  to  the  east  door. 
When  Allen  saw  the  multitude  of  armed  men  he  hesitated,  but  the 
soldier  dragged  him  through  the  lines  to  the  wagon.  No  one  inter- 
fered, and  the  prisoner,  under  the  guard  of  the  soldier  and  the  town 
marshal,  was  driven  to  Fort  McKinney,  three  miles  away. 

Three  troops  of  cavalry  under  command  of  Major  Fechet  left 
Fort  McKinney  for  Fort  Fetterman  on  April  18  in  charge  of  the 
captured  cattlemen,  under  orders  from  the  war  department.  At  Fort 
Fetterman,  a  detachment  of  soldiers  from  Fort  D.  A.  Russell  took  the 
prisoners  in  charge  and  escorted  them  by  rail  to  Cheyenne  where 
they  were  quartered  for  sixty  days  at  the  fort.  Major  Wolcott,  State 
Senator  John  N.  Tisdale,  and  several  others  were  released  on  parole. 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  355 

Major  Wolcott  went  to  Washington  in  an  endeavor  to  clear 
himself  and  his  friends  from  any  charges  which  might  be  made  against 
them  as  a  result  of  the  expedition  into  Johnson  county  and  also  to 
seek  the  establishment  of  martial  law  there. 

The  two  trappers,  Jones  and  Walker,  who  had  been  captured 
and  held  during  the  attack  at  the  KC  ranch,  were  believed  to  be  the 
only  witnesses,  besides  the  regulators,  of  the  killing  of  Champion  and 
Ray  and  the  burning  of  the  KC  ranch  house.  The  cattlemen  em- 
ployed F.  H.  Harvey,  a  lawyer  of  Douglas,  and  O.  P.  Witt,  a  livery 
stable  keeper  of  the  same  place,  to  get  the  witnesses  out  of  the  coun- 
try. The  two  men  were  told  upon  their  release  at  the  Nolan  ranch  to 
go  south  and  to  remain  silent  as  to  what  they  had  seen  and  heard  if 
they  wished  to  avoid  trouble.  When  they  arrived  in  Casper  several 
days  later,  they  found  that  public  sentiment  was  against  the  regula- 
tors and  they  did  not  hesitate  to  tell  all  about  the  affair. 

Friends  of  the  settlers  wanted  the  men  held  as  witnesses  against 
the  regulators  and  friends  of  the  cattlemen  naturally  wanted  them  to 
leave  the  country.  They  wxre  made  to  believe  that  the  cattlemen 
would  kill  them  and  they  became  very  much  frightened.  There  was 
no  jail  in  Casper  and  Sheriff  O.  M.  Rice  had  no  place  of  safety  for 
them  to  stay  and  it  was  agreed  that  they  should  accompany  Colonel 
E.  H.  Kimball,  deputy  sheriff  of  Converse  county,  to  Douglas,  where 
they  would  be  allowed  to  sleep  in  the  sheriff's  office  in  the  front  part 
of  the  jail  until  such  time  as  Sheriff  Angus  would  come  for  them  and 
take  them  to  Buffalo.  Several  nights  after  they  arrived  in  Douglas, 
Walker  became  intoxicated  and  Jones  walked  about  the  streets  with 
him  until  about  midnight  in  an  attempt  to  get  him  sober.  Walker 
wanted  to  leave  the  country,  saying  that  each  of  them  would  be  given 
a  horse  and  saddle  and  ^i,ooo  in  cash  to  go  away  and  not  act  as 
witnesses  against  the  cattlemen.  They  went  over  to  Morton's  place 
where  they  met  eight  or  ten  men  and  after  considerable  parleying, 
offers  of  money,  and  then  threats,  the  two  men  and  a  guide  mounted 
horses  and  headed  for  the  east.  The  guide  left  them  after  riding  about 
twenty  miles  and  the  two  men  rode  on  to  Harrison  where  they 
boarded  the  train  for  Chadron.  At  Chadron  an  attempt  was  made  to 
stop  them,  but  friends  of  the  cattlemen  managed  to  get  them  on  the 
train  and  they  went  to  Omaha.  In  that  city  another  attempt  was 
made  by  the  civil  authorities  to  have  the  men  returned  to  Wyoming 
to  testify  against  the  regulators,  but  the  cattlemen  were  successful 
again  and  in  due  time  Jones  and  Walker  were  put  on  a  train  headed 
for  Saint  Louis  and  that  was  the  last  seen  or  heard  of  them. 

Colonel  E.  H.  Kimball,  who  was  at  that  time  publishing  a  news- 
paper at  Douglas,  because  of  his  denunciation  of  the  cattlemen,  was 


356  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

charged  with  criminal  Hbel  by  George  W.  Baxter  and  others.  Mr. 
Kimball  was  taken  to  Cheyenne  under  warrant  and  lodged  in  jail 
for  thirty  days,  during  which  time  his  paper  ceased  publication.  It 
was  necessary  for  him  to  furnish  a  bond  signed  by  a  resident  bonds- 
man. The  editor  of  the  Northwestern  Livestock  Journal  finally  came 
to  his  rescue  and  he  was  released  and  returned  home.  The  case  never 
came  to  trial  for  it  was  the  object  of  the  regulators  only  to  suppress 
the  publication  of  Mr.  Kimball's  paper  until  the  excitement  died  out. 
A  petition  signed  by  eighteen  of  the  largest  cattle  outfits  that 
had  stock  in  Johnson  county  was  presented  to  Governor  Barber  dur- 
ing the  summer  following  the  invasion,  requesting  that  Johnson 
county  be  placed  under  martial  law.  Among  other  things  the  petition 
stated  that  the  petitioners  were  citizens  of  the  state  of  Wyoming  and 
of  other  states  in  the  Union  and  as  such  were  entitled  to  the  equal 
protection  of  the  law,  and  to  the  protection  of  their  property  against 
theft  and  depredations,  and  that  the  county  of  Johnson  and  the 
territory  adjacent  thereto  was  chiefly  composed  of  unclosed  lands, 
especially  adapted  to  grazing,  and  the  live  stock  ranging  thereon  was 
worth  several  millions  of  dollars.  That  for  several  years  the  stealing 
and  misbranding  of  live  stock  in  the  vicinity  had  been  of  frequent 
occurrence,  and  was  rapidly  growing  more  prevalent,  and  that  stock 
thieves  continually  rode  the  range  and  placed  their  brands  upon  the 
unbranded  calves  of  other  owners  and  changed  and  altered  the  brands 
upon  the  branded  live  stock  of  others,  thereby  destroying  all  means  of 
identifying  the  true  ownership  thereof.  These  stock  thieves  had, 
during  the  past  year,  greatly  intimidated  and  threatened  other  resi- 
dents in  that  vicinity  and  had  suppressed,  by  threatened  violence, 
almost  all  opposition  to  their  unlawful  calling  and  occupation.  Their 
influence,  by  reason  of  their  numbers  and  by  their  methods  of 
intimidation  had  become  so  great  as  to  reach  the  jury  box  and  almost 
effectually  prevent  the  conviction  of  any  person  charged  with  stock 
stealing.  As  an  evidence  of  this  the  records  of  the  district  court  in 
Johnson  county  for  the  previous  five  years  showed  many  indictments 
had  been  found  against  different  persons  charged  with  the  stealing  of 
live  stock  and  that  in  nearly  all  cases  the  defendants  were  acquitted. 
The  acquittals  were  so  flagrant  and  so  contrary  to  the  evidence  that 
the  judges  deplored  the  existing  conditions  and  had  declared  it  almost 
a  useless  effort  and  expense  to  try  any  person  charged  with  the  stealing 
of  live  stock.  The  thieves  had  grown  so  bold  and  so  open  in  their 
support  and  defense  of  stealing  that  they  had  notified  persons  who 
differed  with  them  to  leave  the  country  and  in  many  instances 
enforced  their  threats  by  acts  of  violence  and  they  further  threatened 
to  assassinate  those  who  had  fled  if  they  returned. 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  357 

In  March,  1892,  the  thieves  got  together  at  Buffalo  and  organized 
and  arranged  for  round-ups  in  violation  of  law,  and  were  endeavoring 
to  execute  the  same  when  certain  owners  of  live  stock  in  that  vicinity 
obtained  from  the  United  States  circuit  court  for  the  district  of 
Wyoming  an  injunction  order  restraining  and  enjoining  the  carrying 
on  of  these  round-ups.  The  United  States  marshal  and  his  deputies 
who  went  to  the  vicinity  to  serve  the  order  of  injunction  were  grossly 
mistreated  and  embarrassed  in  the  service  of  the  process  of  the  court, 
and  found  it  unsafe  to  remain  there.  One  of  the  deputy  marshals, 
George  Wellman,  was  foully  assassinated  without  cause  or  provoca- 
tion, on  a  public  highroad  in  that  county  while  going  to  Buffalo  to 
receive  instructions  from  the  United  States  marshal  relating  to  the 
service  of  his  injunction  order. 

The  petitioners  and  others  intending  to  enter  upon  and  carry 
on  the  round-up  arranged  for  by  law,  sent  trusted  and  honest  em- 
ployees to  attend  to  the  same,  and  these  men  were  threatened  with 
violence  by  the  thieves  and  were  compelled  to  leave  the  county  to 
avoid  death  or  other  violence  to  their  persons.  During  the  summer 
the  number  of  stock  thieves  in  that  vicinity  had  been  greatly  aug- 
mented by  the  arrival  of  other  men  of  the  same  character  from  other 
parts  of  the  country,  and  there  existed  in  that  country  an  organized 
plan  of  driving  the  stockmen  out,  so  that  their  property  might  become 
common  property  for  the  thieves;  cattle  were  being  wantonly  and 
openly  slaughtered  in  that  section  by  thieves,  some  of  the  slaughter- 
ing being  done  for  no  other  purpose  whatever  than  to  gratify  mali- 
cious motives,  and  other  slaughtering  was  being  done  to  enable  the 
thieves  to  market  the  beef  and  obtain  money  therefor.  The  ranches 
and  homes  of  owners  in  that  vicinity  had  many  of  them  been  plun- 
dered, and  the  personal  effects  and  furniture  there  stolen  or  de- 
stroyed, and  the  occupants  of  the  ranches  had  been  driven  from  the 
country  by  fear.  Even  women  and  children  at  the  ranches  had 
received  threats  of  violence,  and  had  been  compelled  to  seek  places 
of  safety.  Letters  in  the  United  States  mails  had  been  opened  by  the 
thieves,  and  there  existed  a  general  and  well-founded  belief  that 
letters  and  information  could  not  be  safely  confided  to  the  United 
States  mails  in  that  vicinity,  and  in  several  instances  persons  had 
been  warned  against  sending  letters  to  their  friends  and  had  been 
notified  not  to  go  to  the  postoffice  either  for  the  purpose  of  mailing 
letters  or  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  mail  therefrom.  It  was  also 
claimed  that  no  effort  of  any  kind  whatever  on  behalf  of  the  civil 
authorities  in  that  vicinity  was  being  made  to  suppress  the  stealing, 
or  any  of  the  acts  of  violence  and  intimidation,  and  in  many  instances 
the  civil  authorities,  by  reason  of  natural  inclination  or  intimidation. 


358  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

were  working  with  the  thieves  and  under  their  influence.  That  the 
sheriff"  of  Johnson  county  openly  declared  his  friendship  for  those  who 
were  known  to  be  thieves,  and  declared  his  enmity  toward  the  owners 
of  live  stock.  With  his  knowledge,  and  without  any  opposition  what- 
ever from  him,  the  county  was  patroled  by  large  numbers  of  armed 
thieves  who  were  permitted  to  go  about  heavily  armed  and  prepared 
at  any  moment  to  execute  their  threat  against  those  who  were  not  in 
accord  with  them.  It  was  further  represented  that  there  existed  in 
the  district  named  an  armed  combination  of  men  to  prevent  the 
administration  of  law  and  justice;  that  neither  life  nor  property  was 
in  any  respect  safe,  and  did  not  and  would  not  receive  protection  at 
the  hands  of  the  civil  authorities.  That  the  country  was  in  a  feverish 
state  of  excitement  and  under  a  complete  reign  of  terror,  and  both 
persons  and  property  were  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  the  outlaws  and 
thieves  who  infested  that  section. 

In  answer  to  this  petition  notices  were  sent  out  to  the  eff"ect  that 
"The  authorities  of  Johnson  county  invite  and  desire  that  all  owners 
of  cattle  ranging  in  this  county  who  have  either  personally  or  by 
their  foremen  and  representatives  participated  in  the  late  armed 
invasion  of  this  county,  send  able,  trustworthy  and  discreet  persons 
to  their  ranches  to  attend  to  the  rounding  up  and  preservation  of 
their  property.  The  undersigned  pledge  to  them  the  resources  of  the 
county  in  the  protection  of  their  interests  here.  We  would  suggest 
that  there  are  a  number  of  idle  cowboys  here  who  have  not  been 
branded  as  outlaws  or  black-balled  by  the  stock  association  who 
will  gladly  work  and  help  round  up  the  cattle  during  the  coming 
season." 

The  above  was  signed  by  SheriflF  Angus,  the  prosecuting  attor- 
ney, and  the  three  members  of  the  board  of  county  commissioners  of 
Johnson  county. 

President  Harrison  was  also  importuned  to  have  martial  law 
established  in  Johnson  county  for  the  same  reasons  as  stated  in  the 
petition  to  Governor  Barber,  and  on  June  6  six  troops  of  cavalry  from 
Fort  Robinson,  Nebraska,  were  ordered  to  march  to  Powder  River, 
Wyoming,  and  six  troops  of  cavalry  from  Fort  Niobrara,  Nebraska, 
were  ordered  to  march  into  Wyoming  and  go  into  camp  at  a  point 
between  old  Fort  Fetterman  and  old  Fort  Caspar.  These  cavalry 
forces  moved  as  directed  and  remained  stationed  there  all  summer. 
On  July  30,  President  Harrison  issued  and  sent  forth  a  proclamation 
declaring  that  "By  reasons  of  unlawful  obstructions  and  assemblages 
of  persons  it  has  become  impracticable,  in  my  judgment,  to  enforce 
by  the  ordinary  course  of  judicial  proceedings  the  laws  of  the  United 
States.     After  repeated   efforts,   the  United   States   marshal,   bemg 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  359 

unable,  by  his  ordinary  deputies,  or  by  any  civil  posse  which  he  is 
able  to  obtain,  to  execute  the  process  of  the  United  States  courts; 

"Now,  therefore,  be  it  known  that  I,  Benjamin  Harrison,  presi- 
dent of  the  United  States,  do  hereby  command  all  persons  engaged  in 
such  resistance  to  the  laws  and  the  process  of  the  courts  of  the  United 
States,  to  cease  such  opposition  and  resistance  and  to  disperse  and 
retire  peaceably  to  their  respective  abodes  on  or  before  Wednesday, 
the  3d  day  of  August  next. 

"In  witness  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand  and  caused 
the  seal  of  the  United  States  to  be  affixed. 

"Done  at  the  City  of  Washington,  this  30th  day  of  July,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  ninety-two,  and 
of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  the  one  hundred  and 
seventeenth.  Benjamin  Harrison." 

J.  W.  Blake,  judge  of  the  Second  Judicial  district,  which  com- 
prised Johnson  and  Albany  counties,  sent  a  letter  to  Acting  Governor 
Barber  on  the  19th  of  June,  requesting  that  he  deliver  to  the  authori- 
ties of  Johnson  county  the  stockmen  then  confined  at  Fort  Russell. 
The  judge  informed  the  governor  that  he  had  received  a  certified 
copy  of  informations  filed  against  the  men,  charging  them  with  mur- 
der. He  stated  that  he  had  also  received  a  certified  copy  of  warrants 
issued  by  the  clerk  of  the  court  for  the  arrest  of  the  parties  charged 
in  the  information.  Judge  Blake  also  made  the  following  requests  of 
the  governor: 

"First,  That  you  turn  over  to  the  sheriff  of  Johnson  county  or  his  deputy,  the 
parties  named  in  his  warrants,  and  give  them  into  his  custody  at  Fort  Russell.  Second, 
That  before  you  do  this,  inform  me  of  the  time  you  will  be  ready  to  make  the  transfer 
in  order  that  I  may  give  the  officer  full  directions  as  to  the  place  they  shall  be  held, 
pending  the  future  proceedings  of  the  court.  Pending  the  time  of  the  trial,  I  believe  it 
my  duty  to  exercise  the  utmost  diligence  and  care — first,  in  placing  the  prisoners  with- 
in the  custody  of  the  proper  officers  of  the  court;  second,  that  they  be  kept  with 
absolute  safety;  third,  that  these  things  be  done  in  such  a  way  that  will  entail  the 
smallest  possible  expense  upon  Johnson  county. 

"I  do  not  consider  it  necessary  at  this  time  to  have  these  men  taken  to  Johnson 
county.  I  have  in  view  two  methods  of  holding  them  in  custody,  both  of  which  will 
require  the  assent  of  the  parties  accused. 

"One  is  that  they  be  confined  at  Fort  Russell  as  long  as  the  war  department  will 
detain  them  there;  the  other  that  they  be  confined  in  the  north  wing  of  the  peniten- 
tiary at  Laramie,  a  portion  of  the  building  now  unoccupied  for  any  purpose,  and  where 
they  will  not  under  any  circumstances  come  in  contact  with  any  of  the  convicts  con- 
fined in  another  part  of  the  building. 

"Should  you  surrender  these  men  to  the  judicial  department  upon  this  request, 
my  positive  order  will  be  given  to  the  officer  to  whom  they  are  surrendered  upon  these 
points  in  the  way  I  have  indicated  as  to  their  confinement,  and  I  am  satisfied  beyond 
any  question  that  these  orders  will  be  obeyed.  For  this  reason  I  believe  that  I  have  a 
right  to  make  them,  and  I  have  never  known  an  officer  of  Johnson  county  to  disregard 
any  direction  I  had  given  him.  I  must  urge  upon  you,  that  I  insist  as  soon  as  the 
matter  can  be  arranged,  wherever  these  prisoners  are  detained,  they  must  be  kept 
under  the  custody  of  an  officer  of  the  court  for  Johnson  county." 


360  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

On  July  5,  the  prisoners  were  taken  to  Laramie  where  Judge 
Blake  was  holding  court.  Adjutant  General  Frank  Stitzer,  of  the 
Wyoming  National  Guard,  accompanied  by  almost  the  entire  military 
staff  of  the  governor,  accompanied  them.  They  were  formally  turned 
over  to  the  deputy  sheriff  of  Johnson  county,  who  took  charge  of 
them.  An  application  for  a  change  of  venue  from  Johnson  county 
was  made,  heard  and  granted,  after  a  deliberation  lasting  two  weeks, 
and  Cheyenne  was  selected  as  the  place  of  trial.  The  prisoners  were 
then  returned  to  Cheyenne,  put  in  charge  of  Sheriff  A.  D.  Kelly,  and 
quartered  in  Keefe's  hall,  instead  of  the  jail. 

On  August  7  they  were  arraigned  before  Judge  Scott,  in  the  dis- 
trict court  for  Laramie  county  and  three  days  were  consumed  in 
securing  a  jury.  At  the  close  of  the  third  day  the  sheriff  presented  a 
petition  to  Judge  Scott  for  relief,  setting  forth  that  Johnson  county 
was  bankrupt;  that  its  officials  had  not  paid  the  expenses  incurred  by 
the  detention  of  the  prisoners  in  Albany  county  pending  the  hearing 
on  the  motion  for  a  change  of  venue;  that  the  cost  of  holding  the 
prisoners,  including  hall  rent,  guards  and  food,  was  over  a  hundred 
dollars  a  day;  that  he  could  not  get  any  money  from  the  Johnson 
county  officials  with  which  to  meet  these  bills;  that  Johnson  county 
warrants  would  not  take  the  place  of  money;  that  he,  as  sheriff,  would 
no  longer  assume  responsibility  for  these  current  expenses,  and 
prayed  for  an  order  of  court  that  would  secure  him  against  loss,  as 
he  could  not  longer  hold  the  accused. 

When  court  convened  on  the  morning  of  August  10,  Judge  Scott 
handed  down  his  decision  on  the  above  petition  which  stated  that  he 
was  unable  to  issue  an  order  compelling  Johnson  county  to  make 
good  the  sheriff's  disbursements  for  the  maintenance  of  the  prisoners 
and  as  he  had  refused  to  longer  provide  for  them,  the  only  alternative 
was  to  admit  them  to  bail.  But  as  the  defense  refused  to  furnish  bail, 
he  was  forced  to  release  them  on  their  individual  recognizances.  The 
prisoners  at  once  signed  each  his  own  bail  bond  for  ^20,000  in  the  two 
separate  cases,  and  they  were  all  set  at  liberty,  but  ordered  to  appear 
at  the  next  term  of  court,  in  January,  1893. 

January  21,  1893,  when  the  case  was  called  for  trial  nearly  all  of 
the  cattlemen  responded,  but  the  hired  gunmen  failed  to  appear. 
Alvin  Bennett,  prosecuting  attorney  for  Johnson  county,  offered  a 
motion  to  enter  a  nolle  prosequi,  to  which  the  attorneys  for  the 
defense  entered  an  objection.  After  discussion  the  court  accepted  the 
motion  and  the  prisoners  were  discharged.  A  similar  motion  was 
made  covering  the  cases  of  the  hired  gunmen  who  had  not  appeared, 
and  an  order  of  discharge  was  entered  in  the  court  records,  also  one 
rescinding  the  order  of  forfeiture  of  bail  bonds. 


TRAGEDIES    ON    THE    RANGE  361 

This  action  of  course  ended  the  trial  and  although  the  general 
public  severely  criticised  the  courts,  it  was  conceded  by  many  that  it 
was  better  to  discharge  the  prisoners  than  to  pretend  to  keep  them  in 
custody  when  they  were  as  a  matter  of  fact  freer  to  go  about  the 
streets  and  to  public  places  than  the  men  engaged  in  business  or  those 
employed  in  offices,  stores  or  the  shops. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  Wyoming  Stockgrowers'  Association  held 
in  Cheyenne  on  April  4,  1893,  John  Clay,  president  of  the  association, 
in  referring  to  the  unfortunate  affair,  said:  "Not  content  with  the 
imposition  of  financial  and  climatic  troubles  another  burden  had  to 
be  added  to  our  lot.  After  a  long  period  of  forbearance  and  patience 
from  range  depredations,  both  petty  and  wholesale,  the  trouble  cul- 
minated a  year  ago  and  the  so-called  invasion  of  Johnson  county  took 
place,  which  ended  unfortunately  and  gave  rise  to  an  almost  inter- 
minable amount  of  bad  blood,  politically  and  socially.  While  the 
invasion  is  now  consigned  to  history,  it  developed,  during  its  progress 
last  spring  and  the  long,  weary  summer  months  which  followed,  a 
spirit  of  admiration  for  all  classes  of  the  men  who  had  taken  part  in 
the  expedition.  Under  the  most  trying  circumstances  they  stood 
shoulder  to  shoulder,  scarce  a  murmur  escaping  them.  Notwith- 
standing their  errors  of  judgment,  we  respect  them  for  their  man- 
liness, for  their  supreme  courage  under  the  adverse  fire  of  calumny 
and  the  usual  kicking  man  gets  when  he  is  down.  There  will  be  a  day 
of  retribution  and  the  traitors  in  the  camp  and  in  the  field  will  be 
winnowed  like  wheat  from  the  chaff." 

In  connection  with  the  killing  of  Nate  Champion,  it  is  well  to 
mention  that  he  was  classed  as  the  most  daring  cattle  thief  in  the 
state  and  several  attempts  had  been  made  before  to  kill  him.  About 
daylight  one  morning  in  November,  1891,  four  men  went  to  his  cabin 
and  two  of  them  broke  in  the  door.  They  leveled  their  guns  at  him 
and  Ross  Gilbertson  who  was  in  bed  with  him.  Champion  started  to 
talk  and  at  the  same  time  reached  for  his  six-shooter.  The  fellows 
became  rattled  and  one  fired  with  his  revolver  within  two  feet  of 
Champion's  face,  but  owing  to  the  dim  light  or  nervousness,  he  failed 
to  injure  him  beyond  inflicting  some  powder  burns. 

In  the  fall  after  the  regulators  were  discharged,  Dudley  Cham- 
pion, a  brother  of  Nate,  was  shot  and  killed  by  Mike  Shonsy  about 
twenty  miles  northwest  of  Lusk.  The  two  men  met  on  the  range  and 
after  a  few  words  Shonsy  pulled  his  gun  and  fired,  killing  Champion 
instantly.  Shonsy,  accompanied  by  a  lad  who  saw  the  shooting, 
immediately  started  for  Lusk,  where  he  gave  himself  up  to  the 
officers.  A  preliminary  hearing  was  at  once  had,  the  boy  swearing 
that  Champion  drew  his  revolver  first,  and  that  Shonsy  fired  in  self- 


362  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

defense.  This  relieved  Shonsy  from  blame  and  he  was  released.  A 
few  hours  later  he  took  the  train  for  Cheyenne  and  from  there  took 
the  afternoon  train  south,  presumably  going  to  Mexico.  Twenty-four 
hours  after  Shonsy's  release  by  the  court  at  Lusk,  other  witnesses 
arrived  and  it  was  claimed  that  Champion  had  made  no  gun  play  and 
that  the  killing  was  unprovoked,  cold-blooded  murder  on  the  part  of 
Shonsy,  but  no  action  was  taken  to  bring  him  back  and  answer  forthe 
crime. 

A  number  of  other  killings  occurred  as  a  result  of  the  invasion, 
but  after  thirty  years,  the  bad  blood  has  ceased  to  exist,  for  many  of 
the  men  on  both  sides  have  been  called  to  that  Judgment  where 
justice  is  done  to  all. 

The  killing  of  the  two  men  and  the  burning  of  property  by  an 
organized  band  of  men  who  acted  as  judge,  jury,  and  executioner,  was 
a  regrettable  and  deplorable  affair.  It  gave  to  Wyoming  a  name  for 
lawlessness  that  kept  many  good  people  from  coming  here  and  thus 
retarded  our  growth  and  development,  but  on  the  other  hand,  it  had 
its  good  effect,  for  many  men  who  had  no  vocation  and  existed  by 
semi-lawlessness  with  perfect  security,  soon  became  solid,  law- 
abiding  citizens,  whose  every  act  would  stand  the  light.  The  cattle 
rustlers  could  see  their  finish  and  many  of  them  filed  on  homesteads 
and  engaged  in  ranching  and  stockraising.  Then  people  from  other 
states  came  and  settled  and  developed  the  land,  turning  patches  of 
sagebrush,  cactus  and  greasewood  into  beautiful  fields  of  alfalfa. 
This  put  the  large  cattle  outfits  out  of  business;  the  open  range  "with 
a  thousand  cattle  on  every  hill"  is  a  thing  of  the  past;  comfortable 
homes  and  prosperous  ranches  have  been  established  where  there 
were  thousands  upon  thousands  of  acres  and  miles  upon  miles  of 
barren  land  without  a  fence  or  house  in  sight.  What  a  wonderful  and 
welcome  change! 

War  Between  Cattlemen  and  Sheepmen 

Three  thousand  sheep  were  trailed  into  Natrona  county  in  the 
summer  of  1888  by  Joel  J.  Hurt  to  be  turned  out  on  the  open  range. 
This  was  the  first  band  of  sheep  that  was  brought  into  the  then  exclu- 
sive cattle  country.  Now  we  have  more  than  300,000  sheep  ranging 
within  our  borders.  The  bringing  in  of  these  sheep  and  those  that 
followed  caused  as  much  contention  and  bloodshed  as  the  fights 
between  the  cattlemen  and  the  "nesters"  and  rustlers. 

People  nowadays  will  naturally  wonder  why  there  should  have 
been  so  much  animosity  between  two  classes  of  men  engaged  in 
similar  pursuits  in  a  country  which  had  always  been  termed  the  "free 


WAR    BETWEEN    CATTLEMEN    AND    SHEEPMEN  363 

and  boundless  west,"  where  every  man  was  supposed  to  have  an 
equal  chance  with  every  other  and  where  there  was  room  for  all.  In 
the  beginning  there  was  plenty  of  room  for  all,  but  there  came  a  time 
when  the  settlers  cut  up  the  country  into  ranches  and  the  land  avail- 
able for  free  pasturage  shrank  until  there  was  room  only  for  the 
strongest.  But  this  was  not  the  real  cause  of  the  contention  between 
the  sheepmen  and  the  cattlemen.  It  arose  from  the  difference  be- 
tween the  two  classes  of  livestock  and  the  further  fact  that  the  cattle- 
men had  been  "monarchs  of  all  they  surveyed"  on  the  open  range 
and  they  were  opposed  to  anyone  else  coming  in  who  might  in  any 
way  interfere  with  them. 

The  cattle  were  turned  out  on  the  range  to  wander  at  their  will 
without  being  disturbed  except  by  an  occasional  rustler,  but  the  sheep, 
the  cattlemen  claimed,  were  nomadic  and  gregarious.  Wherever  a 
band  of  sheep  had  fed  they  said  the  cattle  would  not  go.  The  argu- 
ment was  put  forth  that  a  flock  of  3,000  sheep  would  march  across 
the  country,  eating  the  grass  down  to  the  roots,  and  what  they  did  not 
eat  they  would  tramp  out  with  their  sharp  little  hoofs,  and  pack  the 
soil  and  destroy  its  porosity  so  that  the  grass  would  not  grow  after 
they  had  passed.  They  would  pollute  the  watering  places  and  leave 
behind  an  odor  that  cattle  would  not  tolerate.  These  charges,  taken 
in  connection  with  the  constantly  shrinking  free  pasturage,  were  the 
reasons  the  cattlemen  hated  the  sheep  raisers  and  tried  to  drive  them 
out  of  the  country.  As  a  general  thing  the  cattlemen  always  got  the 
best  of  the  fight,  because  a  band  of  sheep  were  generally  looked  after 
by  two  or  three  men  and  a  dog,  while  from  ten  to  a  dozen  cattlemen 
came,  and  in  the  night  time,  too,  to  look  after  the  sheepmen. 

After  the  sheepmen  came  into  the  cattle  country,  the  days  of  the 
"free  range,"  when  the  grass  belonged  to  whomever  chose  to  take  it, 
were  numbered.  It  was  plain  to  be  seen  that  the  loss  of  the  enormous 
free  range  would  gradually  turn  the  cattlemen  into  farmers  who 
would  feed  their  cattle  in  the  winter  with  hay,  corn,  and  cotton- 
seed and  it  would  make  ranch  hands  out  of  the  once  free  and  inde- 
pendent cowboy,  and  the  vast  roaming  herds  of  cattle  would  be  gone 
forever. 

There  were  physical  and  mental  differences  between  the  cowboy 
and  the  sheep  herder.  From  the  very  nature  of  his  occupation,  the 
cowboy  was  a  wild,  free  being.  He  broke  the  savage  and  almost  un- 
tamable broncho  to  the  saddle  and  then  rode  him.  His  work  was 
swift  and  vigorous  and  his  charges  were  the  great,  strong,  free  steers 
and  cows  that  never  knew  the  touch  of  human  hands.  He  lived  and 
endured  hardships  with  others  of  his  kind  and  his  pleasures  were  as 
fierce  as  his  work.    His  was  the  strenuous  life. 


364  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

The  sheep  herder,  on  the  other  hand,  pursued  his  soHtary  oc- 
cupation afoot,  his  only  companions  being  his  dog  and  his  thou- 
sands of  sheep,  which  have  no  individuaHty  and  are  maddeningly, 
monotonously  alike.  The  very  lonesomeness  of  his  occupation 
made  the  sheep  herder  either  a  morose  and  sullen  brute  or  a  poetic 
dreamer. 

Cowboys  were  known  to  stand  off  from  a  band  of  sheep  and  with 
their  rifles  pick  off  sheep  after  sheep  until  they  had  exhausted  all  their 
ammunition,  and  when  they  could  shoot  no  more,  ride  away,  exulting 
over  the  fact  that  they  had  caused  a  loss  to  the  sheep  owner.  If  a 
herder  should  attempt  to  fight  back,  he,  too,  was  generally  shot  at.  A 
favorite  source  of  amusement  for  some  of  the  cow  punchers  was  to 
gather  a  hundred  or  so  head  of  steers  and  drive  them  pell-mell  through 
a  flock  of  sheep,  killing  many  and  scattering  the  rest  in  all  directions. 
Others  have  driven  hundreds  of  sheep  over  a  steep  precipice,  thus 
causing  a  great  loss  to  the  sheepman.  All  that  was  necessary  to  get  a 
band  of  sheep  started  over  a  bank  was  to  start  a  few  of  the  leaders  off 
and  then  the  whole  band  would  go  over  with  a  rush  and  cause  a 
"pile-up"  of  the  poor  dumb  brutes,  and  they  were  either  killed  from 
the  fall  or  smothered  by  being  piled  one  on  top  of  the  other  from  ten 
to  twenty  deep. 

The  cattlemen  drew  an  imaginary  line  on  the  range  which  they 
called  a  "dead  line."  While  most  of  the  land  was  owned  by  the 
government  and  the  cattleman  had  no  more  title  to  it  than  the  sheep- 
man, thousands  of  acres  of  good  grazing  land  were  laid  out  by  the 
cattlemen  as  the  "cattle  country,"  and  if  a  sheepman  dared  to  pass 
over  their  dead  line  with  his  flock  he  was  visited  in  the  night  by  a 
band  of  men  and  the  herders  were  killed,  the  wagons  burned  and  the 
flocks  scattered.  Unparalleled  and  the  most  sickening  barbarity  was 
practiced  both  to  human  beings  and  the  poor  dumb  brutes. 

This  practice  of  brutality,  destruction,  and  death  was  kept  up 
for  about  twenty  years  by  men  who,  for  the  most  part,  got  their 
start  by  rustling,  and  it  seemed  to  meet  with  approval  by  some 
people,  and  even  some  of  the  oflficers  of  the  law  and  the  courts  seemed 
to  be  but  little  concerned. 

In  the  Sweetwater  country  numerous  sheep  camps  were  burned, 
the  sheep  killed  and  the  herders  shot  at  because  the  "dead  line"  was 
crossed,  but  the  men  who  committed  these  depredations  were  never 
brought  into  court  for  the  reason  that  those  who  had  suffered  the  loss 
were  reasonably  sure  that  a  trial  in  the  courts  would  result  in  a 
farce  and  only  cause  more  trouble. 

On  the  24th  of  August,  1905,  ten  masked  men  visited  the  Louis 
A.  Gantz  sheep  camp,  which  was  located  about  forty  miles  from  the 


WAR    BETWEEN    CATTLEMEN    AND    SHEEPMEN  365 

town  of  Basin,  and  they  clubbed  and  shot  to  death  about  4,000  head 
of  sheep,  burned  the  camp  wagons  and  shot  a  team  of  horses  valued  at 
$400.  About  ^700  worth  of  grain  and  provisions  were  also  destroyed. 
The  Gantz  sheep,  about  7,000  in  number,  were  being  taken  to  the 
Big  Horn  forest  reserve  and  the  settlers  along  the  foot  hills  of  the 
mountains  complained  that  the  stock  w^as  being  moved  unnecessarily 
slow  and  that  they  were  destroying  the  home  range  of  the  settlers. 
The  men  who  committed  this  crime  were  so  bent  on  destruction  that 
even  the  sheep  dogs  were  tied  to  the  wagons  and  burned.  The  men 
who  were  in  charge  of  the  sheep  were  given  some  provisions  and  told 
to  leave  the  mountains  and  never  return,  and  they  lost  no  time  in 
complying  with  the  demand,  considering  themselves  fortunate  in 
escaping  alive.  Mr.  Gantz  suflFered  his  loss  as  the  many  who  had 
suffered  before  him  and  nothing  was  ever  done  to  bring  the  men 
to  justice  who  committed  the  act,  although  it  was  well  known  who 
perpetrated  the  heinous  deed. 

There  was  one  case,  however,  where  the  perpetrators  were 
brought  into  court.  A  raid  was  made  April  3,  1909,  on  No  Water 
creek,  in  the  Ten  Sleep  country,  between  Thermopolis  and  Worland, 
when  Joe  Allemand,  a  sheepman  from  Natrona  county,  with  his 
camp  mover,  Joseph  Emge,  and  sheep  herder,  Jules  Lazier,  were  shot 
to  death  in  the  night  time  and  their  bodies  burned.  The  wagons 
were  destroyed  by  fire  and  many  sheep  were  slain.  The  crime  was  so 
revolting  that  the  Wyoming  Woolgrowers  association  offered  a  large 
reward  for  the  apprehension  of  the  murderers,  and  at  the  session  of 
the  grand  jury  held  in  Basin  the  first  part  of  May,  true  bills  were 
returned  against  George  Sabin,  Herbert  L.  Brink,  Milton  Alexander, 
Ed  Eaton,  Tom  Dixon,  Charles  Faris,  and  William  Keyes.  At  the 
November  term  of  the  district  court  Faris  and  Keyes  showed  the 
white  feather  and  turned  state's  evidence,  with  the  understanding 
that  they  should  not  be  prosecuted.  Brink  was  the  first  to  be  tried  and 
he  was  found  guilty  of  murder  in  the  first  degree,  and  was  sentenced 
to  be  hanged,  but  a  compromise  was  made  with  the  court  and  it  was 
understood  that  the  sentence  would  be  commuted  to  life  imprison- 
ment, provided  two  of  the  others  would  plead  guilty  to  murder  in  the 
second  degree  and  the  other  two  would  plead  guilty  to  arson.  It  was 
claimed  that  Faris  and  Keyes  were  the  actual  murderers,  and  the 
court  and  the  people  in  general  naturally  felt  that  it  was  unfair  that 
they  should  escape  and  the  others  should  suffer,  but  the  prosecuting 
attorney  had  promised  them  this  reward  for  turning  state's  evidence, 
and  they  were  the  chief  witnesses  against  their  companions  in  crime. 
In  accordance  with  the  compromise  and  agreement  Alexander  and 
Sabin  pleaded  guilty  to  murder  in  the  second  degree  and  each  was 


366  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

sentenced  to  serve  from  twenty  to  twenty-six  years  in  the  peniten- 
tiary. Tom  Dixon  and  Ed  Eaton  pleaded  guilty  to  the  crime  of 
arson  and  they  were  each  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary  from  three  to 
five  years.  At  the  same  term  of  the  district  court  a  poor  Mexican 
sheep  herder,  who  had  shot  and  killed  a  gambler  because  he  had  been 
robbed  by  him,  was  convicted  of  murder  in  the  first  degree  and  given 
a  sentence  of  life  in  the  penitentiary.  Judge  Parmelee,  who  presided 
at  the  trial  of  the  cattleman,  as  well  as  at  the  trial  of  the  Mexican, 
was  severely  condemned  by  some  of  the  newspapers  of  the  state 
because  of  his  light  sentence  upon  the  men  who  had  committed  the 
atrocious  crime  of  killing  the  three  sheepmen,  slaughtering  the  sheep 
and  destroying  the  property,  and  the  seemingly  severe  sentence  upon 
the  Mexican  sheepherder  who  had  killed  a  professional  gambler  who 
had  robbed  him  of  all  his  money,  and  to  an  unprejudiced  and  un- 
biased public  it  would  truly  seem  that  the  Goddess  of  Justice  did 
have  her  face  turned  to  the  wall  at  that  term  of  court. 

When  the  men  left  the  little  town  of  Basin  to  be  taken  to  the 
penitentiary  there  were  many  prominent  people  at  the  railway 
passenger  station  to  bid  them  farewell  and  express  the  hope  that  they 
would  all  soon  be  pardoned  and  be  allowed  to  return  home;  all  but 
Lorenzo  Paseo,  the  Mexican  sheepherder.  He  received  no  sympathy 
and  no  one  expressed  the  hope  that  he  would  be  pardoned  or  that 
he  would  ever  return,  because  in  the  heat  of  passion  he  had  shot  and 
killed  a  gambler  who  had  robbed  him  of  his  last  penny.  But  the  other 
men  had  premeditatedly  murdered  three  men,  slaughtered  a  thousand 
dumb  sheep  and  destroyed  by  fire  the  property  of  the  men  they  had 
sneaked  upon  in  the  night  time  and  killed;  these  were  the  men  that 
were  attracting  the  sympathy  of  the  public. 

Of  the  six  men,  who  were  taken  to  the  penitentiary,  five  of  them 
received  every  consideration  that  it  was  possible  for  the  warden  to 
give  them.  Paseo,  however,  received  no  favors,  and  in  the  summer  of 
191 2  he  led  a  revolt  by  a  dozen  other  convicts  and  broke  through  the 
prison  walls  and  in  his  attempt  to  make  good  his  escape,  he  shot  a 
citizen  of  Rawlins  who  attempted  to  effect  his  capture,  and  a  few 
minutes  later  he  himself  was  shot  dead,  and  thus  ended  his  miserable 
existence.  Ed  Eaton,  who  was  to  have  served  three  to  five  years, 
died  on  June  i,  191 2,  just  five  months  before  his  term  would  have 
expired.  Tom  Dixon  served  his  three-year  sentence  and  was  dis- 
charged November  i,  191 2.  Alexander,  with  the  twenty  to  twenty- 
six  year  sentence,  was  paroled  on  December  14,  1914,  and  pardoned 
February  13,  1917.  Sabin  was  soon  made  a  "trusty,"  or  an  "honor" 
convict,  and  was  allowed  to  work  on  the  public  highway  instead  of 
inside  the  prison  walls,  and  on  December  17,  1913,  while  "working" 


WAR    BETWEEN    CATTLEMEN    AND    SHEEPMEN  367 

in  the  Basin  country,  among  his  friends,  he  "escaped"  from  the 
guards  and  has  not  since  been  seen  by  the  authorities.    A  feeble 
attempt  was   presumed  to   have  been   made  by   the  authorities  to 
capture  him,   but  they  were  careful  not  to  make  the  search   too 
diligent.    It  is  claimed  that  he  went  to  South  America.    Brink,  who 
was  first  sentenced  to  be  hanged,  but  according  to  agreement  the 
sentence  was  reduced  to  life  imprisonment,  had  his  sentence  com- 
muted by  Governor  Joseph  M.  Carey  on  December  4,  1914,  to  from 
twenty-five  to  twenty-six  years.    Because  of  the  liberties  and  favors 
extended  to  him  by  the  prison  and  some  of  the  state  authorities  Brink 
was  looked  upon  by  many  of  the  convicts  as  a  hero.   A  few  years  after 
his  incarceration,  a  negro,  who  had  committed  a  heinous  crime  upon 
a  white  woman,  was  brought  into  prison  because  it  was  feared  a 
mob  would  take  him  from  the  county  jail  and  hang  him,  but  the 
state  prison  was  not  as  safe  a  place  as  the  county  jail,  for  Brink  was 
the  leader  among  the  convicts  who  hanged  the  negro  to  the  topmost 
gangway  of  the  cell  house  in  the  penitentiary.    The  state  and  prison 
authorities  made  an  "investigation"  of  the  hanging,  but  they  were 
unable  to  discover  who  committed  the  act,  and  as  the  negro  deserved 
to  be  hanged,  it  was  considered  that  the  job  was  well  executed  and  it 
was  presumed  the  authorities  did  not  press  the  investigation  very 
closely.    On  December  8,  1914,  Brink  was  paroled  and  on  May  15, 
1917,  he  violated  his  parole  and  left  the  country.    Nothing  was  heard 
from  him  until  February  11,  1922,  when  he  was  returned  to  the  peni- 
tentiary to  serve  out  his  commuted  sentence.    He  was  captured  by 
the  authorities  of  Vancouver,  B.  C.    He  had  been  living  with  his 
sister  since  his  escape,  and  after  three  children  had  been  born  to  the 
brother  and  sister,  as  father  and  mother,  he  then  deserted  the  poor 
woman  and  unfortunate  children,  and  the  woman  complained  to  the 
authorities  of  her  brother's  treatment.    The  authorities  returned  him 
to  the  Wyoming  penitentiary,  and  it  is  said  he  is  constantly  in  dread 
of  receiving  the  same  treatment  that  he  helped  mete  out  to  the  negro 
who  had  committed  a  less  revolting  crime. 

But  coming  back  to  the  wars  between  the  cattlemen  and  sheep- 
men. The  Allemand,  Enige  and  Lazier  case  was  similar  to  many 
cases  that  had  previously  occurred  and  a  number  that  have  since 
been  committed,  except  that  the  perpetrators  of  the  crimes  were  not 
even  brought  into  court.  But  now,  since  it  has  been  learned  that  the 
sheep  do  not  devastate  the  range,  befoul  the  water  and  "leave  an 
odor  that  the  cattle  will  not  tolerate,"  and  that  there  is  fully  as 
much  profit  in  sheep  growing  as  there  is  in  cattle  raising,  the  dead 
lines  have  been  removed;  cattle  and  sheep  feed  on  the  same  range  and 
drink  from  the  same  water  hole,  and  many  of  the  early-day  cattlemen 


368  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

now  own  large  flocks  of  sheep  and  the  deadly  wars  between  the  cattle- 
men and  the  sheepmen  are  no  more.    And  it  is  well  that  it  is  so. 


Guide  Murders  Two  Men 

"The  Monument,"  cut  from  a  slab  of  rough  Pennsylvania 
granite,  standing  about  eight  feet  above  the  ground,  fourteen  inches 
in  thickness,  with  cross  arms  four  and  one-half  feet  long,  and  weigh- 
ing several  thousand  pounds,  in  a  lonely  spot  along  a  trail  on  Monu- 
ment creek,  in  Carbon  county,  about  eighteen  miles  from  Alcova  and 
fifty-two  miles  in  a  southwesterly  direction  from  Casper,  is  the  silent 
marker  for  one  of  the  most  deliberate  and  dastardly  murders  that  has 
ever  been  committed  in  Central  Wyoming. 

Inscribed  on  the  base  of  this  rough  cross,  'way  out  on  the  lone 
prairie,  the  brief  inscription  gives  but  this  information:  "To  the 
memory  of  God,  and  in  the  name  of  I.  Morris  Wain,  of  Philadelphia, 
Pa.    Born  July  12th,  1866,  murdered  by  his  guide  July  28th,  1888," 

There  is  a  question  as  to  whether  the  date  inscribed  on  the  monu- 
ment is  the  correct  date  upon  which  the  murder  was  committed,  as 
will  be  noted  from  a  sketch  by  Boney  Earnest,  who  claims  that  he  saw 
Wain  and  two  other  men  on  August  8;  and  there  were  two  men  mur- 
dered, instead  of  one,  as  the  inscription  would  indicate. 

I.  Morris  Wain  of  Haverford,  Pennsylvania,  and  C.  H.  Strong 
of  New  York  City  came  west  on  a  hunting,  prospecting  and  pleasure 
trip  in  the  early  spring  of  1888. 

At  Wichita  Falls,  Texas,  they  outfitted  with  a  wagon,  team  of 
mules  and  two  saddle  ponies  and  came  north,  arriving  in  Denver  early 
in  June.  They  remained  in  that  city  for  a  week,  and  in  Denver  they 
hired  a  man  named  Thomas  O'Brien  as  cook,  guide  and  teamster,  and 
started  for  Bozeman,  Montana.  Near  Rock  Creek,  Wyoming,  they 
found  game  in  abundance  and  they  remained  in  that  vicinity  two 
days,  killing  game.  On  July  27  the  party  reached  Boney  Earnest's 
ranch  on  Canyon  creek.  Strong  talked  with  Mr.  Earnest,  and  among 
other  things  he  told  him  that  they  were  on  their  way  to  Bozeman, 
where  they  intended  buying  a  bunch  of  horses,  ship  them  east  and 
sell  them  at  a  good  profit. 

"I  saw  them  again  on  the  8th  of  August,"  says  Mr.  Earnest, 
"while  I  was  on  my  way  to  Oil  City  to  attend  a  meeting  of  the  miners. 
I  was  accompanied  by  my  wife  and  Miss  Castleberry.  We  were  about 
three  miles  from  the  Sweetwater  bridge.  Wain  was  driving  the  team 
and  Strong  and  the  cook  were  on  the  saddle  ponies.  We  did  not  stop 
to  talk  to  them,  but  I  wondered  why  they  were  going  back  over  the 
same  road  that  they  had  come  over  a  week  previous. 


GUIDE    MURDERS    TWO    MEN  369 

"One  morning,  about  a  week  later,  after  we  had  returned  home 
from  Oil  City,  a  man  came  to  the  '  Pick'  ranch,  at  the  mouth  of  Sand 
creek,  and  he  had  in  a  tin  can  the  upper  and  lower  jaw  bones  of  a 
dead  man,  and  the  teeth  were  filled  with  gold.  The  man  said  while  he 
and  a  number  of  cowboys  from  Colonel  Torrey's  ranch  were  on  their 
way  home  from  Rock  creek  they  camped  at  the  Point  of  Rocks  over 
night.  The  cook  went  to  a  clump  of  willows  to  get  some  wood  to  start 
a  fire,  and  in  this  bunch  of  willows  he  discovered  the  body,  which  was 
very  much  decomposed. 

"Art  Roberts,  living  at  Ferris,  was  coroner,  and  he  was  sent  for 
to  make  an  investigation.  We  went  to  the  Point  of  Rocks,  gathered  up 
the  remains,  held  an  inquest  and  buried  the  body.  The  verdict  of  the 
jury  was  that  the  man,  unknown,  came  to  his  death  from  a  gun-shot 
wound,  inflicted  by  a  party  or  parties  unknown. 

"I  took  a  silk  hankerchief  which  was  around  the  neck  of  the  dead 
man,  and  a  silver  bangle  off  from  his  wrist,  hoping  that  these  might 
lead  to  a  clue  to  his  identity. 

"About  a  week  later,  while  the  men  of  the  Pick  Cattle  company 
were  gathering  beef  and  rounding  up  cattle  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Point  of  Rocks,  H.  A.  Burtch,  who  was  wrangling  the  saddle  horses, 
discovered  another  body  in  a  gulch,  partly  covered  with  brush.  When 
we  went  over  I  at  once  recognized  the  dead  man  as  the  young  man. 
Strong,  on  account  of  his  perfect  teeth.  William  High,  who  was 
sheriff  of  Carbon  county  at  that  time,  and  Frank  Hadsell,  his  deputy, 
were  notified,  and  they  made  every  effort  possible  to  trail  the  mur- 
derer, but  owing  to  the  fact  that  there  had  been  several  heavy  rains, 
the  trail  could  not  be  followed,  although  we  did  find  that  the  man  had 
gone  in  the  direction  of  Laramie  City.  We  learned  several  months 
later  that  Ed.  White,  Ad.  Keith  and  a  man  named  Snider  had  met  the 
man  on  the  road  between  the  head  of  the  Bates  Hole  road  and  the 
Little  Medicine  Bow  river.  The  man  had  the  mules  hitched  to  the 
wagon  and  the  saddle  ponies  were  following,  but  the  men  had  not 
heard  of  the  murder,  and  took  it  for  granted  that  the  man  was  travel- 
ing through  the  country  with  his  own  outfit.  These  men  gave  the 
information  that  O'Brien  was  headed  in  the  direction  of  the  Medicine 
Bow  river. 

"  For  more  than  a  month  the  officers  scoured  the  country,  looking 
for  some  trail,  but  were  unable  to  find  anything  definite  until  they 
learned  the  story  of  Messrs.  White,  Keith  and  Snider.  In  the  mean- 
time the  murderer  was  going  back  to  Colorado  as  fast  as  possible, 
over  the  same  trail  that  he  and  his  victims  had  come  over. 

"On  September  27,  while  my  brother  Frank  and  I  were  on  our 
way  to  the  Pick  round-up,  we  stopped  at  several  places  where  the 


370  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

murdered  men  had  camped.  On  Dry  creek,  about  eighteen  miles 
from  where  the  two  men  were  killed,  we  found  that  the  party  had 
camped  alongside  an  irrigation  dam.  We  found  where  they  had  had  a 
big  fire  and  the  grass  was  tramped  down.  There  was  some  paper  and 
other  material  scattered  about  in  the  grass.  My  brother  found  a  spur 
about  twenty  feet  from  where  the  fire  had  been,  and  on  the  spur 
strap  was  cut  in  the  leather  '  Red  Dog.'  I  found  several  pieces  of  paper 
with  the  name  S.  M.  Wain  and  J.  S.  Wain  scribbled  upon  them.  In 
the  grass,  about  forty  feet  from  where  the  fire  had  been,  I  found  a 
letter,  which  had  been  torn  into  small  pieces.  I  gathered  up  every 
particle  of  this  letter,  and  that  night  at  George  Mead's  ranch,  which 
was  about  a  mile  away,  we  pasted  the  letter  together  on  some  tissue 
paper,  and  had  no  trouble  in  reading  every  word  of  it.  The  letter 
was  from  Miss  S.  M.  Wain,  Hamstow  Farm,  Cheltenham,  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  sister  of  I.  M.  Wain.  I  wrote  to  the  young  lady,  telling  her 
of  the  tragedy,  and  her  brother,  Jacob  S.  Wain,  immediately  left  for 
Wyoming.  He  came  directly  to  my  ranch  and  I  took  him  to  the  place 
where  the  young  men  had  met  their  death.  He  recognized  the  bangle 
and  the  silk  handkerchief  which  I  had  taken  off  from  the  body  of  his 
deceased  brother.  The  bodies  of  both  young  men  were  exhumed  and 
taken  back  east  for  burial. 

"The  Monument,  or  granite  cross,  that  stands  on  the  spot  where 
the  crime  was  committed,  was  shipped  to  Rawlins  by  Mrs.  Harrison, 
a  sister  of  I.  M.  Wain,  and  it  was  erected  by  me  on  December  23, 
1889." 

O'Brien  was  trailed  to  Aspen,  Colorado,  where  it  was  learned 
that  he  disposed  of  the  mules  and  the  other  property  that  he  had 
stolen  from  the  men  he  had  murdered.  From  Aspen  he  went  to 
Colorado  Springs  where  he  stole  some  horses.  He  was  captured,  tried 
in  the  courts  and  convicted  of  horse  stealing  and  received  a  sentence 
of  fourteen  years  in  the  penitentiary  at  Canyon  City.  Messrs.  White, 
Keith,  Snider  and  Frank  Harrington,  all  of  whom  had  seen  O'Brien 
on  the  range,  accompanied  Jacob  S.  Wain  to  the  Canyon  City  peni- 
tentiary, where  the  murderer  was  positively  identified  as  the  man 
who  had  the  team  of  mules,  saddle  ponies,  etc.,  and  was  headed 
toward  Colorado. 

-Arrangements  were  made  to  have  the  man  brought  to  Carbon 
county,  Wyoming,  and  stand  trial  for  murder,  after  he  had  served  his 
sentence  in  the  Colorado  penitentiary  for  horse  stealing,  but  the 
fellow  died  in  the  penitentiary  before  he  had  served  his  sentence  for 
horse  stealing,  and  thus  he  escaped  the  hangman's  noose. 


iiL   Mij.M  Mi.M,"   i.\   Memory  of  I.  Morris  W'ai. 


^i^m 


\^ 


^'3^ 


1»l 


Monarch  of  the  Plains,"  Killed  Six  Miles  West  from  Powder  River  Station. 

From  lejl  to  right:    Lord  Travillion.  Lord  FeU,  Frank  Earnest,  Boney  Earnest, 

Charley   Ciimmings,    Lord   Napier. 


Phenomena  of  the  Plains 


The  Chinook  Winds 

THAT  marvelous  phenomenon,  the  Chinook  wind,  is  the  salva- 
tion of  the  stockman  of  Natrona  county.  In  the  dead  of  winter, 
with  the  feed  on  the  range  covered  with  a  foot  or  eighteen  inches  of 
hard-packed  snow,  and  the  streams  a  glare  of  solid  ice,  and  the  cattle, 
sheep  and  horses  in  an  almost  starved  condition,  the  Chinook  wind 
is  even  more  welcome  than  the  flowers  that  bloom  in  the  spring. 
Were  it  not  for  the  Chinook  winds  there  would  be  but  little  stock  in 
Central  Wyoming  on  the  open  range.  In  the  winter  of  1886-7, 
which  has  gone  down  in  history  as  the  most  severe  winter  in  this  part 
of  the  country  since  the  memory  of  man,  when  thousands  of  cattle 
died  on  the  range  from  starvation  and  being  frozen  to  death,  the 
Chinook  winds,  for  some  unaccountable  reason,  failed  to  appear,  and 
snow  and  ice  covered  the  range  from  November  until  March. 

