1 10 9760 https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/4b28221e15b21487e9bbbcae0772f926.pdf 15ddb04331379975ea7df58ba759ef31 PDF Text Text •-.'iniw»i^——iriBiMi in nnriiiiTTfr.Y~' ~iii Dealing in Qrain Futures EDWARD JEROME DIES Author of “THE WHEAT PIT” “SOLVING THE FARM RIDDLE” Etc. �Dealing in Grain Futures By EDWARD JEROME DIES Author of “The Wheat Pit," ‘‘Solvinff the Farm Riddle," etc. RAIN exchanges as they function today constitute one of the miracles of modern commerce. Slowly, quietly they have passed through an evolutionary period in which the machinery of marketing has been over­ hauled. New parts have replaced those that had weakened. And the whole system has been geared up to keep pace with the needs of agriculture and commerce. Modern grain exchanges are the product of the last sixty years. They w’ere born of an economic need. They have performed a difficult and trying task in the face of a shifting, growing agricul­ ture and an ever-expanding commerce. During the long period of groping with the ponderous problem of distributing the grain crop over the world, the exchanges blundered, just as all other great industries blundered, and they suffered from imperfections, just as all other big Industrie)! suf­ fered. Q 3 �DRALINO IN GRAIN FUTURES But the exchanges continued, with hardly a pause, their long uphill pull to higher efficiency. The}^ finally attained an enviable goal, that of marketing the farmer’s wheat at a lower cost than exists in the marketing of any other staple farm product That is the indisputable fact which shines out clearly in court decisions, in statements of the world’s leading economists, and in testi­ mony of authorities who have devoted their live.s to the study of marketing problems. Such evi­ dence cannot be shaken; the facts are too clear. But grain marketing always will be a highly controversial subject. The reason is plain. Fann­ ers want high prices for their grain. Labor wants low prices for bread. One or the other of these two forces is forever crying out against the grain exchange, forgetting that the exchange does not make prices but simply registers the price at which the world buys and sells that commodity. Discontent must have an outlet, and the grain ex­ change has always served as the object of critic­ ism when prices seemed too high or too low. Crafty politicians have always taken advantage of this situation. When a parade of malcontenl.s started down a highway some politician was ready to leap to the head of the procession and shout: “Come on, boys.” It seemed a good vote-getting scheme, just as attacking the railroads in the old day.s assured a certain following of voters in­ capable of thinking for themselves. But the exchanges, like the railroads, have gradually strengthened their position by reason of rendering greater public service. As a result the opportunist in vote-getting ha.s seen his prize shrivel rapidly in recent years. Despite the progress and efficiency of the mod­ ern grain exchange there are still vast numbers of persons who draw their grain marketing educa­ tion from the sensational headlines depicting the exploits of. some irresponsible plunger; or from the startling outburst.s of some insignificant and 4 DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES scheming politician, who represents no one but himself, who knows nothing whatever about grain marketing, and whose comment is utterly ridicu­ lous to those familiar with the subject and to those charged with the duty of supervising the affairs of the exchange. But even the uninformed public is growing weary of this type of disturber. Under the progress being made by the Chicago Board of Trade, the largest grain market in the world, and other domestic grain exchanges, the day is not far distant when the exchanges, like the railroads and other major industries, will have placed such agitators in their true light. The end can be attained in but one manner, that is for the exchange to function as nearly 100 per cent perfect as is humanly possible. And today that is the sincere, genuine aim of the grain ex­ change. The Board of Trade The Chicago Board of Trade has grown into a great artery through which the life blood of grain commerce is continually throbbing. Contrary to the general understanding, the board of trade neither buys nor sells grain. It only register.s prices. It is not organized for private gain. It i i an association of some 1,600 reputable busi­ ness men, many of whom are heads of large firms. The membership includes banks, railroads, steam­ ship companies, elevators, commission houses, brokers, speculators, and the like. The objects of the association formed three-quarters of a cen­ tury ago, are to maintain an exchange, promot * fair dealings and facilitate business. Rigid rules and regulations are laid down and are followed. Serious violation causes expulsion from the ex­ change and forfeiture of the valuable membershij5. A glance at the records will show that such action is taken and taken quickly when occasion warrants. It has been suggested that the Chicago Board of Trade does not keep step with progress; that �DEAtJNO IN GRAIN FUTURES DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES it does not overhaul its machinery frequently enough to stay abreast of changing times. The answer may be found in a study of the records of any single year. These fundamental changes have been made in the past two years: By a vote of the membership a Business Conduct Committee with wide powers was appointed and its remarkable work in an­ ticipating and preventing emergencies in the market has been praised by market author­ ities and financiers throughout the nation. A new modern clearing house system for handling grain trades has been established at great cost and inconvenience, all of which is being amply repaid, however, by reason of the increased defficiency which has elimi­ nated the complaints that now and then were heard under the old system. A new rule has been adopted which per­ mits non-resident members to vote by mail, thus more fairly distributing the voting power of the exchange throughout the country. An antiquated state elevator law, long a thorn in the side of the exchange, has been removed and a modern warehouse law en­ acted. A rule was adopted which permits the di­ rectors to declare the existence of an emerg­ ency arid limit price fluctuations on grain in time of great market stress. These are but a few of the numerous funda­ mental changes brought about in the short space of two years. culture see to it that the act is in no way violated. Representatives of the department of agriculture are stationed at various contract markets. The board of trade is supervised by a staff of govern­ ment employes under the able leadership of L. A. Fitz, grain exchange supervisor at Chicago. Offi­ cials of the exchange work in close co-operation with these government officials for the purpose of continually improving the machinery and prevent­ ing acts which might be inimical to the proper functioning of the markets. Government Regulation Besides enforcing its own rigorous rules, the grain exchange functions under the direct super­ vision of the United States government. All ex­ changes must comply with the Grain Futures Act before they can be designated as contract mark­ ets. A staff of officials in the department of agri­ Under this close co-operation attempted cor­ ners, squeezes, market raids, and the like, have become a thing of the past. The government has the power to inquire into the personal dealings of any trader, and exerts that power whenever such course seems advisable. The Chicago Board of Trade and the United States government have long worked in close har­ mony in an effort to make the marketing machin­ ery 100 per cent efficient. And steady progress has been made. Cash and Futures Four hundred million bushels of cash grain, physical grain, are received in the huge Chicago market each year. The figure helps to visualize the giant facilities of the cash grain division of the board of trade. But the futures market of the exchange reflects even greater magnitude. It is the very hub of world grain trade. In this board of trade futures market foreign nations anticipate their future needs in the way of bread supplies. Exporters buy grain for future delivery, as they sell to for­ eign customers. Country elevators hedge their holdings of actual wheat, and millers and manu­ facturers use the market constantly for hedging purposes and for acquiring grain to be delivered at some future date. 7 �DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES Hedging, or what might be called i)riee insur­ ance, is the most vital factor in the whole grain distributing system. In order to have hedging facilities there must be a futures market. And in order to have a futures market there must be speculation. The three elements, hedging, fu­ tures, and speculation are locked tightly together, and the market would lose its purpose it specu­ lation were to be eliminated. Speculation consists in buying or selling prop­ erty with a view to making a profit between the buying and the selling price and in the meantime accepting the risks. This is true in grain just as in real estate or any other commercial endeavor. Gambling consists in wagering money on some future event without any necessary relation to the acquiring or disposal of property. The risks in speculation are those incident to ownership of property. The risks of gambling are unnessary and artificial risks. They are created for the sheer purpose of deciding bets. It is utterly ridicu­ lous to confuse speculation and gambling. Spec­ ulation has been called the greatest incentive to progress that man has ever had. It has been a driving force in every phase of life. a bushel, wholesale, he will have to pay you the other 50 cents a bushel which you lost, and if the retail price is then 55 cents a bushel, you make 5 cents. Let’s praise this speculator instead of condemning him, for he takes a risk that few men would care to assume, and so protects busi­ ness men from loss. . . . “Eight lout of ten concerns fail. For instance in 1922 there were nearly 24,000 business failures. Fully two-thirds of this enormous increase was due to vanishing inventories of high-priced goods, bought at the wrong time. “Now, how will we prevent this loss? One method is ‘hedging’ such as I have just described in the operations of the grain exchange at Chi­ cago. Don’t assail the fellows in the grain and cotton exchanges. They buy and sell futures, but they take risks that other persons don’t want. That’s what all Insurance is.” Dr. S. S. Heubner of the University of Penn­ sylvania in an address took occasion to praise the so-called “gamblers” in the commodity exchanges. “These men take risks that nobody else wants. I'hey save loss to others. Why, the Chicago Board of Trade is the biggest insurance concern in the world. “Let me show you how you can buy wheat for $1 a bushel, and sell it at 55 cents a bushel, and make 5 cents profits. You buy, say, 100,000 bu­ shels of wheat, paying $1 a bushel. You put it in a grain elevator. In other days you waited to sell, and if the price dropped you were wiped out. To­ day you sell the 100,000 bushels short at $1 a bushel and you are insured. Some speculator will take the chance, and buy it; if wheat drops to 50 cents 8 Trading in Futures It may be interesting to explain the precise method of dealing in grain futures from a specu­ lative viewpoint. Let us suppose that you are a business man with some knowledge of speculative markets, and with some knowledge of grain supplies and demands. After observing general conditions you decide to speculate in wheat. If you have established no connections with a reputable brokerage house you will perhaps in­ quire of your banker, and he will recommend a responsible firm holding membership on the Chi­ cago Board of Trade or one of the other large grain exchanges. This commission broker operates under all the rules of the exchange and under the provisions of the Grain Futures Act enforced by the United States government. He charges a slight commission for executing your order in the grain market. He will make available to you official 9 �DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES statistical matter and other information which may aid you in forming an opinion as to the future course of the market. He will advise, but you will instruct and your orders will be carried out. This commission merchant who executes your order in the futures market, be it either to buy or sell, must have some security to protect him from losses. His profit comes only in his commission. The security he requires is called “margins.” Now, let us suppose that you decide to purchase 5,000 bushels of wheat, a very small order, for delivery next May, believing that the price in the mean­ time will be higher and that you may make a profit on your investment. You deposit with your broker from 5 to 10 cents a bushel, depending on the current price of wheat. He immediately flashes your order to his representative on the floor of the exchange. The order is executed and the con­ firmation sent to you at once. When you are ready to sell you simply instruct your broker to sell at a price which you fix upon or at the price then prevailing in the market. Your profit or your loss will be shown in the state­ ment of your account immediately forthcoming from the broker. The same method is followed in trading in all the various other commodities dealt in on the Chicago Board of Trade, including corn, oats, rye, cotton, lard, dry salted bellies, short ribs and other meats. The margins placed with the broker are based somewhat upon the current value of the commodity, and rather in proportion to the margins mentioned on wheat. Under the rules funds for trading must be in the hands of the commission merchants before or­ ders are executed, and may be sent by express, bank drafts or certified checks, or they may be deposited in any responsible bank in the country whose cashier will receipt for the funds and notify the merchant that the money has been deposited to his credit. There are thousands of business men and others who might be called competent speculators by rea­ son of their knowledge and their financial respon­ sibility who trade regularly in the speculative commodities markets. This widespread competent public speculation, added to the professional spec­ ulation creates a liquid futures market broad enough to immediately absorb without undue price fiuctuations the enormous volume of hedging by country elevators, millers, exporters, manufactur­ ers, and others incident to the world-wide distri­ bution of a world commodity. When you eliminate competent speculation you throttle the market and defeat its purpose. With­ out an open futures market there would develop chaotic condition of unorganized, incompetent speculation, replete with unfair practices; the producer would be gouged, for he would have no way of knowing true values. Virtual control of grain traffic by powerful interests large enough to drive small competitors from the field would soon result. 10 Hedging in Grain Futures When you possess a commodity which has been purchased for resale you assume an inevitable risk due to the fiuctuations in market value which may occur between the time of purchase and the time of resale. Should the commodity be one whose price changes frequently your risk is greatly in­ creased. Grain is such a commodity. Values are revised many times during the course of a single hour on the organized exchanges. In the quotations reg­ istered by the grain exchanges are reflected the minutest variations in supply and demand condi­ tions. Traders, merchants, millers and speculators representing world-wide interests come together and the figures at which they buy and sell reflect the composite world opinion on grain prices. Crops, weather reports, economic and political con­ ditions are all considered and weighed in the del11 �DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES icate scales of speculative opinion. The market is sensitive to the slightest change in value-determin­ ing factors. With nice precision it reflects the varying world conditions as they are interpreted by men whose judgment, backed by wide experi­ ence and expert knowledge, is their chief reliance in a highly important business. can never destroy speculation as it is something inexorably connected with the ownership of any kind of property. There are many kinds of farm produce and gen­ eral merchandise that cannot be hedged by the owner and he must assume the speculative risk. These articles must be merchandised and the wholesaler and the retailer take the risk. Hence a profit must be taken large enough to justify therisk. Losses are inevitable from time to time and a larger profit is necessary to absorb such losses. In the ownership of grain this speculative risk is shifted upon the special class known as specu­ lators who help to make up the futures market. By reason of the accuracy with which prices reflect changing conditions frequent fluctuations are to be expected. Prices swing within a narrow range in normal times, but extreme conditions call forth extreme fluctuations, and it is at such times that the merchant, elevator man, miller, exporter and others who do not wish to specu­ late but to carry on a stabilized business find the hedging facilities of the grain futures mar­ ket indispensable. Save for the fact that this hedging protection is available the grain busines.s would be an extremely hazardous one for even the most judicious business man. Without some sort of protection all type of grain dealers would necessarily become daring speculators. Some commentators have made the important subject of hedging quite involved and quite diffi­ cult to grasp. In reality it is very simple. As explained before, the futures market is a place for dealing in contracts for the delivery of grain at some future indicated month. This market is used for hedging, or insurance purposes, by the owner of grain. The purpose of hedging is to avoid a risk known as the speculative risk, which attaches to ownership of any kind of property including wheat. The owner of wheat, whether he is a farmer with wheat in his granary, a farmers’ elevator company with wheat in the elevator, a terminal elevator with wheat in store, or a miller with wheat on hand for manufacture necessarily speculates upon that wheat. In other words, the owner takes the risk of loss through a drop in price and also faces the possibility of a gain through a rise in price. Incidentally, legislation 12 A Typical Hedge Let us take the case of a farmers’ elevator com­ pany, It purchases 10,000 bushels of wheat for cash and stores the wheat at its country elevator. Now, unless that elevator company immediately hedged this wheat in the futures market it would be speculating on an enormous scale. But with its wheat hedged, or insured against price fluctu­ ations it is operating on a safe, sound business basis. If the company purchased the wheat in Septem­ ber and immediately sold a like amount of wheat in the futures market for delivery at a certain specified time, a trade profit on the handling of wheat would be obtained regardless of any price fluctationsj that took place in the interim between the purchase of the actual wheat and the delivery of the actual wheat. If the wheat was purchased at a profit of 3 cents a bushel, after deducting the freight to the terminal market this profit would not be increased by any advance in price, or decreased by any decline in price. Let us say the wheat was shipped out in October to arrive in the terminal market the next month and was sold as cash wheat, at the same time the hedge of the sale for future delivery was closed in the futures mar1.3 �DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES ket. If the price of wheat had advanced 5 cents a bushel an apparent profit would be made in the sale of the cash wheat through the advance in price. But the price for the future month would also have advanced 5 cents and in the purchase of this hedge a loss would be made of 5 cents a bushel. This would exactly offset the gain in the sale of cash wheat, or 5 cents a bushel. The original profit of 3 cents a bushel for handling would remain. If the market had declined the result would have been the same for there would have been a profit on the hedge in the futures market which would have offset a loss of the same amount on the actual wheat. By this system of selling for future delivery the farmers’ elevator company, the independent dealer, and the line elevator company can avoid speculative risks which some one must assume. Millers find the futures market indispensable. Millers often make sales of flour for delivery many months in advance. The sales are based upon the price of wheat at the time of the sale. If the miller purchased no wheat for future de­ livery as a hedge against his flour sale, he would be assuming the speculative risk which the whole milling industry wishes to avoid. Like other in­ dustries, the milling industry wants to carry on business in a sound intelligent manner. If a miller were to sell flour for delivery at some future time and was not able to purchase wheat until the time arrived to fill the flour sale, and in the meantime wheat had gone skyward, he would be flirting with receivership. Hedging adds security to the grain and mill­ ing business. It eliminates speculative profits and prevents speculative losses. Every intelli­ gent business man prefers to weed out the spec­ ulative pitfalls and function with some degree of certainty. States Supreme Court called hedging “a means by which growers and exporters of grain or other products, and manufacturers who make con­ tracts in advance for the sale of their goods, secure themselves against the fluctuations of the market by counter-contracts for the purchase or sale . . . of an equal quantity of the product. ’ Cost of the futures market with its hedging facilities is very low as compared with premiums on other forms of insurance. It has been figured that maintenance of the futures market exacts a toll of about 2/5 of a cent a bushel on the whole crop. Without this insurance the pro­ ducer would receive less for his grain and the consumer would pay more. In markets having no hedging facilities the additional toll has been placed at approximately 10 cents a bushel. Therefore, it may be readily seen why even the most aggressive critics of the grain futures exchange become alarmed over any move to in­ terfere with the hedging market. Its economic value is recognized by all. Russia had no fu­ tures or hedging market when it was a great wheat producing country before the war, and the prices paid the farmer were relatively much lower than in the United States and Canada, or any other western European country. Low Cost of Hedging In sustaining the legitimacy of fhtures con­ tracts on the Chicago Board of Trade the United It Types of Hedging & Hedgers in the futures market may be divided roughly into two classes:: There are those who sell futures against grain they own, and there are those who buy future.s against sales of actual grain or flour. Those selling futures in the pit as a hedge against grain they own include line elevators, which are companies having a line of elevators at country railway stations; country shippers which are called independent elevator companies and farmers’ elevator companies; big farmers and terminal elevator companies at the market cen­ ters. 15 �DE.-1LTNO ly QRAiy FUTURES Those who buy futures as a hedge against sales of grain and flour are millers, local elevator shippers at every market center, grain commis­ sion houses and exporters at the seaboard. Here it should be pointed out that the daily transaction of these buyers and sellers in the hedging markets do not by any means balance Such a condition is impossible. The balance is maintained by the speculative division of the market. Without sj)eculation the hedging mar­ ket would be narrow, tliere would be crazy price gyrations and the wliole purpose of the market would be defeated. Hedging begins in June or July in the winter wheat markets and earlj^ in August or September in tile spring wheat centers. During the next four months it is heaviest because of the move­ ment of the wlieat and oats crops. New Corn crop hedging does not begin on a large scale un­ til December. When the crop is moving freely a line elevator company, with perhaps fifty houses in the coun­ try, may buy a thousand bushels of wheat a day at each station. It is the business of such com­ panies to buy grain on a reasonable margin and to sell it again as quickly as possible. These companies do not care to speculate. So as the actual wheat is accumulated by one of these companies, sales of an equal amount are made in the wheat pit as a hedge. If the company t)uvs fifty thousand bushels of wheat in one day it will sell in the wheat pit a contract to deliver fifty thousand bushels of wheat during a certain future month. As the company dis­ poses of the actual wheat, it buys back in the wheat pit the same volume which it had sold for future delivery. Thus it is protected against price fluctuations, while holding the physical wheat. For should the price of wheat go down, an offsetting profit is 16 REALINO IN GRAIN FUTURES made on the futures contract. Should the price go up and involve a loss on the futures contract, it is offset by the rise in the value of the actual grain. Thereby the company makes precisely what it set out to make, which is a fair merchan­ dising profit. Terminal elevator companies buy the day-today surplus at the markets and carry it until decreasing supplies late in the winter and in the spring bring forth a demand. They are located at the market centers. At most markets they buy their grain at the exchanges instead of in the country as in the case of the line elevators and farmers’ elevator companies. Five million bushels of wheat carried by a terminal elevator comijany would be an enor­ mous risk without the protection of hedging. So as rapidly as the wheat is accumulated the com­ pany hedges by selling an equal amount of fu­ tures in the wheat pit. Hedging has a vitally important bearing upon the crop movement. For instance, banks loan money readily on grain in store. They loan al­ most up to its market value if the grain is hedged. Should elevator companies fail to hedge their grain the banks would look upon them as speculators with dangerou.s risks. Under present conditions terminal elevator companies, carry­ ing million.s of bushels of grain, are enormous borrowers of money. Nor do they have any dif­ ficulty in obtaining these funds when their grain holdings are insured in the hedging market. Exporters Hedge Exporters of grain utilize the futures market for hedging purposes to a very large extent. The exporter will contract to sell grain abroad before be ha.s purchased the actual grain in thi.s coun­ try. But when he enters into the foreign con­ tract he will buy in the futures market an amount equal to his sale abroad. The price will enable him to deliver the physical grain abroad 17 �DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES at a profit. In the meantime he need not fear a rising market, for he is safely hedged. His transaction becomes a plain business deal and not a speculation. There can be no doubt that without the specu­ lative market with its hedging facilities the grain business would eventually become concen­ trated in the hands of a small but powerful group. As it stands today the speculative mar­ ket with its hedging facilities is a great benefit to the farmer as well as to the man in the street. Hedging is now almost universal in the grain and milling business and in the cotton trade. From time to time there has been criticism by ill-advised politicians because it seems that the quantity of sales for future delivery is several times that of cash sales. Those who point to this condition do not take into consideration the fact that the same grain may be hedged many times. Every time the ownership of the grain changes a new hedge may be put out and the previous hedge taken in. The grain may change hands several times between the producer and the con­ sumer just as any other commodity must neces­ sarily pass through its natural course. In the case of grain, each owner may carry out his method of price insurance by hedging in the futures market. A farmers’ elevator company might first purchase the grain and hedge it in the usual way. The grain might then pass to the terminal elevator who would hedge it in the fu­ tures market, the farmers’ elevator company meantime buying in the hedge. The terminal elevator might sell to a miller, who in turn would hedge, while the terminal elevator bought in its hedge. Thus the process would continue, with a hedging purchase and sale for each owner of the actual grain. Often there are half a dozen such transactions. Moreover it happens that the owner of grain will transfer his hedge from one month to a more distant month, each such transaction adding to the volume of trades in the futures market. But such volume of trades need not re­ flect undue speculation, as has been proved time and again. 18 Speculation In this connection authorities have pointed out that the volume of these contracts, whether spec­ ulative or not, is of no real consequence so long as the integrity of the contract remains in ques­ tion. The greater the volume the less costly is the operation of the marketing machinery. Contrary to a former rather widespread mis­ conception, speculation is now recognized as a part of the great system of distribution to which credit and transportation belong.. In its way it performs the same general service. It facilitates the distribution of products to consumers. Henry George likened speculation to a balance wheel, by which the whole machinery of industry is regulated. Mr. Justice Hughes of the United States Supreme Court said speculation “consists in forecasting changes in value and buying and selling to take advantage of them.” In a celebrated decision in which the Supreme Court sustained grain exchange contentions, Mr. Justice Holmes pointed out that “in a modern market contracts are not confined to sales for immediate delivery.” “People will endeavor to forecast the future and make agreements according to their proph­ ecy,” he said. “Speculation of this kind by com­ petent men is the self-adjustment of society to the probable. Its value is well known a.s a means of avoiding catastrophies, equalizing prices, and providing for periods of want. It is true that the success of the strong induces imitation by the weak, and that incompetent persons bring themselves to ruin by undertaking to speculate in their turn. “But legislatures and courts generally have recognized that the natural evolutions of a com­ 19 �DE/ILING TN GRAIN FUTURES DEALING IN GRAIN FUTURES plex society are to be touched only with a very cautious hand, and that such coarse attempts at a remedy for the waste incident to every social function as a simple prohibition and laws to stop its being are harmful and vain.” The speculator’s service to society, then, is in avoiding or mitigating catastrophies, equalizing prices, and providing for periods of want. Abundant proof is available that this service is actually performed by the grain futures mar­ ket. It ha.s been shown, for instance, that had speculation in grain suddenly ceased in the sum­ mer of 1920, when post-war prices began tumb­ ling, the resultant situation might well have been termed a catastrophe. And precisely that very thing happened in wool, hides, leather, tobacco, silk and scores of other articles which are not commodities of speculation on the organized ex­ changes. The single purpose is price stabiliza­ tion. The ruinous price swing.s in commodities not dealt in upon the futures exchanges are a dreaded hazard to which the owners of the com­ modity must submit. It is but necessary to com­ pare prices of such commodities over a period of years with the price of grain to understand how the futures market eliminates the risk.s of grain ownership. It has been fairly asserted that the most use­ ful portion of the speculative class are those who speculate in commodities affected by the vicissi­ tudes of seasons. Without wheat speculators the price varia­ tions would be much more extreme than at pres­ ent. Moreover in a deficient season the needed supplies might not be forthcoming at all. With­ out speculation the price in a season of abund­ ance v.ould fall without limit or check, with the dange.' of wasteful consumption bringing on a later famine. .lohn Stuart Mill . stresses these points clear and sharp in his Principles of Politi­ cal Economy. 20 A.s stated before, some critics of the grain future.s market, while defending its hedging facil­ ities, have disapproved the vast volume of specu­ lative transactions. It has been claimed, for example, that the futures trades on the Chicago Board of Trade are several times the nation’s total wheat crop. To the layman this is an arresting thought. And many a farmer has been disturbed by the notion that his wheat was sold over and over from the time it left his wagon until it reached the ultimate consumer. The fact is that the volume of futures trading has no effect upon price other than to add stability. In the futures market the trading is in wheat contracts. The same contract may pass through the hands of a dozen or a score of buyers and sellers, each time adding to the volume of fu­ tures transactions. Hence the large total as com­ pared with the actual crop. But this volume i.s no more striking than the enormous disproportion between the currency of the country and contracts for the payment of money. These contracts are set off in the clear­ ing houses of the banks. No one ever dreams of attacking their integrity. For example, at this writing the savings ac­ counts total some twenty thousand million dol­ lars. Yet the Treasury Department report shows that all the money circulating in the United States amounts to only four thousand seven hundred and seventy-six million dollars. Note the wide disproportion. Five times as much money i,s in the banks to­ day as there i.s in all the United States com­ bined. The answer is simple. The same dollar is used over and over again, just as actual wheat is contracted for over and over again. Should all depositors of banks and trust companies ask for their money at once, it i.s estimated they 21 �DEALING IN GRAIN EUTURE8 would receive no more than 10 per cent. Yet their money is perfectly safe. Perhaps no other institution has been more completely misunderstood than the grain ex­ change. Grain marketing is a highly technical subject and easily lends itself to misinterpreta­ tion when being treated by antagonistic persons with a selfish interest. In other words, since the public is not familiar with the subject, the pub­ lic, including the producers, is frequently misled by a few colorful catch phrases denouncing the whole marketing system. Yet the system survives and is stronger today than at any other time in history for the sheer reason that serious minded bankers, farmers, economists, law-makers and jurists know full well that it can not be replaced by any other system that would carry on the huge task of marketing the grain crop with such a small margin of cost between producer and consumer. Grain exchanges will survive and will continue the evolutionary process by which they are be­ coming more and more efficient each year. �Dumfries,Scotland MOST ROMANTIC ECCLESIASTICAL STROCTORE IN ALL CHRISTENDOM WHERE‘^OMMV/}MW£LUMtf &£DH^PMni5£TRl^' WHEN Annie FAILEDtoHARRV HERSWEETHEARTlIiETOWERS oftw ABBEY CRASHED IN RUINS �"Tn*^ )Vl^ a^-!^ er^. tMT->^f>^, ♦ -fAJU- 'yw^ '^■rr<^ yjz^uy, ih. ObO. .a^-^ OoxrJ.^'^}-^ (r^ i/l. 'J ■.? ^TKnxi. 4AnZX J) �i^r^ >0 'yy^.ffLA^ ’ff^^LAJL^ -k ;4vw <4 a^ Si-^jf^ /k^lr Jsfji, Q^^ie^L _ ,t-^ 1\)-<^q4C • * ■ 'Khd Tnrn*^'-^ , »*4 J&tizSsX- trv^ 7^ c^ 9^ a^ iC.e/A-&^i^ 4^ t>^ S\ 4^. lLt-4.^, fiMiiax^ J‘ iiii'iiif (i^Aji£^. (7X-&-4r «i hfys^ £rvt.