Wyoming - The First Cattle

Living only a few blocks from the North Platte River, I often think about how important it once was. Not that it is unimportant today, supporting wildlife and providing power along with, much needed the past few days, irrigation water down stream and providing recreation for tens of thousands of people year round.

North Platte River in the Red Cliffs area a mile north of Guernsey, Wyoming

What I am talking about is how important, as a boundary, it once was.  When cattle were first brought into southeast Wyoming, all lands north of the river were Indian lands. Wandering, and often hostile bands of native warriors made sure the land would not be used for cattle grazing.

The first cattle in the northern part of the state were brought in by Nelson Story in 1866, who bought more than a thousand cattle in Texas for ten dollars a head and drove them to Wyoming. After reaching Fort Laramie, he took the herd up the Bozeman Trail to Fort Phil Kearny. Because of Indian problems in the area he was ordered to hold the cattle at the fort until something could be worked out. After a three week wait, Story became impatient and drove the cattle from the fort at night. The herd was soon located and drove off in all directions by area tribes, and in the days it took to round up the cattle more than 30 Indians were killed.

These Longhorns of today are a bit, okay, a lot, bigger than the 1866 version

Nelson Story went on to establish himself, and the cattle ranching business, near Bozeman, Montana, where he became both rich and influential.

Today more than one and a quarter million cattle can be found in Wyoming, and more than two and a half million in Montana. Guess story knew what he was doing. 

We took some friends from Texas out to the Ruts yesterday - always fun!

Wyoming Snowstorm and Trivia Too

It’s always fun to see the weather reports get it right. Lots of snow and we did need the moisture, after the wind of the past two weeks.

Not sure how a foot and a half of snow was handled in the old days. Probably a lot like me with this one – stay inside and read a book, or work on a project of some kind.

Pine Tree sagging onto garage

The only time I ventured out yesterday was to clean off our dish so the TV stations would come back. Later we did a bit of shoveling from our back door to the garage. All in all, it was a pretty good day.

My back, Rasberry Patch

I did finish the cover for my new book, the third in the series of kids books written for second, third and fourth graders. Now awaiting the proof copies.

Cover for New Kids Book - Should be available by mid-March

It has been too long since I posted my infamous, Wyoming Trivia. Today, give these five questions a try.

Answers below the next photo.

1.   Who was the leader of the first Geological Survey into Yellowstone?

2.   What Wyoming County sits in the middle of these six counties: Sheridan, Cambell, Converse, Natrona, Washakie and Big Horn?

3.   What is the oldest of the five major dams on the North Platte River? This dam is over 100 years old.

4.   What river disappears into Sinks Canyon?

5.   What man caused a controversy at Fort Laramie by hanging two Sioux with chains, and still went on to be appointed as a Wyoming Territorial Governor?

 

Now let's see how you Turkey's did!

Answers

1.   F. V. Hayden

2.   Johnson County

3.   Pathfinder

4.   Popo Agie

5.   Thomas Moonlight

Flat Nose Currie or Big Nose George Parrott

Famous outlaws with strange noses. At least that is what I thought I might call this post.

Maybe, Flat Nose Currie and Big Nose George Parrott were not the same man would be a better title. The fact is, likely only because of their noses these two men are often mixed up, but they shouldn’t be.

George Sutherland Currie often called Flat-Nose, because of his, well, rather flat and wide nose, was a well known and somewhat written about robber in Wyoming and the old west. He mentored cold-blooded killer Harvey Logan, who took the name Kid Currie out of respect for his friend and teacher. The two robbed banks before joining Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch.

Flat Nose

Big Nose George Parrott, who went by several aliases, never rode with, and never met Butch Cassidy. This is a certainty as Parrott was lynched when Butch Cassidy was still Robert LeRoy Parker, a 14-year-old, growing up in Utah.

Big Nose

Parrott claimed he rode with the famous James brothers, another story that has been mostly debunked. Much of the fame Big Nose George has today, is because after his death he was partially skinned with the skin being made into a medical satchel and a pair of shoes for Dr. John Osborn. Osborn who was involved in a gruesome autopsy where he and a Doctor friend searched Parrott’s brain for evidence of a criminal lobe.

Governor Osborn - Dr. Osborn, a few years later, wore the shoes to the governor's inaugural ball when he was elected Wyoming’s third governor and the first Democrat to hold the office. Osborne declined a chance to run for another two-year term and instead served as Wyoming’s representative in the 55^th Congress of the United States.

So why all the above about the two outlaws?  Recently I ran across a  list of members of the Hole in the Wall Gang from a familiar source, one that many modern day, old west writers use in research. This was one of the listings. “George L. ‘Flat Nose’ Curry, also known as George Parrott, was a veteran bank robber. . . . . .”