The  "January  thaw"  in  the  Middle  States  is  not  to  be  compared 
with  the  Chinook  winds,  which  change  the  climatic  conditions  in  a 
very  few  hours  from  biting  cold  to  the  mild  spring  weather.  Snow 
banks  two  and  three  feet  deep  disappear  as  though  a  blast  from  a 
furnace  was  turned  on  them;  the  ice  in  the  streams  melts  away,  and 
the  frost  is  brought  forth  from  the  ground.  No  other  phenomenon  in 
this  land  of  meteorological  mysteries  is  quite  so  unique  and  distinc- 
tive. From  the  days  of  Lewis  and  Clark  the  Chinook  wind  has  been 
a  delight  and  a  wonder.  Its  name  is  derived  from  the  Chinook  nation 
of  Indians,  a  one-time  numerous  and  powerful  people  inhabiting  the 
north  bank  of  the  Columbia  from  The  Dalles  to  the  ocean.  Trappers, 
herdsmen  and  early  agricultural  settlers,  noting  that  it  came  into 
the  interior  from  the  southwest,  called  it  Chinook,  under  the  some- 
what mistaken  belief  that  it  flowed  out  of  the  Chinook  country  and 
drew  its  warm  and  melting  properties  from  the  mild  Japan  current. 
Scientific  research  of  later  days  has  shown  that  this  belief  was 
largely  erroneous. 

The  Chinook  is  not  a  moist  wind  like  that  which  blows  in  from 
the  Pacific,  but  derives  its  snow-melting  powers  from  its  exceeding 
dryness.  Vapor-laden  winds  from  the  Pacific,  rising  to  great  heights 
in  the  Cascade  mountains  are  drained  of  their  moisture  by  that 
mountain  wall  and  become  cold,  dry  and  rarefied  in  those  lofty  eleva- 

371 


372  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

tions.  In  falling  from  the  mountain  heights  to  the  plains  of  the 
inland  empire  they  are  warmed  by  compression.  It  has  been  scientif- 
ically determined  that  the  Chinook  wind  in  falling  from  mountain 
to  plain  is  warmed  at  the  rate  of  about  one  degree  for  each  i8o  feet 
of  descent.  Here,  then,  are  the  peculiar  properties  of  the  Chinook 
wind  —  warmth  and  dryness,  melting  the  snows  by  its  low  temper- 
ature and  sucking  them  up  by  its  thirsty  properties. 

When  the  Chinook  wind  has  reached  the  Rocky  mountains  after 
leaving  the  Cascades  it  is  again  moisture  laden  and  this  moisture  is 
precipitated  by  that  high  range  and  its  deviating  spurs.  It  is  rendered 
dry  at  the  summit  of  the  Rockies  and  is  again  warmed  by  its  rapid 
descent  to  the  plains,  and  this  benign  influence  is  often  extended  to 
the  Dakotas. 

To  the  people  inhabiting  the  vast  interior  this  Chinook  wind  has 
ever  been  a  joy  and  a  mystery.  When  snows  lay  deep,  the  lakes  were 
ice-bound,  and  Indian  herds  were  famishing,  and  aborigines,  from 
the  Mandans  of  Dakota  to  the  Yakimas  and  the  Walla  Wallas,  sought 
to  propitiate  this  great  spirit  by  incantations  and  long-continued 
dances.  In  after  years  the  white  herdsman,  despondent,  as  he  saw 
his  horses  and  cattle  dying  on  the  frozen  snows,  found  cheer  and 
returning  fortune  in  its  warm  and  melting  breath. 

The  Mirage  on  the  Plains 

The  mirage  is  another  singular  phenomenon  that  often  appears 
on  the  plains  of  Wyoming.  Unlike  the  Chinook  winds,  which  make 
their  welcome  visits  in  the  winter  months,  the  mirage  is  a  phenomenon 
of  the  summer  months,  and  is  as  oppressive  and  distressing  to  the 
weary,  thirsty  traveler  as  the  Chinook  wind  is  helpful  to  the  almost 
frozen,  starved  animals  of  the  plains.  ^  To  see  a  mirage  to  the  best 
advantage  requires  favorable  conditions,  both  physical  and  mental. 
Not  alone  must  the  plain,  the  atmosphere,  and  the  sun  be  right,  but 
the  effect  will  be  greatly  heightened  if  the  mental  state  of  the  beholder 
has  been  suitably  prepared  for  the  phenomenon.  To  this  end,  suppose 
him  to  be  journeying  over  one  of  those  barren,  even  tracts  which  so 
extensively  abound  in  the  deserts  of  the  west.  The  sun  is  almost 
unendurable  in  its  intensity;  the  ground  is  parched  and  dry;  the  grass 
withered  and  sparse;  no  tree  or  shrub  relieves  the  landscape;  no 
sign  of  water  is  visible  anywhere;  while  the  oppressive  heat  and  the 
cravings  of  thirst  tax  his  endurance  to  the  utmost.  In  the  midst  of  his 
sufferings  comes  the  promise  of  relief.  Several  miles  ahead  of  him,  in 
a  gentle  depression,  he  distinctly  sees  a  body  of  water;  it  may  be  a 

1  Chittenden,  Vol.  2,  p.  756. 


THE    MIRAGE    ON    THE    PLAINS  373 

river,  but  more  probably  a  lake.  Its  surface  gleams  in  the  sun  and 
here  and  there  it  is  roughened  by  passing  breezes.  The  shore  line  is 
distinct  and  is  bordered  with  objects  that  look  like  trees.  The  sight 
inspires  new  life;  the  spirits  rise;  and  the  pace  of  the  traveler  is 
quickened  with  fresh  energy.  It  is  wasted  effort  on  the  part  of  more 
experienced  companions  to  urge  caution  in  trusting  so  implicitly  to 
appearances.  Confidently  he  pushes  forward,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on 
the  refreshing  sight  before  him.  But  as  he  nears  it  a  change  comes 
over  the  scene.  The  surface  of  the  lake  begins  to  show  gaps  and  breaks 
that  he  has  never  noticed  on  any  other  lake.  These  gaps  increase  as 
he  approaches;  the  water  surface  diminishes;  it  begins  to  have  a 
trembling,  shimmering  appearance;  it  finally  vanishes  from  sight; 
and  when  the  traveler  reaches  the  spot  he  is  still  surrounded  by  the 
same  cheerless  landscape  over  which  he  has  already  traveled  so  far. 
With  what  tenfold  power  does  his  thirst  now  come  back,  enhanced 
by  the  bitter  disappointment!  The  lesson  of  the  mirages  or  "false 
ponds"  was  hard  to  learn  and  it  required  many  a  chastening  such  as 
has  been  described  to  place  one  fully  on  his  guard  against  it. 

The  cause  of  the  phenomenon  of  the  mirage  is  not  perfectly 
understood,  and  has  received  a  variety  of  explanations,  some  main- 
taining that  it  is  due  to  refraction  alone,  others  to  reflection.  Strange 
as  it  may  seem,  these  false  appearances,  if  we  may  trust  the  many 
accounts  of  observers,  are  sometimes  erect,  at  other  times  inverted. 
The  necessary  conditions  of  an  eflPective  mirage  are  a  broad  plain 
with  an  extensive  horizon  free  from  conspicuous  undulations;  a  dry, 
hard  ground  which  will  reflect  readily  the  rays  of  the  sun;  warm,  dry 
and  clear  weather,  so  that  the  eye  can  easily  scan  the  ground  for 
several  miles. 

Wislizenus  holds  that  the  true  mirage  always  shows  objects 
double,  the  lower  erect  by  refraction  through  the  stratum  of  air 
next  to  the  ground,  and  the  upper  inverted  by  reflection  against  the 
surface  of  a  different  stratum  some  distance  above.  Another  author- 
ity says  that  the  mirage  is  an  optical  illusion,  occasioned  by  the 
refraction  of  light  through  contiguous  masses  of  air  of  different 
density;  such  refraction  not  infrequently  producing  the  same  sensible 
effect  as  direct  reflection.  It  consists  in  an  apparent  elevation  or 
approximation  of  coasts,  mountains,  ships,  and  other  objects, 
accompanied  by  inverted  images.  In  deserts,  where  the  surface  is 
perfectly  level,  a  plain  thus  assumes  the  appearance  of  a  lake,  re- 
flecting the  shadows  of  objects  within  and  around  it.  The  mirage 
is  commonly  vertical,  that  is,  presenting  an  appearance  of  one  object 
over  another,  like  a  ship  above  its  shadow  in  the  water.  The  mirage 
in  most  cases  is  produced  by  reflection  from  the  desert  sand. 


374  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Whatever  may  be  the  true  explanation,  the  delusion  is  a  perfect 
one,  and  its  tantalizing  effect  upon  the  thirsty  wayfarer  is  more 
distressing  than   the  thirst  itself. 


"Hell's  Half  Acre" 

"Hell's  Half  Acre,"  about  fifty  miles  west  from  Casper,  on  the 
Yellowstone  highway,  is  one  of  the  natural  curiosities  in  Natrona 
county  that  attracts  a  great  many  visitors.  It  contains  some  three 
hundred  acres  of  land,  which,  in  March,  1922,  by  an  act  of  congress, 
through  the  efforts  of  the  Casper  Chamber  of  Commerce,  was  with- 
drawn from  all  forms  of  entry,  and  Natrona  county  agreed  to  accept 
it  and  protect  it  as  a  public  park  provided  the  land  was  given  to  the 
county,  and  in  December,  1922,  Senator  Warren  introduced  a  bill 
favoring  the  turning  over  of  this  land  to  Natrona  county. 

In  the  early  days  this  geological  freak  of  land  was  known  as  the 
"Devil's  Kitchen"  which,  on  account  of  its  occupying  more  than 
three  hundred  acres  of  land,  instead  of  half  an  acre,  was  a  much  more 
appropriate  name  than  it  now  bears.  Who  gave  the  place  the  name  of 
"Devil's  Kitchen"  is  not  known,  but  it  is  believed  to  have  received 
its  present  name,  and  the  one  that  it  will  no  doubt  in  the  future  be 
known  by,  through  some  one  who  had  confounded  it  with  the  origi- 
nal "Hell's  Half  Acre,"  in  Natrona  county,  which  will  hereafter 
be  described,  together  with  an  explanation  as  to  why  and  how  it 
received  its  name. 

The  original  "Hell's  Half  Acre"  in  Natrona  county  was  given 
its  name  by  the  cowboys  in  the  early  days.  This  piece  of  bad  land  is 
seldom  seen  and  nowadays  is  rarely  referred  to  or  thought  of,  since 
the  days  of  the  open  range  is  a  thing  of  the  past.  It  is  a  piece  of  boggy 
land  on  the  north  side  of  the  Platte  river,  about  twenty-two  miles 
southwest  from  the  city  of  Casper.  There  is  a  large  bend  in  the  river 
at  this  point  and  there  are  high  banks  on  the  south  and  east,  and  on 
the  north  is  a  stretch  of  meadow  land  consisting  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
acres.  But  before  you  reach  this  meadow  land  from  the  north,  you 
must  pass  through  a  patch  of  bad  land  which  is  covered  with  what 
first  appears  to  be  a  bed  of  white  ashes,  but  this  is  the  scum  of  alkali 
which  has  come  to  the  top  of  the  marshy  patch.  The  place  was  known 
only  to  the  cowboys  who  in  the  fall  of  the  year  came  here  at  the  time 
of  the  round-up  to  get  their  cattle  from  the  pasture  land  further 
to  the  north. 

T.  J.  Healy,  known  as  "Black  Tex,"  owned  this  patch  of  land 
and  he  built  a  cabin  near  the  river.  He  and  his  friends  often  remained 
here  to  rest  for  a  few  days  after  a  hard  ride  with  a  bunch  of  stolen 


HELL  S    HALF    ACRE  375 

horses,  which  they  usually  drove  in  from  the  northern  part  of  the 
state. 

The  cowboys  named  this  marshy  spot  "Hell's  Half  Acre"  be- 
cause it  was  such  a  rough,  barren,  and  boggy  piece  of  ground,  and 
that  its  name  is  very  appropriate  will  be  appreciated  by  anyone  who 
may  be  unfortunate  enough  to  ever  pass  that  way. 

But  referring  to  the  original  "Devil's  Kitchen,"  now  called 
"Hell's  Half  Acre,"  it  being  located  alongside  the  Yellowstone 
highway,  naturally  attracts  the  attention  of  the  thousands  of  visitors 
who  pass  by  on  their  way  to  the  Yellowstone  National  park.  In 
this  weird  depression  there  are  deep  caverns,  crevices  and  pits,  and 
there  are  many  fantastic  shapes  resulting  from  the  wearing  away  of 
friable  material;  there  are  towers,  spires,  buttresses  and  other 
architectural  effects,  which  suggest  the  ruins  of  man's  creation,  rather 
than  the  wearing  away  of  the  formation  of  the  earth;  here  and  there 
standing  alone  are  quaint  forms,  carved  by  wind  and  weather  out 
of  the  volcanic  matter,  and  then  again  there  are  a  number  of  places 
the  effect  of  which  is  that  of  the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  dropped  down 
into  this  not  un-Egyptian  landscape.  It  is  not  easy  to  depict  a  scene 
like  this;  it  is  too  altogether  unusual;  too  shifting;  too  grand. 

And  while  it  is  curious  and  wonderful  to  look  upon,  it  could 
hardly  be  expected  to  inspire  one  to  poetical  verse,  but  it  did  have  such 
an  effect  upon  a  lady  from  California,  who  had  viewed  all  the  won- 
derful sights  in  the  Yellowstone  National  park  without  any  poetical 
symptoms  breaking  out.  Two  verses  of  the  six  stanzas  which  the  lady 
indited  are  herewith  produced,  not  because  of  the  beautiful  sentiment 
expressed  in  the  verse,  but  just  to  show  the  effect  the  scene  created 
in  the  mind  of  the  lady. 

"A  feeling  somehow  quite  uncanny 

Creeps  o'er  you  as  you  stand  and  gaze 
At  shades  and  colors,  oh,  how  many, 

That  leave  your  thoughts  all  in  a  maze. 

"Those  gray-green  slopes  invite  your  sliding 

Down  to  see  what's  that  queer  shape, 
That  seems  to  be  a  gnome  a-riding 

Upon  a  surface  once  a  lake." 

The  scene  must  not,  however,  be  judged  by  the  measure  and 
rhythm  of  these  verses;  nor  the  sentiment  expressed.  It  could  have 
been  worse. 

The  ground  in  and  around  this  formation  is  entirely  useless  for 
grazing  or  any  other  purposes,  and  is  classed,  so  far  as  being  of  real 
value,  with  the  thousands  of  acres  of  the  other  "bad  lands"  in  the 
state. 


376  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

When  this  part  of  the  country  was  controlled  by  the  Indians 
this  patch  of  land  was  called  the  "Burning  Mountain,  near  Powder 
river."  When  Bonneville  visited  the  place  in  1832,  according  to 
Washington  Irving's  description  it  was  "held  in  superstitious  awe 
by  the  Indians  and  considered  a  great  marvel  by  the  trappers." 
He  said:  "It  is  abounding  with  anthracite  coal.  Here  the  earth  is 
hot  and  cracked;  in  many  places  emitting  srrioke  and  sulphurous 
vapors,  as  if  covering  concealed  fires.  A  volcanic  tract  of  simdar  char- 
acter is  found  on  Stinkingwater  river,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Big  Horn,  which  takes  its  unhappy  name  from  the  odor  derived 
from  sulphurous  springs  and  streams.  This  last-mentioned  place  was 
first  discovered  by  John  Colter  who,  in  1808,  came  upon  it  in  the 
course  of  his  lonely  wanderings  and  gave  such  an  account  of  its 
gloomy  terrors,  its  hidden  fires,  smoking  pits,  noxious  streams,  and 
the  all-pervading  smell  of  brimstone,  that  it  received,  and  has  ever 
since  retained  among  trappers,  the  name  of 'Colter's  Hell.'" 

The  coal  from  this  "burning  mountain"  has  long  ago  been  con- 
sumed and  there  are  pits,  caves,  and  caverns  in  the  ground  which 
now  present  the  appearance  of  the  inoperating  pits  of  Hades,  as  is 
imagined  by  some  people.  It  is  truly  a  curious  and  weird  forma- 
tion and  will  always  attract  attention. 

In  late  years  some  who  do  not  fancy  the  name  of  "Hell's  Half 
Acre"  have  attempted  to  change  the  name  to  "Enchanted  Land," 
claiming  that  an  old  legend  says  that  in  the  early  days  the  Indians 
drove  buffalo  into  this  great  corral  for  slaughter  and  that  many 
flint  arrow  heads  are  found  in  the  pits.  So  far  as  we  are  able  to 
learn,  "Enchanged  Land"  is  a  name  for  the  place  that  is  entirely  new 
to  the  people  who  have  lived  here  for  many,  many  years,  and  the 
name  is  also  entirely  inappropriate.  It  is  too  mild,  and  does  not 
describe  the  scene  as  does  the  "Devil's  Kitchen,"  or  "Hell's  Half 
Acre."  That  flint  arrow  heads  may  have  been  found  in  the  pits 
and  caves  gives  no  foundation  for  the  name  "Enchanted  Land,"  for 
flint  arrow  heads  have  been  found  in  thousands  of  places  on  the 
plains,  all  of  which  may  as  appropriately  be  called  the  "Enchanted 
Land."  The  only  thing  inappropriate  about  the  present  name  is  that 
instead  if  covering  one-half  an  acre  of  land  it  covers  about  600  times 
that  much,  but  on  the  other  hand,  it  may  be  that  an  acre  covers  more 
territory  in  the  lower  regions  than  it  does  on  this  earth,  and  as  there  * 
is  no  one  here  who  can  give  any  authentic  information  on  the  subject, 
there  is  no  doubt  but  it  will  always  retain  the  name  of  "Hell's  Half 
Acre,"  regardless  of  its  dimensions,  and  even  though  it  might  sound 
shocking  to  some  people  whose  aesthetic  taste  cannot  be  appreciated 
by  the  people  of  the  middle  west. 


SOME    SEVERE    STORMS    IN    CENTRAL    WYOMING         377 

Many  fossils  of  the  prehistoric  age  have  been  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  "Hell's  Half  Acre."  During  the  summer  of  1907  Prof. 
Reed  of  the  Wyoming  University  unearthed  a  perfect  skull  of  a  calf 
titanotherium,  an  animal  which  became  extinct  possibly  more  than 
a  million  years  before  many  of  the  oldest  known  fossils  were  created. 
This  is  the  largest  known  animal  that  ever  existed.  In  contrast  to 
the  titanotherium  is  that  of  a  beaver,  which  was  found  near  by,  and 
which  was  scarcely  larger  than  that  of  a  modern  mouse,  but  in  every 
other  respect  the  fossil  of  the  beaver's  skull  was  a  counterpart  of  the 
present-day  animal.  One  of  the  most  important  finds  in  this  fossil 
field  by  Prof.  Reed  was  the  complete  skeleton  of  a  horse  no  larger 
than  that  of  a  fox,  every  bone  of  which  was  present,  which  indicated 
beyond  a  doubt  that  the  equine  race  originated  in  this  part  of  the 
country.  A  perfect  skeleton  of  a  dog  of  the  aligocene  tertiary  period 
was  also  found.  This  animal  was  no  larger  than  the  average  dog  of 
modern  times,  but  was  equipped  with  a  much  more  formidable 
array  of  teeth,  indicating  that  it  was  a  ferocious  fish  eater.  All  these 
fossils  were  mounted  by  Prof.  Reed  and  placed  in  the  museum  of 
Wyoming  University  at  Laramie,  and  are  considered  of  great  value. 

Some  Severe  Storms  in  Central  Wyoming 

Heavy  snows  prevail  in  Central  Wyoming  nearly  every  year  in 
the  early  spring.  Between  the  20th  of  March  and  the  20th  of  April 
Natrona  county  is  generally  visited  by  a  severe  storm.  In  the  early 
days  ranch  homes  and  homestead  shacks  were  not  as  numerous  as  they 
are  nowadays  and  hay  and  grain  were  not  provided  for  the  range  stock 
as  they  are  now.  When  a  severe  storm  came  up  there  was  no  feed 
for  the  stock  or  shelter  for  the  men  who  happened  to  be  some  distance 
from  camp  and  consequently  thousands  of  sheep  and  cattle  perished 
and  men  became  bewildered  and  drifted  with  the  storms  and  they, 
too,  suffered  and  many  lost  their  lives. 

The  first  week  in  February,  1891,  we  had  the  hardest  storm  and 
coldest  weather  we  ever  had  at  that  time  of  the  year.  The  thermom- 
eter registered  40  degrees  below  zero  at  one  time.  The  snow  drifted 
and  Casper,  Glenrock,  and  Douglas  were  without  train  service  of 
any  kind  for  a  week.  Dealers  were  out  of  coal  and  the  stores  were 
very  short  of  flour  and  other  necessaries  of  life,  and  the  situation 
became  very  serious.    The  loss  of  stock  on  the  range  was  appalling. 

E.  H.  Kimball  and  his  daughter,  Lizzie,  left  Douglas  one  day 
during  the  cold  weather  and  they  had  almost  perished  and  were 
in  a  helpless  condition  by  the  time  they  reached  a  ranch  house, 
after  traveling  about  ten  miles.    They  were  taken  in  and  cared  for. 


378  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

E.  Erben  and  G.  C.  Merrian  were  out  on  the  range  hunting  when  the 
storm  came  up  and  they  experienced  a  very  serious  time.  They  were 
out  during  the  whole  of  one  night  and  when  they  managed  to  reach 
Casper  they  were  in  a  serious  condition,  their  feet  being  frozen  up  to 
their  ankles  and  their  fingers  badly  frost-bitten.  A  troop  of  soldiers 
marched  from  Newcastle  to  Fort  McKinnie,  near  Buffalo,  during  the 
severe  weather  and  they  suffered  many  hardships.  Many  of  them 
were  compelled  to  drop  out  along  the  route  and  remain  at  ranch 
houses  to  receive  treatment. 

Four  successive  days  and  nights  during  the  latter  part  of  March, 
1894,  this  part  of  the  state  was  visited  by  a  heavy  fall  of  snow  and  a 
terrific  wind  storm,  when  no  less  than  thirty  inches  of  snow  fell  and 
the  wind  drifted  it  in  many  places  ten  and  twelve  feet  deep.  Tele- 
graph wires  were  down  and  Casper  was  shut  off  from  news  from  the 
outside  world.  The  train  that  left  Casper  and  the  one  that  left 
Chadron  on  Monday  met  at  Lusk,  but  were  compelled  to  remain 
there  until  the  following  Monday.  The  loss  of  sheep  and  cattle  was 
very  heavy.  In  the  blinding  storm  herders  found  it  almost  impossible 
to  remain  with  their  herds  and  in  some  instances,  large  bands  of 
sheep  were  left  without  anyone  to  look  after  them.  Two  of  Patrick 
Sullivan's  herders  walked  to  Casper  from  their  camp,  a  distance  of 
twenty-five  miles.  They  suffered  greatly  from  the  cold  and  said 
their  camp  was  completely  under  the  snowdrifts  and  nothing  was 
visible  of  their  wagon  except  the  stove  pipe.  Quite  a  number  of  men 
on  the  range  who  were  away  from  their  camps  became  bewildered 
and  perished.  Nearly  all  the  stockmen  in  Casper  went  out  on  the 
range  during  the  middle  of  the  week  to  assist  the  herders  in  carmg 
for  their  stock. 

During  a  severe  storm  the  latter  part  of  March,  1895,  Noel  R. 
Gascho  was  with  a  band  of  sheep  on  the  open  range.  The  band  be- 
came unmanageable  and  drifted  with  the  storm.  Gascho  went  with 
the  sheep,  which  was  the  only  thing  to  do.  The  snow  came  down  in 
blinding  sheets,  the  cold  wind  swept  over  the  bleak  prairie  and 
hundreds  of  the  sheep  were  frozen.  Gascho  said  it  seemed  as  though 
the  blood  in  his  veins  and  the  marrow  in  his  bones  w^ere  frozen.  He 
became  numb  and  sleepy  and  to  keep  awake  he  would  stick  his  legs 
with  a  knife  blade.  About  midnight  he  caught  one  of  the  sheep,  cut 
its  throat  and  drank  the  blood.  Then  he  set  fire  to  the  wool  on  the 
dead  sheep  and  the  greasy  wool  burned  readily.  Before  daylight,  he 
had  burned  six  sheep  after  he  had  cut  their  throats  and  drank  of 
their  blood.    This  was  all  that  saved  his  life. 

On  the  first  day  of  April  the  same  year  Patrick  Sullivan  came 
nearly  being  a  victim  when  he  became  bewildered  and  lost  on  the 


SOME    SEVERE    STORMS    IN    CENTRAL    WYOMING         379 

range.  He  left  Casper  on  horseback  in  the  morning  for  one  of  his 
sheep  camps,  but  he  could  not  find  it  and  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
started  for  home.  Night  overtook  him  when  he  was  about  twelve 
miles  from  town,  and  he  said  it  was  so  dark  that  the  eye  could  not 
penetrate  one  inch  ahead.  He  struggled  and  labored  with  his  horse 
until  nearly  midnight  when  he  became  convinced  that  he  was  going 
in  the  wrong  direction.  He  concluded  to  remain  where  he  was  until 
morning.  He  led  his  horse  back  and  forth  in  the  shelter  of  a  bank, 
but  he  could  not  keep  warm  and  he  was  finally  compelled  to  take  the 
saddle  blanket  from  his  horse  and  put  it  around  his  shoulders  to  keep 
from  freezing.  In  the  morning  when  he  found  his  bearings,  he  became 
aware  that  he  was  about  three  miles  northwest  from  the  Platte  river 
bridge  and  that  if  he  had  allowed  his  horse  to  travel  in  the  direction 
it  was  headed  in  the  night  it  would  have  brought  him  safely  home. 
He  suflFered  only  the  temporary  ill  effects  from  his  experience,  but  has 
since  avoided  being  caught  out  on  the  range  in  a  spring  snow  storm. 

The  last  week  in  March,  1897,  a  terrific  windstorm  prevailed  on 
Sunday.  People  considered  this  an  unmistakable  warning  that  the 
annual  blizzard  was  close  at  hand  and  on  Monday  the  snow  began  to 
fall  and  continued  steadily  until  Wednesday  night.  The  snow  was 
accompanied  by  a  strong  wind,  which  piled  the  snow  in  deep  drifts. 
When  the  storm  abated,  more  than  thirty  inches  of  snow  had  fallen 
and  all  the  roads  leading  to  Casper  were  blocked  and  all  business 
in  the  town  was  practically  suspended.  No  trains  arrived  for  four 
days.  J.  A.  J.  Stewart,  the  postmaster  at  Johnstown,  near  Inde- 
pendence Rock,  left  for  Casper  on  Monday  morning  and  reached 
Bessemer  late  in  the  night,  but  he  remained  at  Bessemer  eight  days 
before  the  roads  were  opened  so  that  he  could  come  to  Casper.  The 
miners  on  Casper  mountain,  who  were  out  of  provisions,  came  to 
town  on  snowshoes  and  they  reported  there  was  from  nine  to  sixteen 
feet  of  snow  on  the  mountain.  Considerable  stock  was  lost  and  the 
men  on  the  range  suffered  terribly. 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1897,  snow  commenced  to  fall  and  con- 
tinued without  interruption  until  April  2.  On  the  streets  of  Casper 
there  was  three  feet  of  snow  and  paths  had  to  be  shoveled  on  the 
cross  walks  before  the  citizens  could  go  from  one  business  house  to 
the  other.  There  was  no  train  service  for  nearly  a  week  and  business 
was  practically  at  a  standstill. 

A  sheep  herder  named  Neal,  working  for  the  Jack  Wright  outfit, 
perished  on  the  range,  but  on  account  of  the  deep  snow  his  body 
could  not  be  found.  Another  herder,  working  for  Earle  and  Foster, 
was  exposed  to  the  storm  three  days  and  nights  and  became  so 
exhausted  that  he  lay  down  in  the  snow.    An  Indian  found  him  and 


380  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

carried  him  to  camp,  but  his  hands  and  feet  were  badly  frozen.  An- 
other herder  for  the  same  outfit  was  found  in  the  snow  after  the 
storm  abated,  badly  frozen  and  almost  dead  from  exposure  and  lack 
of  food.  Five  herders  in  Sweetwater  county  perished  in  the  storm  and 
the  loss  of  stock  on  the  range  was  very  great. 

John  Wisdom,  a  herder  for  Tony  Goetz,  perished  in  the  Poison 
Spider  country  during  the  snowstorm  which  prevailed  during  the 
first  days  of  April,  1900.  From  the  7th  to  the  nth  of  April,  1901,  a 
snowstorm  raged  throughout  the  central  part  of  Wyoming.  Four 
feet  of  snow  fell  during  the  four  days  and  there  was  a  great  loss  of 
sheep.  The  roads  were  blocked  for  ten  days  and  people  who  came  to 
Casper  from  the  country  made  the  trip  on  horseback.  On  June  19 
and  20,  1902,  there  was  a  heavy  snowfall  throughout  the  state  and 
the  thermometer  registered  a  drop  of  fifty  degrees  in  the  two  days. 
There  was  a  great  loss  of  shorn  sheep  on  the  range. 

Adie  C.  Irwin  of  Alcova  nearly  lost  his  life  in  a  snowstorm  in 
March,  1903.  He  left  home  on  the  17th  and  rode  on  horseback  to 
Lost  Cabin,  leaving  there  on  the  morning  of  the  i8th  for  the  foot  of 
Garfield  mountain,  on  the  north  side  of  the  Rattlesnake  range.  Snow 
was  falling  when  he  left  Lost  Cabin,  and  he  had  a  distance  of  forty 
miles  to  travel.  Before  he  had  covered  half  the  distance,  he  became 
bewildered  in  the  raging  storm  and  blinded  by  the  snow.  He  kept 
moving  until  nightfall  and  then  he  dismounted,  hobbled  his  horse  and 
built  a  sagebrush  fire.  He  slept  in  the  snow  until  daylight  and  then, 
mounting  his  horse,  started  out  with  no  idea  of  the  direction  in 
which  he  was  traveling.  For  three  days  he  and  the  horse  floundered 
through  the  snow,  which  was  then  more  than  two  feet  deep  and 
both  man  and  beast  were  on  the  verge  of  famishing,  as  neither  had 
eaten  anything  for  three  days.  The  fourth  night,  the  horse  slipped 
its  hobbles  and  left  Irwin  afoot  and  alone  on  the  snowy  desert,  with 
both  feet  frozen  and  fainting  from  hunger.  He  staggered  on  through- 
out the  day  and  at  night  built  a  fire  and  thawed  his  frozen  feet,  but  the 
pain  was  so  great  he  was  unable  to  endure  it  when  the  frost  was 
extracted  from  them,  and  he  was  obliged  to  let  them  freeze  again 
before  he  could  stand  upon  them.  On  account  of  huddling  so  close  to 
the  sagebrush  fires  to  keep  from  freezing  to  death  his  clothing  was 
burned  full  of  holes,  and  his  condition  was  most  pitiable.  On  the  sixth 
day  he  was  found  by  Joe  Sanderson  in  a  semi-delirious  condition  and 
more  dead  than  alive,  and  had  he  been  compelled  to  remain  exposed 
to  the  elements  one  more  night  there  is  no  doubt  but  he  would  have 
died.  He  was  cared  for  by  Mr.  Sanderson  until  he  could  be  brought  to 
town  when  it  was  found  necessary  to  amputate  his  left  leg  above  the 
knee. 


SOME    SEVERE    STORMS    IN    CENTRAL    WYOMING        38 1 

Snowstorms  and  extremely  cold  weather  prevailed  in  Central 
Wyoming  during  the  first  twenty  days  of  March,  1906,  and  when 
the  storms  subsided  and  the  weather  moderated  somewhat  the 
sheep  and  cattle  that  were  yet  alive  on  the  range  were  in  a  very  weak 
condition,  and  the  flockmasters  and  cattlemen  were  compelled  to 
haul  hay  and  grain  to  their  herds,  for  they  were  not  strong  enough  to 
wade  through  the  drifts  and  rustle  feed  on  the  range.  The  snow  was 
fully  two  feet  deep  on  the  level  and  there  were  drifts  ten  to  fifteen 
feet  deep.  The  weather  was  extremely  cold  and  several  days  the 
thermometers  registered  thirty  degrees  below  zero.  Special  trains 
loaded  with  feed  for  the  stock  were  sent  west  over  the  Wyoming  & 
Northwestern  railway,  two  days  in  each  week  and  the  regular  freight 
train  hauled  feed  every  day  and  unloaded  it  at  all  stations  between 
Casper  and  Wolton.  This  saved  the  stockmen  from  what  no  doubt 
would  have  been  the  heaviest  loss  in  sheep  that  had  ever  occurred  in 
this  part  of  the  country.  A  number  of  sheep  herders  became  lost  in 
the  storms  and  suffered  terribly  from  the  cold,  but  none  in  this  part 
of  the  state  lost  their  lives. 

During  the  months  of  December,  1909,  and  January,  1910,  there 
was  one  continual  snowstorm  after  another  until  the  range  was 
covered  in  most  places  with  ice  and  snow  from  six  inches  to  six  feet 
deep.  The  cattle  and  sheep  on  the  range  were  fed  hay  and  grain, 
but  thousands  upon  thousands  of  sheep  perished  and  many  of  the 
flockmasters  were  compelled  to  go  out  of  the  business.  A  man  named 
Thomas  Mahoney,  who  was  herding  sheep  for  John  Love,  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Wolton,  became  lost  in  the  storm  and  wandered  over  the 
prairie  three  days  and  two  nights  without  food  or  shelter.  Two  sheep 
dogs  were  with  him  and  every  time  he  sank  to  the  ground  exhausted 
the  dogs,  who  seemed  to  understand  his  condition,  would  arouse  him 
and  lead  him  on.  The  man  and  his  faithful  dogs  finally  reached 
Moneta,  where  he  was  given  shelter  and  a  doctor  was  sent  for,  but 
the  man's  feet  were  both  frozen  and  his  kidneys  and  other  internal 
organs  were  frozen,  and  he  died  after  suffering  for  about  ten  days. 
Ed.  McLatchie,  who  was  herding  for  J,  A.  Delfelder  in  the  vicinity 
of  Moneta,  also  perished  in  the  storm,  but  his  body  was  not  found 
until  the  6th  of  March,  it  having  been  covered  under  a  snow  bank. 

Eighteen  inches  of  snow  fell  in  Central  Wyoming  on  April  2 
and  3,  191 8,  and  at  Rawlins  and  farther  west  along  the  hne  of  the 
Union  Pacific  railroad  it  was  reported  that  the  snow  was  three  feet 
deep.  A  great  deal  of  stock  on  the  range  was  lost  and  a  number  of 
men  perished  in  the  storm.  Added  to  the  loss  of  stock  caused  by  the 
spring  snowstorms,  the  summer  of  1918  was  phenomenally  dry,  and 
the  feed  on  the  range  was  parched  and  burned  from  the  blistering 


382  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

sun  and  hot  winds;  the  small  creeks  and  water  holes  went  dry;  sheep 
and  cattle  suffered  from  the  lack  of  feed  and  water  and  this  year 
went  down  in  history  as  the  "dry  year,"  to  be  remembered  from  the 
loss  and  suffering  of  stock  equal  to  the  "hard  winter"  of  1886-7. 
Many  of  the  cattle  and  sheep  actually  starved  to  death.  Shipments 
were  made  to  market  and  feeding  grounds  in  other  states  and  by  the 
first  of  January,  1919,  more  than  forty  per  cent  of  all  the  cattle  and 
sheep  in  Wyoming  had  been  shipped  out,  many  of  them  never  to  be 
returned.  The  stock  that  went  to  market  brought  a  very  small  price 
on  account  of  their  poor  condition  and  a  great  deal  of  the  stock  that 
was  shipped  to  the  feeding  grounds  in  other  states  died  in  transit 
because  of  their  starved  condition.  And  then,  to  add  to  the  suffering 
and  loss  of  the  sixty  per  cent  of  the  stock  that  remained  in  the  state, 
early  in  October,  1919,  severe  storms  prevailed;  the  range  was  cov- 
ered with  snow  and  ice;  there  w^as  no  feed  for  the  stock  except  the 
hay  and  grain  that  was  hauled  to  them,  and  the  loss  was  enormous. 
Storm  followed  storm  and  loss  followed  loss  until  it  seemed  that  there 
would  be  no  stock  left  on  the  range  the  following  summer.  On 
December  9,  10  and  11  high  winds  and  a  blinding  snowstorm  pre- 
vailed and  all  the  trains  on  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  and  Burling- 
ton railway  lines  were  blocked;  drifts  of  snow  from  three  to  fifteen 
feet  deep  and  from  one-half  mile  to  a  mile  long  were  reported  on  the 
tracks  of  the  railroads;  the  temperature  had  fallen  to  twenty  and 
twenty-four  degrees  below  zero  in  the  central  part  of  the  state  and 
at  Riverton  it  was  reported  that  the  thermometer  registered  forty- 
two  degrees  below;  in  Casper  many  of  the  children  were  unable  to 
reach  the  school  houses  and  those  that  did  reach  them  were  dismissed 
because  it  was  impossible  to  heat  the  buildmgs;  snow  went  sweeping 
and  swirling  down  the  streets,  carried  by  the  high  winds,  like  great 
clouds  of  smoke;  signs  were  blown  from  the  business  houses;  windows 
were  broken  in  and  but  few  people  ventured  outside. 

It  was  realized  that  a  supreme  effort  must  be  made  if  there  were 
to  be  any  stock  left  on  the  range,  and  the  Central  Wyoming  Stock 
Growers'  Protective  association,  the  Wyoming  Humane  society,  and 
the  Wyoming  brand  commissioners  on  December  12  issued  a  call 
that  revived  the  spirit  of  the  west  in  the  early  days  of  the  cattle 
round-ups,  except  that  in  this  round-up  the  work  would  be  exceed- 
ingly more  perilous,  and  conditions  more  hazardous  than  when  the 
regular  spring  and  fall  round-up  were  made  in  palmy  cattle  days. 
Experienced  foremen  were  appointed  and  all  stockmen  having  cattle 
on  the  range  were  notified  to  have  their  help  on  hand  for  the  big 
drive.  Round-ups  numbering  from  one  to  twelve  were  organized, 
with  the  place  of  beginning  and  the  country  to  be  worked  designated 


SOME    SEVERE    STORMS    IN    CENTRAL    WYOMING        383 

for  each  organization;  there  were  to  be  from  a  dozen  to  twenty  men 
in  each  round-up.  All  the  cattle  found  on  the  range  were  to  be  taken 
to  the  nearest  railroad  shipping  point,  where  they  were  to  be  claimed 
by  the  ow^iers.  Stock  not  claimed  was  to  be  shipped  with  the  other 
stock.  A  finance  committee  was  appointed  to  see  that  all  expenses 
were  promptly  met  and  that  all  stock  was  fed  until  shipments  were 
made.  The  expenses  of  the  round-up  were  to  be  prorated  among  those 
having  stock  found  on  the  range.  The  stockmen  felt  that  this  action 
was  necessary  to  save  the  state  her  livestock  industry.  The  cattle 
were  shipped  to  Texas  and  other  ranges.  In  thirty  days  during  the 
summer  of  1920  more  than  1,000  carloads  of  these  cattle  were  re- 
turned to  the  state,  and  a  large  number  were  shipped  to  Kansas 
and  Nebraska  and  from  there  they  were  to  be  shipped  in  the  fall  to 
the  eastern  markets,  while  there  were  many  that  were  kept  on  the 
southern  ranges  and  fattened  for  market. 

From  April  17th  to  the  21st,  1920,  there  were  no  trains  in  or 
out  of  Casper  on  account  of  the  heavy  snowstorm  which  prevailed 
from  Saturday  until  Monday,  and  the  roads  to  Salt  Creek  and  other 
points  in  the  interior  were  impassable  for  more  than  a  week,  thus 
causing  many  of  the  people  in  the  oil  camps  to  do  without  meats, 
eggs,  butter  and  other  supplies  because  of  the  inability  to  main- 
tain transportation  service  to  the  fields.  There  was  no  visible  short- 
age of  the  supply  of  provisions  in  Casper.  There  was  a  shortage  of 
coal,  however,  and  from  250  pounds  to  500  pounds  were  allowed 
each  person  until  the  supply  could  be  replenished.  A  Burlington 
passenger  train  was  tied  up  at  Wendover  for  three  days  and  a  North- 
western passenger  train  was  stalled  at  Lusk  the  same  length  of  time. 
The  tracks  were  covered  with  fully  five  feet  of  snow  at  each  of  these 
stations.  The  marooned  passengers  at  Lusk  held  dances  during  the 
evenings  in  the  railroad  station  and  impromptu  vaudeville  perform- 
ances were  given  by  the  passengers  to  break  the  monotony  of  the  long 
wait. 

Thousands  of  birds  were  driven  into  Casper  from  the  moun- 
tains and  the  plains  and  they  were  fed  by  the  people  of  the  city. 
These  birds  became  so  numerous  on  the  streets  that  many  of  them 
were  killed  by  being  run  over  by  automobiles.  The  birds  were 
followed  by  numerous  hawks.  These  hawks  existed  on  the  small 
birds  that  they  could  kill,  and  some  of  the  marksmen  of  the  city 
retaliated  on  the  hawks  by  using  .22  rifles  and  pistols  on  them.  After 
the  weather  moderated,  however,  the  birds  and  the  hawks  disap- 
peared. 

An  airplane  was  chartered  by  Roy  Sample,  manager  of  the  Iris 
theater,  a  trip  was  made  to  Denver  to  secure  films  for  his  theater, 


384  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

but  the  plane  was  marooned  on  the  aviation  field  in  Denver  and  the 
trip  home  had  to  be  abandoned  until  train  service  was  resumed. 

The  loss  to  live  stock  as  a  result  of  the  three-day  storm  was 
estimated  at  about  seven  and  one-half  per  cent.  Dead  sheep  and 
cattle  were  scattered  over  the  range  and  along  the  roadside  in  great 
numbers  and  many  others  were  left  in  a  very  weakened  condition. 
This  storm  occurred  fully  two  weeks  later  in  the  season  than  the 
heavy  storms  usually  occur,  but  it  was  one  of  the  heaviest  and  most 
severe  storms  since  the  big  storm  of  1897,  which  started  on  March 
29  and  continued  three  days  without  abatement,  from  which  there 
was  a  great  loss  of  live  stock,  and  a  number  of  men  perished. 

On  the  loth  of  May,  1922,  a  heavy  snowstorm  swept  over 
Wyoming  and  many  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  states,  paralyzing  com- 
munication from  the  rest  of  the  world  by  the  destruction  of  the 
telephone  and  telegraph  wires  and  poles,  blocking  the  railway  trains 
for  three  days  and  causing  the  loss  of  thousands  of  sheep  and  lambs, 
and  cattle  and  calves.  In  the  central  part  of  the  state  there  was 
about  a  foot  of  snowfall  which  was  preceded  for  about  six  hours 
with  a  heavy  downpour  of  rain.  The  storm  was  not  so  heavy  in  the 
central  and  western  portions  of  the  state,  but  in  the  eastern  and  south- 
ern portions  there  was  from  eighteen  inches  to  three  feet  of  snowfall, 
and  the  destruction  to  the  wires  and  poles  of  the  telephone  and  tele- 
graph companies  and  the  loss  of  stock  was  much  greater  than  in  the 
central  and  western  parts  of  the  state.  More  than  1,200  telephones 
were  put  out  of  commission  in  the  city  of  Casper  by  the  breaking  of 
wires,  cables  and  poles,  and  about  500  homes  were  without  electric 
light  service  on  account  of  the  wires  and  poles  being  broken  down. 
Eighty-two  miles  of  poles  of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  company 
were  down  between  Casper  and  Chugwater,  and  there  were  sixty 
miles  of  line  down  between  Wendover  and  Chugwater,  and  twenty- 
two  miles  of  line  put  out  of  commission  between  Casper  and  Wen- 
dover. About  the  same  condition  existed  on  the  two  railway  com- 
panies' lines  in  the  central  part  of  the  state.  It  was  three  days  before 
train  service  was  re-established  and  forty-eight  hours  before  com- 
munication was  resumed  over  the  telephone  and  telegraph  wires. 
The  wagon  road  to  Salt  Creek,  as  well  as  those  from  the  south,  west 
and  east,  were  in  an  impassable  condition  for  nearly  a  week;  some 
places  in  the  road  it  was  estimated  that  the  mud  was  at  least  four 
feet  deep,  and  many  automobiles,  trucks  and  even  wagons  were 
abandoned  in  the  mudholes  for  a  week  until  the  mud  dried  sufficiently 
for  them  to  be  hauled  out.  This  was  the  most  destructive  storm  that 
has  ever  occurred  in  the  state  at  this  time  of  the  year. 


CASPER    MOUNTAIN    CAVE  385 

Casper  Mountain  Cave 

Most  people  in  Casper  have  heard  of  a  cave  in  Casper  mountain, 
which  IS  located  about  two  miles  east  from  Eadsville,  at  the  bottom 
of  a  large  gulch,  which  in  the  earlier  days  attracted  considerable  in- 
terest, but  very  few  people  have  ever  seen  it.    Those  who  have  pene- 
trated Its  innermost  recesses  describe  it  as  being  about  six  feet  wide 
at  the  entrance  and  fifteen  feet  high,  making  a  gradual  decline  for 
about  fifty   yards,  some  parts  of  the  walls    being   forty  feet   high. 
About  seventy-five  yards  from  the  entrance  there  is  a  wall  which  at 
first  appears  to  be  the  end  of  the  cave,  but  there  is  a  small  hole  in  the 
floor  of  the  cavern  large  enough  for  a  man  to  get  through  by  crawling 
on  his  hands  and  knees.   This  small  cavity  exter    s  several  yards  and 
then  a  lai^o  room  is  entered,  the  walls  of  whi.      are  of  white,  hard 
sandstone,  and  there  is   much  crystal  quartz  adhering  to  the  roof 
and  sidewalks.   The  floor  of  this  large  room,  which  extends  more  than 
four  hundred   feet  into  the  mountain   side,   is  covered  with   large 
timbers  and  driftwood,  which  has  been  carried  in  during  the  melting 
of  the  snows  in  the  spring  and  the  heavy  rains  that  prevail  in  the 
summer  months.    There  is  a  hole  at  the  farther  end  of  this  room, 
leading  to  another  cave,  but  the  timber  and  debris  must  be  cleared 
away  before  one  can  descend,  and  the  descent  must  be  made  by  a 
rope.    After  searching  the  bottom,  which  is  down  about  ten  feet,  in 
order  to  go  further,  you  must  again  crawl  on  your  hands  and  knees, 
then  you  come  to  another  large  room  at  the  far  end  of  which  is  a  small 
aperture,  but  it  is  so  small  that  a  man  cannot  go  through,  and  there 
his  investigations  must  end. 

In  order  to  gain  admission  to  this  underground  passage,  torches 
and  lanterns  were  used  in  the  early  days,  but  electric  lanterns  may 
now  be  used  by  the  few  people  who  are  curious  enough  to  make  the 
trip  over  the  mountains. 

Grand  Canyon's  Rock  Cabin 

Above  Alcova  several  miles  is  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Platte. 
Near  the  eastern  end  of  this  wonderful  canyon,  on  the  north  side, 
about  500  feet  above  the  turbulent  waters,  there  are  the  remains 
of  a  curious  cabin,  built  entirely  from  rock.  A  rock  shelf  projecting 
sixteen  or  eighteen  feet  forms  the  roof  of  the  cabin  and  the  sides  are 
built  up  solid  with  flat  rocks.  A  hole  left  in  the  front  wall  was  used 
as  a  door.  It  is  said  that  cow  hides  were  put  over  this  hole  in  the 
winter  time  to  keep  out  the  cold.  There  is  a  large  fire  place  in  the 
cabin  and  a  chimney  projects  through  the  roof,  which  is  also  built 


386  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

from  flat  rocks.  A  window,  far  up  in  the  east  wall  of  the  cabin  gives 
it  the  appearance  of  a  fort.  This  window  commands  a  perfect  view 
from  the  east  and  south  and  no  one  could  approach  within  several 
miles  of  the  place  without  being  seen.  The  cabin  being  built  from 
the  flat  rocks  broken  away  from  the  sides  of  the  canyon,  the  little 
hut  would  not  be  noticed  until  one  was  almost  upon  it. 

It  is  said  by  some  old-timers  that  while  the  Union  Pacific 
railroad  was  being  built  in  the  early  '6o's,  half  a  dozen  cattle  rustlers 
made  this  their  hiding  place  after  they  had  run  a  bunch  of  cattle 
out  of  the  country  and  sold  them  to  the  railroad  contractors.  Cattle- 
men, however,  finally  cornered  them  in  the  cabin  and  what  was  done 
with  them  has  never  been  reported,  but  the  rustlers  were  never  seen 
after  the  cattlemen  captured  them.  The  cabin  was  partially  destroyed 
at  that  time  and  although  it  has  been  more  than  fifty  ye:.rs  since  the 
tragedy  in  the  canyon  is  said  to  have  occurred,  no  one  has  ever 
cared  to  abide  in  it  since. 

Sheepherder's  Lonely  Grave 

Along  the  roadside  on  the  north  fork  of  Bufi^alo  creek,  in  the 
Big  Horn  mountains,  eighty-six  miles  northwest  of  Casper,  is  a 
lonely  grave  and  at  the  head  of  this  grave  is  a  weather-worn  piece  of 
board  a  foot  in  length  and  six  inches  wide  upon  which  is  carved  with 
a  pocket  knife:  "Died  June  17,  1904,  L.  Henderlight."  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1922,  the  Boy  Scouts  of  Casper  were  camped  in  the  beautiful 
little  park  which  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of  this  grave,  and 
they  put  a  wooden  cross  at  the  head  of  the  mound.  But  the  details 
of  how  the  man  met  his  death  are  known  to  but  a  few  of  the  old-time 
residents  of  the  county.  John  Henderlite  was  the  man's  name,  and 
he  was  herding  sheep  for  Bunce  and  Delfelder  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
Harry  Hudson  was  camp  mover  for  the  same  firm.  Early  m  the 
morning,  while  in  the  sheep  wagon,  the  two  men  quarreled  and 
Hudson  struck  Henderlite  over  the  head  three  times  with  a  piece  of 
an  iron  brake  handle  which  had  been  broken  off  the  wagon.  The 
man's  skull  was  crushed  and  he  fell  unconscious  to  the  floor  of  the 
wagon.  Hudson  dragged  his  victim  out  of  the  wagon  and  laid  him 
on  the  ground,  where  he  soon  died.  The  sheriff  and  coroner  went 
from  Casper  to  the  scene  of  the  killing  and  a  coroner's  jury  was 
impaneled  and  made  an  investigation  of  the  tragedy.  Hudson 
claimed  that  Henderlite  attacked  him  with  a  knife,  and  he  struck 
him  with  the  iron  in  self-defense.  There  were  no  witnesses  to  the 
sad  affair  to  contradict  his  statement.  One  of  the  men  on  the  coro- 
ner's jury  favored  returning  a  verdict  of  self-defense,  while  two  of 


BROOKS  LAKE  HAUNTED  387 

the  members  were  in  favor  of  returning  a  verdict  of  murder  against 
Hudson,  on  account  of  the  fact  that  he  had  told  a  number  of  different 
stories  as  to  how  the  killing  occurred.  Hudson  was  placed  under 
arrest  and  brought  to  Casper  and  lodged  in  the  county  jail.  At  the 
preliminary  hearing  there  were  no  witnesses  to  dispute  Hudson's 
version  of  the  tragedy,  and  as  he  produced  a  large  knife  which  he 
claimed  that  Henderlite  attacked  him  with  and  as  his  story  seemed 
reasonable,  he  was  given  his  freedom.  He  immediately  left  the 
country.  Henderlite  was  from  Lander  where  he  was  known  as  a 
law-abiding  citizen  and  his  friends  claimed  that  Hudson  must  have 
provoked  the  quarrel,  but  as  there  was  no  one  to  testify  in  the  dead 
man's  favor,  his  death  has  gone  unavenged. 

Brooks'  Lake  Haunted 

Approaching  the  V— V  ranch,  owned  by  Bryant  B.  Brooks,  from 
the  west,  about  eighteen  miles  from  Casper,  in  the  Big  Muddy  country 
to  the  left  of  the  roadside,  is  a  large  lake,  which  is  fed  from  the  flood 
waters  from  the  mountains  in  the  spring  time  and  there  are  also 
numerous  springs  which  assist  in  keeping  the  body  of  water  well 
supplied  during  the  dry  season  of  the  year.  The  lake  is  a  natural 
basin  at  the  foothills  of  the  mountains.  Tradition  says  that  this 
basin,  which  is  about  three  miles  long  and  more  than  half  a  mile  in 
width,  was  formerly  used  as  a  camping  ground  by  the  Indians.  In 
the  early  '90's  a  man  named  Carson,  who  was  passing  by  the  lake, 
came  into  Casper,  and  he  was  very  much  excited  and  told  a  startling 
story  of  having  seen  the  ghost  of  an  Indian  chief  in  a  phantom-like 
canoe,  paddle  from  the  shore  to  the  middle  of  the  lake,  come  to  a 
halt  and  then  suddenly  disappear  as  though  swallowed  up  by  the 
waters.  Carson  said  that  he  was  quietly  riding  his  horse  along  the 
roadside  which  borders  the  lake,  when  the  horse  became  frightened 
and  plunged  forward.  He  looked  toward  the  lake  where  the  horse 
was  gazing  with  apparent  fear,  and  there  he  saw  the  apparition 
above  described.  The  Indian  chief  was  arrayed  in  full  warrior  regalia 
and  was  visible  by  means  of  a  peculiar  phosphorescent  lustre  which 
accompanied  him. 

This  was  in  the  "good  old  days"  before  the  eighteenth  consti- 
tutional amendment  was  enacted,  and  as  Carson  was  a  man  who  did 
not  usually  become  excited,  and  as  he  was  on  his  way  to  Casper 
instead  of  going  from  the  town,  where  he  might  have  partaken  of 
something  that  would  have  been  the  cause  of  him  "seeing  things," 
and  as  he  was  not  given  to  telling  fairy  tales,  many  people  at  the  time 
were  of  the  opinion  that  the  lake  was  actually  haunted,  and  that  the 


388  HISTORY   OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

old  chief  had  appeared,  Hke  Hamlet's  ghost,  who  had  a  tale  to  unfold 
of  a  crime  that  had  been  committed  in  the  days  of  his  nature,  but  as 
there  were  no  Indians  at  hand,  the  nature  of  the  crime  was  not 
communicated  to  the  pale  face. 

But  whether  or  not  the  lake  is  or  has  been  haunted,  it  is  a  sad 
fact  that  a  number  of  white  men  who  have  since  ventured  on  the 
lake  with  a  boat  for  the  purpose  of  hunting  ducks,  have  been  drowned 
on  account  of  the  boat  capsizing  with  no  apparent  reason. 

"The  Deep  Sleep" 

About  three  miles  west  from  Alcova,  along  side  of  a  trail  leading 
off  from  the  main  road,  on  a  hillside,  is  a  lone  grave,  which  has  been 
there  since  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not,  and  while  graves  along 
the  roadside  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  not  uncommon,  the 
headstone  on  this  grave,  which  is  about  twelve  inches  wide  and  eight 
inches  deep,  naturally  attracts  the  attention  of  the  passerby,  for 
scratched  on  the  flat  stone  is  this  inscription: 

THE   DEEP   SLEEP 
HE  WAS 
CRAZY 

No  name,  no  date,  nothing  to  tell  who  or  what  he  was,  or 
how  or  when  he  came  to  his  death.  "He  was  crazy";  that  is  all.  It 
would  seem  that  the  people  who  dug  his  grave,  buried  him  and 
placed  the  stone  at  the  head  of  his  resting  place  thought  that  being 
crazy  was  the  most  important  information  people  would  care  about 
who  happened  to  pass  that  way. 