&tt^ ?t(rt< krSi^ f{j,"~4a-^ u)^ tL tPfL&n. 4jd4 UYf^ �The Chicago Board of Trade A View From the Gallery WHAT IT MEANS THE GREATEST GRAIN MARKET IN THE WORLD his is the place where the rise and fall before making an offer. The sellers are of grain prices responsive to the great quite as acute and lose no opportunity of law of supply and demand is registered min disposing ­ of their car lots. ute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day These men deal in specified grades of while the Chicago Board of Trade is in grain which have been established by the session. State and Federal regulations. The unit of Buying and selling grain is the occupation trading is the bushel and the trading is in of the busy men who crowd the floor of the contracts for delivery at a future date. In exchange. The traders can be roughly divi­ other words, one trader buys and another ded into two groups. Those on the left, sells a contract calling for the delivery of a standing or walking among the rows of specified number of bushels of grain of a marble topped tables are the cash grain standard quality in a certain month. dealers. If the contract calls for delivery in De­ 'I'hey bargain for car loads of grain, sam­ cember it is referred to as December wheat, ples of which in small paper bags, are before corn, oats or other grain as the case may be. them on the tables. The samples, small If the contract specifies May for delivery quantities of grain from each car load, have it is a trade in Alay grain. These contracts been taken from cars of grain in the rail­ are called futures, and the future takes its road switching yards around the city. Many name from the delivery month, not the of the cars arrive in the yards the very day harvest or the month in which the sale is the grain is sold on the Exchange. made. The grain has been tested by the Illinois raders in futures or contracts for State Grain Inspectors and the Sampling future delivery occupy what are known Department of the Board of Trade, and as the pits, each of which is a series of steps each bag shows the official grade of its con­ tents according to the standard fixed for the raised in circular form leaving a pit-like de­ pression in the center from which the name entire country by Federal enactment. is derived. Their peculiar form enables The buyers, men who know grain as few traders standing on the different levels to men can, sift the grain between their fingers, see each other clearly and so transact busi­ perhaps smell of it or split a kernel open ness in spite of the tumult. T T �THE CASH TABLES There are five pits. One for each of the major grains, wheat, corn and oats. One for provisions, and one, the smallest on the floor, for rye and barley. The method of trading is the same in each pit. trivance to hasten business gives precedence to the simple gesture of the hand as the ulti­ mate of rapidity in business transactions in the grain pits of the Exchange. Confusion worse confounded is the im­ pression on seeing the exchange at close -range, ruid- hcaring -iPie rear- of Hwiny-voiccs, swelling and diminishing like a great organ playing a tuneless melody. he sign language is simple and consists of eight motions covering fractional changes in price, and a ready code, denoting the amount of bushels bought or sold. But intelligent men are not given to mean­ ingless madness, and it would be difficult to find a more intelligent group than that same shouting, hand-waving crowd. The key to unlock order out of the seem­ ing confusion is the sign language, the old, old motion talk which scientists tell us pre­ ceded the earliest speech, and which has here been revived, brought under strict rules and carried to its highest expression. The telegraph, the telephone, the airplane, the locomotive, and every other human con­ T Even Cent Prices are denoted by the hand held horizontally. Held vertically the hand signals the quantity de­ sired or offered. The hand signaling price or quantity held with the palm out or away from the trader shows a desire to sell, with the palm toward the trader it de­ notes a wish to buy. PRICE CODE �THE PIT The horizontal clenched fist denotes an even price, say $1.80 a bushel. One finger extended, one-eighth of a cent; two fingers spread apart, one-fourth of a cent; three fingers spread apart, three-eighths of a cent; four fingers spread apart, one-half a cent; four fingers and the thumb extended and spread apart; five-eighths of a cent; four fingers and the thumb extended but pressed together, three-quarters of a cent; hand clenched with the thumb alone ex­ tended, seven-eighths of a cent. Indicating the quantity the fingers are displayed vertically, each represent­ ing 5000 bushels. The whole hand, fingers and thumb extended vertically represents 25,000 bushels. A single transaction is after this fashion: A broker wants to buy 5000 bushels of December grain at $1.24J^ a bushel, th! PRICE CODE last sale having been $1.25 a bushel. He extends his hand, fist closed, thumb ex­ tended, palm toward himself, and shouts his offer. His words may be lost in the volume of sound but his signal is seen by a broker across the pit who is willing to sell at that figure, and the signal is an­ swered. The buyer raises one finger verti­ cally, indicating that 5000 bushels are wanted and a nod accepts the offer. The transaction is complete. The buyer notes on the blue side of his trading card “5— Johnson 1.24%,” the blue side denoting a purchase, while the seller notes on the red side of his trading card, red denoting a sale, “5— Smith 1.24%.” he whole transaction took a fraction of the time it has taken to read the description, and under the rules of the Board of Trade the trade is as binding as though it had been a formal contract drawn by legal talent, signed, witnessed and deliv­ ered in duplicate after prolonged negotia­ tion. T �Multiply this transaction with its shout and its signals by hundreds occurring si­ multaneously ; add the noise of a multitude of clicking telegraph keys; repeat it in every pit augmented by strong lunged, calls for scurrying messengers and the shuffle of a thousand feet and you have the roar of the exchange. A roar meaningless to the super­ ficial observer but filled with meaning to the initiated, who hear in it^the voice of the world bargaining for the great primal neces­ sity—food. here is a doser relation between the cash grain and futures pit than is ob­ servable on the surface. Ownership of any commodity implies risk, and ownership of grain is no exception. In­ deed, because of the constant change in prices, forced by the law of supply and demand on a world basis, the owner of grain is constantly subject to the hazard of lower prices. T Trading in futures, however, supplies grain owners with a ready means of insur­ ing against loss through price changes. The process is called “hedging.” From the morning gong until the triple clang of the great bell above the gallery tolls the close of the market the clamor and Its operation can be described by taking „ tumult continue, and to this .resounding ac- ian-actuaF instance of its—usefulness-to a companiment the stream of grain from the cash trader. Suppose he has bought four harvest fields of the world takes its course, car loads of grain, approximately 5000 supplying the needs of the nations. bushels, at the sample table, he paid, let us say $1.80 a bushel, and hopes to sell in a As each transaction is completed in the few weeks at a profit. Meanwhile the price pit it is noted by a trained observer on a may go down. The trader on completing raised platform, and transmitted to a teleg­ his purchase immediately rushes to the fu­ rapher stationed on the “bridge,” an elevated tures pit. The grain, December delivery, is gangway in the center of the exchange, and selling at $1.88 a bushel. He sells a con­ by him ticked to the man at the quotation tract to deliver 5000 bushels of grain in blackboards and to the offices of grain December, four months distant. He is in­ brokers. On the blackboard the last quo­ sured against loss. The risk of ownership tation or sale price is chalked in plain view has been transferred from his shoulders. until it is superseded by a different price. Should prices decline he has an assured sale at a profit. The changing quotations are sent broad­ Any time before December the trader cast over the land by telegraph, by the com­ mercial market bureaus and by the news­ can sell his 5000 bushels if he is satisfied papers so that the price at which grain is with the cash price, and buy back his sale being bought and sold in Chicago is known of the contract to deliver, or he can wait and the changes observed almost instanta­ until December and deliver his grain on contract, covering the cost of storing the neously in far distant places. grain for four months and making a profit. Not the least of its virtues is the inflexible _ Hedging, is yirtually. insurance, and tlic____ -code of-dien©r-meulcated and enforced by’ only insurance not capitalized and operated the Board of Trade which makes these sig­ as a separate business. Its operation is only nalled trades as binding as more formal another example of the many sided benefits methods. of organized grain trading. By means of a net work of telegraph his brief view from the gallery gives wires, converging at the stations at the right a little insight into the complex business of the pits, the grain trading of the entire of marketing the millions of bushels of country centers here in the few hundred grain which yearly pass from the farm to square feet of the floor of the exchange. the consumer. T �The POWDER sjJHus tra tiorL^ Walterrdin e WAS standing m front of Joel Collins's Tivoli Saloon in Cheyenne one afternoon in the spring of 1876 when somebody let out a whoop and hollers, “Here she comes!” Glancing down Seventeenth Street I saw swinging along the plank sidewalk a fairly stocky figure, of medium height, dressed in the rumpled blue uniform of a soldier. People crowded the doorways on both sides of the street to get a look at the new­ comer, and the shouting and banter, back and forth, made quite a commotion. I couldn’t understand the reason for so much fuss over a soldier, as the town was full of soldiers attached to General Crook’s expedition, which was outfitting to take the field against the Sioux. That was what had brought me up from Texas. Someone must have noticed the blank look on my face, because a fellow standing beside me remarked: “You don’t mean to say you never heard of Calamity Jane?” Of course I had heard of Calamity Jane, but that was the first time I had ever seen her. Calamity walked past where I was standing and turned into the Tivoli, with about a dozen men at her heels. She marched up to the bar, put down a gold piece and asked Billy Heffron, the bartender, to set out a bottle of his smoothest whiskey. The long bar was immediately filled. Calamity had two or three drinks, buying back and forth with members of the crowd, and then she walked into the gambling room, which was in the rear of the bar, where poker, faro and keeno games ran night and day. Calamity asked who wanted to play a little poker. It did not take long to get another game under way. Calamity was a good poker player, and I think she played a square game. I never heard anyone complain that she cheated. Like any card player with a conscience, she would stake a fellow she had cleaned out. Calamity must have won a lot of money by gambling in her time. I have no way of knowing what she did with it, but she seems to have put something by for old age. I have heard stories, of course—stories of disillusionment and tragedy, and of respectable connections in another part of the 18 Qy ‘•y With a movement which no eye could follow Wild Bill's hands dropped to his sides. There was one report, and the cow puncher fell with two bullets through his belly country who were dependent upon the bounty of this strange woman for their support. Others must have heard these stories too, but I have never seen any of them in print, and I will not be the one to break the ice. Calamity was never at a loss for something to say, particularly in the line of repartee, but she seldom spoke of herself and never of her past. This form of reticence was not uncommon in the West of that day and date. A man’s past was his own, and his reserve with reference to it was a privilege not to be questioned lightly. This etiquette applied to Calamity Jane. She accepted the West on even terms with any man. She did a man’s work and lived a man’s life. She was twenty-eight or thirty years old at the time of which I speak, and had been a character of note in the West for five or six years. I never saw her except in a man’s clothes, or without a gun. She was better than an average shot, and in her day the average was high. It has been said that she killed several men. I do not know about that. I never saw her kill anyone, or eyen draw a gun that I remember of. I think if I had seen Cmamity draw for business I would have seen her shoot. She had a sensible look in her cool gray eyes. Another thing which tended to keep men at their distance where Calamity was concerned was her friendship for Wild Bill Hickok, the most celebrated peace officer and surest shot the West ever knew. It seems that some years before in Abilene or Hays City—One of those Kansas towns where Bill was marshal— Calamity had come to him for protection. To be known as a friend of Wild Bill’s was the best accident insurance one could carry. It enabled Calamity to avoid a lot of unpleasantness which a woman in her environment otherwise naturally would have encountered. In the spring of ’76 Wild Bill was the marshal in Deadwood. He was killed there that summer by Jack McCall. Calamity was out on the Rosebud campaign with us at the time, and prob­ ably did not get the news until sometime afterward. But wh^n 4/y Thi AXffiRICAN LEGION MoittUs Oct, I « 26. �conditions, Macaulay was obliged to debate in Parliament against a bill which would have decreed capital punishment for any man who went on strike. Such being the atmosphere, the Marxian doctrines made an immediate and furious hit with the working classes of Europe. If I traced the subsequent growth of radical parties in Europe from that day to this, or described thQ sects which have branched off from the cen­ tral doctrine, I should only make myself as much' a bore as Marx. It is enough perhaps to say that by the seventies Social­ ism or Communism—for a long time the two terms were prac­ tically synonymous—^was estab­ lished as a force in the European continent, and that by the eighties the workingmen of Europe had formed Socialist parties everywhere. Already some of the Marxians had begun to modify their master's teachings. The moderates had repudiated his whole-hog doc­ trine of collective ownership. It was not necessary that the state, or associations under the state, own every pencil, every suit of clothes or every baby-carriage. It should own merely the “means of produc­ tion and distribution”—the rail­ roads, the factories and perhaps the agricultural lands. As to the rightful extent of this con­ trol, Socialist opinion differed. Some believed that it should include only the “key indus- on the Marxian doctrine, like his war on the churches; we be­ gan to hear of “Christian Socialism.” They did not seek so much to destroy capital as capitalism—the system by which surplus wealth is the mainspring of industry. Above all, they abandoned the idea of a literal revolution by force. Modern Socialism must bring about this change by “consti­ tutional means”—-persuading the majority of the voters, exactly as the old parties had always done. From that time forth, the history of Socialist politics in all European countries has nearly the same general outline. The party at -its origin was orthodox JMarxian, entering the arena for the purpose of helping to prepare for the social revolu­ tion. ’ Growth and prosperity always diluted this doctrine. As the leaders approached their day of power, they compro­ mised. By the time they sat in parliaments or cabinets, you could scarcely distinguish them by their actions from repre­ sentatives of the merely liberal factions. Ten years more of power or influence, and the party often had little in com­ mon with Socialism except the name. The French RadicalSocialist party, led by Clemen­ ceau, who prosecuted the war so fiercely in 1918 and grabbed territory so cheerfully in 1919, furnishes an example. Disgusted with what they «S John Wilkes Booth sassin of Abraham Biihi coin; Leon Czolgocs^ {left} slayer of President MeKinley, and Charles ]. Guiteau, who shot Pres­ ident Garfield. Cttolgoc^ and Guiteau were hanged, 'and Booth was shot while defying his pursuers. All “had the same type of disordered mind. In other climes and times, it is probable that they tvould have been king-kill­ ing Anarchists' ’ tries” such as coal production and steel mining; with consump­ tion, most moderates felt, Socialism should have little concern. They repudiated the doctrine, implied if not expressed by Marx, of “equal rewards”—the same pay or equivalent of pay for incompetents as for men of energy and ability. They concen­ trated much of their criticism on the “undue power of wealth” in modern society. Some of them sheared off the trimmings OCTOBER, 1926 ‘ considered betrayal, the orthodox disciples of Marx would break away, organize a party of their own, gather to it new converts from the rising generation, and begin to follow exactly the same cycle. All Socialist parties the world over gave at least lip-service to the Second International, formed in Amsterdam during the eighties of the last century. This was a (Continued on page ^6) 17 �STiilMS© 70s 2 n 11 c, By Henry W. Daly she did she changed her mode of life. She went to Deadwood and finally married Clinton Burke, a hack driver. Burke died in a few years, but Calamity lived until 1903, when in accordance with her dying wish she was buried on Mount Moriah, at Deadwood, close to the grave of Wild Bill. Her tombstone bears only the name Mary E. Burke. When I knew her her real name was sup­ posed to be Martha Canary, and I find it written that way in a diary which I kept at the time. Calamity drove a six-mule team on that expedition after the Sioux. She was with the wagon train through the entire cam­ paign of Crook’s expedition, which was saved only by the shrewdness of its commander from the fate which befell poor Custer, who was operating in conjunction with us on the Little Big Horn a few miles away. She wore a soldier’s uniform, without insignia, as many teamsters did. Teamsters were not enlisted, but contracted for, as were surgeons and considerable of the personnel which one now finds on the regular rolls of the Army. In that expedition I was follow­ ing the bell, as the saying was. I was a packer with the mule OCTOBER, 1926 train. Mule trains kept up with the troops and went any place they did. On the march the trains moved in single file, the line being led by a horse, or pony, with a bell around his neck. It was necessary to have a horse because one mule will not follow another mule unless there is a horse leading the procession. Two horses would split a train, some mules following one horse and some another. So we went out with one horse and had to take good care of him. 19 �I ■ Henry W. Daly as he looks today, at seventysix, and as he looked forty years ago Following the bell was a regular calling in those days. Men spent their lives at it. I put in most of my time that way between 1868 and 1898. Cheyenne, where General Crook organized his expedition, was a rough place in 1876, though no worse and no better than twenty other frontier towns which come to mind. j But between the gold excitement in the Black j ■I Hills around Deadwood and the Crook expedi­ tion there was plenty going on. Cheyenne was the outfitting station for prospectors going into the hills. The most flourishing place of business in town, outside of the saloons and dance halls, was the Warren Mercantile Com­ pany, which was run by a young man who had come out from Massachusetts eight years before with a capital which consisted of a Congressional Medal of Honor which he had won in the Civil War and a determination to get ahead. The proprietor of that outfitting store still lives in Cheyenne, although Washing­ ton, of course, is the best place to catch United States Senator Francis E. Warren, General Pershing’s father-in-law, who has represented Wyoming in the upper house of Congress for thirtyfour years. The center of life in Cheyenne was Seventeenth and Eddy Streets. The Tivoli Saloon was on Seventeenth, and up the street a little piece, at the corner of Eddy, was McDaniel’s Variety Theatre. Across from McDaniel’s was Mahnke’s Restaurant, where the flush washed down their oyster suppers with French champagne. These were all high-toned places. Their doors were never closed and the crowds surged in and out at all hours of the night and day. McDaniel’s was the swellest of the lot. Outside it was not so much to look at—a two-story frame building with ■ 20 a false front to make it look imposing. You walked into an elegant barroom, with a long shining counter, a polished rail and fastidious brass spit­ toons. Whiskey was twenty-five cents a drink at the bar—which was the standard price. At the end of the bar a double door led into the theatre. The stage was at the far end. Tables were arranged about the auditorium, and when you sat down to watch the performance you were supposed to order a drink. Drinks in the theatre were fifty cents and up. The girls who waited on the tables regulated the charges according to the customer’s ability to pay or his willingness to part with his money. There was a balcony, with tables also, and private rooms where the customers might retire and play cards. Things began to liven up at McDaniel’s at about nine in the evening, when the vaudeville started, and the place was in its glory from then until daylight dimmed the big oil lamps which hung in a row from the ceiling. The patrons were miners, soldiers, prospectors, gamblers, cattle men —adventurers of every sort, all with money and all ready to spend. Every stage from Deadwood brought prospectors who had made a strike. Champagne flowed like beer at a German picnic, and ten-dollar gold pieces were tossed as tips to the girls who waited on the tables. If one of the lady performers especially pleased the clientele with a song or a dance she would, on a good night, pick up a small fortune in gold which had been flung at her feet. Many a miner left the hills with enough money to keep him comfortable for the rest of fis life, stayed a week or so in Cheyenne and then started back to Deadwood, staked to stage fare and enough to buy grub on until he could get to the diggings again. I first heard of the Black Hills gold excitement in 1874. I had just returned from the Tonto Basin War in Arizona and was driving an ambu­ lance out of San Antonio carrying gold for the army payrolls. I had enough money of my own to buy a prospector’s outfit, so I decided to go to Deadwood and try my luck. I started, but one thing and another turned hk 'Tkwk. '’P never got to Deadwood that time. 1 When I got as far as Sherman, Texas, I found ’■bat the first train on that ® end of the Kansas & Texas ■ Railroad was about to run Denison. This BV . j j a? was only ten miles, but it was a big event. The ‘./J coming of the locomotive turned the page of an epoch, 'i'be Kansas & Texas had 1 been building for years. Its MM 't. construction had made history in the West. It was responsible for Bill Cody’s nickname. Bill was handling a scraper on the right-of-way in Kansas and on Sundays used to go out and kill a buffalo or so for the mess. Bill’s gang worked so much better on this diet that the company decided it would be a paying proposition to take Bill off the scraper and give him a steady job killing buffalo for all the messes. That is how they came to call him Buffalo Bill. The original Buffalo Bill was Billy Comstock, a scout, pros­ pector and all-round Western character. In the early 6o’s Bill hit it rich prospecting in California or Nevada. He was not, however, the discoverer of the Comstock Lode, the richest gold and silver strike in the world’s history. That was Henry Com­ stock, who, incidentally, died poor also. Bill made a strike somewhere else. He blew in his money as fast as he got it and presently was broke. In 1868 he was scouting again for General Sheridan, and was killed by Cheyennes while carrying dis­ patches from Fort Wallace to Fort Riley, in Kansas. im ajF ''3 s The AMERICAN LEGION Alonifly �A peace conference which would never have been held if Packmaster Daly had not kept his nerve and had not understood Indian character—the meeting between Geronimo, the great Apache chieftain {seated at left of center'), and Major General George Crook {second from right) in the Canon de Los Embudos, Sonora, Mexico, in March, 1886. Mr. Daly, surrounded by Indian guides and Geronimo s escort, is seated behind the fifth and sixth figures from the right When I got to Sherman nothing would do but I must make that maiden trip on the K. & T. to Denison. The train was crowded like a street car coming from a ball game, and people had gathered in Denison from miles around to see the train pull in. I suppose there were between four and five thousand of them, swarming around ankle deep in the sand. Denison was a town of board shacks, and everything was wide open. While killing time and laying plans for getting on north I got in what I took to be a little sociable poker game. There was a fellow in the game called Montezuma, a professional gambler of great finesse, as I later had opportunity to observe. He came from the East somewhere, I should judge by his talk, but Montezuma was the only name I ever heard him called in Texas. We played all night and I got up with fifty cents. Montezuma had all the money. He did not make a move to stake me. This put a crimp in my Deadwood plans. I walked to Dallas, a matter of eighty miles. There a friendly stage driver gave me a lift toward Fort Worth. Near Fort Worth I saw a cow outfit and a man on horseback under a tree and a cook wagon near by. It was going on three days since I had had anything to eat. I asked the horseman about the chances for a job with the cow outfit. He looked me over from head to foot. I had on a piccadilly suit, a boiled shirt and a derby hat. I carried a cane. After my dusty eight.v mile hike you can judge what this finery looked like—to a Texas cow man, or anyone else. “Have you ever been on a horse?” I said I had. “Have you ever punched cows?” I said I had done that. “All right. Go down to the wagon and get some grub. The boss will be back frcm Weatherford pretty sooti.” When the boss returned he sent for me. His name was Mr. Williams. “Young man,” he asked, “did you (Continued on pa^e 80) ■■I III A halt at a prairie stage station OCTOBER, 1926 2T �I I eHANDSHAKER By Peter B. Kyne Illustrations by Wallace Morgan Part II promptly besought First Sergeant Grasby to banish him back to the line and give his pay to the Handshaker. ^HE Handshaker had managed, on being ordered to /what’s this?” Peep-Sight wanted to know, when the crafty permanent kitchen police, to impress upon Peep-Sight Grasby set before him for his signature the order for Private the fact that, using a recipe of his mother's, he could Bland’s promotion to cook. turn out marvelous doughnuts. But it was two weeks be- .f “Might as well give it to him, sir. He’s sold himself again and fore the mess sergeant sufficiently overcame his prejudice against ' the men are crazy about his cooking. He can command kitchen the man to permit, him to experiment with them. / police or know the reason why. The mess sergeant asked for his “I’ll tackle the job at retail, sarge,” the pestiferous lU^le appointment, sir.” runt promised. “Then if I hit it right I’ll tackle it vale­ “It’s all wrong to encourage that man to think he’s as good as sale.” \ f he knows he is,” Peep-Sight grumbled, but signed the order The first attempt was.,fairly successful, the second rgbre so, nevertheless. One night a month later he heard a scratching on the third a culinary dream. “Got it now,” the Handsl/ker an­ the canvas of his tent. “Come.” he called—and the Handshaker nounced with a smug, self-satisfied look on his face^Grasby entered. Peep-Sight wasn’t surnrised. He had suspected who told Peep-Sight later that this smile reminded him of ^ox eating it was. guts. Eh, well! Grasby was an.old soldier. / “Sir, Cook Bland has the first sergeant’s permission—” _ That feast of doughnuts brought to the Handshaker the first “All right, Bland. What is it now?” bit of recognition he had ever received in the battery. The mess “I’m too good to be a cook, sir. I don’t mind cooking—rather sergeant said he wouldn’t have believed Bland was a Doughnut like it in fact, and I’ve tried to become expert at it so the captain King, which was quite a compliment 'When one takes into con­ could always feel he wasn’t shy a cook in case all the regular cooks sideration the extremely hard lives led by mess sergeants. Nor got killed. However, I’ve reached the point of perfection as an did the Handshaker’s culinary ambitions rest satisfied with his army cook and the mess sergeant stands in the way of my addoughnut achievement. With all the persistence of his nature he vancernent in that department. He’s a good man and I don’t proceeded to sell himself to that mess sergeant.^ He came through want his chevrons, so I’d like to go back to the line, if it pleases with a recipe for frijoles the captain. The Espagnoles, which for captain will doubt­ the benefit of the prole­ less recall that he tariat he explained were placed me in the beans Spanish. He kitchen, unjustly, for could make a light fluffy some breach of dis­ hot cake also. Lives cipline I hadn’t com­ there the red leg with mitted. However, I soul so dead, who never haven’t grumbled or to himself hath said: complained and I’ve “Cripes, why don’t them made good and now doggone cooks make hotI’d like to have my cakes once in a while”—• sentence lifted.” quite forgetting the enor­ “That’s so. Bland. mous labor involved. The Guess I was a little Handshaker bit irritated at you stood over the that day. That con­ hot range and founded woman, cooked a thou­ Nellie, got me riled. sand of them Well, I’ll have to ad­ and nobody mit you’ve made said “Thank good, and your you.’’ Quite doughnuts are things without solici­ to conjure with. tation or en­ What new worlds do couragement he you seek to conquer took to bossing f now?” the otheif “I’d like to be as­ K . P.’s a rod signed as the supply from that/o sergeant’s assistant. telling the cooks His office is in terrible where to Kead shape. I’ll bet right in was but a now he’s got the cap­ step. Qhe of tain stuck for a thou­ them slapped sand dollars’worth of him wit|5 a hot property he can’t ac­ dish rarg but count for.” that did not de­ “He has me stuck ter him. He for six hundred dol­ slapped the lars I know about. cook with a tight little fist that set Bland, and we can’t the latter on his broad back; where­ find it. I’m hoping “That dashed German folice dog fleiv at upon the mess sergeant suddenly we’ll get away to discovered he had never liked that me. I shot him between the eyes with France, where there cook from the very beginning, and my pistol as he came on ’ is no property ac- 7 22 Thi AMERICAN LEGION ,Uon(Wy �tures. If he were, he would long ago in craggy regions beside the sea he may have ceased to exist. He has intelli- use some lofty cliff as a lookout point. His home is a castle indeed. It is gence as well as courage, and he knows when he is hopelessly overmatched. built of sticks, some of them five feet Among the poets, none has expressed or more in length and almost as thick as the eagle so well as Tennyson in a fam­ a man’s wrist, sods, weeds, grass, moss, ous “fragment” often quoted and never bark, pine tops, stalks and branches of various kinds. The eagles, which are to be forgotten: believed to be mated for life and which He clasps the crag with hhoked hands; probably live to a great age if no acci­ Close to the sun in lonely hnds. dent befalls them, return to the same Ringed with the azure world, he stands. nest year after year and add new ma­ The wrinkled sea beneath hiirKcrawls; He watches from his mountain'twalls, terial to the structure each season, so And like a thunderbolt he falls. \ that ultimately it attains an immense That is the eagle not only of legend but size. Nests six or seven feet in height of reality, an accurate and inspiring pic­ and six feet wide are not uncommon, ture. In the legendary lore, howeVer, and there is a record of one nest in which has grown up about the King qf Ohio, occupied for at least thirty-four Birds, imagination has played a certain years, which is twelve feet tall and eight Pj and a half feet across the top. In a part. Probably even in legend his marvelous ^shallow depression at the top of the nest “Two years ago he was a clerk at the female de­ power of vision our grocer’s. He wasn’t making posits two, oc­ has not been more than $25 or $30. casionally three, exaggeraty “Then he started selling Harrison great white ed. Those fierce • ’ Clothes. At once he began making eggs; and when and haughty / big money. He earned over $125 the eaglets eyes, gleaming last week. He’s his own boss, and make their ap­ so sternly un­ mighty popular with everyone. pearance, both J der their over­ “He sold me this suit and it’s the parent bird y hanging brows, best suit 1 ever owned. It stood me work diligently are in truth as $24.75, and I just can’t wear it out. and faithfully keen as they I’ve sent him many a customer.” to satisfy.'the look and are voracious/appeable to pick out tites oF their small objects at offspring. a n Incredible There have distance; but been many whether it is carfs in which true that the A bflid eagles have eagle alone .defended their among mortal —the finest clothes ever offered for •X.nest and young creatures is able $24-75. Be your own boss! Make / with dauntless to gaze direct­ big money! We supply handsome ly at the noonday sun is a ques­ bravery, while a wounded eagle, wingFREE selling case with samples of broken and brought to bay upon the tion which science has not yet deter­ long-wearing woolens and smart mined, though all birds have a third in­ ground, will fight 0 the lasl;with furious New York models. You collect cask ner eyelid, a delicate translucent curtain resolution against odds whidi might well commission when you make sale. which they are able to draw at will chill the spirit fif the braved man that We ship direct, collect direct— ever lived. across their eyes. prompt deliveries, satisfaction guar­ To give a Retailed account,of the life anteed. Big repeat business. Write in one respect legend has magnified us about yourself today. the eagle’s powers and has done him and habits df the American eagle would serious injury. There is no known basis require more space than is i. available S. HARRISON BROTHERS V for the widespread myth, quite generally here. This article is designed to open Dept. 1015, 133 West list Street, New York the way to a better acquaintance with believed, about the eagle’s habit of car­ \ NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY J rying off small children. It is perfectly a splendid bird too little knowfi in life safe to say that all the stories of Ameri­ to the'people of this nation, whose em­ can eagles kidnapping babies are prod­ blem he is; and, above all, to Impress HUNTING©^ Hunting & Fishing upon every American who may chance ucts of the imagination. VICUIMP B ® 52-pa!xe monthly mnfrazine 1* lonlWla H crammed full of hunting, fishing, Aside from legend, there are various to read it the desirability of making the camping and trapping stories and American eagle in fact as well as in pictures, valualile information popular misconceptions about eagles in alioiit guns, rifles, fishing tackle, gatnclaw changes, best places to get general and about the bald or American theory our national bird, a bird to be fish and game, etc. Biggest value ; eagle in particular. It will be surpris­ guarded and fostered. ever offered in a sporting magazine. Protective laws are less effective than And here’s the ing to most people, perhaps, to learn, Remington that the female eagle is always largM sentiment. In most of the States .of Sportsman's Knife with stag handle and two long than the male, though there is reason/o the Union the eagle is now supposed to slender blades especially designed to meet the exacting requirements believe that the male is the bolder, ^ven be protected by law. What we need is of skinning and cleaning fish, game, birds and fur-bearing ani­ more surprising is the fact that the/arg- a national feeling about the American mals. Blades are of superior quality steel with stronK, durable, keen-cutting edges. The points are shaped just right for a good est American eagles are not the vthite- eagle which will make the wanton killing clean job of slitting and skinning. The name SPECIAL OFFER. We will send you Hunting & headed, white-tailed adults but immature of eagles a thing to be ashamed of. Un­ ■‘/i’eiMFishing Magazine for a whole year. 12 big issues. less this feeling is created, this superb birds of the second or third year, gen­ //le ington SportsWadeis man s Knife. erally known as gray eagles. It was the bird will continue to diminish in num­ I/owr (ZwarOnTW famous naturalist Audubon who, mis­ bers and may ultimately even go the way aMteeof ' JDV7 1 Fl taking the gray eagle for a distinct spe­ of the bison. Surely, among the men of The Ameri­ cies, named it the “Bird of "Washing­ ton” in honor of the great man “who was can Legion, the American eagle—symbol the saviour of his country.” Nor does of America’s might and freedom—should Satisfaction guaranteed or money refunded. Mail your order to-day to the American eagle commonly nest on find a host of staunch and stalwart HUNTING & FISHING MAGAZINE crags, as is generally supposed, though friends. 264 Newbury St. Boston. Mass. Last week he madeOS* Take this job, now/ Abu.too. can earn’ ^50 75100 a week selling HARRISON CLOTHES OCTOBER, 1926 �British War Office Model FIELD GLASSES The Towder'-(§tained yd s f Continued ever ride a bronco?” His tone showed he expected me to say no. “Yes, sir. I have broken broncos?” “Broken broncos?” said Mr. Williams, in a tone of mild surprise. “Who for?” “For Colonel Cunningham, sir.” Colonel Cunningham was an ex-Confederate officer and a fine old gentleman. He had a contract to supply cavalry horses to the Government. To have broken broncos for Colonel Cunning­ ham was a feather in any man’s cap. Leather Case and Carrying Strap Included But was I telling the truth? This powerful and handsome pair of Brit­ ish War Office Model Field Glasses is a “All right,” he said. “We will give special purchase by our London ajjent at a particularly low price. Finished in pig­ you a trial in the morning.” skin and black enamel. Finest achromatic During the night the herd was moved lenses. Adjustable sunshades. Center focus and extra large field of view. Fifteen m.m. two or three ocular lenses, 50 fn.m objective lenses. All miles off of the glasses guaranteed in perfect condition. Enjoy more keenly the beauties of summer trail, because travel. Excellent for hiking, auto touring, hunting, bird study, etc. the Indians had Shipped promptly, complete with a beautiful irrainleather case of English workmanship, on receipt of check been trouble­ or money order for 17.85. Positive guarantee of full cash some. One or refund for any glasses returned. Order your field glasses today. two boys kept SWIFT & ANDERSON, INC. Successors to watch, while the HENDERSON BROTHERS Lakoest Impokters 'IE Fiei.I) Ci.asses ix Amebic.k rest of us slept 01 Federal Street, Boston, Mass. on the prairie. In the morning Bill Lamb, the straw boss, led out a rangy roan horse. He had been saddled rtidkcs it easu with difficulty. “Here you are,” said Mr. g Shirts Direct to Wearer, jpital or experience neededWilliams. “See .----- or full time. Established 1S85,. what you can Represent a real manufacturer. -WRITE FOR FREE SAMPLES do.” The whole outfit gathered around, MADISON SHIRT MILLS, 664 BROADWAY, NEW YORK laughing and joshing and giving me ad­ vice. Bill Lamb held the roan by the cheek piece. “Try your cinch,” he said, “and be sure your foot is in the stirrup before you get on. If it isn’t he’ll throw you the first jump.” Bill meant this in a helpful way. He was not guying me like the rest. But I had a plan of my own. I took the horse by the cheek piece with my left hand. In my right hand I held the reins and the saddle horn. I told Bill to let go. Bill turned loose and backed quickly out of range. I vaulted into the saddle without putting my foot in the stirrup, trusting to luck to land my feet there when I hit the saddle. This was not trusting to luck altogether, because I was pretty good at mounting that way— and I may say that it was reckoned as no great feat. My feet hit the stirrups Ex-Service Men Get Preference and I was firmly seated before the roan knew what was up. I had borrowed a Common / Franklin Instituta Education / Oepl. BI93, Hoch.iter, «. ». pair of spurs and a quirt. I gave him Sufficient f / Gentlemen : Rush to me, 32the spurs and a cut with the quirt and Mail Coupon , •’«’ 7'')' “’'.5' V. S. today — /Government big paid posigave him rein. A horse won’t buck if eiiDC ' tions now open to Ex-Service men. Advise me also regard­ you hold his head up, and I was pre­ ing the salaries, hours, work, /vacation and tell me about pre­ pared for this one to buck and have it ference to Ex-Service men. over with. I was tolerably sure of my­ z self as a rider and the guying of the “Due to your well rrepared training, fName___________ _____ received my apbunch had not weakened my determina­ § ointment eight ays after my name tion to show them a thing or two. was placed on the I register.