And if that was not bad enough, not surprisingly, multiple sources on the web have the two mixed up. I Googled a photo of George “Flat Nose” Curry, and the first few that came up were all photos of Big Nose George.

Nope, not the same guy – fake news, er, a, fake history.

The moral of this post, check the facts, even if most modern day news outlets do not. 

Nothing to do with today's post but a photo I took yesterday

Today Mostly Fact – Not Much Fiction

The news dominating Wyoming right now  -  The Legislature is in session, I hope to visit in the next couple of weeks and sit in on some of the education funding discussions. Education funding is a huge concern in our state as the mineral extraction industry has footed the bill for many years.

It will be interesting to see what happens. State Income Tax, more sales tax, a raise in property taxes, or a combination of all of the above. As much as no one wants new taxes or an increase in taxes, I don’t see a lot of options. Wyoming schools are doing well, currently rated as the 7^th best state for public schools in America. We can use some of the rainy day money for a year, or two, but somewhere, somehow, a permanent funding model must be found.

One idea being bandied about is to increase classroom numbers or combine school districts – both terrible ideas. If the legislature decides to do this, I hope they call it what it is. Cutting the number of teachers, putting kids on long bus commutes, and taking away one of the things that make our schools really good – small classroom size. I may be prejudiced on this, having been in the classroom for more than four decades. Too often the idea comes up, “let's consolidate like the states around us.” I was in Nebraska in the 1970s, when they started to consolidate, and when they did, many of the schools were within five or six miles of each other, not the 25 or more that we have in Wyoming. Within a few years, schools that lost their high school’s, lost their identities, and often lost other businesses and then people.

Here I am - Telling it like it is

What would I do? Good question, and here is my answer. First, this should not be about politics or getting re-elected, although it probably will be, which is too bad. Before reading, understand that I might not like all of these, but think it may be a long-term solution.

Two cent increase in State Sales Tax – (money must be earmarked for education only)

1% of the room rate added to the Lodging Tax. (money must be earmarked for education only)

With a bit of a pickup in minerals, this might do it for now.

The Times are Changing - It is also likely the time to merge the State Department of Education with PTSB, long overdue. Although it is a bit stop-gap, it might also be time for a  five-year moratorium on the new school building program.

Pronghorn are from the old days - really old days

Good luck to the legislature, they have a tough job ahead of them.

What About That Wyoming Wind

Not sure about you, but I am getting tired of all the wind. Where we live in the North Platte River Valley, we don’t get as much wind as most of the state, except, it seems, this time of year. So many days with gusts around the state at 60 or more mph, seems unusual even for Wyoming at this part of the year.

Where the Wind Really Blows - I did a bit of research to see how Wyoming compared to other states and, as expected, this is a windy state. Wyoming trails only South Dakota and Montana in average wind speed. I found it both funny and appropriate that the list has the District of Columbia at the top with a wind speed more than ten mph above than South Dakota. Imagine that, D.C. with all the politicians is the windiest place in the United States. (I do hope the people that compiled this list I used do know that The District of Columbia, is not a state).

That’s a Lot of Wind - Last year Casper had a wind gust that reached 103 mph in February, as much as a class 2 hurricane. So what is the windiest town in Wyoming? Good question, either Medicine Bow or Rawlins, depending on the source, and if you dig deep enough, other towns and cities will probably pop-up.

But all of Wyoming is not considered windy, Worland, Lander, Guernsey, and I am sure a few others will pop up as members of the least windy cities in the United States. How do these places qualify? With average wind speeds of around eight mph or less for the year. With the speeds at that level, cities are in the bottom 20% for the wind in the country.

Is it Spring Yet? - It has been warm enough to play golf if not for the snow and wind. Now the snow, because of the wind, has melted and I may head out to the golf course the next time the wind is not so bad. I know what you are thinking – “Well, good luck with that.”

That’s it, one very windy post, but I still do not want to live anywhere else.

Today’s photos from our drive west of town this morning – enjoy!

Markers Along the Oregon Trail

Traveling the Oregon Trail must have been quite an ordeal. Along with the lack of food, lack of good water, lack of fuel and the constant fear of attack from Indians, travelers had to put up with walking most of the way. They experienced freezing cold mornings and often scorching afternoons. But finding the way west was, after the first few years, not as difficult as many novels and stories seem to make it. Many good scouts, or pilots as they were sometimes called, worked the trail, many had earlier trapped and traded in the west and knew much of life on the trail.

Wagons followed the Platte River across present-day Nebraska and looked forward to their first view of the west, Chimney Rock and soon after if the days were clear Laramie Peak.

