Some of My Favorite Wyoming People

Today I thought that I might write a piece on famous people from Wyoming. Looks like I may need to put that off. Why? Too much research. I looked at famous writers, but many of the famous writers from Wyoming were not born here or did not live here for any significant time. I don’t care if they were not born here for my list of famous people from Wyoming but am not sure, as I read in other sources, that claiming a town in Wyoming is a favorite place or vacation living, part time, in a Wyoming Yurt qualifies as Wyoming.

Guess I was not sure what I was looking for. Jim Bridger is near the top of many lists for famous Wyomingites but was not born here. He did spend many years here, and that’s enough for me. Fourteen years ago, maybe it was 15, I ran for a statewide political office (if you have never tried this I would not recommend it) several times I was put down by an opponent because I was not born here. Living here for nearly two decades didn’t count in his book – I thought that should be enough. Now I have spent more than three decades in Wyoming and might qualify. I am, of course, speaking with tongue in cheek but I do believe that to be a famous Wyoming person that a few years in the state should be a qualifier.

If I listed my favorites most would be Mountainmen or Native Indians

Here are ten people that I researched for posts in the past year, all famous and very interesting.  Not my top 10, just 10 people that everyone in Wyoming should know more about.

Note – I purposely did not say anything about them, take the time to Google – fun stuff. Sorry, it must be the old teacher in me.

Enjoy!

Maxwell Struthers Burt

Nellie Tayloe Ross

Edgar Wilson Nye

Annie Proulx

Chris LeDoux

Curt Gowdy

Jackson Pollock

Velma Linford

Robert LeRoy Parker – Butch Cassidy

John B. Kendrick

In other news, I am happy to say I, at last, got out my second book in the Blade Holmes western mysteries published. This one entitled, The Ghost Dance, follows Marshall Holmes from Fort Robinson, Nebraska to Nevada and back to the Sioux Reservations of Southern South Dakota.  The book centers on the famous circle dance of the white shirted dancers, the Ghost Dance. This one has lots of authentic western history and is a very nice follow up to, Commitment, the first Blade Holmes historic novel.

Spring and Bluebirds in Wyoming

Wyoming Top 10

Last week I posted numbers 1-5 of my famous Wyoming people top ten, today numbers 6-10 will complete my list. Like my five of a week ago these are in no particular order, only random.

Edgar Wilson (Bill) Nye (1850-1896) - Founded a Wyoming newspaper with one of the most unusual paper names in all of America, the, Laramie Boomerang. Nye was also a, worldwide know, humorist who traveled widely with both James Whitcomb Riley and Mark Twain. His column was so widely read that the Boomerang was sent to every state in the union and to several foreign countries. Nye wrote several political or historical humor books that sold very well. I have read all that I could of him and his writings over the years and posted quite a few times about him. Mostly forgotten now, too bad.

Chief Washakie (1804/1808-1900) - Shoshone chief who was convinced that peace with the whites would be the only sensible thing to do. So well respected by the American government that he was the last Indian leader to be able to pick the land for his people’s reservation. Famous for keeping peace among the Wyoming tribes by fighting and killing Crow Chief Big Robber at Crowheart Butte Wyoming. The two chiefs fought over tribal hunting grounds instead of letting the tribes fight it out.

Curt Gowdy (1919-2006) – Famous sports announcer and personality, possible best known in later years as the voice of the Boston Red Sox. Gowdy spend decades announcing, football, baseball and several Olympics. But what I remember was his job of host of the long running, American Sportsman. Being an avid outdoorsman I loved this fishing and hunting themed show.

Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917) – His life and time spanned the end of the old west but his promotion of the old west let it live on for several more decades. His life story has been well documented, from Pony Express rider, to scout and Indian fighter and Medal of Honor winner and Wild West show promoter. A remarkable man in real-life and in fiction. The wonderful Buffalo Bill Museum in Cody, Wyoming is a must see for everyone that yearns for the good old days.

Chris LeDoux (1948-2005) – Some might wonder about this cowboy singer and his place on my list, but none should. He was a world champion bareback rider and wrote songs about life and cowboys and rodeo. Garth Brooks describes his music as a combination of western soul, sagebrush blues, cowboy folk and rock ‘n’ roll. LeDoux sold over five million records and was also an accomplished artist working mostly in bronze.

 “Sleeping on the ground and takin’ a bath in the creek. That’s the stuff that really made it worthwhile, anybody can stay in a motel.” (Chris LeDoux)

 Can’t be any more Wyoming-like than that.

James (Jim) Bridger (1804-1881) - The legendary mountain man spent much of his adult life in Wyoming, and some of it not far from where I sit writing at this moment. Here is a man who never learned to read or write but quoted widely from the Bible and Shakespeare. Couldn’t read a real map but drew maps that helped build the Oregon Trail, find South Pass and the lay-out the Trans-Continental Railroad. Wyoming has a fort, a mountain, mountain range, river, plains, buildings and many more things named after this mountain man, affectionately known as old Gabe.

I know what you are thinking, this is six not five. Never was good at math and it was too difficult to list only ten – this may be the only top eleven ever written.

If only I would have written a top 12, I could have listed myself. Neil Waring - “He wrote the most well-known top-11 in Wyoming history, I could have been famous!