*’ David W. Tucker. The roan put a bow in his back, let $1700to $3300 aYear / 8o jrom page 21) out a bawl and rose straight in the air. He came down with his four feet so close together that the hoof-prints must have touched. Up and down he went, traveling in a jagged semi-circle for about three hundred yards, but four times that far counting the ups and downs. I heard Bill tell a couple of the boys to be ready to help if I got in trouble. But I was never in trouble for an instant. This may sound like boasting, but I don’t ever recall riding a bucking horse and having such good Iuc'k as I did that day. It w'as like sitting in a rocking chair in somebody’s parlor. Well, after my roan had bucked for about three hun­ dred yards he started to run. I gave him the spurs and the quirt. The boys followed me up, hollering, “Stay with him, kid!’" Over the prairie we went like the wind for about five miles, when the horses slowed down to a walk. Mine was lathered with sweat. I turned him around and rode him back and set him on his hindquarters before the boss. “Young man,” he said, “as long as I have a bunch of cattle you can punch cows for me.” You can talk about your grand and glorious feelings. . . . I stayed with Mr. Williams for a month, collected my wages and went to Jacksboro, where I ran into Burro Brown, division manager for the Ben Picklin Stage Line. “You are just the man I am looking for,” said Burro. “Bill Hotchkiss turned the stage over last night and hurt some of the passen­ gers. I had to let him out.” So I be­ gan driving stage again, between Jacks­ boro and Fort Concho. A trooper of the Tenth (colored) Cavalry always rode with me as a protection against Indians or highwaymen. I never met any highwaymen or hos­ tile Indians during this or any other tour at stage driving, excepting only once. That was an Indian attack on the Ben Picklin line, but it did not amount to anything. About ten Indians rode down on us and began shooting. They only wanted our horses, however, so of course they did not shoot the leaders as they generally did the first thing in a raid. They did not shoot at me either, or at any of the passengers, because that would not have stopped the horses. They simply tried to upset The AMERICAN LEGION Monthly �US by shooting the spokes out of the were seated at an adjoining table play­ wheels. They did shoot enough of them ing seven up for the drinks. Presently ’ out to ifiake us wobble a bit, but after they invited the lonesome sheep herder the trooper and some of the passengers to join in. “Dad blame my ram’s horn,” had picked three or four of the maraud­ said the stranger, “I don’t care if I do.” ers off of their horses they gave it up The mild game proceeded and by and by one of the tin horns remarked, “Say, for a bad job and galloped away. Ben Picklin, who owned the stage line, Jack, I sure hold a whacking poker hand was a great character. After a hundred here. Look at that layout, will you?” The cards continued to run so poker­ close shaves with death in the West he died in the New Willard Hotel in Wash­ wise that it seemed a shame to waste ington from the effects of swallowing a such hands on seven up. Did the stranger ever play poker? “Wall, now, dad blame fish bone. On one of my trips to Concho a man my trotters I do sometimes in a friendly got on the seat with me. He smelled way, say ten cent ante, or even a little so bad they probably would not have higher if the keerds run just right, and let him ride inside.- You would have just to fool time I’ll risk this here five taken him for a sheep man forty rods dollar bill.” “All right, you boys start the game,” off against a high wind. There was something about his unshaven face said one of- the tin horns, “while I go which was faintly familiar. I knew a out and rustle a five.” He went out to tip off Charley and lot of sheep men but I could not place this fellow. I studied him out of the Frank, the king bees of the San Angelo corner of my eye. -We had that habit sports. in those days. It was best to size up a Pretty soon Charley and Frank saunt­ stranger, and try to calculate what to ered in. Montezuma’s make-up was per­ expect of him in case any shooting start­ fect. He had smeared himself with ed. Every Western gunman was a char­ sheep dust from head to foot, and had acter reader, more or less, and started rubbed it in his hair. His long, dexter­ reading a stranger as soon as he saw ous fingers were grimy with it, and, as him. It was instinctive. A man’s eyes he had privately exhibited to me, he car­ told you most, but you could get a good ried a bag in each coat pocket to render deal "from watching the workings of his the flavor of his person more convinc­ mouth and his tone of voice. Many a ing. By and by Charley and Frank sat man went up to Wild Bill Hickok de­ down and another tin horn dropped out. termined to kill him, but revised his That made three professionals against plans after one look into those steely the supposed sheep man. A crowd be­ gan to gather to see the sucker trimmed. gray eyes. I finally placed my passenger. “Well. The bets mounted and pretty soon Montezuma,” I said. “When did you there sometimes would be as much as a take up sheep raising?” hundred dollars in a pot. The sheep However greatly the gambler may man would win now and then, but on have been surprised at the penetration the whole he was going down hill. As of his disguise, he merely asked politely he afterwards told me, he spent five or where I had seen him before. I told six hours studying every factor of the him I had sat in a game with hiin just situation. Frank and Charley had in­ after the arrival of the first railroad troduced a pack of “readers”—a marked deck, that is. But the sheep herder train at Denison. “I guess I neglected a little formal- held his cards so clumsily in the palm of ity,” he said. “Here is a hundred dol- his hand that he obscured these mark­ have a little piece of business in ings from his opponents. Montezuma lars. I------prospect at San Angelo and don’t want kept his broad hat pulled well over his eyes, to conceal his countenance, and you to give me away.” He told me he was after two profes­ above all the penetrating glances by sional gamblers named Frank and which he took in every detail of every Charley. I said it was all right with me play. When Montezuma had every­ and that I didn’t need his hundred dol­ thing figured out to his^satisfaction his long finger nails began to-get in their lars now. At San Angelo my sheep herder head­ cunning work of nicking the aces, kings, ed for Bill Veck’s saloon. Mr. Veck queens, jacks and ten spots. These pri­ started the city of San Angelo with an vate marks of the sheep man were not army hospital tent, a barrel of whiskey visible to the eye, but were placed so and a stock of clothing and tobacco. that Montezuma could read them by He put up a sign which read, “General touch as he dealt. He knew every card Merchandise, Pizen and Terbaccer.” By’ above a ten spot held by his fellow playthis time, however, he had a fancy sa­■ ers. Those below ten did not figure in loon, gambling house and billiard hall.. his calculations. While all this was go­ Montezuma sat down at a table. ‘‘Mr. ing on he had kept up a running fire of Barkeeper,” he said, “will you kindly bucolic tomfoolery which had the spec­ bring me a drink of pretty good whis­ tators rolling in laughter. “Wall, now, podner, being as I ain’t key?” To pay for the same he pulled out a roll as large as your arm. He busted, you remind me of the lambs a asked for a deck of cards and began buttin’ the old ewe’s bag to let down her playing solitaire. The news spread that milk, and by the old ram’s horn._ I’ll there was a flush sheep man at Bill just nachully call you, milk or no milk.” The game lasted two days and nights. Veck’s fooling with a pack of cards. It was not long before three lesser Army officers from Fort Concho, across lights of the local sporting fraternity the river, and (Continued on pag,e 82) $^.50 each No! It is not leather Yes ! It wears better than leather BUC EIN TRAM MARK TOJ U.3.BKT ___ JACKET Guaranteed to wear and wash OU know what a leather jacket like this would cost you? Twice as much, as Buck Skein I You know, too, that you can't wash a leather jacket —you just have to see it get dirty and dirtier . . • Buck Skein washes like new—or newer. Looks better and fresher after every tubbing. You know how leather scuffs up? . - • Not so Buck Skein! It keeps that soft, velvety, sucde-like surface after wear and wetting have made a leather coat look rough as a rusty roof. Yet a Buck Skein Jacket is far warmer and more serviceable than leather. Big and roomy. Hand­ some. Pure worsted belt, elastic as a steel spring. Convertible collar. Two-button adjustable cutis. Big-fisted flap pockets. Double sewn seams. 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Address City .'State 8i OCTOBER, 1926 �Home^Studv COURSES • (Continued jrom page 8i) :[ THAT LEAD TO BUSINESS C4/?f£^F] j sports from Ben Picklin, a stage station down the line, came to watch it. The sheep man’s luck seemed a miracle. Finally Frank and Charley were touch­ ing Bill Veck for a thousand dollars a throw to keep in the game. The game ended when Bill refused to pass any more money across the bar. The sheep herder rose, groggy with fatigue. He tossed a hundred dollars on the bar and said if that was not enough to buy drinks for the house to call on him for more. Two or three days later I was in Bill Veck’s again, and Charley and Frank were there discussing the recent experi­ ence. “I can’t make it out,” said Charley. “Why, the damn fellow smelled like a sheep. Did you notice under his finger nails? And he didn’t have a pair of socks on his feet.” “Did you ever hear of a fellow named Montezuma?” I asked. Charley faced me abruptly. “Was that fellow Montezuma?” “His Royal Nibs himself,” said I. “I brought him in on my buckboard.” “By the great Scott, why didn’t you pass the tip?” “Charley,” said I, “it was you, Frank and Montezuma—all three of you oldtime experts, as I happen to know. Why should an outsider meddle in?” Charley and Frank shrugged their shoulders. They had lost $25,000 apiece. Live and learn. Speaking of character reading as a means of self protection, it must be borne in mind, of course, that it simply was an auxiliary to the basic ass e t of handi­ ness with a gun. Character study, as an academic pur­ suit, could be carried too far. They tell a story of a resi­ dent of Dead­ wood called T h r e e-Finger Pete. “How did you lose them digits, Three Finger?” “Well, you know me. Kind of thoughtful like. Always careful to study things out.” “Yes, but what has that to do with them fingers?” “Well, once I studied a leetle too long.” Handiness with a gun meant quick and sure shooting. These qualifications were one. It made little difference how sure a shot a man was if the other fellow shot first, or how quick he was if he missed his mark. Nearly all shooting was from the hip. There seldom was time to bring the piece on level with the eye. All good shots “fanned the ham­ O YOU WANT an important, high-salaried posi­ tion? You can have one if you can do the work. LaSalle experts will show you how, guide you step by step to success and help solve your personal business problems thru the time-saving LaSalle Problem Method. Our salary-doubling plan enables you to prepare during your spare hours, without interference with your present duties. 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NEW YORK. 82 mer,” as the saying was. This was the quickest way to shoot, but it was diffi­ cult, and accuracy required endless prac­ tice. Fanning the hammer consisted simply of raising the hammer with the thumb and letting it go. Triggers were never used. The first thing a man did when he got a new gun was to take the mechanism apart and file the “dog” so the hammer would not stay cocked. Ben Thompson, a San Antonio gambler and killer, could fan the hammer so fast that the bullets would follow each other like shots from a modern automatic. Ben was as quick on the draw as any man I ever saw in action except Wild Bill Hickok, who generally is credited as the quickest of them all, and I think he is entitled to the distinction. Bill killed only in self defense, or as a peace officer, and he would give the worst des­ perado his chance to draw. Ben gave his victims no show. He was a cruel, cold-blooded killer like Tom Horne or Billy the Kid, and like Billy the Kid I fancy he was a coward at heart. A man’s nerve cannot be judged by the notches on his gun. Billy the Kid killed twenty men before he was twenty-one years old and Sheriff Pat Garrett stopped his career. It was easier to shoot a man in the back than to walk up to him and face him as Hickok used to do. I can­ not understand the aura of romance which surrounds a rat like Billy the Kid, whom, if it is of any interest, I knew as a tow-headed boy in Silver City, New Mexico. I used to buy him candy be­ fore he was old enough to chew tobacco. Tom Horne was a packer and scout with me on the Ge­ ronimo c a m p a ig n in the eighties. Then he hired out to some cattlemen to take care of nesters — s e t tiers — who wanted to plow up the ranges and who de­ clined to take a friendly hint and pull out. Whenever he killed one of them he put a rock under his head. That was Tom Horne’s brand. Finally he killed a cattleman’s son by mistake and was hanged in Chey­ enne for that piece of carelessness with firearms. But to illustrate how fast Ben Thomp­ son could draw and shoot. Ben had a falling out with Jack Har­ ris, a San Antonio saloon keeper, and started to Jack’s place to make trouble. Jack got wind of it and was waiting be­ hind the bar with a sawed-off shot gun. As Ben passed the front of the saloon he happened to glance through a chink in a Venetian screen that was just inThe AMERICAN LEGION Monthly �side the door and saw Jack with his gun. 1death, of course. Williams had been in­ to remain across the street. All Ben whipped out his pistol. His thumb structed i flicked the hammer twice, a neat hole Bill had had time to take in was the was made in the screen and Jack figure of a man with two guns in his doubled up on the floor with two shots hands, tearing through the door. He in his heart. Those two shots could not naturally concluded it to be a friend of have been fired more than a half a sec­ the cowboy he had just slain. Wild Bill spent the rest of the night ond apart. A short time after that Ben and King pacing up and down the middle of the Fisher, a killer from Laredo, started for main street looking for Texas cow men. Harris’s to kill the gambler who ran But we were all in camp, where we took the tables for the late proprietor. But pains to remain until the drive was re­ this got out, too, and a delegation of sumed to Kansas City. A favorite practice shot of Wild Bill’s peace officers was waiting for them. The two gunmen mounted the stairs which was to stand between two telegraph poles Mr.J.A.Stransky led to the gambling rooms and as they and spread his guns from the hips sim­ opened the door, officers blew the tops ultaneously, in opposite directions, hit­ of their heads off from ambush. W^hen ting both poles. I saw him use that shooting principle Ben fell he had both of his guns in his hands. He had drawn them instinctive­ on two men in Abilene. The night be­ ly in the fraction of a second of life fore he had won a little money playing which was left to him after he had been cards, and although Bill was as square hit. That is the most remarkable draw as a die, two of the losers claimed he I can recall, except that which is cred­ had cheated and that they were going to ited to Wild Bill Hickok when he died get him. The next day Bill was walking around town as usual. He found the at the hands of Jack McCall. I am surprised to notice that writers two card players standing on the rail­ place Wild Bill’s killings at only forty­ road station platform. Bill was across Now vou can cut your gasoline cost as low ns odd. Offhand I should say that he the street, seventy or seventy-five feet 9c a gallon. An amazing new invention makes practically car give twice its regular mile­ killed twice that many men. I have away. He just stood there, waiting for age to the any gallon. Many run from 37 to 67 seen him kill eight or ten in the course the others to make the first move. The miles and up to 61 milts on a gallon. This won­ derful invention is the work of Mr, J. A. fatran. of my intermittent meetings with him two men could not stand to be faced sky of Pukwana, South Dakota. Already it is down that way, so as if on a given sig­ being used by over a million satisfied car own­ from the year 1868 to 1876. ers—on all makes and models of cars. And now In ’68 I was on a cattle drive from nal they started to pull at the same mo­ the inventor will send you a sample at his own Texas to the Kansas City market. We ment. Bill’s guns were in his hands in risk. Read his offer below. stopped at Abilene for a few days to let a second. There was one report, but Earn $250 to $500 A Month the stock graze. Bill was city marshal both men dropped, mortally wounded. The Stransky Vaporizer is one of the biggest Like any other experienced gunman. Bill of Abilene and Mike Williams was his inventions of the century—an invention almost as revolutionary as the invention of the auto deputy. The main centers of recreation always shot for the stomach. itself—and it is making fortunes for agents and Wild Bill pacified three of the worst distributors. You can easily earn astonishing were the Alamo and Novelty Saloons, profits in full or spare time—many are which were across the street from each killing stations in the West—Abilene, bi-» earning $260 to $600 a month. Here’s how this amazing new invention works. other. The cowboys had been getting Hays City and Dodge City, Kansas. The carburetor is adjusted to make starting drunk and making themselves a good men he killed formed but a fraction pf Your easy—it gives a rich mixture to start a cold deal of a nuisance. Bill spoke about it the number of lives he saved by dis­ engine. But once your engine gets heated up, mixture is far too rich, resulting in faulty to the boss, who promised to keep his couraging the practice of hornicide as the explosion. Half the gasoline is drawn intci the in a raw state and, instead of explod men in hand. Everything was all right an every-day occupation. Bill killed cylinders tag. it burns. This causes a heavy deposit of until the next evening when a puncher only as an emergency measure. When a carbon. But with this startling little device in your named Bill Cole got liquored up and word of warning failed to break up a car all this is changed. As soon as the engine fired a shot into the sidewalk in front row he used to crack the disturbers over warms up. this device auto­ the head with the butt of his revolvers. matically begins to admit a of the Alamo. much larger volume of air. He did this to a little sawed-off Irish ­ Hickok and Williams were across the thoroughly vaporizing all street in the Novelty. Bill started over man in Mike Coffee’s place in Hays City the gasoline, giving it fully more power — break­ to see what the shooting was about, tell­ and the Irishman planned revenge. He 50% ing it up so that it. ex­ ing his deputy to stay where he was., waited for Bill in an alley outside. plodes instead of burning I Bill entered the Alamo through the back; When Bill passed the alley the Irishman Introductory door and asked Dunbar, the proprietor,, stepped out, shoved a gun against the The results of one hour’s work—17 men marshal’s stomach and began to curse Sample Offer who did the shooting. gave me orders for the Vaporizers. —■ Jhim. Bill calmly glanced over the man ’ s “I did the shooting!” yelled Cole, To introduce this new in­ W. Cronk. vention in your community, shoulder and said in an importuning $120 IN ONE DAY blazing away at Hickok. The shot Mr. J. A. Stransky, the in­ I took forty orders in tone, “Give the man a chance for his ventor, will send a sample one day and wasn't grazed his side. out long. My Ford at his own risk. Write at life. Don ’ t stick a knife in his back. ” runs better than it With a movement which no eye could once for his proposition. ever did. — J- M. The price is so low that all follow Bill’s hands dropped to his sides, The Irishman turned to meet the sup­ your James. neighbors will want IN 3 HOURS there was one report and the cow punch­ posed attack from behind and Bill shot to order through you, giv­ I $48 went out Saturday ing you a generous profit. him dead. about three hours and er fell with two bullets through his belly. secured 16 orders.— the request blank for The moral of this incident was, when Send J. A. Williams. full details of our amazing At that moment another figure dashed offer. through the front door with a gun m you draw a gun use it. Wild Bill Hickok ’ s name was a mis ­ J. A. STRANSKY MANUFACTURING CO. each hand. Without an instant’s hesi­ tation Bill switched the muzzles of his nomer. His real name was James But­ M-180 Stransky Bldg., Pukwana, So. Dakota. guns in that direction, fanned the harn- ler Hickok and there was nothing wild mers and the newcomer dropped. Bill or boisterous about him. He was as I J. A. STRANSKY MFC. CO. glanced over the form of the dead cow­ mild-mannered and soft-spoken as you I M-180 Stransky Bldg., Pukwana, So. Dakota. boy to see who else he had killed. He please, and always scrupulously well I Please send me full details of your special gave a quick cry. Mike Williams, his dressed. The conventional get-up of a I introductory offer. deputy, lay on the floor. Bill lifted western dandy—ornamented buckskin Name Mike’s body up and laid it out on a coat, and the like—was not for Bill. card table, crying like a child, “I’ve His clothes were on an eastern pattern, A-ddress and in the height of fashion. He was killed my best friend!” Slate. six feet, two (Continued on page 84) City. Hickok was blameless in Williams’s Q^aGALLONz 83 OCTOBER, 1926 �The Towder'(§tained yd s Prices Reduced The New Yankee Reduction Applies to Entire Line ABAY If you want to make $10 to $20 a day, write at once. We need representatives everywhere for Mason Shoes. Neither experience nor capital required. Just take orders. Many Mason Salesmen make $100 to $150 weekly. Get FREE Sales Outfit Mason Shoes for men, women and chil­ dren are sold direct from factory. Amazing values. Finest leather through­ out. Expert workmanship. Several ex­ clusive features insure style, better fit, comfort and longer wear. Prices half of what customers pay at stores. That’s why orders come quickly—why Smith cleared $60 in a day, and St. Amour made $600 in one month. Send for free outfit and begin to make the same big money. Dept. J-10,122 Mason Ave. MASON SHOE MFC. CO.. CHIPPEWA FALLS, WlSC. ^coitntins* sjk JHlIbB -the control of business ^7 Accountants command big income, Thousandsneeded. About6,000 Cer­ tified Public Accountants in U. S. Many earn $5,000 to $20,000. W train you thoroly at home in your spare time for C. P. A. examina­ tions or executive accounting positions. Previous bookkeep­ ing knowledge unnecessary— we prepare you from ground | up. Our training is supervised by Wm. B. Castenholz, A. M., ^*2® £Rfi. C. P. A., assisted by staff of C. P. FB<FF* A.’s. Low cost—easy terms. Write ® BBfcfca now for valuable 64 page book free. LaSalle Extension University, Dept. 10361 H Chicago BUNIONS Quick, safe relief from Bunion pain. Prevent shoe pressure. At drug and shoe stores, everywhere DrScholls l^ltlO’^PQuS Put one on—the pain is gone For Free Sample write The Scholl Mfg. Co., Chicago 01) CAN OIL PAINT I I Amazingnewmethod teaches men orwomento earn • H 1 after first lesson. OIL PAINT photos at home— portraits, landscapes or art subjects. Many earn $i8 to $100 and more a week. OIL PAINT OUT­ FIT GIVEN at No EXTRA COST. Graduates furnished employment. Send now for free illustrated book. PICTORIAL ART STUDIOS, INC. Dept. B. A., 2731 No. Clark Street, Chicago- III. (Continued from page 8j) inches tall, and his long, golden hair was the only mark of the plains about him. He had the handsomest head of hair I ever saw on a man. It was as fine as corn silk. Some of us used to call him Golden-Haired Bill, and I know he liked it. I think Buffalo Bill secretly envied Wild Bill his hair, but the two men were great friends. In the West long hair was not a mark of dandy­ ism especially. Scouts let their locks grow as a protection against the sun, and to show that they weren’t afraid of the Indians. Indians had a contempt for short-haired men, thinking they clipped their heads to make their scalps more difficult to lift. I never saw Wild Bill take a drink. Incidentally I never saw Jim Bridger take one either—a fact which I mention because a motion picture called “The Covered Wagon” has de­ picted him to thousands of Americans as a little, shriv­ eled up sot. James Bridger, scout, trader and plains­ man, was six feet tall and a Virginia gentleman. Wild Bill Hickok got his name from a remark he made about his fight with the McCanles gang during the Civil War. Bill was a Union cavalry scout, and McCanles was a horse­ thief and general desper­ ado. Ten of the gang sur­ rounded Bill when he was calling on a widow in a cabin in southern Nebraska. Bill had only one revolver. In the cabin there was a rifle and a knife. Bill used them both. The details of the fight are not known, but Bill beat off the gang, kill­ ing most of them—all ten, according to some accounts. Bill himself received more than twenty wounds. Asked how he did it Bill said, “I’ll swear I don’t know. I kind of went wild.” From then on he was Wild Bill. Wild Bill’s end came at Deadwood in 1876. He was playing cards, sitting with his back to a door—something he never had been known to do before. Jack McCall opened the door, and, un­ noticed by anyone, shot Bill through the head. Bill collapsed on the table, dead on the instant, but when they picked him up it is said that he had both of his guns in his hands. That draw is more remarkable than that of Ben Thompson, in Texas. Ben was shot without warning, but he was looking for trouble at the time, and his mind was on his guns. Bill was among friends, feeling so secure that he had neglected his usual precaution of sitting with his back to a wall. Bill Hickok’s guns were an extension of his subconscious self. There was something almost preterna­ tural about it, which explains why he lived as long as he did. Plainsmen did not work in those fancy rigs they wore when they had their pic­ tures taken, or, in later years, when they began to be lured into the show business. Frank Bennett, who scouted for us during the Loco outbreak in New Mexi­ co in 1882, dressed a good deal like an Indian—not as a measure of disguise, but because that was the most com­ fortable way to go. He wore a loose­ fitting calico shirt, and a breech-clout, or G string, as we called it, about his loins. On his feet were Apache mocas­ sins, a sort of boot which could be pulled up to the knee. He carried extra soles, and when one wore out he sat down and stitched on another. Around his waist was a cartridge belt, and a butcher knife and scabbard fastened onto it. About his head was wound a white band—a scout’s mark of identification. He carried a rifle and went on foot. All of the other famous scouts I knew—California Joe, Bill Cody, Buffalo Bil­ ly Comstock, Jack Craw­ ford, Ben Clark, Big Bat Pourier, Bat Garnier, Billy Hunter, Jim Longwell and a dozen more—d r e s s e d about like the ordinary plainsman; a calico shirt, corduroy or worsted pants, skin cap or broad hat and boots. They went mount­ ed—not on mustangs or chargers as all fiction and some histories have it, but on the good old Missouri mule, one of which would outlast four horses. A wonderful esprit de corps existed among scouts. They considered them­ selves the elite of a command, as their successors, the aviators, do now. When off duty they were nearly always great on show. There never was a greater dandy than Bill Cody. When the old West passed he found a congenial at­ mosphere in the circus. General Sheri­ dan and Elmer Judson, who wrote dime novels under the name of Ned Buntline, made Buffalo Bill known to fame. But for two incidents his name, which has become a trademark of the West, prob­ ably would not have been as well known today as those of perhaps twenty other frontier characters any old timer could call to mind. When Duke Alexis of Russia toured the West in 1871, General Sheridan se­ lected Cody to be the visitor’s guide and bodyguard. Later on when Mr. Judson was touring the West he picked out Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok as the two Westerners who were most like­ ly to charm the East, and who would consent to go East and go on the stage. He took them East and put them on exhibition, and began making them the heroes of his blood-and-thunder stories. Buffalo Bill liked the life and stuck with The AMERICAN LEGION Monthly �it, but it was too thin brew for Wild Bill. Cody got his colonel’s title years later in the Nebraska National Guard. In the course of fifty-seven years of association with the Army, in service which was almost continuous, most of my campaigning has been against In­ dians. Contrary to the general impres­ sion which is conveyed by history, I consider the red men as a thoroughly honorable race. The Indian is not treacherous by na­ ture. I never knew an Indian to break a promise. A white man was as safe in a hostile Indian camp under a flag of truce as he would have been in his home. It is to be regretted that Indians who came to us under a flag were not always treated with like courtesy. Of all the tribes, the fiercest and most remarkably led were the Chiricahua Apaches of Geronimo’s band. They held out and fought after all of their broth­ ers in arms had been subdued. The Apache was a fighter by instinct, but he would not shoot a man in the back. Who ever heard of a white man being finicky about shooting an Indian in the back? I hope you will pardon a personal in­ cident. In March of 1886 a detachment of scouts finally tracked Geronimo down in the barren mountains of Sonora, Mexi­ co. We had crossed the line by permis­ sion of the Mexican Government. Cap­ tain Emmett Crawford, Third Cavalry— one of the finest soldiers I ever knew— was in command. I had charge of the pack train. The chase was pressed for weeks, with scarcely an hour’s respite, in the most difficult country to get about in that can be imagined. Captain Crawford was shot in the head during one of the skirmishes. I carried him on a travois for six days before he died, and five days after, and buried him at Nacori, Sonora, Mexico. Finally the Chiricahua Apaches, who had fought for thirty years, found them­ selves at the end of their rope. Geroni­ mo began overtures for surrender, and it was arranged that both parties—the United States scouts and the hostile Apaches—should repair to the Canyon de Los Embudos, and General Crook should come down from Fort Bowie, in Arizona, to arrange with Geronimo the terms of capitulation. We were encamped in this tropical valley, and Geronimo and a few of his men were in our camp awaiting the ar­ rival of General Crook. Attached to our command was an Indian scout named Dutchy, with whom I was not on very friendly terms. Dutchy went to Geronimo with a story, the details of which are neither here nor there. Geronimo lost his head and decided to kill me. I was standing in front of the cook fire whittling a stick, when I happened to look up and see Geronimo and two followers approaching. All three had rifles. I felt with my elbow for my re­ volver, and found that it had slipped rather far back on my hip. I did not want to be seen adjusting it, as Geroni­ mo would have had a perfect right to have taken that for a hostile move and commenced firing. So I kept on whittling and with my el­ bow began to nudge my gun into posi­ tion. Geronimo continued to approach, circling to my left rear, but I did not turn around. I knew he would not shoot unless I faced him and he knew I knew it. Finally Geronimo stopped about ten feet to my left and slammed the butt of his rifle on the ground, in an endeavor to startle me into turning around. I had worked my gun around in position for a quick draw. But I kept on whittling, as if nothing had hap­ pened, though Geronimo knew perfectly well that I was aware of his presence. A white man might possibly have been in doubt, but an Indian, never. Geronimo stood there for a moment and with a grunt of dissatisfaction turned and stalked away. If I had turned to face him there would have been trouble, which to say the least would have been an odd prelude to a peace conference. Later, directly after his surrender to General Crook, Geronimo came to me. “Mule captain,” he said, “you pret­ ty good white man. All the same Chiricahua.” What he intended to convey was a compliment which I have never been ashamed of. It Tlikes T'Zeo to -JiSCiike a I^olo I^layer (Continued from page 47) jC' with civilian teams very cleaMy .^show Lawrence Waterbury used tjJ^Iay a little what discipline and practice and organir.^ bay pony called StumpyyWhen he twist■fed Stumpy around pn'a space not much zation will do in building up a team. In the cartoon referred to, Mr. Ben­ larger--than the ifoverbial dime it is nett is mounted on a farcical pony, but quite likelyj^at his stirrup iron touched gr.OHiIa, Stumpy being so small and there is a good deal of truth in the idea the gr£«rtd, as there is in all good cartoons. Take c^feening over at siltl^ an angle, The method of the J----' divisions of the the case of T. A. Havemeyer, Jr., at the old Country Club of Westchester, . Mr. game has been changed sinceThQse early Havemeyer is a very tall man. It is'a days. At the beginning there use'd ty be regret that he has given up polo, for he fifteen periods of fifteen minutes each,, was a fine performer, and one has a very with players changing their ponies as vivid recollection of the way in which often as they liked between goals. Now he used to play with his feet out of the they play eight periods, or chukkers as stirrup irons dangling alongside his pony. they-are called, (Continued on page 86) OCTOBER. 1926 '^Death to the ^raitorr ClcKk—Clack—Clack came the sound of the watH^man’s Slick. Something held Anne’s heart '^ill. Then came his voice, "Thr-e-e-e o’clock in the morning, and a traitot has been caught! Cod bless the King—and death to all traitors!” Anne kneisi it was Daiid. "Dear Cod------ " But let the inspired pen of Cufwood tell you isihat happened—■ you will be enthralled by— Oliver Curwood’s jAECintf FIRST HISTORICAL NOVEL Hunter A romance ofOld Quebei) and the bed of its kind since (looper wrote Deerslayer” j Illustrated by Arthur E. Becher I J Price $2.00 t Wherever Books Are Sold f 119 West 40 th Street. New York Publishers 85 �It Takes Two to zIkCake a Tolo Tidy er (Continued from page 8j) help wanted each of seven and one-half minutes and if the player changes his pony during the playing period he does it at his own risk. In the very beginning the ball used to be put in the middle of the field and two selected players from either team used to charge for it. This has been changed and now the ball is thrown in from the center of the field between the two teams lined up. The layout of the grounds and the method of play have changed not at all Don’t be satisfied with ordinary low-paid |bbs so far as the elemental things are con­ that get you nowhere—that you can lose TSt am., cerned, and these are the things which strikes, lockouts and layoffs. If you are arK.« get interest the public most. American citizen, 18 years or older you can fc-a Government Civil Service position. Pay is from $1900 to $2700 to start; work is steady, ^.4 It would take an infinite amount of hours easy, vacations with pay, and plenty of space to write of all the heroines of the chances for quick raises to better paid positions. Let me train you to pass the U. S. Civil Serv­ pola grounds. There would be more ice Examination with high rating so you will be heroines than heroes, because on the list eligible for one of the first Customs, Internal Revenue, Departmental Immigration, Postmaster, of the greatest the ladies predominate. Post Office and Rural Branches. Ex-service men get the preference. Hundreds of successful stu­ The parf'fchat all fine ponies play in the dents. I was a Secretary and Secretary Exam- ’ game canniit. be estimated. It is easy iner for eight years. Write for 48 page free STOP Worrying About lS)urJobjsfrFutin« ,f enough for anyone to maMe the casual remark that ponies ar^fat least fifty percent of the game. Ahey are more than that, because jf you can’t get to the ball you can’^hit it, and if you are fighting a ponyAou have little left for the work in haild. There have been many ponies wM were almost perfec­ tion. Perhaps the greatest of them all was Harry Whitney’s Cottontail. Then ther^ is Mr. Sanford’s mare Beatrice, on#^of the greatest ponies ever to play th^ game. She is a great big rangy majit of the most placid disposi­ tion. Aad her story very rightly be­ longs i^the pages of an American Le­ gion q^gazine. For she went through the v^T as an officer’s charger and after the ^ar she has been going on her high way; a most perfect animal, ready at all tiipes to give her best, to take bumps— ^d never does her great heart falter. book. Tells all. Send postal now to Arthur R. Patterson, Prin. PATTERSON CIVIL SERVICE SCHOOL Dept. 6310, Wisner Bldg., Rochester, N. Y. GAUCITEAbkUif PUNCTUBEPROOF B^/^ONEtninirte fg Tires hammered full of nails, leak no wiiit <1 air. This startling new invention banishes tire trouble forever. Repairs punctures without taking the tire off the rim. Actually makes any tire puncture-proof for life. Seals instantly all punctures, slow leaks and porous places, often increases tire mileage from 10,000 to 12.000milesby pre­ serving rubber and keeping tires prop­ erly inflated. Positive money back guarantee means GALACITE* must make good—'or we wilt. AGENTS $10,000a Year IMMEDIATE.Tremendous profits sell­ ing thia revolutionary invention to car owners,Garages,Service Stations,etc. Earn up to $10,000 a year with exclusive terZritory. Your name and address brings par­ ticulars by return mail. Send Today before someone else gets territory you want. C.F.JOHNSON & CO.. 19W.Jackson BW.,Dept.348.Cliicato,U.S.A.- GLOVERS IMPERIAL MANGE MEDICINE For More Than 50 Years the Same Quality—Formula—Virtue Never Has Been Changed 5^ the identification y^ich by Mr. Smith. J' (Continu^ from page SoJ here olfered case in which re deficeiv^d is .V. ^ne, Compaay B, loist Infantry 26th D^rision, reported killed on ober 24 ilkinson of, 25, .ipiS. Thomas A. Ly^, Massachusetts, fo erly sergeant major of the ist Batt on, loist Infantry, writes: “In answer to your quest for infor­ mation regarding th^ location of the grave of Second Lie|ltenant Ralph W. Lane, would SRy thatjhe is buried in rear of the Molleville fqfmhouse in the Ar­ gonne. I was w^ Lieutenant Lane when he was kilW. I took his watch and overseas csipl which were all that was left of his byongings, and returned them to his fat^r in Danvers, Massa­ chusetts. / nother A- nite .information was that of .Lieutenant Ralph Be fair with yourself. FfNOW the facts and face them fairly. Write for Free booklet, “How to Have Beauti­ ful Hair and a Healthy Scalp.” H. CLAY GLOVER CO., Inc. Dept. AH66 119 Fifth Ave., N. Y. S;]iiiniiiiii!niiiiniiiiii[iiiiiiiiiiMiE’;piiiiiiiiiiii[:iiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiii[!;s I = g B 5 5 ACCOUNTANCY | Training at Home = WITH PCRSONAL COACHING B Prepares yojkfor the C.P.A. Certificate, or for the 5 position as Chief Accountant, Cost Accountant, = Auditor or Comptroller. = Write for our free interesting booklet which ex- 5 = plains how you can secure this training in your s s spare time, and receive personal coaching by a pro- B £ fessional accountant in your own community. Our s “ guarantee protects you in case of inaptitude, sickB ness or straightened circumstances. B = AMERICAN EXTENSION INSTITUTE = = **Dept. AL io’’ 2095 Broadway, N. Y. £ siaUlilillilIiC]llll!llllll!UllinillilllC»i3liMIIIIIUIUI||tMIIIIIIUII|lMllllUQ^ 86 "DEUNIONS of the war-time outfits increase in number each year. The old gangs want to get together and tell each other who won the war. A number of the reunions this year will be held in conjunction with the National Conven­ tion of the Legion in Philadelphia, Oc- tober iith-i5th, as the following list shows: 8th Co., 5th Inf. O. T. S., Camp Lee— Former members interested in reunion during Legion National Convention in Philadelphia, Oct. 11-15, address Milton M. Parker, care U. S. Civil Service Commission, Washington, D. C. 24th Co., 5th Bn., O. T. S., Camp Lee— Former members interested in reunion during Legion National Convention in Philadelphia, Oct. 11-15, address E. C. Bollinger, 318 N. Fourth St., Apollo, Pa. 29th Div.—Former members attending Le.- gion National Convention in Philadelphia, Oct. "^I-IS, are invited to reunion banquet of Co. 104th Eng. Assn., in Camden, N. J., Oct. 1^ Address Clifford J. Shemeiey, 926 Spruce St^Camden. V^. Corps.