Basil  (Cimineau)  Lajeunesse  and  the  Seminoe  Mountains 

Among  the  members  of  John  C.  Fremont's  expeditions  to  the 
Rocky  mountains  in  1842-3-5,  was  the  voyageur  Basil  (Cimineau) 
Lajeunesse,  a  man  of  sterling  worth.  He  was  one  of  the  men  who 
ascended  Fremont  Peak  on  August  15,  1842.  Early  in  the  expedition, 
when  drought  and  grasshoppers  had  swept  the  country,  so  that  scarce 
a  blade  of  grass  was  to  be  seen,  and  there  was  not  a  buffalo,  deer  or 
antelope  for  food  in  the  whole  region,  the  Ogallallah  Indians  warned 
Fremont  not  to  proceed,  lest  he  should  starve,  and  Fremont  put  it  to 
his  men  whether  they  should  turn  back,  but  not  a  man  flinched  from 
the  undertaking.  "We'll  eat  the  mules,"  said  Basil  Lajeunesse. 
They  pushed  forward,  and  although  they  suffered  hardships  and 
privations,  they  did  not  eat  the  mules  on  this  expedition,  but  they 


BASIL  LAJEUNESSE  AND  THE  SEMINOE  MOUNTAINS       389 

lived  on  half  rations.  On  the  second  expedition,  in  1843,  however, 
they  did  eat  their  mules,  as  was  the  fortune  of  many  western  travelers 
in  that  year  and  other  years  to  follow.  The  name  Cimineau  endures 
in  Wyoming  in  the  Seminoe  mountains.  The  old  settlers  who 
remembered  Lajeunesse  said  that  the  mountains  were  called  Seminoe 
to  perpetuate  the  name  of  one  of  the  bravest  and  truest  pioneers  of 
Wyoming.  By  some  of  the  modern  map  makers  the  name  of  this 
range  of  mountains  has  been  corrupted  into  ''Seminole,"  but  there 
is  no  "1"  used  in  the  spelling,  and  the  correct  pronunciation  is 
Seminoe,  or  Cimineau. 

Lajeunesse  did  not  return  with  Fremont  to  the  states,  but  took 
up  his  abode  in  the  Sweetwater  country,  where  he  lived  for  many 
years.  This  pioneer  was  decended  from  a  numerous  family  of  hunters, 
trappers  and  traders.  Gabriel  Lajeunesse,  his  uncle,  tradition  says, 
was  the  hero  of  Longfellow's  "Evangeline."  Lajeunesse  and  his 
brother  Francois  were  familiar  with  the  mountains,  streams  and 
valleys  in  every  part  of  Wyoming.  In  1858  he  established  a  trading 
post  on  the  Overland  route  above  Devil's  Gate,  about  one  hundred 
yards  south  of  where  Tom  Sun's  ranch  house  is  now  located.  He 
traded  with  the  Indians  and  supplied  emigrants  who  passed  through 
the  country.  His  family  lived  on  a  ranch  where  the  Ferris  postoffice 
is  situated  and  it  was  there  his  children  grew  up.  In  1862  he  started 
to  make  a  trip  to  Deer  Creek  for  the  purpose  of  trading  with  the 
Sioux  Indians.  With  him  were  two  men  and  fifteen  pack  animals, 
loaded  with  goods.  It  is  said  by  some  that  on  the  way  the  party  was 
attacked  by  the  Indians  and  Lajeunesse  was  killed  and  all  his  goods 
were  carried  away  and  his  mules  were  also  driven  off,  but  others 
claim  that  he  was  murdered  and  his  goods  carried  away  by  the  two 
men  who  were  in  his  employ.  He  was  married  to  a  Sioux  woman  and 
a  number  of  children  were  born  to  them.  His  ending  cannot  be  more 
appropriately  expressed  than  by  quoting  the  last  lines  from  that  sad 
but  beautiful  poem  of  Longfellow's  "Evangeline": 

"All  was  ended  now,  the  hope,  and  the  fear, 

and  the  sorrow, 
"All  the  aching  of  heart,  the  restless, 

unsatisfied  longing, 
"All  the  dull,  deep  pain,  and  constant 

anguish  of  patience." 


Thrilling  Events  of  Early  Days 

Adventures  of  John  Colter 

THE  first  American  to  enter  what  is  now  Wyoming  was  John 
Colter,  a  trapper  and  adventurer  from  Saint  Louis.  He  discovered 
Yellowstone  Park  in  1807,  but  he  has  received  but  little  credit 
for  it,  probably  because  his  fellow-trappers  considered  his  accounts  as 
merely  the  yarns  of  one  of  their  own  kind  and  it  is  doubtful  whether 
they  believed  them.  When  he  told  his  story  to  historians  and  ex- 
plorers back  in  Saint  Louis,  he  was  not  taken  seriously.  This  may 
have  been  because  his  tales  had  to  compete  with  those  of  other  trap- 
pers and  adventurers  in  the  thrill  of  stirring  Indian  fights  and  the 
surpassing  grandeur  of  places  visited.  Even  the  scientist,  John  Brad- 
bury, who  knew  Colter  and  wrote  of  his  exploits,  failed  to  investigate 
Colter's  wonderland,  Yellowstone  Park.  H.  M.  Brackenridge,  who 
had  talked  with  Colter  about  his  travels,  spoke  in  his  writings  of  the 
low  pass  across  the  mountains  that  Colter  had  discovered,  but 
ignored  entirely  the  discoveries  made  at  the  head  of  the  Yellowstone. 

Colter  was  a  private  soldier  in  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition 
in  1804-6.  When  the  party  reached  Mandan,  about  fifty  miles  above 
where  Bismarck,  North  Dakota,  now  stands,  on  their  return  from  the 
far  northwest,  Colter  asked  for  his  discharge,  saying  that  he  wished 
to  join  some  trappers  who  were  going  back  north  and  west.  He 
received  the  discharge  and,  after  being  outfitted,  returned  to  the 
wilderness.  The  party  worked  together  from  August,  1806,  until  the 
following  spring.  Again  Colter  was  on  his  way  back  to  civilization 
and  again  he  turned  back.  This  time  it  was  in  the  employ  of  Manuel 
Lisa,  a  Mexican,  whom  he  met  at  the  mouth  of  the  Platte.  Lisa 
hired  a  large  number  of  trappers,  took  them  to  the  north  and  then 
spread  them  over  the  country.  The  party  journeyed  to  the  mouth 
of  the  Big  Horn.  From  this  point,  Lisa  sent  Colter  out  to  inform 
the  other  bands  of  Indians  that  he  was  in  their  country  and  wished 
to  trade  with  them. 

With  only  a  pack  of  thirty  pounds,  a  gun,  and  some  ammunition. 
Colter  set  out  on  his  perilous  mission.  It  is  probable  that  he  had 
Indian  guides,  but  he  traveled  directly  from  the  Wind  river  to 
Pierre's  Hole,  crossing  the  Wind  river  and  Teton  mountains  by  the 
Union  or  Two-gwo-tee  passes.     After  traveling  500  miles,  he  found 

390 


THRILLING  EVENTS  OF  EARLY  DAYS        39I 

the  Crows.  While  he  was  with  them,  they  were  attacked  by  a  party 
of  Blackfeet  and  in  the  fight  it  was  necessary  for  Colter  to  ally  him- 
self with  the  Crows.  The  Blackfeet  w^ere  defeated,  but  not  before  they 
had  discerned  the  presence  of  a  white  man  among  their  opponents. 
Colter  received  a  wound  in  the  leg  in  this  fight,  but  it  did  not  hinder 
his  travels  and  he  went  back  to  Lisa's  fort,  a  trip  of  several  hundred 
miles,  without  any  assistance  whatever.  He  was  alone,  having  parted 
from  his  friends,  the  Crows,  who  did  not  wish  to  remain  in  the  coun- 
try long  enough  to  suflTer  retaliations  at  the  hands  of  the  Blackfeet. 
Colter  afterwards  described  this  trip  to  General  Clark,  who  traced 
it  on  his  map  and  named  it  "Colter's  Route  in  1807."  His  course  was 
as  directly  northeast  as  the  country  would  permit.  He  cut  through 
the  dense  pine  forests  that  cover  the  northern  Tetons  and  trailed 
diagonally  across  what  is  now  Yellowstone  Park.  Chittenden^  says, 
"This  very  remarkable  achievement  —  remarkable  in  its  unexpected 
results  in  geographical  discovery  —  deserves  to  be  classed  among  the 
most  celebrated  performances  in  the  history  of  American  exploration. 
Colter  was  the  first  explorer  of  the  valley  of  the  Big  Horn  river;  the 
first  to  cross  the  passes  at  the  head  of  Wind  river  and  see  the  head- 
waters of  the  Colorado  of  the  West;  the  first  to  see  the  Teton  moun- 
tains, Jackson  Hole,  Pierre's  Hole,  and  the  sources  of  the  Snake 
(Green)  river;  and  most  important  of  all,  the  first  to  pass  through  that 
singular  region  which  has  since  become  known  throughout  the  world 
as  the  Yellowstone  Wonderland.  He  also  saw  the  immense  tar 
spring  at  the  forks  of  the  Stinkingwater  river,  a  spot  which  came  to 
bear  the  name  of  'Colter's  Hell.'" 

It  would  seem  that  by  this  time,  Colter  had  had  enough  ad- 
venture for  one  man's  life  time,  but  a  still  more  thrilling  episode  was 
waiting  for  him.  The  next  spring  (1808),  he  went  to  the  Three  Forks 
of  the  Missouri  to  trap  accompanied  by  a  man  named  Potts,  who  had 
been  with  him  on  the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition.  One  day  while 
Colter  and  Potts  were  working  with  their  traps,  a  band  of  Indians 
came  upon  them.  At  first  the  Indians  were  not  inclined  to  be  hostile, 
but  in  a  few  minutes  they  became  involved  in  an  altercation  which 
resulted  in  a  fight  in  which  Potts  was  killed  and  Colter  taken  prisoner. 
Bradbury-  relates  that  he  saw  Colter  in  May,  1810,  and  received  a 
first-hand  account  of  this  wild  adventure: 

"This  man  came  to  Saint  Louis  in  May,  1810,  in  a  small  canoe, 
from  the  headwaters  of  the  Missouri,  a  distance  of  three  thousand 
miles,  which  he  traversed  in  thirty  days.  I  saw  him  on  his  arrival, 
and   received  from  him  an  account  of  his  adventures  after  he  had 

i"The  History  of  the  American  Fur  Trade  of  the  Far  West." 
2  "Travels  in  North  America." 


392  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

separated  from  Lewis  and  Clark's  party;  one  of  these,  from  its 
singularity,  I  shall  relate.  On  the  arrival  of  the  party  at  the  head- 
waters of  the  Missouri,  Colter,  observing  an  appearance  of  abundance 
of  beaver  there,  got  permission  to  remain  and  hunt  for  some  time, 
which  he  did  in  company  with  a  man  by  the  name  of  Dixon,  who  had 
traversed  the  immense  tract  of  country  from  Saint  Louis  to  the 
headwaters  of  the  Missouri  alone. 

"Soon  after  he  separated  from  Dixon,  and  trapped  in  company 
with  a  hunter  named  Potts;  and  aware  of  the  hostility  of  the  Black- 
feet  Indians,  one  of  whom  had  been  killed  by  Lew^is,  they  set  their 
traps  at  night,  and  took  them  up  early  in  the  morning,  remaining 
concealed  during  the  day.  They  were  examining  their  traps  early  one 
morning,  in  a  creek  about  six  miles  from  that  branch  of  the  Missouri 
called  Jefferson's  Fork,  and  were  ascending  in  a  canoe,  when  they 
suddenly  heard  a  great  noise,  resembling  the  trampling  of  animals; 
but  they  could  not  ascertain  the  fact,  as  the  high,  perpendicular 
banks  on  each  side  of  the  river  impeded  their  view.  Colter  imme- 
diately pronounced  it  to  be  occasioned  by  Indians,  and  advised  an 
instant  retreat;  but  was  accused  of  cowardice  by  Potts,  who  insisted 
that  the  noise  w^as  caused  by  buffaloes,  and  they  proceeded  on.  In  a 
few  minutes  afterwards  their  doubts  were  removed  by  a  party  of 
Indians  making  their  appearance  on  both  sides  of  the  creek,  to  the 
number  of  five  or  six  hundred,  who  beckoned  them  to  come  ashore. 
As  retreat  was  now  impossible.  Colter  turned  the  head  of  the  canoe 
to  the  shore;  and  at  the  moment  of  its  touching,  an  Indian  seized  the 
rifle  belonging  to  Potts;  but  Colter,  who  was  a  remarkably  strong  man, 
immediately  retook  it,  and  handed  it  to  Potts,  w^ho  remained  in  the 
canoe,  and  on  receiving  it  pushed  off  into  the  river.  He  had  scarcely 
quitted  the  shore  when  an  arrow  was  shot  at  him,  and  he  cried  out, 
'Colter,  I  am  wounded.'  Colter  remonstrated  with  him  on  the  folly 
of  attempting  to  escape,  and  urged  him  to  come  ashore.  Instead  of 
complying,  he  instantly  leveled  his  rifle  at  an  Indian,  and  shot  him 
dead  on  the  spot.  This  conduct,  situated  as  he  was,  may  appear  to 
have  been  an  act  of  madness;  but  it  was  doubtless  the  effect  of  sudden 
and  sound  reasoning;  for  if  taken  alive,  he  must  have  expected  to  be 
tortured  to  death,  according  to  their  custom.  He  was  instantly 
pierced  with  arrows  so  numerous  that,  to  use  the  language  of  Colter, 
'he  was  made  a  riddle  of.' 

"They  now  seized  Colter,  stripped  him  entirely  naked,  and 
began  to  consult  on  the  manner  in  which  he  should  be  put  to  death. 
They  were  first  inclined  to  set  him  up  as  a  mark  to  shoot  at;  but  the 
chief  interfered,  and  seizing  him  by  the  shoulder,  asked  him  if  he 
could  run  fast.    Colter,  who  had  been  some  time  amongst  the  Kee- 


THRILLING  EVENTS  OF  EARLY  DAYS        393 

kat-sa,  or  Crow  Indians,  had  in  a  considerable  degree  acquired  the 
Blackfoot  language,  and  was  also  well  acquainted  with  Indian 
customs.  He  knew  that  he  had  now  to  run  for  his  life,  with  the 
dreadful  odds  of  five  or  six  hundred  against  him,  and  those  armed 
Indians;  therefore  he  cunningly  replied  that  he  was  a  very  bad 
runner,  although  he  was  considered  by  the  hunters  as  remarkably 
swift.  The  chief  now  commanded  the  party  to  remain  stationar}^,  and 
released  him,  bidding  him  to  save  himself  if  he  could.  At  that  instant 
the  horrid  war  whoop  sounded  in  the  ears  of  poor  Colter,  who,  urged 
with  the  hope  of  preserving  life,  ran  with  a  speed  at  which  he  was  him- 
self surprised.  He  proceeded  toward  the  Jefferson  Fork,  having  to 
traverse  a  plain  six  miles  in  breadth,  abounding  with  prickly  pear, 
on  which  he  was  every  instant  treading  with  his  naked  feet.  He  ran 
nearly  half  way  across  the  plain  before  he  ventured  to  look  over  his 
shoulder,  when  he  perceived  that  the  Indians  were  very  much 
scattered,  and  that  he  had  gained  ground  to  a  considerable  distance 
from  the  main  body;  but  one  Indian,  who  carried  a  spear,  was 
much  before  all  the  rest,  and  not  more  than  a  hundred  yards  from 
him.  A  faint  gleam  of  hope  now  cheered  the  heart  of  Colter;  he 
derived  confidence  from  the  belief  that  escape  was  within  the  bounds 
of  possibility;  but  that  confidence  was  nearly  fatal  to  him,  for  he 
exerted  himself  to  such  a  degree  that  the  blood  gushed  from  his 
nostrils,  and  soon  almost  covered  the  fore  part  of  his  body. 

"He  had  now  arrived  within  a  mile  of  the  river,  when  he  dis- 
tinctly heard  the  appalling  sound  of  footsteps  behind  him,  and  every 
instant  expected  to  feel  the  spear  of  his  pursuer.  Again  he  turned 
his  head,  and  saw  the  savage  not  twenty  yards  from  him.  Determined 
if  possible  to  avoid  the  expected  blow,  he  suddenly  stopped,  turned 
round,  and  spread  out  his  arms.  The  Indian,  surprised  by  the  sud- 
denness of  the  action,  and  perhaps  of  the  bloody  appearance  of  Colter, 
also  attempted  to  stop;  but  exhausted  with  running,  he  fell  whilst 
endeavoring  to  throw  his  spear,  which  stuck  in  the  ground  and 
broke  in  his  hand.  Colter  instantly  snatched  up  the  pointed  part, 
with  which  he  pinned  him  to  the  earth,  and  then  continued  his 
flight.  The  foremost  of  the  Indians,  on  arriving  at  the  place,  stopped 
till  others  came  up  to  join  them,  when  they  set  up  a  hideous  yell. 
Every  moment  of  this  time  was  improved  by  Colter,  who,  although 
fainting  and  exhausted,  succeeded  in  gaining  the  skirting  of  the  Cot- 
tonwood trees,  on  the  borders  of  the  fork,  through  which  he  ran  and 
plunged  into  the  river.  Fortunately  for  him,  a  little  below  this 
place  there  was  an  island,  against  the  upper  point  of  which  a  raft  of 
drift  timber  had  lodged.  He  dived  under  the  raft,  and  after  several 
efforts,  got  his  head  above  water  amongst  the  trunks  of  trees,  covered 


394  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

over  with  smaller  wood  to  the  depth  of  several  feet.  Scarcely  had  he 
secured  himself  when  the  Indians  arrived  on  the  river,  screeching  and 
yelling,  as  Colter  expressed  it,  'like  so  many  devils.'  They  were  fre- 
quently on  the  raft  during  the  day,  and  were  seen  through  the 
chinks  by  Colter,  who  was  congratulating  himself  on  his  escape,  until 
the  idea  arose  that  they  might  set  the  raft  on  fire. 

"In  horrible  suspense  he  remained  until  night,  when  hearing  no 
more  of  the  Indians,  he  dived  from  under  the  raft,  and  swam  silently 
down  the  river  to  a  considerable  distance,  when  he  landed,  and 
traveled  all  night.  Although  happy  in  having  escaped  from  the 
Indians,  his  situation  was  still  dreadful;  he  was  completely  naked, 
under  a  burning  sun;  the  soles  of  his  feet  were  entirely  filled  with  the 
thorns  of  the  prickly  pear;  he  was  hungry,  and  had  no  means  of  killing 
game,  although  he  saw  abundance  around  him,  and  was  at  least 
seven  days'  journey  from  Lisa's  fort,  on  the  Big  Horn  branch  of  the 
Roche  Jaune  river.  These  were  circumstances  under  which  almost 
any  man  but  an  American  hunter  would  have  despaired.  He  arrived 
at  the  fort  in  seven  days,  having  subsisted  on  a  root  much  esteemed 
by  the  Indians  of  the  Missouri,  now  known  by  naturalists  as  psoralea 
esculenta." 

Colter  remained  in  this  part  of  the  country  for  another  year 
trapping  and  trading  with  the  Indians.  He  returned  to  Saint  Louis 
in  May,  1810,  and  in  181 1  was  married  and  gave  up  his  wandering 
habits.  Historians  have  not  traced  his  life  further  and  it  is  supposed 
his  later  life  was  spent  quietly  in  the  Missouri  valley. 

It  is  to  be  deplored  that  this  resourceful  and  courageous  man  was 
not  sent  out  with  the  proper  scientific  equipment  to  give  authenticity 
to  his  discoveries.  Had  he  been  given  the  proper  backing,  he  would 
now  rank  with  Lewis  and  Clark,  Zebulon  Pike,  and  John  C.  Fre- 
mont. It  is  to  be  hoped  that  sometime  a  monument  will  be  erected 
to  his  memory  in  Yellowstone  Park. 


The  Battle  of  Platte  Bridge 

IN  the  summer  of  1865,  those  who  were  traveling  across  the  west- 
ern plains  found  that  their  journey  was  a  hard  one,  not  only  on 
account  of  the  hot,  dry  winds  and  the  wide  stretches  of  sandy  and 
rocky  desolation,  but  on  account  of  the  hostilities  of  the  Indians. 
Almost  every  station  along  the  Trail  was  raided  and  the  Indians 
made  their  presence  felt  all  along  the  telegraph  line,  which  was 
guarded  by  troops  in  small  detachments.  About  the  middle  of  July 
there  was  a  noticeable  movement  of  the  Indians  east  from  the 
Sweetwater  valley  and  more  of  them  were  traveling  west  from  Fort 
Laramie. 

Platte  Bridge  was  about  one  and  one-half  miles  above  the  site 
of  Casper  and  was  used  as  a  crossing  by  emigrants  bound  for  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon  over  the  Trail.  A  post  had  been  established  there 
not  only  to  care  for  the  telegraph  line,  but  to  protect  the  travelers 
from  the  periodical  outbreaks  of  the  Indians.  It  was  nearly  sixty 
miles  east  of  Sweetwater  and  over  a  hundred  miles  west  of  Fort 
Laramie,  and  by  the  24th  of  July  the  Indians  had  collected  in  large 
numbers  across  the  river  from  the  post.  Three  or  four  hundred  of  them 
came  over  the  river  on  the  25th  and  a  fight  ensued  in  which  a 
Cheyenne  chief  was  killed  and  scalped,  and  on  the  26th  occurred  a 
desperate  and  bloody  battle  in  which  Caspar  W.  Collins  was  killed. 
Collins  was  not  attached  to  the  fort,  but  was  returning  to  his  station 
at  Sweetwater  from  Fort  Laramie  where  he  had  just  been  com- 
missioned a  first  lieutenant. 

Major  Anderson,  in  command  of  the  station,  was  organizing  a 
party  to  go  out  to  bring  in  a  wagon  train  bound  for  the  fort  from 
Sweetwater  and  Lieutenant  Collins  asked  to  be  allowed  to  lead  the 
party.  He  was  only  a  boy  and  the  men  at  the  fort  tried  to  dissuade 
him  from  going,  but  he  was  finally  permitted  to  go.  This  was  courage, 
but  before  the  day  was  done  he  distinguished  himself  by  an  act  of 
rare  heroism  which  cost  his  life.  When  the  little  rescue  party  had 
gone  a  short  way  from  the  fort,  they  found  that  there  were  hundreds 
of  Indians  waiting  for  them.  After  putting  up  a  game  resistance,  they 
tried  to  return  to  the  fort.  Lieutenant  Collins  saw  one  of  his  men  shot 
from  his  horse  and  went  to  pick  him  up.  This  action  drew  the  fire 
of  the  Indians  and  the  attack  frightened  his  horse  so  that  it  shied  and 
ran.   When  they  found  the  poor  boy's  body  the  next  day,  it  contained 

395 


396  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

twenty-four  arrows.  Besides,  his  mouth  had  been  burned  by  powder, 
which  was  one  of  the  brutalities  often  inflicted  by  the  noble  redskins 
upon  their  victims. 

On  November  21,  1865,  Major-General  Pope  named  the  post 
"Fort  Caspar"  in  an  order  as  follows: 

"The  military  post  situated  at  Platte  Bridge,  between  Deer 
and  Rock  creeks,  on  the  Platte  river,  will  be  hereafter  known  as  Fort 
Caspar,  in  honor  of  Lieutenant  Caspar  Collins,  nth  Ohio  Cavalry, 
who  lost  his  life  while  gallantly  attacking  a  superior  force  of  Indians 
at  that  place." 

Caspar  W.  Collins  was  born  at  Hillsboro,  Ohio,  September  30, 
1844.  He  was  the  son  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  William  O.  Collins  of 
the  nth  Ohio  Cavalry.  Fort  Collins,  Colorado,  was  named  in  his 
honor.  Caspar  moved  with  his  father  to  Wyoming  in  1862,  his  father 
being  assigned  to  the  station  at  Fort  Laramie. 

Old  Fort  Caspar  was  abandoned  on  October  19,  1867. 

Colonel  W.  W.  Denison,  adjutant-general  of  the  state  of  Kansas 
for  many  years,  and  a  private  in  the  ranks  of  Company  I,  nth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  was  stationed  at  Platte  River  Bridge  in  July,  1865, 
when  the  battle  of  Platte  Bridge  was  fought.  Colonel  Denison  visited 
Casper  in  September,  191 8,  and  while  here  gave  the  following  version 
of  the  battle,  which  was  taken  from  the  diary  of  Lieutenant  Y.  Drew, 
also  of  the  nth  Kansas  Cavalry: 

"Old  Platte  Bridge  military  post  was  located  on  the  south  side  of  the  North 
Platte  river,  about  130  miles  west  of  Fort  Laramie.  The  station  was  a  stockade,  inside 
of  which  were  accommodations  for  a  garrison  of  about  100  men.  About  fifty  rods 
northwest  from  the  station  was  the  bridge,  which  was  about  600  feet  long.  Nearly 
one-half  mile  west  of  the  bridge,  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  there  was  a  growth  of 
willows,  forming  quite  a  screen.  Nearly  the  same  distance  east,  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  a  deep  gulch  came  down  from  the  north  to  the  river.  After  crossing  the  bridge 
the  road  takes  a  northwest  course  over  the  bottom  land  up  to  the  bluff,  along  the 
edge  of  which  it  runs  for  a  mile  or  two  in  plain  sight  of  the  river  and  station.  The 
telegraph  line  runs  along  on  the  side  of  the  road.  The  country  north  of  the  road  is 
covered  with  sand  hills  and  deep  ravines.  At  the  time  of  the  attack  the  place  was 
garrisoned  by  Company  I,  of  the  nth  Kansas  cavalry,  two  men  of  the  nth  Ohio, 
and  about  twelve  of  the  United  States  Infantry — rebel  prisoners  who  enlisted  in  the 
United  States  service  to  fight  Indians  in  preference  to  staying  in  the  military  prisons. 
The  headquarters  of  the  nth  Kansas  Regiment  were  also  at  the  station,  making  about 
no  men,  all  under  the  command  of  Major  M.  Anderson  of  the  nth  Kansas.  Of 
these  about  seventy  or  eighty  had  guns,  the  rest  being  armed  with  revolvers  only. 
Company  I  was  armed  with  the  Smith  breech  loading  carbines.  The  nth  Ohio  boys 
had  the  Spencer  repeating  rifle,  and  the  United  States  infantry — 'Galvanized  Troops,' 
as  the  boys  called  them,  had  the  Springfield  musket. 

"Just  after  dinner  on  the  25th  of  July,  some  one  called  out  'Indians,  Indians!' 
and  all  hands  seizing  their  arms,  ran  out  to  see  where  they  were,  their  number,  etc. 
On  the  north  side  of  the  river  about  fifteen  or  twenty  Indians  on  horseback  were 
moving  leisurely  along.  In  a  few  minutes  about  a  dozen  men  were  mounted  and 
crossing  the  bridge,  commenced  skirmishing  with  the  enemy.  As  fast  as  our  men 
moved  on,  the  Indians  fell  back,  until  our  men  had  gone  about  three  miles  from  the 
bridge.    All  this  time  the  Indians  were  increasing  in  numbers  until  there  were  about 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PLATTE  BRIDGE  397 

forty  in  plain  sight.  Our  boys  had  been  using  their  carbines  to  good  effect,  and  had 
struck  several  Indians  on  their  ponies,without  any  particular  loss  or  damage  on  our 
side.  At  this  time  an  order  was  received  from  the  station  for  the  men  to  come  back, 
as  the  Indians  were  showing  themselves  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  east  of  the 
station.  As  our  men  fell  back  toward  the  bridge,  Indians  kept  coming  out  of  the  ravine 
until  there  were  about  fifty  in  sight,  showing  that  their  maneuvering  had  been  for  the 
purpose  of  luring  our  men  out  as  far  away  from  all  support  as  possible  then  to  wipe 
them  out  by  superior  numbers.  Our  men  reached  the  station  without  any  loss.  On 
the  south  side  of  the  river  the  boys  were  having  about  the  same  experience  as  their 
comrades  on  the  north  side,  the  Indians  falling  back  as  they  were  charged  and  grad- 
ually increasing  in  numbers.  In  one  of  their  charges  the  boys  shot  one  of  the  chiefs  of 
the  Cheyennes  through  the  bowels.  He  threw  his  arms  over  the  neck  of  his  pony, 
which  wheeled  to  the  left  and  went  off  into  a  thicket  of  brush,  where  the  chief  fell  off. 
At  this  time  the  Indians  charged  desperately  on  our  men  to  drive  them  back.  But 
at  this  juncture  a  reinforcement  of  about  a  dozen  came  from  the  station,  and  the 
Indians  were  repulsed.  Their  intention  had  been  to  hold  our  men  back  long  enough 
to  give  them  an  opportunity  to  carry  off  their  fallen  chief.  Two  of  the  boys  rode  into 
the  brush  to  find  the  chief,  and  found  him  lying  apparently  dead.  One  man  jumped 
off  his  horse  and  stabbed  him  about  the  heart.  He  did  not  give  the  least  sign  of  life. 
Then  he  commenced  to  scalp  him.  As  soon  as  the  knife  touched  his  head  the  Indian 
commenced  to  beg,  when  another  man  shot  him  through  the  brain.  The  Indian  belief 
is  that  if  a  warrior  loses  his  scalp  he  cannot  go  to  the  'Happy  Hunting  Grounds.' 
They  will  lose  their  lives  without  the  least  sign  of  feeling,  but  they  want  to  save  their 
scalps.  The  boys  took  the  chief's  arms  and  a  buckskin  jacket  that  he  had  on.  The 
jacket  was  fringed  with  about  thirty-five  different  kinds  of  hair — white  men's,  women's, 
children's,  Indians'  and  squaws' — which  he  had  taken  at  different  times  in  his  battles 
and  forages. 

"A  word  right  here  in  regard  to  the  action  of  the  men  in  stabbing  and  shooting 
the  wounded  Indians.  About  ten  days  before  this  the  Indians  had  captured  one  of  our 
men  and  had  tortured  and  mangled  him  in  a  horrible  manner.  Our  boys  swore  that 
if  ever  they  got  hold  of  an  Indian  they  would  cut  him  all  to  pieces,  and  they  did  as 
stated. 

"The  fighting  on  the  25th  of  July  1865,  at  Platte  Bridge  had  resulted  in  the 
killing  and  wounding  of  several  of  the  Indians,  with  but  very  little  damage  on  our  side. 
Several  of  our  men  had  received  slight  wounds,  but  every  one  reported  for  duty  on 
the  return  to  the  stockade  that  evening,  and  all  hands  felt  elated  over  the  action. 

"On  making  an  inspection  that  evening  of  the  arms  and  ammunition  it  was 
found  that  there  were  less  than  twenty  rounds  to  the  man,  for  the  Smith  carbines,  and 
but  very  little  more  for  the  other  arms.  Owing  to  the  oversight  or  negligence  of  some 
one  whose  business  it  was  to  attend  to  the  ordnance  supplies,  there  had  not  been  any 
cartridges  for  the  Smith  carbines  sent  out  on  the  plains,  only  what  the  nth  Kansas 
Cavalry  had  on  hand  at  the  time  of  their  departure  from  Fort  Riley,  in  the  preceding 
winter.  Requisitions  had  been  made  on  the  ordnance  officials  at  Fort  Laramie  for  a 
supply  without  success,  and  I  presume  he  sent  our  requisition  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
for  a  few  days  before  we  had  been  notified  by  telegraph  that  supplies  had  been  received, 
and  that  we  send  an  escort  to  Fort  Laramie  with  a  requisition  and  we  would  be  pro- 
vided for,  and  at  this  time  Sergeant  H.  Todd,  Corporal  W,  H.  Smith,  with  some  others 
were  on  the  way  from  Fort  Laramie  with  commissary  and  ordnance  supplies.  But 
that  did  not  help  us  in  the  present  emergency.  Some  of  the  boys  commenced  running 
bullets  and  making  cartridges.  Private  James  E.  Bush  being  one  I  remember  as  being 
very  proficient  in  that  business. 

"  During  the  night  an  alarm  was  given  by  the  sound  of  horses  crossing  the  bridge, 
but  on  being  challenged  we  were  agreeably  surprised  to  find  that  it  was  caused  by  five 
or  six  of  Company  G,  nth  Ohio  Cavalry,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Bretney 
of  the  same  company  from  Sweetwater  station,  about  fifty  miles  west  of  Platte  Bridge. 
They  reported  leaving  Sweetwater  on  the  preceding  morning  in  company  with  three 
wagons  and  twenty-five  men  of  the  nth  Kansas  under  command  of  Sergeant  Custard 
of  Company  H.  The  train  with  its  escort  had  halted  about  eighteen  or  twenty  miles 
from  the  bridge  and  proposed  coming  as  soon  as  possible  the  next  day.   They  had  seen 


398 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


no  signs  of  Indians  either  while  with  the  train  or  since  leaving  it,  and  were  surprised 
to  find  that  they  had  not  been  attacked  after  they  heard  about  the  fighting  during  the 
afternoon. 

"The  next  morning  as  soon  as  we  could  distinguish  objects  we  scanned  the 
surrounding  country  to  see  if  we  could  find  any  of  our  last  evening's  opponents.  We 
did  not  make  out  any  on  our  side  of  the  river,  but  on  the  north  side  there  were  some 
moving  about  and  others  squatted  on  the  hills.  Altogether  there  seemed  to  be  about 
ninety  in  sight,  just  about  the  number  we  had  been  fighting  the  day  before.  They 
looked  as  though  they  were  out  of  a  job  and  did  not  know  just  where  to  find  one.  We 
breakfasted,  and  then  Major  Anderson  ordered  Lieutenant  Collins,  of  the  nth  Ohio 
Cavalry  to  take  command  of  a  detail  of  twenty-five  men  and  reinforce  the  train  so  as 
to  prevent  their  being  surprised.  Lieutenant  Collins  had  been  at  Fort  Laramie  and  was 
on  his  way  back  to  his  command  at  Sweetwater,  and  had  reached  the  Platte  bridge 
about  three  days  before  with  an  escort  of  four  or  five  men  from  Company  K,  nth 
Kansas  Cavalry,  from  Deer  Creek,  the  ne.xt  station  east  of  us  about  thirty  miles. 
Lieutenant  Collins  had  been  out  on  the  plains  with  his  regiment  two  or  three  years. 
He  was  a  brave  young  fellow  and  was  considered  to  be  pretty  well  posted  in  the 
Indian  tactics. 

"The  detail  moved  out  in  fine  spirits,  crossed  the  bridge  and  then  rode  leisurely 
over  the  bottom  land  up  on  the  bluff.  Quite  a  number  of  the  boys  had  gone  on  foot 
over  the  bridge  at  the  same  time  with  the  detail,  and  others  were  straggling  over. 
Among  others  Lieutenant  Bretney  of  the  nth  Ohio  with  about  a  dozen  men  had 
gone  straight  north  up  on  the  bluff  and  were  waiting  to  see  what  action  the  Indians 
would  take  with  the  detail.  Strict  orders  had  been  given  by  Major  Anderson  that  not 
a  shot  was  to  be  fired  by  our  men  without  it  was  actually  necessary,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  ammunition.  On  reaching  the  top  of  the  bluff  two  Indians  were  seen  by 
the  detail  up  the  telegraph  poles  a  little  over  a  quarter  of  a  mile  away  cutting  the 
telegraph  wire.  As  soon  as  they  saw  our  men  they  slid  down  the  poles,  mounted  their 
ponies,  and  started  for  the  back  country  as  fast  as  their  ponies  would  take  them. 
Their  ponies  appeared  to  be  very  lame  and  they  did  not  make  much  headway.  It 
looked  like  a  soft  snap  to  take  them  in  and  Lieutenant  Collins  ordered  the  boys  to  go 
for  them  before  the  Indians  could  reach  their  friends.  This  charge  of  course  took  them 
off  the  road  and  away  from  the  sight  of  the  river.  The  instant  the  last  man  had  disap- 
peared from  view  behind  the  screen  of  willows  west  of  the  bridge  about  400  Cheyennes 
on  horseback  appeared  and  with  loud  yells  charged  over  the  bottom  lands,  and  up  the 
bluff  in  the  direction  in  which  our  men  had  gone.  The  instant  these  Indians  reached 
the  top  of  the  bluff,  from  behind  every  sandhill  and  out  of  every  hollow  Indians 
appeared  and  all  with  the  one  object  of  charging  on  the  detail  and  annihilating  them 
before  they  could  get  back  to  the  bridge  and  friends.  As  soon  as  the  detail  realized  the 
situation  they  retraced  their  steps  with  all  possible  speed,  but  it  was  not  more  than  a 
couple  of  minutes  before  the  Indians  were  all  around  them  as  thick  as  bees.  In  fact, 
so  many  of  them  were  on  all  sides  that  they  did  not  dare  to  use  their  firearms  or  bows 
and  arrows  for  fear  of  shooting  their  own  men,  but  they  used  their  lances,  tomahawks 
and  sabers,  and  even  tried  to  pull  the  boys  off  their  horses  by  main  force.  The  boys 
kept  together  in  two  ranks,  discharging  their  carbines  with  deadly  effect  into  the  crowd 
on  right  and  left;  then,  not  having  time  to  reload,  took  their  revolvers  and  kept  up 
the  shooting.  A  boy  of  about  seventeen  belonging  to  Company  I  of  the  nth  Kansas, 
had  what  we  called  a  "nuley"  or  "pepper  box"  revolver,  the  hammer  being  on  the 
lower  side  of  the  weapon,  and  by  pulling  on  the  trigger,  the  hammer  would  raise,  the 
piece  revolve  to  the  next  charge  and  the  hammer  fall  on  the  cap  and  discharge  it.  A 
big  Indian  struck  the  boy  on  the  head  with  his  spear,  trying  to  stun  him,  but  the 
horses  were  moving  so  rapidly  it  did  not  hurt  him  much.  The  boy  pointed  his  "  pepper 
box"  at  the  Indian;  the  Indian  with  a  sardonic  grin  on  his  swarthy  features  said 
"Ugh!  no  good!"  and  tried  to  grab  the  boy's  arm  and  pull  him  off,  but  he  reckoned 
without  his  host.  Just  at  that  instant  the  revolver  went  off  and  shot  Mr.  Indian 
through  the  breast.  His  grin  changed  to  a  look  of  painful  astonishment  as  he  fell 
forward  upon  his  pony's  neck  and  wheeled  out  of  the  fight. 

"It  did  not  take  long  for  the  detail  to  reach  the  edge  of  the  bluff  and  as  soon  as 
they  got  there  the  Indians  on  their  right  and  left  wheeled  out  of  the  way  and  from  the 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PLATTE  BRIDGE  399 

rear  they  poured  out  such  a  volley  from  their  guns  and  revolvers  that  for  a  little  while 
it  reminded  me  of  Wilson  Creek,  Missouri,  or  Prairie  Grove,  Arkansas,  battlefield. 
But  our  boys  were  going  rapidly  down  hill,  and  the  Indians  in  their  excitement  fired 
so  high  that  they  hurt  our  men  but  very  little,  but  did  considerable  harm  to  a  lot  of 
Sioux  Indians  who  were  charging  to  take  up  the  bridge.  Lieutenant  Caspar  W. 
Collins,  Adam  Culp,  George  W.  McDonald,  Sebastian  Nehring,  and  George  Camp 
were  killed  in  this  fight  and  nearly  all  the  balance  were  more  or  less  wounded,  though 
none  mortally.    The  escape  of  any  was  almost  miraculous. 

"As  soon  as  the  Cheyennes  came  out  of  their  ambush  all  the  men  on  or  near  the 
bridge  had  run  as  fast  as  they  could  to  help  their  comrades  that  they  knew  would  soon 
be  striving  to  get  back  to  the  station.  They  got  about  halfway  over  the  bottom  land 
toward  the  hill,  and  the  Indians  seeing  the  footmen  coming  were  deterred  from  pur- 
suing them  any  further. 

"Lieutenant  Bretney  and  the  party  with  him,  as  soon  as  they  saw  the  Cheyennes 
charge,  turned  from  the  bluff  and  ran  to  the  bridge  as  fast  as  they  could  and  they  were 
just  in  time.  From  the  deep  gulch  east  of  the  bridge  about  500  Sioux  had  been  in 
ambush  and  as  soon  as  the  Cheyennes  reached  the  top  of  the  bluff  they  came  charging 
out  to  take  the  bridge,  but  seeing  Bretney  with  the  men  that  were  with  him,  and  some 
reinforcements  that  came  over  the  bridge  pouring  in  the  shots  so  lively  from  their 
carbines  and  revolvers  and  the  other  Indians,  in  firing  so  high  when  shooting  at  our 
men  coming  over  the  bluff,  had  the  Sioux  in  exact  range  and  hit  a  good  many,  making 
it  so  hot  for  them  that  they  could  not  stand  the  pressure,  but  turned  tail  and  fell  back 
to  the  gulch  again,  just  about  as  fast  as  they  came  out  of  it.  If  these  Sioux  Indians 
had  succeeded  in  their  object  of  taking  the  bridge,  they  would  probably  have  killed 
the  balance  of  Collins'  party  and  fifteen  or  twenty  others  who  were  on  foot  on  the 
bottom  land  going  to  their  relief,  and  then  they  very  likely  would  have  taken  the 
station  also. 

"As  soon  as  the  Sioux  were  driven  back  from  the  bridge,  there  was  a  cessation 
of  the  fighting,  all  of  our  men  who  were  unhurt  gathering  at  or  near  the  bridge  to  de- 
fend it,  if  the  Indians  should  make  any  further  attempt  to  take  it,  the  wounded  men 
going  over  to  the  station  to  have  their  wounds  dressed  and  such  other  care  as  they 
required. 

"The  Indians  were  moving  about  on  the  bluff  where  the  fighting  had  been  going 
on  with  the  lieutenant's  party,  torturing  our  men  who  had  fallen,  if  there  were  any  life 
left  in  them,  and  if  dead,  scalping  and  mangling  their  bodies  in  every  conceivable 
manner.  One  of  our  men  had  fallen  on  the  edge  of  the  bluff  just  as  the  boys  were 
coming  down  the  hill,  fully  a  thousand  yards  away  from  the  bridge.  An  Indian  rode 
up  to  his  body  and  commenced  shooting  arrows  into  him.  After  firing  four  or  five 
times,  the  Indian  dismounted  and  took  his  tomahawk  and  commenced  to  hack  him 
with  it.  The  boys  at  the  bridge  were  very  much  excited  over  it  and  some  of  them 
wanted  to  rush  up  there  to  save  the  body  from  further  mutilation,  but  as  under  the  cir- 
cumstances that  would  have  resulted  in  the  killing  and  wounding  of  several  more  of 
our  men  without  doing  us  any  good,  they  were  forbidden  to  undertake  it.  One  of  the 
boys  put  his  gun  to  his  shoulder  and  fired  at  the  Indian.  The  report  did  not  seem  to 
disturb  his  equanimity  in  the  least.  Hank  Lord  said:  "  I  believe  I  will  try  a  whack  at 
him,"  and  elevating  the  hind  sight  of  his  carbine  to  1,000  yards,  took  deliberate  aim 
and  fired.  The  Indian  had  his  hatchet  raised  at  the  time  and  was  just  about  ready  to 
strike  it  into  the  head  of  the  dead  soldier,  but  the  bullet  was  too  quick  for  him,  and 
struck  him  in  some  vital  part,  for  the  hatchet  dropped  from  his  hand  and  he  fell  over 
on  the  ground.  Pretty  soon  he  managed  to  stagger  to  his  feet  again  and  succeeded  in 
getting  onto  his  pony  and  started  away,  but  he  was  badly  hurt  and  swayed  from  side 
to  side  on  his  horse  and  was  just  about  to  fall  off  again,  when  two  other  Indians  notic- 
ing his  condition  rode  up,  one  on  each  side,  and  supported  him  off  the  field. 

"Very  soon  after  this  we  heard  a  good  deal  of  loud  talking  among  the  Indians 
who  were  gathered  together  in  a  large  body  on  the  bluff,  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile 
from  us.  They  seemed  very  much  excited  and  we  expected  they  were  making  arrange- 
ments to  make  another  charge  on  the  bridge,  and  we  prepared  ourselves  for  the  onset, 
feeling  very  anxious  as  to  what  the  result  would  be,  but  determined  if  we  should  be  over- 
come by  the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the  enemy,  to  sell  outlives  as  dearly  as.  possible. 


400  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"At  this  time  a  half-breed  Snake  Indian,  who  lived  in  a  tepee,  or  tent,  between 
the  station  and  the  bridge,  and  who  had  crawled  up  to  the  bluff  to  find  out  what  the 
tribes  were,  their  numbers,  etc.,  returned  and  reported  that  the  Sioux  and  Cheyennes 
were  having  a  big  quarrel  among  themselves,  the  Cheyennes  were  charging  the  Sioux 
with  being  great  cowards  for  not  taking  the  bridge  when  they  attempted  it,  and  thus 
carrying  out  the  part  of  the  program  assigned  to  them,  and  the  Sioux,  retaliating  on 
the  Cheyennes,  by  charging  them  with  shooting  a  great  many  of  their  warriors  when 
they  fired  down  the  hill  at  Lieutenant  Collins'  retreating  party.  The  half-breed  stated 
that  it  might  have  the  effect  of  breaking  up  the  whole  party,  as  each  tribe  declared 
they  would  not  coalesce  with  the  other  in  the  future,  and  in  fact  were  just  about  ready 
to  turn  their  weapons  upon  each  other.  The  half-breed's  report  relieved  our  anxiety, 
and  we  would  have  been  very  glad  to  have  seen  them  commence  hostilities  against 
each  other.  It  would  have  been  a  clear  case  of  "dog  eat  dog,"  and  we  would  have 
agreed  to  act  in  an  impartial  manner  and  not  aid  either  side,  if  they  had  consulted  us 
in  regard  to  it. 

"For  about  an  hour  there  were  no  new  developments,  except  that  the  Indians 
by  one  means  or  another  endeavored  to  decoy  some  of  us  away  from  the  bridge.  One 
Indian  on  horseback  moved  along  a  little  beyond  the  edge  of  the  bluff,  leading  the  horse 
Lieutenant  Collins  had  ridden.  The  gray  acted  very  unwilling  to  be  led  and  pulled 
back.  Two  other  Indians  rode  up  to  him  and  commenced  to  whip  him  but  he  only  cur- 
veted about,  and  did  not  get  ahead  very  fast.  Some  of  the  boys  took  a  shot  at  the 
Indians,  but  the  instant  the  flash  from  the  gun  was  seen,  the  Indians  would  lean  over 
on  the  opposite  side  of  their  horses  and  all  that  could  be  seen  was  the  hand  grasping 
the  mane,  and  the  foot  over  the  back.  The  instant  the  shot  had  passed  by,  the  Indians 
would  straighten  up  again.  The  shots  struck  the  horses  once  or  twice,  but  we  had  no 
ammunition  to  spare  for  that  kind  of  business,  and  orders  were  given  to  cease  firing 
except  in  case  of  an  attack.  As  soon  as  the  Indians  found  they  could  not  draw  us  out 
that  way,  they  commenced  to  call  us  all  the  bad  names  they  could  think  of,  using 
language  they  had  picked  up  from  among  the  whites  previous  to  the  breaking  out  of 
the  war,  or  had  learned  from  the  renegade  whites  among  them. 

"Just  at  this  time  one  of  the  boys  sang  out:  "There  comes  the  train,"  and  sure 
enough,  there  it  was  in  sight  coming  over  the  hill  about  four  miles  from  the  station. 

"The  Indians  had  perceived  it  about  the  same  time  and  in  a  minute  every  one 
of  them  was  urging  his  pony  at  its  fastest  toward  the  devoted  train.  There  was  a  small 
howitzer  at  the  station  and  a  few  rounds  of  ammunition  for  it.  The  fuse  was  cut  for 
for  about  three  seconds  and  the  piece  aimed  at  the  largest  body  of  Indians  and  dis- 
charged, but  the  shell  had  not  left  the  piece  more  than  one  second  before  it  exploded 
in  the  air,  doing  no  damage  to  any  one.  Another  shell  was  put  in  with  a  longer  fuse, 
but  It  did  not  make  any  difference,  as  it  exploded  about  the  same  as  did  the  other.  All 
the  good  that  was  accomplished  by  discharging  the  howitzer  was  to  warn  the  party 
with  the  train  that  there  was  trouble  ahead,  and  give  them  a  chance  to  prepare  for  it. 
We  noticed  that  the  train  moved  a  good  dead  faster  for  a  few  minutes,  but  the  advance 
of  the  Indians  soon  appeared.  Sergeant  Custard  had  sent  five  of  his  escort  about  a 
fourth  of  a  mile  ahead  of  the  rest  as  an  advance  guard.  Quite  a  body  of  the  Indians 
came  suddenly  up  a  ravine  between  the  advance  and  the  main  party.  Corporal  James 
Shrader,  in  charge  of  the  advance,  at  first  attempted  to  get  back  to  the  train,  but  seeing 
the  large  force  he  had  to  contend  with  and  more  coming  every  second,  ordered  his  men 
to  turn  to  the  right  and  gallop  as  fast  as  possible  to  the  river  which  was  about  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  them.  Some  of  the  Indians  pursued.  But  the  boys  fought 
them  back  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  Just  as  they  reached  the  river  one  of  the  soldiers, 
Edwin  Summers,  fell,  shot  through  the  heart.  The  remainder  of  the  party  plunged 
into  the  river.  When  they  got  about  four  rods  from  the  other  side  another  of  the 
soldiers,  James  Ballew,  was  shot  and  fell  off  his  horse  into  the  river.  The  others  got 
safely  across  and  headed  towards  the  station.  Quite  a  number  of  Indians  had  been 
concealed  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  probably  in  ambush  waiting  for  some  party 
to  go  out  on  that  side  to  reconnoiter,  or  else  to  seize  a  favorable  moment  and  rush  in 
and  surprise  the  station,  but  as  soon  as  the  train  appeared  they  came  out  of  their 
holes  and  made  for  the  train,  most  of  them  crossing  the  river  below  the  station,  but 
fifteen  or  twenty  going  south  of  the  station  towards  the  train.   When  the  three  men 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PLATTE  BRIDGE         4OI 

escaping  across  the  river  had  got  about  halfway  to  the  station  they  struck  the  advance 
of  the  Indians  on  the  south  side.  There  were  only  four  or  five  of  them  and  the  boys 
shot  two  before  the  others  came  in  sight,  and  then  the  boys  turning  their  horses 
towards  the  mountains  in  the  southeast  rode  as  rapidly  as  possible  until  they  came  to 
a  deep  ravine  with  some  brush  on  the  banks.  As  soon  as  they  reached  that  they  left 
their  horses  and  then  wound  their  way  among  the  brush  down  the  ravine  which  ran 
in  the  direction  of  the  station.  The  Indians  went  toward  the  train,  where,  I  presume, 
they  thought  there  would  be  some  plunder  to  be  divided.  After  the  three  boys  had 
worked  down  the  ravine  about  a  half  a  mile  they  stopped  to  reconnoiter  a  little,  the 
corporal  crawling  up  to  the  edge  of  the  ravine  and  raising  his  head  to  look  out  on  the 
surrounding  country.  Just  the  instant  his  head  was  exposed  a  bullet  ploughed  along 
the  top  of  his  head  just  close  enough  to  stun  him  for  a  minute  or  two.  He  dropped  and 
the  other  boys  pulled  him  back  and  bathed  his  head  and  soon  restored  him  to  con- 
sciousness. They  concluded  to  move  a  little  farther  down  the  ravine  and  then  re- 
connoiter again.  The  next  time  they  looked  out  they  could  not  see  any  Indians  on 
that  side  of  the  river  except  two  or  three  who  were  standing  on  as  many  points  of 
ground,  about  three-fourths  a  mile  away,  apparently  on  guard.  They  then  looked  on 
the  north  side  and  about  a  half  mile  was  another  deep  ravine  that  ran  down  to  the 
river  within  half  a  mile  of  the  station.  They  concluded  to  make  a  run  for  the  station, 
and  it  did  not  take  them  long  to  reach  the  ravine.  No  more  Indians  had  appeared  in 
sight  and  they  began  to  feel  safe.  While  they  were  running  to  the  last  ravine  some  of 
us  had  noticed  them,  and  the  instant  we  realized  what  it  meant  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  of  us  started  on  foot  to  meet  them  and  help  them  if  necessary.  Just  about  the 
same  time  fifteen  or  twenty  Indians  came  out  of  the  ravine  that  the  boys  had  been 
concealed  in  first  and  came  charging  out  towards  the  ravine  that  the  boys  had  gone 
into.  We  all  ran  as  fast  as  we  could  calling  to  the  boys  to  work  down  the  ravine  to- 
ward us  as  fast  as  possible.  Pretty  soon  the  boys  came  out  of  the  ravine  and  ran  as 
fast  as  possible  to  us.  They  had  got  just  about  halfway  when  the  Indians  made  their 
appearance.  But  we  were  close  enough  to  reach  them  with  our  guns,  and  after  having 
fired  a  few  shots  they  fell  back  toward  the  train.  The  three  men  proved  to  be  a  cor- 
poral and  two  privates,  James  Shrader,  Bryam  Swaim,  and  Henry  C.  Smith,  from 
Company  D,  nth  Kansas  Cavalry,  and  they  were  all  that  escaped  from  the  train, 
and  it  was  a  very  narrow  chance  for  them.  All  that  saved  them  was  the  desire  of 
the  Indians  to  be  at  the  plundering  of  the  train  and  their  good  sense  in  abandoning 
their  horses  at  the  time  they  did. 

"At  the  time  the  party  sallied  from  the  station  to  assist  the  three  men  escaping 
from  the  train  about  a  dozen  mounted  men  started  from  the  station  and  crossed  the 
bridge  and  went  on  to  the  bluff  where  the  fight  had  been  with  Collins'  party,  to  bring 
in  the  bodies  of  the  fallen  soldiers.  They  found  all  the  bodies  mangled  in  a  shocking 
manner,  the  "noble  redmen"  taking  a  fiendish  delight  in  mutilating  the  dead  bodies 
of  their  fallen  foes  in  a  way  too  horrible  to  describe.  Near  one  of  the  bodies  a  piece  of 
paper  was  lying,  which  one  of  the  men  picked  up.  From  its  appearance  it  was  a  page 
torn  out  of  a  diary  or  account  book.  It  was  written  about  as  follows:  'I  was  taken 
prisoner  about  seven  months  ago  from  Labonte  station.  You  must  be  careful  or  you 
will  all  be  killed.  There  are  between  3,000  and  4,000  Indians  here  and  about  another 
thousand  are  expected  here  in  a  day  or  two.  They  belong  to  the  Cheyennes,  Sioux, 
and  Arapahoes,  with  a  few  Comanches  and  Blackfeet.  You  killed  one  of  the  principal 
chiefs  of  the  Cheyennes  yesterday,  and  they  swear  they  will  have  a  terrible  revenge  on 
you  for  it.  Their  intention  is  to  clean  out  all  the  stations  on  this  road  and  then  go  on 
to  Fort  Collins  road  and  clean  that  out.    I  shall  escape  them  if  I  can.' 

"  I  do  not  remember  the  name  signed  to  it,  but  it  was  evidently  some  person 
that  was  with  the  Indians  and  had  a  friendly  feeling  toward  us.  Some  of  the  nth 
Ohio  men  thought  it  was  a  man  that  had  belonged  to  one  of  the  companies  of  the  nth 
Ohio  and  was  supposed  to  have  deserted  at  the  time  he  mentioned  from  Labonte 
station.  A  great  many  of  the  nth  Ohio  Cavalry  had  been  recruited  from  the  rebel 
soldiers  that  had  gone  into  Ohio  on  the  celebrated  'Morgan  raid,'  and  after  their  cap- 
ture preferred  enlisting  in  the  United  States  service  to  fight  Indians  in  the  place  of 
remaining  in  the  military  prisons  of  the  North  until  the  war  should  end  or  until  they 
would  be  exchanged.   Most  of  them  made  good,  faithful  soldiers;  but  some  of  them  were 


402  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

exceptionally  hard  cases  and  deserted  and  joined  the  Indians  and  helped  them  in  their 
warfare  with  the  whites,  and  what  the  Indians  didn't  know  about  devilment  these 
renegades  taught  them. 

