Wyoming History - Kings of Wyoming

It was a long road to statehood for Wyoming. The area that today makes up Wyoming was first claimed by the Spanish, then the French, followed by Mexico, and the Lone Star Republic of Texas before it became a state.

Kings of Wyoming – Parts of Wyoming came under the rule of 12 Spanish Kings from 1479-1821. Ten French Kings also ruled over various parts of the state from 1515-1792. When France became a Republic, Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte sold the area known as the Louisiana Purchase, including a large area of today’s Wyoming, to the United States.

I love the line from the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when Butch keeps asking, “Who are those guys?” That said, here is a list of Kings that at one time ruled over all or part of what would one day become Wyoming.

Spanish Kings – Four named Charles, four Phillip’s and four Ferdinand’s

French Kings – Francis I and II, - Henry II, III and IV - Charles IX and a bunch of Kings named Louis, including Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Lewis XVI

Wyoming became a state in 1890 a mere, 127 years ago.

Wyoming was carved from an area passed up by all but native peoples for centuries. It was, for years, ruled by, or claimed by many entities. All areas surrounding Wyoming were established in some manner before Wyoming, causing some to refer to the cowboy state as the Leftover Territory.

In 1861, Wyoming, for the first time started to take shape. What happened in 1861 that caused this? The formation of Colorado Territory giving that state a northern border and Wyoming most of its southern border. Also in 1861 Nebraska Territory was divided with the Territory of Dakota created to the north and west. When Idaho Territory was created in 1863 the eastern state line was created. In 1864 the establishment of Montana created a northern border. At last, in 1865, Wyoming Territory was mentioned in Congress for the first time, and three years later, in 1868, it became a reality.

I wrote on this topic, with a few more specifics about the creation of Wyoming borders, a few years ago. If you would like to see that post click here.

Now that the kids are back in school it’s time for all of us to start doing some reading – take a look at all of my books on my Amazon Authors Page -  here. All books available as inexpensive eBooks (none more than $2.99) or soft cover. Check them out and read a free sample. Something for everyone, Historical Fiction, Westerns, Garden Humor, Kids Chapter books, and mysteries. Thanks for looking.

Hot Weather - The Rendezvous & Sitting in the Shade

What About this Heat?

It has ben hot the last couple of weeks. So hot that grass is turning brown fast, tough for ranchers and for city people who like a beautiful green lawn. Wyoming’s all-time record high was 115 degrees set in Basin in August of 1983. We have been over 100 but thankfully quite a few degrees from 115. Reminds me of the old Wyoming joke about the heat – “I watched a Coyote chasing a Jack Rabbit and it was so hot they were both walking.”

Rendezvous

During these hot days of July, nothing beat sitting around in the shade, swapping stories, and in the case of many trappers, drinking, and overeating. Rendezvous took place this time of the year, July, a time when trappers really had nothing to do. Must have been quite a site, these Rendezvous, with boisterous talking, games, races, music, and dancing.  Trappers from big companies were joined by free trappers and Native Indians and salesmen with trade goods. The trade goods often include not only trapping supplies, but women for hire, and large quantities of bad whiskey. A few trappers brought in their wives and sometimes children. Some of the later rendezvous included tourists, newsmen, and artists, leaving behind a rich history. A history that is often fiction, as much as fact, interesting and colorful times they were indeed.

Meanwhile

Enjoy the heat and remember it brings on, great gardens, baseball, barbecues and many other great summer activities.

Now I think I will go outside sit in the shade and read a good book.

Speaking of good books if you would like a bit of Wyoming fiction, you can see all my books here. Thanks for looking, all available in softcover or eBook.

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.

Snow and the Blizzard of 1887

Last night it was cold, really cold. When I got up this morning, I checked our indoor outdoor thermometer which read -20. The weather app on my phone said -25 with a wind chill of -41 now that is cold. We live in a nice valley where we don’t see such extreme temperatures as a norm but this year seems a bit different. Coming out of the Wyoming news this morning was the fact that Wyoming was reporting five of the ten coldest temperatures on earth last night. Sometimes the old, “We’re number one chant doesn’t feel all that good.

Under Our Feeder - Temperature Up to Zero at Noon

The winter of 1885-86 should have been an indication of what was to come with the great blizzard of 1887, but as people say in today’s world, “who knew?”