—All former members attending Legi(^ National Convention in Philadelphia are inl^ited to attend smoker at Vet. School, Univer^y of Pennsylvania, Oct. 12, 8 p. m. Co. C.’^;305th Inf., 77th Div.—To complete roster, wWte Fred L. Gunther, Room 745, 42 Broadway,'^ew York City. 23d Eng^eers—Reunion at Philadelphia during LegiOMconvention, Oct. 11-15. Address Dr. John A. Varrell, 212 West Gay St., West Chester, Pa. \ 808th Pioneer Inf.—Reunion of officers, Hotel McAlpin, New York City, Oct. 16. Ad­ dress Ralph Abinglon, Standard Accident Ina. Co.. 110 William S\, New York. Yeomen (F)—Reunion of all girls who served in Naval Reserve Force at Philadelphia, during Legion Convention, Oct. 11-15. Ad­ dress Margaret R. Wellbank, 2548 W. Diamond St., Philadelphia. Second Div.—Reunion at Philadelphia dur­ ing Legion convention, Oct. 11-15. Registra­ tion booth will be opened artd reunion details announced during convention sessions. Base Hosp. 61—Former menibers interested in proposed reunion at Philadelphia during Legion convention, Oct. 11-15, address Mar­ garet F. Johnston, 224 Bloomfield Ave., Pas­ saic. N. J. Headquarters will be with New Jersey delegation at Philadelphia. Base Hosp. Unit, Camp Lee. Va,—Re­ union at Philadelphia during Legion National Convention, Oct. 11-15. Address Henry M. Baker, 160 N. 60th St.. Philadelphia. Ordnajjce Det., Sandy Hook Proving Ground—Men formerly of this outfit interest^ in reunion at Philadelphia during Legion Na­ tional Convention write J. W. Kreuzer, New Richland, Minn. U. S. Army Ambulance Association—An­ nual reunion in Philadelphia during Legion National Convention. Address Wilbur P. Hunter, 5315 Chestnut St., Philadelphia. The Company Clerk The AMERICAN LEGION AfonfW �War Bonnet creek Map; Page 68 Text; Page 59 Map: Page 61 Text: Page 64 Notes: Pa^e 68 Notes: Page 69 �>V z-^ * (LW/t JU/A^ Ikr^ �' ■ BUFFALO BILL AND YELLOW HAND FIGHT t The Duel Actually Occurred. But Has Been Greatly Exaggerated. By Some Writers (By Don Russell) Re printed, from the American Military History Few figures in American history have been built by publicity into such heroic proportions as that of William F. Cody, who as Buffalo Bill became the prototype of the great American Wild West. Equally few figures, on the other hand, have been the objects of such determined attack upon the part of those professionally iconoclastic writers whose pose it is to judge a man’s worth in inverse projx)rtion to his prominence. By some of his admirers it has been claimed that Buffalo Bill killed as many Indians as any other white man; yet certain critics have maintained, chiefly, perhaps, through jealously, that he never killed an Indian in his life. The fact is that while neither of these extremes can be substantiated, it is impossible to determine at what point between them lies the whole truth. However, from the colorful tapestry of heroism adroitly fabricated by Cody’s press-agents it is possible to single out at least this one event which possessed perhaps even more of the elements of drama on the day it occurred than it has possessed in its garish retellings in the dime novel and on the stage. The duel of Buffalo Bill and Yellow Hand is one of the great American legends and in common with the other Cody hero tales it is periodically attacked as being pure myth. Indeed, investigation does readily show that the duel idea has been greatly exaggerated. Nevertheless there seems to be ample evidence that he did kill an Indian that day, and, in all probability, took his scalp as well. The incident presents a curious, and perhaps a not entirely coincidental parallel to the deeds Cody had been portraying on the stage for more than three years previous to that time. It presents also the first real evidence of his unquestionably great talents for showmanship. Let us glance for a moment at Cody’s background. In 1868, at only twentytwo years of age, he was already a buffalo-hunter and guide of considerable repute. In that year he came to the attention of General Sheridan by an heroic ride of three hundred and fifty miles through hostile Indian country in less than sixty hours. “Such an exhibition of endurance and courage,” said General Sheridan in his memoirs, “was more than enough to convince me that his services would be extremely valuable in the campaign, so I retained him at Fort Hays until the battalion of the Fifth Cavalry arrived, and then made him chief of scouts for that regiment.” That position was retained by Buffalo Bill until the Fifth was moved to Arizona in 1871. During the following year he engaged in a variety of occupations, the last of which was to affect his entire career. A short time before this he had met Ned Buntline, prolific writer of dime novels. Buntline was the first to see the possibilities in Cody as “Buffalo Bill” and late in 1872 persuaded him to go on the stage. While his ability as an actor may be somewhat questionable, the realism of the perform­ ance kept the shows a success until the spring of 1876, when the death of his son appears to have caused Cody to lose much of his zest for theatrical life. It appears possible that he had already received offers to return to the army as a scout, and, at all events, in a few weeks he closed his show at Wilming- 3 �56 AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY ton, Delaware, and took a midnight train for the West. Having heard that the Fifth Cavalry had taken the field, he joined that regiment at Cheyenne four days later. The broad outlines of the Sioux War of 1876 are fairly well known. The Indians, under Chiefs Crazy Horse and Gall, had gone on the warpath, and three columns of regular troops commanded by Generals Gibbon, Terry and Crook, were to converge on the Sioux country during the early summer. Terry’s column, including General Custer’s Seventh Cavalry, left Fort Abra­ ham Lincoln, Dakota Territory, May 17, later joining Gibbon on the Yellow­ stone. Crook left Fort Fetterman May 26. Early in June eight troops of the Fifth Cavalry were assembled from vari­ ous posts in Kansas, and on June 22, under command of its lieutenant colonel. Brevet Major General Eugene A. Carr, the Fifth was sent out to watch the trails leading northward from the Red Cloud and the Spotted Tail reserva­ tions with the purpose of preventing these Indians from joining Sitting Bull’s assembly. At this time it was not known to Carr that Crook had fought the Sioux on the Rosebud June 17, and had fallen back to Goose Creek, for no news had come to the Fifth Cavalry of the movements of the other columns. The destruction of Custer with five troops of his regiment on the Little Big Horn came June 25, just three days after the Fifth Cavalry took the field. On the same day as Custer’s defeat the Fifth Cavalry struck the trail it sought along the valley of the Mini Pusa, South Fork of the Cheyenne ^iver.* Its new colonel, Wesley Merritt, who had been made a brevet major general for distinguished services in the Civil War joined it there on July 1, the very day of his commission—just how he accomplished this very consider­ able feat is nowhere explained. He sent out scouting parties in various direc­ tions, and on July 3, troops I and K were successful in sighting a small band of Indians but were unable to catch up with them even after a full day’s chase. This contact, however, had advertised, the presence of the regiment to the Indians and the trap was sprung. Merritt ordered a retreat to the head of Sage ^reek, which he reached July 6, and sent couriers in to Fort Laramie for further instructions. The next day news of the Custer disaster finally arrived. The regiment remained in camp awaiting orders until July 10, when it was ordered to return to Fort Laramie, stock fully with supplies, and then march by way of Fort Fetterman to join General Crook. At the same time, from Camp Robinson, came news that the Southern Cheyennejk at the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail Agencies were preparing to take the warpath. However, the regiment marched toward Fort Laramie until July 14, while Major T. H. Stanton, a paymaster and personal representative of Lieutenant General Phillip H. Sheridan in the field, was sent in to Camp Robinson to investigate the rumors of trouble there. The Fifth Cavalry, as encamped on RawhidejCreek that night, had present /Regimental^JLeadquarters and Companies A, B, D, G, I, K and M. With the command rode a small group of scouts including Cody, as chief, Tait, Jona- �Ned Buntline, Cody and Texas Jack as "Scouts of the Prairie” in Buntline’s play of that name. �BLACK �AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY 59 thon White, better-known as “Buffalo Chips,” and Baptiste Garnier, a French-Indian called “Little Bat.”* Company C had been detached that day to watch the Niobrara crossing of the trail between Forts Laramie and Robin­ son.* At noon next day Major Stanton returned with the report that some eight hundred Southern CheyenneX would leave the Red Cloud Agency early July 16, the following morning. General Merritt, it will be recalled, had orders to join Crook at once, but the regiment for nearly a month had been anticipating the very danger that it now confronted. His decision to meet the problem at hand was made imme­ diately. To have marched directly on Camp Robinson and the agency would doubtless have resulted in driving out the Indians. He determined instead to cut the trail in advance of the Cheyenne^; to lay another ambush for them. This stratagem made necessary a march around the two sides of a triangle, instead of across its hypotenuse. The distance, eighty-five miles, was made in thirty-one hours. The column started out at 1:30 July 15, and its goal, the point at which the trail crossed War Bonnet JZreek. was reached soon after 8 ^M. the next evening.* This was the first of Merritt’s celebrated “lightning marches” with the Fifth. One of the remarkable feats of this march was the performance of the wagon train commanded by Lieutenant W. P. Hall, the regimental quarter­ master, later Ari jutant General of the >\rmy. Merritt had instructed Hall to make the best time he could, not expecting that the wagons could keep up with the troops. At 10 on the first night the regiment halted at Running Water after a march of thirty-five miles, and only two hours later the wagon train rolled in. When the troopers were aroused at 3 XM. they found break­ fast awaiting them before their start at dawn on the final fifty-mile dash. Before daybreak on the morning of July 17, after the Fifth had been bi­ vouacked for the night on the banks of the War Bonnet, Lieutenant Charles King, of Company K, was detailed to establish an outpost towards the south­ east, the direction from which the Cheyenne^ were expected.^ The position taken by Lieutenant King as soon as the first streaks of daylight began to appear is described by him as having been a little conical mound at the foot of a wave of prairie which descended gradually from the southeast while to the rear rose the line of bluffs which marked the tortuous course of the stream. He goes on to state that from the southward not even an Indian eye could tell that close under those bluffs seven veteran companies of cavalry were crouch­ ing, ready for a spring. King was accompanied by Corporal Wilkinson, who was, at 4.30 the first to sight Indians along the ridge lying to the southeast. During the next half-hour a half-dozen parties were seen in that direction, at two or three miles distance. These Indians very apparently were concentrating their attention upon something to the westward, making no attempt at concealment from the direction in which the cavalry regiment lay in ambush. Merritt had been notified immediately, and he arrived at 5:15AC?(’f. With him were General Carr and two or three staff officers, including Lieutenant �60 AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY William C. Forbush, adjutant of the regiment and Lieutenant J. Haydon Pardee of the 23rd Infantry, an aide-de-camp. It seems important to identify clearly as many as possible of those present at this stage, because of numer­ ous self-styled eye-witnesses who have since appeared. The picket was entirely from Company K; Sergeant Schreiber was sergeant of the guard. Among several other officers who came forward to look over the ground, later rejoin­ ing their troops, was Captain Samuel S. Sumner, commanding Company D. The presence of Cody, who had just ridden in from a scout, was, of course, required. Not far away was another eye-witness of the entire action. Chris Madsen, a trooper of Company A, assigned, in his capacity as signalman, to be a con­ necting link between the pickets and headquarters had spent the night, with signal flag and torch ready, on the top of a neighboring butte. About day­ break, according to an account which he has recently published, Cody came in from a scouting trip, “directly to my post and told me to notify the com­ mand that he had been close enough to the Indian camp to see them preparing to move. However, he hastened to camp, and before the signalman [there] had time to make his report, he [Cody] was at Merritt’s headquarters, and made his report personally.’’* It must have been within a few minutes after this incident that the Indians first came within sight of the outpost. Soon the previously noted preoccupation of the Indians was explained by the appearance, a little to the westward, of the white tops of army Wagons. Lieutenant Hall, by travelling all night, had nearly caught up with the regi­ ment. This alone could have caused no perturbation, for Hall had two com­ panies of infantry concealed in the wagons, and there seems no doubt that this train guard would have given the Indians an unpleasant surprise had they made an attack. Meanwhile, the main body of cavalry who had been having coffee, were immediately ordered by Merritt to saddle up and wait in a close mass under the bluffs. Cody, who had remained at the observation point, was the first to notice an unusual amount of activity among the Cheyenne^. This soon was accounted for by a careful search along the Black Hills trail where two couriers were seen to be approaching in advance of the wagon train. Later it was learned that they were Troopers Anderson and Keith of Company C, which, it will be recalled, had been sent to the Niobrara crossing of the Camp Robinson trail, bringing dispatches to Merritt, having ridden some twenty-five miles farther than the regiment during its “lightning march.”* A group of perhaps seven Indians was advancing down the ravine, intent upon cutting off the two couriers. In order to reach them the Cheyennef had to pass close under the hill from which King was watching. Buffalo Bill first recognized and seized this fortuitou.s opportunity. “By jove! General, now’s our chance,” he exclaimed. “Let our party mount here, and we can cut those fellows off “Up with you then,” ordered Merritt. “Stay where you are. King. Watch �L,! �62 AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY them until they are close under you; then give the word. Come down, every other man of you.” King thus was left alone on his hilltop to give the signal for the rescue. Cody, since he had conceived the plan, was given the honour of leading the party, which consisted, besides himself, of the two scouts, Tait and White, and five or six private troopers. Adjutant Forbush and Lieutenant Pardee were crouched out of sight on the slope, ready to pass along the signal, while Sergeant Schreiber and Corporal Wilkinson remained near-by. His audience was small, even though it burned with the enthusiasm of inti­ mate concern; yet Buffalo Bill never had been granted by the artifice of the stage a more spectacular setting for deeds of heroism than the chance of actual warfare furnished him at that moment. This happy chance was by no means left unfriended by Bill’s experience of the theatre, however, for he was glori­ ously dressed for the part. While the rest of the regiment was in its working­ clothes of buckskin or blue flannel, Buffalo Bill shone forth in one of his stage costumes—a brilliant Mexican vaquero outfit of black velvet slashed with scarlet and trimmed with silver buttons and lace, just the sort of thing which he had been persuading Eastern audiences was the regular garb of the welldressed scout of the prairies. He was destined to legitimise his myth that day. Cody’s resplendence was fittingly matched by that of his opponents, the Cheyenne)}. They approached, with the sun flashing from polished armlets and lance heads, with gaily painted rawhide shields, and with the wind streaming their long war bonnets out behind them. Intent on getting the scalps of the two couriers, they failed to observe peering over the hillcrest, the head of King and his binoculars; the only things possibly visible to them in that still-peaceful landscape. “All ready, general ?” “All ready. King. Give the word when you like.” King waited until he could hear the panting of the ponies, the Cheyennef being less than a hundred yards away. “Now, lads, in with you.” Cody, with a cheer, led forth his little band against the Indians’ flank. Merritt, Wilkinson, and others ran up the slope to King’s vantage-point, there to watch the action. For a moment both parties were out of view. Two shots were heard. Suddenly Corporal Wilkenson pulled at the general’s sleeve ex­ citedly, pointing. There a single Indian, following the original party, had halted, trying to make out what was going on. “Shall I fire?” Wilkinson asked. Merritt assented, and at the shot the Indian swung down in his saddle, sending an answering shot whistling past the general’s ear, fired. King believed, from under the horse’s neck. Many years later Wilkinson expressed the opinion that he, not Cody, had shot Yellow Hand. King, however, has stated that this was the only shot fired by Wilkinson in the action, and that it was a miss. Just as these shots were fired. King saw the main body of the Indians rushing down the ravine, and appearing by scores all along the ridge. Upon �AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY 63 his shout of warning, Merritt quickly ordered the first company to be sent up and sprang to his saddle, followed by his staff officers. That first company was K, King’s troop, commanded by Captain Julius W. Mason, and King rushed back to mount his horse and join his company. The horse had broken away, and King was perhaps forty-five seconds in running him down, but despite these difficulties he mounted in time to join Company K as it dashed by, and it was only a moment later that he charged with them past Cody, standing over the body of the Indian chief he had killed, waving the handsome war bonnet and shouting. The actions of the men on the hill seem clear enough. What happened there on the prairie, in the swirling dust and in the tense excitement of the fight is not so easily apparent. Nevertheless, basing our conclusions on the accounts of King and of two soldiers who were in the charge with Buffalo Bill, we can, to some degree, reconstruct the action. Cody and the lone Cheyenne doubtless saw each other at about the same moment. It seems certain at least that they fired simultaneously, Cody’s shot piercing the Indian’s leg and his pony’s heart. The scout was not hit but at almost the same instant his horse stepped into a gopher hole and threw him. He got up, recovered his rifle, and fired again, killing the Indian who was lying wounded on the ground.* It seems reasonable to assume that they were then only a short distance apart, perhaps not over fifty feet. Cody appears to have run forward, seen that the Cheyenne really was dead and, for the benefit of the oncoming troopers, raised the Indian’s war bonnet into the air with—as he always told the story—the cry “The first scalp for Custer!” The soldiers responded with cheers as they galloped past. Whether or not Cody’s own words gave him the idea, it seems clear that he shortly thereafter drew his knife and scalped the Indian. King has positively stated that Cody could not, as it was claimed later, have taken the scalp in the short space of time that had elapsed before the cavalrymen rode past. Never­ theless, the signalman, Madsen, still at his post on the butte, saw the scalp being taken. Later, in passing close to the dead Cheyenne, he confirmed this to himself. A Sergeant Hamilton, of Summer’s company, stopping near the body to adjust his saddle, also saw that the scalp was gone.* The Indian was identified as Hay-o-wei, a young Cheyenne leader. His name was translated at the time by “Little Bat,” the half-breed scout, as meaning yellow hand, but since then other authorities have stated that it actually meant yellow hair, no doubt referring to some scalp he had taken, probably that of a white woman. As Company K topped the ridge, the Indians fired a scattering volley, but when they saw the gray horse troop, B, under Captain Robert H. Montgom­ ery, about sixty yards to the right rear, and I, Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Sanford C. Kellogg’s company, coming front into line at the gallop at about the same distance to the left rear, they wheeled and scattered. The troops advanced cautiously in open order to the ridge, but after it was gained they �64 AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY saw the CheyenneM unmistakably fleeing in all directions. The regiment pur­ sued them for thirty-five miles back to the reservation, but were unable to catch up with any of them. At the agency it was impossible to distinguish which Indians had been on the warpath, attempting to reach Sitting Bull, and which had remained friendly, so no steps were taken to punish the party. As a result of this action on the War Bonnet the Southern Cheyennes took the war­ path no more that summer. From Camp Robinson Merritt marched his regi­ ment on to Fort Fetterman, by way of Fort Laramie, as ordered, but his arrival was about a week later than had been expected and quite naturally General Crook was not much pleased. However, he appears to have taken no action in the matter and perhaps for this reason Merritt never made a formal report of the fight.® It would be somewhat boresome and of small value to give here very many examples of the exaggerated and conflicting yarns that grew out of this event, even could our space permit such a discussion. It might be well, however, to trace some of their earlier developments. When Cody reached the Red Cloud Agency he wrote a letter to his wife containing an account of the fight. Of all his stories of the incident—and there were many—this was, perhaps, the one of the most genuine worth. “We have come in here for rations,” he wrote. “We have had a fight. I killed Yellow Hand, a Cheyenne chief in a single-handed fight. You will no doubt hear of it through the papers. I am going as soon as I reach Fort Laramie the place we are heading for now [to] send the war bonnet, shield, bridle, whip, arms and his scalp to Kerngood to put up in his window. I will write Kerngood to bring it up to the house so you can show it to the neighbors . . . My health is not very good. I have worked myself to death. Although I have shot at lots of Indians I have only one scalp I can call my own; that fellow I fought single-handed in sight of our command and the cheer that went up when he fell was deafening . . .' He does not yet describe the encounter as a duel, but his account does con­ firm the fact that he took the scalp. The letter also indicates that Cody already had an eye to publicity, for the story, however slightly, is beginning to grow. On his arrival at Fort Laramie on July 21, Cody found a wire from James Gordon Bennett asking for an account of the fight. He asked King to write this for him and King composed what he later referred to as “a brief telegraphic story, say one-eighth of a column.”^ He read it over to Cody who suggested no changes at the time, though King recalled the scout’s remarking “It’s fine, only----- ”, and then saying no more. King, oddly enough, did not read the printed account until 1929, which was, perhaps, as well, for the New York Herald expanded the story to nearly a column, and, it would seem, made a few alterations. Under the subhead “Cody Kills Yellow Hand” this contem­ porary account tells how Buffalo Bill and the little party from the outpost “sprung from their horses and met the daring charge with a volley. Yellow Hand, a young Cheyenne brave, came foremost, singling out Bill as a foeman worthy of his steel. Cody coolly knelt, and taking deliberate aim, sent his bullet through the chief’s leg and into his horse’s head. Down went the two, �BUFFALO BILL WESLEY MERRITT In the uniform of a Major General. CHARLES KING A photograph taken later at a Brigadier General. �66 AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY and, before his friends could reach him, a second shot from Bill’s rifle laid the redskin low.”^ Although the group had been made to dismount and to receive the charge on foot, the story was still within the facts. Cody’s fall from his horse might account for the error. King wrote his first real account of the fight, in which the events are fairly portrayed, some four years after this. Meanwhile, however, Cody’s friend and press agent, John Burke, was far from idle. As one of Buffalo Bill’s biog­ raphers has ably written: “From that day the publicity of Buffalo Bill began to display real genius. Burke ceased to be an ordinary press agent and began to mold a gigantic figure. Bill Cody ceased to be a genuine scout who was incidentally appearing in melodrama. He became a professional player, whose every movement must be directed by a sho A’man’s hand and whose past career must be overhauled to make a showman’s tradition.”* One example of the story in its most elaborate and apocryphal state will be sufficient. It was, of course, ostensibly written by Cody himself.** “The chief was riding his horse back and forth in front of his men, as if to banter me, and I concluded to accept the challenge. I galloped toward| him for fifty yards and he advanced towardji me about the same distance, both of us riding at full speed, and then, when we were only thirty yards apart, I raised my rifle and fired; his horse fell to the ground, having been killed by my bullet. Almost at the same instant my own horse went down, he having stepped into a gopher hole. The fall did not hurt me much, and I instantly sprang to my feet. The Fndian had also recovered himself, and we were now both on foot, and not more than twenty paces apart. We fired at each other simultaneously. My usual luck did not desert me on this occasion, for his bullet missed me, while mine struck him in the breast: He reeled and fell but before he had fairly touched the ground I was upon him, knife in hand, and had driven the keen-edged weapon to its hilt in his heart. Jerking his war­ bonnet off I scientifically scalped him in about five seconds. “The whole affair from beginning to end occupied but little time, and the Indians, seeing that I was some little distance from my company, now came charging down upon me from a hill, in hopes of cutting me off. General Merritt had witnessed the duel, and realizing the danger I was in, ordered Colonel Mason with Company K to hurry to my rescue. The order came none too soon, for had it been given one minute later I would have had not less than two hundred Indians upon me. A.s the soldiers came up I swung the Indian chieftain’s top-knot and bonnet in the air and shouted: “ ‘The first scalp for Custer.’ ”• Quite aside from its interest as a Buffalo Bill hero tale, the fight has military importance. It is one of the few cases where a large war party of Indians was successfully ambushed by troops, and seems the more remarkable in consideration of the fact that the same organization had failed in a similar effort less than two weeks before. That the trap was sprung too early, in order to save the lives of two white men, reduced the casualties among the Indians to one, but it did not undermine the ultimate result of keeping some �DEATH OF YELEOW HAND — CODY’S FIRST SCALP FOB CUSTER. The fictitious illustration which appeared for many years in all the Wild West programs. Reproduced with permission from a program in the possession of William Stone. Esq. �68 AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY 800 Southern Cheyenne warriors out of the hostile camp of Sitting Bull, nor did it prevent saving the new settlements in the Black Hills from their raids. Had the braves of this party broken through, it is probable that many more Indians from the Red Cloud and Spotted Tail reservations would have fol­ lowed them to war. The formation adopted by Merritt, a cavalry charge in line with flanks refused, seems peculiarly well adapted to the situation. It gave the Indians no opportunity to escape to the flanks: their only possible move was rapid retreat to the rear, and had it been practicable to carry out the original plan it is almost certain that they would have been completely surrounded. Notes 1. There is another South Fork of the Cheyenne, south of the Mini Pusa. 2. White’s surname is given as “Johathon” on his headstone at Slim Buttes battlefield, where he was killed. King calls him “James” and he is referred to as “Charley” and “Frank” in other accounts. He was devoted to Cody and copied him in every way possible, because of which he was jokingly called “Buffalo Chips.” He accepted the nickname as a compliment. 3. The Niobrara was also called Running Water. 4. The name of this creek has caused much confusion. The “record of events” sections on muster rolls of the regiment generally refer to it as “Indian Creek,” although Com­ pany I has “War Bonnet Creek.” It was also called “Hat Creek” and this is the accepted modern designation. All three names appear on some maps as branches of the same stream. I have used “War Bonnet,” for that designation seems to be the most desirable historically. The site of the fight has been identified and marked by a group of men headed by Brig. Gen. W. C. Brown, retired, and General King, mentioned below. Among the most active of this group was Mr. Al Rundquist, upon whose maps of the locality the sketches used with this article are based. 5. This is the same officer who, as Captain Charles King, wrote Campaigning with Crook, (Milwaukee, 1880). It is from this work that his eye-witness account is taken. King’s first account was written for the Milwaukee Journal in 1880, and was published as the pamphlet mentioned above that same year. It was published in book form ten years later. His final conclusions are embodied in an article by the present author, “My Friend, Buffalo Bill,” Cavalry Journal, Sept.-Oct., 1932. King wrote some sixty mili­ tary novels, of which The Colonel's Daughter, at least, should be remembered. He became a brigadier general of volunteers in the war with Spain, commanded a brigade in the Philippine Insurrection and served later as major general, Wisconsin National Guard. 6. Daily Oklahoman, November 4, 1934. 7. These couriers were identified by Frederick Post, a former sergeant of their com­ pany, in a letter to King dated May 2, 1929. 8. The direct quotations are taken without change from Campaigning with Crook. Essen­ tially they agree with those given in the New York Herald account of July 23, 1876. King in recent years stated that they were written exactly as they were spoken. 9. That Cody shot and killed the Cheyenne seems amply proven. One of the troopers of Company D was James B. Frew. In his diary, published in part by Winners of the West (April 30, 1936), appears the entry: “July 17, 1876. Indians reported by the pickets. Command ordered to secrete in the ravines, but two couriers arriving from agency being in danger Ciody fired on them, killing the chief. Yellow Hand. The rest tried to rescue him but we charged, killing six. Followed them into the agency 40 miles.” While this account overstates the number of casualties, it confirms the shooting. �AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY 69 10. However, the skirmish is recorded in the records of the companies and some of these accounts are not without interest. Company A reported: “Early on the morning of July 17, a party of seven Indians was discovered trying to cut off two couriers with dispatches for the command. The Regimental Commander immediately dispatched a party in pursuit which succeeded in killing one Indian.” Company I’s record reads: “Returned 73 miles by Sage Creek to War Bonnet Creek to assist in preventing cer­ tain Cheyenne Indians from leaving Red Cloud Agency, which Indians, numbering several hundred, were turned back, July 17, two or three of them being killed.” Most of the other returns mention only one Indian killed. Company B mentions “one (1) Indian and pony killed.” Indian sources also agree that Yellow Hair was the only casualty. 11. The Kerngood referred to was Moses Kerngood, who owned a clothing store in Rochester, N. Y. According to an account in the Baltimore Sun of December 21, 1936, his daughter, Mrs. Harry O, Schloss, of Baltimore, now has this letter together with other relics of the fight—but not the scalp. Mrs. Cody, according to Courtney Riley Cooper, who wrote The Last of the Great Scouts in collaboration with her, says she told of opening the box referred to, and of fainting when she saw the scalp. Cody never denied it, and Dexter Fellowes, his press agent for many years, tells, in a recent book, of seeing it on one occasion. 12. These facts were related by King in a letter to the author, March 20, 1929. King stated that the account was not entirely as he wrote it, which can readily be appreciated. He objected specifically to that phrase, possibly garbled in transmission, which gave the impression that Wilkinson had killed an Indian from the hilltop. 13. New York Herald, July 23, 1876, with date line. Fort Laramie, July 22. 14. Richard J. Walsh, The Making of Buffalo Bill, p. 202. 15. All of Cody’s “autobiographies” were ghost-written, as were his public speeches. In private conversation he is said to have been much more accurate, frequently denying the statements of his press agents. 