Fort Fetterman

On July 31, 2016, Fort Fetterman turned 149 years old. Fetterman became an unnamed military fort on July 18, 1867. It was designated as a supply fort for the Indian wars. Two weeks after it opened it got its name, Fort Fetterman. The wooden fort was named after Captain William J. Fetterman who along with his entire company of 81 men was killed near Fort Phil Kearny seven months earlier.

Fort Fetterman today

photo -  www.conversecountytourism.com  

Within a few years, Fetterman reached the pinnacle of its success serving as the starting point for several Indian expeditions. After only 15 years, in 1882, the government gave up on the fort. The Indian wars were all but over, and the government no longer needed the fort. But it didn’t go away, not immediately.  It went on to enjoy a brief life as a woolly and wild frontier town, but by 1886 it was only a memory.

Fort Fetterman lives on, yet today in history, through the stories of famous people who passed through. Calamity Jane spent some time there; stories vary widely as to how much, and the writings of Owen Wister are only two areas that perpetuate the life of the fort. Wister, most famous for writing, The Virginian, describes Fort Fetterman City (after the closure of the fort) in his novel, Lin McLean, published in 1897. He changes the name calling the fictitious city, “Drybone,” but it is unmistakable that he wrote about Fetterman City.

Today Fort Fetterman, with some restored buildings, is open seasonally as part of the state of  Wyoming official historical sites. We visited two summers ago and were most impressed.  

A Stream a few miles west of the fort

Wyoming History - Top Ten Politicians

Like many Americans, I watched a bit of both the Republican and the Democrat conventions in the past two weeks. Makes me think about some of Wyoming's most famous politicians.

I am not a fan of modern day politicians, but maybe that’s more an age thing. After all, Harry S Truman was president when I was born. It seems to me that compromise is dead when it comes to politics, and it is something that is sorely needed.

Enough editorializing, here is my list, of all time best politicians from Wyoming – listed in alphabetical order so as not to make anyone mad, now that is a compromise.  

     -Top Ten Wyoming’s Greatest Politicians-

John A. Campbell - First governor of The Territory of Wyoming 1869-1875.

Robert D. Carey - Governor of Wyoming and the first to be both a governor and later a U.S Senator from the state.

Dick Cheney - Love him or hate him, the man had quite a political career. Working for both presidents Nixon and then Ford, where he became Chief Of Staff. After his white house years, he was elected six-time as Wyoming's lone Representative to Congress and later was Secretary of Defense for the first President Bush and Vice President for the second.

Clifford Hansen - Governor in the early 60s and then two-term U.S. Senator.

Lester C. Hunt - Governor 1943-1949 and U. S. Senator 1949-1954.

John B. Kendrick - Governor 1915-1917 and Senator 1917-1933  Quite an accomplishment for a Texas cowboy who came north as a 21-year-old pushing cattle and stayed to become a Wyoming legend.

Cynthia Lummis - She came from a well-known Cheyenne ranch family, but made her mark serving as both a Representative and Senator in the Wyoming State House. Later she served two terms as Wyoming Treasure and them multiple terms in the United States House of Representatives.

John Osborn - Served in Wyoming’s Territorial Assembly, elected as the third Governor of the state, later he served as Wyoming's representative in the U.S. House. Oh, and if you are wondering, he was a physician and had a pair of fine boots made from Wyoming bad man Big Nose George.

Nellie Tayloe Ross - First woman, elected governor in the United States, later ran the U.S Mint in Denver.

Alan K. Simpson - Possibly the most influential politician Wyoming has produced, he served in the Wyoming legislature and then 18 years in the United States Senate.

Francis E. Warren - first elected Governor of Wyoming and then a United States Senator for 37 years.

There you have it, my list, a pretty good group of leaders. In the unlikely event anyone is counting, I know that my top ten list is actually 11, but who has ever heard of a top 11 list?

Feel free to comment on others that should be included, after all, they might find their way into one of my books someday. Actually, they already are, except the book is unfinished, tentatively titled, It’s All About Time, it is my take on the history of our great state. Someday it will be published, hoping for next summer, but then I am the eternal optimist. 

Little Know Fact
I once ran for Wyoming  Superintendent of Public Instruction

Wyoming History - Top Ten Politicians

Like many Americans, I watched a bit of both the Republican and the Democrat conventions in the past two weeks. Makes me think about some of Wyoming's most famous politicians.

I am not a fan of modern day politicians, but maybe that’s more an age thing. After all, Harry S Truman was president when I was born. It seems to me that compromise is dead when it comes to politics, and it is something that is sorely needed.

Enough editorializing, here is my list, of all time best politicians from Wyoming – listed in alphabetical order so as not to make anyone mad, now that is a compromise.  

     -Top Ten Wyoming’s Greatest Politicians-

John A. Campbell - First governor of The Territory of Wyoming 1869-1875.

Robert D. Carey - Governor of Wyoming and the first to be both a governor and later a U.S Senator from the state.