Chimney Rock – Near Bridgeport Nebraska and along Highway - 26, was a towering marker letting travelers know they were leaving the flat and easy part of the journey west. Chimney Rock stood more than 400 feet above the North Platte River and could be seen for days from the wagon trains. Today Chimney Rock is still striking but stands about 100 feet less than it once did.

Chimney Rock

Laramie Peak – Often Laramie Peak could be seen before the wagons reached Chimney Rock. The highest point of the Laramie Range, the peak stands 10,276 feet high. By most standards a mountain a bit over 10,000 feet high is not much, but when viewed from the prairie, after weeks of traveling the flat land, it was most impressive. The peak, as it is referred to by locals now, also meant the wagons would soon be turning north with the river toward present-day Casper, Wyoming. As a side note, famed mountain man Jim Bridger* often claimed he’d been in the mountains so long that when he came west, Laramie Peak was, “nothin’ but a hole in the ground.”

 *Bridger came into this country on his first trip west 195 years ago.

Laramie Peak as it looked from the wagon trains

John Jakes Short Stories

Fall in the Mountains

I just finished, last evening, reading John Jakes book of short stories, The Bold Frontier. This collection covered much of Mr. Jakes writing career, stores from as far back as the 1950s. I especially enjoyed the first story in the book, The Western and How We Got It. That story gives a background of where and how the western genre started. Other than that, the stories run the gamut from traditional to a bit quirky.

Not everyone that reads westerns is a Jakes fan, but after reading all the books of his Kent Family Chronicles, many years ago, I then read his North and South Trilogy which included North and South, Love and War and Heaven and Hell. Guess that makes me a pretty big fan.

Oh, one last note, the 84-year-old Jakes is still alive and well, the Chicago native now lives in Flordia.

Seems like I am not getting much writing done lately. Might be I am enjoying the great fall weather a bit too much. The photos on today's post came from our ride out west of town this morning. We covered 85 miles enjoying the wildlife and fall colors along the way.

Keep on reading and keep on writing. 

Nice Black Bear, but lots of timber between him and us - probably a good thing.

Fort Laramie and the Old West

The End of the Old West

 As I was writing an introduction to a book that I am working on several thoughts crossed my mind. The book, about Fort Laramie and the American West, has been a much more than interesting research project. Fort Laramie may be more a symbol of the old west and last frontier than anything else.

Fort Laramie 1849-1890

Throughout most of its active years, Fort Laramie was the most important fort of the West. The fort protected an area that was mostly unsettled when it was established as a military fort in 1849. One could argue that the 41 years the fort was active, were the defining years of what many called the old west. Yes, there were people, quite a few, in fact, Native Indian Tribes who would soon be displaced, and a few hunters, trappers, and wanderers, and with Fort Laramie, Soldiers.

 End of the Frontier

During the active years of the fort the country rapidly expanded. The Gold Rush, Transcontinental Railroad, Telegraph, Pony Express, Civil War, and economic woes in the east all lead to the end of the old west. By the time 1890 rolled around, Benjamin Harrison was president and the United States Census Bureau announced the end of the frontier. In 1893, Fredrick Jackson Turner wrote an article for the Chicago World’s Fair, stating that there was no longer a line of Frontier in America. With the closing of Fort Laramie in 1890 also came the disgraceful Massacre at Wounded Knee and statehood for Wyoming. When Owen Wister published the first Western in 1902, The Virginian, the old west was gone.

Wild West

What about the Wild West? If it ever was, which it was not, it was a part of the old west. The Wild West was a creation by pulp writers turning out dozens of dime novel westerns and a few years later, Hollywood expanded the myth. 

Fort Laramie was the first sign, or last sign, of civilization to an American people who farmed the land or lived in cities on the east and west coasts and in the south. It was also a sign of things to come, and 41 years after it opened, the buildings were sold off for salvage.

The Time’s They Are Changing

At my age, we just returned from our weekend 50-year high school reunion, I am not always in favor of the changes I see taking place. It was no different with the ending of the frontier, some saw it as a good sign, others hated the Idea of everything settled. Such is life, change and time march on. 

Enjoying Time With Old Friends From The Class of '66'

School Is Back In Session

It’s that time of year again. School starting all over Wyoming. With that in mind, I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at early schools in the state.

Remember these? Black boards and Elementary School Rules

The first Wyoming school opened at Fort Laramie and was soon followed by several private schools as the population warranted. Robert Baker opened a school in South Pass with families paying one dollar each week per child. By 1870 the census listed five private and four public schools in the state. That same year the only public school buildings were in Cheyenne.

In 1871 Dr. J. H. Hayford, the auditor for the territory of Wyoming listed schools in Albany and Laramie counties as good, Carbon and Uinta had schools he listed as fair. Students furnished their own school materials and textbooks were, a haphazard, whatever could be found that was suitable for the job.