16. Walsh, supra. The biography from which Mr. Walsh quotes is not known to me. A comparison with a nearly identical account in Buffalo Bill’s Life Story (New York, 1920) will illustrate the remarkably curious variations that occur between all. of these books. In True Tales from the Plains, published in 1908, Cody’s own account is not made to vary far from the facts. “It was in this engagement that fate allotted to me the duty to meet personally and successfully the war-chief. Yellow Hand. A matter of detail that I well remember, the chief yelled to me to “Come on! Come on! White Long Hair” (“Cooa! cooal Pe-Ha-He-Has-Ka” in Cheyenne). We both fired simultaneously, my first bullet going through the chief’s leg and entering the body of his horse. His bullet glanced on my saddle, and my horse stumbled in a prairie-dog hole, but I landed on my feet. Kneeling quickly, I put a bullet through the head of his horse, coming on at speed. Thus we were both afoot and in close proximity.” Here Cody’s story ends and the reader is now given what purports to be the complete New York Herald article with a quotation from Campaigning ICith Crook added. But the newspaper article has itself been altered. The first shot now goes “into his horse” and not “into his horse’s head” although the second shot still “laid the redskin low.” Furthermore, in the midst of the quotation from King the following apocry­ phal sentence is added: “After a hand-to-hand struggle, Cody wins, and the young chief. Yellow Hand, drops lifeless in his tracks after a hot fight.” Such are the ways of press agents! As for the “Cooa! Pe-Ha-He-Has-Ka” episode. King’s later com­ ment is illuminating. It was simply “Bosh 1” �70 AMERICAN MILITARY HISTORY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, ARMY WAR COLLEGE By Joseph Mills Hanson* The first definite steps toward the establishment of an historical section of the General Staff, United States Army, were taken early in January, 1914. But four years,\almost to the day, elapsed before the project became an actuality. \ The general staffs'of the armies of several foreign countries had maintained historical sections for a number of years prior to 1914. Nevertheless, the need for such an organization in our military establishment did not find formal expression until after the delivery of a lecture on the subject, “The Function of Military History,” by Doctor, later Major, Robert M. Johnston, Professor of Military History, Harvard University, at the Army War College on Janu­ ary 2, 1914. The next day Major General Leonard Wood, then Chief of Staff, wrote to Colonel John Biddle, Chief of the War College Division, asking for the recommendation of officers qualified to begin the creation of an historical section. As a result of General Wood’s initiative. Colonel Biddle recommended several officers of recognized competence in modern methods of historical research. Notable among them were Majors John McA. Palmer, Daniel W. Ketcham and William D. Connor, and Captains James W. McAndrew, Arthur L. Conger, Stuart Heintzelman, Oliver L. Spaulding and Henry C. Smither. A committee, formed in the War College Division, consisting of Majors Ketcham and Connor and Captain Smither, immediately recommended that the United States military attaches in France, England, Japan, AustriaHungary and Germany be directed to furnish detailed reports upon the his­ torical sections of the general staffs of those countries. Eventually, valuable reports were received from the several attaches men­ tioned, while some of the officers who had been proposed as organizers for the historical section were afforded opportunities to lecture at the Army War College. But nothing further was done toward placing such a section upon a functioning basis until January 2, 1918. On that day General Tasker H. Bliss, Chief of Staff, made a recommenda­ tion to the Secretary of War for the prompt organization of an historical section. It was approved, and on January 18 the Chief of the War College Division submitted to the Chief of Staff a memorandum favoring an historical section patterned upon the European model, which had been described to the American Historical Association by Colonel Azan, of the French Army. Based upon this plan, the War College Division proposed the organization of an American historical section to embrace: “(a) A military history branch divided into: ♦Assistant Historian, National Park Service; lately Captain, F.A., G-2, G.H.Q., A.E.F. �30 Soldiers were-^firing through the open gate and from other vantage points outside the wall. The battle became a siege "Butch” Cassidy he coolest, cleverest and most outlaw of the age.” Tdangerous Such is the brief characterization of “Butch” Cassidy in the records of one of this country’s great detective organiza­ tions. Cassidy was head of the Hole-in-theWall gang, sometimes known as the Wild Bunch and again as the Train Robbers’ Syndicate. For upwards of fifteen years he and his allies robbed banks, held up trains, helped themselves at will from cattle herds, and generally flouted the law in every state in the Rocky Mountain region. When cornered, they generally shot their way to freedom. No less than thirty murders, mostly of peace officers, are charged against these outlaws, excluding Cassidy, whose killings, so far as known, were limited to those which resulted from a final battle for life in a foreign land. Like a small boy with a passion for stirring up hornets’ nests, “Butch” Cassidy struck here and there in the West. When he figured the air was getting dangerously full of hornets, he transferred his operations in banditry to South America. There, for several years, he carried on successfully, while his former companions in this country were being run down and killed or captured, one by one. Mystery has heretofore surrounded the closing years of “Butch” Cassidy’s career in South America. Tt was known that he levied tribute in true Wild West fashion, holding up railway shipments of treasure, Copyright, IQ30, by Arthur Chapman. • t. By Arthur Chapman Illustrated by Charles Johnson Post robbing banks, and swooping down on pack trains that carried mine remittances in the lonely Andes. Several South American countries lodged vigorous protests with the Department of State against this Americano who was at his old trick of stirring up hornets’ nests. Then came word that “Butch” Cassidy and his pal of the Hole-in-the-Wall days, Harry Longabaugh, “the Sundance Kid,” had been killed. Various stories of the slaying of these bandit leaders came out of the wild interior of South America, but authentic details were lacking. Official Washington was content to know that no more protests were being received on ac­ count of this former cowboy who had organ­ ized the most dreaded gang of outlaws since the days of the James Brothers. So were the detectives who had unavailingly trailed Cas­ sidy over the greater part of two continents. It is likely that the dramatic circumstances of “Butch” Cassidy’s death would have remained much longer in oblivion if it had not been for inquiries painstakingly pur­ sued by men who had known him in South America, not as a bandit but as a sociable, trustworthy fellow, who was “on the square” with those to whom he had taken a liking. Cassidy, during his years in South America, had at various times found emprdymd^at the mines or on construction work. As packmaster and treasure guard he had filled positions which involved danger to himself, and, when he felt that confidence had been reposed in him, he never betrayed his trust. He made friends, even among those who knew him to be a bandit. When it was learned that Cassidy had been killed, some of these friends went to considerable trouble to get at the facts. Through Mr. Percy A. Seibert, now an attorney at San­ tiago, Chile, who, as mine manager, had given employment to Cassidy, the writer of this article is able to relate the circum­ stances of the bandit’s last fight and also to give some personal details of his life as told by the outlaw leader himself. TA/'ITH regard to his family, “Butch” * ' Cassidy always maintained silence. Ac­ cording to the posters which were broadcast, offering large rewards for his capture, his real name was George Parker. In the early ’90s, as a mere “kid,” he was a cowboy in southern Utah. He took part in his first train holdup, so he told Mr. Seibert, when he was fifteen years old. A venture in live­ stock rustling in those early days must have been disastrous, for the Wyoming peniten­ tiary records show that George Parker, alias “Butch” Cassidy, was sentenced for cattle stealing but had served only a part of his time when he was pardoned—perhaps on account of his youth. Southern Utah, in common with Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado, was ranged by the Black Jack gang of train robbers. This �April, 1930 29 fense. By now he was eighty-f(j>ur, but with a furious energy that never flagged, he manu­ factured munitions, gathered Applies, rode "jJsuT' breathed Pizarro, as he stood the mountains, tore down /bridges that besi^ his bloody captain. “What a vic­ spanned the rivers, and strd've fiercely to tory!” wake the /Drunk with the glory and wonder of it,rebel cavaliers to their danger. Old Carbajal, It wasthe in vain, however, that he begged for e rebels marched to Cuzco, and taking troops ity withoutinvincibly a blow, gave themselves overwith to which to guard the passes, for wicked, abated Pizarro felt high revelry. Only Carbajal had the sense to that it was enough to have no whit of his see that Huarina not the destroyed end of thethe bridges, and all jibed at the insolencewas and ancient campaign, unconcern. but the beginning. It was ashisan alarmist. They All Gasca the while Gasca, the indomitable counsel to walked lay the by city his waste so that churchman, marched against Cuzco with an would findside, only ruins when he came. begging of two thousand. At their head—a repent “We arehim lost to if we let him penarmy us behind his sins, but he “In the moun host walls,” urged the veteran. ­ in himself—was Pedro Valdi­ diedmake shouting via, the conqueror of Chile, and a tains we can common cause with the his favorite songown good time fighting man who had learned his natives, and choose our to fall upon the priest. Stay here, let Gasca repeat his offer of pardon for all, and you will not have a man left.” Pizarro turned a deaf ear to arguments stricken mass he led his savage troops. Up and cntrr.Ttics. and humming his mourn impregnable position in advance of the bat- ' tie. At each man’s side were three loaded muskets, and with many a curse he drove home the order that under no circumstances must they charge or change their stand. This done, a series of skiUfijJ feints, finally induced the enemy infantry to attack, and as he watched their rush, a grin of sheer enjoy­ ment added new seams to Carbajal’s scarred face. “Not a shot,” he cautioned, “until I give the word, and theft aim at their bellies.” The. first volley, fired pointblank, halted the charge apd, snatching the extra guns, Carbajal’s men poured in a second, quickly followed by a third and fourth. Centeno, turning from the rout of Pizarro’s cavalry, saw his own infantry in flight, and raced at once to repair the damage, but the pikemen grounding their butts as they knelt, met t horses with steel points, while the arqu'ebusiers, now' massed at the back, direct^ a destructive fire full into the struggling jZiass. Vainly the frantic Centeno whirled/or an attack on the rear, but Carbajal spun his men, and again the assault met pikes and deadly musket fire. Seeing the /\'elter of death and confusion before him, the ancient roared the order to advance—‘/'charge and no quarter”—and into the thick'of the panic­ inhuman n t, dashing out brains witji his huge mace, and when ni^t fell, one-half of Centeno’s army lay dead on the field, and the rest were flying {6r their lives. s trade in theVtalian wars along with Car­ bajal. Marchjng forward with the same furious speed tRpt marked the campaigns of old Francisco, 'aldivia threw swinging bridges across flje swift Apurimac, and �^Pi-il, 1930 Sm^^BuV^^^^^^hipofTo IV the Lo ?«rounded X® h‘ k3odsX,^''j^n ™‘kcrs ‘o W which T kouse. There ^^cers K KiV sSiS^ i.s;S rr^aiX's'hVfsV i^he last Harvey made S o the realm of “htFk Putting vrith ""arr; ^^^bination cat^p''®'’^'^®®-” sworn "JiJJJ^ ^hhTen^^ with ke btXm"^^’ as & tfe'cSV-S' F"«Sot ‘mk_ brothers "'g a- JUan of Iheir . -o“S go into hidinff^ nerve, »e"&'5“.-<® . «S PS''S::K's»t<hv«.r„ ndnti^ ^as chiAy 7 torious cattle ^ios^ George” p ’^Panions ^<^^J^^kat wvo^^^^ Who Tad no- sosBlOSr lrin> whereas ^^edding hnm * f»«eie<| ,,pi^»”<i Wat h»rWaSo.VS Their <,p_ 'ny of the f! Geor2®® ^^°iher,SSn n “cover” fn,-S , ^'^rilyaccoXble'?'^’^ Porone-third of the ki r ""1 l^ast agamst tdreri^^'^'gs charged .. ^''■l^^^he-HWl lhe Lolanf and^-n'^ ^^orge ” ridy were . Bntch”Cas ,'?rile rusthngXv^d‘he advantages of '’*®“^oned hnown as the Ro, ■ ''orieat |®ong the fooTufe^^^'^^ll ^orns at the k J ‘he Big Powder River P^tas could be ‘he hrought to this^^ and l“:nnds might be v^‘’ ^here leisure. ThVsettI ‘^k'^nged at nnstlers themseTve? ^ther IVr'"'^ thought n, ^^'Ih drawn memtr vey T^^kers ^^oj lined the Sfej-dXXti» !et after t ,, ’’^n Har- wge's ’’“‘laws tha?n ‘"?'lancrKidi,VouJigfeliow’^kXu k^^F'^n’s tXe X? • ®“®ething of^®r/‘oei-s. ®nllen and^ov,^F"ng to an^extr ^^’^oy ‘rp'^'ng bloodshedX^'^^® kriends aJ^d ’ citements of onti one of the’ ^d*cal differed H‘lawiy. T J .’^he major ex ¥^^ter 0^"°'’"'“"'' a good h... Gallant, Enl n noh. °ll’e/®reeuX''® ^‘=hieveme!?ts up by Whose Pride "t^H J^^nst must 2S’^'‘=pS?,jJ'» “r tL'^^ were Be' Bffl'S‘*i. “V s «»cS.'JS ^'''t'< aLt S ?® M fe ^oSdy turned into '^ns defense. citadel of "Butch” p S'^i^hodwitrJttT^^p^’y t ,k slow ” ^1’® rustling larther Wg-a , ,He \vent on ‘he field with th'^ -L^’ked over •spring larger a ndV"^"^ PnDurin?b“«-PnSg T Plat Nosed absence kogan boys mX and thl PooWes in E2n°‘^^kl‘rie “ountains bXx^ ’ ® ^^oge ,®.ouri River and ‘he Mis west of the^B^ Canadian key made tfieir he n ^ands. ^‘kandusky, the m t'^'l'^arters ^‘s region which th^®^'’°Polis of other cXtU skeltered Hailey li^°<>dshed Cassidy^ “hit loath to ia ^^emed tr, ^^nian s:?“' >Sfe"«w«v arlm-tWould i,°’^^®'^ise l^een Ion (“Pee^.,ris ®nnch. h^ V'^’^ing^the fir^?^ ‘^’ne ®ade plans to ’mK had s aa, !^?S£iS/ancher ‘*“sof S® kind, xvas heavily on his ^P^nstenance father ®hbors’ herds Pj^imTatX ‘ke “ a major saloon, , ^ter ^"onUntTih^ tfiQ I I �32 Cassidy and his followers, among whom were Logan and Longabaugh, waited on the outskirts of town for Tom’s signal. None came. Finally, tired of waiting, the gang swung into the saddle and clattered into town and up to the bank. While one member of the gang stood guard over the horses, Cas­ sidy and the others entered the bank and held up the cashier. With $30,000 in loot, the bank robbers got into their saddles and started out of town. Armed citizens were swarming out of stores, and shots were being fired, but all of the gang escaped—all but “Peep” O’Day. t> EFUDDLED by drink and only partially aroused by the shots, the bandits’ look­ out started from the saloon, remembering that he had important duties to perform. He tried to mount his pony, but could not get into the saddle. He was thrown into jail, accused of being an accessory to the crime, but a lenient jury let him go. He went back to cattle rustling, but did even that so badly that he was convicted and served a long term in the Wyoming penitentiary. Cassidy, Longabaugh and Logan were ar­ rested in the Little Rockies soon after the Belle Fourche holdup. They were lodged in jail at Deadwood, but one morning they caught the jailer, bound him, and made their escape, going back to the Hole-in-the-Wall. From their citadel in the Big Horns the gang now made a number of successful sorties. A Union Pacific train was stopped at Wilcox, Wyo., and the engineer was compelled to uncouple the baggage and express cars and run them across the Wilcox bridge. The bandits, led by Cassidy, pro­ ceeded to blow up the express safe with dynamite, securing about $8,000. “Flat Nosed George” Curry took part in this -liOidup, as did Longabaugh, Logan and the latter’s cousin, Bob Lee, who was captured some months later at Cripple Creek and sen­ tenced to ten years in the Wyoming peni­ tentiary. Making their way northward across the Laramie range to their retreat in the Big Horns, the outlaws three days later were intercepted by a posse under Sheriff Hazen of Converse County. A battle ensued, the bandits taking shelter behind rocks and trees. The fight ended when Harvey Logan shot and killed Sheriff Hazen. The spirit of revenge was so strong in Logan that a few months later he killed John Tyler, sheriff of Moab, Utah, and Sam Jenkins^ acting deputy, because they had been mem­ bers of the posse which trailed the Hole-inthe-Wall gang after the Wilcox train robbery. Bank holdups and train robberies now succeeded each other rapidly, and in widely separated places. “Butch” Cassidy led the holdup of a bank at Winnemucca, Nev., securing about $30,000. This robbery was The Elks Magazine staged in daylight, in true Wild Western fashion. Again planning a surprise attack at a distant point, Cassidy and his followers raided the town of Montpelier, Idaho, and successfully held up another bank. They eluded pursuit and divided $32,000 in gold as a result of this raid. The Union Pacific was again held up, this time at Tipton, Wyo. As in the Wilcox robbery, the engineer was compelled to pull the express car ahead, after it had been de­ tached from the rest of the train. While this robbery did not net the outlaws as much as the previous holdup, it alarmed the rail­ road officials. The ease with which the gang was holding up trains and making a “get­ away” led to the formation of a special, outlaw-hunting detachment for the sole purpose of pursuing the Hole-in-the-Wall J^EJTSPAPER readers will re■L ’ member the wide publicity that attended Burt McConnell’s back-to~the-stone-age experiment in the Quebec woods a few months ago. “Blazing the Back­ ward Trail,” to appear in an early issue, will give you a first hand account of some of the amazing and gruelling experi­ ences of this man, of whom Vilhjalmur Stefansson said, “If there is any civilized man able to bury himself in the wilderness, with­ out a single accoutrement of civ­ ilization, and come out healthy and better than ever before, it is Burt McConnell.” train robbers. A corps of gun-fighters was maintained at Cheyenne, ready for instant duty. A baggage car, fitted up as an arsenal, and into which horses could be loaded in a few minutes, was kept in readiness to carry this bandit-hunting force to the scene of any holdup along the line. A FTER every holdup the gang would scat* terforawhile. Sometimes they wouldgo to the Southwest and cooperate with Black Jack. In this way the combined gangs of outlaws became known as the Train Robbers’ Syndicate. A system of hideouts was estab­ lished from the Hole-in-the-Wall to the Henry Mountains and the Blue Mountains of Utah. Ranchmen all along the Rockies were forced to supply fresh mounts if any members of the gang found themselves hard pressed. Furtheimore it is known that some ranchmen were compelled to act as bankers. Rather than carry large quantities of stolen gold, after a division of loot, “Butch” Cassidy and other members of the gang would often leave a sack of money with a, ranchman, with the understanding that it was to be given up when called for. No one among these unwilling custodians failed to “deliver” on demand, as it was understood that death would be the penalty for “throwing down” the Wild Bunch. During one of these periods of frenzied but unavailing search on the part of the authorities, “Butch” Cassidy and Harry Longabaugh rode up to a ranch in south­ western Wyoming and __________ asked for something to eat. Western hospitality would not admit of anyone being turned away, so the aged ranch woman, who was alone on the place began preparing a meal. ’ “Butch” Cassidy, strolling around to the back of the cabin, noticed a few chickens running about in a wire enclosure. The ranch woman ran out at the sound of a shot. One of her precious chickens had fallen, decapitated. Another shot, and another headless chicken. The woman berated Cassidy soundly, but he fired twice more, and each time a chicken’s head was shot off. It was wonderful marks­ manship, which the ranch woman was in no mood to appreciate. “We don’t want bacon to-day,” said Butch” with a grin. “Will this pay for chicken all around?” To the ranch woman’s amazement her rough looking visitor put his hand in his pocket and drew it forth filled with gold pieces. Counting out four of them, he dropped them into the apron of the aston­ ished woman—twenty dollars for each chicken that had been killed I The money was part of the proceeds of a bank robbery which the W’ild Bunch had just staged. Harvey Logan, Cassidy’s dreaded lieu­ tenant, had none of his chief’s good-nature and easy-going ways. Logan was still nursing his hatred for Winters, whom he considered responsible for the killing of John Logan. So, between the holdups which were now being rapidly carried on by the gang, Harvey Logan slipped away to the Little Rockies and shot down Winters, without giving him a chance to fight. Logan made his escape, after assassinating Winters, and rejoined his outlaw companions. cha,racteristic cunning, the Hole** in-the-Wall leader struck at another railroad. The Great Northern Express was held up, near Wagner, Mont. In this holdup a brakeman was wounded. The robbers de­ molished the safe in the express car, secur­ ing $65,000 in unsigned currency, which was being shipped to the First National Bank at Helena. “Butch” Cassidy recognized the danger in circulating this unsigned currency. It was inevitable that any forged signatures would be quickly traced and would give the authorities a clew as to the whereabouts of members of the gang. Another cause of uneasiness was the general circulation of a photograph, for which the leading members of the gang had posed in jest. The picture was taken at Fort Worth, Texas, where several of the gang had gathered, following the Winnemucca holdup. In the course of a friendly scuffle, one of the felt hats belong­ ing to a member of the gang had been de­ stroyed. This led to retaliation, and the “rough house” became general, not a hat being left intact. All the outlaws adjourned tO" a hat store, and one of them, as a joke, tried on a derby. Then came the suggestion that they all buy “iron hats” and have a group photograph taken. This idea was carried out, but it was not long before the pic­ ture was in the hands of the authorities. This photograph was the indirect means of the trailing down of Carver and gave much trouble to the gang generally. Other things were causing Cassidy un­ easiness. The Black Jack gang had sud­ denly been broken up, depriving the Hole-inthe-Wall outlaws of support in the South­ west. Black Jack Ketchum, trying the dar­ ing experiment of holding up Colorado and Southern trains three times at the same spot, met disaster near Folsom, N. M. Black Jack ran afoul of a plucky conductor who shot the bandit’s arm off in Itip mnrtp nf �83 April, 1930 ■MWw a duel in the dark, A posse engaged the rest of the gang in a desperate battle. Sheriff Parr, of Walsenburg, Colo., was killed but the outlaws, suffered heavily. Sam Ketchum, Black Jack’s brother, was killed, several other outlaws were captured, and the gang was no more. Realizing that the net was closing in, “Butch” Cassidy went to South America, -Longabaugli joiuiiig-Jiim in Buenos Aires., With Longabaugh was a woman known as Etta Place. So far as known she is the only woman who ever played a part in any of the activities of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang. Not having any liking for possible conflict with the police in a big city, the bandits left Buenos Aires and went to Chubut, in Southern Argentine. With the booty ac­ quired from their last holdup in the States, they bought a fertile ranch and proceeded to raise and purchase cattle, which they drove over into Chile and sold at a good profit. Unfortunately for this venture in “going straight,” so Cassidy afterward informed Mr. Seibert, a former deputy sheriff from one of the Western states had located in the same region, and had started ranching. He recognized Cassidy and Longabaugh, and no doubt with the intention of collecting the large rewards that were offered for their capture, informed the authorities. Cassidy and Longabaugh had sources of information in the United States, and they were “tipped off” by cable that detectives were on the way to Argentine. Cassidy lost no time in going to Chile, where he had in­ fluential acquaintances, and sold the Argen­ tine ranch to Chilean investors. Then he returned to Southern Argentine and took up anew a career of banditry which soon had South America aghast. At the outset, several banks were held up in Wild Western fashion. “Butch” Cassidy would get the “lay of the land,” and, when his plans were perfected, the bank would be held up and the bandits would be well on their way to some rendezvous in the wilder­ ness before effective pursuit could be organized. One of Cassidy’s cleverest strokes in elud­ ing pursuit was to organize a relay of saddle horses, stationed several mUes from the scene Afte^^caping with The Hole-in-the-Wall gang. Standing, left to right. Bill Carver and Harvey Logan, Sitting, Harry Longnbaugh, f'; known as the “Sundance Kid ”; Ben Kilpatrick, “the tall Texan,” and “Butch” Cassidy. This photograph, posed in jest, was the cause o f much trouble to the outlaws their loot, the bandits would ride at top One experience speed for the place where this relay was seems to have stationed. By the time they reached the been enough for horse relaj\ their mounts would be ex­ the so-called Dey, hausted. So woukr the hofseT of their pur­ -who arrived at suers. Leaping to the saddles on their Oruru, Bolivia, in fresh mounts, the bandits would have no May, 1906, soon after the South­ difficulty in finally shaking off pursuit. ern Argentine TN THEIR first bank holdup in Southern bank holdup. Dr. Argentine, Etta Place, the woman who Lovelace, of Tex­ had gone to South America withLongabaugh, as, and Mr. Seibert happened to be in the played an actual part. In this holdup. hotel when Dey arrived. The newcomer Cassidy and Longabaugh also had the as­ was a handsome, athletic young fellow, of sistance of an outlaw from the States, who striking personal appearance—apparently a went under the name of Dey. The Argen­ typical Western ranchman. He did not tine police and populace had organized know much Spanish, and Mr. Seibert as­ pursuit in an extraordinarily short time. sisted him in arranging for a room. In the In fact Cassidy afterward said that in all his course of conversation Dey brought out a experience he had never been so closely small handbag which seemed to be filled trailed. Apparently it was going to be im­ with pounds sterling in gold. In answer to possible for the bandits to reach the relay some jesting remark about the value of of horses before they were overtaken. Tell­ his handbag, Dey replied: “The Lord has treated me very generously ing the others to go on, Cassidy stopped his horse and dismounted. Longabaugh and lately.” The next day the stranger was not in the Dey followed instructions, while Cassidy waited until the posse came up. He winged hotel, and it was feared that he might have one man as a warning, and then shot two been robbed and killed. Inquiries were made horses. Not considering it possible that one at hotels, lodging houses and the police man would make such a determined stand station, but at noon Dey turned up with the against them, and believing that the bandits remark that he had been seeing the night life had come up with reinforcements, the posse of Oruru. Dr. Lovelace was going to La halted. Then, at another warning shot from Paz, Bolivia, by the fast Concord stage line Cassidy, the entire force turned and took which was then owned by the enterprising the back trail. Cassidy rejoined his com­ Scotchman, James K. Hutcheon, and the panions, who had come up with the horse stranger went along. He then left for Peru, relay, which had been guarded by the wo­ but was back in La Paz a few months later, man. Mounted on fresh horses, all four after which he gave it out that he was leav­ escaped. Cassidy went to Buenos Aires, ing for the States. It was not learned for a Longabaugh and the woman went to considerable time afterward that the stranger was “wanted” for a share in the Antofagasta, Chile, and Dey to Bolivia. While South America contained many Southern Argentine bank holdup. Cassidy and Longabaugh made it a prac­ soldiers of fortune, who were ready for almost any hazardous and shady job, apparently tice to secure employment, far from the Cassidy and Longabaugh found it difficult scene of their latest holdup, while they to organize as they had done in the States. looked over the field and studied the possi­ At any rate, none of their South American bilities for another robbery. They were of f '’'‘f^S^ontinued on page 60) lieutenants stayed with them very long. �The Elks Magazine 34 / E DXT < I R I A L PATRIOTISM AND WORLD PEACE Country should also recognize the great human rela'tionship and all it implies. That is the of the world” are no loriger the mere high true^ and most exalted patriotism. sounding phrases of a -tireaming poet. The / Mefi may differ sharply as to the best methods bard is nearer to becoming a prophet today than / to pursue in seeking to establish permanent he has ever been ^nce first he penned his im/ world pe^ce, which is a sine qua non of true human mortal lines; for world peace lies closer to the brotherhood; but all agree that it is something hearts of men than ever before in all history. not only fip be hoped for, but ardently striven There are more serious minded people, apd a for, with an abiding confidence. Elks will recog­ larger number of influential organizations, actively nize this truly patriotic purpose as born of the engaged upon, the promotion of that objective realization of'the great truth that is inscribed than ever before. And the nations of the world above the portal of our stately Memorial Building are now contemplating that happy condition as at in Chicago, and 'which is so strikingly portrayed last reasonably practical of attainment. in its wonderful frieze: “The triumphs of peace This is not only because the horrors and sacri­ endure; the triumbjis of war perish.” fices and dire losses of the World War have NOT A bNE MAN JOB shocked men into the realization of the pro­ TT HAS often been sajd that the “running” of a hibitive cost of modern warfare. It is largely * subordinate Lodge is k “one man job.” The idea because the different peoples of the world have suggested is that the Exalted Ruler, by virtue of come to know each other better''and to understand his office and authority, ks that one man. This each other better. They have become world is not the fact; and it i^^ quite unfair, to that minded. They no longer think exclusively in official and the whole membership alike, for such terms of selfish nationalism. They recognize a an impression to be entertained. No single mutuality of interest in all problems affecting person, in any of the offices, Van effectively con­ any nation’s welfare. duct the activities of any Lodte, however small, And this in turn is but the expression of the without the sincere cooperation\and assistance cf changed attitude of the individual. He is no his official associates and of theXlay members as longer provincial. He recognizes that his neighbor well. Every Past Exalted Ruler, can testify to is not only the acqu^ntance who lives in the same this fact ffom his own experience. \ block, nor the fellpw citizen of the same City, But it is trpe, and it is an important fact to be State or County, but every one within the range realized, that H^e Exalted Ruler is tfi'e one officer of his helpfulnes^and his influence. to whom the Lodge looks for real leadership. In Patriotism is/no less pure, no less sincere. the final analysis th^t is the peculiar qualification But it is more/mtelligent. It is more unselfish. which his election ptesupposes. And if, he fails 11 regards national obligations as no less important properly to assume that leadership and earnestly to be observed than national rights are to be and intelligently to guide and supervise the maintained./ And organizations such as ours affairs of the Lodge, there isX general break-down have played no small part in bringing this about. of the whole administrative ifiachinery; and the The spi/it of true fraternity is essentially allLodge merely drifts. It is this that is really meant embracing. The brotherhood of man means by speaking of it as a one man job. something to a real Elk. It is not merely an The newly elected Exalted Rulers should have empty Expression. And while his Americanism a very sincere pride in their elevation to the chief is as rnuch a matter of pride as ever, and his love official station. A high compliment is implied of Cofintry as much a part of his very life, yet that which is naturally gratifying. But there should pride and that love prompt the desire that his The “parliament of man” an'if the “federation t �59 April, 1930 “Well, lissen here, Tom,” he said emphati­ cally. “Just forget about that fool horse from now on, will you? You’re in all the papers as theTaxi-Hero-Foils-Gem-Bandits-Boy, see? Half the town’s waitin’ to get a look at you, an to print yer pitcher, an’ to give you anything frorn an old fireman’s hat to a brand-new cab, see? Do you get me?” Tom puzzled it for some moments, while the two regarded him with deep-seated concern. At length he smiled up at them. “Sure, L get you. But I guess—I—won’t be needing—another— cab—now.” / “Ah, go on,” scoffed Paddy heartily. Why, you’ll be patched up an’ rollin’ out of this,place inside of three weeks.” >/ “Dot’s right,” affirmed Leo earnestly. 'Ana wait, Tom, till you see what Nick’s got up^omkis cash register. A big pitcher of you, nut up, cut from a newspaper! He shores it tq everybody, too—^like you was Herr yresident,or Jack Dempsey.” J Tom Campbell grinned at the id^ and gave the reddened Kroitz paw a pat. / “I—know—I’ll be—out, boys.y But Ina through—hacking, I—guess.” “Why?” demanded Paddy, ^smay settling on his hard little Irish face. y For answer, Tom turned his head toward the slim white figure in the far c/rner. “Miss—Batten?” ■ The nurse came over. A grave, lovely girl with the brightest of copper hair and dark eyes that made the Messrs Lynch and Kroitz sigh and indulge in furtive nudges. “I’d—like—that—lettaf, please. Miss. “Again?” She smiled, ‘-‘you’re wearing it out, you know.” « From a stack of mail on the bed table, she selected a large gray sheet. They passed it to Paddy, who eyed it ^Suspiciously. “Read it— out—loud.” f Then Tom closedjhis eye's, as though to blot out from his mind &y othet detail save that of the image which the words should evoke. Paddy frowned importantly, cleared his throat, and tilted the letter sd that the lite afternoon sun­ light, dim and diffused, slanted across it: “Beechwood Hall, “Wesfchester County.'/ “Dear Mr. Campbell: J “We are hoping—my mother and I—that this word will not prove to be ope more oPthe many disappointments which -fre have met with among the Campbells during thp past fifteen years. . \ Z “To be brief, we are hoping tlfet you may prove to be the Tom Campbell who Cnanaged my father’s horses so successfully V so long, and who earned the warmest afiectidn of three small children who are now grown _np^ but who still remember you, and to whose clmdren, in turn, you have become a sort of legenchiry hero of every quality that is fine in hqtsemaifehlp. “We were disconsolate—I recall it\well when you left so abruptly after that unfortunate quarrel with my father. So much so, in\fact, that he relented and made every effort to Idpate you, both through ‘Persophls’ in the ntospapers, and through various agencies, opt without success. Since then, we have run do\^v numberless Campbells, but alvzays to no avail “It is due to the story pf your courageous and splendid action of yesterday that I am writing this. I must congratulate you, from my heart, whether you are the man we hope you are, or not. If you happen Jo be the Tom Carnpbell who so endeared himself to three small children long ago, and have dny desire to leave the city and renew the friendship of the eldest—who is now owner of the Hall—I am sure that we could make you more thhn happy in the association. If the idea appeals to you, will you not com­ municate with me? “Believe me to 'be, “Sincerely yours, “William M. Stedman, 2nd.” “Well,” said Paddy, after an impressive silence. “Well, if that ain’t the nuts I’ll eat my shirt, buttons an’ all!” “Yah,” echoed Leo Kroitz, the practical. “You better write dot feller quick, Tom, eh?” Tom Campbell’s thin unshaven face slowly wreathed itself in a grin of undiluted happiness. “Write me eye!” he said, in a faint, scornful voice. “I made the Doc wire him—soon’s I AtTipr! TH E WORLD’S GREATEST LIGHTER J FIRE INSURANCE —any way you look at it! Ronson insures a quick, sure flame when you press the lever— But snuffs out, automatically, the instant you let go! Ronson Princess Lighter, me­ dium size, chromium plated $6.50 flip, and it's lit! Release, and it's out!" \ Perfect in principle— Perfect- in workmanship— Perfectperformance! \ No wonder'ifs the largest selling quality lighter in the world! Ronsons are made io dozens of styles and sizes, for men and women. $5 up, at smart stores everywhere. 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Not too many questions were asked about a man’s past, as long as he did his work well, but if it became too generally talked about that the hardy Americanos were bandits, it was a case of moving on to another job. In this way Cassidy and Longabaugh familiarized themselves with a considerable part of South America, just as they had done in the Western United States. Longabaugh, sometime in 1906, met Roy Letson, who was in Argentina on a special mis­ sion, buying pack mules for the Bolivian Gov­ ernment Railway construction work. Letson employed Longabaugh as a muleteer in Bolivia. “The Sundance Kid” remained at his work for several months and then drifted to the Con­ cordia tin mines, where he took employment. Longabaugh was with the Concordia Mines Company only a short time when Cassidy ap­ pear^ and made application to Rolla Glass, who at that time was manager, and requested employment. At that time Mr. Glass needed a man to carry the payroll remittances and to purchase the necessary livestock for camp sustenance and transportation of material. He put Cassidy to work and found him an excellent, trustworthy employee. He was a good bargainer and always rendered a strict account of funds turned over to him. Often the remittance he carried ran into six figures, and yet the bandit, who had on many occasions risked his life to rob a bank or train of much less, never betrayed the trust reposed in him. where they were, but had no desire to attack them in their stronghold. In fact Cassidy sub­ sequently said on one occasion he met the sheriff on a very narrow trail. The sheriff, who knew Cassidy, greeted him cordially but continued on his route without attempting to make an arrest. While camped at Sacambaya the out­ laws visited the camp of some American miners near the Indian village of Capinata. All knew the identity of the visitors, and were aware that large rewards for their capture were outstanding, but no effort was made to apprehend them. During his career in South America, which exteiided over a period of more than eight years, Cassidy performed some acts which stamped him as a man of most unusual character. He once went to the Huanuni mines in Bolivia, which be­ longed to the Scotch firm of Penny & Duncan. The object of his visit was to gain information regarding the payroll remittance and ultimately to hold it up. As was customary with this Scotch firm, they received Cassidy with every attention, and invited him to cocktails and whisky and soda. Cassidy informed them that he was a prospector and had met with hard luck and would like to have work for awhile. They immediately em­ ployed him, and put him in charge of their watch­ men. Cassidy eventually left, and the holdup was never attempted. On being asked later why he had not gone through with his plan to hold up the camp Cassidy replied that he did not have the heart to rob anyone who had treated him so well. Other outlaws were operating in Bolivia, and UVENTUALLY it became known that Cassidy Cassidy heard, in the latter part of 1907, that and Longabaugh were the outlaws who were a plot was afoot to kidnap Mr. Penny and hold doing so much toward upsetting the cordial re­ him for ransom. Cassidy immediately ap­ lations between various South American coun­ proached a friend of Mr. Penny and gave him tries and the United States. This knowledge warning. Then he even went so far as to look came about through a little indiscretion on the up a trustworthy guard for Mr. Penny. The part of Longabaugh. One night, when drunk selection was Fred Sanford, an American cow­ in the Bolivian town of Uyuni, Longabaugh boy who had taken mules to South Africa and dropped some boastful remarks to another who had joined the British Army during the American about the holdups that he and Cassidy Boer War. When the would-be kidnappers had staged in Argi^ina----- ---------------------------learned that Sanford had fortified'Mr. Penny’s Cassidy, not desiring to bring ill-repute to the house ’ ’ charge of his guarclj-nf^' '— and’ was in Concordia outfit, settled his and Longabaugh’s abandoned their scheme. accounts with the company stores, and both On one occasion Cassidy learned that an Amer­ withdrew. A short time after they had left the ican was planning to assassinate the manager of Concordia Mine, Cassidy and Longabaugh held the Concordia mines. He immediately mounted up what they thought was the remittance coach hi.s mule and rode two nights and one day to give of the San Domingo Mine, in Peru. The com­ the manager warning. pany had taken the precaution of sending a In conversation with Mr. Seibert, “Butch” dummy coach ahead of the remittance coach, Cassidy explained why he did not abandon the and the bandits “lost out” in a holdup which life of banditry which he had taken up. would have gained them many thousands in gold “It can’t be done,” said “Butch.” “There’s if they had been successful. no use trying to hide out and go straight. Returning to Bolivia, Cassidy and Longa­ There’s always an informer around to bring the baugh held up the Bolivia Railway pay train law on you. After you’ve started, you have to at the station of Eucalyptus. In this holdup keep going, that’s all. The safest way is to keep they were aided by another American who went moving all the time and spring a holdup in some under the name of MacVey. When they held new place. In that way you keep the other up the train there was a regiment of Bolivian fellows guessing.” cavalry close at hand, but the Colonel command­ All over the pampas of Bolivia, Cassidy seemed ing would not allow his troops to pursue the to have the friendship of the Indians and half­ bandits. It is said he knew Cassidy and had breeds. As soon as he arrived at an Indian vil­ taken a liking to him. lage he would be playing with the small children, In the Eucalyptus holdup, after the engineer and he usually had candies or other sweets in had been compelled to detach the express car his pockets to give them. Because of this friend­ and run it a considerable distance ahead of the liness the natives looked upon him as a sort of rest of the train, the cashier was compelled to Robin Hood, and, when he was hard pressed by open the safe and transfer the contents to a sack the authorities, Cassidy could always find a held by the bandits. Deposited in the safe were “hideout” among the native population. a considerable number of packages and envelopes “When Cassidy worked for me at the Con­ marked with the names of different individuals. cordia mines, where I was manager in 1908,” The bandits asked what these packages con­ said Mr. Seibert, “on coming into the sitting­ tained. On being told that they consisted of room he would invariably take a seat on a small watches, money, jewelry and other personal sofa which was placed between two windows. effects of different company employees engaged This seat gave him a survey of three doors and in construction work, the packages were returned one window. He always seemed to be cool and to the safe. It is said this is one of the reasons calculating, and protected his back very well. why employees of the company did not take part Although he always went armed with a frontier in pursuing the bandits, after the holdup. One model forty-four Colt, this weapon was usually .'