"From  the  roof  of  the  station  and  with  the  aid  of  a  large  spy  glass,  we  had  a 
pretty  good  view  of  what  was  going  on  at  the  train.  The  train  had  stopped  on  a  side 
hill  and  with  three  wagons  they  had  formed  three  sides  of  a  square  with  one  front 
facing  up  the  hill  to  the  north,  one  facing  east  and  one  south.  The  west  side  was  open. 
The  first  Indians  that  came  on  to  the  scene  of  action  charged  right  on  to  the  train, 
but  were  repulsed,  and  as  more  of  them  arrived  they  again  made  a  charge,  but  were 
again  driven  back.  After  this  for  a  long  time  there  did  not  seem  to  be  much  action 
going  on;  and  every  once  m  a  while  we  would  see  a  puff  of  smoke  from  the  wagons  or 
from  the  side  hill  below  the  wagons  which  showed  that  the  fight  was  still  going  on, 
but  we  could  not  tell  with  what  result,  though  we  noticed  that  the  puffs  of  smoke 
from  the  hillside  on  the  south  were  getting  closer  and  closer,  and  we  felt  that  the  end 
could  not  be  far  off.  Never,  never  in  all  our  services  as  soldiers  had  we  ever  experienced 
anything  like  this  before.  To  know  that  about  twenty  of  our  comrades,  with  whom  for 
nearly  three  years  we  had  been  soldiering  in  the  South,  were  now  within  two  and  a 
half  miles  of  us,  surrounded  by  an  overwhelming  number  of  enemies,  determined  on 
their  destruction,  and  were  not  able  to  do  anything  for  their  relief.  Some  of  us  went 
to  Major  Anderson  and  requested  that  about  forty  or  fifty  of  us  might  be  allowed  to 
volunteer  and  go  out  on  foot  to  attempt  their  rescue,  but  the  major,  while  feeling 
deeply  for  the  gallant  fellows  that  were  making  such  a  good  fight  against  the  tremen- 
dous odds  opposed  to  them,  yet  realizing  how  futile  would  have  been  our  attempt  for 
their  relief,  and  the  probability  that  all  who  started  out  would  have  shared  the  same 
fate  as  those  with  the  train,  and  that  then  the  garrison  would  have  been  so  weakened 
that  after  our  destruction  it  would  have  been  an  easy  matter  for  the  Indians  to  have 
taken  the  station  and  massacred  all  that  were  left.  The  major  positively  refused  to 
allow  any  to  go.  At  that  time  we  thought  the  major  was  too  cautious  but  since  then, 
knowing  what  the  Indians  did  with  two  hundred  or  more  infantry  that  were  slaughtered 
a  year  or  two  after  this  at  Fort  Fetterman,  and  more  recently  by  the  massacre  of  the 
gallant  General  Custer  and  his  brave  men  at  the  battle  of  Little  Big  Horn,  we  were 
satisfied  that  the  major's  decision  was  a  wise  one,  and  that  by  it  any  of  us  are  left  to 
tell  the  tale. 

"About  three  o'clock  p.  m.,  the  major  ordered  a  party  of  twenty  mounted  men 
under  Lieutenant  Walker  to  proceed  about  two  miles  east  of  the  station  to  repair  the 
telegraph  wire  that  was  cut  at  that  point,  so  that  we  could  telegraph  to  Deer  Creek 
and  other  stations  below,  the  situation,  and  have  them  send  us  reinforcements  and 
ammunition  to  enable  us  to  cope  with  the  Indians.  At  the  same  time  that  Walker's 
party  went  out,  the  ten  or  twelve  United  States  Infantry,  or  Galvanized  Troops, 
under  the  command  of  their  officer,  were  to  go  out  about  one-half  mile  from  the 
station  to  support  the  cavalry  under  Walker  on  their  return  to  the  station,  if  the 
Indians  should  develop  any  force  that  would  interfere  with  carrying  out  the  orders 
from  fixing  the  telegraph.  A  system  of  signals  had  been  arranged  by  which  Lieutenant 
Vv'alker  was  to  be  notified  if  the  Indians  from  the  west  were  moving  back  from  the  train 
to  interfere  with  his  carrying  out  of  his  orders.  The  flag  at  the  station  was  to  be  waved 
if  the  Indians  were  moving  toward  him,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  realized  that  enough  of 
them  were  on  the  way  to  preclude  all  possibility  of  success,  the  howitzer  was  to  be 
fired,  and  at  that  Lieutenant  Walker  was  to  bring  his  command  back  to  the  supports 
as  quick  as  possible,  and  they  were  all  to  fall  back  to  the  station.  Walker  arrived  at 
the  break  in  the  telegraph  wire  and  then  sent  four  men.  Sergeant  McDougal  and 
Privates  Porter,  Hilty  and  Chappel,  all  of  Company  I,  nth  Kansas  out  about 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  farther  east  to  watch  for  the  Indians.  The  rest  went  to  work  join- 
ing the  wire,  which  was  broken  in  several  places.  Very  soon  after  Walker's  command 
left  the  station  it  was  noticed  that  a  large  number  of  the  Indians,  who  were  on  horse- 
back between  the  station  and  the  train  had  commenced  moving  north,  and  it  was  not 
a  great  while  before  they  were  spied  crossing  the  divide  about  a  mile  northeast  of  the 
station.  We  knew  then  that  these  Indians  had  noticed  the  party  of  soldiers  leaving  the 
station  and  were  on  the  way  to  intercept  them.  The  signal  was  given  with  the  flag, 
and  as  soon  as  the  signal  man  was  satisfied  enough  of  the  Indians  had  passed  to  make 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PLATTE  BRIDGE         403 

it  certain  it  would  be  no  use  to  delay  any  longer,  the  Howitzer  was  fired  as  the  signal 
for  the  party  to  come  in. 

"As  soon  as  the  report  was  heard,  the  men  dropped  their  wires  mounted  their 
horses,  and  then  Walker,  without  waiting  for  the  four  men  who  were  thrown  out  in 
advance,  ordered  them  in  as  fast  as  possible.  The  captain  of  the  'Galvanized  troops' 
did  not  wait  until  the  cavalry  came  up,  but  ordered  his  men  back  instanter.  Some  of 
Company  I  boys  had  gone  out  on  foot  nearly  to  where  the  'Galvanized  troops'  had  been 
stationed.  As  soon  as  they  heard  the  howitzer  they  ran  on  to  where  the  relief  had 
been  stationed,  and  as  they  passed  by  the  'Galvanized  troops'  they  cursed  the  captain 
for  a  coward  for  leaving  his  post  before  the  cavalry  had  got  up  to  him.  He  paid  no 
attention,  but  pushed  on  to  the  station,  though  some  of  his  men  turned  back  to  help 
the  others.  The  Cavalry  came  on  until  they  reached  the  boys  on  foot  and  then  the 
most  of  them  turned  to  let  the  four  men  behind  come  up,  though  Lieutenant  Walker's 
horse  had  got  under  such  headway  that  it  did  not  stop  until  it  had  carried  him  safely 
into  the  station,  without  his  firing  a  shot  from  his  revolver. 

"About  fifteen  of  the  Indians  had  appeared  out  of  a  ravine  and  charged  on  the 
four  men  from  the  north  side  of  the  river.  The  men  discharged  their  carbines  and  then 
commenced  to  unload  their  revolvers.  They  did  not  notice  anything  on  the  south. 
Several  Indians  came  out  of  a  ravine  on  the  south  close  by  them,  and  before  they  were 
observed  one  of  them  drove  a  spear  through  Porter's  heart  and  he  fell  dead  from  his 
horse.  Another  one  gave  Hilty  a  stab  with  a  spear  through  the  lungs  and  then  drew  it 
out  as  Hilty  fell  forward  on  his  horse's  neck,  the  Indian  moved  ahead.  His  leg  struck 
McDougal  as  he  went  by  him,  but  he  was  so  close  he  could  not  stab  him  until  he  drew 
his  spear  back.  McDougal  turned  his  head,  and,  seeing  it  was  an  Indian,  brought  his 
hand  around  with  the  revolver  in  it,  pressed  the  weapon  against  the  Indian's  body  and 
pulled  his  trigger.  The  Indian  fell  ofi^"his  horse  shot  through  the  heart.  It  was  the  last 
shot  McDougal  had  in  his  revolver,  but  it  saved  his  life.  By  this  time  the  boys  on  foot 
began  to  reach  the  Indians  with  their  carbines,  and  as  the  Indians  who  had  got  into  the 
light  were  comparatively  few  in  numbers,  they  did  not  press  any  closer.  Hilty  clung 
to  his  horse  until  it  carried  him  into  the  station,  where  he  was  taken  care  of.  The  rest 
of  the  men  were  then  ordered  back  to  the  station. 

"Just  about  the  time  Lieutenant  Walker's  party  had  started  from  the  station, 
we  noticed  that  the  firing  had  ceased  at  the  train,  and  very  soon  a  large  smoke  arose, 
and  we  saw  that  the  wagons  were  burning.  We  knew  then  that  the  fighting  was  all 
over,  and  that  the  brave  men  who  had  so  well  defended  themselves  were  all  dead. 
They  had  made  a  gallant  fight  for  four  full  hours,  but  had  been  overpowered  at  last. 

"Ihe  Indians  stayed  about  the  place  where  the  train  had  been  until  nearly 
nightfall,  and  then  a  great  many  of  them  moved  back  to  the  bluff  north  of  the  river. 
We  expected  that  during  the  night  they  would  make  some  demonstrations  against  the 
station,  and  the  guards  were  doubled  and  extra  vigilance  enjoined  on  them  so  that  they 
would  not  be  taken  unawares.  Just  after  midnight  a  few  of  them  came  prowling  around, 
but  the  guards  were  on  the  alert  and  fired  on  them.  They  responded  with  a  few 
arrows,  but  did  not  make  any  further  demonstrations. 

"About  10  o'clock  p.  m.  Major  Anderson  arranged  with  the  half-breed  Snake 
Indian  to  go  to  Deer  Creek  and  report  the  situation  to  the  commanding  officer  at  the 
post  and  then  have  it  telegraphed  down  the  road,  also  to  carry  orders  for  the  garrison 
at  Deer  Creek  to  march  to  our  assistance  and  to  bring  us  a  supply  of  ammunition. 
During  the  fight  the  day  before  we  had  captured  quite  a  number  of  Indian  ponies 
whose  riders  had  been  shot  off  them,  and  then  the  ponies  had  come  along  with  Collins' 
men  into  our  lines.  The  half  breed  selected  a  pony  which  he  said  had  belonged  to  a 
Sioux  chief,  and  had  been  noted  for  its  speed  and  endurance.  He  started  out  a  little 
after  10  o'clock  p.  m.,  going  directly  south  towards  the  mountains  and  after  that  he 
intended  to  take  a  trail  he  knew  and  work  to  the  east  until  he  reached  the  Deer  Creek 
station.  He  was  successful  in  his  undertaking  and  he  reached  his  destination  safely, 
and  about  fifty  men  of  Company  K,  nth  Kansas  Volunteers,  with  about  5,000  rounds 
of  ammunition,  were  started  for  Platte  Bridge.  The  next  morning  everything  appeared 
about  as  it  was  the  preceding  night.  The  Indians  were  in  sight  on  the  bluff,  though 
their  numbers  were  less,  and  we  noticed  parties  of  them  going  off  in  a  northeast  direc- 
tion all  the  morning,  until  about  noon  the  last  of  them  disappeared.   About  3  o'clock 


404  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

p.  m.,  we  noticed  a  body  of  men  coming  from  toward  the  Deer  Creek  station,  and  very 
soon  we  recognized  them  as  being  soldiers.  It  proved  to  be  Company  K  from  Deer 
Creek  with  the  ammunition.  We  gave  them  a  hearty  reception  and  as  soon  as  they 
rested  a  few  minutes,  they  in  company  with  a  detachment  of  Company  I  started  on 
the  trail  of  the  Indians.  It  was  soon  ascertained  that  the  Indians  were  in  full  retreat 
and  then  the  command  was  ordered  to  go  to  the  place  where  the  fight  with  the  train 
had  been.  On  arriving  there  a  horrible  sight  met  our  gaze.  Twenty-one  of  our  dead 
soldiers  were  lying  on  the  ground  stripped  naked,  and  mangled  in  every  imaginable 
way.  I  noticed  one  poor  fellow  with  a  wagon  tire  across  his  bowels,  and  from  appear- 
ances it  had  been  heated  and  laid  upon  him,  while  still  alive,  so  that  the  red  devils 
might  gloat  over  the  torture  they  were  putting  him  to,  before  the  breath  of  life  had 
entirely  left  his  body. 

"From  the  appearance  of  the  rest,  I  believe  he  was  the  only  one  tortured,  and 
therefore  think  he  was  the  only  one  left  alive  at  the  time  they  captured  the  train. 
Every  one  of  the  men  were  scalped,  but  the  Indians  had  left  their  scalps  lying  around 
on  the  ground,  which  was  a  sure  sign  that  their  loss  had  been  so  heavy  that  they  did 
not  think  they  had  any  cause  to  exult  over  their  victory.  We  counted  about  forty 
trails  made  by  poles  fastened  to  their  ponies  on  which  they  fix  a  stretcher,  to  carry 
their  wounded  on.  We  heard  some  time  after,  that  during  the  fighting  their  loss  had 
been  over  sixty  warriors  killed  and  about  130  badly  wounded.  The  loss  on  our  side  was 
Lieutenant  Collins,  twenty-seven  men  killed,  eleven  or  twelve  wounded,  and  one 
missing.  We  presume  that  the  missing  man,  William  West,  was  killed,  but  we  could 
not  find  his  body.  It  may  be  that  the  Indians  took  him  away  to  torture  him  at  one  of 
their  villages  before  putting  him  to  death.  The  command  returned  to  the  station  and 
the  next  morning  we  went  out  and  buried  our  fellow  heroes  in  the  ground  upon  which 
they  had  so  nobly  yet  unavailingly  fought.  Most  of  those  who  had  been  killed  with 
the  train  had  belonged  to  Company  H  of  the  nth  Kansas,  and  it  was  always  con- 
sidered the  best  company  in  the  regiment  when  there  was  any  real  fighting  to  be  done, 
yet  up  to  this  time  the  company  had  escaped  with  less  casualties  than  any  other  com- 
pany in  the  regiment.  It  made  it  so  much  harder  that  after  fighting  nearly  three 
years  against  the  rebels,  then  to  be  ordered  out  on  the  plains  to  fight  Indians,  and  now 
when  the  orders  were  out  for  our  return  home  to  be  mustered  out,  it  was  sad  to  have  so 
many  of  our  comrades  slaughtered.  We  have  the  consolation  of  knowing  that  they  died 
with  their  face  to  the  foe  and  that  in  death  as  well  as  through  their  three  years'  service 
they  sustained  the  proud  reputation,  gained  by  the  regiment,  of  always  doing  their 
duty,  no  matter  what  odds  were  pitted  against  them. 

"In  about  two  days  more  the  Sixth  Michigan  Cavalry  came  and  relieved  us 
at  the  bridge  and  we  marched  for  home  without  further  molestation." 

The  exact  spot  where  the  body  of  Caspar  CoUins  was  found  can- 
not be  marked,  for  it  is  unknown.  John  C.  Friend,  when  he  was  here 
July  5,  1920,  said  that  "the  distance  from  the  north  end  of  the  bridge 
to  where  he  was  found  was  variously  estimated  from  two  to  four 
miles.  So  long  as  the  body  was  recovered  the  distance  and  the  exact 
spot  were  matters  of  indifference  to  us  at  that  time.  It  has  been  more 
than  fifty  years  since  the  battle  and  the  old  landmarks  are  now  all 
gone." 

The  old  abandoned  military  post,  which  is  now  known  as  Fort 
Caspar,  was  first  established  in  the  summer  of  1858.^  It  was  then 
known  as  Mormon  Ferry.  In  March,  1859,  an  order  from  the  Depart- 
ment was  given  to  abandon  the  post  at  Platte  Bridge,  and  from  this 
order  it  is  evident  that  Louis  Guinard  had  built  the  bridge  in  the 

'  Record  from  War  Department,  quoted  in  history  of  the  Pioneer  monument,  in  this  volume. 


■m. 


=      ^  £ 


I'   ^ 


--     I-     c  ,- 


-  ^  .  _     •  c- 


iO  5 


THE  BATTLE  OF  PLATTE  BRIDGE         405 

winter  of  1858-9,  and  the  name  of  the  post  was  accordingly  changed. 
In  May,  1862,  the  post  was  again  occupied  by  volunteer  troops,  but, 
according  to  Earnest  Pope,  a  soldier  stationed  here  at  that  time,  "it 
consisted  of  only  a  few  sod  houses.  In  the  summer  of  1866  some  of 
the  soldiers  of  Company  K,  i8th  Ohio  Infantry,  commenced  to  build 
the  fort  from  logs  which  they  hauled  down  from  Casper  mountain. 
This  mountain  was  then  called  the  'Black  Hills.'  We  were  paid 
331^  cents  per  day  extra  for  our  work  on  the  fort.  The  log  trains 
were  heavily  guarded,  for  the  Indians  were  opposed  to  the  fort  being 
built.  Three  of  our  men  who  were  guarding  the  telegraph  station 
at  Big  Thompson  were  chased  up  the  Sweetwater  by  the  Indians  in 
January  or  February,  1867,  and  although  they  kept  away  from  the 
red  skins,  our  men  found  them  frozen  to  death  in  the  hills  back  of  the 
Sweetwater." 

The  name  of  this  post  was  changed  in  in  November,  1865,  from 
Platte  Bridge  to  Fort  Caspar,  as  stated  in  the  introductory  of  this 
sketch.  Upon  an  order  from  the  War  Department  it  was  abandoned 
in  Octol)er,  1867.  The  buildings  and  the  bridge  were  set  on  fire  by 
the  Indians  and  destroyed  in  the  fall  after  the  post  was  abandoned. 
As  late  as  1898  some  of  the  walls  of  the  old  adobe  buildings  were  still 
standing,  but  they  were  afterwards  destroyed  by  the  settlers  who 
occupied  the  land. 

Mathew  Campfield,  a  negro  barber  in  Casper,  filed  on  the  land 
for  his  homestead  where  old  Fort  Caspar  was  located,  the  description 
of  which  is :  The  southeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
7,  township  33,  north,  range  79  west  of  the  sixth  principal  meridian. 
Patent  was  issued  May  10,  1898.  Mr.  Campfield  died  before  the 
patent  was  issued,  but  his  wife,  Fannie  Campfield,  was  given  title 
to  the  land  and  she  sold  it  to  Antonio  K.  Feil.  Town  lots  have  been 
platted  on  forty  acres  west  of  where  the  fort  stood,  and  as  it  was 
only  reasonable  to  presume  that  the  location  of  the  fort  would  soon 
be  platted  into  town  lots,  at  a  luncheon  of  the  Casper  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  held  on  October  17,  1922,  a  committee  consisting  of  A.  J. 
Mokler,  W.  S.  Kimball  and  M.  P.  Wheeler,  was  appointed  for  the 
purpose  of  conferring  with  the  Casper  city  council  and  requesting 
that  the  city  of  Casper  acquire  title  to  a  portion  of  the  land  occupied  by 
the  old  fort  and  have  it  fenced  and  an  appropriate  marker  erected  on 
the  spot.  This  committee  waited  on  the  council  at  a  meeting  held  on 
the  evening  of  November  8,  and  after  each  of  the  members  had 
addressed  the  council,  upon  motion  of  Councilman  W.  W.  Keefe  it 
was  decided  by  a  unanimous  vote  that  the  entire  body  of  the  city 
council,  together  with  the  city  engineer  and  the  members  of  the 
committee  from  the  chamber  of  commerce  visit  the  site  of  the  old 


406  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

fort  on  the  afternoon  of  November  9  for  the  purpose  of  viewing  the 
ground  and  deciding  upon  what  portion  of  it  the  city  should  purchase 
and  have  fenced  and  marked.  All  the  members  of  the  council  and  the 
committee  viewed  the  site  on  the  date  specified,  and  many  relics  of 
the  old  fort  were  found,  and  one  of  the  logs  forming  the  cribbing  for 
one  of  the  piers  to  the  old  bridge,  with  several  large  hand-forged 
spikes  driven  through  it,  all  of  which  was  in  a  fairly  good  state  of 
preservation,  was  unearthed  and  brought  to  Casper  and  will  be  pre- 
served for  Natrona  county's  historical  society.  This  log  had  been 
buried  under  the  silt  and  sand  for  more  than  sixty-three  years.  The 
city  council  will  acquire  title  to  about  100  acres  of  this  land,  fence 
and  mark  the  spot  where  the  old  fort  was  located  and  create  a  park 
along  the  river. 

The  Platte  bridge  was  located  on  a  portion  of  land  described  as 
the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section  7,  township 
33,  north,  range  79  west  of  the  sixth  principal  meridian.  This  land 
was  homesteaded  by  Charles  M.  Hawks,  December  21,  1906,  who 
afterwards  sold  it  to  the  Mills  Construction  company.  Many  of  the 
old  stone  piers  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  which  supported  the 
bridge,  may  yet  be  found  among  the  willows.  Across  the  old  bridge, 
on  the  north  side  of  the  river  and  to  the  west  was  the  old  battle 
ground,  which  has  been  drenched  with  the  blood  of  at  least  sixty 
brave  white  men  and  an  unknown  number  of  savage  red  men. 

The  citizens  of  Casper,  Natrona  county  and  Wyoming  revere 
the  name  of  Caspar  Collins,  and  on  July  5,  1920,  a  marker  was  un- 
veiled on  the  old  Oregon  Trail,  near  the  spot  where  he  fell.  The 
monument  is  of  gray  granite,  bearing  the  inscription: 

Unveiled  by  Fort  Caspar 

Chapter  D.  A.  R. 

July  5,  1920 

Oregon  Trail 

Marked  by  State  of 

Wyoming 

1914 

Lieutenant  Caspar  W.  Collins 

Killed  by  Sioux  Indians 

Near  this  spot 

July  26,  1865 

At  the  unveiling  ceremony  a  vivid  account  of  the  event  was 
told  by  John  C  Friend  of  Rawlins.  Mr.  Friend  was  a  telegraph 
operator  at  Sweetwater  station  in  June,  1865,  and  was  one  of  a  party 
of  thirty  sent  from  that  station  to  Platte  Bridge  to  restring  telegraph 
wires  which  the  Indians  had  cut.    He  said  in  part,  "I  was  with  the 


^0^ 


Exe 


1^'      \    I   "I       \m\  I    \|  M  1    •)    \<  )Z:      I  II  ^  I    I   1  IK  Mill    ^    1 'm  l^  I  I '  i  \  ■  1 1     Mil    (.    KI  BEING  FOR 

Om-   iih    iHh    PihKs  oi    Oil)   Plmii    Bridci.    Bliii    in   185.S-9. 


INDIANS    BURN    ROCK    RIDGE    STATION  407 

party  which  went  out  next  day  to  bring  in  the  dead.  We  spread  out 
fan  shaped  over  these  hills,  and  one  of  the  party  signaled  that  they 
had  found  him.  I  didn't  see  the  body.  A  box  was  made,  lined  with 
blankets  and  it  was  brought  in  and  buried  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river  near  the  station.  Later  it  was  shipped  back  to  his  home  in 
Ohio." 

In  the  fall  of  1899,  H.  M.  Brown  was  awarded  the  contract  for 
disinterring,  boxing,  and  delivering  to  the  depot  the  bodies  of  the 
soldiers  who  were  killed  in  action  in  1865  at  or  near  Fort  Caspar. 
There  were  thirteen  bodies  disinterred,  five  were  in  the  Casper 
cemetery,  seven  were  half  a  mile  west  from  the  site  of  Fort  Caspar 
and  one  five  miles  south  of  town.  The  bodies  were  placed  in  boxes 
four  feet  long,  one  foot  deep  and  one  foot  wide,  and  were  shipped  to 
Fort  Russell,  where  they  were  interred  in  the  soldiers'  cemetery. 
The  bodies  of  the  seven  soldiers  near  Fort  Caspar  and  the  five  in  the 
Casper  cemetery  which  had  been  previously  moved  from  their  orig- 
inal graves  on  account  of  the  river's  changing  its  course  and  exposing 
the  remains,  were  soldiers  who  lost  their  lives  with  Lieutenant  Caspar 
Collins.  On  a  little  hill,  about  two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Casper, 
overlooking  the  famous  Caspar  Collins  battle  field,  are  the  seven 
empty  graves.  This  is  all  that  is  left  to  tell  the  pathetic  story  of  the 
massacre  of  Lieutenant  Caspar  Collins  and  his  brave  command.  These 
graves  may  be  observed  by  all  who  chance  to  pass  along  the  road. 
At  the  head  and  foot  of  the  graves  before  the  bodies  were  removed, 
were  two  rough  stones  and  the  mounds  were  covered  with  smaller 
stones  of  the  same  kind.  This,  perhaps,  was  all  that  those  who 
buried  their  comrades  could  do  to  mark  their  last  resting  places. 
From  generation  to  generation,  the  story  of  this  frightful  massacre 
will  be  handed  down,  and  as  Casper  grows,  and  its  suburbs  extend  in 
that  direction,  it  is  hoped  that  the  spot  will  be  fenced  and  preserved, 
that  our  citizens  may  realize  and  remember  the  hardships  endured 
by  those  who  fought  and  died  to  protect  the  emigrants  who  were 
passing  through  this  valley  on  their  way  to  the  far  west,  where 
populous  cities  have  been  builded,  where  thousands  and  millions  of 
acres  of  land  have  been  reclaimed,  where  vast  and  wonderful  mines  of 
precious  metal  have  been  discovered,  and  where  an  Empire  has 
been  established. 


Indians  Burn  Rock  Ridge  Station 

Indians  went  on  the  war  path  in  this  country  in  the  early  spring 
of  1865,  and  they  reaped  their  greatest  harvest  of  life  and  property 
in  what  is  now  Natrona  county.    Emigrants  who  were  caught  along 


408  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  Trail  were  killed  and  their  property  which  could  not  be  used  by 
the  savages  was  burned.  Forts  were  attacked,  the  soldiers  killed  and 
the  stock  driven  away.  All  along  the  Trail  from  the  South  Pass  to 
Fort  Laramie,  there  was  death  and  destruction.  Rock  Ridge  station, 
in  the  Sweetwater  country,  was  one  of  the  first  to  be  attacked  and 
concerning  this  fight,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Plumb,  whose  command 
was  the  Eleventh  Kansas  Cavalry,  in  his  official  report  to  the  war  de- 
partment, dated  June  i,  1865,  from  Camp  Dodge,  which  was  located 
several  miles  above  Platte  Bridge,  says: 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  report  that  on  the  morning  of  last  Saturday 
the  Indians  in  considerable  force  attacked  Rock  Ridge  station  and 
ran  off  what  stock  that  remained,  and  soon  after  cut  the  telegraph 
line.  No  further  information  was  received  from  there  until  yester- 
day, when  a  messenger  arrived  from  Sweetwater  station,  bringing 
intelligence  that  on  Sunday  night  Lieutenant  Collins,  Eleventh  Ohio 
Volunteer  cavalry,  with  two  men,  started  from  Three  Crossings  for 
Rock  Ridge,  and,  arriving  within  a  short  distance,  discovered  that 
the  station  was  in  flames.  Not  considering  it  prudent  to  venture 
farther,  he  returned  to  Three  Crossings.  The  fate  of  the  garrison  at 
Rock  Ridge  is  unknown,  but  the  worst  is  feared.  It  numbered  four 
men,  all  of  the  Eleventh  Ohio  cavalry.  Monday  afternoon  about 
forty  Indians  effected  a  stampede  of  the  herd  of  mules  and  horses 
belonging  to  the  Sweetwater  garrison,  and  succeeded  in  getting 
away  with  four  horses  and  six  mules.  One  Indian  was  killed.  Yester- 
day I  sent  Lieutenant  Bretney,  with  eight  men  of  his  company,  to 
Sweetwater,  then  to  proceed  to  Rock  Ridge  if  deemed  safe.  He  will 
be  at  the  latter  place  tomorrow,  I  also  sent  Captain  Green,  with 
sixty  men  of  the  Eleventh  Kansas,  provided  with  twenty  days' 
rations  to  go  up  the  road  as  far  as  Rock  Ridge,  with  instructions  to 
repair  the  telegraph  line  and  take  the  necessary  measures  for  the 
immediate  rebuilding  of  the  station  at  Rock  Ridge,  I  also  turned  over 
to  Captam  Lybe  five  of  the  government  teams  that  came  up  with  my 
regimental  train,  and  ordered  him  to  proceed  at  once  to  his  station 
at  Three  Crossings  and  distribute  his  company  according  to  orders 
from  you,  and  also  to  submit  to  the  order  and  direction  of  Captain 
Green  in  reference  to  repairing  the  telegraph,  and  re-erection  of  sta- 
tion at  Rock  Ridge." 

Lieutenant  Bretney  proceeded  up  the  road  as  ordered  and  in- 
vestigated the  condition  of  the  various  stations,  and  his  report  shows 
that  on  May  26  three  Indians  made  an  attempt  to  take  the  herd  at 
Sweetwater  station,  but  were  repulsed  by  the  garrison,  who  killed 
one  hostile  and  wounded  another.  Fortunately  none  of  the  small 
force  was  injured.    Two  days  later  the  Indians  returned  in  force  and 


INDIANS    BURN    ROCK    RIDGE    STATION  4O9 

succeeded  in  stampeding  four  horses  and  two  mules.  The  httle 
garrison  fired  at  the  hostiles  and  wounded  one  of  them.  On  June  i 
the  Indians  again  returned  and  made  a  desperate  attempt  to  run  ofF 
the  balance  of  the  horses,  but  the  soldiers,  being  on  the  watch,  opened 
a  vigorous  fire  and  drove  them  off.  This  party  cut  the  telegraph 
wire  and  carried  off  100  yards  of  it;  Lieutenant  Bretney  also  reported 
that  on  the  27th  of  May,  about  150  savages  made  a  furious  attack 
on  Saint  Mary's  station  and  in  a  short  time  succeeded  in  setting  fire 
to  the  buildings.  The  garrison,  consisting  of  five  men,  retreated  to 
an  old  well  outside  of  quarters,  where  they  escaped  to  South  Pass. 
The  operator.  Private  Chavil  St.  Clair,  took  precaution  enough  to 
secure  a  relay,  sounder  and  a  coil  of  fine  wire,  and  was  thus  enabled  to 
communicate  with  Fort  Bridger.  The  garrison  lost  everything  but 
the  fire  arms  and  the  clothes  on  their  back.  Their  horse  equipments 
were  burned.  There  were  but  two  horses  kept  at  the  station;  one  of 
these  the  Indians  captured  and  the  other  was  shot  to  prevent  its 
falling  into  their  hands.  They  cut  about  400  yards  of  telegraph  wire 
and  burned  the  poles.  When  the  Indians  left  they  moved  to  the  south, 
passing  up  the  valley  of  Sage  creek.  The  garrison  did  as  w^ell  as  could 
be  expected  under  the  circumstances.  When  the  Indians  came  within 
proper  distance  they  fired  upon  them  briskly.  Several  were  known 
to  have  been  wounded.    None  of  the  garrison  was  injured. 

The  Indians  were  active  along  the  telegraph  line  at  this  time. 
A  little  affair  occurred  at  Platte  Bridge  on  the  morning  of  June  3 
which  made  something  of  a  stir  but  did  not  result  very  seriously.  Six 
Indians  appeared  on  the  river  bank,  opposite  the  post,  and  it  was 
thought  their  object  was  to  draw  the  men  across  the  river  and  lead 
them  into  an  ambush  they  had  prepared.  As  soon  as  the  alarm  was 
given,  First  Sergeant  Samuel  B.  White,  Eleventh  Ohio  cavalry  who 
was  in  charge,  dispatched  a  messenger  to  Colonel  Plumb  of  the 
Eleventh  Kansas  cavalry,  who  was  at  Camp  Dodge,  informing  him 
of  the  appearance  of  the  hostiles.  As  soon  as  this  messenger  had 
gone.  Sergeant  White  ordered  a  twelve-pound  howitzer  trained  on 
the  Indians  and  the  first  fire  resulted  in  crippling  two  of  their  ponies, 
but  inflicted  no  injury  on  the  savages,  who  quickly  took  refuge  be- 
hind the  rocks.  The  sergeant  then  mounted  ten  men  and  sent  them 
to  the  bluffs  on  the  North  Platte  to  watch  the  movements  of  the 
enemy  and  followed  these  by  ten  soldiers  on  foot  in  the  rear  to  prevent 
the  mounted  men  being  cut  off  by  a  superior  force.  One  Indian  was 
seen  going  toward  the  telegraph  line  with  the  evident  intention  of 
cutting  it.  He  was  pursued  and  fired  upon,  but  only  the  horse  was 
hit.  As  soon  as  Colonel  Plumb  received  the  message  from  Platte 
Bridge,  he  mounted  ten  men  of  Company  B,  Eleventh  Kansas  cavalry, 


4IO  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

and  hastened  with  all  possible  speed  to  the  scene  of  hostilities.  Ar- 
riving at  Platte  Bridge,  he  took  ten  men  of  Company  G,  Eleventh 
Ohio  cavalry,  all  mounted,  and  proceeded  in  pursuit  of  the  Indians. 
On  leaving  Camp  Dodge,  he  had  ordered  twenty  more  men  of  his 
own  regiment  to  mount  as  soon  as  possible  and  follow  him.  The 
pursuit  of  the  Indians  led  Colonel  Plumb  and  his  command  across 
to  the  north  side  of  the  Platte  and  then  over  some  rough  country 
directly  north  of  the  post.  A  hard  chase  of  five  miles  brought  them 
within  shooting  distance  of  the  hostiles  and  a  running  fight  ensued 
which  resulted  in  one  Indian  pony  being  killed  and  two  Indians 
wounded.  One-half  of  Colonel  Plumb's  force  had  fallen  behind  on 
account  of  their  horses  being  unable  to  keep  up.  The  Indians,  aware 
of  the  situation,  now  turned  and  made  a  vigorous  charge  on  their 
assailants,  but  Colonel  Plumb  and  his  ten  troopers  received  them  by 
showing  a  compact  front  and  delivering  a  galling  fire.  The  Indians  now 
turned  and  fled.  Shortly  after,  about  sixty  Indians  charged  down  the 
bottom  of  Dry  creek,  a  half  mile  to  the  left  of  the  command,  with 
the  evident  purpose  of  cutting  them  off  from  Platte  Bridge.  The  little 
party  now  realized  that  they  were  in  a  dangerous  position,  but 
fortunately  the  twenty  men  who  had  been  ordered  to  follow  from 
Camp  Dodge  appeared  in  sight  and  the  Indians  turned  and  fled.  Six 
or  seven  of  the  soldiers  started  in  pursuit  of  some  hostiles  who  had 
turned  to  the  right.  The  soldiers  pressed  them  closely  and  were  led 
into  ambush  by  about  thirty  Indians  in  front  and  rear.  At  the  time 
of  this  attack  the  soldiers  found  themselves  with  empty  revolvers 
and  were  unable  to  hold  their  ground  until  assistance  could  arrive. 
In  this  affair  Private  W.  T.  Bonwell,  Company  F,  Eleventh  Kansas, 
and  Private  Sahlnecker,  Company  G,  were  killed.  Night  coming  on, 
the  troops  returned  to  Platte  Bridge  station. 

The  remains  of  Private  Bonwell  were  buried  where  he  fell  and  a 
sandstone  monument  was  erected  over  his  grave  which  was  alongside 
of  theroad  leading  to  Garden  Creek  falls.  Thismonumentwas  removed 
and  the  bones  of  the  soldier  were  disinterred  in  the  fall  of  1899  and 
shipped  to  Fort  Russell  where  they  were  interred  in  the  soldiers'  ceme- 
tery. 

Robert  Stuart  Built  the  First  Cabin  in  Wyoming 

One  of  the  first  chapters  of  Wyoming's  history  was  enacted  by 
a  courageous  little  party  of  fur  traders  on  their  way  from  Astoria  to 
Saint  Louis.  When  they  arrived  at  Saint  Louis  they  had  shortened 
the  route  of  Lewis  and  Clark,  had  discovered  the  Sweetwater  and 
North  Platte  rivers  and  had  discovered  that  most  important  gate- 
way through  the  Rockies,  South  Pass. 


ROBERT   STUART    BUILT   FIRST   CABIN    IN    WYOMING       4II 

They  built  the  first  cabin  in  what  is  now  the  state  of  Wyoming 
in  November,  1812,  at  a  point  along  the  river  near  Bessemer  Bend, 
and  for  five  weeks  rested  and  recuperated  from  the  exertion  and 
hunger  of  the  months  preceding  and  prepared  for  the  dark  days  to 
come  before  they  should  arrive  at  Saint  Louis. 

There  were  seven  of  them  in  the  party  that  left  Astoria  on  June 
29,  1812,  Robert  Stuart,  Ben  Jones,  Robert  McClellan,  John  Day, 
Ramsey  Crooks,  Andri  Vallar,  and  Francis  Le  Clerc.  They  started 
up  the  Columbia  river  in  canoes.  Before  they  were  out  many  days, 
one  of  the  party,  John  Day,  became  demented  and  was  sent  back  to 
Astoria  in  the  care  of  some  friendly  Indians.  In  a  few  days,  they 
came  across  some  men  who  had  been  separated  from  another  party 
and  gave  them  provisions  and  one  of  them,  a  man  named  Miller, 
joined  Stuart  in  Day's  place. 

They  rode  toward  the  south  and  east  looking  for  a  river  that 
would  take  them  to  the  Missouri.  They  killed  what  game  they  could, 
feasting  when  their  luck  was  good  and  going  without  food  when 
there  was  nothing  to  kill.  In  August,  they  encountered  some  thieving 
Indians,  the  Crows.  These  Indians  tried  to  rob  the  white  men  and 
followed  them  for  150  miles.  Finally,  one  night  in  September,  as 
they  were  camped  on  the  Snake  (Green)  river,  all  their  horses  were 
stolen.  Then  they  took  up  the  journey  on  foot  and  after  much 
suffering  and  many  hardships  they  reached  the  Grand  Tetons  about 
October  i.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  snow  on  the  ground  and  they 
were  forced  to  ford  many  streams.  They  were  without  food.  Mc- 
Clellan, for  some  personal  reason,  decided  to  try  traveling  alone  and 
he  left  the  party.  Traveling  became  harder  and  the  game  was  not 
only  scarce,  but  they  were  so  nearly  exhausted  that  their  shots  went 
wild  and  they  were  unable  to  kill  what  little  game  they  found.  At 
one  time,  they  were  without  food  for  three  days.  They  kept  pushing 
on,  always  being  cheered  and  urged  by  their  leader,  Stuart.  Mc- 
Clellan was  found  and  restored  to  the  party  although  he  begged 
to  be  allowed  to  die.  He  was  so  emaciated  that  he  was  almost  a 
skeleton.  His  comrades  divided  his  load  among  them  and  sup- 
ported him  as  well  as  they  could  in  their  weakened  condition.  On 
the  fourth  day  of  their  enforced  fast,  they  came  upon  a  run- 
down buffalo  bull.  They  dared  not  let  it  get  away  and  they  sur- 
rounded the  beast  and  took  great  care  in  aiming  at  it.  They  were 
successful  in  killing  it.  Their  hunger  was  so  great  that  they  did 
not  want  to  wait  to  cook  the  meat,  but  tried  to  eat  it  raw.  Stuart, 
who  always  managed  to  keep  a  cool  head,  made  some  broth  and 
forced  the  men  to  drink  it.  Otherwise,  they  would  have  died  by 
gorging  themselves. 


412 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


Since  losing  their  horses,  they  had  been  carrying  all  their  pro- 
visions and  equipment  on  their  backs.  On  October  i8,  they  met  a 
large  band  of  Snake  Indians.  These  Indians  were  friendly  and  gave 
them  food  and  shelter.  They  were  induced  to  part  with  an  ancient 
horse  in  exchange  for  a  pistol,  an  axe,  a  knife,  and  a  few  other  trifles. 
They  loaded  the  animal  with  as  much  of  their  burden  as  it  could  carry 
and  leading  it,  they  journeyed  on,  still  keeping  to  the  south  and  east 
and  still  searching  for  the  river  that  would  float  them  to  the  Missouri. 
They  trailed  slowly  over  the  continental  divide  and  reached  the 
Sweetwater,  although  they  did  not  know  it,  for  it  had  not  yet  been 
named  or  charted.  After  camping  a  few  days  on  the  banks  of  the 
Sweetwater,  they  proceeded  in  an  easterly  direction,  and  in  a  short 
time  found  themselves  on  the  banks  of  the  North  Platte  and  then 
continued  on  their  journey  for  several  more  days,  until  they  concluded 
to  camp  until  warm  weather. 

Stuart  kept  a  diary  on  this  trip  which  was  afterwards  edited  by 
Washington  Irving.  In  describing  this  part  of  the  journey,  he  said: 
"Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  30th  (October)  they  came  to  where  the 
stream,  now^  to  a  considerable  size,  poured  along  in  a  ravine  between 
precipices  of  red  stone  two  hundred  feet  in  height.  For  a  distance  it 
dashed  along,  over  huge  masses  of  rock,  with  foaming  violence,  as  if 
exasperated  by  being  compressed  in  so  narrow  a  channel,  and  at 
length  leaped  down  a  chasm  that  looked  dark  and  frightful  in  the 
gathering  twilight.^ 

"For  a  part  of  the  next  day,  the  wild  river  in  its  capricious  wan- 
derings, led  them  through  a  variety  of  striking  scenes.  At  one  time 
they  were  upon  high  plains,  like  platforms  among  the  mountains, 
with  herds  of  buffaloes  roaming  about  them;  at  another,  among  rude, 
rocky  defiles,  broken  into  cliffs  and  precipices,  where  the  black-tailed 
deer  bounded  off  among  the  crags,  and  the  big-horn  basked  on  the 
sunny  brow  of  the  precipice. 

"In  the  after  part  of  the  day  they  came  to  another  scene,  sur- 
passing in  savage  grandeur  those  already  described.  They  had  been 
traveling  for  some  distance  through  a  pass  of  the  mountains,  keeping 
parallel  with  the  river  as  it  roared  along,  out  of  sight,  through  a 
deep  ravine.  Sometimes  their  devious  path  approached  the  margin 
of  cliffs  below  which  the  river  foamed  and  boiled  and  whirled  among 
the  masses  of  rock  that  had  fallen  into  its  channel.  As  they  crept 
cautiously  on,  leading  their  solitary  pack-horse  along  these  giddy 
heights,  they  all  at  once  came  to  where  the  river  thundered  down  a 
succession  of  precipices,  throwing  up  clouds  of  spray,  and  making  a 
prodigious  din  and  uproar.   The  travelers  remained  for  a  time,  gazing 

1  This  is  the  Grand  Canyon  of  the  Platte,  at  the  head  of  which  the  Pathfinder  dam  has  been  built. 


ROBERT   STUART    BUILT   FIRST   CABIN    IN   WYOMING      413 

with  mingled  awe  and  delight  at  this  furious  cataract,  to  which  Mr. 
Stuart  gave,  from  the  color  of  the  impending  rocks,  the  name  of  The 
Fiery  Narrows." 

Stuart's  party  surely  possessed  the  true  spirit  of  adventure. 
Footsore,  hungry,  and  utterly  weary,  yet  they  could  take  the  time  to 
remain  "for  a  time,  gazing  with  mingled  awe  and  delight"  at  the 
Grand  canyon. 

After  following  the  river  two  more  days,  they  decided  that  they 
must  find  a  place  to  stop  and  recuperate.  Stuart  showed  excellent 
judgment  in  this,  for  to  go  on  in  the  face  of  the  winter's  snows  and 
cold  would  have  meant  disaster  to  the  little  party.  They  found  a  low 
point  of  land  on  a  bend  in  the  river.  There  were  cottonwoods  and 
willows  there  for  building  materials  and  firewood.  There  were  moun- 
tains to  the  south  and  west,  which  furnished  retreats  for  big-horn 
and  bears  and  black-tailed  deer.  The  lower  ground  was  the  haunt 
of  herds  of  buffalo.  This  bend  is  recognized  as  the  Bessemer  Bend 
and  the  mountains  described  are  Casper  and  Muddy  mountains. 
The  meat  that  they  killed  in  large  quantities  was  stored  along  the 
banks  of  a  little  stream.    This  is  the  Lower  Poison  Spider  creek. 

Stuart's  diary  describes  their  camp  as  follows:  "As  the  slaughter 
of  so  many  buffaloes  had  provided  the  party  with  beef  for  the  winter, 
in  case  they  met  with  no  further  supply,  they  now  set  to  work,  heart 
and  hand,  to  build  a  comfortable  wigwam.  In  a  little  while,  the 
woody  promontory  rang  with  the  unwonted  sound  of  the  axe.  Some 
of  its  lofty  trees  were  laid  low,  and  by  the  second  evening  the  cabin 
was  complete.  It  was  eight  feet  wide  and  eighteen  feet  long.  The 
walls  were  six  feet  high  and  the  whole  was  covered  with  buffalo 
skins.  The  fire-place  was  in  the  center  and  the  smoke  found  its  way 
out  through  a  hole  in  the  roof."  This  sturdy  little  cabin  was  Wyo- 
ming's first  house. 

A  small  band  of  Arapahoe  Indians,  whom  they  did  not  trust, 
visited  them  for  a  few  days  after  they  had  been  in  their  camp  for 
only  five  weeks.  The  Arapahoes  left  without  harming  them,  but  fear- 
ing their  return  in  another  mood,  Stuart  packed  up  his  men  and 
some  provisions  and  moved  on  toward  the  east.  Again  they  endured 
hardships.  The  crust  on  the  snow  cut  their  feet  and  the  cold  caused 
them  acute  suffering.  The  poor  old  horse  carried  enough  meat  for 
them,  but  they  had  little  to  feed  it  in  return  except  willow  twigs  and 
Cottonwood  bark. 

After  going  as  far  east  as  the  western  border  of  Nebraska,  they 
built  a  new  winter  camp,  said  by  some  to  have  been  at  the  present 
site  of  Gering.  When  spring  came  on,  they  tried  to  go  down  the 
river  in  a  canoe,  but  the  sand-bars  and  snags  made  this  sort  of  travel- 


414  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

ing  slow  and  tedious  and  again  they  traveled  on  foot.  At  Grand 
Island  they  met  some  fur  traders  just  out  from  Saint  Louis.  These 
men  gave  them  a  boat  made  of  deer  skins  stretched  over  poles  and  it 
was  not  long  before  they  were  in  Saint  Louis. 

Their  journey  is  said  to  be  the  most  venturesome  and  the  most 
productive  of  results  of  any  ever  undertaken  across  this  country. 
Their  path  was  the  Overland  Trail  followed  by  thousands  a  few  years 
later. 

"Absaroka,"  the  Land  of  the  Crows 

"Absaroka,"  in  the  Crow  language,  means  "The  Crows." 
Natrona  county  comprises  a  portion  of  the  land  controlled  by  the 
Crow  Indians  when  the  white  men  first  commenced  to  make  their  ex- 
peditions into  the  Rocky  Mountain  regions  in  the  early  part  of  1800. 

Arapooish  was  chief  of  the  Crow  tribe  in  1830,  and  that  he  recog- 
nized the  wonderful  advantages  of  this  locality  fully  as  much  as  his 
white  brethren  do  these  days,  is  evidenced  from  his  address  as  recorded 
by  Washington  Irving  in  his  "Adventures  of  Captain  Bonneville": 
"Before  we  accompany  Captain  Bonneville  into  the  Crow  country, 
we  will  impart  a  few  facts  about  this  wild  region,  and  the  wild  people 
who  inhabit  it.  We  are  not  aware  of  the  precise  boundaries,  if  there 
are  any,  of  the  country  claimed  by  the  Crows;  it  appears  to  extend 
from  the  Black  Hills  to  the  Rocky  mountains,  including  a  part  of 
their  lofty  ranges,  and  embracing  many  of  the  plains  and  valleys 
watered  by  the  Wind  river,  the  Yellowstone,  the  Powder  river,  the 
Little  Missouri,  and  the  Nebraska  (now  the  Platte).  The  country 
varies  in  soil  and  climate;  there  are  vast  plains  of  sand  and  clay, 
studded  with  large  red  sandhills;  other  parts  are  mountainous  and 
picturesque;  it  possesses  warm  springs,  and  coal  mines,  and  abounds 
of  game. 

"But  let  us  give  the  account  of  the  country  as  rendered  by  Arap- 
ooish, a  Crow  chief,  to  Mr.  Robert  Campbell,  of  the  Rocky  Mountain 
Fur  company. 

"This  is  the  eulogium  of  his  country  by  Arapooish: 

"'The  Crow  country,'  said  he,  'is  a  good  country.  The  Great 
Spirit  has  put  it  exactly  in  the  right  place;  while  you  are  in  it  you  fare 
well;  whenever  you  go  out  of  it,  whichever  way  you  travel,  you  fare 
worse. 

"Tf  you  go  to  the  south,  you  have  to  wander  over  great  barren 
plains;  the  water  is  warm  and  bad,  and  you  meet  the  fever  and  ague. 

"  'To  the  north  it  is  cold;  the  winters  are  long  and  bitter,  with  no 
grass.  You  cannot  keep  horses  there,  but  must  travel  with  dogs. 
What  is  a  country  without  horses? 


ABSAROKA,   THE  LAND  OF  THE  CROWS     415 

"'On  the  Columbia  they  are  poor  and  dirty,  paddle  about  in 
canoes,  and  eat  fish.  Their  teeth  are  worn  out;  they  are  always  taking 
fish-bones  out  of  their  mouths.    Fish  is  poor  food. 

"  'To  the  east,  they  dwell  in  villages ;  they  live  well ;  but  they  drink 
the  muddy  water  of  the  Missouri — that  is  bad.  A  Crow's  dog  would 
not  drink  such  water. 

"'About  the  forks  of  the  Missouri  is  a  fine  country;  good  water; 
good  grass;  plenty  of  buffalo.  In  summer,  it  is  almost  as  good  as  the 
Crow  country;  but  in  winter  it  is  cold;  the  grass  is  gone;  and  there  is 
no  salt  weed  for  the  horses. 

'"The  Crow  country  is  exactly  in  the  right  place.  It  has  snowy 
mountains  and  sunny  plains;  all  kinds  of  climates  and  good  things 
for  every  season.  When  the  summer  heats  scorch  the  prairies,  you 
can  draw  up  under  the  mountains,  where  the  air  is  sweet  and  cool,  the 
grass  fresh  and  the  bright  streams  come  tumbling  out  of  the  snow- 
banks. There  you  can  hunt  the  elk,  the  deer,  and  the  antelope,  when 
their  skins  are  fit  for  dressing;  there  you  will  find  plenty  of  white 
bears  and  mountain  sheep. 

"'In  the  autumn,  when  your  horses  are  fat  and  strong  from  the 
mountain  pastures,  you  can  go  down  into  the  plains  and  hunt  the 
buffalo,  or  trap  beaver  on  the  streams.  And  when  winter  comes  on, 
you  can  take  shelter  in  the  woody  bottoms  along  the  rivers;  there  you 
will  find  buffalo  meat  for  yourselves,  and  cottonwood  bark  for  your 
horses;  or  you  may  winter  in  the  Wind  River  valley,  where  there  is 
salt  weed  in  abundance. 

"'The  Crow  country  is  exactly  in  the  right  place.  Everything 
good  is  to  be  found  there.  There  is  no  country  like  the  Crow 
country.'" 

It  has  been  nearly  one  hundred  years  since  Arapooish  delivered 
this  encomium  regarding  the  Crow  country,  but  every  word  of  it  is 
as  true  today  as  it  was  in  the  days  of  Arapooish.  The  Great  Spirit 
surely  put  it  in  the  right  place  for  the  red  man  as  well  as  the  pale  face 
who  has  taken  his  place.  Where  stood  the  tepee  now  stands  the 
mansion,  the  business  blocks  and  factories;  where  roamed  the  buffalo, 
now  pasture  the  sheep  and  the  cattle;  where  the  Indian  spent  his  time 
in  the  chase  to  gather  his  winter's  provisions,  the  white  man  now  har- 
vests bountiful  crops  of  grain  and  drills  deep  into  the  ground  for  oil 
which  has  provided  employment  for  thousands  of  men  and  has  caused 
Casper  to  grow  from  a  frontier  village  to  one  of  the  leading  cities  of 
the  Middle  West. 

Arapooish  was  right.  "The  Crow  country  is  in  the  right  place. 
Everything  good,  is  to  be  found  here.  There  is  no  country  like  the 
Crow  country." 


4l6  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"Absaroka"  would  have  been  a  more  appropriate  name  for  the 
county  than  "Natrona,"  but  after  all,  the  name  does  not  change  the 
conditions,  and  while  you  are  in  the  county  "you  fare  well;  whenever 
you  go  out  of  it,  whichever  way  you  travel,  you  fare  worse. " 

Volumes  have  been  written  about  the  wonderful  resources  of 
Central  Wyoming,  but  all  that  has  been  said  and  all  that  has  been 
written  could  be  boiled  down  into  the  few  words  of  praise  of  Chief 
Arapooish  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago. 

In  many  respects  the  Crows  were  vastly  different  from  other 
tribes  of  Indians,  but  in  these  days  of  civilization  the  white  man  is 
want  to  class  all  the  Indian  tribes  alike,  but  they  were  as  different  as 
are  the  sets  and  castes  of  the  white  man.  The  highbred  and  the  low- 
bred among  the  Indians  were  very  pronounced,  and  woe  unto  the 
white  man  who  let  it  be  known  that  he  mistook  a  Crow  for  a  Sioux  or 
a  Sioux  for  a  Shoshone  or  in  any  way  belittled  a  member  of  one  tribe 
by  mistaking  him  for  a  member  of  another.  The  Crows  considered 
themselves,  and  no  doubt  were,  of  the  highest  caste  among  the  Indians 
in  this  part  of  the  country.  They  were  of  the  Hidat-sa  sub-stock  of 
the  Siouan  family.  Their  native  name  is  Absaroka,  which  is  said  to 
signify  a  species  of  hawk.  The  French  called  them  les  Corbeaux,  the 
English  translation  of  which  this  tribe  has  been  known  by  since  the 
white  man  found  them.  The  tribe  numbered  about  10,000  in  their  best 
days.^  The  Crow  country,  or  home  of  the  Crows,  or  the  Absaroka, 
was  the  valley  and  watershed  of  the  Big  Horn  river.  It  extended  far 
to  the  eastward,  including  the  valleys  of  the  Rosebud,  Tongue,  and 
Powder  rivers.  The  Crows  were  considered  to  be  the  best  formed 
physically  of  any  of  the  western  Indians.  Tall,  graceful,  pleasing  in 
physiognomy,  they  were  exceptionally  fine  looking.  In  dress  and 
ornamentation  likewise  they  excelled  most  other  tribes.  They  made  a 
particular  point  of  developing  long  hair,  which  they  regarded  as  a 
great  ornament.  But  however  much  they  might  excel  other  tribes  in 
physical  development,  they  were  in  no  degree  behind  them  in  the 
vices  and  defects  of  Indian  character.  They  were  the  most  expert  of 
horse  stealers  and  the  most  skillful  robbers  among  the  Missouri 
tribes.  They  always  professed  friendship  among  the  whites  and 
usually  were  peaceably  disposed  toward  them.  There  is  in  fact  almost 
no  record  of  their  having  killed  white  men  or  having  made  war  against 
them;  but  very  many  instances  of  their  having  committed  robberies 
upon  them.  They  fought  against  other  tribes  of  Indians  for  many 
years  to  hold  the  country  which  they  claimed  as  theirs  and  they  held 
a  great  deal  of  it  until  the  white  man  came,  and  then  they  combined 
with  the  other  tribes  of  Indians  and  fought  against  civilization  and 
against  being  dispossessed  of  their  rich  hunting  grounds. 

1  Chittenden's  History  of  the  American  Fur  Trade  of  the  Far  West,  vol.  2,  p.  855. 


A    WHITE    INDIAN    WOMAN  417 

A  White  Indian  Woman 

During  the  years  from  1889  to  1906,  or  until  the  Northwestern 
railroad  was  extended  from  Casper  to  Lander,  the  Arapahoe  and 
Shoshone  Indians  from  the  Wind  River  reservation  and  the  Arapahoe 
sub-agency  hauled  the  freight  and  supplies  from  the  railroad  station 
at  Casper  to  the  reservation,  the  distance  being  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  miles.  On  these  trips  there  were  usually  from  twenty 
to  forty  buck  Indians  and  generally  about  half  that  number  of  squaws. 