Dick Cheney - Love him or hate him, the man had quite a political career. Working for both presidents Nixon and then Ford, where he became Chief Of Staff. After his white house years, he was elected six-time as Wyoming's lone Representative to Congress and later was Secretary of Defense for the first President Bush and Vice President for the second.

Clifford Hansen - Governor in the early 60s and then two-term U.S. Senator.

Lester C. Hunt - Governor 1943-1949 and U. S. Senator 1949-1954.

John B. Kendrick - Governor 1915-1917 and Senator 1917-1933  Quite an accomplishment for a Texas cowboy who came north as a 21-year-old pushing cattle and stayed to become a Wyoming legend.

Cynthia Lummis - She came from a well-known Cheyenne ranch family, but made her mark serving as both a Representative and Senator in the Wyoming State House. Later she served two terms as Wyoming Treasure and them multiple terms in the United States House of Representatives.

John Osborn - Served in Wyoming’s Territorial Assembly, elected as the third Governor of the state, later he served as Wyoming's representative in the U.S. House. Oh, and if you are wondering, he was a physician and had a pair of fine boots made from Wyoming bad man Big Nose George.

Nellie Tayloe Ross - First woman, elected governor in the United States, later ran the U.S Mint in Denver.

Alan K. Simpson - Possibly the most influential politician Wyoming has produced, he served in the Wyoming legislature and then 18 years in the United States Senate.

Francis E. Warren - first elected Governor of Wyoming and then a United States Senator for 37 years.

There you have it, my list, a pretty good group of leaders. In the unlikely event anyone is counting, I know that my top ten list is actually 11, but who has ever heard of a top 11 list?

Feel free to comment on others that should be included, after all, they might find their way into one of my books someday. Actually, they already are, except the book is unfinished, tentatively titled, It’s All About Time, it is my take on the history of our great state. Someday it will be published, hoping for next summer, but then I am the eternal optimist. 

Little Know Fact
I was once ran for Wyoming  Superintendent of Public Instruction

Wyoming History - Virginia Cole Trenholm

Virginia Cole Trenholm is no longer a household name in Wyoming, too bad, she should be. Trenholm was raised and educated in Missouri and moved to Wyoming when she married in 1932. Her husband Robert was a rancher south of Glendo, and the two spent their married life on that Platte County Ranch.  But it was not as a ranch wife that Virginia Cole Trenholm is best known, it is as a historian and writer.

In the mountains west of Glendo, Platte County Wyoming

She was long recognized as the greatest living authority on the two tribes of the Wind River Reservation, the Northern Arapaho, and the Eastern Shoshoni. Her two books on the subject, Shoshonis: Sentinels of the Rockies, which she wrote with assistance from Cheyenne Teacher Maurine Carley, and The Arapahoes, Our People, are acclaimed works considered, must-reads, for scholars with an interest in the two tribes.

James Michener

Trenholme’s knowledge of the two tribes was so well recognized that when the acclaimed author, James Michener, wrote his famous work of the American West, Centennial, he spent several months spending time with, and corresponding with her about the history, activities, and culture of the two Wyoming tribes.

I often use her book, Wyoming Pageant, also written with Maurine Carley, as my first look resource when I am searching something in Wyoming History. She wrote several other books dealing with Wyoming history and published one fiction title, Omen of the Hawks.

West and South of Glendo Wyoming

Although her books seem to be lost in time, they are as relevant today as they were when she first published them. In, The Arapahoes, Our People, she writes in the preface – I have sought to tell the story of Our People by relating them and their way of life to the world about them. Their single path following the buffalo has branched into many roads leading in many directions; the Bison Path People of yesterday have become, Our People of today. Throughout, they have miraculously retained their identity.

I keep the three books I have mentioned, in the post, on the top shelf of my writing desk, easy to find and always gives me something to write about. 

Many Pronghorn around Glendo

SIDETRACKED

Sidetracked

Often, okay, way too often, I get distracted when doing research. This was just too good to pass up. Yesterday I was looking into Mrs. I. S. Bartlett whose husband wrote one of the early histories of Wyoming. I was interested because Mary Jane Bartlett was nominated by legislative caucus for the United States Senate. It went no farther than the nomination but is still significant as women did not yet have the right to vote. More on her later, today I wanted to point out what sidetracked me, and it was, a newspaper, a really old one.

Sometimes it is easy to get distracted. 

Not Today’s Newspaper

The distracting newspaper was July 24, 1890, edition of the Cheyenne Sun. What did I find such good reading that I was distracted? The ads, that’s what.

I have attempted to reproduce three of the ads below, staying fateful to line lengths, punctuation, spelling, and spacing. All of these ads ran along the right-hand edge of page four and were column width, about two and a half or three inches, on the six column newspaper.

Add # 1 – From the - Wyoming Shoe Store at 807 16^th street

Men’s Shoes from $1.50 up.