\merican and an Italian did pursue them for stuck in his trouser belt in such a way as to be several days, but at a considerable distance. inconspicuous. I never saw him under the in­ After they got into the rough topography of the fluence of whisky except once, and then he Andes, within one or two days’ ride of the seemed to be very much ashamed of himself bandits’ stronghold, the pursuit was abandoned. because he could not walk straight. Cassidy and Longabaugh, after the Eucalyptus “When our camp was visited by two embryo holdup, proceeded to the eastern slope of the American bandits on horseback, horses being Andes and the headwaters of one of the branches very rare in the high altitudes of Bolivia, Cas­ of the Amazon. Here, at the old, abandoned sidy promptly approached them and told them Jesuit mission of Sacambaya, they awaited de­ to get out of camp. He informed them that he velopments. It is said the authorities knew did not want them or any other would-be bandits �'*^The Elks Ma^ Antlers 'row page 44) trict Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Er, Navin, of New York, Southeast; Wi Phillips, President of the New York St Association; and Philip Clancy, Secretar Association, were among the distil members of the Order present as guests. Savannah, Ga., Elks Greet Disti Deputy in New Lodge Room The new Lodge room of Savannah, Ga No. 183, was the scene of the welcome * recently to District Deputy Grand Ruler Charles E. Traynor, of Georgia, upon the occasion of his official visitatic The Lodge orchestra, organized only time ago, provided music for the ev earned applause from the unusually lar^ her of members of the Order present. Veterans of Ottawa, 111., Lodge Meet District Deputy District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Zwanzig, of Illinois, East Central, was thi guest recently of Ottawa, Ill., Lodge, ? his home Lodge, on Past Exalted Rulers There were seventeen Past Exalted R the special dinner which was held bef business session. Judge Edgar Eldrid senior living Past Exalted Ruler, wa; master. District Deputy Zwanzig atten initiation ceremonies which took place a banquet. Distinguished Visitors at Session Of New York, N. Y., Lodge, At a recent session held by New York, Lodge, No. I, a number of distinguished v was present. They included Past Grand E Ruler Murray Flulbert; Frank ij. McA Grand Esteemed Loyal Knight; Rev. Dr Gran^Chaplain£AVilliam T. Bf_ 'mmnDero^^WBRHmTlie Order Com of the Grand Lodge; Robert S. Barrett, man, and D. Curtis Gano, member of the Association Committee of the Grand Lodg District Deputy Navin Visits Broc And Freeport, N. Y., Lodges District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler I E. Navin, New York, Southeast, paid > visits recently to Freeport, N. Y., Lodg 1253, and Brooklyn Lodge, No. 22. At port Lodge the District Deputy was & into the Lodge room by twelve of it Exalted Rulers and was introduced members present by his predecessor, Pj trict Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler Peter Beck. On his official visit to Brooklyn District Deputy Navin was greeted h Past Exalted Rulers of Brooklyn Lor other Lodges throughout the District, his staff were entertained at a dinner belt the regular meeting. Roy R. White, Secretary of Evar Ina., Lodge, Dies Roy R. White, for fifteen years Seer Evansville, Ind., Lodge, No. ii6, and years Tiler of the Indiana State Elks j tion, died recently of pneumonia. Fune vices, held at his brother’s home, were coi by the members of Evansville Lodge. Exalted Rulers ot the Lodge were honora_ bearers. Mr. White became a member Order in July, 1906, and, while he wa. tary of the Lodge, gained a nation-wide tion for his courteous treatment of visitin He was the perpetual Chairman of the < baseball-day program. Mr. White is s by his widow and a brother. I I District Deputy Whitlock Visits Asheville, N. G., Lodge .\sheville, N. C., Lodge, No. 1401, 1 ■ received an official call from District , Grand Exalted Ruler Paul W. Whitli ^^Korth Carolina, West. District I 6/ April, 1930 to cause people to get the impression that our camp was a rendezvous for outlaws. These un­ welcome visitors informed Cassidy that they realized they had not done right in coming into camp mounted on horses, but, as they had to have food, there was no alternative for them. I afterwards learned that Cassidy gave them one hundred dollars, with a warning never to appear in camp again. “One night at the Concordia mines, my pre­ decessor, Mr. Glass, and I had on the office table several hundred pounds sterling in gold, which we were counting out to pay our gold payroll men, when Cassidy came in. He jokingly re­ marked that it was the easiest money he had ever seen, but we continued our work and he finally asked us if we would give him the gold in exchange for paper currency. We told him we would gladly accommodate him, but we would have to fulfill our obligation to certain of our men and pay them in actual gold. Cassidy then volunteered to see these men and get their con­ sent to the exchange. This he did within an hour or two, and when he came back we made the exchange, much as w'e disliked being parties to such a transaction.” While Cassidy and Longabaugh worked at the Concordia mines, Mr. Seibert had a chance to study both bandits. I.ongabaugh was inclined to be distant, even sullen, and it was difficult to strike up a friendship with him. On the con­ trary, Cassidy was an exceptionally pleasant and even cultured and charming man. He used good language and was never vulgar. Women who met him, without knowing anything of his history, invariably liked him. Cassidy talked freely to Mr. Seibert about his career in the States. Harvey Logan, he said, was the bravest, coolest and most able man he had ever known. Cassidy said that he had used every effort to induce Logan to quit the United States and join him in South America. Cassidy pointed out to Logan that the officers of the law in the States were becoming so familiar with their practices that it was certain to be a matter of only a short time before all the members of the gang were killed or captured. '^EX'r tU Harvey Logan, Cassidy said, the bravest and coolest man he ever met was an express messenger on a train winch the gang had held up in Wyoming, near Rawlins. Longabaugh was watching the passengers, while Cassidy was seeing to robbing the express car. Cassidy said he called many times to the messenger, to induce him to come out, but he refused. Then Cassidy, after giving him due warning, threw in sticks of dynamite, one after another, until the car was almost blown to pieces. Finally the messenger appeared at the door and Cassidy warned him to come out unarmed. The mes­ senger replied that he had no revolver, but Cas­ sidy said: “Any man who can stand as much dynamite as you have, has got nerve enough to shoot.” This shrewd surmise proved to be correct, for when Cassidy searched the messenger a sixshooter was found on him. When the gun was taken from him the messenger expected that the threat would be carried out and he would be shot, but he never flinched. Cassidy said that when he looked the messenger in the face he came to the conclusion that anyone of such loyalty and courage was too good a man to be killed. In Bolivia, Cassidy was known as James Maxwell, Santiago Maxwell, and Lowe. On one occasion when he and Longabaugh, accompanied by another American, made a trip to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, they went to the sheriff’s office to request lodging. To their amusement, here they found posters offering large rewards for Cassidy and Longabaugh. Cassidy jokingly told the sheriff that he would keep his eyes open for those men, and it he got in touch with them he would communicate with the official and di­ vide the rewards. The American who had ac­ companied the bandits said that the descrip­ tions on the posters were good, but at the time Cassidy was wearing a rather heavy beard which was a good disguise, and Longabaugh had be­ come much stouter. It was apparent that the sheriff did not even suspect the identity of his guests. In the meantime, while “Butch” Cassidy and “the Sundance Kid” were terrorizing South America, Cassidy’s prophecy to Harvey Logan {Contimied on page 62) Know the difference Shave ELECTRICA VIBRC ELECTR brings 5" and Pos TO E\ Here’s a real shaving ord^^" Electric Razor sk, ingly vibrates. Nt You merelyguidi toughest beard, sensitive skin err silk-like surface. More than thi sages asrts/iav^ muscles and ner tissues. Since it you never expei red spots or p(( long-life, mirror real economy! If your deale us send direct. C each razor. Use it today! ELECTRIC RAZOR SALES CORPORATK 160 North La Salle Street Eastern Office Graybar Building New York City JOBBER ND CHICAGO, ILL. DEALER INQUIRIF Electric Razor Sale 160 N. La Salle St., I eti«'.—-$ postpaid aVibr blades, cord a guarantee. Foi Complete with all attachments ($6.50 in Canada). $7.50 Gold Plated, in pouch ($10.00 in Canada). Extra packet of 10 twoedged blades—Rnest Swedish steel, $1.00. If Yo ur Dealer Cannot S' Name---------------------- Address----------------- City------------------------- �April, 1930 The Elks Magazine Butch Cassidy” (Continued from page 61) about the fate in store for the Hole-in-the-Wall gang was being worked out to the letter. The unsigned bank notes which had been taken in the Great Northern train robbery were bringing trouble in their wake. Camilla Hanks tried to pass some of the notes at Nashville, Tenn., without even signing them. He fought his way through a cordon of police, and escaped, only to be killed at San Antonio by a sheriff’s posse. Ben Kilpatrick, “the tall Texan,” laughing, handsome, debonair, whose boast it was that he would never be taken alive was captured at San Antonio, due to these unsigned bank notes. Kilpatrick escaped, and, with an unknown pal, held up a Southern Pacific train. A nervy ex­ press messenger caught Kilpatrick momentarily off his guard, while the bandit was trying to make him open the safe. Seizing a heavy ice pick, the messenger brought it down on Kil­ patrick’s skull, killing him instantly. Then the express messenger finished the job by shooting the other bandit when he came to see what was causing Kilpatrick’s delay. Bill Carver, one of the most reckless spirits of the Wild Bunch, was killed by a sheriff at Sonora, Texas, while resisting arrest on a charge of murder; Bill McGinnis, who had operated with both branches of the Train Robbers’ Syndi­ cate, was captured in the final battle with Black Jack’s forces, and went to the New Mexico penitentiary; Dave Atkins fled to South Africa, and Bill Cruzan, who had taken part in the Tip ton robbery, also disappeared. Some said he w'as killed by Harvey Logan on suspicion of being “yellow.” Even “Flat Nosed George,” the Fagin of this Western school of crime, who could not keep his tumultuous “boys” within the reasonable bounds of cattle rustling, was killed near Thompson, Utah, while resisting arrest. Another error, besides the circulation of the troublesome unsigned currency, arose to plague the- members of the gang who were still holding forth in this country. Flushed with success, after the Winnemucca bank holdup, the mem­ bers of the Wild Bunch had met at Fort Worth, Texas. In the course of a friendly scuffle, in which all joined, the battered felt hats which they wore were destroyed. Seeing some derby hats in a window, it was agreed that all should purchase this form of headgear and then have a group photograph taken in the “iron hats.” This picture, the result of a jest, fell into the hands of the authorities, and was widely circu­ lated on two continents. It had much to do with establishing the identity of the bandits, as they were hunted down, one by one. It’s different Jy comfortthat it has ent to the know that foundation ith each directly in 11 weight of of the foot o cramped leg muscles : the end of such comt the same moderately occasions. llustrations t types of iso true of Write 7kton, Mass. 'Cities. Street. (EMB) failed. Then the other train robbers tried to help him on one of their mounts. “ It’s no use, boys—Tm done. Go on without me, ” the wounded robber was heard to say. As his companions left at a gallop, the bandit sank behind a rock and opened fire on the sheriff’s posse. It was just a bluff to save his pals, but it worked. The posse worked forward slowly, keeping up a heavy fire. There came the sound of a single revolver shot from behind the rock, and then silence. Advancing cautiously, the sheriff found the train robber dead behind the rock. He had shot himself when he saw that the game was up. Sheriffs and detectives all over the country breathed easier when it was learned later that the so-called Tap Duncan was really Harvey Logan. Logan was killed June 7, 1904. At that time “Butch” Cassidy and “the Sundance Kid” were at the height of their career in South America. To this day no one knows the extent of the loot they secured from remittance hold­ ups and the robbery of banks and trains, nor how much of this unlawful gain they had “cached” in their various hiding places along the Andes and on the pampas. That these proceeds were large, there is no doubt. The very ease with which they were winning betrayed Cassidy and Longabaugh into a final act of carelessness—one of those minor slips which have spelled finis for many outlaws. The payroll remittance of the Aramayo mines, near Quechisla, in Southern Bolivia, was held up early in 1909. A few weeks after this holdup two heavily armed Americanos, on jaded mules, rode into the patio of the police station at the Indian village of San Vicente, Bolivia, and demanded something to eat. It was not an unusual demand, for the police station was also an inn, and there was no place else in the village where wayfarers could find food and shelter. After making it known that they intended to pass the night at the station, the strangers stripped their saddles, blankets and rifles from their mules. They piled their equipment in a room at one side of the little courtyard which was soon to become a shambles. Then they sat at a table in a room across the patio and called for a speedy serving of food and liquor. One of the men was “Butch” Cassidy, and the other was Harry Longabaugh. After the Aramayo mines remittance holdup, the bandits had proceeded to Tupiza, where they took employment with a transportation outfit. Learning that they had been identified as the perpetrators of the Aramayo holdup, they hurriedly departed for Uyuni, Bolivia. The constable in charge of the station at ,T'HE chief efforts of the authorities were centered on the capture of Harvey Logan, the tiger San Vicente happened to catch sight of one of of the Hole-in-the-Wall gang. Posters, offering the strangers’ mules, then rolling in the dust heavy rewards for him, dead or alive, stared at of the courtyard to relieve his saddle-galled Logan from every town and hamlet in the West. back. He recognized the animal as having He turned South, and narrowly' escaped capture belonged to a friend of his—a muleteer who was at Nashville, Tenn. The unsigned currency helping transport the Aramayo mines’ remit­ again! It was like a signpost, calling attention tance when the holdup took place. to his whereabouts. Still, when a man needed How did these Americanos across the court­ money, he had to take a desperate chance. Logan yard come into possession of that mule? They passed out some more bills in a Knoxville saloon. were rough looking fellows, with stubbly beards Police soon stood at the front door and back. Lo­ and battered clothes. Maybe they had some­ gan shot and dangerously wounded two policemen thing to do with the holdup. If they were and a bartender and escaped by jumping thirty bandits, they were careless, as their rifles were feet into a railroad cut. Two days later he was leaning against the adobe wall in the room caught, owing to injuries he received in making which held their saddles. It would be easy to the leap. He w’as given ten sentences, aggregat­ capture these hungry gentry and inquire into ing 130 years. While awaiting removal to the matters. There was a company of Bolivian penitentiary', Logan caught the warden of the cavalry just outside of town. The constable Knox County jail in a noose made of broom wire. would send an Indian messenger to the captain. Drawing the jailer to his cell, Logan took the Then the Americanos would have to explain keys from his pocket and escaped. how they came into possession of that mule. After that it was back to the West, with the On receipt of the message, the Bolivian intention, of taking up the old trade of train captain brought up his command and quietly robbery. But Cassidys and Longabaughs were surrounded the station. Then the captain not to be found everywhere. The old-time himself walked into the room where Cassidy finesse was lacking in the first holdup, on the and Longabaugh were eating and drinking. Denver & Rio Grande, at Parachute, Colorado. “Surrender, senors,” came the demand from The traii^ywas held up by three robbers, who had the brave captain. been loitering in the vicinity for some time. The outlaws leaped to their feet. Longabaugh One of them gave the name of Tap Duncan. was drunk, but Cassidy, always a canny drinker, After the holdup a posse was quickly on the was in complete command of his senses. trail so quickly that the robbers soon founc?“ The captain had drawn his revolver when he themselves at bay in a mountain gulch. ' ^tered the room. Before he could fire, Casbandit who called himself Te dy had shot from the hip. The caj wounded. He tried to get "jj s><ad and Cassidy and Longabaugh themselves where they could command a view of the patio. A sergeant and a picked body of cavalrymen rushed through the gate, calling upon the out­ laws to surrender. Kevolvers blazed from door ;and window, and men began to stagger and fall in the courtyard. The first to die was the ser­ !geant who had sought to rescue his captain. Cassidy and Longabaugh were firing rapidly, ‘ and with deadly effect. Those of the detach­ ' ment who remained on their feet were firing in 'return. Bullets sank into the thick adobe walls 'or whistled through the window and door. Other soldiers began firing, from behind the ' shelter of the courtyard wall. “Keep me covered, Butch,” called Longa­ baugh. “TH get our rifles.” Shooting as he went, Longabaugh lurched into the courtyard. If he could only reach the rifles and ammunition which they had so thought­ lessly laid aside, the fight would be something which the outlaws would welcome. 1 J | I ! j I ' ■pLOOD was settling in little pools about the courtyard. The sergeant and most of hi: file of soldiers were stretched out, dead. A few wounded were trying to crawl to safety. The mules had broken their halters and galloped out of the yard, among them the animal which had been the indirect cause of the battle. Soldiers were firing through the open gate and from all other vantage points outside the wall. Longabaugh got halfway across the courtyard and fell, desperately wounded, but not before he had effectively emptied his sixshooter. When Cassidy saw his partner fall, he rushed into the courtyard. Bullets rained about him as he ran to Longabaugh’s side. Some of the shots found their mark, but Cassidy, though wounded, managed to pick up Ix)ngabaugh and stagger back to the house with his heavy burden. Cassidy saw that Longabaugh was mortally wounded. Furthermore it was going to be im­ possible to carry on the battle much longer unless the rifles and ammunition could be reached. Cassidy made several attempts to cross the courtyard. At each atKTi-qic be WiS" wouudeu and driven back. The battle now settled into a siege. Night came on, and men fired at the red flashes from weapons. There were spaces of increasing length between Cassidy’s shots. He had only a few cartridges left. Longabaugh’s cartridge belt was empty. So was the dead BoUvian captain’s. The soldiers, about 9 or 10 o’clock in the evening, heard two shots fired in the bulletriddled station. Then no more shots came. Perhaps it was a ruse to lure them into the patio within range of those deadly revolvers. The soldiers kept on firing all through the night and during the next morning. About noon an officer and a detachment of soldiers rushed through the patio and into the station. They found Longabaugh and Cassidy dead. Cassidy had fired a bullet into Longa­ baugh’s head, and had used his last cartridge to kill himself. In the pack saddles of the bandits was found intact the money that had been taken in the Aramayo mines’ remittance holdup, besides a large sum in pounds sterling, gold, which had been taken in the holdup of the Bolivian Rail­ way. Also in the equipment of the bandits was found a considerable quantity of antiseptic drugs, field glasses, and a beautiful Tiffany watch which Cassidy was known to have bought in New York when en route for Buenos Aires. “Butch” Cassidy had survived the longest of all the restless young cowboys who had fore­ gathered at “Flat Nose George’s” ranch and voted cattle stealing “too slow.” But, whether retribution came early or late, the bandit trail had brought disaster to all the youths who had chosen to follow it. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-A Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1926 1930 1940 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers Description An account of the resource Among several items, this letterbox contains information on grain futures with a view from the Chicago Board of Trade, a handwritten account of early Natrona County Pioneers, an article by Don Russell on Buffalo Bill, and an article by Arthur Chapman titled "Butch" Cassidy. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Subject The topic of the resource Buffalo Bill, 1846-1917 Casper (Wyo.) -- History Cassidy, Butch Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Relation A related resource American Legion Monthly (October, 1926) American Legion Monthly (October, 1926) The Elks Magazine (April, 1930) https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/633c9046bcc72c9d86d2e69ac3441749.pdf 45d74892b970746839bc3289b95b84f1 PDF Text Text Sunday was named for the sun, that gives light and heat to all and makes life possible on the earth. Monday is the day of the moon, queen of the night, as the sun is king of the day, Tuesday was named for Tiw, the younger brother of Thor, chief war god of the Norsemen. Wednesday was the day of Woden, supreme among the Anglo-Saxon divinities. Thursday takes its name from Thor, the thunderer, corresponding to Jupiter of the Romans, who hurled the lightning bolt and ruled over the sky. Friday was Friga’s day, Friga, or Freva, being the gentle goddess of love among the Norsemen. It became unlucky after the crucifixion of Jesus. Saturday v/as named in honor of Saturn, one of the old Roman gods, who presided over seed-sowing, and was supposed to provide mankind with plenty of food to eat and water to drink. Thus are the English names accounted for. But let us used by people who speak other languages: now examine a few of the names Sunday in Spanish is domingo,and in Italian domenica, both meaning Lord's Day. Monday in French is lundi, de­ rived from the Latin word for the moon. Tuesday in French is mardi, from Itoirs, referring back to Tiw, who was one of the war gods. Wednesday in French is mercredi, named for Mercury, the god of news. It was said that Woden knew-everything that happened; so this is simply a change from Norse to Roman. Thursday in French is jeudi, named for Jupiter, who corresponded to Thor. Friday in French is vendredi, named for Venus, the Roman goddess of love, corresponding to Friga among the Norsemen. Saturday in Italian is 3abate, corresponding to the Hebrew sabbath, or day of rest. �13. 1.939 's Freshmen Class In Powell High School ❖ Tribune Publishes One Of Very Rare Pictures Of Earl Durand He Received His Schooling At Powell, Where He Was A Bright Student. Earl Durand, of whom much has been said and written of late in every state in the country, is here shown with his schoolmates as 15year-old freshmen. This picture was taken in 1928— 11 years ago—to be used in the pub­ lication of a high school annual. Durand is found in the rear of the picture—the tallest boy with the bushy hair, standing with a group of other boys in the back row on the left hand side. The boy direct­ ly under the asterisk is the 15-yearold Durand, then a bright student in his class. That spring his name was found on the honor roll. Earl Durand quit school durinsr this first year in high school, and thus had little opportunity of par­ ticipating in any extra-curricular I activities, such as athletics. I This class to which Earl Durand belonged was the high school grad­ uating class of 1931. �MATEO TE^EE> CR- DEVIL’S TOWER Indian legend Says It Grew to the Heavens and Transfij'le’d Seven Indian Maidens as the Paleisades * 'it The Devils Tcwer, an extraordinary mass of igneous rock, is one of the most conspicuous features in the Bear Lodge section of the Black Hills region of Wyoming. The tower rises 600 fett above a rounded ridge of sedimentary rocks, which itself rises 600 feet above the Belle Fourche ^ver. Its sides V' V "X are fluted by great columns which stand nearly perpendicular except near the top, where they round in, and near the base, where they flare out. The base emerges into a talus of broken columns lying on a platform of buff sandstone. The whole presents a never-to-be-forgotten spectacle. y The great columns composing the tower are mostly pentagonal in shape but some are four or six sided. Each column is about^5feet in diameter, and the whole bunched together like a bundle of matches. In places severatl columns unite in their upper portion to form a large fluted column. In the lower quarter or third of the tower the columns bend outward and merge rapidly into massive rock which toward the base shows little trace of columnar structure. This structure is due to jointing that develops in igneous ro.cks as they cool. The diameter at the base of the tower is about 1,700 feet. 3toewas useful to the aborigines as a landmark from which to direct their courses across the plains. The Indian legend of its origin has it that one day three Sioux maidens while out gathering wild flowers were beset by three bears. The maidens took refuge upon a large rock, which the bears were | also able to climb because they had long sharp claws. The gods, seeing the < maidens about to be devoured, caused the rock to grow up out of the ground. As Jthe rock grew the maidens climbed, but the bears fl^ilowed. At last, becoming ft exhausted, the bears could climb no farther and fell to their death on the J rocks below. The maidens then took the flowers they had gathered end made J L-i" « into a a rope rope with with which which they they safe safely lowered themselves to the ground below. 9 I ZX y*^them into i: ■■'L—'■""'■''■(fx The columnar structure is supposed toI have been caused by the marks of the * bears* claws. The Indians also say that during thunderstorms the''Thunder God^ , beat his mighty drum on the top of the tower, thus cassing thunder. legend would have us believe that seven Indian maidens wer^ ln~tne party when the bears tried to catch them, but after the maidens had climbed to the top of the rocT^ it grew so tall that it reached the heavens, where the maidens were transfigured forever as Paleiades, or the "Seven Sisters," which are in the neck of the constellation Taurus. The Indian name for the tower is Mateo Tepee, or Meto-ti meaning bear, or_be_i^r lodge."* Tue loneersor civllrrati on later oil fised tH© towel*' as a~landtnark in their exploration of the ^jreat Northwest. Still later the military leaders in the Sioux and Crow Indian’country during the Indian^ wars of the last century directed their marches by the aid of this ever-present tower, for it is visible in some directions for nearly a hundred miles < The area including ths tower, 1,152.91 acres in extent, was made a national monument by presidential proclamation dated September 24, 1906.x ^The is reached by a side trip of(^7jmiles from the Custer Battlefield ;Si^way and Black and Yellow Trail, two signed highways, which follow practically the same route thro^h northeastern Wyoming. The former is a direct route to Glacier National^rk, the /fatter to Yellowstone National ,/^ark. Moorcroft, ^S^miles dlstsmt, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy^yjfeil— road, is the nearest railroad point. The nearest settlement is Carlile. aod- pnr©^ ^ri^jg water "are provided-at ’ the monument for the tourist t-'Access to the tower at all times has been made possible through the construction by the National Park Service of a bridge across the Belle Fourche �TkM hiatorioal baokground of the DotII’b Tower datoe back ae ftur ae 1742, wlwB thp Freoflb treppere roaraed the plains aod used thia natural eurloalty aa a laadaafk* fhr on a elear day It could ho ao«o fmr nearly 100 ralles in mny dlrootleni. Later It guided the early pleaeere and the nllltary expeditions. Oeeoral Seott deaorlbea It <|aite fully in his records. Buffihlo« bear and deer abounded in thoae days and would weather th© storms of winter In the lee of this nighty rook* y W There is -very little known of the Indian life of the iatiedlate vlelnli^* though the Sioux and Crow| hunted and camped near the tower at tiasa. Traces of eld.eaaya er rillagea hare been found along the Belle Fourche river and Its tribtttarlea, and evoa today eld relics are ^ekad To the Indian it was a place of deep ryst«py snd'^big aedlolne. Rustors still persist of hidden oaves beaeath tiie tuhser idiere anMent ecuneils net. Several legendSy,Iinvo be«n handed de«« frott s»o gsneratlcsi to another.'^' On July 4» 1898, ■.■.ea ot ledgers made the first asoent, aftw more than a nifrh the-alil uf anltt li j ffo built a leddrr^y between the oolunns on the south sido of the tomn*. heavy wooden pegs were carried up the rooky slt^ to the alacat perpandioular wll, iriiere they were driven in a craok mdiioh extended about SOO feet up the fhoe. Fren there on up the elirh was uade over a oj^ushled and broksn eomer. Oa the day a^paftsted. Rodgers proved to the thousanda aseoabled that thC/^ower oould le sealed^ and planted ’’Old Glory* on the tdfihest point to nark the aohiev^en^ FiOka-etitl ta>ke prl«ia «> ©oat hhaw thmr wteioMaad jIA- rti*. years lat«r Mrs. Rodgers snde the ascent wlt}> out incidentjOnd fron ^tsn on the climb was nads kyt=dhfaeijOTnii m rwrty*^ others T-fe is to aay ham 11014 to uij xsoord was all found that the ascent waa aawb eaaier than the descent, cn top they were surprised to find cactus, cedar, sagebrush and graaaea growing. �It would seem that the orip-jnal name of this extraordinary early-day landmark suffered a change in its name by modern "historians," somewhat similar to other land­ marks arei historical events in Wyoming have been changed to please the fahcy of the more esthetic and modern writers. <From Princeton, New Jersey, on May 10, 1920, Major General H. L. Scott, retired, wrote to the president of the Historical Society of Wyoming, as follows: "l j^ave just run across some notes I made among the Kiowa, or Comanche, Indians of Oklahoma inany years ago, which may^of interest to the people of Wyoming.Mn relating the myths and traditions of his people I See-o-Plenty Camp Fireplaces told me one which undoubtedly relates to the Bear Lodge Rock near Sundance, Wyoming, which 1 inclose herewith. The Kiowa and the Kiowa- Apache certainly occupied the Black Hills country before the Cheyenne or Dakota. In a let­ ter from Illinois in 1862, LaSalle tells of their being south of the Pawnee—they made peace with the Cheyenne, or Arapahoe in 1840—so it must be a long while since the Kiowa lived in the Black Hills. Mallory, on the strength of Long Dog's winter circuit, states the Dakota did not discover the Black Hills until the time of our revolution (1776) but they saw the Black Hills long before that, for we read in Margry that LaVerendrye met Geris de la Pleche Collee o-Sioux des Prairies within sight of the Black Hills in 1743. The Kio’iva say they never knew the Dakota until they came down to the Arkansas in quite modern times, so the myth of the seven star girls has quite^respectable antiquity. '"''I used to hunt in the Bear Lodge or Upper Belle Fourche and have killed deer and antelope about that rock I felt outraged that Colonel Dodge should so violate prece­ dent or explorers’ ethics as to change the name in 1876 to Devil's Tower, a name with­ out taste, meaning, or historical precedent—which received its vogue because there were no white people in the countrjr when Warren and Kaynolds made their reports but were com­ ing when Dodge wrote his work, which was much"'eught after by the newcomers. I had the name Bear Lodge put back on the maps of the Department of Dakota with headquarters in Saint Paul in those days, and I am now writing to ask you to inform the people of Wyoming of the beautiful Kiowa legend about one of the most remarkable rocks in America and in the hope that good taste and historical precedent will appeal to the people of Wyoming to give its most remarkable rock its own aboriginal name,". L �In 1897, I See-o-Plenty Fireplaces, the Kiowa chief, said the Dakota Indians called this old landmark Meto-ti, meaning Grizzly Bear's Lodge. He said there used to be an uni-­ usual number of bears in that country. Captain W. F. Reynolds, in his report of explora­ tion of 1859-60, mentions it as follows; "Far in the distance up the valley of the Chey­ enne the eye noted the singular peak of Bear Lodge rising like an enormous tower.Cap­ tain G. K. Warren, afterwards General Warren, of Five Forks, Virginia, first recorded its name on the map of his exploration in 1855, from which, with that of Reynolds, the basic of the Eleventh infantry map of this section is made up.’it remained for Colonel Dodge/to change the name, without General Warren. warran"^ Ahe Belle Fourche river runs at its base, which is called the Bear Lodge river by the Dakota Indiansj to its junction^with the Mini-sha-sha, or ^ed Water, considered the main stream, and carries the name Red Water to its junction with the Cheyenne. We have taken the name from some French trapper. The Upper Belle Fourche sh^d be called the Bear Lodge, to the mouth of the Red Water. The Bear Lodge Rook can he. seen from a distance only up and down the trough of the Belle Fourche valley, because it is masked in the other two directions by the Bear Lodge mountains and the Little Missouri Buttes, all higher. I have seen it ninety miles away, looking up the trough of the Belle Fourche valley from the Shortpine Hills down the Little Missouri river below Saneville." During the first part of %tober, 1941, Devil's Tower came into greater promi­ nence when a young man named George Hopkins dropped onto the monument with a.parachute from an airplane. He was comp^elled to remain on the tower i f a'jid ftle nights before he could be rescued by two Alpinists J0Birwho came from the east. They ascended the rock after five hours of hard climbing. After resting for an hou^^-^ required nearly four hours for the three men to descend AsMMBBBSaik to the li of the tower. Tourist travel to the Devil's Tour National monument, exclusive of the nearly 7,000 sky-gazing spectators who watched the seveh-day rescue of Daredevil Hopkins in i-r, reached an all-time high in 1941. Newell Joyner, the monument custodian, re­ vealed that 32,960 persons paid the 50-cent’^-&sit to visit the geological wonder. Ad­ ding to the 7,000 Hopkins spectators to the number of paid visitors brings the total to nearly 40,000. Collection of,the 50-cent fee for entrance to the monument area was discontinued for theAyear on October 1, 1941, the day Hopkins bailed out of a J^apid City airplane and parachuted to the table-like top of the tower. He was rescued in the evening of October 7. Also not included in the official figures of the visitors to the tower vrere approximately 2,700 persons admitted without charge for the annual Accuracy, of Factual Material. must be u uestioned. The authentto-rty of fac iThenever an>edltor doubts al material in the Guide accuXacy of a statement � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-B Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tribune Herald Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1939 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource Letterbox 1-B contains a short essay titled "The Days of the Week," a Tribune-Herald article titled "Earl Durand's Freshman Class in Powell High School," and a manuscript copy of an essay titled "Fable of Mateo Tepee, or the Devil's Tower." Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/13491f942de6160eb9832f6de4e43088.pdf 5e4d9e44becc983ccdafc98e522cc48d PDF Text Text Good Fortune Does Hot Always Mean Success The generally accepted definition for success is good fortune, prosperity,^^8omething that makes a popular hit. The word is usually associated with raonitary values. If a pro­ fessional man receives a large income for his services he is considered a success. WhetWher a business man is a success or not depends upon his annual balance sheet. In other words the popular mind thinks of success in terms of economic and social values. Those whose names are registered in "Who’s Who" are regarded as a success because a reputation merited them a place in that volume. We all know, however, that it is quite possible to acquire a reputation without achieveing not reflect this popular success. Perhaps there is another idea of success which does notion. Every man who is capable of doing something is a success if he expresses to the best of his ability the talent which he possesses. The world's greatest Teacher illustrated this in the form of a parable. Talents were distributed for investment purposes and later a reckoning was demanded. The one who received many talents received the same reward as did the one of lesser number; but the one who refused to use the one talent he had was condemned. True success always reflects moral rather than material vdlues. Honesty, integrity and thoroughness as well as loyalty are among the traits of char­ acter upon which real success depends. Shakespeare said: "Didst thou never hear thgi^s^sS^s ill got had ever bad success?" -In many small communities a physician^is faithful in his daily practice and enjoys the confidence of his patients^, That man may be a greater success than his colleague who is located in a large city with a much larger practice.'^Just so with the banker, lawyer, and all other professional people. The business man in a small community may be more of a success than the head of a large industry in a big city. "Genius is an inIt must be toiled for. spiration, but a perspiration," said Thomas A. Edison. So with success./it is not an inci­ dent of mere chance. Not so much a matter of opportunity as of perseverance. We cannot com­ mand success but we can deserve it by doing to the best of our ability the thing for which we are best adapted. In these days of artificial values we need to redefine success. ,1 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-C Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains a short essay titled "Good Fortune Does Not Always Mean Success." Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/c91403fe7aa715be76590a357fc535a9.pdf 301bd4db5cecc78987ff19639c6e2f2c PDF Text Text The geology of Northwestern looming is exceedingly interesting, as it tells the story of the formation of the mountains and scenic wonders of the country. There are beautiful mountain ranges and peaks now, becayse forces in the earth formed great upliftspf the rocks end great fractures, and there are deep, ineteresting canyons because the streams and rivers cut and entrlnched their channels into the uplifted z Many years ago, in what geologists call Pajeozoic time, Northwestern looming and much of the adjoining states was an ocean, in which fine grained sediments, mostly limestones, were deposited gradually but to a great thickness. Later condi­ tions changed somewhat, and muds and sends filled the area, part of which became flats and flooded plains. Some of these sediments were red, and formed the bright red shales and sandstones that are so prominent in places. The deposition of sedi­ ments, partially marine and partially non-marine, continued for many geologic ages end one set of bods was laid down after another with almost no evidence of break or disturbance. Then at the close of the so-called Cretaceous time much later, there was. a radical change. The surface of the earth had been loaded with a thickness of perhaps ie,CXX) to 20,000 feet of beds, that gradually settled as the weight increased. This finally upset the equilibrium, and a period of folding and wrinkling started, A greet pressure or thrust was exerted frcan the west toward the east and formed a series of tremendous folds, anticlines, and synclines, jst as a sheet of paper wrinkles with lateral pressure. Some of the anticlines were compressed so tightly that the rocks broke and sheared, and great masses pushed over on the breaks or fault^planes to form thrust faults. The Teton mountains were formed by such a fault and pushed the granite and other rocks up to tremendous heights. This folding and faulting surely was not sudden in any one greet catastrophe, but was slow, intermittene movement that lasted many, many years. As they were going up, the strata were continually attacked by the forces of erosion, water, WiHd, and changes in temperature and wore cut down. This great period of miuntain folding formed all the present ranges end the major basins. The Tetons arose along a major fault, the Gros Ventre end Wind River moun- �on tains are large anticlines, with low dips XS the northest flank and deeper dips on the Bouthwest, and the Salt River and VStyoming ranges were made by a complex series of big faults and close, sharp folds. The Green River basin is a great s^cline, or depression where the foimations are very slightly folded, and are nearly horizontal Jackson Hole is a somewhat more complex basin, with some smaller folds, with much of the softer sedimentary rocks eroded away. ■ “After the major folding and faulting ture. The most interesting one now is were oyer, the streams and glaciers start- H the La Barge oil field, partly in Sublette ed carving the earth into its present shape. fy and partly in Lincoln county. Seeps of It is difficult to realize that the Snake and t’ oil were found as early as 1905 on this Hoback rivers have themselves cut the faulted and complex structure, leases were gorges through which they flow but it is takenai^ some wells drilled. Oil in comtrue. The harder, more resistant rocks have lasted to form the mountains and i mercial quantities was not developed, alridges and the softer formations eroded though several small wells of a very high away to form valleys and basins. gravity oil were drilled in at Dry Piney. “During the glacial period, in fairly In 1923, Mr. Newlon completed a small, recent time, there were many mountain , shallow, oil well in the LaBarge field, and ' glaciers, particularly in the Teton and ’ ■ in 1924 the Wyotah (Scoville) Oil eomWind River mountains. These helped to [ pany finished another. The success of carve the mountains into steep cliffs and ; these operators attracted the large oil narrow U-shaped valleys and carried boul­ g companies, that had been afraid to prosders and coarse sediments into the valleys. p pect at LaBarge because of the unusual Some of this material dammed the moun- I j and uncertain structure of the field. Optain streams and formed beautiful lakes, I erations have steadily gathered momensuch as Jackson, Jenny and Green River I j turn, until now there are about 30 com­ lakes. pleted oil wells with a daily potential pro“ While there was great volcanic activ- R duction of perhaps 1500 barrels. As so j ity in Yellowstone Park, adjoining to the often happens in the oil business or any north, there was not much in Sublette and ' ' form of pioneering, the early prospectors Teton counties. In the eastern part of , ____ „____ . -.1 who had the courage of their convictions Teton county and in the northern end of U] have been rewarded by success, and have the Wind River mountains there are old i j had the ,, satisfaction of saying, “I told lava flows, sills and beds of volcanic ma- ■ J you so ’ to the more conservative oil comterials. panics and their geologists. LaBarge is i one of the important fields in AVyoming j, “Few visitors to this beautiful country now and has added much to the potential i have studied geology and can understand r the fascinating story that is so plainly I wealth of the western part of the state. “Other wells are being drilled in af written in the rock formations, of their F search for new oil fields and many geolohistory and how they reached their pres­ gists are studying the structure of the ent positions. If all who love the moun­ country for new locations to drill. No tains and the scenery would study some one knows whether more oil will be found, -1 of this science, they could see much more K but with one field, the chances are excel- 1. and love it more. lent for others. “Sublette and Teton counties have been “There are valuable deposits of co ■ agricultural and scenic counties with an < and perhaps other minerals locked in the 2 R almost negligible mineral production, but H mountains of Sublette and Teton counties there are mineral resources that should that some day will be opened and brought become valuable and important in the fuout for man’s use.” ' This information was gleaned from an article written by John G. BertrBm<S ist for the Midwest Refining company, and published in the July-August number of the , Midwest Review, pabliaih^ in Casper, by the Midwest Refining company. �In the Jackson Hole country, about four miles east from the village of Kelley, and eastward from the highway is an unusual scar on the mountainside, which has been given the name of "The Gros Ventre Slide.” A tour may be made from the highway to ob­ tain a closer view of the unusual slide which occurred on June 23, 1925. Although it has been only * years since this great landslip happened, details concerning it, and of subsequent tragical effects, have become more or less dim in the minds of people living in Tfl^oming. To perpetuate this most interesting event, we are pleased to here­ with republish the interesting account; When nature dams a rushing mountain river in a few minutes time, forms a beauti­ ful lake several miles long in a few days, end then two years later tears away much of the same dam and releases the- impounded water in a mad flood that kills and de­ stroys, men can realize the power of thejj^ forces that work around us all of the time. That is the story of the Gros Ventre landslide, where the erosion of the mountain side suddenly filled a beautiful valley with rock and debris, and later the erosion of the stream carried away a part � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-D Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains a paper on Wyoming geology. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/84f8a650bb516b7e73547679b8e6c7eb.pdf a4b167b035e5b943c2c838a17b0617bb PDF Text Text ROUNDUP OF E 1ST (SIC AL MVERICKS THE RANGING OF TOM HCP.N Iteny -time it has been said, especially in recent years and so proclaimed by uninformed authors, that Tom Horn was not hanged and that the body of an unknown tramp was substituted for that of Horn, In a recent conversation With Dr* G, P, Johnston, who was present at the time Horn was hanged, he stated that he held Tom Horn’s pulse and told executioners when he was dead and when to cut him doivn. That at that time he removed a cuff button from the sleeve of Horn’s shirt and has the button in his possession. Dr, Johnston went on to say that he doubts very much that Horn killed Willie Nickell J there was a neighbor of the Nickell family and somewhere way back the two families were very much on the outs, in other words, feudists. He stated that TYillie Nickell was killed with a bullet of large calibre, a "minnie'' bullet as Dr, Johnston described it, from an old smooth-bored musket such as vzas used during the Civil Vvbr. When he performed the autopsy he carefully took measurements, and found that the bullet killing Willie Nickell left a very large hole, whereas Tom Horn carried an up-to-date automatic gun that left a bullet hole about thesize of a lead pencil. The above statements made by Dr, Johnston cannot be denied, JOHN CHARLES THOMPSON, noted editor of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Tribune, and author of the outstanding daily column, "In Old VJyoming," in an address before the "Westerners," Denver, said: For more than forty years there has endured in the minds of a numerous com­ pany a suspicion, which has acquired now the tenaciousness of tradition, that Tom Horn did not die at the end of a rope in the Laramie County jail at Cheyenne on November 20, 1903, This fantastic tradition is that the hanging of Horn was a mock exdcutionj that he was out down alive, revived, spirited away; that the cadaver car­ ried from the jail was that of an unidentified tramp; that it was the body of this tramp which was taken to Boulder, Colorado, and thore buried as that of Horn. I can testify othervj-ise—I'saw Horn hanged and I saw his dead body on a mortuary slab, I kn.ew him personally; there was no mistaking the identity of that body, Horn was a professional murderer. He operated in Wyoming in the ’90’s and in Colorado in 1900, then again in lYyoming in 1901, He was employed by a group of cattle ranchers to liquidate rustlers and sheep-owners whose flocks intruded in "cattle country," His fees for murder ranged from $500 to $700. He "dry-gulched" his trad© mark was a rook placed beneath the head of a victim for the purpose of proving to his employers that the "dirty work" had been his. He v/as hanged for ambushing a 13-year-old boy v/hom he mistook for the lad's father. No other murder was proved against him but there was general belief that he committed at least four others. He was hanged not because the murder of the boy was fastened upon him "beyond peradventure of a reasonable doubt," but on "general peinciple" that he "had it coming,". , , Before he appeared on the Wyoming scene, Horn had a notable career as a scout in Indian warfare and as a stock detective in Arizona and New Mexico, There is not much time to sketch this here. His Wyoming advent vzas during a troublous era there. The famous and irifamous "Johnson County invasion" was little more than three years past; the lynching of Jim Averell and "Cattle Kate" had been perpetrated only five or six years previously; there had been numerous other dark crimes to avenge alleged cattle stealing. There was "blood on th© moon" and Horn was to add to it. As the mid-nineties approached, the T/yoming Stock Growers Association, a powerful society of cattle-raisers, appointed a secret committee to employ a stock detective to obtain evidence against rustlers. United States Senator Joseph M, Carey of the firm of J, M, Carey & Bro,, the far-flung range of which in Laramie, Converse and Natrona counties was being raided by thieves, was chairman of this committee. The committee dug up Horn, whose real name was said to be Horner, and brought him to Wyoming, Soon after his employment, John C, Coble of the Iron Mountain Ranch Company, which also was suffering heavy losses to rustlers, is said to have broached a prop­ osition that Horn was ready to kill cattle thieves for a fee of $500 a head, Carey, horrified by this proposal, demanded and obtained tjje discharge of Horn, Thereafter Horn was employed independently by a group of big cattlemen, reputed to have included Coble, Ora Haley and several others. Forthwith things began to happen, A small-time rancher named Lewis was shot in the back while working in the corral of his ranch about 35 miles northwest of Cheyenne. This was in 1895, A brief period later, a neighbor of Lewis, Levi Powell, was murdered from ambush as he worked in his meadow, accompanied by his six-year-old son,,,. Now back to Horn's "last mile," ¥/e newspapermen were crammed into a little space at the ©nd of the platform adjoining Horn's cell; the visiting sheriffs were marshaled on the first-tier level below. The Irwin brothers, flanked by guards, stood beside them. The executioners and a venerable Episcopal clergyman. Dr, George C. Rafter, an acquaintance of Horn, were on the gangway at the opposite end of the platform. Beside the Irwins sitood two physicians. Dr, George P, Johnston and Dr, John H, Conway, They were gentlemen of the highest integrity whom nothing could have induced to contribute to a criminal conspiracy. �The Hanging of Tom Horn, continued Horn, his back against the cell grill, was half-reclining on his narrow bed, puffing a cigar. He was perfectly composed. His soft shirt v;as unbuttoned at the collar, thus exposing the scar of the wound he had suffered in the fight at Dixon, "Ready, Tom," said Proctor, Horn arose, carefully placed his cigar on a cross-reinforcement of the grill, strode firmly the few steps required to take him to the side of the gallows platform. He nodded to the Irwinsj sardonically scanned the peace officers below, "Ed," he commented to Smalley, "that's the sickest looking lot of damned Sheriffs I have ever seen," "Would you like us to sing, Tom?" said Charlie Irwin. "Yes, I'd like that," responded Horn. So, while Proctor buckled straps that bound Horn's arms and legs, the Irwins, each in a rich tenor, sang a rather lugubrious song popular on the range, "Life is Like a Mountain Railroad," The clergyman read his church's prayer for the dying, Horn, standing relaxed listened without a tremor, "Would you like to say anything?" asked Smalley, "No," replied Horn. "Tom," spoke up Charlie Irwin, "did you confess to the preacher?" "No," was the reply. Proctor adjusted the noose, formed with the conventional knot of 13 wraps to Horn s neck; drew a black hood over his head, Smalley on one side and a friend of Horn, T. Joe Cahill, on the other, lifted the doomed man onto the trap, nessj thA running water permeated the breathless stilllistLers tilt ? had begun to operate. To the straining ears of the listeners that little souno had the magnitude of that of a rushing torrent. malley, his face buried in the crook of his arm resting against the gallows was trembling, ° ’ "iVhat's the matter," came in a calm tone through the black cap, "getting nervous I might tip over?" Seemingly interminable, the sound of escaping water ran on. "Joe," said Horn, addressing Cahill, "they tell me you're married now. I hope you’re doing well. Treat her right." Indubitably, he was the best composed man in that chamber of death. Still the sinister sound of running water; then mercifully, the leaves of the trap Horn's body dropped through the opening. Thirty-one seconds had elapsed since h© had been lifted onto the trapl He fell only four and one-half feet, his head and shoulders projected above the gallows floor. This drop was not sufficient; his neck was not broken, Proctor had feared to arrange a longer drop, apprehensive that stoppage of the fall of a body so heavy as Horn's might tear the head off. The slam of the massive hangman's knot against the side of H rn's skull shocked him into unconsciousness, however, and he did not suffer. For 17 minutes the physicians, with fingers on his pulse, felt im­ pulses as a mighty heart labored on; then the pulse ceased. Tom Horn was dead—unconfessedi I did not see him die. Immediately upon his plunge through the trap the witnesses were required to leave, I hesitated sufficiently to watch the dangling ra, + precisely one-half turn-stopped. Proctor's reckoning in this respect had been accurate, ® 1 first man to get out of the court-house. I emerged at a hieh lone Ze? “v"' f?""* "’•kin ’ho hfa cZntZiZJd to “ ' ger rnrough the police line, "Is the son-of-a-bitch dead?" he demanded, replied, and loped on--I had an extra to get out. An hour later I saw the Horn cadaver on a a ola slab at the Gleason Mortuary, There was no mistaking the body—it was that of Horn. Take it from me, gentlemen, Tom Horn is dead notwithstanding. ’ the myth of a fake execution U, S. government establishes a hard and fast quarantine against importation of cattle from Old Mexico, It is believed the infection came from the second shipment of Brahma bulls from Brazil, which arrived in the harbor of Vera Cruz about May 1, 1946, The United States government strenuously protested the acceptance of this shipment, but the Mexican importers had too much pull in high places in Mexico City; and again it is demonstrated that virhen politics and sanitary measures are mixed, the result is bad for the livestock industry. The outbreak was traced to premises where this shipment of bulls had been held. It is not established that any of the bulls in question themselves had given visible evidence of the disease, due to the fact that they were vaccinated before leaving Brazil; but it is believed certain that they carried the disease to the premises v.'here the infection first developed. It is understood that Mexican officials are on their way to Washington to ask for help in combating the outbreak. �. ROUNDUP CF HISTCRICAL MAVERICKS TOM HCRN - David J, Nolan, Upton, writes: I vzas very much interested in the last issue of COIT COUNTRY, The story of Tom Horn, in which interest never seems to die out, was'in my opinion incomplete, I thinlc that if you will remember or look it up, especially in the files of the Denver Post for the yeo.r 1903, along about January or February,' that you will find the cause for the Tom Horn case being played up in a large way. It hinged on House Bill No. 100, which was introduced into the Seventh State Legislature by John Nolan, then representative from Tfeston County. The bill, if pass­ ed, would have abolished capital punishment in the State of ViTyoming. The exception that the correspondent for the Denver Post took was that it would provide that any per­ son under sentence of hanging in Wyoming, would have his sentence changed to life changed to life imprisonment. I have a copy of this bill as introduced, and that is just what it vzould do. The Denver Post played up the story, and it was vzorked strong that Represent­ ative Nolan was influenced by the Stock Growers Assn., of ".'yoming, to introduce this bill. The write-up was carried at that time in almost every paper in the West, and brought Tom Horn's name to people who would have never heard ot it otherwise. The story was played up by the Denver Post in such a manner as to oast re­ flection on Nolan and the Stock Growers Assn, to such a degree that the Seventh State Legislature went on record as barring the correspondent of the "Post" from the floor of the House of Representatives, But I believe that the reflections cast on Nolan and the Wyoming Stock Growers Assn, were unjust, as at that time there was grave doubt in many people’s minds as to the guilt of Tom Horn, as well as to the convictions of many other men who had been convicted and hanged on circumstantial evidence. In the case of Tom Horn, many people believed then, as they do now, that Horn was just "blowing his top" when he confessed to Joe LeFors that he had killed Willie Nickels, mostly because he wanted a job and thought that vzas the only way to make the job secure. The story that the hanging of Horm was bvmgled v/as passed around in ’./■yoming for years aftenmrd. The story passed around was that when Horn was dropped through the trap on the scaffold, he was dropped on a short rope that did not kill him; that he even got his feet above the platform and thrashed around until he strangled to death, as he could not get the rope loose because his hands and feet were bound. They had it that all the vzitnesses to the execution'vzere sickened by the sight, but of course this story may have been pure imagination, THE DENVER POST, MARCH 25, 1947, SAYS; Laying a Ghost Unlike Jesse James and Rails Gambler Jim Fiske, Tom Horn, "professional murderer" at 0500 to $700 a head, has inspired no ballads, but his ghost still rides on. Horn'was hanged in the Laramie county jail in Cheyenne, Wyo., Nov. 20, 1903. The court, the sheriff and the sheriff’s witnesses all knew it. But for more than 40 years, Wyoming has buzzed with the fantastic yarn that Tom Horn was not hanged at all; that, through connivance of big cattlemen,the body carried from the jail on that hanging day and buried in the Boulder, Colo., cemetery, was that of a tramp; that Horn himself was smuggled, alive, out of the building and avzay. Torrents of words and gallons of printer’s ink have not yet stilled the story. Time and again, newspapermen and others are told, "’Thy, Tom's alive and'kicking, living right now in Chugwater--or Sundance, or Big Piney, any old place." The persistency of these tall tales recently promptly John C. Thompson, vet­ eran editor of the Cheyenne Tribune, a witness at Horn’s execution with T. Joe Cahill, the Irwin Brothers and others, to tell about the hanging again. His eye-witness account was presented in an address to the Westerners in Denver and'was then published in COW COUNTRY, official bulletin of the ''Wyoming Stock Growers Assn, It gave full details. Horn, he said, "indubitably was the best composed man in that chamber of death." In conclusion, Thompson said: "Take it from me, gentlemen, Tom Horn is dead, the myth of a fake execution notwithstending." Thompson’s story is a little classic in the chronicle of the Wyoming cattle­ men’s campaigns against the cattle rustlers. In the mid-’90s, the '^lyoming Stock Growers Assn, named a secret committee to engage a stock detective to obtain evidence against the, thieves. The late U.S, Sen­ ator Joseph M, Carey was the chairman. The committee dug up Horn, who had vzon a name as an Indian scout, stock detective and daredevil in the southwest. Soon aftervzard one cattleman vzas said to have reported that Horn was ready to kill cattle thieves at $500 a head. This proposal so horrified Senator Carey that he demanded and obtained Horn’s discharge. Thereafter, Thompson says, other cattlemen employed Horn independ­ ently. Subsequently, five killings were laid to Horn, the last that (for vzhich he hanged) of a 13-year-old boy whom Horn had mistaken for the lad's rancher father; Today Tom Horn’s crimes, committed secretly in the name of law and order, seem only like an incredible and ugly dream from the past. They don’t jibe with the dignity and fairness expected in the achievement of law and order. Horn's record and the "Johnson county war" which preceded his furtive forays on the range are only grim memories now of a grim western era. But Thompson's record of Horn's "last mile" is a nugget for any collector's mine of western lore. �HELL’S HALF ACRE on your way to the Yellowstone National Park ********************************** ***************************************************************** I ****************K-*********************************************** ’ VISIT �HELL’S HALF ACRE, an enormous depression in the rolling plains of Central Wyoming, cohsists of several hundred acres of had lands, and is con­ sidered as one of the numerous scenic spots in Wyoming. It is located between Casper, Wyo­ ming, and the Yellowstone National Park, fortyfour miles west of the city of Casper, on U. S. Highway 20. At Casper (the hub of Wyoming) there are plenty of hotel and tourist facilities and HELL’S HALF ACRE is only an hour’s drive to the west. In traveling over Highway 20, through Central Wyoming, there are many places of interest to the tourist, such as the Natural Bridge, about fortyfive miles east of Casper. In Thermopolis on the same highway is the largest hot water mineral spring in the United States. By traveling Highway 20 you can reach the Yellowstone National Park by either the east or south entrances, through the east by the way of Thermopolis, Worland and Cody or through Riverton, Lander, Dubois and Moran in the famous Jackson Hole country over Wyoming Highway 320 from Shoshoni, which town is the junction of Highways 20 and 320. The views on the outside of the “first day envelope” are only a few of the fantastic sights that greet the eye of the visitor to HELL’S HALF­ ACRE. The pictures as reproduced on this en­ velope are pen and ink sketches from photographs of formations in HELL’S HALF ACRE. You will also see such formations as the PULPIT, SA­ TAN’S CAVERN, SATAN’S FOOTSTOOL, THE MOSQUE, IDOLS, THE PAINTED CLIFFS, THE DRAGON, THE SENTINEL, REGISTER, (in­ cluding names from practically every State in the Union and several foreign countries.) Many other weird and peculiar formations are located in this grotesque cavern. One columnist has written: “It is a broad basin, filled with freakish for­ mations resembling columns, pillars, spires, minarets, pagodas, all in many fantastic colors.” Indian legends bring to us that late in the six­ teenth century HELL’S HALF ACRE was called the “burning mountain,” but it is not known whether those conditions existed at that time or whether it was known by that name from other legends, because history of the first white man to reach this location in 1807 does not state that it was still on fire. It is claimed by some who are acquainted with the volcanic regions that it is very similar to those districts, and if such is true, it would lead to the conclusion that the leg­ ends had been handed down for the hundreds of years from the time that it was an active volcano. There is some evidence to bear out this theory, as considerable lava and petrified wood is found at the bottom of the depression, which in many places is 500 feet in depth. Some people claim that it was a burning coal vein, but due to the ruggedness and varying depth, this theory is ques­ tioned by scientists. However, it is generally un­ derstood that erosion of hundreds of years has had its effect, and the wind, rains and snows have done wonders in carving out the fantastic and colorful sights that await the visitor. Inasmuch as geologists, archaeologists and other scientists do not agree on its origination or how it was formed, it would be well for the layman to take it as nature has provided and see the wonders that have been developed by Mother Nature, the foremost of all artists. HELL’S HALF ACRE is claimed by a great many to be one of the most beautiful and peculiar works of nature they have ever seen. Different from most places of scenic beauty throughout the United States, HELL’S HALF ACRE is just off the highway, and no admission is charged to see any or all of the sights. In your travels from Casper to HELL’S HALF ACRE you cross Powder river, made famous dur­ ing the World War, and described as “a mile wide and an inch deep.” Indian arrow heads and other artifacts have been found at the bottom and around the rims, thus proving that it was used by the Indians as a camping place, and, no doubt, bears out the theory that it was used as a “buffalo drive,” or “trap.” �******-55-*********'»***************** “THE DEVIL’S IN” CURIO STORE HELL’S HALF ACRE Colored post cards of HELL’S HALF ACRE at 3 for five cents; packets of eight photographic pictures of HELL’S HALF ACRE at 25c per packet. All kinds of curios of the west. V. W. MOKLER Box 1 Casper, Wyo. Box 1 Hell’s Half Acre, Wyo. ********************************** �FIRST DAY MAlLiNO Mr. & Mrs. A. J. Mokler, 655 So. Park Ave., Casper, Wyoming “THE GATEWAY” Hell's Half Acre, Wyoming. ���fU ■r-c ,AXZ/*'uV AZ^-’ a/p ^-,0'-^''^ W- QaM^u. Tr9-‘‘^^-^ 1xt)t^ CA-AZ -i^ (La^z^zr''^^^ AA'-A-^ ii-^'' Czf^c cr\^ / ^t..'^~'t~'^^~r^ r- ‘dZ'Z^^ Z J ■'’H' ?1 igpj !T-^ -'■} ,: ' i,w, '^if^ . ’ -■>■• ?'J :' J ."’ 0©^-<''X^-t7 M(/ii' "”^ii^7'’~"'"'’^-^' ■ -' ■ ... .. _. .. ... .: ... . : ;,. . . . .. 1 . . .jJ........... - '\. ,. 'T'^'^r^ 11^ , _ I . _ . tJ.. .'L'.. . .- „-:— -I �•, _ .'...:______ • ■, . . _’ ''yy'c^ f ■ , ‘’U- . - .y.,- ■■•;■ '• —-- ;; :'! ■'£' i,. . 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I"'.- .-.. jw;. v?i;iJFe!,C5-9T tiflljxjif!’?’? i- '.;; E^^j C.it.T - . ................. p. ... ■ ....1..J. ..»,,.. .;E.i... .„ .,-4^-. . i—wi.i I ^ ■!. I. ■ L. 1 —. I II — 1^1.1.—.11 ., £,■ ■ ,--.■ --•■'»• "l^l* ■■!■; mt w''. ' " I’y-*!' ■ ~ — , ^• !r. -■:i. 1 --------------------- ----- ---------''" . ' ----------- -- --- .. .,^-.._ i ■ .- j^..*4^....4--.-..li.L ^ .■ . x^^~jnIuX2£4U- :----- ___._—. -'f,. -.''=._ 1, ^ZV".- ,ri ==a=Tr-- .’.,.1.11 not,' '';.g8S^5gai.‘.E:aT . i. .. .„ J 1 . �28 The Mountain States Monitor, March, 1927 LOOKING OVER THE RIM ROCKS INTO “HELL’S HALF-ACRE.” NEAR CASPER, WYOMING Hell's Half Acre By Carrie fTMiams, Casper, JTyoming Instead of a half acre, this place contains GREAT point of interest near Casper, about three hundred acres of land. Wyoming, and in Natrona County, is It is a wonderful sight and one that cannot the natural curiosity known as “Hell’s Halfhe anticipated as it is approached. As one Acre.” drives along the west Yellowstone highway This name is very misleading as to area. toward Thermopolis there is nothing in the A landscape to warn you that the traveler is nearing one of the most interesting spots in this part of the state. After leaving Casper and traveling west for about fifty miles, there are signs advising the (Continued to Next Page) traveler where to turn off from the highway. There is an unfounded Indian legend in The rim of “Hell’s Half Acre” is only a few which the name “Enchanted Land” is used, feet from the road. but has no foundation and really is not at — One staiide-en the edge and gazes- down intoall-suitable to the weird place:-------- — -----the immense pit and wonders, awe-struck, what You may wonder how it received its present could have caused these formations. Stories name, which seems so inadequate. Some­ of rattlesnakes, etc. keep some folks from where on the north side of the Platte river venturing down, but most always curiosity is a piece of boggy land, about twenty-two gets the better of their fears and they go miles from Casper. Around a large bend in down to better examine and view what seems the river is a nice stretch of meadow land, to be an ever-changing scene. making a fine grazing patch for cattle. But In this great depression there are caverns in order to reach this meadow from the north which appear bottomless, crevices and pits; it is necessary to pass through a patch of bad also what seems at a glance to be the ruins of land, with the appearance of white ashes, a man-made creation; towers, spires and many but which proves to be a scum of alkali over fantastic forms difficult to describe. Then the the marsh. The cowboys coming through this light effects as the sun and shadows strike way with cattle called it “Hell’s Half Acre,” on the rocks reflect gorgeous colors in laven­ and later some one confused the two places der, red, white, etc. until the name seems to be a fixed one for the The name, “Hell’s Half Acre,” is not very wonder spot. appropriate. One of its former names, “Dev­ / Another item of interest in regard to this region is the fact that fossils of prehistoric il’s Kitchen,” seems far more suitable. animals are found in the vicinity. Professor Years ago, when the Indians had possession Reed of the Wyoming University made sev­ of this land, it was called the “Burning Moun­ eral very important discoveries in 1907. These tain, Near Powder River.” Bonneville visited he mounted and placed in the museum of the the place in 1832, and the place was then said University at Laramie, Wyoming, and they to be “abounding with anthracite coal, the are considered very valuable. earth hot and cracked, with smoke and sul­ In March, 1922, through the efforts of the phurous vapors arising as if from concealed Casper Chamber of Commerce, an act of fire.” Congress was passed which withdrew this land A man named John Colter visited here in from all forms of entry, and Natrona County 1808 and told such stories of its hidden fires agreed to accept it and protect it as a public and all its terrors and smells that it was park if the land be given to the county. In named “Colter’s Hell” by the trappers. There December of the same year Senator Warren is no doubt, in view of all evidence, but that introduced the bill favoring the turning over it is an old bumed-out coal bed. of this land to Natrona County. �' ' :a r ■■••■■'< CH30kfci> ' ■k’. 3<=jT-si-8 . �Hell’s Halfacre—In Wyoming’s Wonderland '' In that interval between sunrise and sunset, when Time, acting only as a color organ casts dancing lights and shadows upon this stage set by Nature in a mood of strange unrest, the expanse of caverns, chasms and peaks pictured here is a thing of intricate grandeur. But when the shadows of evening fall, the blackness of night descending upon it transforms the scene into one of stark beauty, suggestive of a mythical lane of terror, worthy of the name given it—Hell’s Halfacre. Not a half acre, but interminable acres stretching finally into nothingness, this peculiar formation Casper, whose rocks and soil bear every color of the rainbow; Located on the Yellowstone highway, it draws hundreds of tourists every year to view �Agents UilL Half a dozen Stand­ ard Oil agents from Wyoming. No. 1: L. G. McKinnis, Lusk. Wo. 2: Allan C. Jones, Torrington. Ao. 3: Hans Gautschi, Lusk. No. 4: Clarence Saw­ yer, Torrington. No. 5: Howard Gilkeson, Sheridan. No. 6: Robert L. Gal­ lant, Cheyenne. �Devil’s Bee Hive, Hell s Half Acre, Wyoming. �LIB BLOfSJ OFF X9 HADES nll«8 vest of CospoTc «i the Yellowstoae Mgta«By« ia <ma of tlMi ffloat wmdarfol MuplM world. It has bean viewed Batsre*s haaadiiRnrlc aoan aagnibaaro In the thocaMmdae ea^ eno of whoa forraod his oan theory with referonoe to it. There any be »ore subliae wlova along the Arkaana and Colorado rivers, more iBqpressiva aoeaes al«ig the trails of Tellowstono and Glaeier imrks, but oertainly no laor^ strange and unaooountable wondw* than Hell*8 Half Aoro. There it ia, a great basin, in which has been wrought and set down by a master arohiteot, ammtain ranges, plaim, hills, valleys, castles, kos- q^es, pyranids, watah tearars, anoimit ruins, eavems, tunnels, shafts, all in varigated oolorlng aad aat^rials unlike ai^ythiag in the adjacent regitm. of tiae and aeticnx of the olesieata Iwvo done their share in adding fora and graoefulnMS wmtour to the eeaq^site pheneamum. SoiKf iiliyila and ad^ Hell's Half Aere is mystery, one knows. Ho one ev«r will know. Soima^tists nay grope and spin theories. So the layman. For truth and exaotness we aeoept wlmt pleases us. For the origin of Hell's Half Acre, the mythology of Mount Casper ante­ dating that of Mount Oly^ius possibly offers the most rational oqplanation. the fanciful tale goes, it is related that in the heaving and bulging of the earth's surface ia the cooling process from a molten state after having been thrown off from another planet Mount Casper suddenly appeared one morn­ ing in early spring. In time trees gi^ew, grass and flowers came and on the lower stretches ths fragrant sagebrush made its appearance. With the jmssing of tile centuiries came the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. �Lid Blown Off In iladesj Page twoJ Ftnally 1±ie gods, the anoestora of those who later reigned in Olympus, the nsraM and legends eonoeming them being to great extent lost or rmaodeled to glorify those of the later p«*lod« The tale of Hell *8 Half Acre, however, surviTed and ochsm down to the present day through an Indian ehief to early travelers on the Or^«m trail. In brief it runst The son of the tyraimical ruler over all things on Moiast Casper, fell into dissolute habits and for punishment -was banished to hell. On his arx*ival he undertook to teach Satan, the ruler of the lower regions, an earthly gambling gsiae. While thus engaged, Satan assigned the duty of stoking the grMt fumaoes under the middle kettle to the imps with idiioh hell at that tine and erwr sime has been overinin. The imps, in the absenoe et ^9 master, and after the nature of imps, labored assiduously and brought great stores of fuel which they poured into the vast fumaoes eausing auoh exeessiTs hMt that the gases from the sulphur with which -^e middle kettle ws filled and into whi<di sinners from earth were to be tossed, eaqploded, blowing the roof hell md eausing a terrific uph^val, Wmb de^light eeme the next morning Hell's Half Acre was there to greet the chance passerby. That is the story. It is not for us to doubt its authenticity. If any geologist er other soientist can read a suure plausible <me from the inresant scene we will give it velotaae. Bibliography: Col. W. H. Huntiey la Casper Hally Tribune, Septeidjor 19, 1921. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-E Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cow Country The Mountain States Monitor Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1927 1940 1947 Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains an essay titled "Roundup of Historical Mavericks," Cow Country (January 25, 1947), a Visit Hell's Half Acre mailing card (1940), a handwritten article, and an article published in The Mountain States Monitor (March, 1927). Researchers will also find an article titled "Lid Blown Off in Hades." Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/3d92b455efb385632f9590b2952d3ebe.pdf bb1daed96e6f8733ec16640d44f7b579 PDF Text Text Frank Julian Writes of SOME EARLY RANCHES By FRANK JULIAN (Editor’s Note: ’The author of the following interesting article came to Natrona County in 1896 and has lived in this county continually since that date. He first came to Wyoming in 1889. Mr. Julian is an authority on horti­ cultural matters and has won scores of blue ribbons for his work as a horticulturist. The article below deals with the ownerships of Natrona County ranches in the early days.) In the year, 1870, a young man who had come to this country with a wagon train, stopped and said to himself, “This country looks good to me and I believe I will stay here.” He built a half-dugout half-log cabin at a point about three miles southwest of the mouth of the Sweetwater river and at the south­ east comer of the Sweetwater rocks. Prom Rawlins, his closest town, he packed in supplies on a horse. He lived here for three years, hunting, trapping and looking the country over. ’This man was Tom Sun and in the spring of 1873 he picked as the most promising land for his fu­ ture cattle ranch,” the Sweetwater river country just above Devil’s Gate. His son, Tom, now owns the ranch and it is known as the Tom Sun Ranch. THE FL COW RANCH at the head of Poison Spider Creek was started in 1822 by a Mr. Wade. Wade ran the FL for several years before selling it, along with the UC Ranch and lower UC Ranch on Horse Creek, to Robert Taylor, The late Oscar Helstand was Mr. Wade’s last fore­ man at the FL. Robert Taylor, who was later a senator from Natrona County, ran sheep on these rjinches for a great many years before selling the properties to the Grieves who still own them. About ia7»-Alex' »wan -Df Chey­ enne and Scotland started the Two Bar Ranch on Bates creek. This ranch is now owned by John Tobin. Mr. Swan also started the 07 about this time. The 07 is located at the lower end of Bessemer Bend and is now owned by Mr. William Hufford. Mr. Swan also owned ranches on the Chugwater, using these mostly for stock cattle. He called his company The Swan Land and Cattle company. ’The Pathfinder Reservoir now oc­ cupies the land Which was formerly the TW Ranch, owned by A. J. Both­ well. Mr. Bothwell started his ranch on the Sweetwater river at the mouth of Horse creek, about four miles below Independence Rock in 1882. It was a cattle ranch until 1907 when the U. S. government bought it for the Pathfinder Reser­ voir site. THE DUMBELL RANCH located just below Devil’s Gate was started in 1882 also by Dr. Schoomaker. This prc^erty is now owned by William Grieve. About 1881 two ladies from Eng­ land started the Goose Egg Ranch on the Platte river at the mouth of Polson Spider. They employed a gang of stone cutters for about one year, cutting and dressing native stone for the two story ranch house. In 1886 they sold Goose Egg to J. M. Carey and his brother. While the ranch was operated by two ladies from England, William Ervlne was their range foreman, Ervine later left here to go to northern Wyoming where he managed the Half Circle L Ranch for many years. rest of their lives. In 1908 he passed away and in 1914 she passed away. It takes a lot to feed four healthy youngsters and two grownups. Then there were the transients that ex­ pected to be fed. I have heard cow­ boys say that Mrs. Stroud never allowed anyone to go by her place hungry. She was a fitting wife for a frontiersman. An expert shot with a rifle, many are the elk and ante­ lope she added to the family pot from her dooryard. The station four miles east of Cas­ per is named Stroud after this fam­ ily. The Stroud ranch is now owned by Homer Lathrop. Of the youngsters mentioned, three are now living. Mrs. Laura McGrath and Mrs. Bell Patton in Casper and Charley Stroud in Washington state. THE FIRST HOUSE built on Can­ yon creek was a log cabin, 16’ by 20’, and was located at a point about two miles east of the m.outh of the creek on the north side. It was built by Jack Roberts who came up the trail from Texas with a herd of steers in 1882. Roberts did not stay long, but shipped his cattle out and left the country. He did not file on the land and Mr. Boney Earnest filed on it, added four more rooms to the cabin and made it his home ranch. Earnest lived here until 1907, when he sold to the government for the Pathfinder reservoir. FRANK JULIAN THE OLD GOOSE EGG ranch house received much publicity in Owen Wister’s book, “The Virginian,” for it was there the babies’ clothes were changed, causing some parents an anxious hour or two. This ranch, comprising 1,200 acres, was later sold to D. N. Speas who, in 1888, had located his Cross S Ranch at the upper ehd of Bessemer Bend, Mr. Speas passed away several years ago, but his widow, Mrs. Mary N. Speas, still lives on the ranch. In 1880, J. M. Carey oi Cheyefne located his CY ranch two mi]e.