During  the  month  of  August,  in  1900,  there  came  to  Casper  with 
one  of  these  bands  of  Indians  a  white  woman,  who  wore  the  usual 
Indian  garb,  painted  her  face  as  the  Indians  do  and  spoke  the  Indian 
language,  but  she  could  not  speak  the  English  language.  The  woman 
attracted  the  attention  of  some  of  Casper's  citizens,  and  it  was  learned 
from  the  white  man  in  charge  of  the  visiting  Indians  that  the  woman 
had  been  captured  by  the  Cheyennes  when  she  was  a  child  about  two 
years  old,  and  had  been  raised  with  and  married  to  an  Arapahoe  In- 
dian named  John  Brokenhorn.  The  story  was  published  in  the  Na- 
trona County  Tribune,  and  was  copied  in  a  number  of  western  news- 
papers. The  newspaper  article  attracted  the  attention  of  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Cook  of  Davenport,  Iowa,  who  wrote  a  letter  to  the  publisher  of  the 
Tribune,  making  further  inquiry  as  to  the  identity  of  the  woman. 
Mrs.  Cook  said  she  was  very  much  interested  in  the  news,  for  she  was 
captured  thirty-five  years  before  at  Rock  Creek,  Wyoming,  and  her 
baby  sister,  Lizzie,  was  captured  at  the  same  time,  but  she  had  not 
seen  her  since  the  night  of  the  capture.  Mrs.  Cook  said  that  her 
father  was  Jasper  Fletcher,  who  came  to  the  United  States  from 
England  in  1861.  They  started  for  California  in  1865,  there  being  the 
father  and  mother,  three  sons  and  two  daughters.  They  left  Quincy, 
Illinois,  in  May  and  on  the  plains  the  Fletchers  united  with  a  train  of 
seventy-five  wagons  and  continued  their  journey  until  they  reached 
Rock  Creek  station  in  Wyoming  territory,  thirty-one  miles  east  of 
Fort  Halleck.  Just  as  they  had  camped  for  dinner  at  noon  and  when 
the  entire  Fletcher  family  was  near  a  stream  a  little  distance  from  the 
train,  a  war  party  of  three  hundred  Cheyenne  Indians  sprang  up  all 
around  them.  Mr.  Fletcher  and  his  three  sons  escaped  to  the  wagons. 
Mrs.  Fletcher  and  her  two  daughters,  the  younger,  Lizzie,  being  but 
two  years  old,  were  seized  by  the  Indians.  The  mother  was  thrust 
through  the  body  with  a  spear,  and  instantly  killed.  One  of  the 
Indians  seized  Lizzie,  raised  her  to  his  saddle  and  rode  off.  Her  sister 
saw  her  once  again  that  day,  but  never  afterwards.  Mary  Fletcher, 
the  older  girl,  who  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  was  struck  with  arrows 
in  several  places  and  pulled  them  out  with  her  own  hands.   Menimick 


4l8  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

was  chief  of  this  band  and  Black  Kettle  was  chief  of  the  tribe.  Meni- 
mick  took  charge.  One  of  the  leading  braves  took  charge  of  Mary, 
and  she  remained  his  slave  during  the  whole  term  of  her  captivity. 
Immediately  after  the  capture,  the  band  fled  rapidly  to  the  moun- 
tains, where  the  squaws  belonging  to  the  band  were  concealed.  There 
was  a  white  boy  with  the  squaws,  who  had  been  captured  by  the  band 
of  Indians  in  New  Mexico.  The  boy  pointed  to  the  valley  and  cried: 
"Look!  That  is  the  way  they  serve  them  all."  The  train  of  wagons 
was  burning  and  white  people  were  being  murdered.  In  one  of  the 
wagons  was  a  ten  gallon  cask  of  brandy,  and  the  Indians  had  drank 
this  and  were  indulging  in  a  scalp  dance,  all  the  Indians  being  wildly 
drunk.  The  scalp  dance  is  one  of  the  most  horrible  sights  that  can  be 
looked  upon  by  a  white  person,  and  the  oldest  Fletcher  girl,  who  was 
being  guarded  by  her  captors,  was  compelled  to  witness  the  whole 
affair. 

The  next  morning  the  Indians  tied  the  girl  to  a  saddle  and  trav- 
eled in  an  easterly  direction.  Two  days  after  the  capture  the  band 
came  upon  a  family  named  Cackle,  who  were  on  their  way  to  Colo- 
rado. The  Indians  took  a  small  child  from  Mrs.  Cackle's  arms  and 
seizing  it  by  the  feet,  dashed  its  brains  out  against  the  wagon  hub. 
Mr.  Cackle,  two  children  and  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Cackle  were  killed 
on  the  spot,  but  Mrs.  Cackle  was  carried  away.  Three  nights  after 
the  capture,  however,  the  woman  was  placed  against  a  tree  in  a  sitting 
position  and  she  was  made  a  target  of,  her  body  being  pierced  by  more 
than  a  dozen  poison-pointed  arrows^  before  her  prayers  were  answered 
for  the  ending  of  her  terrible  existence.  That  same  week  this  band  of 
Indians  and  the  soldiers  of  Fort  Laramie  engaged  in  a  fight,  and  dur- 
ing the  combat  a  buck  Indian  stood  over  the  Fletcher  girl  ready  to 
kill  her,  should  the  soldiers  get  in  a  position  to  recapture  her. 

Darkness  came  on,  fighting  ceased,  and  the  Indians  made  their 
escape.  The  next  morning  the  white  girl's  face  was  painted  red  and 
striped  green  and  black  and  her  hair  was  colored  with  soot  water,  and 
her  eye  lashes  and  eye  brows  were  burned  with  hot  ashes.  The  girl 
was  compelled  to  care  for  fourteen  ponies  during  the  day  while  they 
were  traveling,  packing  them  in  the  morning  and  unpacking  them  at 
night,  and  her  other  duty  was  to  gather  wood  for  the  fire  that  was 
built  every  night.  The  Indian  braves  rode  the  ponies  during  the  day 
and  the  squaws  were  compelled  to  walk,  and  the  girl  and  the  white  boy 

'To  procure  the  poison  for  their  arrow  heads  the  Indians  would  take  a  fresh  deer  liver  and  fasten  it 
to  a  pole,  then  go  to  a  den  of  rattlesnakes  and  poke  the  liver  toward  the  snakes._  The  snakes  would  strike 
the  liver  until  it  was  saturated  with  poison.  The  liver  was  then  put  away  until  it  became  thoroughly  dry, 
after  which  it  was  pounded  to  a  fine  powder  and  then  placed  in  a  buckskin  bao;,  to  be  used  as  they  needed 
it.  The  powder  would  stick  like  glue  to  any  moistened  surface.  The  Indians  used  these  poisoned  arrow 
heads  in  their  battles,  and  it  was  their  delight  to  imbed  one  of  these  poisoned  points  into  the  flesh  of  a 
white  man,  which  meant  slow  but  sure  death. 


A    WHITE    INDIAN    WOMAN  419 

tramped  on  foot  with  the  squaws.  After  about  six  weeks'  traveHng 
the  band  reached  the  main  village  of  the  tribe,  among  the  mountains 
in  eastern  Colorado.  When  all  the  bands  were  assembled  there  were 
about  four  thousand  Indians  in  the  village.  Here  they  indulged  in  war 
dances,  and  these  dances  are  described  as  the  wildest  orgies  in  sav- 
agery that  possibly  could  be  imagined. 

The  bands  started  out  on  another  expedition  after  four  days  of 
feasting  and  dancing,  and  on  this  journey  the  squaws  would  beat  and 
abuse  the  white  girl  to  appease  their  anger.  During  the  remainder 
of  the  summer  and  fall  and  winter  and  spring  that  followed  the  band 
was  continually  on  the  move;  they  waded  and  swam  the  creeks  and 
rivers,  struggled  through  deep  snows  and  endured  the  severe  cold  and 
all  kinds  of  hardships.  One  day  in  the  early  spring  while  crossing  a 
river  the  ice  broke  loose  and  started  rapidly  down  the  stream.  The 
girl  was  on  the  floating  ice  and  was  unable  to  escape.  She  was  carried 
rapidly  with  the  current,  and  the  squaws  laughed  and  danced  with 
glee  to  see  her  moving  rapidly  to  her  destruction.  She  finally  leaped 
from  the  ice  into  the  stream  and  swam  ashore,  where  she  was  wel- 
comed by  the  braves  as  a  heroine,  but  the  squaws  were  jealous  of  her 
and  treated  her  with  all  kinds  of  indignities. 

In  the  spring  of  1866,  the  band  came  to  a  white  man's  trading 
camp.  A  man  named  Hanger  was  in  charge  of  the  trading  camp,  and 
the  Fletcher  girl  walked  into  his  tent,  dressed  and  painted  like  an 
Indian  girl,  and  in  English  asked  Hanger  if  he  had  any  soap.  The 
girl  had  been  ordered  to  keep  out  of  sight  of  the  white  men,  but  if 
anything  did  happen  that  she  should  come  in  contact  with  them  to 
act  as  though  she  was  an  Indian  girl  and  not  to  speak  a  word  of 
English.  One  of  her  captors  was  in  the  trader's  tent  when  she  came 
in,  and  when  she  asked  for  the  soap,  the  Indian  struck  her  in  the  face 
and  knocked  her  down.  She  was  carried  out  of  the  tent  and  given  in 
charge  of  the  squaws.  The  squaws  were  jealous  of  the  white  girl  and 
wanted  to  get  rid  of  her,  because  she  was  becoming  a  favorite  among 
the  braves,  but  they  did  not  dare  to  kill  her.  The  squaws  arranged  to 
take  her  to  the  white  man's  tent,  unbeknown  to  the  bucks.  Hanger 
told  the  girl  that  he  would  buy  her  from  the  captors,  and  in  due  time 
he  paid  the  Indians  sixteen  hundred  dollars  in  cash,  one  good  horse 
and  a  gun  for  her  release.  The  white  man  then  placed  the  girl  in 
charge  of  an  Indian  agent  who  took  her  to  Fort  Laramie,  and  from 
there  she  was  taken  to  Fort  Jura,  and  from  there  the  Forty-eighth 
Wisconsin  infantry  took  her  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  from  there  she 
was  sent  back  to  Ilhnois  among  friends,  arriving  in  Illinois  in  Decem- 
ber, 1866,  A  year  afterward  she  was  married  in  Davenport,  Iowa, 
to Wilham  E.Cook. 


420  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

After  her  marriage  she  and  her  husband  went  to  Salt  Lake,  where 
the  girl  met  her  father,  who  informed  his  daughter  that  he  lay  in  a 
ditch  two  days  after  the  Indians  attacked  him,  and  he  was  badly 
wounded.  Her  three  brothers  all  made  their  escape  and  two  of  them 
went  to  Colorado  and  one  to  California,  but  until  the  article  was 
published  in  the  newspaper  she  had  never  heard  anything  concerning 
her  baby  sister. 

In  due  time  Mrs.  Cook  came  to  Casper,  and  from  here  she  went 
by  stage  to  the  Arapahoe  sub-agency,  where  she  found  the  woman  and 
positively  identified  her  as  her  sister,  who  was  then  thirty-nine  years 
of  age,  having  lived  with  the  Indians  for  thirty-seven  years.  She  was 
married  to  John  Brokenhorn,  an  Arapahoe,  and  a  number  of  children 
had  been  born  to  them.  She  could  not  speak  English  and  she  dressed 
and  lived  like  the  other  squaws.  Through  an  interpreter  Mrs.  Cook 
told  her  sister  how  she  had  been  captured,  how  their  mother  had  been 
killed  and  how  their  father  and  brothers  made  their  escape,  and  how 
she  herself  had  been  compelled  to  live  with  the  Indians  for  sixteen 
months,  and  how  she  made  her  escape.  She  wanted  her  to  go  back  to 
Davenport  with  her  where  she  would  be  cared  for,  and  where  she 
could  dress  and  act  like  the  white  woman  that  she  was,  but  Mrs. 
Brokenhorn  would  not  go;  she  declared  that  she  was  an  Indian,  that 
she  was  satisfied  to  live  as  she  had  always  lived;  to  call  a  tepee  her 
home,  to  wear  a  blanket,  to  do  the  drudgery  as  all  the  squaws  were 
doing,  and  to  claim  a  full-blooded  Indian  as  her  husband,  and  that 
she  could  not  remember  anything  about  being  captured,  as  her  white 
sister  had  explained  to  her. 

Mrs.  Cook  returned  to  Casper  alone,  and  went  back  to  her  home 
with  a  broken  heart.  She  said  that  although  she  had  had  many  bitter 
experiences,  when  her  sister  refused  to  give  up  her  wild  life  and  live 
like  a  woman  civilized,  it  was  the  hardest  blow  she  had  endured  since 
she  saw  her  mother  killed  by  being  thrust  through  the  body  with  a 
spear  by  a  blood-thirsty  Indian. 

The  absolute  proof  that  she  was  actually  a  white  woman  had  its 
effect  on  Mrs.  Brokenhorn,  and  although  she  continued  to  live  on  the 
reservation  with  her  husband,  she  made  it  plain  to  the  squaws  of  the 
tribe  that  she  felt  she  was  of  superior  birth  and  was  of  considerable 
more  importance  than  the  common  Indians.  That  he  had  a  white 
woman  for  a  wife  also  elevated  Brokenhorn,  in  his  own  estimation  at 
least,  to  a  higher  plane  than  his  fellow  men,  and  while  he,  like  most  of 
the  Indians,  seldom  made  much  of  an  outward  display  of  his  emo- 
tions, nevertheless  he  was  actually  raised  to  a  higher  degree  than  he 
was  before  the  fact  became  established  that  his  wife's  parents  were  of 
the  white  race.    In  fact  Brokenhorn  felt  that  he  was  so  great  that 


CHIEF    RED    CLOUD    IN    OUR    COUNTY   JAIL  42 1 

when  the  allotment  of  land  was  made  by  the  government  he  refused 
to  accept  the  portion  that  was  set  aside  for  him.  He  felt  that  the 
United  States  government  had  no  right  to  portion  out  to  the  Indians 
land  which  had  been  their  own,  and  thus  check  the  nomadic  career 
of  the  red  man,  and  he  then  and  there  set  himself  up  as  an  In- 
dian doctor,  a  horse  trader  and  manufacturer  of  Indian  curios, 
and  by  this  means  succeeded  in  realizing  a  modest  income  which 
was  sufficient  to  support  himself  and  family.  He  never  overlooked 
an  opportunity  to  condemn  the  United  States  government  and 
belittle  the  motives  of  the  white  people  in  general.  Unlike  nearly  all 
the  other  Indians,  however,  Brokenhorn  would  not  beg,  neither  was 
he  addicted  to  drinking  whiskey  and  gambling,  but  with  the  small 
returns  he  received  as  an  Indian  doctor,  the  profit  he  made  in  swap- 
ping horses,  and  the  small  amount  of  money  he  got  from  the  sale  of 
the  Indian  curios,  together  with  the  help  that  his  wife  gave  him  in 
acting  as  midwife  among  the  Indians,  as  well  as  doing  some  bead  work 
and  raising  a  few  chickens,  they  lived  very  comfortably  in  a  small 
cabin  about  half  a  mile  from  Saint  Stephen's  Mission.  This  cabin,  al- 
though small,  was  always  kept  neat  and  clean,  which  was  also  dif- 
ferent from  the  manner  in  which  the  homes  of  most  of  the  Indians 
are  kept.  Brokenhorn  now  (1923)  is  seventy-three  years  of  age,  and 
his  wife  is  sixty-two,  and  it  will  not  be  long  until  they  are  both  called 
to  the  land  of  their  fathers,  and  thus  will  end  the  sad,  sad  story  of  the 
white  Indian  woman,  which  reads  more  like  fiction  than  a  reality. 

Chief  Red  Cloud  in  Our  County  Jail 

In  the  early  '90's  the  Indians  in  this  part  of  the  country  had  not 
fully  gotten  over  the  idea  that  they  could  not  violate  the  laws  of  the 
land  and  the  customs  of  the  country  with  impunity,  and  large  bands 
of  the  red  men  traveled  from  the  agencies  in  Dakota,  Nebraska, 
Oklahoma,  and  other  states  to  the  Wind  River  agency  in  Wyoming  to 
visit  with  the  Arapahoes  and  the  Shoshones.  While  on  their  way  to 
and  from  the  agency  they  would  slaughter  all  the  deer,  elk,  antelope 
and  other  game  they  could  find.  They  generally  traveled  in  bands  of 
from  100  to  200,  and  in  the  game  country  they  would  spread  out  and 
cover  a  distance  at  least  fifty  miles  wide,  and  after  they  had  passed 
there  was  but  little  game  left. 

On  account  of  the  large  number  of  Indians  in  these  bands,  the 
authorities  were  reluctant  to  arrest  them,  for  it  was  feared  they  would 
go  on  the  warpath,  and  instead  of  killing  the  deer  and  the  antelope 
they  would  turn  their  guns  on  the  white  people.  The  Indians,  of 
course,  were  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  authorities  did  not  interfere 


422  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

with  them  because  of  their  numbers  and  on  account  of  the  fear  that 
they  would  start  a  fight,  and  their  actions,  while  traveling  through  the 
country,  were  of  such  nature  that  they  did  not  allay  the  feeling  of  fear 
among  the  whites.  Every  year  these  large  bands  would  invade  this 
part  of  the  state  and  their  wanton  slaughter  had  driven  nearly  all  the 
wild  game  out  of  the  country.  It  was  claimed  that  these  bands  not 
only  killed  the  wild  game,  but  they  gathered  up  some  of  the  horses 
and  cattle  that  happened  to  be  in  their  path. 

In  1894,  ^^^  people  and  authorities  of  Casper  and  Natrona  county 
decided  that  the  Indian  should  have  no  more  privileges  than  the  white 
man  and  that  the  wholesale  slaughter  of  game  must  be  stopped. 
Early  in  June  of  that  year  old  Chief  Red  Cloud  and  a  band  of  about 
300  other  Sioux  from  the  Pine  Ridge  agency  passed  through  the  town 
headed  for  the  Wind  River.  They  camped  at  the  Pine  mountains, 
about  thirty  miles  west  from  town  and  were  slaughtering  and  feast- 
ing on  antelope.  A  complaint  was  sworn  out  by  W.  J.  Burton  for  the 
arrest  of  Chief  Red  Cloud,  Jack  Red  Cloud,  his  son,  and  Dreaming 
Bear,  charging  them  with  being  non-residents  of  the  state  and  with 
wantonly  killing  game  out  of  season,  and  on  Sunday,  June  10,  1894, 
Deputy  Sheriff  Oscar  Hiestand  and  Town  Marshal  Frank  Berg  made 
the  trip  to  Pine  mountain  and  served  the  warrants  on  the  three  In- 
dians. When  the  authorities  came  upon  them,  the  Indians  had  broken 
camp  and  all  of  them  except  the  big  chief  and  his  son  were  traveling 
in  a  westerly  direction.  There  was  an  abundance  of  antelope  meat 
and  pelts  in  the  chief's  wagon.  After  the  warrants  had  been  read,  the 
officers  told  the  Indians  that  they  would  have  to  go  back  to  Casper 
and  stand  trial.  Jack  Red  Cloud,  by  many  signs  and  a  few  words 
spoken  in  the  Indian  language,  informed  his  father  of  their  predic- 
ament. 

The  old  chief  at  once  raised  his  right  hand  high  above  his  head, 
and  an  Indian  sentinel,  who  was  stationed  on  a  little  knoll  several 
hundred  yards  distant,  returned  the  signal  to  the  chief  and  then  turn- 
ing his  face  to  the  west  gave  a  few  zig-zag  movements  with  his  right 
hand  and  the  whole  cavalcade  halted.  The  chief  then  gave  another 
signal  and  the  sentinel  signalled  to  the  main  band  with  his  left  hand 
and  the  band  returned.  They  circled  around  Red  Cloud  and  his  son 
and  the  two  officers.  A  pow-wow  ensued  for  about  fifteen  minutes, 
during  which  time  the  officers  did  not  know  whether  the  Indians 
were  discussing  the  advisability  of  scalping  them  or  resisting  arrest. 
After  the  suspense  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  old  chief  spoke  to  his 
son  and  then  John  told  the  officers  that  they  would  return  to  Casper, 
provided  they  were  allowed  to  bring  their  guns  with  them.  The 
officers  told  them  to  load  their  firearms  in  their  wagons  and  hit  the 


CHIEF    RED    CLOUD    IN    OUR    COUNTY   JAIL  423 

trail  for  Casper  without  delay.  The  officers  and  the  three  Indians 
started  for  town  at  once,  and  they  were  followed  by  about  fifty  other 
Indians.  The  party  arrived  in  town  at  about  dusk,  and  Chief  Red 
Cloud,  Jack  Red  Cloud,  and  Dreaming  Bear  were  placed  in  the  county 
jail  where  they  remained  until  Monday  morning.  Chief  Red  Cloud's 
wife  sat  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the  jail  yard  until  after  midnight 
wailing,  moaning,  and  crying  in  an  attempt  to  excite  the  other 
Indians  so  they  would  go  on  the  warpath  and  release  her  husband  and 
there  were  quite  a  number  of  citizens  w-ho,  fearing  the  Indians  would 
declare  war,  implored  the  officers  to  turn  the  Indians  loose.  The 
officers  were  firm,  however,  and  if  the  Indians  had  commenced  hos- 
tilities they  would  have  found  the  people  ready,  for  there  were  fifty 
men  armed  and  ready  for  battle  any  time,  either  day  or  night,  that 
the  word  might  be  given.  The  Indians  went  about  with  scowling 
faces,  but  nothing  more  occurred  to  indicate  their  revengeful  feelings. 

Monday  morning  the  three  Indians  were  brought  from  the  jail 
and  placed  on  trial  before  J.  K.  Calkins,  justice  of  the  peace.  George 
B.  McCalmont  was  prosecuting  attorney  for  the  county  and  he  fear- 
lessly urged  the  conviction  of  the  Indians  and  the  imposing  of  a  heavy 
fine.  The  Indians  pleaded  that  they  were  without  rations;  that  they 
were  hungry,  and  that  they  did  not  know  it  was  against  the  law  to  kill 
the  game.  Justice  Calkins  fined  the  three  red  men  twenty  dollars  each, 
but  in  consideration  of  the  promise  of  Chief  Red  Cloud  that  he  would 
see  to  it  that  no  more  game  was  killed,  the  fine  was  remitted,  the 
prisoners  discharged  and  told  to  go  their  way.  They  went  to  the  Wind 
river,  concluded  their  visit,  and  on  their  return  trip  again  began  kill- 
ing antelope  at  a  destructive  rate.  When  they  reached  the  Casper 
stock  yards  east  from  town  on  their  return  trip,  they  were  again 
arrested  and  taken  before  Justice  Calkins  for  trial.  They  were  found 
guilty,  and  the  original  fine  of  twenty  dollars  each  was  imposed  upon 
the  three  of  them. 

They  refused  to  pay  the  fine  and  many  of  them  made  dire  threats 
against  the  people  of  the  town  and  declared  they  would  release  their 
chief  from  jail  by  force.  The  armed  men  selected  to  uphold  the  law 
were  hoping  they  would  start  hostilities,  but  the  Indians  soon  learned 
that  they  could  not  bluff  the  officers  and  they  were  smart  enough  to 
know  that  the  whites  were  ready  for  a  fight.  They  finally  agreed  that 
if  Sheriff  O.  M.  Rice  would  allow  them  ^85  for  Red  Cloud's  team, 
wagon,  and  harness,  which  was  the  amount  necessary  to  pay  the 
fines  and  court  costs,  they  would  give  that  officer  a  bill  of  sale  and 
leave  the  country.  The  deal  was  made  and  the  whole  band  of  Indians 
left  for  the  Pine  Ridge  agency  without  delay.  If  the  people  had  not 
shown  that  they  were  ready  for  a  fight,  the  Indians  would  undoubt- 


424  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

edly  have  attempted  to  release  their  chief  by  force.  Since  then  the 
Indians  have  gone  around  Natrona  county  while  on  their  way  to  visit 
the  Wind  River  agency,  but  the  Fremont  county  authorities  followed 
the  example  of  Natrona  county  and  several  hundred  of  the  Indians' 
ponies  had  to  be  sacrificed  to  their  mania  for  killing  game  and  stealing 
range  stock. 

At  the  time  Chief  Red  Cloud  was  arrested,  he  was  broken  in 
health  and  nearly  blind,  but  he  had  not  lost  any  of  his  contempt  for 
the  white  people  and  disregarded  our  laws  and  our  rights  as  much 
as  he  dared.  His  son  John,  who  could  speak  the  English  language 
and  was  well  acquainted  with  our  laws  and  customs,  entertained 
the  same  feeling  toward  the  white  race  as  his  father.  Dreaming 
Bear,  who  was  Red  Cloud's  chief  counsellor,  was  an  intelligent  Sioux 
Indian,  and  had  received  an  education  in  Carlisle,  but  neither 
Dreaming  Bear  nor  John  Red  Cloud  would  speak  a  word  of  English 
at  the  trial  and  B.  E.  Wheelock  acted  as  interpreter. 

How  Red  Cloud  was  given  his  name,  and  a  short  sketch  of  his 
life  might  be  of  interest.  It  is  said  that  a  young  Ogallallah  chief  of 
the  Sioux  nation  was  dashing  across  the  prairie  of  Dakota  on  his 
horse,  followed  by  a  band  of  young  men  of  the  same  tribe  who  had 
chosen  him  as  their  leader.  From  the  chief's  shoulders  waved  a  scar- 
let blanket,  and  an  onlooker  remarked:  "He  looks  like  a  flying  red 
cloud."  This  name  pleased  the  young  buck,  and  from  that  time  he  was 
known  as  Makh-pi-ya-luta,  in  the  Sioux  Indian  tongue  meaning  Red 
Cloud.  Some  authorities  say  he  was  born  in  1818,  others  claim  1821, 
but  on  his  monument  at  the  Pine  Ridge  reservation  the  date  of  his 
birth  is  recorded  as  1824.  When  but  a  young  man,  by  his  successful 
leadership,  he  soon  made  himself  a  sub-chief.  His  early  wars  were 
waged  against  the  Crows,  Pawnees  and  other  tribes,  and  he  was 
always  successful  in  his  thieving  and  bloody  campaigns.  In  1848  he 
was  a  noted  warrior,  and  began  a  conflict  with  the  white  men  that 
continued  for  twenty  years,  during  which  time  he  was  practically  the 
war  lord  of  Nebraska,  Dakota,  Kansas,  and  large  parts  of  Iowa, 
Wyoming,  Montana  and  Minnesota.  Red  Cloud  regarded  the  white 
man  as  a  foe  and  treated  him  as  such.  He  never  lost  an  opportunity 
to  rob  and  kill  the  white  men,  women  and  children  who  invaded  the 
land  that  he  claimed  belonged  to  the  Indians.  On  December  21, 
1866,  Red  Cloud,  with  a  band  of  about  3,000  Sioux,  attacked 
a  party  of  eighty-one  soldiers  and  two  civilians  under  command  of 
Captain  Fetterman,  who  had  been  sent  out  from  Fort  Phil  Kearney 
by  Colonel  Henry  B.  Carrington  to  relieve  a  wood  train,  which  the 
Indians  were  harassing.  Fetterman  and  his  men  were  surrounded  by 
the  Indians  and  not  one  escaped.    The  battlefield  was  a  scene  of 


CHIEF    RED    CLOUD    IN    OUR    COUNTY   JAIL  425 

carnage  indescribable.  All  the  men,  after  being  shot  with  rifles  and 
arrows  and  hacked  and  hammered  with  knives  and  tomahawks,  were, 
stripped  naked  and  mutilated  in  a  most  horrible  manner  and  then 
they  were  scalped.  Again  on  August  2,  1867,  Red  Cloud  and  his  band 
of  not  less  than  3,000  warriors  attacked  a  detachment  of  twenty-five 
soldiers,  two  officers  and  five  civilians  under  command  of  Captain 
Powell  at  an  improvised  corral  about  six  miles  west  from  Fort  Phil 
Kearney.  This  corral  was  formed  by  fourteen  wagon  boxes  belonging 
to  the  contractors  who  were  furnishing  logs  and  wood  for  the  fort. 
Using  these  wagon  boxes  as  a  fortification,  and  after  fighting  from 
about  7  o'clock  in  the  morning  until  about  1:30  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon the  troops  defended  themselves  in  such  a  manner  that  Red 
Cloud  and  his  warriors  failed  to  dislodge  them.  Again  and  again  the 
Indians  in  great  numbers  rushed  toward  the  temporary  fort  of  the 
small  band  of  soldiers,  and  every  time  the  Indians  came  within  range 
dozens  and  dozens  of  the  redskins  dropped  to  the  ground  with  bul- 
lets through  their  bodies.  It  is  variously  estimated  that  from  300  to 
1,000  Indians  were  killed  in  this  engagement  before  Red  Cloud  gave 
up  the  fight.  Four  of  the  soldiers  were  killed  in  this  engagement. 
This  battle  is  now  known  as  the  "Wagon  Box  Fight,"  and  undoubt- 
edly was  the  greatest  victory  the  white  soldiers  ever  accomplished 
over  the  Indians.  Thirty-two  men  repulsing  three  thousand  Indians 
after  fighting  more  than  six  hours  and  firing  about  three  thousand 
shots  from  their  breech-loading,  single-shot  Springfield  rifles,  and 
losing  but  four  men  is  a  record  almost  unbelievable.  This  fight, 
figuratively  speaking,  took  the  heart  out  of  Chief  Red  Cloud.  The 
greatest  regret  among  the  soldiers  was  that  the  term  could  not  be 
applied  literally. 

When  some  of  the  older  Indian  chiefs  wanted  to  sign  a  peace 
treaty  and  asked  Red  Cloud  to  join  them,  he  replied,  "No!  No!  I 
want  war,"  and  war  he  had  for  many  years  thereafter.  Among  some 
of  the  generals  he  fought  against  were  Miles,  Sheridan,  Crook  and 
Terry.  In  due  time  he  was  cooped  up  on  a  reservation,  but  he  broke 
out  whenever  possible  and  committed  fearful  ravages  upon  the 
settlements.  When  old  Sitting  Bull  led  his  warriors  in  the  engage- 
ment which  cost  General  Custer  and  all  his  men  their  lives  Red 
Cloud  had  prepared  to  join  his  brother  "  Medicine  Man, "  but  General 
Crook  swooped  down  upon  him  and  his  band  just  as  they  were  ready 
to  start,  taking  away  all  their  ponies  and  arms,  and  made  Red  Cloud 
a  prisoner.  In  November,  1868,  after  his  long  years  of  warfare  which 
resulted  in  greatly  diminishing  his  band  and  the  loss  of  thousands  of 
miles  of  territory,  he  at  last  realized  the  hopelessness  of  continuing 
the  fight  and  consented  to  sign  what  he  termed  a  "peace  paper." 


426  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

The  old  warrior  had  been  in  more  than  200  pitched  battles  since 
he  adopted  the  name  of  Red  Cloud.  He  was  now  penniless  and  help- 
less, but  in  more  than  one  subsequent  Indian  outbreak  he  was  sus- 
pected of  having  stirred  up  the  Indians  to  revolt,  but  nothing  could 
ever  be  proven  against  him.  He  was  given  a  two-story  frame  house 
on  the  Pine  Ridge  Agency  and  lived  at  the  government's  expense, 
but  respected  the  laws  only  when  he  was  compelled  to  do  so.  He 
retained  his  leadership  among  a  small  band  of  Indians  that  had  a 
hatred  toward  the  government,  for  many  years.  He  died  at  the  Pine 
Ridge,  South  Dakota,  reservation  on  December  10,  1909.  At  the 
time  of  his  death  he  was  blind,  deaf  and  childish,  and  if  the  souls  of 
Indians  are  cast  into  the  lower  regions  where  those  of  white  men  who 
commit  black  crimes  are  supposed  to  dwell,  old  Red  Cloud  had  a  most 
terrible  accounting  to  make  even  to  Satan  before  he  entered  the  gates 
of  Hades. 

Lou  Polk's  Wild  Ride 

Dogae  Lee  was  the  name  by  which  a  slender  man,  about  five 
feet,  four  inches  in  height,  with  small  bead-like  eyes,  drooping  mous- 
tache, and  a  general  careless  air,  was  known  by  in  Casper  in  1890.^ 
He  had  been  engaged  in  the  business  of  conducting  a  dance  hall  in 
Casper  until,  becoming  involved  in  debt  and  at  the  same  time  jealous 
of  his  "best  girl,"  he  gave  it  out  to  a  few  of  his  confidential  friends 
that  he  intended  to  take  her  out  of  town  and  give  her  some  severe 
punishment,  intimating  that  his  rival  would  be  welcome  to  her  when 
he  had  completed  his  work.  Accordingly,  one  rainy  afternoon  the 
latter  part  of  April,  Dogae  procured  a  couple  of  saddle  horses  and, 
accompanied  by  his  girl,  known  as  Lou  Polk,  left  the  town.  Parties 
who  were  in  the  secret  expected  a  "rounding  up"  before  they  returned, 
and  it  soon  became  generally  known  that  Dogae  had  taken  the  woman 
out  of  town  to  give  her  a  whipping,  but  the  first  real  news  of  anything 
serious  was  brought  in  by  a  sheep  herder  who  was  coming  to  town 
with  a  wagon.  When  within  about  two  miles  of  town  he  was  suddenly 
startled  by  a  woman's  scream  and  upon  looking  around  beheld  an 
equestrienne,  hatless  and  with  hair  streaming,  coming  toward  him 
with  her  horse  on  a  run,  and  hotly  pursued  by  a  horseman  who  was 
loading  his  six-shooter  as  he  came.  Dashing  up  to  the  wagon  she 
barely  had  time  to  ejaculate,  "I'm  Lou,  and  he's  Dogae,"  when  her 
pursuer  came  up,  and  with  an  oath  ordered  her  to  move  on.  Instead 
of  obeying,  she  jumped  from  her  horse.  Dogae  leveled  his  six-shooter 
at  her  and  bade  her  mount  or  be  killed  on  the  spot.  She  remounted, 
but  did  not  manage  her  horse  to  suit  the  fastidious  taste  of  Dogae, 

'  Wyoming  Derrick,  May;^2i,  1890. 


LOU    POLK  S    WILD    RIDE  427 

who  took  the  reins  from  her  hands,  and  with  the  remark,  "Come  on, 
we're  going  to  the  British  Possessions,"  headed  the  horses  into  the 
hills.  Lou  managed,  undetected  by  Lee,  to  drop  her  quirt  into  the 
wagon,  probably  as  a  mute  appeal  to  her  friends  in  town  for  help. 
But  the  herder,  fearing  he  would  become  involved  in  trouble  and  incur 
the  wrath  of  Lee,  kept  silent  concerning  his  adventure  and  even  told 
the  livery  man,  who  recognized  the  quirt  as  the  woman's,  that  he  had 
found  it  in  the  road.  However,  when  night  passed  and  they  had  not 
returned,  the  adventure  was  related  to  Sheriff  Jaycox,  who  immedi- 
ately started  in  pursuit,  but  they  had  such  a  start  that  it  would  have 
been  a  difficult  task  to  overtake  them,  even  had  they  left  a  plain  trail. 
But  heavy  rains  had  fallen  immediately  after  their  flight,  obliterating 
the  trail  to  such  extent  that  no  one  could  follow  it  with  any  degree  of 
certainty.  However,  the  sheriff  followed  the  trail  for  several  days, 
tracing  the  fugitive  and  his  companion  to  near  Wendover,  when  he 
rapidly  circled  through  the  country,  posting  settlers,  cow  outfits  and 
officers  by  telegraph  and  otherwise.  He  had  the  whereabouts  of  Lee 
and  the  woman  figured  down  to  a  matter  of  only  a  few  miles  and  had 
his  instructions  been  followed,  Lee  would  have  been  captured.  Riding 
into  a  cow  camp  on  Fish  creek,  the  sheriff  informed  the  boys  that 
Dogae  was  in  the  immediate  vicinity  and  liable  to  arrive  in  their  camp 
at  any  moment,  in  the  event  of  which  occurrence  they  were  to  disarm 
and  hold  him  as  a  prisoner  until  the  officers  could  be  communicated 
with.  They  agreed  to  do  as  the  sheriff  asked.  But,  although  Dogae  and 
the  woman  arrived  at  the  camp  within  less  than  three  hours  after  the 
sheriff's  departure,  the  boys,  for  some  reason,  did  not  carry  out  his 
orders.  Instead,  J.  C.  Shaw  and  Tom  King  informed  Dogae  that  the 
sheriff  had  been  there;  that  he  had  them  hemmed  in  and  they  had 
better  give  themselves  up,  as  it  was  useless  to  attempt  to  get  away. 
Dogae  was  cunning  enough  to  pretend  to  acquiesce,  and  told  them  to 
take  his  horses  and  he  and  Lou  would  have  the  granger,  who  was  in 
charge  of  the  ranch,  take  them  to  the  railroad.  Lou  was  then  un- 
harmed, but  the  round-up  boys  had  no  sooner  raised  camp  and  got 
well  under  way  than  Dogae  drove  the  granger  off  the  ranch,  threw 
the  woman  on  the  floor  and  with  a  pocket  knife  cut  her  nose  off  close 
to  her  face,  and  threw  the  dismembered  organ  across  the  room,  after 
which  he  took  the  granger's  best  horse,  saddle  and  a  Winchester 
rifle,  and  leaving  the  miserable  woman  at  the  ranch,  continued  his 
desperate  flight  alone.  The  granger  returned  to  the  house  as  he  wit- 
nessed Dogae's  departure  and  found  the  woman  in  the  condition 
stated  above.  Hastily  harnessing  a  team  he  started  with  the  unfor- 
tunate woman  for  Wendover,  she  having  picked  up  the  piece  of  nose, 
which  she  kept  in  her  handkerchief  wet  with  cold  water.  At  Wendover 


428  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

an  attempt  was  made  to  secure  the  nose  to  its  former  place  by  means 
of  court  plaster,  but  the  attempt  was  a  failure.  The  mail  carrier 
started  with  the  woman  for  Douglas,  and  upon  her  arrival  there  Dr. 
Barber  attempted  to  restore  the  inanimate  flesh  to  its  former  place, 
but  this  could  not  be  accomplished. 

"We  started  out,  as  I  supposed,  on  a  visit  and  pleasure  ride  to 
Tom  Hood's  sheep  camp,"  said  Lou,  "but  from  the  time  we  saw  the 
sheep  herder,  after  we  crossed  the  bridge  at  Casper,  I  was  an  unwilling 
prisoner.  Dogae  forced  me  to  accompany  him,  by  means  of  all  kinds 
of  horrible  threats  and  a  six-shooter.  Sometimes  he  said  he  would 
kill  me,  and  again  that  he  was  going  to  take  me  to  Kansas.  We  rode 
without  food  for  two  days,  when  Dogae  killed  a  rabbit  and  I  ate  part 
of  it,  in  a  cabin  near  Fetterman.  Then  we  went  without  a  morsel  of 
food  for  four  whole  days,  traveling  nights  and  hiding  in  the  bushes 
along  the  streams  during  the  day.  Finally,  on  the  day  he  cut  my 
nose  off,  we  were  hid  in  a  gulch  when  I  happened  to  raise  my  head 
and  saw  the  sheriff  passing  a  few  hundred  yards  away.  Dogae  saw 
him  at  the  same  time,  and  pulling  me  to  the  ground  placed  his 
six-shooter  to  my  ear  and  said  if  I  moved  he  would  blow  my  brains 
out.  That  same  day  we  went  to  the  cow  camp.  The  boys  told 
Dogae  he  had  better  turn  back  and  give  himself  up.  Dogae  said  he 
would,  but  as  soon  as  the  boys  went  away,  he  made  the  ranchman 
leave  and  told  me  he  was  going  to  cut  my  nose  off  and  gouge  one 
of  my  eyes  out.  He  held  me  on  the  floor  and  cut  my  nose  off  as  you 
can  see,  but  did  not  touch  my  eyes.  Then  he  got  on  the  horse  and 
rode  away." 

Dogae  was  never  captured,  but  it  is  said  he  went  to  Kansas,  and 
that  is  the  last  that  was  ever  heard  of  him  by  anyone  in  this  part  of 
the  country. 

Lou  Polk  afterwards  became  the  proprietor  of  the  dance  hall, 
located  on  the  northwest  corner  of  the  alley,  west  across  Wolcott 
street  from  where  the  postoflSce  is  now  located.  Booze  was  sold  by 
the  woman  without  restraint,  and  gambling  and  dancing  were  the 
pastimes,  and  the  cowboys  and  dancing  girls  often  turned  the  night's 
entertainment  from  a  fantastic  revel  into  a  furious  melee. 

Men  who  went  to  the  place  for  a  night's  entertainment  were  often 
robbed  and  then  laughed  at  and  kicked  out;  they  were  jeered  at  if 
they  did  not  spend  money  lavishly,  and  even  murder  was  committed, 
until  finally  the  decent  people  of  the  town  threatened  to  burn  the 
place  down  if  the  authorities  could  not  or  did  not  quell  the  nightly 
disturbances.  The  place  was  not  burned,  and  it  must  be  presumed 
that  the  strong  hand  of  the  law  was  put  into  effect,  at  least  suflficiently 
to  satisfy  the  fastidious  objectors. 


DR.    JOE    BENSON    CREMATED  429 

In  the  early  '90's  the  buildings  were  torn  down  and  a  frame  dwell- 
ing house  was  erected  on  the  site  by  W.  T.  Evans  in  1894.  This  frame 
building  was  afterwards  veneered  with  brick  and  is  still  standing. 

The  dance  hall  business  and  the  Polk  woman's  class  at  this  time 
became  unpopular  in  Casper  and  she  moved  farther  west,  and  finally 
located  in  Fallan,  Nevada,  but  the  fast  life  undermined  her  health, 
and  in  1907  she  returned  to  Casper,  a  physical  as  well  as  a  moral  wreck, 
and  on  August  16,  1907,  she  died,  and  her  remains  are  now  resting  in 
Highland  cemetery.  A  stone  is  at  the  head  of  her  grave,  inscribed 
with  her  name  and  the  dates  1867-1907.  Her  name  when  she  died 
was  not  Polk,  and  only  the  pioneers  of  Casper  recognize  the  grave 
when  they  pass  by. 

Dr.  Joe  Benson  Cremated 

About  4  o'clock  Sunday  morning,  October  11,  1891,  Casper's 
town  jail,  a  one-story  frame  building  located  in  the  alley  northwest 
from  where  the  Townsend  building  now  stands,  was  destroyed  by  fire 
and  Dr.  Joseph  Benson  (whose  real  name  was  Joseph  P.  Riley),  who 
had  been  incarcerated  the  night  before  on  a  charge  of  drunkenness 
and  fighting  with  Dr.  Naulteus,  was  cremated.  The  doctor  had  been 
confined  in  this  building  many  times  before  and  every  time  he  was 
placed  in  the  jail  he  made  the  night  hideous  and  kept  the  people  in 
the  neighborhood  awake  by  yelling,  "Fire!"  "Murder!"  "Help!" 
He  hoped  by  this  means  to  induce  the  ofl&cials  to  release  him,  and 
several  times  he  succeeded,  but  in  time  it  became  an  old  story,  and 
failed  to  have  the  desired  effect.  On  this  particular  Saturday  night 
the  doctor's  cries  of  murder,  help,  and  fire  were  kept  up  from  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  until  long  after  midnight,  and  then  for  a  time 
all  was  quiet  and  the  people  in  the  neighborhood  who  had  been  kept 
awake  by  his  cries,  were  of  the  opinion  that  the  doctor  had  fallen 
asleep.  But  during  the  quiet  spell  the  doctor  evidently  was  busy  pre- 
paring the  conflagration  which  cost  him  his  life,  the  theory  being  that 
he  undertook  to  burn  a  hole  in  the  building  large  enough  to  crawl 
through,  and  thus  make  his  escape.  He  had  saturated  the  bed  clothing 
with  water,  and  with  this  no  doubt  intended  to  smother  the  flames 
after  the  hole  had  been  burned  large  enough  for  him  to  crawl  through, 

Granville  E.  Butler  was  living  close  to  the  jail,  and  before  the 
dawn  of  day  his  daughter  Franc  (now  Mrs.  Franc  Sheff^ner)  was 
awakened  and  discovered  the  fire.  She  aroused  her  father,  and  he  im- 
mediately gave  the  alarm.  The  outside  of  the  building  at  that  time 
was  not  burned,  but  smoke  was  issuing  from  the  roof.  A  number  of 
men  had  responded  to  the  alarm  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  batter 


430  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

the  lock  off  the  door  with  a  sledge  hammer,  but  without  success.  By 
this  time  a  small  hole  had  been  burned  through  the  south  side  of  the 
building  and  several  men  with  axes  chopped  the  hole  larger,  hoping 
to  thus  gain  an  entrance  and  rescue  the  prisoner,  but  when  the  hole 
had  been  chopped  large  enough  for  a  man's  body  to  pass  through,  the 
doctor's  body  was  seen  lying  on  the  floor  with  his  arms  and  legs 
burned  to  a  char.  By  this  time  the  whole  building  was  in  flames  and 
no  one  could  enter,  but  a  long-handled  rake  was  secured  and  the  arm- 
less and  legless  trunk  of  the  unrecognizable  man  was  drawn  out  and 
taken  to  the  town  hall.  A  coroner's  jury  returned  a  verdict  that  "the 
deceased  came  to  his  death  while  incarcerated  in  jail  in  the  town  of 
Casper,  by  fire,  set  inside  the  jail,  by  his  own  hand. " 

Dr.  Joseph  P.  (Benson)  Riley  was  about  fifty-one  years  of  age. 
He  was  in  Casper  about  two  years  before  he  met  his  tragic  death.  It 
was  said  that  he  was  a  very  capable  physician  when  he  was  sober,  but 
that  was  very  seldom.  In  connection  with  his  profession  as  a  physi- 
cian he  owned  an  interest  in  a  barbershop  and  did  dentistry  work  on 
the  side.  The  local  newspaper  in  March,  1889,  announced  that  "Dr. 
Benson  is  now  provided  with  dentist  tools,  and  can  extract  teeth 
without  pain.  Give  him  a  call,  at  the  barber  shop."  When  he  was 
under  the  influence  of  liquor  he  gave  several  reasons  for  changing  his 
name,  one  of  them  being  to  the  eflPect  that  he  had  killed  a  man,  was 
tried,  and  sentenced  to  fifteen  years  in  the  penitentiary,  but  made  his 
escape.  Another  story  he  sometimes  told  was  that  he  was  engaged  to 
marry  a  young  lady,  but  shortly  before  the  time  set  for  their  marriage 
she  was  taken  sick  and  died,  and  inasmuch  as  she  could  not  take  his 
name,  he  took  hers.  If  this  latter  story  was  true,  the  young  lady  no 
doubt  saved  herself  a  great  deal  of  grief  by  passing  on  before  she 
became  the  wife  of  the  doctor. 

There  were  some  superstitious  people  in  Casper  m  those  days  and 
they  imagined  that  they  often  saw  the  ghost  of  Dr.  Benson  stalking 
about  at  midnight  on  the  spot  where  the  doctor  passed  out  of  this 
life.  Strange,  sweet  music  was  first  heard,  low  and  soft,  like  the  mur- 
mur of  a  summer  zephyr.  It  gradually  increased  m  force,  the  sound 
becoming  more  melancholy  until  it  resembled  the  eerie  wail  of  a  lost 
soul.  Then  a  ghost-like  figure,  clad  in  a  white  robe,  arose  from  the 
ashes  where  the  building  stood  and  a  wild  and  fantastic  dance  ensued, 
and  this  was  followed  by  a  noise,  the  most  diabolical  that  could  be 
imagined,  in  the  midst  of  which  the  spectral  figure  would  arise  and 
float  away  in  a  sheet  of  flame. 

There  were  a  number  of  people  who  claimed  to  have  witnessed 
this  scene,  but  they  were  probably  in  about  the  same  condition  that 
the  doctor  was  when  he  set  fire  to  the  jail.    There  were  plenty  of 


CALAMITY    JANE  43  I 

saloons  in  the  town  those  days  and  there  was  no  limit  to  the  amount 
of  whiskey  a  man  could  drink  so  long  as  he  was  able  to  stand  before 
the  bar  and  pay  the  price,  and  it  may  be  said  that  there  were  quite  a 
number  of  men  here  who  partook  of  the  corn  juice  quite  freely. 

Like  most  men  who  are  continually  under  the  influence  of  liquor, 
the  doctor  himself  was  not  only  in  "hot  water"  most  of  the  time,  but 
he  was  the  cause  of  considerable  trouble  for  other  people.  About  a 
week  before  his  death,  he  had  C.  K.  Bucknum  arrested  because  Mr. 
Bucknum  refused  to  allow  him  to  take  one  of  the  latter's  livery  teams 
to  be  driven  into  the  country.  The  trial  was  had  before  Justice  Gran- 
ville E.  Butler.  Major  Palmer  was  attorney  for  Mr.  Bucknum  and  the 
doctor  was  his  own  counsel.  The  doctor  stated  his  case,  and  asked  for 
ten  thousand  dollars  damages,  besides  the  costs  of  the  trial.  Major 
Palmer  then  arose  and  said,  "Your  honor,  I  move  that  the  charge 
against  my  client  be  dismissed."  John  Shanley  was  among  the  large 
number  of  people  present  and  no  sooner  were  the  words  out  of 
Major  Palmer's  mouth  than  Shanley  shouted,  "I  second  the  motion." 
The  judge  declared  the  motion  carried,  the  costs  were  assessed  against 
the  doctor,  which  he  paid,  and  then  imbibed  so  freely  of  strong  drink 
that  he  became  a  nuisance  and  he  was  arrested  upon  a  charge  of  being 
drunk  and  disorderly  and  taken  to  jail  where  he  spent  a  sleepless 
night  and  those  who  lived  nearby  were  also  kept  awake  by  his  uproar. 

The  burning  of  the  jail  left  the  town  and  county  without  a 
building  to  confine  the  lawbreakers  and  for  several  years  those  who 
required  confinement  behind  the  barred  windows  and  a  padlock  on 
the  door  were  accommodated  by  being  taken  to  Douglas  and  placed  in 
the  Converse  county  jail  and  the  town  of  Casper  and  Natrona  county 
paid  one  dollar  per  day  for  their  keep. 

"Calamity  Jane" 

Much  has  been  said  and  written  concerning  "Calamity  Jane," 
a  female  character  whose  name  in  the  early  days  of  Wyoming  was 
probably  the  most  familiar  of  any  woman  in  the  Middle  West,  but  the 
stories  that  have  been  told  and  written  about  her  are  as  varied  as  was 
her  very  checkered  career.  When  Miner's  Delight,  in  Fremont  county, 
was  a  prosperous  but  wild  gold  mining  town  in  the  '6o's,  Martha 
Jane  Canary  was  a  poor,  neglected  little  girl,  who  did  not  know  right 
from  wrong,  and  whose  associates  were  the  rough  men  of  that  rough 
country.  Among  the  residents  of  Miner's  Delight  at  that  time  was  a 
woman  whose  philanthropic  promises  induced  the  girl  to  accompany 
her  back  to  New  York  state,  where  Jane  was  to  be  educated  and 
civilized,  but  when  the  woman  and  girl  arrived  in  the  eflFete  east,  Jane 


432  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

was  rigged  out  in  a  buckskin  suit,  and  during  the  day  she  paraded  the 
streets  and  in  the  night  time  she  associated  with  characters  whose 
Hght  of  decency  had  gone  out  and  who  were  staggering  in  the  dark 
face  to  face  with  satan.  It  was  here  that  hell's  broth  was  brewed  for 
Martha  Jane  Canary,  as  it  was  for  many  another  girl.  After  spending 
several  years  in  the  east  Jane  returned  to  the  little  mining  town  in  the 
mountains  with  an  ''education"  that  was  not  only  surprising  but 
shocking  to  her  former  friends  and  associates.  With  her  other 
habits  and  vices  she  had  acquired  a  restless,  roaming,  venture- 
some disposition,  and  it  is  claimed  in  1870  she  entered  into  service 
for  the  government  as  an  Indian  scout,  and  on  account  of  her 
daring  intrepidity,  her  rapidity  of  movement  and  deadly  skill  with 
firearms,  as  well  as  the  qualities  displayed  as  a  rider,  the  Indians 
considered  her  as  possessed  of  supernatural  powers.  Colonel  Wm.  F. 
Cody  (Buffalo  Bill)  said  that  she  was  given  the  doleful  name  of 
"Calamity  Jane"  in  1872  by  Captain  Egan,  then  commander  of  the 
United  States  army  post  at  Goose  Creek,  whose  life  she  saved.  The 
captain  was  shot  by  the  Indians  and  was  in  danger  of  death  when 
the  female  scout  came  up  on  her  horse,  shot  the  Indian  nearest  the 
wounded  and  unconscious  officer,  placed  him  in  front  of  her  on  her 
horse  and  carried  him  to  the  fort  and  then  nursed  him  back  to  health. 
When  Captain  Egan  learned  of  his  rescue  he  said  to  his  preserver: 
"You  are  a  good  person  to  have  around  in  time  of  calamity,  and  I  now 
christen  you  '  Calamity  Jane,  the  heroine  of  the  plains. ' 

It  is  also  claimed  that  she  was  the  first  white  woman  to  enter  the 
Black  Hills  country,  having  gone  into  that  country  with  Prof. 
Jenney's  military  escort  in  1875.  By  this  time  she  had  developed  into 
a  very  masculine  type  of  woman,  and  so  nearly  did  her  features  and 
form  conform  to  those  of  a  man,  that,  when  attired  in  men 's  clothing, 
she  had  little  difficulty  in  passing  as  a  man  among  strangers.  She  was 
what  was  then  termed  "a  good  scout";  she  smoked,  drank  whiskey, 
gambled,  frequented  the  dance  halls,  and  fought  her  fights  and  swore 
as  the  men  did  in  those  days.  But  with  all  her  vices  and  faults  it  is 
said  she  had  one  astounding  virtue — charity.  She  held  the  cup  of 
water  to  the  lips  of  many  a  dying  pioneer;  she  nursed  the  sick  for  days 
and  weeks,  and  emptied  her  purse  for  many  a  person  who  was  in  des- 
titute circumstances.  In  this  respect  she  was  the  "good  Samaritan" 
of  a  motley  crowd  and  many  of  that  crowd  revered  her  memory  in 
return  for  charity  or  her  nursing  care.  In  the  presence  of  suffering  and 
sickness  she  was  as  sympathetic,  tender,  charitable  and  kind  as  a 
ministering  angel,  and  although  her  masculine  traits  were  abnormal, 
her  womanly  traits  of  kindness  and  charity  would  have  done  credit 
to  millions  of  her  sex.    Although  she  was  a  liberal,  kind-hearted 


CALAMITY   JANE  433 

person,  always  ready  and  willing  to  divide  her  worldly  means  with  any 
one  in  need,  on  the  other  hand,  she  never  hesitated  to  take  anything 
from  anyone,  of  which  she  stood  in  need. 

In  1876  she  saved  the  lives  of  six  passengers  and  the  driver  of  a 
stage  coach  traveling  from  Deadwood,  South  Dakota,  to  Wild  Birch. 
The  stage  was  held  up  by  a  small  band  of  Indians,  and  the  driver. 
Jack  McCaul,  was  shot  and  wounded.  None  of  the  six  men  in  the 
stage  coach  had  the  nerve  to  come  out,  but  Jane  came  out,  mounted 
the  driver's  seat  and  brought  the  stage  with  safety  to  Wild  Birch. 
Jack  McCaul  recovered  from  his  wound  and  some  time  later,  while 
in  Deadwood,  shot  and  killed  Wild  Bill  (Bill  Hickok).  It  is  said  that 
it  was  a  cold-blooded  murder,  and  in  a  very  short  time  McCaul's 
body  was  swinging  at  the  end  of  a  rope  which  had  been  fastened  to  the 
limb  of  a  tree,  and  that  "Calamity  Jane"  was  the  one  who  captured 
McCaul  and  was  the  leader  of  the  mob  that  hanged  him. 

From  the  Black  Hills  Jane  drifted  back  to  Wyoming  and  lived 
in  Cheyenne  in  the  early  '8o's.  From  Cheyenne  she  went  to  Rawlins, 
then  to  Lander,  and  then  back  to  Rawlins.  She  came  to  Casper  Oc- 
tober 8,  1889,  and  on  October  11  of  that  year  an  item  appeared  in  the 
Casper  Weekly  Mail  to  the  effect  that,  "The  village  is  comparatively 
quiet  of  late.  No  shooting,  yelling  or  carousing,  and  were  it  not  for 
the  occasional  musical  notes  of  'Calamity  Jane,'  our  streets  would  be 
as  orderly  as  any  eastern  city.'" 

She  came  to  Fort  Fetterman  on  the  stage  from  Rock  Creek  in  the 
summer  of  1886  and  from  Fort  Fetterman  she  went  to  the  then  new 
town  of  Douglas.  Douglas  was  the  terminus  of  the  railroad  and  was 
filled  with  men  who  generally  came  to  the  new  western  towns  and 
remained  as  long  as  money  was  easy  to  get  and  liquor  flowed  freely. 
It  was  with  this  character  of  men  that  Jane  was  at  home. 

