A Quick Read and Photos Too

Apologies for not posting here for a while. With so many Wyoming sites, since I started this one, I was not sure if I had anything different to say. 

Alive and well - out hiking in mid-October

I hope to be back whenever I find something unique.  I am working on a new nonfiction Wyoming book - more news when I get closer to finishing the first draft. 

Bend in the North Platte River

The yard is raked and for the most part cleaned up and ready for snow - guess winter is coming as I see snowflakes in the air as I write this.

Ducks sunning on a river rock

Today's photos from the past two months and all within 50 miles, or so, of where we live. 

Evening at the lake

Backyard before the last of the leaves fell - 10 days ago.

How Hot Was it? Wyoming History

How hot was it? Or today, how hot is it?

On a cool day last fall - Guernsey State Park - Davis Bay

Well, it was too hot, after all, it is Wyoming in July. The Wyoming Climate Atlas says the hottest day in Wyoming was July 12, 1900, when it reached 116 in the Red Desert, other sources list the 115 degrees at Basin on August 8, 1983, as the warmest. Not sure why there is a discrepancy but would guess, records, along with measuring instruments from more than a century ago were not as accurate as today.

"Too Hot, Think I Will Go Back Down" - Laramie Range Prarie Dog

Why all the talk about the weather, other than that is what old guys like me do? Because it’s pretty warm right now. Up to 77 where I sit in the far corner of our air-conditioned house, the rest of the house is 74ish, and the deck, well it feels about 200 out there, think I will stay inside. Actually, it is 96 outside and our warmest day of the summer.

More than a hundred years ago, without air-conditioning, people used various methods of keeping cool. Sleeping outside, or on sheets wetted down were two ways that people tried to beat the oppressive heat of summer. Light colored, loose fitting dresses and shirts, were also the order of the day. Both men and women normally wore long sleeves when working outside to avoid sunburned arms. The famous farmer tan must not have come around until after the invention of tractors and tee-shirts.

Blooming Yucca - taken with flash at dusk

It has been a while since I have posted any Wyoming Trivia – so here it is, quiz your kids, the three questions are all with photos.

Name this Wyoming State Bird – no need to come up with its scientific name – Sturnella Neglecta

This became Wyoming’s state flower in 1917.

Name this Officer Quarters building that also once served as post Headquarters. Where was it and what was its name?

Have a terrific and warm weekend.

See all ten of my books here on Amazon. Free sample reads available for all.

All books of my books are available in soft cover or as eBooks. 

In case anyone needs them, here are today's quiz answers.             

Western Meadowlark - Indian Paintbrush - Old Bedlum at Fort Laramie

Fort Laramie Commander W.R. Davis

I have been absent for quite a while on this site, and for that, I apologize. When I started this site, more than ten years ago, there were only a few blogs that talked about Wyoming history. I thought maybe there were plenty of Wyoming history sites by now.  But, after emails and tweets asking if I was alright, health-wise, I decided it might be time to make what I will call my, summer comeback.

I am spending much of my time researching people that served at Fort Laramie, for a book, my next nonfiction offering, coming out in early 2019, and have run across countless wonderful stories. Here is a bit about one of the Fort Commanders I found most interesting.

Of all the commanders at Fort Laramie, Werter Renick Davis would best fit the category of, most unlikely. Davis, a true renaissance man, was a Methodist Minister who before becoming an Army Chaplin in 1862, was the president of Baker University, the first four-year college in Kansas.

Davis, also a physician, and dentist, first served as a chaplain of the 12^th Kansas before being commissioned as a Lieutenant Colonel to help raise and organize the new Kansas 16^th Cavalry. Once the 16^th was raised he was promoted to Colonel and served at that rank until he mustered out of the Army on December 6, 1865.

It may seem unprecedented for anyone to become a fort commander after only three years in the Army and with no real military training or background, but with Davis that was not the case. Before he commanded at Laramie he commanded at Fort Leavenworth from September 1864 until April 1865. Two commands, for a man who served less than four years in the Army, quite remarkable.

One last note, I have been working on this book for more than a year, but with some diligence, and luck, I should be finished in another half year. And as far as my health, other than my age, I'm doing fine. My last book, On Turing 70, is a fun, tongue in cheek, look at reaching my seventieth birthday earlier this year. 

The photos in today's post, except for the one of Commander Davis, are from my many trips to Fort Laramie.

Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868 - 150 Years

On April 29, 1868, a treaty was signed between the United States Government and the Sioux Nation.  The treaty would move the Sioux away from the war on the plains, and onto a Black Hills Reservation in Dakota Territory. This treaty following the treaty of 1851 attempted to bring peace to the frontier part of the United States. For moving to the Black Hills the Sioux were to be given food, clothing, and annuity payments, on an annual basis. The government also agreed to close travel along the Bozeman Trail along with the forts along that trail.

150 Year Anniversary of the Treaty of 1858

Starting Saturday, April 28, and running through Tuesday, May 2, Fort Laramie will be hosting – Honoring the Spirit On the Northern Great Plains. The fort is expecting nice crowds of up to 4,000 on Saturday and great crowds for the other three days of the celebration. Looks like a terrific time.