Fall and early winter in 85-86 were some of the most pleasant days, for that time of year, on record. Reminds me of last year when I played golf six or eight times in December. Hope that was not a harbinger of even worse things to come this winter.

In 1887, January 9^th Wyoming and a big area including most of the states around were hit with the great blizzard. Snow fell at the rate of nearly an inch and hour for 16-20 hours and temperatures plunged as low as -46. The temperatures stayed bitterly cold for ten days when the snow came again.

The rest is history, starved cattle, snowed in towns and ranches, starving people. Ranchers lost from a third to all of their herds. In all, an estimated five million cattle died. That winter changed the way American ranchers would operate forever. 

Wyoming Christmas Stories

Under Western Skies, now .99 Cents

Great Christmas Reading – all set in the west

Give yourself a Christmas Present and for less than a buck. That’s right for five days, my book of 14 Western Christmas stories – Under Western Skies - is only .99 cents.

14 stories and 144 pages, plus a bonus chapter at the end from my western novel Commitment, 160+ pages in all and that’s a lot of reading for less than a dollar.

If you like Christmas and you like westerns, this is the book for you. 

If you would rather have the soft cover book you can get it here. And only $9.99

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. 

Yellowstone and The First Visitors

With all the crazy goings on in Yellowstone this summer, it would be nice to see some more positive news of, and from the park. News about record visitor numbers and the hundreds of thousands that use the park and follow the rules. For those who have never visited it should be a bucket list trip, a place everyone needs to go in there lifetime. In this age of man-made tourist attractions it is wonderful to visit Yellowstone, and nature at its best.

The First Visitors

Historically five Indian tribes lived in and around the park. Crow, Blackfeet, Bannock, Shoshoni and the ancient Sheep Eaters were natives of the area. Of these tribes, only the Sheep Eaters are known to have resided, full time inside of what today are the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. These ancient hunting and gathering people lived in brush lodges in parts of the park far from the hot springs and geysers. They left behind only a few stone tools and remnants of lodges but are instrumental in park history. The other four tribes were in and out of the park but never resided there full time. Like the Sheep Eaters, these tribes stayed away from the geothermal areas of the park.

Blackfoot Chief Painted Wing chased a group of Shoshoni into what would become the park in 1845. The Shoshoni had stolen Blackfoot horses, but when the pursuit reached the area of the hot springs, the Blackfeet turned around, not willing to go into that area of the park.

Jim Bridger and the Mountain Men

When the first trappers came to the area in the 1820s, they too entered the park. Legendary Mountain Man Jim Bridger, who first visited in 1825, entered the park and was so fascinated he came back many times, over the years, and explored much of the area. His tall tales of things he saw and did became part of American Folklore.  His stories of petrified trees, birds, music and air and of glass mountains and catching and cooking fish in the same stream, were told in western school rooms and around campfires and potbellied stoves for more than a century.

What a great way to vacation in Americas National Parks and Monuments and all 50 states magnificent state parks.

How I Will Spend My Summer

We have another trip planned to Yellowstone, but will likely wait for fall, with cooler weather and less traffic.  In the meantime, we will spend some time in the Black Hills and several Wyoming State Parks, oh, and a trip to Estes Park.  

One of My Favorite Places - Guernsey State Park

Thoughts on the Impending Spring Blizzard

If the weather man is correct, it looks like we are in for another spring storm starting this evening. Prediction for 8-14 inches of heavy wet snow for this area. Wyoming weather is not the most predictable so, who knows? As I have mentioned before, we need the moisture. I did get the fertilizer on the lawn yesterday which means if the snow comes, my timing was impeccable.

Coming Soon - Right Here

Back in the Old Days

When Wyoming first established itself as cattle country, ranchers, some good and some not so good brought in cattle by the thousand. Texas Longhorns were cheap and once they were here much of the range was open and free to run cattle. In 1874, Wyoming had less than 100,000 head of cattle, five years later more than half a million grazed the state.

This Old Boy Doesn't Look Too Concerned  About Bad Weather Coming

At that time, ranchers believed the weather was predictable and that the winter winds would keep much of the range open during the cold months, but they were wrong. Today we have many types of sophisticated weather equipment to predict storms like the one coming in a few hours. In the 1870s and 80s, it was weather guessed by the seat of their pants. Most new cattlemen either hoped for no bad weather or simply supposed it would not come. Nice try but it did not work.