Pretty Nice Place to Live

In 1873 a compulsory education law took effect, ordering every child between ages 6-18 to attend school for three months each year. As the state grew so did the number and efficiency of the schools. Territorial Governor Hoyt said in 1878, “I have never known a community, whether in this country or in Europe, more zealously devoted to the cause of popular education than the people of this new Territory.”

In the last decade before statehood, in 1890, Wyoming’s population tripled and the school population doubled. The number of buildings now used as, or built for schools, grew from 39 to 138.

Wagon Trains, trappers, traders and hunters passed through the state for many years, but when the railroad came, people followed and with people came schools. And with schools came that great sound of kids playing on the playground and if you are inside, learning the old three Rs and a few other things.

Just Passing Through

After 42 years of teaching, I still sub in the local schools a few days each month. That leaves me many days to sit and write at home. I just published Ghost of the Fawn, my sixth book.

It is set, of course in Wyoming, and originally I targeted it as a young adult book. My first readers, who help me refine and edit, seem to think it is a great adult read as well. If you have time give it a look, not sure when it will be available but certainly should be by the end of the weekend.

Oh, and you can find my other five books here. The new book will be added soon.

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. 

Wyoming And The Railroad

The month of May is important for railroad historians in Wyoming. Tomorrow, marks the anniversary, May 9, 1868,  of the tracks for the Union Pacific reaching Laramie. One year, and one day, later, May 10, 1869, the Golden Spike was driven at Promontory Point Utah as the transcontinental railroad is completed.

Wyoming Train - Circa 1890s

How Important Was The Transcontinental Railroad?

It replaced the long slow and expensive travel by wagon train. It also did away with the pony express, many stage coach lines, and long distance freighters who moved goods east and west. The railroad also eliminated most of the dangers of going west. The old trip, by wagon, would have taken six months by train one week.

Looks Like This Old Wagon Tired Out

Was it Really Transcontinental?

It could be, depends on how one looks at it,  but the tracks in the east were already quite extensive all the way through Iowa. The building of the new rails started at Omaha and ended on the west coast.  Nearly 1800 miles of tracks were laid between 1863 and 1869 by three different builders. Although the railroad is often attributed to President Lincoln, who was in office when it was started. It’s building went on through the administration of President Andrew Johnson and finished with U. S. Grant in office.

Railroads Are Still Going Stong In Wyoming Today

But Wasn’t it Expensive to Travel This Way?

No. As a matter of fact, the cost to travel west by wagon would have run from several hundred to more than a thousand dollars. By the new rail system, the cost, third class, sleeping car, was around $150, and if one started in Omaha, the cost to go to the Pacific Coast was $65.00.

For many years, I asked students, for a project, to pick two events they wish they could have been part of in the old west. After they had finished, I gave them my own list of three. I would have gone to the first rendezvous, rode in a wagon train west and taken a trip on the 1869 Transcontinental Railroad. Fun times and great adventure. 

Here I Am Hanging Out At A Rendezvous - Looks To Me Like I Fit Right In

Hey, Don't Do That - Not Here!

Often, when doing research, for a new book I run across stories that are just too good to not pass on.

The Trader

Such is the tale of early Wyoming, would be trader, H. E. Palmer. Shortly after the Civil War, Palmer came west intending to set up a post to trade with both Indians and whites. The war in the east may have been over in 1866, but in the west, it was only beginning. Palmer hired three interpreters, all part Native Indian, brought along four wagon loads of goods and built a store.  The store on Clear Creek, near present-day Buffalo, he built with the best available material – sod.

Nice Soddy south of Scottsbluff,  Nebraska

His Grand Opening

His first customers, a group of Cheyenne warriors arrived and Palmer was ready to trade. He offered his pipe, well packed with tobacco, and all smoked. Palmer was sure this, a sign of peace would be great for his trading business. Instead of buying they tossed aside everything but their weapons and told Palmer to leave.  The chief told Palmer they would let him and his men go if they would get off this Buffalo land immediately.

Well – That Didn’t Last Long

After leaving with nothing but their wagons and the clothes on their backs the Cheyenne took the sod trading post apart and relayed the sod where it had been pulled from the earth. Like many hunting and wandering people, the Cheyenne did not farm and could see no reason to destroy mother earth by taking up the sod, even if it were to build a trading post that would soon be lost in history.

It is interesting to note that Indians on the Plains to the East had been building with sod for generations, but not out here. Wyoming was teepee country.

The Buffalo in History

“Historically the Buffalo had more influence on man than all other Plains animals combined. It was life, food, raiment, and shelter to the Indians. He buffalo and the Plains Indians lived together, and together passed away.”

Walter Prescott Webb from, The Great Plains, published 1931, Ginn and Company