Did the Treaty Work?

It was working, as well as most treaties, for a few years, and then Custer and his men found gold in the Black Hills, which for all practical purposes ended the usefulness of the treaty. The government tried to purchase, then lease, the Black Hills so that gold seekers could head into the area. The Sioux already pushed to their limit, refused. Two years later, Custer and the Seventh Cavalry were wiped out at Little Big Horn, escalating a decade of Indian Wars in the west.

Honoring the Spirit On the Northern Great Plains, a celebration to be held the last two days of April and the first two days of May 2018. Click the links to read all about it.

Today's photos from my many trips to Fort Laramie, a terrific place, and one all western history buffs need to visit.

https://twitter.com/FortLaramieNPS

https://www.nps.gov/fola/planyourvisit/calendar.htm

Not Much Has Changed in 70 Years

Velma Linford’s textbook, Wyoming Frontier State published in 1947 ends with words that seem as appropriate today as they were when written more than 70 years ago. Linford ends here textbook with these sentiments.

Legislative interim committees are busy studying the revision of educational laws, the revision of election laws, and new sources of income for the state. Members on the committees are men who are aware of the needs of the state as well as of the state’s potentialities. They expect to have definite recommendations for the 1949 legislature.

Faced by problems which will determine Wyoming Tomorrow, the state must necessarily emerge from its frontier status or face a future as the playground of the nation.

Maybe that is where we are still heading, 70 years later, a playground, tourist destination, for the nation. Everything from our spectacular views, to wildlife, and even our low population, seem to attract visitors. With that in mind, possibly we should be spending more, not less, on advertising our state. It also might be a time to promote, expand, and update tourist attractions and activities in the eastern and central parts of the state. By doing this, we might be able to slow visitors as they dash across the state to visit Yellowstone, The Black Hills, Glacier National Park, or Rocky Mountain National Park, depending on which direction they travel.

I love our state parks, and now might be the time to take a long look at what else we can do with our State Parks and Historical Sites and some of our state land to attract more tourism. We might start by looking at the family entertainment venues in places like the Black Hills to see what keeps people there for more than a quick drive through. As much as some hate to look at what others are doing, we might also look at the multitude of programs available for kids and families in the Nebraska State Parks system.

Just my thoughts!

All Photos are from the Castle at Guernsey State Park

Fort Laramie - The First Commander

I have not been very active on this site the past few months. But, with this blog in its 13^th year, I am not giving up, only taking a break. Today’s post will be number 297, meaning through the blogs 12-year run I have been posting, on average, twice each month. That now will be my goal to post twice each month, maybe I will get on a good run and post three sometime.

From a recent hike in Guernsey, Wyoming State Park

I have been spending most of my writing time, researching and writing a nonfiction book about Fort Laramie. What follows is a selection from one of the tales of Fort Laramie Commanders that found its way into my new book.

Sitting in a dead Cottonwood

Major Winslow F. Sanderson had the honor of being the first to command Fort Laramie. Major Sanderson received the commission of Brevet-Major, August 20, 1847, for meritorious conduct in the Mexican War. Sanderson was part of the mounted rifles who prided in being part cavalry, and part infantry, a specialty group of mobile infantry. 

Major Sanderson reached Fort Laramie on June 16, 1849, the date now recognized as the opening of Fort Laramie as a military fort. Sanderson arrived at the fort after traveling more than 600 miles from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and remained in command until September 4, 1850.[i]

After his time at Fort Laramie, Winslow Sanderson never returned to the west and died under mysterious circumstances three years after leaving Fort Laramie. Officially the cause of his death, in Galveston, Texas was listed as a recurrence of Yellow Fever, but his family and friends suspected he was poisoned.[ii] After Sanderson’s death, his family accused several household servants from the Palmetto House in Galveston where he died, of stealing his money. Nothing came of the murder or theft claims. The claims were based on the fact that although Sanderson was traveling no money was found on him or in his possessions after his death. Meanwhile, one household servant made a small purchase with a $100, Bank of Alabama bill, and two other similar bills were found. No evidence ever connected the bills to Sanderson, and the case quietly went away.[iii] 

 

Drink time from the river

In Other News

On Turning 70 – My newest book and my shortest is out. It is a story of reflection on turning 70 years of age. The book is not only reflective but full of humor and nostalgia. If you are getting, as we used to hear, “up there in years,” give it a try, it’s a quick hour or hour and a half read. This one, like all of my books, is available in soft cover or as an eBook. Here is the link to the $1.99 eBook.

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[i] John Dishon McDermott & Gordon Chappell, Annals of Wyoming, Vol 38, No 1, 5-48

[ii] Daniel, C. (n.d.). Letter from Charles Daniel to Thomas Daniel on the death of Major Sanderson of yellow fever. Retrieved April 15, 2017, from http://hdl.handle.net/1911/37311.

(1853) Rice University

[iii] Ibid

New Post on My Writing Site

Click here to read my new western writing post