Jeff  Crawford  was  operating  the  stage  line  from  Fetterman  to 
Douglas  at  that  time  and  Jane  made  the  trip  to  Douglas  on  his  stage. 
She  insisted  upon  occupying  the  seat  over  the  front  boot  of  the  coach 
and,  as  was  her  custom,  she  had  with  her  a  plentiful  supply  of  whiskey, 
which  she  drank  as  she  traveled  along  the  rough  road,  to  wash  the 
dust  from  her  throat  and  at  the  same  time  lend  cheer  and  courage  to 
endure  the  jolts  of  the  rickety,  rocking  stage  coach.  On  this  trip,  in 
addition  to  her  supply  of  whiskey,  she  took  with  her  a  basketful  of 
grapes  and  she  ate  grapes  and  drank  whiskey  as  she  traveled  along  the 
route.  Her  dress  was  of  the  Dollie  Varden  variety,  dotted  with  pretty 
red  flowers,  and  she  also  wore  a  red  straw  hat  with  a  red  feather  in  it. 
While  fording  the  Platte  river  near  Fetterman  the  stage  went  into  the 
water  up  to  the  seat  where  Jane  was  sitting  and  the  water  caused  the 
colors  in  her  dress  to  "run."   The  dust  along  the  roadside  did  not  add 


434  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

to  the  appearance  of  the  dress  or  the  woman,  and  when  the  stage 
arrived  in  Douglas,  Jane,  with  her  dress  of  many  colors,  with  her  face 
and  hands  besmeared  with  grime  and  grape  juice,  with  bedraggled 
hair,  bleared  eyes  and  sunburnt  face,  was  a  spectacle  that  caused 
many  men  to  surround  her  and  pass  remarks  not  considered  com- 
plimentary or  pleasing  to  the  new  arrival.  What  she  said  to  her  tor- 
mentors need  not  go  down  in  history. 

She  made  her  headquarters  in  Douglas  and  Fetterman  for  a  year 
or  so,  then  returned  to  the  towns  along  the  Union  Pacific  railroad. 
She  was  married  in  Rawlins  to  a  man  named  Bill  Steers,  but  as  was  to 
be  expected,  the  couple  soon  separated.  From  Rawlins  she  came  to 
Casper  on  the  date  given  above.  Casper  was  too  quiet  for  her,  al- 
though at  that  time  the  town  bore  a  name  as  unenviable  as  even 
Calamity  herself  could  wish  for.  From  here  she  went  to  some  of  the 
soldiers'  camps  in  the  interior  and  finally  went  to  Billings,  Montana, 
in  1895.  She  had  her  biography  written  in  that  town  and  published, 
but  the  sale  of  the  book  did  not  meet  her  hopes  and  expectations  and 
she  then  attempted  to  operate  a  hand  laundry,  but  this  was  no  more 
of  a  success  and  brought  no  better  returns  than  the  sale  of  her  book. 
Then  she  returned  to  the  Black  Hills,  the  scenes  of  her  early  and  gayer 
life.  By  this  time  she  was  too  old  to  travel  the  pace.  She  had  post- 
cards made  from  a  photograph  of  herself  taken  in  her  early  days  when 
she  was  an  Indian  scout.  Her  hair  was  cut  short,  she  wore  a  fringed 
buckskin  suit  and  she  was  holding  in  her  hand  a  rifle.  These  pictures 
were  put  on  sale  in  a  number  of  Black  Hills  towns  and  from  the  sales 
she  derived  a  small  profit. 

Some  people  say  that  she  rode  on  the  range  as  a  cowboy  and  later 
acted  as  an  Indian  scout  under  General  Crook  at  Fort  Kearney,  where 
she  displayed  wonderful  tact  and  cunning  and  prevented  many  con- 
templated attacks  by  the  Indians  upon  the  white  men;  that  she  had  a 
wealth  of  knowledge  and  was  familiar  with  the  best  of  the  social 
graces,  and  was  as  much  at  home  in  a  fine  parlor  as  she  was  on  the 
range.  Itispossiblethatthegood  thingssaidof  hermayhavebeen  true, 
but  the  marked  transformation  of  her  appearance,  her  actions,  and 
her  achievements  after  she  returned  to  Wyoming  from  the  Black 
Hills  lead  thosewho  knewherto  doubt  that  since  hermaturity  sheever 
graced  a  parlor,  unless  a  western  dance  hall  could  be  called  such,  and 
that  her  wealth  of  knowledge  was  not  acquired  in  college,  and  that 
her  social  graces  were  along  different  lines  from  those  of  a  refined, 
courtly,  polished,  genteel  woman. 

She  lived  in  Lead,  South  Dakota,  most  of  the  time  after  she  last 
returned  to  the  Black  Hills  country,  and  in  the  summer  of  1903  she 
closed  her  eyes  in  her  last  sleep,  and  her  remains  were  interred  beside 


CALAMITY   jane"  435 

those  of  Bill  Hickok,  who  was  known  as  "Wild  Bill,"  and  who  met 
his  death  as  described  above.  Her  funeral  was  attended  by  many  of 
the  old-timers  from  Wyoming,  Montana  and  the  Dakotas,  and  was 
said  to  be  the  largest  funeral  cortege  of  any  in  the  Black  Hills.  Thus 
ended  the  career  of  Martha  Jane  Canary-Hickok-Steers-King-Burke, 
alias  "Calamity  Jane,"  the  woman  whose  euphemistic  name  and 
peculiar  characteristics  brought  her  into  the  limelight  more  than  any 
other  woman  who  has  ever  lived  in  the  Middle  West. 


Landmarks  of  the  Old  Oregon  Trail 

LANDMARKS  of  theOld  Oregon  Trail  in  Natrona  county  probably 
are  more  numerous  and  of  more  importance  and  interest  than 
-^  those  of  any  other  county  in  any  state  along  the  2,000-mile 
route.  The  emigrants  had  trekked  about  800  miles  by  the  time  they 
reached  here,  and  the  last  200  or  300  miles  of  that  distance  was  gen- 
erally the  most  trying  part  of  their  journey,  for  the  reason  that  when 
the  travelers  left  Independence,  Missouri,  their  starting  point,  they 
were  inexperienced  in  this  mode  of  travel;  the  life  they  were  compelled 
to  lead  was  entirely  new  to  them,  and  the  country  and  conditions 
were  changed  from  an  easy-going  home  life  on  the  farm  or  in  the  shop 
to  one  full  of  adventure,  full  of  excitement  and  full  of  hardships. 

By  the  time  they  had  reached  the  country  that  is  now  Central 
Wyoming  they  had  been  on  the  road  fully  three  months,  and  in  that 
time  the  oxen  and  horses  had  commenced  to  feel  the  effects  of  the 
strenuousness  of  the  trip,  the  wagons  and  carts  had  begun  to  show  the 
effects  of  the  rough  and  rugged  roads;  the  dust  and  sand  were  deep  and 
stifling,  and  the  scorching  sun  made  traveling  almost  unendurable. 
It  was  here  that  the  men,  women  and  children,  through  privation, 
neglect  and  hardships,  were  reduced  in  health;  it  was  here  that  the 
Indians  proved  the  greatest  menace,  and  it  was  here  that  disease  took 
its  greatest  toll. 

The  migration  to  the  Oregon  Country  was  begun  in  1840  and 
continued  until  1843,  after  which  only  a  few  scattering  parties  wended 
their  way  to  the  new  country  in  the  Far  West  until  the  Mormons 
started  on  their  pilgrimage  in  1847;  the  California  gold  seekers  trav- 
eled over  the  same  route  from  Independence  and  branched  off  to  Cali- 
fornia at  Fort  Hall  in  1849-50,  but  in  1852  the  greatest  rush  of  home- 
seekers  to  the  Oregon  Country  took  place  that  the  world  has  ever 
known. 

Bancroft  says  that  "in  1841  passed  the  forts  the  first  deliberate 
emigration  to  Oregon  and  California  of  men,  women  and  children — 
fifteen  in  number.  These  were  Joel  P.  Walker,  wife,  sister,  three  sons 
and  two  daughters;  Burrows, wife  and  child;  Warfield,wife  and  child, 
and  one  Nichols.  The  same  year  passed  Bidwell's  California  com- 
pany. Mrs.  Kelsey  was  the  only  woman  in  the  Bidwell  party,  and 
arrived  in  California  a  little  later  than  Mrs.  Walker,  though  the 
Walker  company  went  by  the  way  of  Oregon,    In  1842  Elija  White's 

436 


LANDMARKS  OF  THE  OLD  OREGON  TRAIL      437 

Oregon  company  of  112  men,  women  and  children  and  a  train  of 
eighteen  great  Pennsylvania  wagons,  cattle,  packmules  and  horses. 
Bouideau  was  in  charge  of  Fort  Laramie  at  that  time  and  gave  the 
emigrants  timely  advice  and  assistance,  although  they  grumbled 
much  at  the  price  of  provisions  in  the  mountains.  The  trappers  had 
done  the  same  before  them  .  .  .  In  1843  passed  the  fur  company's 
posts  an  army  of  occupation  destined  for  the  Columbia  river,  con- 
sisting of  1,000  men,  women  and  children,  with  draft  cattle,  herds  of 
cows  and  horses,  farming  implements  and  household  goods.  After 
this,  things  were  never  to  be  as  they  were  aforetime  in  the  hunting 
grounds  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  The  beaver  were  all  but  exter- 
minated ;  few  trappers  remained ;  the  Indians  were,  if  not  more  hostile, 
at  least  better  armed  and  more  dangerous;  immigration  westward 
increased;  the  state  of  Deseret  was  planted  on  our  border;  and  in  a 
few  years  gold  was  discovered  in  California,  after  which  the  great 
highway  became  like  a  vast  human  river,  dividing  the  continent  in 
twain,  and  bearing  on  its  bosom  what  argosies  of  human  hopes,  alas! 
how  often  wrecked." 

The  question  has  often  been  asked:  "Who  laid  out  the  Oregon 
Trail?"  and  it  may  be  truthfully  answered  that  nobody  knows. 
There  is  not  a  single  name  or  date  or  event  that  can  be  traced  or  given 
credit  for  the  history  of  the  beginning  of  the  old  Trail.  It  was  just  a 
natural  highway,  which  followed  the  line  of  the  least  resistance  from 
Independence,  Missouri,  to  Vancouver,  Oregon.  The  routes  along  the 
water  courses  were  the  paths  which  were  first  made  by  the  buffalo 
and  the  elk  and  the  other  wild  animals;  these  paths  were  followed  by 
the  Indians,  then  the  fur  trappers  and  traders,  then  the  missionaries 
and  explorers,  and  then  the  homeseekers  and  prospectors.  The  slowly 
moving  wagon  trains,  with  their  ox  teams,  measuring  their  weary 
steps,  the  men,  women  and  children  huddling  in  the  shelter  of  the 
white-topped  wagons  with  hope  in  their  breasts  and  care  on  their  faces, 
traveling  on  and  on  for  days  and  weeks  and  months,  through  the 
pelting  rains  in  the  early  spring,  through  the  sweltering  sun  in  the 
summer  months  and  through  the  biting  snow  storms  in  the  fall  of  the 
year  from  1840  until  1869,  were  the  ones  who  made  the  Trail,  but 
they  did  not  lay  it  out.  The  thousands  of  wagons  and  the  tens  of 
thousands  of  horses  and  oxen  wore  a  pathway  in  many  places  several 
hundred  feet  in  width,  stretching  for  miles  and  miles  across  the  plains, 
and  today,  after  more  than  fifty  years  since  the  Trail  was  abandoned, 
there  are  many  places  along  the  route  more  than  twenty  feet  deep,  the 
earth  having  been  ground  out  by  the  tires  of  the  wagons  and  the  feet 
of  the  horses  and  cattle,  and  afterwards  the  pulverized  soil  was  blown 
out  by  the  winds.    The  starting  point  of  the  Oregon  Trail  and  the 


438  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Santa  Fe  Trail  was  the  same.  The  two  trails  pursued  the  same  course 
for  forty-one  miles,  then  they  forked,  the  Santa  Fe  heading  in  a  south- 
westerly direction  and  the  Oregon  Trail  to  the  northwest.  At  the 
forks  of  the  roads,  where  the  town  of  Gardner,  Kansas,  now  stands, 
was  a  sign  board  pointing  to  the  northwest  with  the  simple  lettering: 
"  Road  to  Oregon. "  That  sign  board  today  would  be  worth  its  weight 
in  gold  to  any  historical  society,  but  like  the  thousands  of  other  land- 
marks along  the  route  that  were  made  by  the  hand  of  man,  they  are 
lost  and  gone  forever,  and  only  the  marks  created  by  the  hand  of 
God,  like  Emigrant  Gap,  Independence  Rock,  Devil's  Gate  and  many 
others,  are  still  standing  and  will  forever  remain  unchanged. 

Brigham  Young,  with  his  company  of  Mormons,  consisting  of 
144  men,  three  women  and  two  children,  camped  on  or  near  the  ground 
where  the  city  of  Casper  is  now  situated  on  June  12-13,  1847.  Besides 
the  men,  women  and  children,  the  train  consisted  of  seventy-two 
wagons,  sixty-six  oxen,  eighty-nine  horses,  fifty-two  mules,  nineteen 
cows  and  seventeen  dogs.  An  invoice  of  the  provisions  when  they 
started  on  their  journey  showed  1,228  pounds  of  flour,  865  pounds  of 
meat,  296  pounds  of  beans,  2,869  pounds  of  corn,  50  pounds  of  garden 
seed,  and  many  other  articles  too  numerous  to  be  listed  here. 

This  train  started  for  Salt  Lake  from  "Winter  Quarters,"  where 
Florence,  Nebraska,  is  now  situated,  on  April  8,  1847. ^  In  the  party 
there  were  mechanics  of  all  kinds,  farmers,  engineers,  school  teachers, 
merchants,  doctors,  and  men  of  other  professions.  The  previous 
year  a  party  of  six  men  had  made  an  exploration  of  the  Far  West  to 
select  a  place  for  the  Mormons,  who  had  practically  been  driven  out 
of  their  headquarters  at  Nauvoo,  Illinois.  These  six  men  spent  more 
than  a  month  in  the  Salt  Lake  valley,  and  in  the  fall  returned  with 
maps,  a  description  of  the  soil  and  the  climate  and  general  conditions. 
Upon  their  recommendation.  Salt  Lake  was  decided  upon  as  their 
"promised  land." 

The  camp  rules  adopted  for  the  train  before  starting  over  the 
Trail,  provided  that  there  should  be  bugle  sound  at  5  o'clock  each 
morning,  when  all  should  arise  and  pray,  attend  the  teams,  get  break- 
fast, and  be  ready  to  travel  at  7  o'clock.  All  must  start  and  keep 
together.  Each  extra  man  must  travel  on  the  off  side  of  his  team  with 
a  loaded  gun  on  his  shoulder.  All  guns  and  pistols  must  be  kept  in 
perfect  order.  Each  driver  must  have  his  gun  placed  so  he  could  get  it 
at  a  moment's  warning.  The  camp  should  travel  in  close  order  and 
no  man  should  leave  camp  for  a  distance  of  more  than  twenty  rods. 
No  one  would  be  indulged  in  idleness.  The  cannon  should  bring  up 
the  rear  and  the  company  guard  attend  to  it,  traveling  with  the  gun. 

'Egan's  "Pioneering  the  West." 


LANDMARKS    OF    THE    OLD    OREGON    TRAIL  439 

The  camp  would  halt  one  hour  for  dinner  at  noon;  when  the  camp 
halted  for  the  night,  all  wagons  were  to  be  drawn  in  a  circle  and  the 
horses  secured  inside  the  circle.  The  bugle  was  to  be  sounded  at  8:30, 
when  every  man  was  to  be  at  his  wagon  to  pray,  and  all  fires  must  be 
put  out. 

The  train  encountered  rain  and  snow  storms  for  the  first  few 
weeks,  but  the  people  experienced  no  real  hardships  then.  They  found 
plenty  of  game  along  the  road  which  furnished  them  with  excitement 
as  well  as  meat  to  eat.  After  being  out  about  a  month  some  of  the 
men  indulged  in  dancing,  playing  cards  and  checkers,  gambling, 
swearing  at  each  other  and  some  had  quarreled,  all  of  which  was 
breeding  discontent  and  hampered  the  progress  of  the  train.  Brighani 
Young  tolerated  this  in  silence  until  he  reached  a  point  about  twenty- 
four  miles  east  of  Fort  Laramie  where,  on  the  morning  of  May  29, 
he  assembled  the  members  of  the  train  in  a  semi-circle  around  him 
and  gave  them  a  lecture,  and  among  other  things  he  said:  "There 
are  several  men  in  camp  who  do  not  belong  to  the  church.  I  am  a  man 
who  will  stand  up  for  them  and  protect  them  in  their  rights;  but  they 
shall  not  trample  on  the  rights  of  others.  If  they  set  up  their  heads 
and  seek  to  introduce  iniquity  into  this  camp,  I  swear  to  them  they 
shall  never  go  back  to  tell  the  tale;  I  will  leave  them  where  they  will 
be  safe.  If  they  want  to  return  they  can  now  have  the  privilege  of 
doing  so  before  we  go  farther. 

"I  am  one  of  the  last  to  ask  my  brethren  to  enter  into  a  solemn 
covenant,  but  if  they  will  not  enter  into  a  solemn  convenant  to  put 
away  their  iniquity,  and  turn  to  the  Lord  and  serve  Him,  and  ac- 
knowledge and  honor  His  name,  I  want  them  to  take  their  wagons 
and  turn  back,  for  I  shall  not  go  any  farther  under  this  state  of  things. 
Now,  let  every  man  repent  of  his  weakness,  of  his  follies,  of  his  mean- 
ness, and  every  kind  of  wickedness,  and  stop  swearing.  ...  I  tell 
you  if  you  do  not  stop  it,  you  shall  be  cursed  by  the  Almighty,  and 
shall  dwindle  away  and  be  damned.  Such  things  shall  not  be  suffered 
in  this  camp." 

The  high  priests,  the  bishops,  the  seventies,  the  elders,  and  the 
brethren  of  the  twelve  were  then  called  forward  and  they  all  said  they 
were  willing  to  covenant  to  turn  to  the  Lord  with  all  their  hearts,  to 
repent  of  their  follies  and  to  cease  from  all  their  evils.  Those  who  were 
not  members  of  the  church  agreed  not  to  trample  on  the  rights  of  the 
church,  to  refrain  from  blasphemy  and  to  conduct  themselves  well. 
After  the  lecture,  the  covenants  and  the  promises  everybody  felt 
better,  and  the  train  proceeded  on  its  westward  journey. 

They  reached  a  point  opposite  Fort  Laramie  on  June  i  and  on 
June  3  they  crossed  the  river  with  their  wagons  on  a  flat  boat  to  the 


440  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

fort,  where  they  found  a  small  party  of  Mormons  from  Pueblo  waiting 
to  accompany  them  to  Salt  Lake.  From  Fort  Laramie  a  delegation 
was  sent  out  on  the  road  toward  Pueblo  to  meet  another  train  of 
Mormons  and  guide  them  on  their  way. 

The  first  division  of  the  main  train  arrived  at  the  river  crossing 
about  three  miles  east  from  where  Casper  is  now  situated  on  June  1 1. 
This  crossing  was  near  where  the  W.  T.  Evans  ranch  is  now  located. 
The  Reshaw  bridge  was  afterwards  built  at  this  point.  Arrangements 
were  made  with  the  ferryman  to  take  some  of  the  wagons  across 
the  river,  but  many  in  the  first  division  and  nearly  all  in  the  divi- 
sions that  closely  followed,  came  farther  west  to  the  spot  about 
where  Casper  is  located  and  camped  over  Sunday,  which  was  June  13. 
Some  of  the  party  went  to  the  mountains  and  killed  a  grizzly  bear 
and  three  cubs,  and  on  the  plains  before  they  reached  the  mountains, 
they  killed  three  buffaloes  and  two  antelope.  Tw^o  of  the  men  who 
started  for  the  mountains  at  about  5  o'clock  in  the  evening,  thinking 
they  could  go  there  and  back  by  8  o'clock,  did  not  return  until  1 1 
o'clock,  the  distance  being  more  than  twice  that  which  they  expected. 

Monday  morning,  June  14,  the  men  commenced  ferrying  their 
provisions  across  the  river  at  a  point  where  the  Platte  bridge  was 
afterwards  built,  about  one  and  one-half  miles  west  from  Casper,  but 
the  current  was  so  strong  it  was  considered  unsafe  to  take  the  provi- 
sions over  in  a  raft,  and  accordingly,  a  rope  was  strung  across  the 
stream  and  two  wagons  were  lashed  together,  then  fastened  to  the 
rope,  and  then  an  attempt  was  made  to  float  them  across,  but  when 
the  wheels  of  the  wagon  struck  the  sand  on  the  opposite  side,  the 
current  was  so  strong  one  of  the  wagons  was  rolled  over  and  con- 
siderable damage  was  done.  Four  wagons  were  then  lashed  together 
abreast  with  poles  strung  on  the  sides  and  on  the  ends  and  in  this 
manner  they  succeeded  in  getting  across  without  accident.  The  men 
worked  from  Monday  morning  until  Friday  morning  before  all  the 
wagons,  stock  and  provisions  were  gotten  across  the  river.  The 
weather  was  very  cold  and  a  gale  of  wind  prevailed  from  the  southwest 
during  the  entire  time  the  party  was  engaged  in  crossing  the  stream. 
A  number  of  men  were  delegated  to  remain  at  the  river  to  assist 
the  others  across  the  stream  who  were  expected  along  in  a  few  days. 

Saturday  morning,  the  19th,  the  train  proceeded  on  its  journey 
and  in  the  evening  arrived  at  a  "steep  descent  from  a  bluff  and  at  the 
foot  there  is  a  ridge  of  sharp-pointed  rocks  running  parallel  with  the 
road  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  leaving  only  a  narrow  space  for 
the  wagons  to  pass,  and  the  road  is  very  rough."  This  was  Emigrant 
Gap,  and  the  condition  of  the  road  has  been  not  much  improved  the 
past  seventy-five  years. 


LANDMARKS  OF  THE  OLD  OREGON  TRAIL      44I 

The  train  arrived  at  Sweetwater  river  about  a  mile  east  from 
Independence  Rock,  on  June  21,  the  distance  from  the  upper  ferry 
on  the  Platte  river  being  forty-nine  miles.  This  country  was  de- 
scribed as  having  "many  huge  hills,  or  ridges,  and  masses  of  granite 
rock,  all  destitute  of  vegetation,  and  presenting  a  very  wild  and 
desolate  as  well  as  romantic  appearance.  Hundreds  of  persons  who 
visited  this  rock  (Independence)  have  painted  their  names  there 
with  different  colored  paint."  The  train  did  not  camp  at  Inde- 
pendence Rock,  but  proceeded  to  Devil's  Gate,  near  where  they 
camped  for  the  night. 

The  train  traveled  up  the  Sweetwater  river  and  on  the  26th 
crossed  the  South  Pass.  On  the  28th,  at  6  o'clock  in  the  evening,  they 
met  Jim  Bridger,  who,  with  two  companions,  was  going  to  Fort  John 
(Laramie)  from  Fort  Bridger.  Brigham  Young  was  anxious  to  secure 
information  from  Bridger  concerning  the  Salt  Lake  valley  and  he 
ordered  the  train  to  halt  and  camp  for  the  night.  Bridger  had  the 
reputation  of  being  the  best  informed  guide  in  the  Rocky  Mountain 
country,  but  the  Mormon  leader  evidently  thought  much  less  of  him 
after  the  interview  than  he  did  before  he  met  him,  for  in  Egan's  diary 
it  is  written:  "It  is  impossible  to  form  a  correct  idea  from  the  very 
imperfect  and  irregular  way  in  which  he  (Bridger)  gave  the  descrip- 
tion. From  his  conversation,  I  should  not  take  him  to  be  a  man  of 
truth,  for  in  his  description  of  the  country  he  crossed  himself  a  num- 
ber of  times,  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  we  cannot  depend  upon  it  until 
we  see  for  ourselves."  Bridger  had  nothing  good  to  say  about  the 
Salt  Lake  region,  but  the  Mormons  were  not  inclined  to  change  their 
purpose  of  making  their  homes  in  the  Salt  Lake  valley  and  proceeded 
on  their  way.  The  first  section  of  the  train  arrived  at  Salt  Lake  July 
21,  and  on  the  22d  the  main  body  arrived,  but  Brigham  Young,  who 
had  been  sick,  did  not  arrive  until  the  24th.  At  first  the  Mormons 
were  not  favorably  impressed  with  the  Salt  Lake  valley,  but  Brigham 
Young  assured  his  people  that  the  soil  was  rich  and  when  grain  was 
planted  it  would  grow.  He  explained  how  the  crops  could  be  irrigated 
and  encouraged  the  men  to  select  tracts  of  land  and  build  homes  for 
themselves.  Although  the  season  was  late,  some  crops  were  put  in 
and  although  the  harvest  in  the  fall  was  not  as  bountiful  as  it  would 
have  been  had  the  seed  been  planted  earlier,  it  proved  that  crops 
would  grow,  and  the  people  felt  greatly  encouraged.  Trains  continued 
to  come  in  during  that  summer  and  fall  and  when  winter  set  in  Salt 
Lake  City  boasted  a  population  of  2,095. 

"During  the  summer  of  1848  a  considerable  amount  of  land  was 
ploughed  and  potatoes  and  other  crops  planted.  Every  eflFort  was 
made  to  produce  enough  to  feed  the  people  during  the  following 


442  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

winter.  Just  at  the  time  when  the  crops  were  the  most  promising, 
milHons  of  crickets  appeared  and  commenced  to  devour  everything, 
and  settlers  saw  starvation  staring  them  in  the  face.  Fortunately, 
gulls  from  the  lake  came  and  devoured  the  crickets,  which  was  re- 
garded as  an  act  of  Providence  for  the  protection  of  the  chosen  people 
who  had  come  to  occupy  the  promised  land. 

"The  years  following  brought  large  additions  to  the  Mormon 
colony  in  Utah,  and  a  number  of  counties  were  organized.  The  tire- 
less head  of  the  church  kept  agents  not  only  in  the  eastern  states, 
but  in  Europe,  asking  people  to  join  the  Mormon  settlement  and  the 
church.  Some  of  these  people  located  around  Fort  Bridger,  others 
along  the  North  Platte,  and  at  one  time  it  was  thought  that  the  south- 
western portion  of  Wyoming  would  become  Mormon  territory.  Had 
not  Brigham  Young  refused  to  acknowledge  federal  authority  and 
forced  the  government  to  send  Albert  Sidney  Johnston  with  five 
regiments  out  to  subdue  the  Mormons,  a  portion  of  our  state  would 
undoubtedly  have  remained  a  part  of  Utah.  This  trouble  with  the 
Mormons  induced  the  general  government  to  reduce  the  size  of  their 
territory  and  accordingly  Nevada  was  taken  off  the  west,  a  consider- 
able strip  lying  west  of  the  mountains  was  put  into  Colorado,  and  a 
smaller  portion  makes  up  the  southwest  corner  of  Wyoming."^ 

The  Mormons  started  across  the  "Great  American  desert"  for 
their  "land  of  promise"  about  five  years  previous  to  the  time  orig- 
inally planned.  When  they  were  compelled  to  leave  Nauvoo,  Illinois, 
in  the  early  spring  of  1846,  the  procession  consisted  of  about  2,000 
wagons  and  15,000  people.  They  proceeded  across  the  state  of  Iowa, 
and  on  June  14,  the  advance  guard,  under  the  leadership  of  Brigham 
Young,  arrived  at  the  Missouri  river,  opposite  to  where  Omaha  is  now 
located,  where  "Camp  Israel"  was  established  until  a  ferry  boat 
could  be  built  in  which  the  people  and  the  teams  could  be  taken 
across  the  stream.  An  agreement  was  made  between  the  Mormons 
and  the  Omaha  Indians  to  the  effect  that  the  Mormons  should  be 
allowed  to  establish  homes  and  farm  the  land  for  a  period  of  five 
years,  and  it  was  here  that  "Winter  Quarters"  were  located.  Several 
hundred  log  cabins,  and  about  one  hundred  sod  houses  and  a  large 
council  house  were  erected  by  the  Mormons,  and  mills  and  workshops 
were  built  and  operated.  Crops  of  grain  were  planted  in  the  summer 
and  harvested  in  the  fall.  On  account  of  the  industrial  activity  of  the 
Mormons  a  great  deal  of  the  timber  close  at  hand  was  consumed  and 
the  game  was  driven  from  the  country.  The  Indians  were  dissatisfied 
with  their  bargain  and  made  complaint  to  the  authorities  at  Washing- 
ton, and  the  Mormons  were  ordered  to  vacate  the  Omaha  country. 

'  Coutant's  "History  of  Wyoming." 


LANDMARKS  OF  THE  OLD  OREGON  TRAIL      443 

On  January  14,  1847,  Brigham  Young  appointed  Oliver  P.  Gleason, 
George  Chatelaine,  Miles  Bragg,  J.  P.  Johnson,  Solomon  Silver  and 
William  Hall  as  a  committee  to  proceed  westward  and  select  a  site  for 
a  new  settlement.  This  committee  reached  Fort  Laramie  in  the  early 
spring,  and  at  that  place  they  were  advised  to  proceed  to  the  Great 
Salt  Lake  valley. 

At  "Winter  Quarters"  preparations  were  being  made  to  comply 
with  the  order  from  the  Indian  department  to  vacate  the  land  upon 
which  they  had  settled  under  an  agreement  with  the  Indians,  and 
on  April  8,  Brigham  Young  and  his  party,  as  above  mentioned, 
started  over  the  long  trail  upon  which  thousands  of  his  followers 
came  in  after  years,  and  helped  to  build  up  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous countries  in  the  west. 

The  Fremont  Trail,  the  Oregon  Trail,  the  Mormon  Trail,  the 
California  Trail  and  the  Overland  Route  from  Independence,  or 
Westport,  to  the  Oregon  Country  from  1840  until  1862  were  practi- 
cally the  same.  About  the  only  difference  was  in  the  names.  It  is 
estimated  that  if  all  the  people  who  died  along  this  Trail  between  the 
years  of  1840  and  1869  were  buried  an  equal  distance  apart  there 
would  be  a  grave  at  least  every  fourth  of  a  mile  of  the  entire  2,000 
miles.  It  is  estimated  that  more  than  5,000  people  died  along  this  route 
in  one  year.  While  there  were  many  deaths  among  the  emigrants,  the 
Mormons  undoubtedly  suffered  the  greatest  loss,  due  mostly  to  hard- 
ships, exposure  and  being  unprepared  for  the  ordeal  with  either  food 
or  clothing  or  proper  means  of  transportation.  Many  of  the  Mormons 
started  out  on  the  long  journey  on  foot,  dragging  or  pushing  a  hand- 
cart which  contained  all  their  earthly  possessions,  which  of  course 
included  their  clothing  and  means  of  sustenance.  In  one  party  in 
1856,  which  was  known  as  the  "Handcart  Brigade,"  there  were  more 
than  600  people,  men,  women  and  children,  who  started  from  Saint 
Joseph,  Missouri,  in  the  late  summer  months  for  Salt  Lake  City,  and 
by  the  time  they  reached  what  is  now  Natrona  county  they  were  over- 
taken by  the  severe  snow  storms  of  early  winter,  and  more  than  half 
of  them  died  and  were  buried  along  the  roadside.^ 

The  Indians  were  responsible  for  a  great  many  deaths  among  the 
emigrants.  The  lazy  savages  would  go  on  the  war  path  nearly  every 
spring,  leaving  death  and  destruction  in  their  path.  Between  the 
points  where  Casper  is  now  located  and  the  South  Pass  was  the 
favorite  "hunting  ground"  of  the  "noble  red  man."  When  there 
were  no  emigrants  along  the  route  to  be  robbed  they  attacked  the 
mail  coaches. 

'  A  description  of  the  hardships  endured  by  these  poor  people  will  be  found  in  this  volume  under  the 
heading  of  "Devil's  Gate." 


444 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


On  account  the  Indian  depredations  along  that  part  of  the  Trail 
then  commonly  called  the  North  Platte  and  Sweetwater  divisions, 
which  included  all  that  part  of  the  route  from  what  is  now  the  extreme 
eastern  part  of  Wyoming  to  South  Pass,  the  Overland  route  was 
changed  by  the  mail  contractors  in  1862,  and  the  Trail  up  the  North 
Platte  river  to  the  Sweetwater  and  across  to  South  Pass  was  abandoned, 
and  the  new  road  switched  off  at  North  Platte,  Nebraska,  going 
in  a  southerly  direction  via  Fort  Sedgwick,  Fort  Collins,  Fort  San- 
ders, Fort  Halleck,  across  the  Laramie  Plains,  then  due  west  through 
Bridger  Pass,  and  again  connected  with  the  Oregon  Trail  at  a  point  a 
few  miles  east  from  Fort  Bridger. 

When  the  change  in  this  route  was  being  made  from  the  North 
Platte  and  Sweetwater  course  to  the  southern  route,  the  rolling  stock, 
horses  and  other  property  of  the  company  was  gathered  at  the  station 
just  above  Devil's  Gate.  Company  A,  of  the  Eleventh  Ohio  cavalry, 
with  Major  O'Farrell  in  command,  was  the  escort  at  the  time.  The 
first  day  the  long  train  of  coaches,  wagons,  horses  and  mules  made 
eleven  miles  from  the  station  where  the  property  had  been  gathered. 
The  route  chosen  was  south  from  the  Sweetwater  station.  In  the 
evening  a  camp  was  selected  where  there  was  a  fine  spring  of  water 
and  plenty  of  wood.  Shortly  after  going  into  camp  the  officer  in 
charge  discovered  that  a  number  of  the  soldiers  showed  the  effects  of 
strong  drink.  The  soldiers  were  doing  escort  duty  for  not  only  the 
stage  company's  property  but  a  number  of  emigrants  who  had  availed 
themselves  of  the  opportunity  for  safe  conduct.  Orders  were  given  to 
search  all  the  wagons  and  if  whiskey  was  found  to  destroy  it.  A 
barrel  of  whiskey  was  soon  found  in  one  of  the  wagons.  It  was  rolled 
out,  the  head  of  the  barrel  was  knocked  in  and  the  liquid  was  poured 
out  on  the  ground.  The  spot  where  the  whiskey  was  emptied  was 
just  above  the  spring,  and  what  did  not  soak  in  the  ground  found  its 
way  to  the  spring.  The  soldiers  and  some  of  the  others  lost  no  time  in 
rushing  forward  with  cups,  canteens,  buckets,  camp  kettles  and  any- 
thing else  that  came  handy  to  save  what  they  could  of  the  whiskey. 
Those  who  did  not  succeed  in  getting  anything  to  scoop  up  the  whiskey 
stamped  their  boot  heels  into  the  ground  and  caught  the  liquor  in  the 
hole,  and  lying  down  on  their  bellies  drank  what  they  could  of  it.  It 
was  not  long  until  more  than  half  the  company  commenced  to  show 
the  effects  of  their  overindulgence.  One  of  the  soldiers  who  had  suc- 
ceeded in  filling  his  canteen  as  well  as  his  stomach,  assured  the  com- 
manding officer  that  that  was  the  finest  spring  he  had  ever  seen  and 
the  best  water  he  had  ever  drank.  It  was  feared  that  the  Indians 
would  make  an  attack  on  the  party  that  night,  and  there  were  scarcely 
enough  sober  men  in  camp  to  do  guard  duty.    The  Indians  did  not 


LANDMARKS    OF    THE    OLD    OREGON    TRAIL  445 

show  up,  however,  and  the  next  morning  the  men  had  slept  off  the 
effects  of  their  intoxication.  The  gap  in  the  mountains  up  to  that  time 
had  not  been  named,  and  the  soldiers,  afterwards,  in  referring  to  it, 
called  It  Whiskey  Gap,  and  the  name  has  clung  to  it  ever  since,  and 
more  than  likely  will  never  be  changed. 

Although  the  mail  route  was  changed,  the  old  Trail  was  by  no 
means  abandoned,  for  the  emigrants  continued  to  travel  this  route 
and  the  telegraph  line  was  maintained  by  the  government,  but  the 
emigrants  were  not  given  as  much  protection  by  the  government  in 
this  division  as  they  were  before  the  mail  route  was  changed,  and  the 
marauding  Indians  became  more  reckless  and  bloodthirsty,  and  a 
great  number  of  the  emigrants  were  robbed  and  many  of  them  were 
murdered.  It  was  claimed  that  the  Mormons  were  encouraging  the 
Indians  in  their  depredations. 

On  the  3rd  of  April,  1863,  a  band  of  Indians  attacked  the 
Sweetwater  station,  near  Independence  Rock,  making  a  furious 
assault,  but  they  were  finally  driven  off  after  having  dangerously 
wounded  one  soldier.  There  were  twenty-six  soldiers  at  the  station 
at  the  time  this  attack  took  place.  On  April  13  Major  Connor  sent  a 
telegram  to  General  Halleck,  saying:  "Unless  immediately  reinforced 
with  cavalry,  the  Indians,  urged  on  by  Mormons,  will  break  up  the 
Overland  mail  and  make  the  emigrant  road  impassable,"  and  on 
April  28,  the  general,  who  was  then  stationed  at  Fort  Bridger,  in 
writing  to  the  Department  of  the  Pacific,  said:  "The  Indians  are 
congregating  in  large  force  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Mormon  settlements, 
with  a  view  of  depredating  on  the  Overland  mail  and  emigrant  routes, 
and  are  incited  and  encouraged  in  the  hellish  work  by  Brigham 
Young,  by  whose  direction  they  are  also  supplied  with  food,  and  by 
hispeople  with  ammunition.  ,  .  .  Brigham  Young  has  complete  con- 
trol of  the  Indians  of  the  territory  and  could,  if  he  chose,  prevent  the 
horrors  that  will  soon  be  enacted  on  the  Overland  route."  Shortly 
after  this  letter  was  written  Major  Connor  was  reinforced  with  four 
companies,  who  had  a  number  of  sharp  battles  with  the  Indians  with 
such  telling  effect  that  the  mail  route  and  the  emigrants  were  dis- 
turbed but  very  little  by  the  savages  during  the  remainder  of  the 
summer  months  of  that  year. 

The  route  up  the  North  Platte  and  Sweetwater  rivers  was  the 
pathway  for  the  emigrants  until  1869,  when  the  Union  Pacific  railway, 
built  through  to  the  western  coast,  made  the  Trail  no  longer  a  prac- 
tical one  to  the  Oregon  Country  and  California.  From  Independence 
to  Vancouver  over  this  route  the  distance  was  2,020  miles,  and  it  is 
said  to  have  been  the  longest  road  in  the  world  excepting  the  Siberian 
road  in  Russia.    No  engmeer  ever  placed  his  rod  or  transit  on  this 


446  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

trail;  no  grades  were  ever  established  on  it;  yet  lacking  all  the  modern 
methods  of  road  construction,  the  Oregon  Trail  is  said  to  have  been 
not  only  the  longest,  but  the  finest  highway  in  the  world. 

There  were  no  signs  along  this  route  to  warn  the  traveler  of  a 
dangerous  curve  or  a  perilous  crossing,  and  none  was  needed.  The 
deep  tracks  made  by  the  wagons  which  were  hauled  and  trailed  by 
the  horses  and  oxen  were  all  the  signs  that  were  necessary.  After 
branching  off  to  the  northwest  forty-one  miles  from  the  startmg  point, 
with  almost  two  thousand  miles  ahead,  there  was  a  well-defined 
route,  the  entire  distance  of  which  was  bordered  with  the  skeletons 
of  many  of  the  beasts  of  burden  which  had  fallen  along  the  wayside, 
and  there  were  also  many,  many  little  mounds  with  the  crude  head- 
board which  told  the  piteous  story  of  a  father,  mother  or  little  child 
who  was  unable  to  endure  the  untold  hardships  and  sufferings,  and 
the  wild  winds  of  the  plains  chanted  the  funeral  requiem  over  the 
lonely  and  deserted  graves. 

For  many  years,  after  railroads  had  been  established  to  the  Far 
West,  and  traveling  across  the  plains  in  a  covered  wagon  had  been 
abandoned,  the  old  Trail  was  neglected  and  the  numerous  graves  were 
passed  by  unnoticed,  but  at  the  1913  session  of  the  Wyoming  State 
legislature  an  appropriation  was  made  and  the  Wyoming  Oregon 
Trail  Commission,  consisting  of  three  members,  was  established  for 
the  purpose  of  putting  markers  and  monuments  along  the  old  Trail  in 
this  state,  and  every  county  in  the  state  through  which  the  Trail 
passed  was  provided  with  these  markers  which  were  located  and  set 
up  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners,  and  thus  a  grateful  people 
who  are  now  enjoying  the  blessings  of  our  modern  civilization  have 
made  the  Old  Trail  imperishable  and  unforgotten. 

Natrona  county  was  furnished  three  of  these  markers,  one  of 
which  was  set  up  by  the  board  of  county  commissioners  and  the 
members  of  the  local  D.  A.  R.,  on  the  old  Trail  about  one  and  one- 
half  miles  west  from  the  city  of  Casper,  on  July  5,  1920,  another 
was  set  up  at  Independence  Rock  on  July  4,  1920,  under  the  direction 
of  the  same  bodies.  Theother  marker  is  lying  besidetheold  abandoned 
road  about  one-fourth  of  a  mile  west  from  the  Standard  Oil  company's 
refineries,  but  will  be  set  up  on  the  site  of  old  Fort  Caspar. 

The  route  of  the  old  Trail  through  what  is  now  Natrona  county 
in  the  early  '40's  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  but  when  the 
water  in  the  river  was  low  the  emigrants  came  up  on  the  south  side 
of  the  stream  to  a  point  about  three  miles  east  from  where  the  city  of 
Casper  is  now  situated.  The  Reshaw  bridge  was  afterwards  built  at 
this  ford.  There  was  another  ford  about  five  miles  farther  west  from 
the  Reshaw  bridge  which  was  in  1847  called  the  Mormon  Ferry,  and 


CASPER  S    PIONEER    MONUMENT  447 

afterwards  known  as  the  Platte  Bridge  station  and  later  was  named 
Fort  Caspar.  After  crossing  the  river  at  either  of  these  fords  the  emi- 
grants proceeded  in  a  westerly  direction  through  Emigrant  Gap,  and 
on  to  Fish  creek,  down  Fish  creek  to  where  it  empties  into  Horse 
creek,  thence  to  a  point  about  one  mile  east  from  Independence 
Rock,  where  the  Sweetwater  river  was  crossed;  up  the  Sweetwater 
past  Devil's  Gate  and  on  to  the  west  boundary  of  the  Natrona  county 
line.  Although  there  is  scarcely  any  trace  of  the  old  Trail  on  the  south 
side  of  the  river  between  the  crossing  three  miles  to  the  east  of  Casper 
and  the  one  two  miles  west,  due  to  the  building  of  county  roads  on 
each  side  of  the  city,  the  evidence  of  this  wonderful  highway  is  plainly 
shown  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  from  Casper,  and  through  Emi- 
grant Gap,  across  Fish  creek,  and  in  the  Sweetwater  valley  the  main 
traveled  road  in  many  places  is  in  the  course  of  the  old  Trail. 

Casper's  Pioneer  Monument 

The  Pioneer  monument  in  the  center  of  the  small  park  directly 
north  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  railway  passenger  station  in 
the  city  of  Casper  is  probably  one  of  the  most  elaborate  and  expensive 
monuments  along  the  old  Trail.  It  was  erected  in  February,  191 1, 
by  the  ladies  of  the  Natrona  County  Pioneer  association  who  for 
several  years  previous  gave  entertainments  and  dinners  for  the  pur- 
pose of  raising  funds  with  which  to  purchase  the  monument,  but  it 
was  late  in  1910  before  a  sufficient  amount  of  money  was  secured  to 
insure  the  ordering  of  the  memorial,  which  was  to  cost  $1,500,  ex- 
clusive of  the  charges  that  would  have  been  made  for  the  freight  from 
Indiana  or  the  cost  of  its  erection,  both  of  which  were  donated  by  the 
Northwestern  Railway  company.  The  inscription  on  the  south  side 
of  the  monument  is  as  follows: 


PIONEER   MONUMENT 

ERECTED  ON  THE   SITE 

OF  THE 

OLD  OREGON  TRAIL 

IN   MEMORY  OF  THE   PIONEERS 

WHO   BLAZED  THE  WAY. 

BUILT   BY 

NATRONA  COUNTY  PIONEER 

ASSOCIATION 

1849  191 


448  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

By  way  of  explanation  it  may  be  stated  that  while  this  monument 
is  located  on  the  Old  Oregon  Trail,  the  Trail  was  also  on  the  north  side 
of  the  river,  the  emigrants  crossing  on  the  Reshaw  bridge,  about  three 
miles  east  from  where  Casper  is  now  located.  This  bridge  was  used 
exclusively  from  1855  until  1859,  during  the  spring  and  early  summer 
months  when  the  water  in  the  river  was  so  high  that  the  emigrants 
could  not  ford  the  stream.  The  Mormon  Ferry,  which  received  its 
name  in  1847,  when  Brigham  Young  and  his  party  built  rafts  and 
ferried  their  wagons  and  teams  and  their  goods  across  the  river,  was 
at  the  point  where  the  Platte  bridge,  about  one  and  one-half  miles 
west  from  Casper,  was  built  in  the  fall  and  winter  of  1858-9  and  the 
Trail  was  then  permanently  established  from  Fort  Laramie  to  this 
point  on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  This  Trail  on  the  south  side  was 
fully  half  a  mile  wide,  but  where  the  monument  stands  was  no  doubt 
somewhere  near  its  center.  Before  the  Reshaw  bridge  was  built 
there  was  considerable  travel  on  the  north  side  of  the  river  all  the  way 
up,  especially  when  the  water  in  the  stream  was  high,  and  it  was  a 
difficult  matter  to  ford  across. 

The  date  on  the  monument,  1849,  would  indicate  that  the  Oregon 
Trail  was  established  at  that  time.  This  is  misleading.  From  1840  to 
1843  a  decided  flow  of  emigrants  from  the  east  traveled  over  the 
Oregon  Trail  from  Independence,  Missouri,  to  the  Columbia  river, 
and  thus  into  the  "Oregon  Country."  American  settlers  became  so 
numerous  in  this  part  of  the  country  that  the  United  States  actually 
laid  claim  to  this  region,  and  after  quarreling  over  it  several  years, 
final  settlement  was  made  in  1846  between  America  and  England, 
with  definite  boundaries  between  the  United  States  and  Canada. 
The  Oregon  territory  was  formed  in  1848,  therefore  it  is  conclusive 
that  the  date  on  the  monument  is  misleading. 

The  inscription  on  the  bronze  tablet  on  the  east  side  of  the  mon- 
ument is  as  follows: 


FORT  CASPAR 

U.   S.   MILITARY   POST 

ESTABLISHED  ABOUT   1864 

FOR  VOLUNTEERS 

ABANDONED  OCTOBER   19,    1867 

SITUATED  ONE  MILE   WEST 

OF  THIS   SPOT 

MARKED   BY  THE   STATE  OF  WYOMING 

1914. 


CASPER  S    PIONEER    MONUMENT  449 

In  connection  with  the  inscription  on  this  tablet  it  is  to  be  re- 
gretted that  another  error  has  been  made.  According  to  the  records 
of  the  War  Department,  "on  July  29,  1858,  Companies  D  and  E, 
Fourth  Artillery,  Captain  Joseph  Roberts,  Captain  G.  W.  Getty, 
being  a  part  of  the  second  column  of  the  Utah  expedition,  occupied 
this  point  [which  was  then  known  as  Mormon  Ferry]  for  the  purpose 
of  keeping  open  the  communication  with  Salt  Lake  City,  and  to  aid 
in  the  prompt  forwarding  of  supplies."  An  order  dated  Washington, 
March  23,  1859,  was  given  to  "abandon  the  post  at  Platte  Bridge." 
The  troops  were  withdrawn  on  April  20.  There  was  no  more  troops 
stationed  at  Mormon  Ferry,  or  Platte  Bridge,  from  April  20,  1859, 
until  some  time  in  the  month  of  May,  1862,  when  it  was  occupied  by 
volunteer  troops  who  were  serving  as  escort  for  emigrants  and  the 
protection  of  the  telegraph  line,  and  when  it  was  decided,  a  year  or 
two  later,  to  chastise  the  Indians,  the  post  was  rebuilt  to  accommo- 
date several  companies,  the  logs  being  hauled  down  from  Casper 
mountain,  then  known  as  the  "Black  Hills." 

In  regard  to  the  changing  of  the  name  of  the  post  from  Platte 
Bridge  Station  to  Fort  Caspar  the  order  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment is  copied  elsewhere  in  this  volume  in  the  description  of  the 
battle  at  this  point  between  3,000  Indians  and  a  small  body  of  sol- 
diers under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Caspar  W.  Collins  on  July 
26,  1865. 

Appropriate  and  impressive  unveiling  ceremonies  of  the  monu- 
ment were  held  November  20,  1914,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Natrona 
County  Pioneer  association  and  the  local  D.  A.  R.  Prayer  was  offered 
by  Rev.  Hutt;  the  Natrona  County  High  School  Glee  club  sang 
"America,"  an  address  was  made  by  ex-Governor  Bryant  B.  Brooks 
and  the  monument  was  unveiled  by  Miss  Irma  Patton  (now  Mrs. 
Silas  N.  Brooks). 

This  monument  is  built  from  Indiana  limestone  and  is  about 
forty  feet  in  height.  The  obelisk  is  in  three  sections  and  is  twenty- 
six  feet  in  height  from  the  base,  the  bottom  of  which  is  four  feet 
square  and  tapers  to  two  and  one-half  feet  square  within  two  feet  of 
the  top,  where  it  terminates  in  a  four-square  point.  There  are  three 
sections  of  the  base,  each  of  which  is  eighteen  inches  in  height,  the 
first  being  sixteen  feet  square,  the  second  twelve  feet  square  and  the 
third  eight  feet  square,  there  being  a  two-foot  offset  from  each  of  the 
sections  of  the  base.  Wm.  H.  Lloyd,  who  cut  the  stone  for  Natrona 
county's  court  house,  the  Masonic  Temple  and  a  number  of  the  other 
public  buildings  in  Casper,  cut  the  inscription  on  this  monument  for 
the  Natrona  County  Pioneer  association,  and  inserted  the  bronze 
tablet  in  the  obelisk  for  the  state  of  Wyoming. 


450  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

Caspar  Creek  Named 

Caspar  creek,  about  one  and  one-half  miles  west  from  the  city 
of  Casper,  is  immediately  east  from  the  battle  grounds  where  Lieu- 
tenant Caspar  W.  Collins  and  a  small  body  of  soldiers  fought  a 
band  of  about  3,000  Indians,  in  an  unsuccessful  attempt  to  rescue 
twenty-six  men  coming  in  a  wagon  train  from  the  Sweetwater  coun- 
try, all  of  whom  were  massacred  by  the  Indians.  The  soldiers,  sta- 
tioned at  Platte  Bridge  station,  after  the  battle,  named  the  stream 
Caspar  creek,  and  they  also  named  the  mountain  about  eight  miles 
south,  Caspar  mountain.  This  mountain  was  at  that  time  called  the 
Black  Hills.  In  the  spelling  of  this  creek  and  the  mountain,  an  "a" 
should  be  used  in  the  last  syllable,  but  custom  has  changed  the  "a" 
to  an  "e,"  the  same  as  the  city  of  Casper  is  spelled.  This  creek 
empties  into  the  Platte  river  about  a  mile  above  Casper. 

Emigrant  Gap 

Emigrant  Gap,  twelve  miles  west  of  Casper,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  North  Platte  river,  is  a  break  on  the  old  Oregon  Trail  leading 
into  a  draw,  at  the  bottom  of  which  flows  Poison  Spider  creek.  The 
emigrants  from  1840  to  1869,  passed  through  this  breach,  it  being  one 
of  the  landmarks  on  the  trail  that  could  not  be  missed,  and  as  many 
of  the  emigrants  stopped  in  the  draw  for  the  night,  it  received  its 
name  Emigrant  Gap.  About  eight  miles  farther  along  the  old  Trail, 
in  a  southwesterly  direction,  there  is  another  "gap,"  on  the  north 
side  of  which  is  a  stretch  of  rim  rock  several  hundred  yards  in  length 
and  from  ten  to  thirty  feet  in  height,  and  it  is  evident  that  many  of 
the  emigrants  made  this  a  resting  place,  and  to  inform  those  who  came 
along  the  route  afterwards,  among  whom  may  be  friends  or  acquaint- 
ances, that  they  had  thus  far  escaped  the  fate  of  so  many  who  had 
failed  to  undergo  the  hardships  or  the  attack  of  a  band  of  hostile 
Indians,  and  had  fallen  by  the  wayside,  they  carved  their  names  on 
these  rocks,  which  today  are  as  plain  as  the  day  they  were  chiseled  in 
the  sandstone,  and  they  will  remain  visible  for  centuries.  Some  of  the 
names  and  dates  thus  chiseled  on  these  rocks  are:  M.  Alderson,  Ju. 
14,  1850.  C.  Webey,  Winchester,  III.,  July  19,  1850.  B.  Mendenhall, 
1852.  A.  W.  Wilson,  1859.  T.  Walker,  1852.  W.  Mercer,  1862. 
There  are  many  others,  and  no  doubt  all  the  men  who  chiseled 
their  names  there  have  long  ago  been  called  to  the  land  of  their 
fathers,  but  the  fact  that  they  passed  over  the  old  Trail  has  thus 
been  told  and  will  be  read  by  people  who  pass  that  way  in  centuries 
to  follow. 


HORSE    CREEK    NAMED  45I 

Horse  Creek  Named 

Horse  creek  is  a  small  stream  flowing  south  and  west  for  a  number 
of  miles  and  joining  the  Sweetwater  river  at  the  old  townsite  of  Both- 
well.  It  was  named  by  the  Astorians  in  about  1823  because  along  its 
banks  the  horses  belonging  to  one  of  their  parties  were  stolen.  Al- 
though not  convicted  of  the  crime,  a  man  named  Rose  was  accused  of 
planning  the  theft.  Several  years  before  the  theft  of  the  horses,  Rose 
was  a  guide  for  the  Hunt  party  on  its  trip  across  the  mountains,  but 
he  was  an  outlaw  and  renegade  and  almost  succeeded  in  betraying  his 
expedition  into  the  hands  of  the  Crows,  who  were  not  friendly  to  the 
fur  traders  at  that  time.  Rose  finally  joined  the  Crow  tribe,  married 
one  of  their  women,  and  adopted  their  habits.  He  was  a  large  man, 
very  powerful  and  bold.  He  won  the  favor  of  the  tribe  by  his  desper- 
ate daring.  At  one  time  he  led  an  attack  against  an  apparently 
invincible  band  of  Blackfeet.  He  shot  down  their  leader  and  then  tak- 
ing his  club,  killed  four  others.  This  earned  for  him  the  leadership  of 
the  village  and  he  was  given  the  name  of  Che-ku-kaats,  or  "the  man 
who  killed  five."  In  time  the  Indians  grew  jealous  of  their  white  idol, 
whom  they  began  to  consider  an  outsider  and  an  intruder  and  some 
seceded  from  the  village.  Feuds  and  civil  wars  ensued.  Rose  finally 
grew  tired  of  the  contention  between  the  rival  bands  and  he  left 
them  to  their  own  devices  and  went  down  the  Missouri  in  1823. 
Again  he  came  back  through  the  Green  River  valley  as  a  guide  for 
a  company  of  trappers.  They  were  under  the  leadership  of  Smith, 
Fitzpatrick,  and  Sublette.  Again  he  was  treacherous,  and  leading 
his  party  into  the  hands  of  the  Crows,  presented  the  Indians  with 
much  of  the  goods  of  the  expedition.  The  horses  belonging  to  this 
party  were  stolen  on  the  banks  of  this  small  stream,  which  was 
named  Horse  creek  at  that  time. 

Independence  Rock 

Independence  Rock,  the  "Register  of  the  Desert,"  is  probably 
the  most  interesting  landmark  on  the  whole  of  the  old  Oregon  Trail. 
It  was  at  this  spot  the  weary  pilgrims,  who  traveled  by  slow-going 
teams  from  Independence,  Missouri,  to  the  Oregon  Country  from  1840 
till  1869,  stopped  to  rest  and  refresh  themselves.  It  was  here  that 
they  found  pure,  fresh  water  and  an  abundance  of  feed  for  their 
stock.  It  was  here  that  they  gathered  about  the  campfires  in  the  eve- 
ning and  sang  the  old-time  songs  while  the  young  people  danced  in  the 
moonlight  on  the  well-beaten  area.  It  was  here  that  they  cared  for 
their  sick  and  buried  their  dead. 


