The Strange Case of Hiram Scott

 January 24, 2022

Wyoming Fact & Fiction

The Strange Case of Hiram Scott – We live in eastern Wyoming, and for us, a trip to Scottsbluff, Nebraska, is an almost weekly affair. It's only an hour away, and the closest Walmart, Target, Home Depot, and Menards are all located there. Statistically, 90% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Walmart store. Humm – we live 62 miles from our closest. That must mean we live in a nearly perfect place. I agree.

The city of Scottsbluff is named after Hiram Scott and his time in Wyoming was both tragic and historic. Scott had come west with General Ashley's party and served as a Captain under Colonel Leavenworth.

In 1827 Scott and his group went back on the North Platte River for a downstream trip to Saint Louis when their canoe overturned. Among the group's losses were all of their ammunition – too wet to ever be of use again. With the ability to hunt lost, the men lived on whatever berries, roots, and shoots they could find. It didn't take long before Scott was ill. We could speculate on why, but lack of food or bad food would lead the list of possibilities.

In the movies, trappers are mostly displayed as loyal and fateful to their companions. Not sure if that was ever true, but it certainly was not in this case. Hiram Scott was thought to be on his death bed and was abandoned by his companions near the site of what would become Fort Laramie. His men, meanwhile, started their long walk east toward civilization.

The following summer, the men who abandoned Scott were back in the west and found what they identified as Scott's remains near present-day Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Fort Laramie is nearly 50 miles from Scottsbluff. According to Washington Irvin, Scott had crawled and stumbled for days to reach where he died.  

Fort Laramie last summer - still looking good.

Wyoming Trivia – two questions today

Q1 – Fort Laramie was the third name for the famous post. Can you name one of its earlier names?

Q2 – Fort Laramie was located on two famous rivers – name them?

Q3 – Wyoming became a state in 1890. What year did neighboring Nebraska become a state? Leeway on this one – within five years.

Answers

Q1 – Fort William & Fort John

Q2 – North Platte River – Laramie River

Q3 - 1867

 

Here is the link to all of my books on Amazon

 

See you next week!

 

Chief Washakie and President Grant

 Wyoming Fact & Fiction

January 10, 2022

Last weekend I was part of a discussion about listening to books. I don't do a lot of books on audible platforms, but when traveling, we always take one or two along. I enjoy listening and am contemplating putting some of my books on one of the listening programs. That is quite an intro to Chief Washakie – I haven't got around to him yet. Here is the tie-in. My daughter mentioned she was listening to a book and laughing about their pronunciation of Washakie. I have heard the same when listening to some books set in Wyoming. Before moving to Wyoming (1983), I taught in Nebraska and remember butchering the name myself. Guess if you are not from around here, it is difficult to say. But, not as tricky as the Popo Agie.

The first tribes that settled in today's Wyoming in the late 1600s were the Staitans, Comanches, and Shoshones. Like many other plains and foothills tribes, they were bison hunters. It is interesting to note that Shoshone legend and spoken history talked of once living in a land where alligators inhabited the rivers.

Chief Washakie early on realized that friendship with the expanding population would be better than fighting the inevitable. Washakie was instrumental in the success of General Crook (Crook County Wyoming named after him)  fighting the Sioux in Wyoming and Montana.

Because of his help to Crook and the U.S. Army, President Grant sent a silver-trimmed saddle to the Shoshone Chief in appreciation for his service. Some history books have stated that he was given a "fine horse and saddle," but most list the gift as only a saddle. My guess, Washakie, would likely have preferred using one of his fine horses to anything offered up as a gift – he did use the saddle.

According to Virginia Cole Trenholm and Maurine Carley in their 1946 textbook, Wyoming Pageant - Washakie was told he should send some sort of a thank you to the president. Chief Washakie replied, "Do a favor to a white man; he feels it in his head, and the tongue speaks. Do a kindness to an Indian; he feels it in his heart. The heart has no tongue."

Wyoming Trivia – two questions today

1.  Of the four Shoshone branches, which did Chief Washakie and his Wyoming tribe belong to?

2. Washakie was only half Shoshone. What other tribe was he?

 

Answers for Today's Trivia

1. Wyoming hosted the Eastern Shoshone. Other branches were the Northern, Western, and Goshute. 

2. Chief Washakie was born in 1804 with a Flathead father and Shoshone mother.

See you next week!

 

 

Did You Know This About Wyoming

 It has been nearly a year since I posted on this site. 

Not too long ago, it seemed that more and more blogs with Wyoming history seemed to be popping up. Since many were funded, I decided they could do the job much better than I could from my easy chair.  After more than 300 posts (all are still up) I bowed out. A few months ago, a student said, “Oh, you write the Wyoming stuff. We use it all the time when we are writing papers in class.”

That was enough to, at least, get me thinking about kick-starting the old blog. I think I will. Not sure how often, probably not weekly, but likely monthly. 

Did You Know?  A few facts to get up and running.

Wyoming has been at the bottom of a sea – many times throughout its history. Hard to believe, considering the number of feet we are above sea level.

We have been around for a long time. The rock making up the base of faults and mountains in Wyoming are at least five hundred million years old and possibly as old as two billion years. (even before I was born)

Only Wyoming and Colorado have four straight-sided borders.

Wyoming rivers drain water in all directions. South into Utah and Colorado, North through the Big Horn and Powder River, East through the North Platte, about a quarter of a mile from where I sit writing this, and west through the Snake River into Idaho.