The Great Blizzard of 1887

In November of 1886 heavy snow started to fall, so much of it in fact,  that the range was covered for two months. Warm windy days in January of 1887 staved off a complete disaster, but then the blizzard came. One of the states worst hit on January, 28 dumping massive amounts of snow for four days. The results were a disaster, tens of thousands of cattle were dead and stockmen would never treat winter the same again.

Bison, Unlike Cattle, Seem to Have No Problem with Snow Cover

Cattle herds were rebuilt more slowly and much more carefully after that eventful blizzard and ranching in the Cowboy State would never be the same. Cattle would no longer be left, far out on the range to fend for themselves all winter long. Ranchers would move cattle from the high country in the early fall, and many started to put up hay to ensure feed if snows became too much.

So Here We Go again

 Getting ready for our third spring snowstorm of the season. I planted some potatoes and peas in my garden but don’t suppose they will mind some cold and snow. Our trees are starting to leaf out and our early flowers look terrific, maybe not so much on Sunday.

Looks Like it Might Be a Few More Weeks for this

Predicting Weather Today

Might be a Weekend to Sit by the Fire
This one is at the North Bluff Castle in Guernsey State Park

Predicting weather is a tough job. It is also one of those jobs that seemingly everyone thinks they can do better than the pros. If they are correct we may be seeing closed roads in the area, just hope we do not get another day long power outage like we did two weeks ago. 

If We Get Only a Few Inches of Snow it will still be Great Hiking Weather

Trains Then and Now

Today we take railroads and rail traffic for granted, at least, where I live we do. Dozens of trains pass through on the north side of our little town each day and no one notices, just part of life. But that was not always the case. When trains first passed through towns and cities much of the community would turn out to cheer and watch the powerful locomotives pulling a handful of cars.  When passenger cars were involved and the train stopped, even if but for a few minutes, it was the best entertainment in town. Funny how times change.

Modern day Coal Train rolling toward the mines to refill

When I was a kid growing up in 1950s Nebraska we still, on occasion, went down to watch the Rock Island Rocket, come in and leave. It was quite a site. The rocket would reach speeds of 70 or so miles per hour, making its Kansas City to Omaha trip in a few hours and that included several stops.

But long before our family, and many others watched and enjoined the trains, someone had to build the first track and what a job it was. 2,400 ties were needed every mile, and when they got out here our supplies of cottonwood, scrub cedar and pine were not good enough for the substantial ties needed. Most of the first ties laid through the west were Pennsylvania Oak. Eventually, enough good hard pine was found in the foothills and mountains to open several tie camps in Wyoming and the west.

At last the foothills and mountains provided Tie timber

Water and food were also a problem to supply as the tracks were built. Meat hunters like Buffalo Bill and others are well documented in history, but there is more to this story also. Building the railroad through an area where the native people did not want it was dangerous. Forts D.A. Russell, Sanders, and Fred Steel were built to house soldiers whose primary purpose would be to protect the workers and the process of building the railroad. In places, half the workers worked, and the other half stood guard duty, a tough build indeed. But they got it done, and today we hardly notice. 

The great herds were in decline but still supplied much of the
 meat for the crews building the railroad west

Storm Coming

Today’s edition of Wyoming Fact and Fiction will be a bit of each, maybe more fiction than fact.

With a big storm heading our way, southeast Wyoming, depending on the area, is expecting anywhere from 4 to 20 plus inches of snow.

Remember that snowman who was always in trouble for telling too many tall tales?

That guy was a real Snow-Flake. J

I do like the look of things in nature covered in snow but anymore I am not real crazy about scooping it.

I remember one year we got about a foot of snow and like any good neighbor I got out as soon as possible and an hour of hard labor later, nice clean sidewalks. During the night, the wind came up and blew most of the snow back in place on the sidewalks. I shoveled again the next morning, this practice went on for several days. I shovel in the morning and the wind blew it back on my sidewalks during the night. The snow never did melt it just wore out from tumbling back and forth so many times. J

So how cold and snowy was it?

With thanks to Dr. Phil Robert’s and his brothers, David and Steven, the following weather information was taken from their book, Wyoming Almanac.

Most snow in one season, 491.6 inches --  Bechler River (Yellowstone)

Most snow in 24 hours, 41 inches --  Glenrock (Central Wyoming. and to think I used to live there)

Coldest temperature -63 --  Moran (North of Jackson Hole in the Grand Teton National Park)

Hope this storm doesn’t turn into one of those days. To think that two days ago I played 9 holes of golf and was quite comfortable by adding only a sweatshirt and a pair of golf gloves – didn’t play very well, too many boogies, but it was nice being out.