452  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

This  isolated  mass  of  granite  stands  out  on  the  desert  plains  at 
the  foot  of  the  Rocky  mountain  range  in  the  Sweetwater  country. 
When  the  emigrants  reached  here  from  Independence,  the  starting 
point  on  the  old  Oregon  Trail,  they  had  traveled  838  miles,  and  they 
considered  that  they  had  covered  half  their  journey.  The  Rock  is  in 
Natrona  county,  55.3  miles  in  a  southwesterly  direction  from  Casper. 
It  is  an  immense  block  of  granite  resembling  a  large  bowl  turned 
bottom  side  up,  but  of  irregular  shape.  The  Sweetwater  river  flows 
along  the  southern  base  and,  according  to  many  writers  and  historians 
the  old  Oregon  Trail  was  on  the  north  and  west  sides  of  the  Rock,  where 
the  county  road  is  now  located,  and  the  old  bridge  was  supposed  to  be 
just  east  of  where  the  new  county  bridge  was  built  in  1920.  This  was 
not  the  case,  however.  The  old  Oregon  Trail  crossed  the  river  about 
a  mile  east  of  the  Rock,  where  the  Sweetwater  stage  station  was 
located,  and  passed  by  the  Rock  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and 
of  course,  south  of  the  Rock. 

From  the  very  first  the  emigrants  made  Independence  Rock 
their  camping  place  and  the  custom  of  inscribing  on  it  their  names 
caused  Father  DeSmet  to  call  it  "the  great  register  of  the  desert." 
The  Indians  in  the  early  days  came  here  to  paint  their  picture  writing 
on  its  smooth  walls.  It  is  said  to  have  been  named  "Rock  Independ- 
ence" by  a  party  of  trappers  who  passed  there  early  in  the  nineteenth 
century.  It  is  known  that  Robert  Stuart  and  his  party  passed  by 
here  in  November,  181 2. 

There  is  no  record  of  the  exact  date  of  the  first  white  men  to  pass 
this  way,  but  Rev.  Samuel  Parker,  who  was  there  on  the  7th  of  Aug- 
ust, 1835,  says,  "this  rock  takes  its  name  from  the  circumstance  of  a 
company  of  fur  traders  suspending  their  journey  and  here  observing, 
in  due  form  the  anniversary  of  our  national  freedom."  Capt.  Bonne- 
ville was  here  on  or  about  the  14th  of  July,  1832,  but  the  exact  date 
cannot  be  definitely  stated.  It  must  be  judged,  however,  from  his 
notes,  that  it  was  about  this  date,  for  he  says:  "On  the  12th  of  July 
we  abandoned  the  mainstreamof  the  Nebraska  [now  the  Platte],  which 
was  continually  shouldered  by  rugged  promontories,  and  making  a 
bend  to  the  southwest  for  a  couple  of  days,  part  of  the  time  over  the 
plains  of  loose  sand,  encamped  on  the  14th  on  the  banks  of  the  Sweet- 
water, a  stream  about  twenty  yards  in  breadth  and  four  or  five  feet 
deep,  flowing  between  low  banks  over  a  sandy  soil,  and  forming  one 
of  the  forks  or  upper  branches  of  the  Nebraska.  Frequently  the 
plains  were  studded  with  isolated  blocks  of  rock,  sometimes  in  the 
shape  of  a  half  globe,  and  from  300  to  400  feet  high.  These  singular 
masses  had  occasionally  a  very  imposing  and  even  sublime  appearance, 
rising  from  the  midst  of  a  savage  and  lonely  landscape."    Capt. 


INDEPENDENCE    ROCK  453 

Bonneville  was  preceded  by  Nathaniel  Wyeth,  who  was  there  during 
the  month  of  May  of  the  same  year.  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  and  his 
bride,  who  were  making  their  wedding  tour  as  missionaries  to  the 
Indians  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  Rev.  H.  H.  Spalding  and  his  young 
wife,  were  at  the  Rock  in  1836.  These  were  the  first  white  women  that 
crossed  the  Rocky  mountains,  and,  of  course,  were  the  first  white 
women  to  set  foot  on  Independence  Rock.  The  wagon  in  which  they 
traveled  is  said  by  some  writers  to  have  been  the  first  wheeled 
vehicle  that  crossed  the  continent,  but  this  is  a  mistake,  for  Bonne- 
ville's party  in  1832,  "passed  the  crest  of  the  Rocky  mountains  and 
felt  some  degree  of  exultation  in  being  the  first  individuals  that  had 
crossed  north  of  the  settled  provinces  of  Mexico,  from  the  waters  of 
the  Atlantic  to  those  of  the  Pacific  with  wagons." 

Father  DeSmet  was  here  in  1840,  and  finding  so  many  names 
chiseled  on  the  hard  granite,  he  named  it  the  "  Register  of  the  Desert." 
He  writes:  "  It  is  the  first  massive  rock  of  that  famous  mountain  chain 
which  divides  North  America,  and  which  travelers  call  the  backbone 
of  the  universe.  It  is  the  great  register  of  the  desert;  the  names  of  all 
the  travelers  who  have  passed  by  are  here  to  be  read,  written  in 
coarse  characters;  mine  figures  among  them  as  the  first  priest  to 
visit  this  remote  spot.  We  cut  our  names  on  the  south  side  of  the 
rock  with  the  initials  (I.  H.  S.),  which  we  wish  to  see  engraved 
everywhere." 

John  C.  Fremont,  with  Kit  Carson  as  his  guide,  was  here  on  the 
1st  of  August,  1842,  but  remained  only  a  few  hours.  He  continued 
his  journey  up  the  Sweetwater,  crossed  the  Contmental  Divide, 
camped  on  the  west  side  of  South  Pass,  and  in  due  time  approached 
the  loftiest  part  of  the  Wind  River  chain,  and  on  August  15,  with 
great  difficulty  and  danger,  ascended  the  highest  pinnacle  of  the 
range,  named  it  "Fremont  Peak,"  and  after  remaining  on  the  summit 
of  this  peak  for  an  hour,  returned  to  his  camp  in  the  evening,  and  the 
next  morning  commenced  to  retrace  his  steps,  and  again  arrived  at 
Independence  Rock  on  the  evening  of  August  23.  It  was  on  this  date 
that  he  chiseled  his  name,  with  the  emblem  of  Christianity,  on  the 
Rock,  regarding  which  he  says: 

"Here,  not  unmindful  of  the  custom  of  the  early  travelers  and 
explorers  in  our  country,  I  engraved  on  the  rock  of  the  Far  West  the 
symbol  of  the  Christian  faith.  Among  the  thickly  inscribed  names, 
I  made  on  the  hard  granite  the  impression  of  a  large  cross,  deeply 
engraved,  which  I  covered  with  a  black  preparation  of  India  rubber, 
well  calculated  to  resist  the  influence  of  wind  and  rain.  It  stands 
amidst  the  names  of  many  who  have  long  since  found  their  way  to 
the  grave,  and  for  whom  the  huge  rock  is  a  giant  gravestone." 


454  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

There  are  some  people  who  claim  to  have  seen  Fremont's  name 
and  the  black  cross,  "the  symbol  of  Christian  faith"  (which  he  en- 
graved on  the  rock),  but  Coutant's  "History  of  Wyoming"  says  that 
"on  July  4,  1847,  there  was  a  grand  celebration  at  this  rock  by  more 
than  a  thousand  people,  who  were  on  their  way  to  Oregon  and  Cali- 
fornia. During  the  day  the  enthusiastic  American  citizens  loaded  old 
wagon  hubs  with  powder,  to  which  they  fastened  a  fuse,  and  exploded 
them  in  the  crevices  of  the  rock.  By  this  means  a  large  piece  of  the 
granite,  weighing  many  tons,  was  detached  and  turned  over  on  the 
ground,  and  I  have  been  of  the  opinion  that  the  Fremont  cross  is  on 
the  detached  piece  of  rock  and  was  thus  covered  from  view." 

Fremont's  name  and  the  cross,  which  he  chiseled  on  the  rock, 
and  is  undoubtedly  forever  hidden  from  the  eye  of  man,  was  destined 
to  affect  his  political  fortunes  after  he  returned  to  the  "states."  He 
was  a  candidate  for  the  presidency  in  1856,  being  the  first  candidate 
the  republican  party  had  nominated  for  the  nation's  chief  executive. 
He  was  bitterly  opposed  by  the  Know  Nothing  party,  and  as  religious 
rancor  was  very  strong  in  those  days,  his  opponents  charged  that  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and  they  offered  as 
proof  of  their  charge  the  inscription  on  Independence  Rock,  and  in  a 
campaign  pamphlet  entitled,  "J.  C.  Fremont's  Record  Proof  of  His 
Romanism,"  it  continued:  "Imitating  other  Roman  Catholic  ex- 
plorers, and  those  alone,  in  his  expedition  to  the  Rocky  mountains 
in  1842,  he  made  on  the  Rock  Independence  the  sign  of  the  cross,  a 
thing  that  no  Protestant  explorer  ever  did  or  ever  would  do.  See  his 
own  words  in  Congressional  Document  166,  of  1845."  It  was  claimed 
that  this  Christian  emblem  was  one  of  the  factors  that  contributed 
toward  his  defeat,  and  this  "Register  of  the  Desert,"  'way  out  on  the 
plains,  became  an  issue  in  national  politics. 

Dr.  Grace  Raymond  Hebard,  secretary  of  the  Oregon  Trail  com- 
mission of  Wyoming,  made  a  visit  to  this  rock  in  191 5,  and  she  ob- 
serves that:  "When  the  tide  of  emigration  set  in,  the  Rock,  situated 
here  midway  of  the  route,  became  an  important  point  on  the  Oregon 
Trail;  like  a  beacon  eagerly  looked  for  by  the  mariner  at  sea,  the  land- 
mark was  hailed  by  the  emigrant  as  it  loomed  beyond  the  billowing 
plain.  In  those  days  Independence  Rock  filled  a  large  place  in  the 
minds  of  the  thousands  of  men  and  women;  today  it  is  by  most  of  us 
unknown.  The  records  of  the  monument  belong  to  the  history  of 
American  travel;  more  than  that,  they  belong  to  the  history  of  the 
building  of  the  republic.  The  records  are  fragmentary,  found  only  as 
incidental  notes  in  the  chronicles  of  time." 

In  the  year  1843  the  Oregon  Trail  first  became  a  great  national 
highway,  when  a  thousand  homeseekers  passed  over  the  Trail  with 


INDEPENDENCE    ROCK  455 

their  teams,  "and  each  year  thereafter,"  writes  Ezra  Meeker,  "wagon 
teams  passed  over  the  whole  route  to  the  Oregon  country  in  varying 
numbers,  wearing  the  track  deeper  and  deeper,  until  finally  the  greater 
exodus  of  1852,  when  a  column  of  50,000  strong  moved  out  from  the 
Missouri  river  and  lined  the  Trail  with  the  dead,  5,000  or  more  in 
number  for  that  one  year  alone.  Meanwhile,  the  Mormon  migration 
had  followed  in  the  track  of  the  Oregon  pioneers  for  fully  a  thousand 
miles.  Fully  300,000  people  crossed  over  what  might  be  termed  the 
'eastern  section'  before  the  advent  of  the  Pacific  railroad  in  1869, 
which  diverted  the  later  traffic,  and  the  Trail  again  became  a  solitude." 
Another  traveler,  who  stood  on  the  Rock  in  1852,  for  the  "splen- 
did view  of  the  surrounding  country,"  says,  "one  of  the  trains  forms 
a  line  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  length;  some  of  the  teamsters  ride 
upon  the  front  of  their  wagons  and  some  march  beside  their  teams; 
scattered  along  the  line  companies  of  women  are  taking  exercise  on 
foot;  they  gather  bouquets  of  rare  and  beautiful  flowers  that  line  the 
way;  next  come  a  band  of  horses;  two  or  three  men  and  boys  follow 
them,  the  docile  and  sagacious  animals  scarce  needing  this  attention, 
for  they  have  learned  to  follow  in  the  rear  of  the  wagons,  and  know 
that  at  noon  they  will  be  allowed  to  graze  and  rest.  Their  knowledge 
of  time  seems  as  accurate  as  of  the  place  they  are  to  occupy  in  the 
line.  Nothing  of  the  moving  panorama,  smooth  and  orderly  as  it 
appears,  has  more  attraction  for  the  eye  than  the  vast  square  column 
in  which  all  colors  are  mingled,  moving  here  slowly  and  there  briskly, 
as  impelled  by  horsemen  riding  fiercely  in  front  and  rear.  But  the 
picture  in  its  grandeur,  its  wonderful  mingling  of  colors  and  distinct- 
ness of  detail,  is  forgotten  in  contemplation  of  the  singular  people  who 
give  it  life  and  animation.  No  other  race  of  men  with  the  means  at 
their  command  would  undertake  so  great  a  journey;  none  save  these 
could  successfully  perform  it,  with  no  previous  preparation,  relying 
only  on  the  fertility  of  their  own  invention  to  devise  the  means  to 
overcome  each  danger  and  difficulty  as  it  arose.  They  have  under- 
taken to  perform  with  slow-moving  oxen  a  journey  of  2,000  miles. 
The  way  lies  over  trackless  wastes,  wide  and  deep  rivers,  rugged  and 
lofty  mountains,  and  is  beset  with  hostile  savages.  Yet,  whether  it 
were  a  deep  river  with  no  tree  on  its  banks,  a  rugged  defile  where  even 
a  loose  horse  could  not  pass,  a  hill  too  steep  for  him  to  climb,  or  a 
threatened  attack  of  an  enemy,  they  are  always  found  ready  and 
equal  to  the  occasion  and  always  conquerors.  May  we  not  call  them 
men  of  destiny?  They  are  people  changed  in  no  essential  particulars 
from  their  ancestors,  who  have  followed  closely  on  the  footsteps  of 
the  receding  savage,  from  the  Atlantic  seaboard  to  the  great  valley 
of  the  Mississippi." 


456  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

While  in  camp  four  days,  on  the  route  in  1852,  Ezra  Meeker 
says  he  saw  go  by  them  1,600  wagons,  with  a  company  of  8,000  men, 
women  and  children,  10,000  draught  animals  and  30,000  loose  stock, 
and  he  knew  by  the  inscribed  dates  on  Independence  Rock  that  there 
were  wagons  fully  300  miles  ahead  of  them,  and  that  the  throng  had 
continued  to  pass  the  river  more  than  a  month  after  they  had  crossed, 
so  that  it  does  not  require  a  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  say  that  the 
column  was  500  miles  long,  and  like  Sheridan's  march  to  the  sea, 
50,000  strong. 

"The  spot  will  always  be  a  place  of  pilgrimage  for  some,  as  it 
ought  to  be  for  many,"  says  Dr.  Hebard,  "who  hold  in  reverence  the 
spirit  of  their  pioneer  forbears.  For  all  of  us  it  has  been  an  abiding 
interest,  not  only  as  a  landmark  on  a  route  of  travel,  but  as  a  monu- 
ment associated  with  a  glorious  epoch  in  our  country's  development — 
a  reminder  of  the  eventful  years  when  an  army  of  Americans,  300,000 
strong,  marched  Westward  Ho!  to  Oregon  to  make  good  the  title  of 
the  United  States  to  the  Pacific  territory,  and  to  add  to  the  national 
domain  the  country  which  was  then  Oregon  and  now  is  Oregon, 
Washington  and  Idaho. 

"One  cannot  grasp  or  have  an  adequate  conception  of  this  Rock 
out  on  the  desert,  with  names  carved  on  it  and  no  sign  of  life,  until 
one  has  been  there,  walked  around  it,  felt  of  it  and  traced  with  his 
fingers  the  names  that  were  carved  there  more  than  three  score  years 
ago  and  then  climbed  to  the  top  of  it  and  obtained  a  sweep  of  the 
country  along  the  line  of  the  old  Oregon  Trail." 

Emerson  Hough,  in  his  story,  "The  Covered  Wagon,"  says:  "At 
this  point,  more  than  eight  hundred  miles  out  from  the  Missouri,  a 
custom  of  unknown  age  seemed  to  have  decreed  a  pause.  The  great 
rock  was  an  unmistakable  landmark,  and  time  out  of  mind  had  been 
a  register  of  the  wilderness.  It  carried  hundreds  of  names,  including 
every  prominent  one  ever  known  in  the  days  of  the  fur  trade  or  the 
new  day  of  the  wagon  trains.  It  became  known  as  a  resting  place; 
indeed,  many  rested  there  forever,  and  never  saw  the  soil  of  Oregon. 
Many  an  emigrant  woman,  sick  well-nigh  to  death,  held  out  so  that 
she  might  be  buried  among  the  many  other  graves  that  clustered 
there.  So,  she  felt,  she  had  the  final  company  of  her  kind.  And  those 
weak  or  faint  of  heart,  the  news  that  this  was  not  half  way  across 
often  smote  with  despair  and  death,  and  they,  too,  laid  themselves 
down  here  by  the  road  to  Oregon.  But  there  also  were  many  scenes 
of  cheer.  By  this  time  the  new  life  of  the  trail  had  been  taken  on, 
rude  and  simple.  Frolics  were  promised  when  the  wagons  should 
reach  the  Rock.  Neighbors  made  reunions  there.  Weddings,  as  well 
as  burials,  were  postponed  till  the  train  got  to  Independence  Rock." 


MASONIC    MEETINGS    ON    INDEPENDENCE     ROCK       457 

After  climbing  to  the  summit  of  this  wonderful  rock,  which  has  a 
circumference  of  4,656  feet,  is  1,950  feet  in  length,  850  feet  wide, 
193  feet  in  height  at  the  north  end,  167  feet  high  at  the  south  end, 
and  covers  an  area  of  more  than  twenty-seven  acres,  you  obtain  a 
magnificent  view  of  the  country,  a  country  unlike  any  other  country 
in  this  wide,  wide  world;  a  country  over  which  dwells  the  desert 
silence,  not  the  silence  of  the  peaks  and  mountains  in  the  distance, 
nor  the  silence  of  the  calm  on  the  waters,  but  it  is  the  silence  of  inter- 
stellar space.  Your  view  covers  a  land  of  wide  spaces,  of  simple, 
strongly  marked  features,  of  color  and  variety,  which  is  clarified  and 
all  the  more  mysterious  because  it  is  so  clear.  It  is  beautiful  with  a 
beauty  that  no  other  land  has  known. 

Masonic  Meetings  on  Indepeneience  Rock 

Two  very  important  meetings  have  been  held  on  the  summit  of 
Independence  Rock  by  members  of  the  Ancient,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons.  The  first  meeting  was  an  impromptu  gathering  which  assem- 
bled during  the  early  evening  of  July  4,  1862,  and  was  attended  by 
about  twenty  Masonic  brethren  who  were  in  an  emigrant  train, 
traveling  over  the  Oregon  Trail  on  their  way  to  the  Oregon  country. 
Mr.  Asa  L.  Brown  of  Platteville,  Wisconsin,  acted  as  worshipful 
master  at  this  meeting,  and  after  the  grand  lodge  of  Masons  of 
Wyoming  was  organized  in  1874  he  wrote  a  letter  to  the  grand  master, 
describing  this  meeting,  as  follows: 

"On  July  4,  1862,  we  had  just  concluded  our  arrangements  for  a  celebration  on 
the  Rock,  when  Capt.  Kennedy's  train  from  Oskaloosa,  la.,  came  in,  bringing  the  body 
of  a  man  who  had  been  accidentally  shot  and  killed  that  morning.  Of  course,  we  all 
turned  out  to  the  burial,  deferring  our  celebration  until  4  p.  m.,  at  which  time  we  were 
visited  by  one  of  those  short,  severe  storms,  peculiar  to  that  locality,  which,  in  the 
language  of  some  of  the  boys,  "busted  the  celebration."  But  some  of  us  determined 
on  having  some  sort  of  a  celebration,  as  well  as  a  remembrance  of  the  day  and  place, 
and  so  about  the  time  the  sun  set  in  the  west,  to  close  the  day,  about  twenty  who  could 
vouch,  and  so  to  speak,  intervouch  for  each  other,  wended  their  way  to  the  summit  of 
the  rock,  and  soon  discovered  a  recess,  or  rather  depression,  in  the  rock,  the  form  and 
situation  of  which  seemed  prepared  by  nature  for  our  special  use. 

"An  altar  of  twelve  stones  was  improvised,  to  which  a  more  thoughtful,  or  patri- 
otic, traveler  added  the  thirteenth,  emblematical  of  the  original  colonies,  and  being 
elected  to  the  East  by  acclimation,  I  was  duly  installed,  i.e.,  led  to  the  granite  seat. 
The  several  stations  and  places  were  filled,  and  the  tyler,  a  venerable  traveler,  with 
flowing  hair  and  beard  of  almost  snowy  whiteness,  took  his  place  without  the  western 
gate  on  a  little  pinnacle,  which  gave  him  a  perfect  command  of  view  for  the  entire 
summit  of  the  Rock,  so  he  could  easily  guard  against  the  approach  of  all,  either  ascend- 
ing or  descending.  I  then  informally  opened  Independence  Lodge,  No.  i,  on  the 
degrees  of  Entered  Apprentice,  Fellowcraft  and  Master  Mason,  when  several  of  the 
brethren  made  short,  appropriate  addresses,  and  our  venerable  tyler  gave  us  reminis- 
cences of  his  early  Masonic  history,  extending  from  1821  to  1862.  Having  gone  up, 
provided  with  fluid  extract  of  rye,  'sweetwater,'  sugar  and  citric  acid,  the  craft  was 


458  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

called  to  labor  from  refreshment,  a  bucketful  of  which  was  prepared  and  Masonic  and 
patriotic  impromptu  toasts  and  responses  were  indulged  in,  after  which  the  craft 
resumed  labor  and  the  lodge  was  duly  closed." 

In  a  letter  written  several  months  later  Mr.  Brown  stated  to  the 
grand  master  of  Masons  in  Wyoming  that  he  had  secured  the  Bible 
which  was  used  on  the  altar  at  this  meeting,  and  he  was  sending  it  to 
him,  together  with  the  jewels  worn  by  the  officers  and  the  emblems 
used  on  the  Bible  at  that  time,  which  he  hoped  would  have  "an  abid- 
ing place"  in  the  archives  of  the  grand  lodge  of  Wyoming. 

In  connection  with  this  meeting,  it  may  be  stated  that  the  jewels 
the  officers  wore  were  cut  from  tin  cans,  the  square  and  compasses,  as 
emblems  of  the  fraternity,  were  cut  from  a  pasteboard  box,  and  the 
Holy  Bible  which  rested  on  the  altar  was  a  volume  of  the  "Old  and 
New  Testaments,  Translated  Out  of  the  Original  Tongues,"  it  being 
published  in  the  year  1857.  The  volume  was  presented  by  Mrs. 
Jannette  Parkhurst  and  R.  P.  Parkhurst  to  Edwin  Bruce  and  Edwin 
Bruce  in  turn  presented  it  to  Mr.  Brown  at  Platteville,  Wis.,  August 
15,  1858. 

The  Masonic  lodge  at  Rawlins  had  possession  of  the  Bible,  em- 
blems and  jewels  for  several  years,  but  later  they  were  taken  to  Chey- 
enne where  they  were  kept  in  the  Masonic  Temple.  The  temple  was 
burned  and  the  emblems  and  jewels  were  consumed  at  that  time. 
The  Bible,  however,  was  among  the  few  articles  that  were  carried  from 
the  burning  building  and  it  was  picked  up  in  the  street  and  returned 
without  being  damaged.  This  Bible  is  now  in  the  possession  of  Grand 
Secretary  Joseph  M.  Lowndes  of  Casper,  and  no  doubt  always  will 
remain  the  property  of  the  Grand  Masonic  lodge  of  Wyoming,  as 
was  requested  by  Mr.  Brown. 

In  commemoration  of  the  meetmg  above  described  another 
Masonic  meeting  was  held  on  the  Rock  on  July  4,  1920,  by  Casper 
Masonic  lodge  No.  15,  in  the  same  depression  where  the  meeting  was 
held  fifty-two  years  before.  The  altar  and  stations  of  the  officers 
were  built  from  stones  similar  to  those  used  by  the  brethren  in  the 
early  days,  and  the  same  Bible  that  was  used  fifty-two  years  before 
was  used  on  the  altar  at  this  meeting.  There  were  more  than  200 
Master  Masons  in  attendance,  a  majority  of  the  lodges  in  the  state 
being  represented,  and  many  of  the  states  in  the  Union  were  also 
represented,  and  there  were  several  members  from  Scotland,  one  from 
the  Philippine  Islands,  and  one  from  Alaska.  A  number  of  the  officers 
of  the  grand  lodge  of  Wyoming  were  also  present.  The  following 
officers  presided  at  this  meeting:  Worshipful  Master,  Charles  H. 
Townsend;  Senior  Warden,  Marion  P.  Wheeler;  Junior  Warden, 
Harold  Banner;  Senior  Deacon,  Wilson  S.  Kimball;  Junior  Deacon, 


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MASONIC    MEETINGS    ON     INDEPENDENCE     ROCK       459 

Peter  C.  Nicolaysen;  Senior  Steward,  Bryant  B.  Brooks;  Junior 
Steward,  William  O.  Wilson;  Tyler,  Alfred  J.  Mokler;  Treasurer, 
John  T.  Scott;  Secretary,  Elbert  M.  Hambright;  Chaplain,  Louis  A. 
Reed;  Orator,  William  A.  Riner.  After  the  lodge  had  been  opened  in 
due  form  and  the  special  dispensation  from  the  grand  lodge  had  been 
read  giving  permission  for  the  meeting  to  be  held,  short  addresses 
were  made  by  C.  H.  Townsend  of  Casper,  A.  K.  Lee  of  Thermopolis, 
F-  G.  Burnett  of  Lander,  Wm.  Daley,  of  Rawlins,  C.  S.  Bell  of  Billings, 
Montana;  and  A.  J.  Mokler  of  Casper  gave  a  brief  historical  sketch 
of  the  meeting  held  in  1862,  together  with  a  description  of  the  Rock 
and  its  importance  as  a  resting  place  for  the  emigrants  in  the  early 
days.  The  lodge  was  then  closed  in  form  and  the  members  adjourned 
to  the  north  end  of  the  Rock  where  a  granite  marker  for  the  old  Oregon 
Trail  was  unveiled  under  the  auspices  of  the  Casper  D.  A.  R.  and  the 
Oregon  Trail  commission  of  Wyoming,  and  a  bronze  tablet  which 
had  been  imbedded  in  the  rock  by  the  Casper  Masonic  lodge  was  un- 
veiled. There  were  about  500  people  present,  and  William  A.  Riner 
of  Cheyenne  and  Arthur  K.  Lee  of  Thermopolis  made  the  principal 
addresses. 

A  minute  report  of  this  meeting  may  be  found  in  the  igaoMasonic 
Grand  Lodge  proceedings. 

Since  the  Masonic  order  held  its  celebration  on  Independence 
Rock  on  July  4,  1920,  and  imbedded  a  bronze  tablet  in  the  granite 
mass,  Henry  D.  Schoonmaker,  a  pioneer  of  Natrona  county  and  at 
one  time  owner  of  the  land  surrounding  the  Rock,  has  placed  a  tablet 
alongside  the  Masonic  tablet.  This  tablet  measures  24  x  36  inches 
and  bears  these  interesting  historical  facts: 


INDEPENDENCE   ROCK. 

Probably  discovered  by  returning  Astorians,  1812. 
Given  its  name  by  emigrants  who  celebrated  Inde- 
pendence day  here  July  4,  1825.  Captain  Bonneville 
passed  here  with  first  wagons,  1832.  Whitman  and 
Spaulding,  missionaries,  with  wives,  stopped  here,  1836. 
Father  DeSmet  saw  it  and  owing  to  many  names  upon 
it  called  it  the  "Register  of  the  Desert,"  1840.  Gen. 
John  C.  Fremont  camped  here  with  U.  S.  army,  Aug. 
2,  1842.  Fifty  thousand  emigrants  passed  here  in  1853. 
It  is  the  most  famous  landmark  on  the 

OLD  OREGON  TRAIL. 


Under  the  tablet  carved  in  the  granite  are  the  words,  "This 
tablet  presented  and  placed  by  Henry  D.  Schoonmaker,  1920." 


460  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

A  great  many  gatherings  of  a  public  nature,  Fourth  of  July 
celebrations  and  picnics  have  been  held  at  this  Rock  since  the  flow 
of  emigration  ceased  to  pass  that  way,  and  it  no  doubt  will  always  be 
a  place  where  the  people  living  in  the  vicinity  will  congregate  for  their 
celebrations,  for  in  due  time  it  is  not  unlikely  that  the  state  of 
Wyoming  will  purchase  the  land  immediately  surrounding  it  and  have 
it  set  aside  as  a  state  park.  A  committee  from  the  Casper  Chamber 
of  Commerce,  consisting  of  R.  H.  Nichols,  A.  J.  Mokler  and  W.  W. 
Grieve  were  appointed  to  take  up  the  matter  of  the  state  acquiring 
title  to  the  land  with  the  1923  session  of  the  state  legislature. 

The  Devil's  Gate 

Devil's  Gate  is  sixty  miles  from  Casper,  in  a  southwesterly  direc- 
tion, on  the  old  Oregon  Trail.  The  Oregon  Trail  started  at  Independ- 
ence, Missouri,  and  the  Devil's  Gate  was  843  miles  from  the 
beginning  of  the  Trail.  This  wonderful  cleft  in  the  solid  granite  is 
on  the  Sweetwater  river,  and  is  located  about  twenty  miles  above  its 
junction  with  the  North  Platte  river.  It  lies  in  townships  28  and  29 
north,  ranges  87  and  88  west  of  the  sixth  principal  meridian.  For 
several  miles  west  of  Devil's  Gate  the  river  flows  in  an  easterly  direc- 
tion along  the  southern  base  of  a  high  granite  ridge.  At  the  Devil's 
Gate  the  river  turns  abruptly  to  the  north  and  passes  the  ridge 
through  a  narrow  chasm  of  very  bold  and  striking  appearance. 
Neither  the  appearance  of  the  gorge  nor  any  other  evidence  indicates 
that  the  opening  was  cut  out  by  erosion.  It  seems  rather  to  be  a  cleft 
in  the  rock  formed  by  some  convulsion  of  nature.  The  breadth  of 
the  chasm  at  the  bottom  is  only  about  thirty  feet;  its  depth  is  330 
feet,  and  its  width  at  this  height  is  about  400  feet.  To  the  east  of 
the  gorge  the  ridge  falls  away  rapidly  and  at  two  points  reaches  an 
elevation  of  only  100  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  stream  in  the 
gorge.  This  canyon  has  always  been  a  very  noted  natural  feature  of 
that  section  of  the  country  and  has  been  known  since  181 2,  when  it 
was  passed  by  the  returning  Astorians  late  in  the  fall  of  that  year. 
Through  the  ridge  just  referred  to  lay  the  old  Overland  Trail  to 
Oregon  and  California,  and  the  proximity  of  the  gorge  to  this  great 
highway  gave  it  unusual  prominence  in  the  history  of  the  travel 
through  the  west.  It  early  received  the  name  of'Devil's  Gate,"  which 
it  retains  to  this  day.  The  Sweetwater  river,  above  this  gorge,  has  a 
very  gentle  slope,  only  about  six  feet  to  the  mile.   The  valley  is  broad. 

Captain  Hiram  M.  Chittenden  with  a  corps  of  engineers  spent  a 
good  portion  of  the  summers  of  1901-2  in  this  part  of  the  country 
making  an  investigation  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  dam  in  the 


THE    devil's    gate  461 

gorge,  and  in  his  report  to  the  Geological  survey  he  says  that  "as  a 
single  proposition  for  the  storage  of  water,  it  is  almost  unequaled  any- 
where in  the  west,  and  the  dam  is  no  less  remarkable  than  the  gorge 
itself." 

The  walls  of  the  gorge  are  of  gray  granite,  very  hard  and  com- 
pact. There  is  a  black  streak  of  granite  running  from  the  bottom  to 
the  top  of  the  south  ridge  which  at  first  sight  appears  to  be  a  road- 
way, and  it  will  require  close  inspection  to  be  convinced  that  it  is  but 
a  freak  of  nature.  The  elevation  of  the  surface  is  practically  6,000 
feet  above  the  sea. 

"This  remarkable  feature,"  says  Captain  Chittenden,  "is  one  of  the  most  notable 
features  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  The  traveler  who  takes  the  trouble  to  leave  the  road 
for  a  mile  or  so  and  walk  out  to  the  summit  of  the  Devil's  Gate  is  rewarded  with  a  pros- 
pect such  as  no  other  point  on  the  Trail  affords.  Beneath  him  is  the  tremendous  chasm 
through  the  solid  granite,  at  the  bottom  of  which  courses  the  gentle  Sweetwater.  To 
the  westward  a  magnificent  valley  spreads  out  before  him  as  far  as  he  can  see,  some 
ten  or  fifteen  miles  wide,  a  paradise  in  the  early  days  for  buffalo  and  other  game. 
Through  the  beautiful  valley  the  serpentine  course  of  the  stream  is  plainly  visible  from 
the  silver  sheen  of  its  surface  or  from  the  ribbon  of  foliage  which  grows  along  its  banks. 
Below  the  Gate  a  similar  valley  lies  spread  out  for  niany  miles  even  to  the  mouth  of 
the  river.  All  over  this  region  huge  protuberances  arise  composed  of  detached  masses 
of  granite,  the  most  interesting  of  which  is  Independence  Rock.  Lifting  the  eye  above 
the  surrounding  plains  it  rests  upon  a  cordon  of  mountains  which  completely  encircles 
the  beholder.  To  the  northeast  the  Rattlesnake  Hills,  to  the  east  the  Casper  range 
through  which  the  North  Platte  flows;  to  the  southeast  the  Seminoe  and  Ferris  ranges; 
to  the  south  and  southwest  the  Green  mountains;  and  finally  to  the  west.  Crooks' 
Peak,  which  closes  the  horizon  in  that  direction.  Near  this  peak  is  a  little  depression 
through  which  the  returning  Astorians  made  their  way  from  the  forbidding  and  desert 
tracts  south  of  the  mountains.  One  has  only  to  behold  the  valley  of  the  Sweetwater 
to  understand  with  what  delight  these  way-worn  travelers  rnust  have  welcomed  this 
paradise  of  the  mountains,  filled  as  it  was,  when  they  saw  it,  with  grazing  herds  of 
buffalo,  and  water  and  pasturage  surpassing  all  their  possible  needs. 

"  From  the  Devil's  Gate  the  Trail  continued  along  the  Sweetwater  river  nearly  to 
its  source.  It  crossed  the  stream  several  times  and  there  came  to  be  two  or  three  dif- 
ferent routes  paralleling  each  other  for  considerable  distances.  It  will  not  be  of  profit 
to  record  minutely  these  unimportant  variations  from  the  general  line.  About  thirty- 
six  miles  west  of  the  Devil's  Gate  the  road  passed  through  a  canyon  where  it  crossed 
the  stream  three  times  in  a  short  distance.  This  place  was  called  Three  Crossmgs.  In 
several  places  the  road  was  forced  out  upon  the  hills  and  back  from  the  river,  some- 
times on  one  side  and  sometimes  on  the  other.  The  road  was  usually  dusty,  the  small 
streams  alkaline,  and  only  the  presence  of  the  pure  Sweetwater  saved  this  portion  of 
the  Trail  from  being  the  most  trying  of  any." 

In  1903,  the  Reclamation  service  selected  the  Devil's  Gate  as  the 
site  for  the  Pathfinder  dam,  but  later  abandoned  the  project  because 
the  present  site  on  the  North  Platte  river  was  found  to  be  more  suit- 
able for  impounding  the  water. 

In  the  early  days  the  Indians  would  congregate  at  this  passage- 
way on  the  Trail  and  when  a  train  of  emigrants  appeared  who  were 
not  strong  enough  in  numbers  to  resist  them,  they  would  rob  them 
of  their  provisions  and  horses,  and  oftentimes  kill  the  men  and  chil- 
dren and  take  the  women  to  their  camp  and  there  cause  them  to  suffer 


462  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

treatment  worse  than  they  accorded  their  squaws.  When  they  tired 
of  these  "pale-faced  squaws,"  as  they  were  termed  by  the  savages, 
they  tortured  and  starved  them  until  they  died. 

Alvin  G.  Cone  of  Waynetown,  Indiana,  who  visited  with  his  two 
daughters  in  Casper  during  the  summer  of  1921,  passed  over  the  Trail 
in  June,  1863.  "We  camped  at  Devil's  Gate,  '  says  Mr.  Cone,  "and 
four  of  us  started  to  climb  the  north  wall,  and  when  about  half  way  up 
there  was  a  loud  roaring  coming  out  of  a  large  hole  between  two  huge 
boulders,  which  we  took  to  be  the  roar  of  a  lion.  We  were  not  long  in 
getting  down,  and  as  we  reached  the  base  we  noticed  a  grave  with  a 
wooden  slab  at  the  head,  with  this  inscription: 

"  'Here  lie  the  bones  of  Caroline  Todd, 

Whose  soul  has  lately  gone  to  God; 
'Ere  redemption  was  too  late, 

She  was  redeemed  at  Devil's  Gate.' 

"The  girl  at  the  time  of  her  death  was  eighteen  years  of  age. 
She,  with  four  women,  had  cHmbed  to  the  top  of  the  ridge,  and  the 
girl  told  her  companions  that  she  was  going  to  look  over.  They  warned 
her  not  to  try  it,  for  she  would  fall  if  she  did,  but  she  went  to  the 
edge  of  the  chasm,  became  dizzy  and  fell  to  the  bottom.  A  company 
of  soldiers  was  stationed  near  there  at  the  time,  and  they  cared  for 
the  grave  as  long  as  they  remained." 

The  Sweetwater  valley  is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  spots  in 
Natrona  county.  Coming  into  this  valley  from  the  southwest,  through 
Whiskey  Gap  a  wonderful  panorama  meets  your  eye.  To  the  west  are 
the  Wind  River  mountains,  mottled  with  snow;  to  the  east  is  Devil's 
Gate,  a  rift  in  the  mammoth  rock,  where  the  river  countless  ages  ago 
burst  through  its  barriers  and  sought  freedom  in  the  swelling  plains 
that  sweep  unevenly  to  the  east;  to  the  southwest  the  Green  moun- 
tains and  to  the  north  the  Rattlesnake  range.  The  Sweetwater  river, 
like  a  great  winding  serpent,  threads  its  way  through  the  valley 
among  the  sagebrush  and  meadow  lands.  There  are  traditions  as  to 
how  the  Sweetwater  was  named,  one  of  them  being  to  the  effect  that 
a  party  of  trappers  were  traveling  along  the  stream,  having  with  them 
a  pack-mule  loaded  with  sugar.  While  crossing  the  stream,  the 
animal  sHpped  and  fell  and  the  sugar  dissolved  into  the  water,  hence 
the  name  Sweetwater.  Another  is  that  in  the  spring  of  1823  William 
H.  Ashley  of  Saint  Louis,  who  had  entered  into  the  fur  trading  busi- 
ness, came  to  the  Rocky  mountain  region  by  the  Platte  river  route. 
Coming  up  the  stream  a  few  miles  west  from  where  the  Pathfinder 
dam  is  now  located,  he  camped  on  the  Sweetwater.  This  stream  had 
not  yet  been  named,  but  on  account  of  the  water  being  superior  for 
drinking  purposes,  and  the  trappers  claiming  that  it  left  a  pleasant 


Sweetwater  Valley,   lusct:  Close  \'n  u 


The  Devil's  Gate  and  the  Tom  Sun  Ranch 


Second  Street,  Casper,  Looking  Kast  irom  Centik,  V)Z0 


THE    devil's    gate  463 

taste  in  their  mouths,  General  Ashley  accordingly  named  it  Sweet- 
water. In  either  case  the  stream  is  appropriately  named,  for  the 
water  in  this  river  carries  no  alkaline,  which  is  prevalent  in  the  streams 
in  that  part  of  the  country. 

A  large  company  of  Mormons  who,  in  1856,  started  from  Saint 
Joseph,  Missouri,  to  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  suffered  hardships,  misery, 
and  death  because  they  were  unprepared  to  make  the  long  journey. 
When  they  started  for  the  "promised  land,"  they  had  but  a  small 
supply  of  provisions  and  were  scantily  clothed.  Some  of  those  who 
had  horses  or  oxen  reached  their  destination  with  no  more  than  the 
average  hardships  and  numberof  deaths,  but  there  were  over  600  poor, 
misguided  souls  who  started  on  the  fifteen-hundred-mile  journey  with 
hand-carts.  The  men,  women,  and  children,  with  all  they  possessed 
in  the  world  loaded  in  these  hand-carts,  would  pull  and  push  their 
carts  up  the  hills  and  through  the  valleys,  across  the  streams  and 
over  the  sometimes  hot  sands  and  sometimes  muddy  gumbo  roads, 
making  a  distance  oftentimes  of  not  more  than  five  miles  a  day  and 
never  more  than  twelve  miles. 

They  did  not  start  to  cross  the  plains  until  late  in  the  summer, 
and  the  severe  storms  of  winter  overtook  them  about  the  time  they 
reached  the  North  Platte  river  in  Central  Wyoming.  These  poor 
sufferers  were  strung  along  the  route  in  groups  for  a  distance  of  about 
100  miles. 

Word  reached  Salt  Lake  City  apprising  Brigham  Young  of  the 
condition  of  his  people  late  in  October,  and  at  a  conference,  Mr. 
Young  announced  that  "there  are  a  number  of  people  on  the  plains 
who  have  started  to  come  to  us  in  hand-carts;  they  will  need  help, 
and  I  want  twenty  teams  to  be  ready  in  the  morning,  with  two  men 
to  each  team,  to  go  out  and  meet  them." 

The  twenty  teams,  with  wagons  loaded  with  provisions,  started 
out  from  Salt  Lake  the  next  morning  and  among  the  men  with  the 
teams  was  Daniel  W.  Jones,  the  author  of  "  Forty  Years  Among  the 
Indians."  His  description  of  the  terrible  suffering  and  death,  mingled 
with  the  heroism  and  folly  of  the  people,  is  worthy  of  production  in 
these  pages,  for  the  people  in  this  age  can  hardly  imagine  that  such 
misery  could  exist.    He  says: 

"The  weather  soon  became  cold  and  stormy.  We  traveled  hard,  never  taking  time 
to  stop  for  dinner.  There  was  some  expectation  of  meeting  the  first  train  on  or  about 
Green  river.  We  began  to  feel  great  anxiety  about  the  emigrants,  as  the  weather  was 
now  cold  and  stormy,  and  we,  strong  men  with  good  outfits,  found  the  nights  severe. 
What  must  be  the  condition  of  those  we  were  to  meet.  Many  old  men  and  women, 
little  children,  mothers  with  nursing  babes,  crossing  the  plains,  pulling  hand-carts.  Our 
hearts  began  to  ache  when  we  reached  Green  river  and  yet  no  word  of  them.  Here  an 
express  was  sent  on  ahead  with  a  light  wagon  to  meet  and  cheer  the  people  up. 


464 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


"At  the  South  Pass  we  encountered  a  severe  snow-storm.  After  crossing  the 
divide  we  turned  down  into  a  sheltered  place  on  the  Sweetwater.  While  in  camp  and 
during  the  snowstorm  two  men  were  seen  on  horseback  going  west.  They  were  hailed. 
On  reaching  us  they  proved  to  be  Brothers  Willie  and  J.  B.  Elder.  They  reported  their 
company  in  a  starving  condition  at  their  camp,  then  east  of  Rocky  Ridge,  and  said 
our  express  had  gone  on  to  meet  the  other  companies  still  in  the  rear.  We  started  im- 
mediately through  the  storm  to  reach  their  camp.  On  arriving  we  found  them  in  a  con- 
dition that  would  stir  the  feelings  of  the  hardest  heart.  They  were  in  a  poor  place,  the 
storm  having  caught  them  where  fuel  was  scarce.  They  were  out  of  provisions  and 
really  freezing  and  starving  to  death.  The  morning  after  our  arrival  nine  were  buried 
in  one  grave.  We  did  all  we  could  to  relieve  them.  The  boN's  struck  out  on  horseback 
and  dragged  up  a  lot  of  wood,  provisions  were  distributed  and  all  went  to  work  to  cheer 
the  sufferers.  Soon  there  was  an  improvement  in  camp,  but  many  poor,  faithful  people 
had  gone  too  far — had  passed  beyond  the  power  to  recruit.  Our  help  came  too  late  for 
some,  and  many  died  after  our  arrival. 

"William  Kimball  with  a  few  men  and  wagons  turned  back,  taking  the  oversight 
of  this  company  to  help  them  in.  Captain  Grant  left  a  wagonload  of  flour  near  the 
Pass  with  Redick  AUred  to  guard  it.  There  were  several  hundred  people  with  Brother 
Willie.  They  had  a  few  teams,  but  most  of  them  had  become  too  weak  to  be  of  much 
service.  When  we  left  Salt  Lake  it  was  understood  that  other  teams  would  follow  until 
all  the  help  needed  would  be  on  the  road. 

"  The  greater  portion  of  our  company  continued  on  towards  Devil's  Gate,  traveling 
through  snow  all  the  way.  When  we  arrived  at  Devil's  Gate  we  found  our  express  there 
awaiting  us.  No  tidings  as  yet  were  received  of  the  other  companies.  Having  seen  the 
sufi^erings  of  Brother  Willie's  company,  we  more  fully  realized  the  danger  the  others 
were  in.  The  elders  who  had  just  returned  from  England  having  many  dear  friends 
with  these  companies,  suffered  great  anxiety,  some  of  them  feeling  more  or  less  the  re- 
sponsibility resting  upon  them  for  allowing  these  people  to  start  in  such  a  condition 
across  the  plains.  At  first  we  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  for  we  did  not  expect  to  have 
to  go  farther  than  Devil's  Gate.  We  decided  to  make  camp  and  send  on  an  express  to 
find  where  the  people  were.  The  first  night  after  leaving  Devil's  Gate,  our  horses 
followed  a  band  of  buffalo  several  miles;  it  was  near  noon  the  next  day  when  we  found 
them.  We  determined  to  get  even  with  them,  so  rode  at  full  gallop  wherever  the  road 
would  permit.  After  riding  about  twelve  miles  we  saw  a  white  man's  shoe  track  in  the 
road.  Brother  Young  called  out,  '  Here  they  are. '  We  put  our  animals  to  their  utmost 
speed  and  soon  came  in  sight  of  the  camp  at  Red  Bluff.^  This  was  Brother  Edward 
Martin's  hand-cart  company  and  Ben  Horgett's  wagon  company.  There  was  still 
another  wagon  company  down  near  the  Platte  crossing. 

"  This  company  was  in  almost  as  bad  a  condition  as  the  first  one.  They  had  nearly 
given  up  hope.  They  were  about  exhausted,  and  many  of  them  worn  out  and  sick. 
When  we  rode  in,  there  was  a  general  rush  to  shake  hands.  Many  declared  we  were 
angels  from  heaven.  I  told  them  I  thought  we  were  better  than  angels  for  this  occasion, 
as  we  were  good,  strong  men,  come  to  help  them  into  the  valley,  and  that  our  company, 
and  wagons  loaded  with  provisions,  were  not  far  away.  I  thought  this  the  best  con- 
solation under  the  circumstances.  The  people  were  told  to  gather  up  and  move  on  at 
once,  as  the  only  salvation  was  to  travel  a  little  every  day.  This  was  right,  and  no 
doubt  saved  many  lives  for  we,  among  so  many  (some  1,200),  could  do  but  little,  and 
there  was  danger  before  help  could  arrive  unless  the  people  made  some  headway  toward 
the  valley. 

"After  talking  to  and  encouraging  the  people,  they  agreed  to  start  the  next  morn- 
ing. We  then  started  at  full  gallop  for  John  Hunt's  camp,  fifteen  miles  farther.  On 
arriving  no  one  noticed  us  or  appeared  to  care  who  we  were.  Their  tents  were  pitched  in 
good  shape,  wood  was  plentiful,  and  no  one  seemed  concerned.  Joseph  A.  Young  be- 
came offended,  not  expecting  such  a  cool  reception,  and  remarked,' Well, it  appears  we 
are  not  needed  here.'  So  we  went  down  into  the  bottom  and  made  camp  for  ourselves.  Af- 
ter a  while  some  one  sauntered  down  our  way,  thinking  probably  we  were  mountaineers. 
These  recognized  Brother  Young  and  made  a  rush  for  the  camp,  giving  the  word;  soon 
we  were  literally  carried  in  and  a  special  tent  was  pitched  for  our  use.    Everything  was 

'  This  Red  Bluff  is  about  a  mile  on  The  Trail  west  from  Alcova. 


THE    devil's    gate  465 

done  to  make  amends  for  the  previous  neglect.  About  the  time  we  were  settled  in  our 
camp,  Captain  Hunt  and  Gilbert  Van  Schoonhoven,  his  assistant,  arrived  from  the 
Platte  bridge,  also  Captain  Ben  Horgett.  They  were  rejoiced  to  meet  us.  These 
people  were  just  on  the  eve  of  suffering,  but  as  yet  had  not.  Quite  a  number  of  their 
cattle  had  died  during  the  snowstorm,  which  had  now  been  on  them  for  nine  days. 

"Next  morning  Brother  Young  and  others  went  to  Platte  bridge,  leaving  Brother 
Garr  and  I  to  get  the  company  started  according  to  agreement  made  the  evening  be- 
fore. There  was  a  spirit  of  apathy  among  the  people,  and  instead  of  going  for  their 
teams  at  once,  several  began  to  quarrel  about  who  should  go.  This  made  us  feel  like 
leaving  them  to  take  care  of  themselves.  We  saddled  up  to  do  so.  The  clouds  were 
gathering  thickly  for  a  storm,  and  just  as  we  were  about  to  start  it  commenced  snowing 
very  hard.  The  heavens  were  obscured  by  clouds,  excepting  a  small  place  about  the 
shape  of  the  gable  end  of  a  house.  This  opening  was  in  the  direction  of  the  valley  and 
the  sun  seemed  to  shine  through  with  great  brightness.  We  mounted  our  mules; 
Brother  Garr,  pointing  to  the  bright  spot  in  the  heavens,  said:  'Do  you  see  that  hole? 
You  had  better  get  out  of  here  before  that  closes  up,  for  it  is  your  opening  to  the 
valley.  We  are  going.'  The  people,  I  believe,  took  this  for  a  warning  and  soon  started 
for  their  cattle. 

"Next  morning  they  moved  on.  Brother  Garr  and  I  went  back  to  where  E. 
Martin's  camp  had  been.  They  had  rolled  out,  and  Captain  Horgett's  wagon  company 
were  just  starting.  We  continued  on,  overtaking  the  hand-cart  company  ascending  a 
long  muddy  hill.  A  condition  of  distress  here  met  my  eyes  that  I  never  saw  before  or 
since.  The  train  was  strung  out  for  three  or  four  miles.  There  were  old  men  pulling 
and  tugging  their  carts,  sometimes  loaded  with  a  sick  wife  or  children,  women  pulling 
along  sick  husbands;  little  children  six  to  eight  years  old  struggling  through  the  mud 
and  snow.  As  night  came  on  the  mud  would  freeze  on  their  clothes  and  feet.  There 
were  two  of  us  and  hundreds  needing  help.  What  could  we  do?  We  gathered  on  to  some 
of  the  most  helpless  with  our  riatas  tied  to  the  carts,  and  helped  as  many  as  we  could 
into  camp  on  Avenue  hill.  This  was  a  bitter,  cold  night  and  we  had  no  fuel  except  very 
small  sagebrush.  Several  died  that  night.  Next  morning.  Brother  Young  havmg  come 
up,  we  three  started  for  our  camp  near  Devil's  Gate.  When  we  arrived  all  were  re- 
joiced to  get  the  news  that  we  had  found  the  emigrants.  The  following  mornmg  most 
of  the  company  moved  down,  meeting  the  hand-cart  company  at  Greasewood  creek. 
Such  assistance  as  we  could  give  was  rendered  to  all  until  they  finally  arrived  at  Devil's 
Gate  fort,  about  the  first  of  November.  There  were  some  1,200  in  all,  about  one-half 
with  hand-carts  and  the  other  half  with  teams.  _ 

"The  winter  storms  had  now  set  in  in  all  their  severity.  The  provisions  we  took 
amounted  to  almost  nothing  among  so  many  people,  many  of  them  now  on  very  short 
rations,  some  almost  starving.  Many  were  dying  daily  from  exposure  and  want  ot 
food.    We  were  at  a  loss  to  know  why  others  had  not  come  on  to  our  assistance. 

"The  company  was  composed  of  average  emigrants;  old,  middle-aged  and  young 
women  and  children.  The  men  seemed  to  be  failing  and  dying  faster  than  the  women 
and  children.  The  hand-cart  company  was  moved  over  to  a  cove  in  the  mountains  for 
shelter  and  fuel;  a  distance  of  two  miles  from  the  fort.i  The  wagons  were  banked 
near  the  fort.  It  became  impossible  to  travel  farther  without  reconstruction  or  help. 
We  did  all  we  possibly  could  to  help  and  cheer  the  people.  All  the  people  who  could, 
crowded  into  the  houses  of  the  fort  out  of  the  cold  and  storm.  One  crowd  cut  away  the 
walls  of  the  house  they  were  in  for  fuel,  until  half  of  the  roof  fell  in;  fortunately,  they 
were  all  on  the  protected  side  and  no  one  hurt.  . 

"Many  suggestions  were  oflFered  as  to  what  should  be  done,  some  efforts  being 
made  to  cache  the  imperishable  goods  and  go  on  with  the  rest.  Accordingly  pits  were 
dug,  boxes  opened  and  the  hardware,  etc.,  put  in  one,  while  clothing,  etc.,  were  put  in 
another.  Often  these  boxes  belonged  to  different  persons.  An  attempt  was  made  to 
keep  an  account  of  these  changes.  This  caching  soon  proved  to  be  a  failure,  tor  the 
pits  would  fill  up  with  drifting  snow  as  fast  as  the  dirt  was  thrown  out,  so  no  caches 
were  made.    The  goods  were  never  replaced. 

1  At  this  camp  more  than  loo  people  died  in  the  nine  days  they  were  camped  there,  and  were 
buried  in  a  trench.  Some  say  that  they  died  of  cholera,  but  the  cause  of  their  death  was  exposure  and 
the  lack  of  clothing  to  keep  them  warm,  and  insufficient  nourishment. 


466  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

"  Each  evening  the  elders  would  meet  in  council.  I  remember  hearing  Charles 
Decker  remark  that  he  had  crossed  the  plains  over  fifty  times,  carrying  the  mail,  and 
this  was  the  darkest  hour  he  had  ever  seen.  Cattle  and  horses  were  dying  every  day. 
What  to  do  was  all  that  could  be  talked  about.  Five  or  six  days  passed  and  nothing 
was  determined  upon.  It  was  near  the  time  appointed  for  the  meetmg.  As  soon  as  we 
were  together,  Captain  Grant  asked  if  anyone  had  thought  of  a  plan.  It  was  suggested 
that  the  goods  be  left  with  some  one  to  care  for  them,  and  the  rest  should  move  on. 
Captain  Grant  replied  that  there  were  no  provisions  to  leave,  and  it  would  be  asking 
too  much  of  anyone  to  stay  and  starve  for  the  sake  of  the  goods  and  besides,  who 
would  stay  if  called  upon.    1  answered,  'Any  of  us  would.' 

"These  goods  were  the  luggage  of  a  season's  emigration  that  these  two  wagon 
trains  had  contracted  to  freight,  and  it  was  being  taken  through  as  well  as  the  luggage 
of  the  people  present.  Leaving  these  goods  meant  to  abandon  all  that  many  poor 
families  had  upon  earth.  So  it  was  different  from  common  merchandise.  The  next 
morning  store  rooms  in  the  fort  were  cleared  and  about  200  wagons  run  in  and  un- 
loaded. No  one  was  allowed  to  keep  out  anything  but  a  change  of  clothing,  some  bed- 
ding and  light  cooking  utensils.  This  unloading  occupied  three  days.  The  hand-cart 
people  were  notified  to  abandon  most  of  their  carts.  Teams  were  hitched  up  and  the 
sick  and  feeble  loaded  in  with  such  light  weight  as  was  allowed.  All  became  common 
property.  When  everything  was  ready  Brother  Burton  said  to  me,  'Now,  Brother 
Jones,  we  want  you  to  pick  two  men  from  the  valley  to  stay  with  you.  We  have  notified 
Captains  Hunt  and  Horgett  to  detail  seventeen  men  from  their  companies  to  stay  with 
you.  We  will  move  on  in  the  morning.  Get  your  company  together  and  such  pro- 
visions as  you  can  find  in  the  hands  of  those  who  may  have  anything  to  spare.  You 
know  ours  is  about  out.    W'ill  you  do  it?'    I  said,  'Yes.' 