Ladies’ Shoes’ from $1.25 up.

Boys’ and Misses’ School

Shoes from $1.25 up.

     Custom Boots and Shoes

made to order. 

Repairing of kinds neatly executed

 at reasonable prices.

     Mr. Henry Morley is now

 with us. His friends can still

 have their corns attended to.

  MYERS & FOSTER,

307 Sixteenth street.

*******************************************************************

Add # 2 – From – A. Underwood & Bro. 314 17, Street

Let us beat into you that you

Can’t get something for nothing.

That’s foolish.  But you can get a

Suit of underwear for a dollar,

Which is near it.  We can make a

gentleman out of the worst looking

tramp in half an hour. You’re not

a tramp, of course, but let us show

you what we can do for you in the

way of freshening up you appear-

ance cheaply.

                                     Truckey,

                 The Hatter and Hustler.

Add # 3 – From – B. B. David – Druggist

             B. B, DAVID

                   WHOLESALE AND RETAIL

             DRUGGIST

       ____

PRESCRIPTIONS CAREFULLY

           COMPOUNDED.

                  _____

                          A FULL LINE OF

Patent Medicines, Perfumery, Toi-

    let Articles, Soaps, Imported

        and Domestic Cigars.

                   ______

Corner Sixteenth and Eddy Streets.

A note about the title of this post, the word sidetracked, came, of course, with the railroad industry. As the rail lines expanded more and more sidetracks were needed. The word came into being in the late 1800s with the railroad but was not much used until around 1900. 

This game often sidetracks me from what I should be doing, But, it's worth it. 

Chevalier Verendrye & The Assassin's Creed

The Assassin’s Creed

The Assassin’s Creed Is an action-adventure video game series. I know nothing, not one thing, about gaming but became interested in this series of games because of the historical characters portrayed. One, in particular, Chevalier (she va lya) Verendrye, caught my attention. Why? Because he was, reportedly,  the first white man into what today is Wyoming. The series of games are fiction, but as historical fiction books also do,  there are people, in the game, that were in that place or period in history. As I understand it, and this may be a stretch as I have not played a video game for 25 years. Remember Atari? The game features two adversarial groups, the Templars, and the Assassins. Our man, Chevalier Verendrye is of the latter group of Assassins. These two groups are fiction, but gamers tell me they are fascinating and that the storyline for Assassin’s Creed is terrific.

Who Was Chevalier Verendrye?

In real life, Chevalier was one of three sons of, trader, trapper, explorer and seeker of fame and fortune, Pierre de la Verendrye. He is best remembered from the 1730s, two hundred years after Coronado tramped all the way to the Kansas/Nebraska line searching for the seven cities of gold. In many ways, Pierre de la Verendrye was like Coronado seeking the unknown and the riches that might be afforded there. In Verendrye’s case, he was looking for an easy way to reach the Pacific Ocean, preferably a water route. The river he sought was the Columbia and today we all know what he did not, it doesn’t reach Wyoming.

In the summer of 1733 Verendrye and his party, including his sons left Montreal and marched southwest. At least on paper, the mission was to claim land in the name of the motherland, France. Most believed Verendrye was more interested in collecting a fortune in furs and in the fame that would come his way as an explorer of the American wilderness. Verendrye reached as far as present-day South Dakota before losing twenty men, including his youngest son in an Indian battle. Losing the men was devastating enough, but he also lost his supplies and most of his pack animals. His guide who must have had enough by that point in the journey, snuck off during the night leaving Verendrye no other option than to go back.

A Second Try

Nine years passed before Pierre’s son Chevalier decided to give it another try. Chevalier found no passage to the Pacific, but he did reach present day Wyoming. He entered the state in Park County near present day Franny and traveled on south to the site of Lander in Fremont County. Although he was not looking for an overland route if he had continued about 100 miles, they would have found South Pass.

Would they have recognized it as the gateway to the Pacific? That question is best left for historians to argue.

He may not have found what he wanted, but today Chevalier Verendrye is known as the first white man to enter Wyoming.  

Independence Day - Independence Rock

I will be away for the next few days, off to Nebraska to visit family. We are looking forward, as we always do, to catching up with old friends and relatives. When I was a kid, after Christmas, Independence Day or as we always referred to it, The Fourth of July, was my favorite time of the year. Why? Fireworks! Doesn’t every kid love fireworks? Playing with matches and with parents permission – awesome, at least when we were kids.

Grand Kids Lighting Fireworks - See the Punk in His Hands?

It just isn’t in today's world where Independence Day was a big deal. Independence Rock, North of Rawlins, was named because wagon trains needed to be that far along the trail by the first part of July. If they had it, some pioneers celebrated the 4^th by setting off explosions – big ones. A stick or a few sticks of dynamite most often did the trick. A big feast, fun and games most often completed the day of rest on the trail. 

Along The Oregon Trail

The next morning, July 5^th, it was back on the trail and the drudgery of day to day on the road was back.