Golf course today after yesterday's dusting of snow - believe this gal is waiting to tee off

I have long wanted to own a personal home weather station. Well, guess what, I finally got mine. More and more people are getting them, I guess there is a way to put them online so that others can see what the weather is doing in your own little part of the world. So far I have not figured out how to get it online, but it doesn’t seem like it should be too difficult. If there were only, a USB cord attached!

Well, time to go out and find the snow shovel – looks like I may be needing it – Again.

I like winter but by February I start to think of Spring!

Wyoming Newspapers

Wyoming’s first newspaper was published in 1863 in Fort Bridger. The paper, the Daily Telegraph, was one small sheet, two columns printed on one side. The paper printed on 6 ½ by 10 ½, a bit smaller than most of today’s 9 by 11 computer stock paper, contained mostly news of the great war in the east.

Hiram Brundage was the editor, writer, owner and likely also the printer of the one-sheet newspaper.  According to Douglas McMurtrie’s, Pioneer Printing in Wyoming, there was only one advertisement which read, “Job work of all kinds done at this office.” A job advertising the newspapers, job printing, availability to the locals.

Douglas McMurtrie

Within four years, six more newspapers were started in what would become Wyoming, three in Cheyenne. By the time statehood reached Wyoming in 1890, dozens of newspapers had start-ups in the state. Many were short-lived, others combined forces and a few continued for years. But it was not until Edgar Wilson (Bill) Nye arrived that the Wyoming newspaper business took off.

Nye had read for the law before and after reaching Cheyenne in 1876, but it took his friend and mentor in law John Jenkins, the United States attorney for Wyoming Territory, to get Nye into his true calling, the newspaper business. Jenkins sent Bill Nye over the hill to Laramie, and as I hope they never say in the Newspaper business, the rest is history.

Bill Nye went to work for Laramie’s morning newspaper, The Sentinel, as an editor for $12 a week. According to Nye, “We printed it before sundown and distributed it before breakfast, thus it had the appearance of extreme freshness and dampness.” After five years, Nye left the Sentinel and started his own paper, The Boomerang, still going strong today

.

Nye named the paper after his mule, Boomerang, and started the paper in the loft of a livery barn. Nye hand painted a sign, placing it at the bottom of the stairs leading to his office and the press upstairs, it read, “Twist the gray Mule’s tail and take the elevator.” The first issue came out on March 11, 1882, and the rest, well, the rest really is history. 

Old West Shootout

Anyone who has made a serious study of Western history knows that the middle of the street, showdown gunfight is mostly a creation of pulp magazine writers and Hollywood filmmakers. There remain a few sketchy details of gun fights that might have been. Of all the stories, the most well-known gun fight may be the Wild Bill Hickok, Davis Tutt dual in July of 1865. Reportedly the combatants were 75 yards from each other and carefully drew, aimed and fired, one time, at the same moment. Hickok reportedly rested his gun across his left forearm to steady it before firing. Tutt’s shot missed while Hickok’s struck Tutt in the ribs. Tutt died a few minutes later and Hickok was arrested and later acquitted. Hickok’s killing of Tutt in Springfield, Missouri would make Hickok a Wild West legend, but this fight was far from typical.

Hickok

Most old west gunfights - and there were not very many, involved several men, or were more killings than any kind of fair fight. One such fight took place in the rough and tumble Wyoming mining and ranching town of Hartville in 1883. A cowhand named Ed Taylor called Bad Man Taylor by most was shot and killed in a favorite main street saloon. The shot, fired with a rifle through a window, did not give Taylor a chance to draw and fire, dime novel style. Onlookers believe Bad Man Taylor became a target after ambushing another cowboy a month earlier shooting him in the leg.

Today Hartville still has a number of false front buildings

Note: The one fact that most stands out, for me, is that the Hickok-Tutt fight took place a distance of 75 yards. I have a tough time hitting anything from 75 feet, let alone 75 yards. My thought is that they stood far enough from each other that each felt reasonably safe, but could keep their reputations intact by shooting at each other.  Not sure if Hickok was that good of shot or just lucky or unlucky in this case.

Not sure how long since somebody called this place, near Hartville, home