"There  was  not  enough  money  on  earth  to  have  hired  me  to  stay.  I  had  left  home 
for  only  a  few  days  and  was  not  prepared  to  remain  so  long  away;  but  I  remembered 
my  assertion  that  any  of  us  would  stay  if  called  upon.  I  could  not  back  out,  so  I  se- 
lected Thomas  Alexander  and  Ben  Hampton.  That  night  we  were  all  called  together 
and  organized  as  a  branch.  Dan  W.  Jones,  Thomas  Alexander  and  Ben  Hampton  were 
chosen  to  preside,  with  J.  Laty  as  clerk.  Captain  Grant  asked  about  our  provisions. 
I  told  him  they  were  scant,  but  as  many  were  suffering  and  some  dying,  all  we  asked 
was  an  equal  chance  with  the  rest.  He  told  us  there  would  be  a  lot  of  worn  out  cattle 
left;  to  gather  them  up  and  try  to  save  them.  They  consisted  mostly  of  yearlings  and 
two-year-old  heifers,  some  were  taken  through. 

"The  storm  had  now  ceased  to  rage,  and  great  hopes  were  felt  for  a  successful 
move.  We  were  daily  expecting  more  help  and  often  wondered  why  it  did  not  come. 
Next  day  all  hands  pulled  out,  most  of  them  on  foot. 

"After  getting  my  camp  regulated  a  little  and  giving  some  instructions,  I  got  on 
my  horse  and  rode  on  to  see  how  the  train  was  moving  along.  AH  were  out  of  sight 
when  I  started.  After  traveling  a  few  miles,  I  came  up  to  a  lady  sitting  alone  on  the 
side  of  the  road,  weeping  bitterly.  I  noticed  she  was  elegantly  dressed  and  appeared 
strong  and  well.  I  asked  her  what  was  the  matter.  She  sobbingly  replied,  'This  is  too 
much  for  me.  I  have  always  had  plenty,  and  have  never  known  hardships;  we  had  a 
good  team  and  wagon;  my  husband,  if  let  alone,  could  have  taken  me  on  in  comfort. 
Now  I  am  turned  out  to  walk  in  this  wind  and  snow.  I  am  determined  not  to  go  on,  but 
v?ill  stay  here  and  die.  My  husband  has  gone  and  left  me,  but  I  will  not  go  another  step.' 
The  train  was  two  or  three  miles  ahead  and  moving  on.  I  persuaded  her  after  a  while 
to  go  on  with  me. 

"On  calling  the  company  together  at  the  fort  that  night,  I  told  them  in  plain  words 
that  if  there  was  a  man  in  camp  who  could  not  help  eat  the  last  poor  animal  left  with 
us,  hides  and  all,  suffer  all  manner  of  privations,  almost  starve  to  death,  that  he  could 
go  on  the  next  day  and  overtake  the  trains.  No  one  wanted  to  go.  All  voted  to  take 
their  chances.  On  taking  stock  of  provisions,  we  found  about  twenty  days'  rations.  No 
salt  or  bread  excepting  a  few  crackers.  There  was  at  least  five  months  of  winter  before 
us  and  nothing  much  to  eat  but  a  few  perishing  cattle  and  what  game  we  might  chance 
to  kill.  The  game  was  not  very  certain,  as  the  severe  storms  had  driven  away  every- 
thing.  The  first  move  was  to  fix  up  the  fort. 


THE    devil's    gate  467 

"  I  followed  the  train  this  day  to  their  second  encampment  and  the  next  day  trav- 
eled with  them.  There  was  much  suffering,  deaths  occurring  often.  Eph  Hanks  arrived 
in  camp  from  the  valley  and  brought  word  that  some  of  the  teams  that  had  reached 
South  Pass  and  should  have  met  us  here,  had  turned  back  toward  home  and  tried  to 
persuade  Redick  Allred,  who  was  left  there  with  a  load  of  flour,  to  go  back  with  them. 
The  men  who  did  this  might  have  felt  justified,  for  they  said  it  was  no  use  going  farther; 
that  we  had  doubtless  all  perished.  If  this  had  not  occurred  it  was  the  intention  of 
Captain  Grant  to  have  sent  some  one  down  to  us  with  a  load  of  flour.  As  it  was,  by 
the  time  any  was  received,  the  people  were  in  a  starving  condition,  and  could  not  spare 
it.  From  the  third  camp,  where  I  saw  the  last  of  the  brethren,  an  express  was  sent  on 
to  catch  the  returning  supplies  and  continue  on  to  the  valley,  giving  word  that  the 
train  was  coming.  After  great  suffering  and  much  assistance  the  emigrants  were  finally 
landed  in  the  valley.  I  left  the  company,  feeling  a  little  downcast,  to  return  to  Devil's 
Gate.  It  was  pretty  well  understood  that  there  would  be  no  relief  sent  us.  My  hopes 
were  that  we  could  kill  game.  We  had  accepted  the  situation,  and  as  far  as  Captain 
Grant  was  concerned  he  had  done  as  much  as  he  could  for  us.  '1  here  was  more  risk 
for  those  who  went  on  than  for  us  remaining. 

"On  returning  to  camp,  I  found  that  the  cattle  left  were  very  poor.  The  weather 
had  moderated  and  we  hoped  to  get  on  good  feed  and  recruit  them  a  little.  Over  200 
head  of  cattle  had  died  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fort.  Along  the  road  each  way  for  a  day's 
travel  were  carcasses.  This  drove  loads  of  prairie  wolves  into  our  camp,  and  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  keep  them  off  from  the  cattle  in  the  day  time.  We  were  obliged 
to  corral  them  at  night.  Once  in  the  day  time  a  small  bunch  were  taken  and  run  off  in 
spite  of  the  efi^orts  of  the  herders  to  stop  them.  In  fact,  it  became  dangerous  to  face 
these  wolves,  they  were  at  times  almost  ready  to  attack  men. 

"We  soon  found  it  would  be  impossible  to  save  the  cattle.  Some  twenty-five  had 
died  or  been  killed  by  the  wolves  within  a  week.  It  was  decided  to  kill  the  rest,  about 
fifty  head.  A  few  were  in  living  order,  but  many  would  have  died  within  twenty-four 
hours.  In  fact  we  killed  them  to  keep  them  from  dying.  We  had  a  first  class  butcher 
from  London,  who  dressed  everything  in  the  best  style.  Everything  was  saved 
that  we  thought  might  be  eaten.  We  hung  the  meat  up.  The  poorest  of  it  we 
did  not  expect  to  eat,  but  intended  to  use  it  for  wolf  bait  further  along  when  the 
carcasses  were  all  devoured,  provided  we  could  get  traps  from  the  Platte  bridge,  which 
we  afterwards  did.  We  never  used  our  poor  beef  for  wolf  bait,  as  we  had  to  eat  the 
whole  of  it  ourselves,  and  finally  the  hides  were  all  consumed  for  food.  After  killing  the 
cattle  we  had  nothing  much  to  do  but  fix  up  the  fort  and  look  after  four  ponies  we  had 
left.  There  were  plentv  of  guns  and  ammunition  left  with  us,  also  dishes  and  cooking 
utensils.  After  thoroughly  repairing  the  houses,  chinking  and  daubing  them,  we  over- 
hauled the  goods  stored  away.  While  storing  the  bales  and  boxes  the  snow  had  drifted 
in  among  them.  There  was  nothing  but  dirt  floors  and  the  goods  had  been  tumbled  in 
without  any  regard  for  order.  Having  cleaned  out  everything,  we  took  ox  yokes,  of 
which  there  were  a  great  many,  and  made  floors  of  them  and  then  piled  the  goods  on 
them.  While  handling  the  goods  we  found  some  coffee,  sugar  and  fruit,  also  a  roll  of 
leather.  These  we  kept  out  and  put  in  our  store  room  for  use.  We  also  found  a  box 
of  soap  and  candles.  We  were  told  by  Captain  Grant  to  use  anything  we  could  find  to 
make  us  comfortable.  •         ,• , 

"  During  the  time  we  were  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  the  men's  mmds  did  not  run  much 
upon  property,  the  main  interest  was  to  save  life.  One  prominent  elder  became  very 
liberal.  He  had  several  large  trunks,  making  presents  to  several  of  the  boys  from  the 
valley  of  socks,  shirts  and  such  things  as  would  help  to  make  them  comfortable.  He 
left  his  trunks  in  my  rooms,  giving  me  the  keys  and  telling  me  to  use  anything  there 
was,  not  to  suffer  for  anything  that  could  be  found,  and  asked  God  to  bless  me.  I  told 
the  boys  who  remained  with  me  that  we  had  better  not  open  this  man's  trunks,  that 
when  he  got  to  the  valley  and  had  time  to  think,  he  would  change  his  mind  and  would 
doubtless  be  thinking  we  were  using  his  goods,  and  if  we  touched  anything  belonging 
to  him  we  would  be  accused  of  taking  more  than  we  had.  Later  occurrences  proved  this 
to  be  a  good  suggestion.  .  . 

"With  the  cattle  killed  that  were  fit  to  eat,  and  what  provisions  we  had  on  hand, 
we  managed  to  live  for  a  while  without  suffering,  except  for  salt.    Bread  soon  gave  out 


468 


HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 


and  we  lived  on  meat  alone.  Some  of  us  went  out  hunting  daily  but  with  poor  success. 
A  day  or  two  before  Christmas,  Ephraim  Hanks  and  Feramorz  Little  arrived  at  the 
fort,  bringing  the  mail  from  the  valley  with  the  following  letter  of  instructions  from 
President  Brigham  Young: 

'"Dec.  7th,  1856. 
"'Brothers  Jones,  Alexander  and  Hampton,  in  charge  at  Devil's  Gate,  and  the  rest 

of  the  brethren  at  that  place: 
"'Dear  Brethren: 

"'Being  somewhat  aware  of  a  natural  disposition  in  many  to  relax  their  vigilance 
after  a  temporary  and  unaccustomed  watchfulness,  more  especially  in  case  no  partic- 
ular cause  of  alarm  is  of  frequent  occurrence,  I  feel  impressed  to  write  a  few  sugges- 
tions and  words  of  counsel  to  you  all.  You  are  in  an  Indian  country,  few  in  number, 
blockaded  by  the  snows,  and  far  from  assistance  at  this  season  of  the  year.  Under  such 
circumstances  you  can  but  realize  the  necessity  of  all  you  being  constantly  on  the  alert, 
to  be  firm,  steady,  sober-minded  and  sober-bodied,  united,  faithful  and  watchful, 
living  your  religion.  Do  not  go  from  your  fort  in  small  parties  of  one,  two  or  three  at 
a  time.  But  when  game  is  to  be  sought,  wood  got  up,  or  any  other  operation  to  be 
performed  requiring  you  to  travel  from  under  the  protection  of  the  fort  guns,  go  in 
bands  of  some  ten  or  twelve  together,  and  let  them  be  well  armed;  and  let  those  who 
stay  by  the  stuff  be  watchful  while  their  comrades  are  out.  And  at  all  times  and  under 
all  circumstances  let  every  person  have  his  arms  and  ammunitions  ready  for  active 
service  at  a  moment's  warning,  so  you  cannot  be  surprised  by  your  foes  nor  in  any  way 
be  taken  advantage  of,  whether  in  or  out  of  the  fort.  Always  have  plenty  of  water 
about  the  buildings,  and  be  very  careful  about  fires,  and  the  preservation  from  damp, 
fire  or  other  damage  of  the  goods  in  your  care.  Unless  buffalo  or  other  game  come 
within  a  reasonable  distance,  you  had  better  kill  some  of  the  cattle  than  run  much  risk 
in  quest  of  game.  Use  all  due  diligence  for  the  preservation  of  your  stock,  and  try  to 
so  ration  our  your  flour  as  to  have  it  last  until  we  can  send  you  relief,  which,  as  before 
stated,  will  be  forwarded  as  early  as  possible  in  the  spring,  but  may  not  reach  you  until 
May,  depending  somewhat  on  the  winter  snows  and  spring  weather,  of  which  you  will 
be  able  to  form  an  estimate  as  the  season  advances. 

"  'We  will  send  teams  to  your  relief  as  early  as  possible  in  the  spring,  and  trust  to 
learn  that  all  has  been  well  with  you  and  the  property  in  your  care.  Brothers  Little 
and  Hanks  will  furnish  you  with  items  of  news  from  the  valley  and  I  will  forward  you 
some  packages  of  our  papers  by  them. 

"'Praying  you  may  be  united,  faithful  and  protected, 

I  remain,  Your  brother  in  the  gospel, 

"'Brigham  Young.' 

"From  this  letter  it  is  plain  to  see  that  Brother  Brigham  was  not  apprised  of  our 
condition. 

"Soon  after,  the  Magraw  mail  company  came  along  under  the  charge  of  Jesse 
Jones.   They  left  their  coaches,  fitted  up  with  packs  and  started  for  the  valley. 

"They  went  down  sixty  miles  to  Platte  bridge  to  winter.  There  were  no  provisions 
to  be  had  at  the  Bridge,  for  three  of  us  had  been  down  to  see  if  we  could  get  supplies. 
We  barely  got  enough  to  last  us  back.  The  mountaineers  there  had  some  cattle  but  no 
bread,  they  lived  by  hunting. 

"Game  soon  became  so  scarce  that  we  could  kill  nothing.  We  ate  all  the  poor 
meat;  one  could  get  hungry  eating  it.  Finally  that  was  all  gone,  nothing  now  but  hides 
were  left.  We  made  a  trial  of  them.  A  lot  was  cooked  and  eaten  without  any  seasoning, 
and  it  made  the  whole  company  sick.  Many  were  so  turned  against  the  stuff  that  it 
made  them  sick  to  think  of  it.  We  had  coffee  and  some  sugar,  but  drinking  coffee 
seemed  to  only  destroy  the  appetite,  and  stimulate  for  only  a  little  while.  One  man 
became  delirious  from  drinking  so  much  of  it.  Things  looked  dark,  for  nothing  re- 
mained but  the  poor  raw  hides  taken  from  starved  cattle.  We  asked  the  Lord  to  direct 
us  what  to  do.  The  brethren  did  not  murmur,  but  felt  to  trust  in  God.  We  had  cooked 
the  hide,  after  soaking  and  scraping  the  hair  off  until  it  was  soft  and  then  ate  it,  glue 
and  all.  This  made  it  rather  inclined  to  stay  with  us  longer  than  we  desired.  Finally  I 
was  impressed  how  to  fix  the  stuff,  and  gave  the  company  advice,  telling  them  how  to 
cook  it;  for  them  to  scorch  and  scrape  the  hair  off;  this  had  a  tendency  to  kill  and  purify 


THE    devil's    gate  469 

the  bad  taste  that  scalding  gave  it.  After  scraping,  boil  one  hour  in  plenty  of  water, 
throwing  the  water  away  which  had  extracted  all  the  glue,  then  wash  and  scrape  the 
hide  thoroughly,  washing  in  cold  water,  than  boil  to  a  jelly  and  let  it  get  cold,  and  then 
eat  with  a  little  sugar  sprinkled  on  it.  This  was  considerable  trouble,  but  we  had  little 
else  to  do  and  it  was  better  than  starving. 

"We  asked  the  Lord  to  bless  our  stomachs  and  adapt  them  to  this  food.  We 
hadn't  the  faith  to  ask  Him  to  bless  the  raw-hide,  for  it  was  hard  stock.  On  eating  now 
all  seemed  to  relish  the  feast.  We  were  three  days  without  eating  before  this  second 
attempt  was  made.  We  enjoyed  this  sumptuous  fare  for  about  six  weeks,  and  never 
had  the  gout. 

"In  February  the  first  Indian  came  to  our  camp.  He  was  of  the  Snake  tribe,  his 
people  were  located  a  day's  travel  up  the  river.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival  we  were  out 
of  everything,  having  not  only  eaten  the  hides  taken  from  cattle  killed,  but  had  eaten 
the  wrappings  from  the  wagon-tongues,  old  moccasin-soles  were  eaten  also,  and  a  piece 
of  buffalo  hide  that  had  been  used  for  a  foot  mat  for  two  months.  The  day  the  Indian 
came  was  fast-day,  and  for  us  fast-day  in  very  truth.  We  met  as  usual,  for  we  kept 
our  monthly  fast-day.  During  the  meeting  we  became  impressed  that  there  were  some 
wrongs  existing  among  the  brethren  in  camp  that  should  be  corrected,  and  that  if  we 
would  make  a  general  cleaning  up,  and  present  our  case  before  the  Lord,  He  would  take 
care  of  us,  for  we  were  on  His  business.  On  questioning  some  of  the  company  privately, 
we  found  that  several  had  goods  in  their  possession  not  belonging  to  them.  When  we 
felt  satisfied  all  goods  were  replaced  we  went  en  ivasse  and  cut  a  hole  in  the  ice  on  the 
river.  There  were  several  carcasses  of  cattle  that  had  died  lying  near  the  fort,  that  the 
wolves  had  not  devoured.  Some  of  the  boys,  contrary  to  counsel,  had  cut  steaks  from 
them  during  the  time  we  were  eating  the  hides;  it  made  them  quite  sick.  There 
was  a  pile  of  ofFal  in  the  butcher  shop  from  the  poor  cattle  killed.  But  what  looked 
more  tempting  than  all  to  starving  men  was  a  pile  of  more  than  one  hundred  fat  wolf 
carcasses,  skinned,  piled  up  and  frozen  near  the  fort.  They  looked  very  much  like  nice 
fat  mutton.  Many  of  the  company  asked  my  opinion  about  eating  them.  I  told  them 
if  they  would  all  do  as  I  advised  we  would  have  a  good  clean  supper  of  healthy  food; 
that  these  carcasses  were  unclean;  that  we  were  on  the  Lord's  service,  and  did  not 
believe  He  wanted  us  to  suffer  so  much,  if  we  only  had  faith  to  trust  Him  and  ask  for 
better.  We  all  became  united  in  this  feeling.  Accordingly  we  hauled  all  these  car- 
casses of  cattle,  the  wolves,  also  the  offal  from  the  store-house  and  shoved  them  into 
the  hole  cut  in  the  ice,  where  they  floated  off  out  of  our  reach.  We  then  went  and 
washed  out  our  store-house  and  presented  it  before  the  Lord  empty,  but  clean. 

"Near  sundown  the  Indian  spoken  of  came  to  our  quarters.  Some  of  the  boys 
hunted  up  a  small  piece  of  raw-hide  and  gave  it  to  him.  He  said  he  had  eaten  it  before. 
None  of  us  were  able  to  talk  much  with  him;  we  invited  him  to  remain  with  us  over 
night.  Evening  came  on  and  no  supper;  eight  o'clock,  no  word  from  anyone.  And  the 
word  had  positively  been  given  that  we  should  have  supper.  Between  eight  and  nine 
o'clock  all  were  sitting  waiting,  now  and  then  good-naturedly  saying  it  was  most  supper 
time.  No  one  seemed  disheartened.  All  at  once  we  heard  a  strange  noise  resembling 
human  voices  down  the  road.  The  voices  were  loud  and  in  an  unknown  tongue. 
Several  of  us,  taking  our  arms,  started  in  the  direction  of  the  noise.  On  getting  nearer 
we  recognized  the  voices.  The  Magraw  party  was  making  another  effort  to  get  through 
with  their  coaches;  they  had  got  stuck  in  a  snow  drift  and  the  noise  we  heard  was 
Canadian  Frenchmen  swearing  at  their  mules.  We  helped  them  out  and  guided  them 
into  the  fort.  It  was  a  bitter  cold  night,  but  we  had  good  houses  with  rousing  fires. 
They  gave  to  our  cook  all  of  their  provisions.  About  ten  o'clock  twenty-six  hungry 
men  sat  down  to  about  as  thankfully  received  a  supper  as  was  ever  partaken  of  by 
mortal  man. 

"  In  January  when  this  party  passed  through  to  Platte  bridge,  I  sent  word  by  them 
to  the  mountaineers  there  that  we  would  pay  a  good  price  for  meat  brought  to  us.  Two 
of  their  best  hunters  made  the  attempt  to  get  us  meat,  but  failed,  almost  starving  them- 
selves on  the  hunt.  They  never  reached  our  fort,  but  returned  to  their  homes  on  the 
Platte. 

"After  supper  we  found  there  was  scarcely  enough  left  for  breakfast.  One  of  the 
mail  company,  a  Frenchman,  commenced  talking  with    the  Indian,  explaining  our 


470  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

situation  to  him.  He  said  their  camp  was  also  out  of  meat;  that  they  were  hungry,  and 
that  he  was  out  prospecting  for  game,  as  there  was  none  in  the  neighborhood  of  their 
camp,  but  he  thought  he  could  find  game  the  next  day  if  some  one  would  go  with  him 
toward  the  Crow  Indians,  who  were  supposed  to  be  in  the  direction  of  the  game.  This 
seemed  the  only  show,  so  Jesse  Jones  decided  to  lay  over  and  send  out  his  hunter  with 
some  pack  animals;  also  ten  of  our  company,  the  stoutest  and  most  willing.  They,  no 
doubt,  would  have  fought  the  whole  Crow  nation  to  have  protected  our  Indian  friend. 

"Late  that  evening  the  Frenchmen  and  Indian  came  into  the  fort  with  their 
animals  loaded  with  good  buffalo  meat.  They  were  all  delighted  with  the  Indian, 
telling  how  he  killed  the  buffalo  with  his  arrows,  the  Frenchmen  shooting  first  and 
wounding  the  animal  and  the  Indian  doing  the  rest. 

"These  Indians  of  the  plains  killed  a  great  many  buffalo  with  arrows.  They  would 
stick  two  arrows  into  a  buffalo's  heart,  crossing  their  direction  so  that  as  the  buffalo 
ran  these  arrows  would  work  and  cut  his  heart  almost  in  two.  This  would  soon  bring 
the  poor  brute  down;  whereas  with  a  single  arrow  in  the  heart  they  would  run  a  long 
distance. 

"The  mail  company  again  fitted  up  with  packs,  leaving  their  coaches,  this  time 
making  the  trip  successfully.  They  left  all  the  meat  they  could  spare,  taking  only 
scant  rations  with  them. 

"The  Indian  went  away,  saying  he  would  tell  his  people  about  us,  and  if  they 
found  any  meat  they  would  divide.  It  did  not  take  long  for  twenty  hungry  men  to  eat 
all  our  supplies.  About  the  4th  of  March  the  last  morsel  had  been  eaten  for  breakfast. 
We  went  hunting  daily,  sometimes  killing  a  little  small  game,  but  nothing  of  account. 
Our  provisions  were  exhausted  and  we  had  cleaned  up  everything  before  Jesse  Jones 
came  to  our  relief.  We  were  now  in  a  tight  place.  There  was  a  set  of  harness  and  a 
pack  saddle  covered  with  rawhide  still  on  hand,  that  some  of  the  boys  considered  safe 
to  depend  upon  for  a  few  days,  still  we  had  great  hopes  of  getting  something  better. 
Our  faith  had  been  much  strengthened  by  receiving  the  supplies  mentioned. 

"As  usual,  we  went  out  to  see  what  we  could  find  in  the  way  of  game.  After 
traveling  through  the  snow  for  several  miles  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  we  saw  a  drove 
of  mountain  sheep.  They  were  standing,  seemingly  entirely  off  their  guard.  I  was  in 
front  and  saw  the  sheep,  as  I  supposed,  before  they  saw  me.  We  dodged  down  out  of 
sight.  I  crept  to  a  large  rock,  fully  expecting  to  get  meat.  When  I  looked  to  get  a  shot, 
the  game  was  gone;  I  could  see  it  making  for  the  top  of  the  mountain.  We  watched 
them  for  a  minute  or  two  and  they  were  soon  too  far  for  us  to  follow.  My  heart  almost 
failed  me,  and  I  could  have  cried  like  a  child,  for  I  knew  that  nothing  was  in  camp  when 
we  left,  and  our  comrades  expected  us  to  bring  something  for  supper.  We  were  convinced 
that  nothing  could  be  obtained  this  day  by  hunting,  so  we  started  for  home.  After 
traveling  a  few  miles  we  struck  the  road  below  Devil's  Gate,  and  here  we  stopped  to  hold 
a  council.  As  will  be  remembered,  our  instructions  from  Brother  Brigham  were  never 
to  leave  the  fort  with  less  than  ten  men.  There  never  had  been  a  tirne  when  we  had 
that  many  men  able  to  stand  very  hard  service.  Sometimes  I  felt  like  disregarding 
counsel  and  going  out  to  try  to  get  food,  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  But  up  to  this  time 
we  had  all  followed  instructions  as  nearly  as  possible.  Now  here  was  a  trial  for  me. 
I  firmly  believed  I  could  go  on  foot  to  Platte  bridge  and  get  something  to  save  the  lives 
of  my  comrades.  Very  few  of  the  others  were  able,  but  all  were  willing  to  go  with  me. 
I  told  them  if  counsel  had  to  be  broken  I  would  risk  no  one  but  myself,  and  would  go 
alone.  The  boys  thought  they  could  live  five  days  before  starving.  So  it  was  arranged 
that  I  should  start  alone  next  morning  for  the  Platte  bridge.  I  had  now  been  one  day 
without  food,  and  it  would  take  two  more  to  reach  the  bridge,  as  the  snow  was  from 
eighteen  inches  to  three  feet  deep.  This  looked  a  little  hard,  but  I  fully  made  up  my 
mind  to  try  it. 

"On  arriving  in  sight  of  camp  we  saw  a  number  of  horses;  we  knew  some  one 
had  arrived,  but  had  no  idea  who  it  was.  A  shout  of  joy  rang  out  from  our  crowd  that 
made  the  hills  ring.  The  new  arrivals  proved  to  be  the  first  company  of  the  Y.  X.  Ex- 
press. This  was  the  first  effort  of  this  firm  to  send  the  mail  through.  Several  acquaint- 
ances were  along,  and  of  course  we  were  rejoiced  to  see  them,  especially  so  when  we 
learned  they  had  a  good  supper  for  us.  A  day  or  two  before  their  arrival  they  had 
killed  a  large  buffalo,  and  they  packed  the  whole  of  it  into  our  camp.    I  remember 


THE    DEVIL   S    GATE  471 

about  the  first  thing  I  did  after  shaking  hands,  was  to  drink  a  pint  of  strong  salty 
broth,  where  some  salt  pork  had  been  boiled. 

"When  the  company  arrived,  some  of  our  boys  were  getting  the  pack  saddle 
soaked  up,  ready  for  cooking  the  hide  covering.  As  it  was,  the  saddle  was  allowed  to 
dry  up  again  and  it  may  be  in  existence  yet  and  doing  well  as  far  as  I  know. 

"Ben  Hampton  and  myself  started  to  go  to  Platte  bridge  with  this  party,  intend- 
ing to  get  some  supplies  if  possible.  We  had  gone  but  a  few  miles  when  we  met  some 
men  from  the  Platte  bringing  us  some  beef.  They  had  heard  in  some  way  that  we  were 
still  alive.  I  think  the  Indians  must  have  sent  the  word.  They  could  not  get  buffalo 
meat,  so  had  killed  some  cattle  and  were  bringing  them  to  us.  They  had  been  four 
days  on  the  road,  tramping  snow  and  working  through  drifts,  expecting  to  find  us 
starving.  I  often  think  of  these  old  pioneers,  who  were  always  so  ready  to  help  a 
fellow  man  in  need.  We  returned  to  the  fort  with  the  meat.  We  paid  for  it  in  goods 
from  Brother  Van  Cott's  boxes,  paying  mostly  calico  and  domestic.  They  charged  us 
ten  cents  a  pound,  which  was  very  cheap  considering. 

"While  Jesse  Jones  was  in  camp,  one  of  his  men  gave  me  a  small  book  of  words  in 
the  Snake  language.  I  expected  the  Indians  would  come  around  and  studied  hard 
every  day.  Soon  they  commenced  coming  in  to  see  us.  There  were  over  lOO  lodges  of 
Snakes  and  Bannocks  who  came  in  from  the  Wind  River  country  and  camped  about 
fifteen  miles  from  us.  Small  bands  camped  around  us  in  different  directions.  They 
soon  learned  we  were  short  of  provisions.  The  first  party  that  brought  meat  to  us 
wanted  to  charge  an  unreasonable  price  for  it.  I  talked  with  them  quite  a  while  before 
they  would  consent  to  sell  it  cheaper.  They  said  that  they  themselves  were  hungry, 
showing  us  their  bare  arms,  how  lean  they  were.  But  I  told  them  it  was  not  just  to 
take  advantage  of  our  circumstances.  I  weighed  up  a  dollar's  worth  of  meat  on  a  pair  of 
spring  balances,  marked  the  scales  plainly  and  told  them  I  would  give  them  no  more. 
They  consented,  and  we  bought  hundreds  of  pounds  afterwards  without  more  trouble. 
In  buying  we  had  to  weigh  one  dollar's  worth  at  a  time,  no  matter  how  much  they  sold 
us.  We  exchanged  various  articles  with  them,  many  of  the  company  trading  shirts, 
handkerchiefs  and  such  things  as  they  could  spare.  We  had  some  coffee,  for  which 
the  Indians  traded  readily.  This  helped  us  oat  for  a  short  season,  but  game  became  so 
scarce  that  this  camp  of  natives  had  to  move  out  or  starve.  They  came  up  the  first  day 
and  pitched  their  lodges  near  us.  We  had  but  little  provisions  on  hand,  some  meat  and 
a  few  pounds  of  flour  that  we  used  to  thicken  our  broth,  was  all.  We  had  about  lost 
our  appetite  for  bread.  We  were  a  little  uneasy  to  have  all  these  hungry  Indians  come 
upon  us  at  once;  the  greatest  care  had  to  be  taken  to  avoid  trouble.  They  were  not  of 
the  best  class,  being  a  party  made  up  of  Snakes  and  Bannocks,  who  had  left  their 
regular  tribes  and  chiefs  and  joined  together  under  an  ambitious  young  fellow  named 
Tabawantooa.  Washakie,  the  old  Snake  chief,  called  them  bad  men.  There  was  one 
little  party  under  an  old  petty  chief,  Toquatah,  who  kept  apart  from  the  main  band. 
From  them  we  had  procured  most  of  our  meat.  Toquatah  had  informed  us  that  the 
main  band  and  his  were  not  on  the  best  of  terms,  and  that  Tabawantooa  was  no  good . 
This  naturally  made  us  feel  a  little  uneasy.  We  had  some  200  wagon  loads  of  valuable 
goods  under  our  charge,  and  only  twenty  men,  the  greater  portion  of  them  with  no 
frontier  experience.  ,    ^     .  ,  r  1         t    j-  j 

"By  this  time  I  could  talk  considerable  Snake,  and  many  of  these  Indians  under- 
stood Ute.  Tabawantooa  and  his  band  came  in  sight  of  our  quarters  about  noon.  They 
were  all  mounted  and  well  armed.  The  chief  with  many  others  rode  up  in  quite  a  pom- 
pous style,  no  doubt  expecting  to  be  looked  upon  with  awe  and  treated  with  great 
deference.  I  had  time  to  get  mv  wits  together  before  they  got  to  the  gate  where  an 
armed  guard  was  stationed.  Knowing  that  from  such  as  we  had  we  would  have  to 
make  a  great  showing  of  hospitality  we  concluded  to  make  up  in  ceremony  what  was 
lacking  in  food.  So  all  the  camp-kettles  and  coftee-pots  were  filled  and  put  on.  1  he 
one  for  weak  soup,  the  other  for  strong  coffee.   We  had  plenty  ot  the  latter  on  hand. 

"The  company  was  instructed  to  go  into  their  rooms,  shut  the  doors,  keep  quiet, 
and  not  to  show  themselves  unless  ordered  to  do  so.  I  was  to  meet  the  Indians  outside 
and  invite  them  in  the  gate,  as  we  knew  the  chief  and  grandees  ot  the  band  would 
expect  to  be  entertained.  Soon  the  chief  with  some  fifty  others  rode  up  to  the  tort,  while 
hundreds  more  passed  on  a  short  distance  and  commenced  to  put  up  their  lodges.    1 


472  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

met  the  chief,  shook  hands,  and  asked  him  to  get  down  and  come  in.  He  wanted  to 
know  if  they  could  ride  inside.  I  told  him  no,  and  explained  to  him  that  we  had  a  lot 
of  men  in  the  fort  who  were  afraid  of  Indians;  and  that  they  had  gone  into  their  houses 
and  shut  the  doors;  but  the  door  of  my  house  was  open  for  them,  but  that  these  men, 
who  were  afraid,  should  not  be  frightened;  they  must  leave  their  horses  and  arms  out- 
side the  fort.  This  the  chief  agreed  to  do  and  appointed  a  man  to  see  that  no  one  came 
in  with  arms.  Soon  my  room  was  full.  I  explained  to  the  chief  that  we  had  little  to 
eat  and  could  not  entertain  many;  but  half  we  had  they  were  welcome  to.  I  talked  and 
acted  as  if  we  were  glad  to  see  them,  still  I,  with  all  my  friendship  for  Indians,  would 
have  been  willing  for  this  band  to  have  taken  another  road.  The  weak  soup  and  strong 
coffee  were  soon  ready;  cups  were  filled  and  the  feast  comnienced.  The  chief  sent  word 
for  those  outside  to  go  on  to  camp,  probably  seeing  his  rations  would  be  short  if  many 
more  came  in.  Indians,  when  hungry,  relish  anything  that  tightens  their  belts,  so  our 
friends  filled  and  emptied  their  cups  many  times.  Soon  those  that  had  remained  were 
satisfied,  bade  us  good-by,  mounted  their  horses  and  started  to  their  camp,  the  chief 
inviting  us  to  go  and  take  supper  with  them.  We  went  up  late  in  the  day.  Some  coffee 
had  been  given  the  chief  and  at  supper  we  feasted  on  poor  antelope  meat  and  coffee. 
We  were  told  that  but  one  antelope  had  been  killed  that  day  and  that  the  chief  had 
been  presented  with  it. 

"The  whole  camp  were  about  out  of  food  except  thistle  roots.  These  were  not 
very  plentiful,  as  we  had  already  dug  and  eaten  the  most  that  could  be  found  for  miles 
around  our  quarters.  These  natives  moved  on  the  next  morning,  Toquatah's  band 
being  still  in  the  rear.  In  a  day  or  two  the  last  band  came  along  and  camped  near  us. 
We  were  glad  to  see  them  and  wanted  them  to  remain  near  us,  but  they  were  afraid 
of  the  Crow  Indians  and  desired  to  keep  in  the  vicinity  of  the  larger  band  for  protec- 
tion against  their  common  enemy.  We  explained  to  them  our  destitute  condition, 
telling  them  that  we  were  again  about  out  of  provisions,  and  would  be  sorry  to  have 
them  leave,  for  while  they  were  near  they  had  never  let  us  suffer  for  meat.  Next  morn- 
ing the  old  chief  said  he  would  go  out  twelve  miles  to  a  gap  in  the  mountains  and  camp, 
and  if  he  could  find  any  game  he  would  let  us  have  some  dried  meat  he  had  reserved. 
We  waited  a  day  and  then  went  to  see  if  our  freinds  were  prospered.  Nothing  had 
been  found.  Ten  of  us  stayed  all  night  with  the  Indians  and  we  barely  got  enough  for 
supper  and  breakfast.  The  chief  told  us  to  go  back  home;  he  would  move  on  a  little 
farther;  if  he  found  anything  he  would  send  it  to  us.  His  spirit  towards  us  was  some- 
thing like  a  mother's  with  a  lot  of  hungry  children. 

"We  went  home  feeling  a  little  sad.  We  had  our  animals,  but  did  not  wish  to  kill 
them;  still  we  felt  safe  as  long  as  mule  flesh  was  on  hand.  To  our  joy,  next  day  some 
Indians  came  from  their  camp,  bringing  us  three  hundred  pounds  of  buffalo  meat;  and 
informing  us  that  they  had  seen  signs  of  game;  and  if  we  would  come  to  them  the  next 
morning,  they  might  let  us  have  some  more.  The  weather  was  still  cold,  but  the  snow 
was  mostly  gone  from  the  lowlands,  it  being  now  near  the  first  of  April.  When  we 
arrived  at  their  camp  the  Indians  were  just  starting  out  to  move  a  few  rniles  farther 
towards  where  the  signs  of  buffalo  had  been  seen.  We  had  taken  a  few  things  with  us 
to  trade  for  the  meat.  We  camped  in  the  afternoon  some  thirty  miles  from  home.  The 
old  chief  called  out  and  soon  the  squaws  commenced  bringing  in  a  few  pounds  each  of 
good  dried  meat.  We  traded  for  about  300  pounds  —  all  our  mules  could  pack  and 
about  all  the  Indians  could  spare.  This,  of  course,  was  all  we  could  expect,  but  the  old 
chief  said  maybe  they  could  do  more  for  us  in  the  morning.  Next  morning  after  breakfast, 
we  saddled  up,  packing  our  dried  meat  on  the  mule.  As  we  were  about  ready  to  start 
there  was  quite  a  commotion  in  camp.  We  thought  at  first  the  Crow  Indians  were  upon 
us,  but  the  old  chief,  looking  in  an  easterly  direction  said, '  It  is  some  of  the  young  men 
driving  the  buffalo.  Now  good-by.  You  go  back  on  your  road  and  you  \vill  find  some 
more  meat  ready  for  you  soon.'  We  started  and  had  gone  but  a  short  distance,  prob- 
ably three  miles,  when  we  found  the  buffalo  that  was  being  chased  had  been  run  into 
our  trail,  killed  and  made  ready  to  deliver  to  us.  We  gave  some  few  things  we  had  left 
and  they  loaded  both  of  our  saddle  animals.  This  left  us  nearly  thirty  miles  to  go 
afoot.  We  did  not  mind  this  on  the  start,  but  did  before  we  got  home.  I  had  been 
wearing  moccasins  all  winter,  had  done  a  great  deal  of  walking  and  had  felt  well  and 
strong;  but  the  winter  had  begun  to  break  and  there  was  mud  and  wet  snow  to  en- 


THE    DEVIL   S    GATE  473 

counter  on  our  trip.  Some  one  had  induced  me  to  put  on  a  heavy  pair  of  stiff-soled 
English  shoes.  About  sundown  I  gave  out;  got  so  lame  that  it  was  impossible  for  me 
to  wear  the  shoes  and  travel.  We  had  about  ten  miles  to  go  yet,  and  no  trail,  as  the 
Indian  trail  was  much  longer  than  to  cross  directly  over  the  country,  and  we  wished 
to  take  the  shortest  cut.  Moreover  there  was  still  a  few  inches  of  snow  on  the  ground 
part  of  the  way  on  the  most  direct  route.  I  was  compelled  to  pull  off  my  shoes  and  go  in 
my  stocking  feet.  About  midnight  we  got  in,  my  feet  a  little  the  worse  for  wear;  but 
so  happy  were  we  with  our  success  that  my  feet  soon  got  well.  About  this  time  the 
second  company  of  the  Y.  X.  Express  passed  down.  They  had  but  little  to  spare  us,  but 
we  were  now  out  of  danger.  We  got  a  little  flour,  and  bacon  and  salt.  The  word  was 
that  the  next  company  would  bring  us  flour.  The  most  of  us  had  got  so  that  we  cared 
but  little  for  bread  if  we  could  have  plenty  of  meat.  Another  Y.  X.  company  soon 
arrived,  going  east.  They  gave  us  a  little  flour  and  other  provisions;  they  also  brought 
us  letters  telling  us  when  the  relief  train  would  arrive. 

"Making  a  close  estimate  of  the  food  we  now  had,  we  found  it  would  last  us  till 
the  promised  provisions  could  arrive,  which  would  be  about  the  first  of  May.  There 
were  twenty  of  us  now.  We  quit  rationing  and  ate  all  we  wanted.  Now  the  food  soon 
began  to  diminish  very  fast.  At  this  time  we  could  go  to  the  Platte  bridge  and  get 
provisions,  but  on  calling  the  company  together  all  hands  agreed  to  make  the  meat 
last  by  again  rationing.  We  could  do  this  quite  easily,  allowing  one  and  a  half  pounds 
per  day.  We  lived  a  few  days  on  these  rations  and  all  seemed  content  until  one  day  I 
was  informed  that  there  was  a  great  dissatisfaction  being  manifested  by  some  of  the 
company  about  the  rations.  I  immediately  called  the  company  together  to  see  what 
was  the  trouble.  Several  expressed  themselves  quite  freely,  finding  fault  for  being  ra- 
tioned when  provisions  could  be  had  and  saying  that  they  thought  I  ought  to  go  and 
get  something  to  eat  and  not  have  them  suffer  any  more.  We  had  suffered  everything 
that  men  could  suffer  and  live.  We  had  often  been  on  the  point  of  starvation.  Some- 
times becoming  so  weak  that  we  could  scarcely  get  our  firewood,  having  to  go  some 
distance  to  the  mountain  for  it.  We  were  now  all  in  good  health  and  had,  as  I  under- 
stood, willingly  agreed  to  be  rationed  for  a  few  days,  until  relief  came  from  Salt  Lake 
City.  I  did  not  care  so  much  for  the  trouble  of  going  for  provisions,  but  I  felt  a  great 
deal  of  pride  in  the  spirit  of  the  company  and  this  was  a  sore  disappointment  for  me, 
for  no  one  had  a  just  reason  to  find  fault.  I  said,  'Well,  I  will  go  and  get  you  all  you 
want.  Now  pitch  in  and  eat  your  fill.  I  will  have  more  by  the  time  you  eat  what  is  on 
hand.' 

"That  same  evening  twenty  men  arrived  at  our  camp,  bringing  nearly  a  ton  of 
flour  and  other  provisions.  This  company  had  been  sent  to  strengthen  our  post.  They 
informed  us  that  there  was  a  large  company  of  apostates  on  the  road.  Before  leaving 
Salt  Lake  some  of  this  company  had  made  threats  that  indicated  danger  to  us.  The 
circumstances  leading  to  the  threats  were  these:  The  goods  we  were  guarding  belonged 
to  the  last  season's  emigrants.  The  wagon  companies  freighting  them  through  agreed 
to  deliver  them  in  Salt  Lake  City.  These  goods  were  to  be  taken  in  and  delivered  as 
by  contract.  Some  of  the  owners  had  become  dissatisfied  with  Mormonism  and  were 
going  back  to  the  states.  As  their  goods  had  not  arrived  in  Salt  Lake  City,  they  de- 
manded that  they  should  be  delivered  at  Devil's  Gate.  Quite  a  number  settled  their 
freight  bills  and  brought  orders  for  their  goods  and  received  them  all  right.  Others 
refused  to  settle,  but  threatened  that  if  the  goods  were  not  given  up  they  would  take 
them  by  force.  The  company  was  composed  largely  of  this  class  and  their  backers. 
They  numbered  about  fifty  men.  The  twenty  men  coming  to  our  relief  were  sent  under 
the  emergency.  We  now  had  forty  men,  well  armed,  the  twenty  sent  being  picked  for 
the  occasion.  Our  old  company  were  reliable.  I  now  got  my  company  ready  for  fight 
if  necessary.  We  had  prepared  port  holes  in  front  of  the  fort  and  here  I  stationed  some 
of  the  best  shots.  Soon  we  saw  the  men  approaching.  I  did  not  wish  bloodshed,  and 
fully  believed  that  they  were  making  a  bluff,  so  concluded  to  try  and  beat  them  at 
their  own  game.  I  instructed  some  of  the  best  marksmen  what  to  do  in  case  shooting 
had  to  be  done.  As  the  men  approached,  I  went  out  alone  and  stood  about  thirty 
yards  from  the  fort,  having  only  my  pistol,  and  told  them  to  halt.  They  halted  but 
commenced  to  threaten  and  abuse  the  whole  fraternity,  sparing  none.  I  explained  our 
situation,  being  simply  custodian  of  the  goods,  not  knowing  whose  they  were,  but 


474  HISTORY    OF    NATRONA    COUNTY 

only  knew  who  left  us  there,  and  we  could  not  consistently  recognize  any  orders  except 
from  those  under  whose  instructions  we  were  acting.  My  reasoning  had  no  effect  what- 
ever and  they  decided  to  take  the  goods  from  us.  I  said,  'We  have  been  here  all  winter, 
eating  poor  beef  and  rawhide  to  take  care  of  these  goods.  We  have  had  but  little  fun, 
and  would  just  as  soon  have  some  now  as  not,  in  fact  would  like  a  little  row.  If  you 
think  you  can  take  the  fort,  just  try  it.  But  I  don't  think  you  can  take  me  to  commence 
with;  and  the  first  one  who  offers  any  violence  to  me  is  a  dead  man.  Now  I  dare  you  to 
go  past  me  towards  the  fort.'    My  bluff  stuck  and  after  this  we  had  no  more  trouble. 

"The  wagons  being  sent  out  for  the  goods  soon  began  to  arrive.  Provisions  were 
not  in  question  now  as  we  had  plenty.  There  was  also  a  big  Y.  X.  company  going  down 
to  stock  the  road  and  a  company  of  elders  traveling  with  hand-carts  came  through  from 
Salt  Lake  City.  It  was  about  one  week  from  the  first  arrival  until  the  last  of  these 
arrived. 

"  There  were  over  200  teams  now  on  the  groimd,  many  of  the  owners  beginning  to  get 
impatient  at  the  delay.  I  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do,  so  I  went  out  after  night  and  asked 
the  Lord  to  help  me  out.  I  told  Him  I  desired  to  do  exactly  what  was  best,  but  did  not 
know  a  thing  about  it,  and  made  this  proposition :  that  I  would  take  my  clerk  with  me 
in  the  morning,  and  when  a  question  was  asked  me  by  any  one  what  to  do,  I  would 
tell  the  clerk  to  write  down  just  what  first  came  to  my  mind.  And  if  that  was  right  to 
please  remove  the  spirit  of  oppression  that  I  was  laboring  under  and  allow  me  to  go 
back  to  the  fort  and  enjoy  myself  with  my  friends.  My  mind  was  at  once  entirely 
relieved.  I  went  and  passed  a  pleasant  evening.  Next  morning  without  saying  anything 
about  the  lack  of  instructions  we  commenced  business.  Soon  some  asked  whose  teams 
were  to  be  loaded  first,  and  I  dictated  to  my  clerk.  Thus  we  continued.  As  fast  as  the 
clerk  put  them  down  orders  would  be  given  and  we  passed  on  to  the  next.  We  continued 
this  four  days.  Everything  that  I  felt  to  be  my  duty  was  done.  All  the  teams  were 
loaded  up,  companies  organized  and  started  back,  men  detailed  to  remain  a  while 
longer,  elders  furnished  flour,  and  a  great  deal  of  business  was  done.  A  memoran- 
dum was  kept  of  all  of  this. 

"I  hitched  up  a  team  and  started  for  home  when  everything  was  in  shape.  I 
reached  Salt  Lake  City  a  few  hours  ahead  of  the  freight  teams,  and  went  to  President 
Young's  office.  He  was  very  glad  to  see  me,  expressing  much  sympathy  and  saying 
that  if  he  had  known  of  our  suffering  in  time  he  would  have  sent  supplies  at  any  cost. 

"When  I  left  Devil's  Gate  for  Salt  Lake  City,  it  was  with  the  understanding  that 
I  was  to  return  there  and  take  charge  of  the  place  as  a  Y.  X.  station  agent,  but  I  had 
had  enough  of  Devil's  Gate  and  never  returned." 

Devil's  Gate  must  have  seemed  appropriately  named  to  these 
and  the  thousands  of  other  poor  people  who  passed  over  the  Trail. 
By  the  time  they  reached  this  place  away  out  on  the  plains  it  surely 
must  have  seemed  like  the  Gate  of  Hell  to  them.  Those  who  pass 
there  now,  however,  could  hardly  imagine  that  so  much  suffering  and 
death  could  have  occurred  unless  by  pestilence  or  massacre. 


INDEX 

PAGE 

Title  Page i 

Foreword iii 

Preface v 

List  of  Illustrations ix 

Organization  of  Wyoming  as  a  Territory  and  State i,  et  seq. 

Population  and  Assessed  Valuation  1870  and  1877 4 

Governors  of  Territory  and  State 4-5 

Organization  of  Natrona  County 6,  et  seq. 

Officers  from  1890  to  1923 16 

Senators  and  Representatives  in  Legislature 17 

Judges  of  the  District  Court 17-18 

Assessed  Valuations 18,  et  seq. 

Earnings  in  County  Clerk's  Office 21 

Budget  for  1922 21-22 

The  County  Poor  Farm 22 

Banks  of  the  County 23,  et  seq. 

Newspapers  of  the  County 28,  et  seq. 

The  Two  Court  Houses 34>  et  seq. 

County  Public  Library 39,  et  seq. 

County  Public  Hospital 44.  et  seq. 

Railroads  in  the  County 47.  et  seq. 

Railroad  Wrecks SO,  et  seq. 

Some  Hot  Politics 55.  et  seq. 

County  Federal  Census 58 

Pioneer  Association 59.  et  seq. 

Spanish-American  War  Veterans 61,  et  seq. 

Natrona  County  Boys  in  the  World  War 65,  et  seq. 

Three  Earthquakes 7^-73 

Pathfinder  Dam 74.  et  seq. 

North  Platte  River 81,  et  seq. 

Powder  River 83-84 

Wild  Horses 84-85 

Lost  Cabin  Mine 85,  et  seq. 

Mining  on  Casper  Mountain 96.  et  seq. 

The  Soda  Lakes 103-4 

Tom  Wagner's  Fake  Mine 105,  et  seq. 

Melbourn's  Rain-making  Fake 108-9 

Bridges  Across  the  Platte  River 109,  et  seq. 

Casper  Village,  Town  and  City iiS.  et  seq. 

Organization  and  Elections 118,  et  seq. 

Town  Officers  from  1904  to  1923 129 

Churches 128,  et  seq. 

Lodges  and  Clubs 138,  et  seq. 

Water  Supply  and  Water  Works 146.  et  seq. 

Fire  Department I53.  et  seq. 

475 


476  INDEX 

PAGE 

Disastrous  Fires IS7>  et  seq. 

Postoffice  and  Postmasters i6i,  et  seq. 

Early  News  Items  of  Interest  Today i66,  et  seq. 

Old  Town  Hall  and  New  City  Building i68,  et  seq. 

Electric  Light  Plants 171-2 

Casper's  Telephone  Service 173,  et  seq. 

Casper  Wanted  the  Capital I77.  et  seq. 

Horse  Racing  in  the  Early  Days I79»  et  seq. 

Lost  in  a  Cloud  Burst 182-3 

Cerebrospinal  Meningitis 183-4 

Indians  Dancing  in  the  Streets 184 

When  Casper  Was  a  "Sunday  School  Town" 185,  et  seq. 

Some  of  Casper's  Hotels 189,  et  seq. 

Gambling  Was  a  Lawful  Profession 191-2 

Walked  to  Pathfinder  Dam 192-3 

Casper  Has  Millions  in  Automobiles 194,  et  seq. 

Airplanes  in  Casper 196.  et  seq. 

Casper's  Wireless  Systems 200-201 

Casper's  Assessed  Valuation 201 

Retrospective  and  Prospective  View  of  Casper 202,  et  seq. 

The  Schools  of  Natrona  County 209,  et  seq. 

Towns  of  Natrona  County: 

Bessemer,  221,  et.  seq.;  Alcova,  225,  et  seq.;  Bothwell,  229;  Eads- 
ville,  230,  et  seq.;  Hogadone  Trail,  233;  Wolton,  234-5;  Ar- 
minto,  235-6;  Mills,  237,  et  seq.;  Teapot,  239-40;  Evansville, 
240-41. 

Oil  Fields  and  Oil  Refineries 242,  et  seq 

Tragedies  of  Natrona  County: 

Hanging  of  "Cattle  Kate"  and  Jim  Averell,  264,  et  seq.;  Killing 
of  George  B.  Henderson,  273,  et  seq.;  A  Dance  Hall  Murder, 
275,  et  seq.;  Hodge  Kills  Warren,  279,  et  seq.;  Virgil  Turner 
Kills  DeitlefF.  280-81;  Dunbar  Murder  Case,  281-82;  Hurt  Kills 
Milne,  282-83:  McRae  Kills  Gordon,  283-84;  Dee  Blair  mur- 
dered, 285;  Vigilance  Committee  Hangs  Woodard,  286,  et 
seq.;  Murphy  Murder  Case,  291,  et  seq.;  Death  of  James 
Carey,  293;  Mrs.  Clarence  Hill  Kills  Ed  Baker,  293-94; 
George  Edwards  Kills  Two  Men,  294-95;  Palmer  Cuts  His 
Wife's  Throat,  295-96;  Bess  Fisher  Kills  Lawrence  Barrett, 
296-97;  Gamblers  Commit  Murder,  297;  Bootleggers  Kill 
Tom  Majors,  297,  et  seq.;  John  J.  Corbett  Slain,  299,  et  seq.: 
Claud  Teanor  Kills  His  Wife,  301-302;  Mrs.  Jessie  Ackerman 
Kills  Del  HofFay,  302-303;  DeWald  Kills  Rosenberry,  303-304; 
Peckham  Kills  His  Wife,  304;  Escape  of  Murderer  L.  B. 
Nicholson,  305;  Mysterious  Death  of  Joe  Reeder,  306;  Mrs. 
Ida  Graham  Convicted  of  Murder,  307;  Would-be  Hold-ups 
Are  Killed,  308-309. 
The    "Hole-in-the-wall"  Gang  and  Other  Bad  Men: 

Deputy  Sheriff  Watson  and  Other  Horse  Thieves,  310,  et  seq.; 
The  Hole-in-the-Wall,  312,  et  seq.;  The  Wilcox  Train  Robbery, 
318,  et  seq.;  The  Currie  Gang,  323,  et  seq.;  "Driftwood  Jim" 
McLeod,  326-327;  Horse  Thief  Tom  O'Day,  327,  et  seq.;  Otto 


INDEX  477 

PAGE 

Chenoweth  and  "Stuttering  Dick,"  329,  et  seq.;  Tom  Horn, 
the  "Killer,"  332,  et  seq.;  Troutt-Biggs  Kidnaping  Case,  334; 
Lincoln  Morrison  Shot,  334-335;  Deputy  Sheriff  Ed  Lee  a 
Horse  Thief,  335,  et  seq.;  "  Black  Mike,"  337;  George  W.  Pike, 
338;  Threatened  to  Blow  up  the  Refinery,  339-340;  Bill  Car- 
lisle, the  Train  Rohber,  340,  et  seq.;  Mexican  Shoots  A.  I.Cun- 
ningham, 343. 
Tr."l,gedies  on  the  Range: 

Cattlemen's  Invasion  of  Johnson  County,  334,  et  seq.;  War  Be- 
tween Cattlemen  and  Sheepmen,  362,  et  seq.;  (niide  Murders 
Two  Men,  368,  et  seq. 

Phenomena  of  the  Plains — The  Chinook  Winds 371-372 

The  Mirage  of  the  Plains 372-373 

Hell's  Half  Acre 374,  et  seq. 

Severe  Storms  in  Central  Wyoming 377,  et  seq. 

Casper  Mountain  Cave 385 

Grand  Canyon's  Rock  Cabin 385-386 

Sheepherder's  Lonely  Grave 386 

Brooks'  Lake  Haunted 387 

The  Deep  Sleep 388 

Lajeunesse  and  the  Seminoe  Mountains 388-389 

Adventures  of  John  Colter 390,  et  seq. 

Battle  of  the  Platte  Bridge 39S>  ^^  seq. 

Fort  Caspar 405.  et  seq. 

Rock  Ridge  Station  Burned 407,  et  seq. 

Robert  Stuart  Built  First  Cabin  in  Wyoming 410,  et  seq. 

"Absaroka"  the  Land  of  the  Crows 414,  et  seq. 

A  White  Indian  Woman 4i7>  et  seq. 

Chief  Red  Cloud 421.  et  seq. 

Lou  Polk's  Wild  Ride 426,  et  seq. 

Dr.  Joe  Benson  Cremated 4-9»  et  seq. 

"  Calamity  Jane " 43 1,  et  seq. 

Landmarks  of  the  Old  Oregon  Trail 436,  et  seq. 

Mormon  Trail 438,  et  seq. 

Overland  Route 443.  et  seq. 

Whiskey  Gap 444 

Casper  Pioneer  Monument 447»  et  seq. 

Caspar  Creek  Named 45° 

Emigrant  Gap. 45° 

Horse  Creek  Named 45' 

Independence  Rock 45 1>  et  seq. 

Masonic  Meeting  on  Independence  Rock 457>  et  seq. 

Devil's  G.^te 460,  et  seq. 


987S