It Has Been Too Long

I let this site become inactive, or mostly so, almost a year ago. After a year of mothballs, I have decided to make a post, at least this will keep the site alive for a bit. If one post per year counts. 

To me and many others, there is nothing more enjoyable than reading about the past. When I started this blog, I was still an active Wyoming History teacher - now retired seven years; it seems I do not have as much to say. I have continued writing and am currently working on book 13, but my books fall into multiple genres.  

Did You Know? Speaking of being retired. Wyoming is still rated, according to something called Bankrate, as the number one state to retire. That might not be good news for young families, but for old codgers like us, it is an excellent fit. Many would think the weather and altitude of Wyoming would make it less than ideal for retiring people. What makes Wyoming the top state is our low, lowest in the country, tax rate.

Football - Tomorrow Jan and I will travel to, as we often do, Laramie, to watch the Cowboy Football Team beat up on Idaho. Sounds like it will be a perfect day for the game.

Photos - Today's photos are a few shots I have taken this September.

This year my goal will be to post more than once - that should be attainable.

For those who want to take a look at my books click this sentence to go to my Amazon page.  

My 12 Books

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.

The Wyoming Eclipse

The big solar eclipse is only a few days away. I am doing a book signing at an event in Sunrise Wyoming on Sunday, the day before the eclipse, and then expect to stay home on the big day and watch the sun disappear as I sit on our back deck.

Wyoming is expecting as many as 600,000 people to see the sun disappear for a few minutes. The last big eclipse was more than 40 years ago and the last total one was in 1919.  That, nearly a century ago eclipse, lasted for nearly seven minutes, long enough for scientists to measure the bending of light from the stars as they passed near the sun. Those measurements proved true Einstein’s theory of general relativity, the theory which describes gravity as a warping of space-time.

Guernsey State Park is expecting a couple of thousand extra visitors this week-end
But at the end of the day, I expect the sun will set over the lake as normal

The above is likely the only science lesson that will ever be found on this site. Thanks for reading and wherever you are, enjoy the eclipse. 

By Wednesday Traffic will be back to normal

Maybe a few small Bison stoppages 

Wyoming Wildlife Photography

One of my favorite activities in summer is to watch, and when I can, photograph, Wyoming wildlife.

Sometimes we take for granted what most only see on TV or in the movies.

In Wyoming, our wildlife is part of our everyday life.

Not sure I will ever take it for granted.

On today’s post are a few of the photos I have shot in the past month.

Nothing beats a chance to see nature up close.

On a side note, a big thank you to everyone who is purchasing my books the past few weeks – they are selling well, in fact, better than ever. – if you want to take a look click this link.

Things To Do On A Wyoming Mothers Day

Seems to me that a good Wyoming Sunday afternoon drive cures most of my ailments.

Sometimes it is all about the view - this one from 25 miles west of town

It is always fun for Jan and me to see what wildlife are up and around, enjoying the day. 

Looks like a family outing

Wild Iris

This time of the year it is fun to what new wildflowers are blooming.

Indian Paintbrush - Wyoming State Flower

Today we took a drive to the west of town, not a long drive, only a total of about 75 miles and a couple of hours.

Prairie Dog calling out

 I thought that today I would post a few photos of our drive – it’s kind of what Wyoming is all about. 

Hope all of you enjoyed the day as much as we did.

A Sunday Drive

Working on a re-do of how this site looks. So far, a lot of do-overs, but I will get there soon.   

Sunning

We took an enjoyable drive yesterday and were once again reminded of how beautiful Wyoming can be. To some it looks terribly empty, to others, there is too much to see. 

Playing with the colors a bit

Snow in the mountains

If this one is blurry, they were in an all out run - 55, or so MPH

All of the photos are from that two hour and ten-minute drive. 

Young Mule Deer

Horses enjoying the new growth grass

Wyoming Wildlife

Random Thoughts on a Windy Wyoming Day

Today in my little part of Wyoming we are experiencing warm weather, in the mid-fifties, and incredible wind. Weather app says winds are blowing 25-45 with gusts to 60. Good day to stay inside.

Bison - The two main species of Buffalo in the world reside in Africa. In America we have Bison, and lots of them, over a half million by recent count.  For some odd reason, in the past two years sportscasters have started to pronounce Bison when talking about the North Dakota State Bison as if it were – Bye -zzon, instead of the correct Bye-son. Drives me nuts, but since they keep doing it, I guess no one else either notices or cares. Hope I never read a novel with hunters or native tribes are off, hunting bizzon.

Pronghorn - In that same vain people in the west have referred to Pronghorn as Antelope for years. There are 91 species of Antelope but none in the western hemisphere. As for the Pronghorn there is only one, and in Wyoming, we have a varied population that now numbers around 400,000, it was as high as 600,000 plus, as recently as 2005, but drought and bad winters have moved the total lower. I hunted Pronghorn for years and enjoyed it, but now hunt only with my camera and they are a most interesting subject.

American Sagebrush Ecosystem – Looks like sagebrush is on the decline in the west. At first, this may look to not be a problem, but like all ecosystem’s destroying or greatly changing one will gradually change others, much more than at first believed.

Wyoming is also home to 50,000 or so, Mule Deer. We have a terrific population around here, even in town. They can be a menace, especially when they eat the blooms from my strawberries and tops from my tomatoes. They also love to take a bite from green tomatoes, sorry deer it’s not an apple, then spit it out. How many albino mule deer are there in the state? Well, that’s a good question. I have found researchers that say one in 500,000 others that say it could be much lower, one in 20,000. That means we, have two at any one time or one every ten years. Either way, it is exciting to see one.