< southwest 01 where Casper is today. For a good many years he ran cattle on the CY and this ranch is now owned by Harry Yesness, Casper clothier. Mr. Carey at one time own­ ed the Y Ranch on the Greybull, the SO Ranch down the Platte at the i mouth of Boxelder, the C Lazy Y also on the Platte and his home , ranch, Careyhurst, on Boxelder. Mr. Carey, who passed away several years at a ripe old age, served one term as governor of Wyoming and also as United States senator from Wyoming. THE WRITER BUILT the next cabin on the creek, near the mouth on my homestead and I lived there ♦' • • until I sold it to the government. FRANK ERVINE took up land at The first house built on the little the Cottonwoods mentioned above Canyon creek was a three-room the Earnest ranch on Big Canyon hewed log built by Mr. Dan Fitger creek and was named for a nice for Pedro Arisola, a Spanish-Amer­ ican who was a cowboy for the Pick outfit. Arisola did not prove up on this land, but left to work in Utah. In 1896 I bought his Improvements, moved the fencing and sold the house to Mr, E. M. Irwin who filed on the land and proved up on it< Irwin later sold to Mr. Roy Cardwell and moved on down the creek to a new location, which is now his THE V BAR V ranch was located i on the Muddy in 1881 by B. B. I Brooks. This ranch is about 251 miles east of Casper, and Gov. Brooks built it to a large ranch in a few years by buying small holdings. The V Bar V is now owned by Dr. H. E. Stuckenhoff of Casper. Mr. Brooks served two terms as governor of Wyoming and was prominent in | oil and banking circles. At the time of his death, a few years ago, he was president of the Wyoming Na­ tional Bank. His widow, Mrs. Mary N. Brooks still lives in Casper. IN 1876 JOSHA STROUD took the advice of Horace Greeley to go West young man, go West, Taking his wife and four young children he left his home in Indiana and in a reasonable time he arrived in Chey­ enne, Wyo. He lived in Cheyenne for several years and then decided to file on a piece of land about four miles from where Casper is now located, where the Oregon ’Trail crossed Elkhorn creek. After filing on this land, he took out a ditch, put in a garden and some alfalfa and i they made themselves at home. For I the next four years he had to haul his supplies from Cheyenne with home ranch. At this point a bear little grove of cottonwoods that grew there on the creek. story will be in order. In 1900, Henry Cardwell establish­ MR. FITGER, while building. the ed a homestead on little Canyon creek, just where it comes out of the Arisola home, had his brother-in- Pedro mountains. After living there law, Hans Neilson, working for him. a good many years, he sold it. Don Hans was wrangling horses one day Ervine now owns this place and* uses down at the cottonwoods, a place 1 it as his home ranch. Don also will mention later in this article. He owns his homestead west down to­ was up on a cliff looking down on a wards the river and two homesteads little brush patch. Wanting to try on Big Canyon creek, the Frank out his new 45-90 Winchester, he Ervine place at the Cottonwoods and threw a rock in the dead brush, plenty of leased land from the gov­ thinking to scare out a deer. .A deer ernment. did not come out, but a bear did. Hans downed the bear in two shots, AT THIS TIME I want to menand out came another bear. Well, tion a spot I found in the Pedro he shot bears for a few minutes and mountains, It is about two miles then got too scared to go down and south and a little west of the Ervine investigate. Hans went over to home ranch and is almost inaccessi­ Boney Earnest’s for help, but Cap­ ble. I discovered while hunting tain Bayley was there alone and deer in the winter of ’96. Some thought it too late in the day to boulders have been arranged by hu­ hunt crippled bears. So they waited man hands and there are pieces of until the morning to go down and arrow lying around. I asked Boney look the situation over. In the Earnest what he knew about it and morning they found five dead bears, he said they called it an old Indian meat and hides all spoiled in the fort. He thought two bands of In­ July weather. dians had fought to the death at Hans became a good cowman and this place. He said, “Your guess is was foreman for Dr. E. P. Schoo­ as good as mine.” maker on his Dumbell ranch on the I also must mention a spot I found Sweetwater river. I knev/ him very on the Platte river near my house. well. In 1900 he moved to Canada. It looks like a house had once stood In 1894, Horatio Burtch filed a there and the remains of a fireplace homestead on little Canyon creek, are around. I found it in 1877 while about one mile above Pedro Arisola’s place. He proved up and sold it and it now belongs to Roy Cardwell. Burtch was a rider for the Pick out­ fit for many years. fishing at the mouth of the cree' It looks just the same now as it di then. Someone must have live there at some time in the past. �Vol. 2 SEPTEMBER, 1925 No. 1 Independence Rock and other Historic Land Marks Along the Casper - Rawlins Route seekers for gold in California, and then later by the settlers bound for Oregon. In Alfred J. Mokler’s History of Na­ trona County, Wyoming, we find the fol­ HE Old Oregon Trail is said to have been 2,000 miles long. Doubtless to lowing story of Independence Eock. “Independence Eock, the ‘Eegister of most of the pioneers westward bound it seemed to be 20,000 miles long. This pio­ the Desert, ’ is probably the most interest­ neer route is generally conceded to have ing landmark on the whole of the old Ore­ begun at Independence, Missouri. If we gon Trail. It was at this spot the weary ■aro-tn ju(]ge by the atm-les of misfortunes., ])ilgrims, who traveled bv slow-going teams stopped to rest and refresh themselves. Whi('h occurred along this famous route and the time it took to travel its course It was here that they found pure, fresh we are certain to conclude that it was in­ water and an abundance of feed for their stock. It w’as here that they gathered deed a trail. It has been a question as to who laid out about the campfires in the evening and the “Oregon Trail” and it will undoubt­ sang the old-time songs while the young edly remain unanswered. It seems to have people danced in the moonlight on the been the natural route and was undoubted­ well-beaten area. It was here that they ly selected by the earliest explorers and cared for their sick and buried their dead. trappers. These were later followed by “This isolated mass of granite stands missionaries, then by Mormons, later by out on the desert plains at the foot of the Remove not the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set.” Prov. 22-28. Eocky mountain range in the Sweetwater country. When the emigrants reached here from Independence, they had traveled 838 miles, and they considered that they had covered half their journey. The Sweet­ water Eiver flows along the southern base and, according to many writers and his­ torians the old Oregon Trail was on the north and west sides of the Eock, where -the—county road is-now loc-ate4-,--and thc-old bridge was supposed to be just east of where the new county bridge was built in 1920. This was not the ease however. The old Oregon Trail crossed the river about a mile east of the Eock, w’here the Sweetwater stage station was located, and passed by the Eock on the south side of the river, and of course south of the Eock. “From the very first the emigrants made Independence Eock their camping place View of the new treated timber bridge over Sweetwater River, Natrona County, Project No. 164B, Casper-Rawlins Road under con­ struction. Historic Independence Rock in the background, old Oregon Trail in the foreground. The original route of the pioneers was around to the right or south of Independence Rock, while the new highway passes to the left or north of the Rock where suit­ able markers have been installed to perpetuate the memory of the pioneers of those days. This point is 56 miles from Ca sper and 65 miles from Rawlins. �4 WYOMING ROADS September, 1925 and the custom of inscribing on it their bows, arrows, lances and shields; no more names caused Father DeSmet to call it will it mark for weary migrating hosts a INDEPENDENCE BOCK ‘ ‘ the great register of the desert. ’ ’ The spot of solace and of rest; for it forever, Probably discovered by returning AsIndians in the early days came here to probably, will remain only the quiet soli­ torians, 1812. Given its name by emi­ paint their picture—writing on its smooth tude of a lonely place, peopled solely by grants who celebrated Independence walls. It is said to have been named the memories of sunshine and shadow from ‘ ‘ Rock Independence ” by a party of trap­ day here July 4, 1825. Captain Bonne­ days that are no more. But as the soft pers who passed there early in the nine­ whispering winds of summer play about ville passed here with first wagons, 1832. teenth century. It is known that Robert its massive flanks let us believe they bring Whitman and Spaulding, missionaries. Stewart and his party passed by here in to it a message to mingle with those memo­ With wives, stopped here, 1836. Father November, 1812. ries; let us believe they re-echo to it as DeSmet saw it and owing to many they pass the Song of the West, which tells “There is no record of the exact date names upon it called it the “Eegister to us all: of the first white man to pass this way, of the Desert,’’ 1840. Gen. John C. ’At first ’twas the lure of metals, the dullbut Rev. Samuel Parker, who was there Fremont camped here with U. S. army, red stream borne gold. on the 7th of August, 1835, says ‘this rock Aug. 2, 1842. Fifty thousand emigrants When the weaklings died by the roadside, takes its name from the circumstances of passed here in 1853. It is the most fa­ when the slid snows buried the bold. a company of fur traders suspending their mous landmark on the And then ’twas the lure of the ranges, the journey and here observing in due form miles of unbroken sod. the anniversary of our national freedom. ’ OLD OREGON TRAIL Where the herder spread his blankets Captain Bonneville was here on or about ’neath the scintillant stars of God. the 14th of July, 1832, for he says: ‘On A bronze tablet measuring 24"x36" was But now ’tis the song of the water fioodthe 12th of July we abandoned the main ing the thirsty soil; stream of the Nebraska (now the Platte), placed on the northwest corner of the which was continually shouldered by rug­ rock recently and bears the above inscrip­ The grind of the stamps, quartz crushing, the gush of the spouting oil. ged promontories, and making a bend to the tion. The crash of the fall­ southwest for a cou­ ing timber, the ple of days, part of murmuring fields the time over the of grain. plains of loose sand, The hum of the encamped on the 14th blooming orchards, on the banks of the the road of the la­ Sweetwater, a stream boring train’.’’ about twenty yards How fitting that qua. in breadth and four of the highways of or five feet deep, the Wyoming Federal flowing between low Aid System passes banks over sandy by this venerable soil, and forming one landmark! The new of the forks or up­ highway from Casper per branches of the to Rawlins follows Nebraska. Frequently the old County road, the plains were stud­ Mastic wearing surface under construction on the new treated timber bridge over ded with isolated Sweetwater River, Natrona County, on Federal Aid Project 164-B, showing a portion in some places cross­ of the famous Independence Rock in the background. ing and in some places blocks of rocks, some­ paralleling the old times in the shape “In the year 1843 the Oregon Trail first Oregon Trail. That section of the high­ of a half globe, and from 300 to 400 feet high. These singular masses had occa­ became a great national highway, when a way passing close by the Rock is known sionally a very imposing and even sublime thousand homeseekers passed over the as Federal Aid Project Number 164-B., re­ appearance, rising from the midst of a Trail with their teams, ‘ and each year cently completed. The new highway thereafter’ writes Ezra Meeker, ‘wagon savage and lonely landscape.’ passes to the West side of the rock where ‘ ‘ Captain Bonneville was preceded by teams passed over the whole route to the Nathaniel Wyth, who was there during the Oregon country in varying numbers, wear­ suitable markers have been placed, and month of May of the same year. Dr. Mar­ ing the track deeper and deeper, until fi­ to the South crosses the Sweetwater over cus Whitman and his bride, who were mak­ nally the greater exodus in 1852, when a new treated timber bridge, replacing the ing their wedding tour as missionaries to a column of 50,000 strong moved out from County bridge mentioned in Mokler’s His­ the Indians on the Pacific coast, and Rev. the Missouri rvier and lined the Trail with tory. H. IT. Spalding and his young wife, were dead, 5,000 or more in number for that Just adjacent to the rock at the point at the rock in 1836. These were the first one year alone. Fully 300,000 people where the tablet has been placed is one of white women that crossed the Rocky crossed over what might be termed the the standard markers of the Oregon Trail, mountains, and of course the first white eastern section before the advent of the similar to a number of other markers women to set foot on Independence Rock. Pacific railroad in 1869, which diverted which have been placed at various points “Father DeSmet was here in 1840. He later traffic, and the Trail again became a along the route. writes: ‘It is the first massive rock of solitude.’ ’’ The highway also passes near Devil’s that famous chain which divides North In 1920, Judge W. A. Riner of Cheyenne, America, and which travelers call the back­ in an address at Independence Rock before Gate, another object of historic note, bone of the universe. It is the great regis­ several hundred people eulogized as follows: thence through what has been known for ter of the desert; the names of all the “No more will this great rock behold years as Muddy Gap, and a few miles fur­ travelers who have passed by are here to the wild troops of savages, bedecked with ther to the southwest joins the Rawlinsbe read, written in course characters.’ paint and war plumes, fluttering trophies. Lander road. �I p/' The Blackfeet Indians The Blackfeet (Algonquian) Indians were the scourge of the Upper Missouri country during the existing period of the wars between the white man and redmen in the North­ west country. The territory of the Blackfeet was the watershed of the Missouri river above the mouth of, and including, the Milk river, although it may be a doubtful ques­ tion if the territory above the Three Forks ought not rather be considered as common or fighting ground of the various tribes. The heart of the Blackfoot country may be taken as the immediate valley of the Missouri, near the mouth of the Marias, where the river makes it great bend from north to east. There were included under the general term Blackfee1j4’our distince bands; the Slackfeet proper (Siksikau), the Piegan (Pikuni), the Bloods (Kainah), and the Groventres of the Prairies or the Falls Indians (Atsinai), numbering all told about 14,000 souls. The origin of the naraS”Blackfeet" is said by tra­ dition to arise from the fact that in some of the tribal disputes of this nation the Siksikau separated from the rest of the tribe, then on the Saskatchewan river, or even farther north, and resolved to take up their new abode in the south. It was in the fall of the year when they reached the valley of the Missouri, and prairie fires had swept the country in every direction. After traversing this burnt district until their moccasins were blok with the ashes, they were met by a band of Crow, who, from their appearance, called them Blackfeet. This tradition may not be entitled to any greater weight than the following which accounts for the bitter hostility of these Indians to the whites. When they first saw the effect of firearms they were so much impressed that they wanted to know where they could procure some powder. They were told that it was a kind of a grain, which, if sowed in the spring, would, like any other grain, multiply in the harvest. They procured a large qxiantity of the powder at great cost and made the experiment. Nothing could ever induce them afterwards to treat the white man as a friend. BEbnencv^t cEnxwvr ccw*ai i-IVIWOHV COnUXA '•.* M’ 2--:' f �trail memorial ASSor, CENTEN A RY April 10, 1930 CELEBRATION December 29, 1930 PRESIDENT HOOVER’S PROCLAMATION Washington, D. C., Feb. 22 1930 President Hoover in a formal proclamation today cal­ led upon the nation to commemorate April 10, the one hundreth anniversary of the de­ parture of the first wagon train from St. Louis, Mo., toward the Oregon country. The proclamation read: “The congress by unanimous vote has authorized commemoration of the heroism of the fathers and mothers who traversed the Oregon Trail to the far west. “On April 10, 1830, the first wagon train left St. Louis for Oregon, pioneering the way for the thousands of men and women who settled the Pacific states. On Decem­ ber 29, 1830, Ezra Meeker was born, who carried over into our day a personal memory of this historic epoch. The Oregon Trail Memorial association, which he founded and which includes men and women in all walks oi life in all parts of the country, has spon­ sored the movement to observe the period from April 10 to December 29 of this year as the covered wagon centennial, to recall the national significance of this centenary of the great westward tide which establish­ ed American civilization across a continent. “Therefore, I Herbert Hoover, president of the United States, do call upon our people to employ this fitting occasion to commem­ orate the lives and deeds of the heroic pioneers who won and held the west. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. “Done at the city of Washington this twenty-first day of February, in the year of Our Lord, ninteen hundred and thirty, and of the independence of the United States of America, the one hundred and fifty-fourth. “HERBERT HOOVER.” by Joseph G. Masters, Omaha, Regional Director BLAZING THE TRAIL ma advent of the first wagon train over the Old Oregon Trail. On that date Capt. Wm. Sublette set out from St Loins with ten wagons and two Dearborn carriages for the Rendezvous on Big Wind River in Wyoming. He followed the general route of Robert Stuart of the Astorians and others of the great iur-trapping brigade. These tracks were followed a little later by the men of the covered wagon who set out for homes in that far-off country of Oregon,—hence the name The Oregon Trail. ' ihele was born 'thaf same year—December 29, looO near Huntsvielle, Ohio—a man who was to make the long journey in 1852 as a pioneer to Oregon. Many years later (in 1906) he was to retrace the tracks of the old trail with an ox-team telling again the story of its romance and tragedy to a generation that had never known that terrible battle through the great American wilderness, across miles and miles of trackless and treeless desert, over almost impossible mountain bar­ riers, through torrential streams that took its human toll as well as that of the sturdy oxen, and past mountain defile with its waiting ambush of the lurking savage—all in the old ox-wagon making from twelve to fif­ teen miles per day. This man, Ezra Meeker, made still other trips over this great high­ way by ox-team, automobile, air plaine; erecting many monuments at the great landmarks along this mighty highway. He may well be called the “Daddy of the Trail,” and so conspicuous has been his services in ex­ ploring and marking its pathway, in making known its struggles and hardships, in organizing the Oregon Trail Memorial Association, that it is altogether fitting that the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, mark the closing date of our centenary celebration. At the age of 98 this remarkable old man set out again from head­ quarters in New York in an “ox mobile” given him by Henry Ford for one more trip over the great sunset trail. By the time he had reached Detroit he was so ill and so nearly worn out that he was compelled to finish the journey to the land he loved in a pullman. Here at Seattle, surrounded by his loved ones, he crossed the last great divide, December 3, 1928. His last words form our challenge today: “I am not quite ready to go; my work is unfinished.” THE GREAT TREK The Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail were one for 41 miles out of Independence, Mo. At a point just west of what is now Gardner, Kansas was a sign post pointing to the northwest with the legend “Road to Oregon.” The trail crossed the Kansas or Kaw just west of Topeka, crossed the Big Blue at Marysville, and entered Nebraska at the south­ east comer of Jefferson county. Just a short distance north was the famous Rock Creek station where Wild Bill Hlckock killed McCanles in the ’6O’s. This is about six miles southeast of Fairbury. A mile south­ west of this spot, high on Inscription Rock, may still be seen the names, “Kit Carson, Col. John C. Fremont, 1842.” Three and a half miles north and a half mile west of Fairbury one may see Dripping Springs and the Mormon graves nearby. Six miles north and a half mile west is Winslow Grave. From Jefferson county the trail went west along the Little Bl le four miles north of Hebron, past what is Oak, Nebraska where in tht terrible Indian raid of 1864 a part of the Eubanks family was murdered and Mrs. Eubanks and Laura Roper were taken captives by the Indiana. The trail followed west past Spring Ranch to the Old Dinner Station, (nine miles southwest of Hastings,) on northwest to the Lone Grave five miles northwest of Kenasaw. Thence Platte River and joined the Nebraska City Road (which left Nebraska City, ran west to Ashland, north of David City SIX miles north of Osceola to Dog Town and Point City, two very small towns a mile north of Lowell.) Both towns have long since disappeared. From here the trail ran west to Fort Kearney, the site of which is four M south and four miles east of Kearney and is now owned by the state of Nebraska. On the north side of the main highway may be seen the deep trenches of the fort. A part of the modem flag pole may b^found over among the trees. west to Plum Creek where occurred some of . hardest f^hting with the Indians. On west it went to the stage stations near Gothenburg, west past Brady’s Island to Ft. McPherson Oust southeast of the present national cemetery across the river from Maxwell). The trail passed at the bottom of Sioux Lookout behind which Indians would hide and swoop down on the passing wagon-trains I he Oregon road went on the south side of the South Platte to a point tour miles west of Brule, Nebraska where many crossed and made their way over the high table land to Ash Hollow' which is just south across the river (and east) from Lewellen, Nebraska. What a wonderful place IS Ash Hollow! As one approaches from the north there is, on the right in the little cemetery, the grave of Rachel Patterson, a ’49’er, whose original grave stone now rests beside a beautiful Oregon Trail Marker Farther up the canyon south is the pond now formed by the spring which offered such a wonderful camping place in trail days. There were many trees too, in the hollow in the old days. About three or four miles up the canyon high on the west side of Windlas Hill one may still see the deep gulches of the old trail ruts as the wagons were let down the long hill to the bottom of the canyon. Instead of crossing just west of Brule many kept on up the south Platte to where Pt. Sedgwick was built later, the site of which may be seen today six miles southwest of the present Julesburg on the south side of the river. The trail crossed the river here and came out on the north side, just below Lodge Pole Creek. This branch of the trail follow­ ed west to a large pine tree, struck northwest to Mud Springs (now Simla), going just east of famous Court House Rock and Jail (ten miles south of Bridgeport) on to the North Platte where it joined the trail made by those who had gone via. Ash Hollow. Wonderful Chimney Rock so famous in trail days is just south of Bayard, Nebraska. These great landmarks could be seen for days enroute for it must be remembered that Oregon Trail Caravans moved only about a dozen miles a day. Scott’s Bluff was the next great landmark and the old trail here made its way through Mitchell Pass where so many thousands of wheels cut the gulch so deep that only the bare tops of the wagons might be seen by an observer a few feet away. Prom here the trail swept into Wyoming to that wonderful haven and refuge. Old Fort Laramie. This great fort was the mecca of all who moved west over the trail,—ibr here they could rest, purchase supplies, and have their wagons repaired and their oxen or mules shod by the blacksmith. In the old days the fort was adobe. In 1849 the government bought it as a military post. Three of the old buildings erected in the early ’5O’s—the suttler’s store. Old Bed­ lam, and the guard house,—are still standing. Prom this point the pioneer battled to a point three miles west of what is now Gasper where later was built Platte Bridge which was destooyed by the Indmns who, (in the terrible attack on a wagon train in 186^) killed CaspOrfcollins for whom the city was later named. The trail here crossed to the north side of the river and for the last time joined �the California and Mormon Trail (called also the Overland Trail and the 3 a board or headstone, and hundreds of graves left without Oregon Trail) which took its beginning at Kanesville (Council Bluffs), this affectionate token ot remembrance, furnished abundant evidence of Omaha, and Mormon Hollow north of Bellevue. One branch of this the unsparing hand with which death has thinned their ranks. The trail ran through a part of what is now Omaha. The Mormons crossed ®attered fragments of the vehicles, provision, tools, etc., in­ the river and built Winter Quarters on the present site of Florence. +tended to be taken across these wild plains, tell us another tale of reck­ During the winter of 1846-47 some 500 died and their graves may be less boldness with which many entered upon this hazardous enterprise, seen in Pioneer Cemetery, west from the park in Florence. undertake this long trip except with very good animals, The Mormons began their great journey to the Promised Land in the vehicles and with a good supply of light provisions, spring of 1847. Their road, generally speaking, was that followed later such as tea, coffee, sugar, rice, dried apples, peaches, flour and peas or by the Military Highway, the Union Pacific, and the Lincoln Highway. Deans. Three miles southwest of Central City was the famous Cottonwood tree STORY OF MARCUS WHITMAN which has long ago disappeared but now replaced by one of concrete. In the summer of 1832 three Flathead chiefs and a Nez Perce came As the caravans dragged their weary miles over the two trails in to Saint Louis seeking the “Book of Heaven” and the White Man’s God Nebraska they could often see each other across the Platte,—the great whom they had heard about in their home beyond the Rocky Mountains. white winged argonauts moving always into the Great West. The story of this search spread so that in the spring of 1835 Dr. Marcus From Platte Bridge west of Casper the old trail made its way 55 Whitman and Samuel Parker set out from New York as missionaries to miles southwest to great Independence Rock,-a mighty landmark of the these Indians. Going west to the Green River Rendezvous they found the desert covering 27 acres. This was a famous place for camping, for mar­ Indians anxious to have the missionaries in the homes of the red men riages, and even many who died near were carried here for burial,-for Thereupon’ Whitman arranged to take back with him two Indian boys graves out on the desert or along a stream were so difficult to mark that and tell the story at home. Here Dr. Whitman removed two arrow heads they were seldom found in later years of search. Five miles west of here irom the back of the famous old mountaineer, Jim Bridger, while the Inwas Devil’s Gate, a great gap where the Sweetwater cut an enormous dians looked on with the utmost wonder at such surgical skill. gorge directly through the mountain range. And now came that delight­ ful drive west along the winding channel of the Sweetwater out on the Green River Rendezvous of 1835 related by Parker of the great Kit Carson, that is worth telling open prairie and the desert. All along through Nebraska and to South here: I will relate an occurrence which took place, near evening, as a Pass in Wyoming might be seen thousands of buffalo in the early days of the trail. Black tail deer, antelope, elk, grouse, prairie chicken, sage specimen of frontier life. A hunter, who goes technically by the name of the great bully of the mountains, mounted his horse with a loaded rifle chicken, and occasionally mountain sheep were to be had by the skillful and challenged any Frenchman, American, Spaniard, or Dutchman, to shot of that day. Split Rock, Dangerous Three Crossings, the great Wind River Range, fight him in single combat. Kit Carson, an American, told him if he wished to die, he (Carson) would accept the challenge. Shunar defied Rocky Ridge, and Burnt Ranch (of later days) were all of the utmost in­ terest to the trail-maker. When the crest of gentle South Pass was him. Carson mounted his horse, and with a loaded pistol, rushed into close reached and the weary traveler could look off to the Pacific Slope there contact, and both almost at the same instant fired. Carson’s ball entered Shunar’s hand, came out at the wrist, and passed through the arm above was an unbounded joy,- and yet this was only the half-way mark. How the elbow. Shunar’s ball passed over the head of Carson; and while he fortunate that so many could not realize the terrible journey still ahead. went for another pistol, Shunar begged that his life might be spared.” Camping at Pacific Springs just over the Divide the weary caravans It was spared. finally crossed the little Sandy, the Big Sandy, the Green River and made their way on to Fort Bridger. From this point those going to Utah Dr. Whitman told his story of the Indians to the American Board but most of all to Narcissa Prentiss, a beautiful strong and courageous and some going to Californiii turned south, but many swung again to the great Northwest with a renewed determination to go on to Oregon. young woman who had wanted since early girlhood to go west as a mis­ These with others who had followed up Ham’s Pork, to Smith’s Fork, now sionary. Dr. Whitman and Narcissa were married and with Rev. H. H. crossed the mountains and went down Bear River to Soda Springs with its Spalding and his wife, Eliza Spalding, together with the two Indian boys medicinal waters bubbling high in many sprays and jets. As the Bear and Wm. H. Gray, set out with two well filled wagons in the spring of River made its great loop and turned to the south another road led away 1836 for the mountains. They moved west to the landing near Liberty, to California. The Oregon Trail then took a northwesterly course Missouri. Dr. and Mrs. Whitman and Mrs. Spalding proceeded by boat to through what is now Pocatello to Fort Hall on the banks of the Snake what is now (Council Bluffs while Gray and Spalding came overland with River. the wagons, eight mules, twelve horses, and sixteen cows. From Fort Hall the old trail swept around that vast semicircle of the They crossed the Platte River in boats of skins, and fortunately fell SnaKe in southern Idaho, on past Thousand Springs for 40 miles along in with the expedition of the American Fur Company, under the highly the Snake. It crossed the Snake at (Renn’s Ferry^Idaho where we found _skn!ed leadership of Fitzpatrick. The company caravan consisted of 19 a rearOregon TraTil grave,—marked with three-fourths buried wagon-tires. carts each with two mules hitched tandem, one light Dearborn wagon, The trail crossed again at Ft. Boise and left the Snake at Farewell Bend, and two mules and two wagons belonging to an English nobleman, “titles Thence it made its way up Burnt River, over the Powder, down Ladd’s and all on.” He had with him another of blood “Who, between them, had Canyon, to the Grand Ronde, over difficult Blue Mountains, and down three servants, two dogs, and four extra fine horses to run and hunt the the Umatilla to the Columbia. Here the emigrants floated down the buffalo.” great river to the places they wished to settle. The vast trek of over two There were almost no trail marks of any kind except that of the thousand miles across the western half of the continent was at an end.They buffalo which were often worn deep and at right angles to the road they had reached home at last and were now ready to settle down as the were to take up the Platte. So out on the great sea of billowing prairie empire builders of the West. launched this interesting caravan with the first white women ever to go ALONG THE TRAIL over the dim trail which in time was to be called by the Indians, “The There were usually two, three, and even four or five tracks of the old Great Medicine Road of the Whites.” They killed game as they went, trail in the sod or desert. As soon as one was cut deep another would traded with Indians for buffalo meat, made two dug-out boats with be formed, and, often a driver would make a new track in trying to find which they crossed the Platte when they reached Fort Laramie. Some­ a better road or cutoff. Frank Helvey who first saw the Old Trail in times the nobleman’s dogs would give chase to the fleet-footed antelope what is now Jefferson County, Nebraska in 1858 thus describes it: “I but were generally so outdistanced that Sir William would return to the shall never forget that sight. Endless lines of white top wagons, drawn train swearing that the antelope could outrun a streak of lightning. by oxen, mules, horses winding and trailing through the blinding clouds From Fort Laramie west Dr. Whitman was determined to take of dust that hung in the air, and driven to their utmost energy by the his wagon and the fur company retained a single cart with the goods goading and hallooing of many men. I had never before seen such a loaded on pack animals. A special detail of men had to help the wagon sight so we camped that night near by and watched the wonderful scene and the cart when they overturned or were stuck in the mud. At the of the twinkling miles of camp fires up and down the whole valley.” crossing of the Platte below Red Buttes buffalo were killed, their hides Father DeSmet who made so many trips into the Old West as a mis­ sewed together and stretched over frameworks of willows. With tal­ sionary says, “The 2nd day of September, 1851, we found ourselves on low thoroughly rubbed into the skins and dried, these “Bull boats” ser­ They made their way the Great Route to Oregon, over which, like successive ocean surges, ved as excellent conveyances across the river. the caravans, composed of thousands of emigrants from every country past Independence Rock (after carving their names on the south side) and clime, have passed during these years to reach the rich gold mines to be met soon by one of the wildest cavalcades ever seen in the moun­ of California, or to take possession of the new lands in the fertile plains tains. and valleys of Utah and Oregon. These intrepid pioneers of civilization Joe Meek, the old mountain man with his band of trappers and a doz­ have formed the broadest, longest and most beautiful road in the whole en Indians came over the hill from the west riding like wild men to give world—^from the United States to the Pacific Ocean. On the skirts of the Whitman party a real welcome to the mountains. On they came, this magnificient highway there is an abundance of grass for supplying riding faster and faster, yelling louder and louder, and gesticulating the cattle and animals appertaining to the caravans which are incessantly more and more madly, until they met and passed the caravan, they dis­ traveling on it, from early spring to autumn, every succeeding year. The charged their guns in one volley”. They paid great deference to the two road is fine, broad, and perhaps the longest in the world. This immense ladies in the party and told them many wonderful tales of this new life avenue is like a barn-floor swept by the winds. No blade of grass springs in the west. up, so unceasingly is it trodden by the feet of thousands of Americans The caravan soon passed Split Rock and moved on to South Pass and Europeans hastening to California. Our Indians, who had seen only pathless wastes, crossed at most by a hunter’s trail, thought, on behold­ where one may still see the markers calling attention to the tracks of ing it, that the whole nation of the whites had passed over it, and the the Oregon Trail and the fact that Narcissa Whitman and Eliza Spald­ the land of the sunrise must be depopulated. They could hardly ing were the first women ever to cross the Rocky Mountains. As they believe me when I told them that the multitudes who had gone were passed over this great divide and looked into the slope of the Pacific “they alighted from their horses and kneeling on the other half of the scarcely missed.” continent, with the Bible in one hand and the American Flag in the other, “The scene we witnessed on this road presented indeed a melancholy proof of the uncertainty which attends our highest prospects of life. took possession of it as the home of American mothers and the church of Christ.” The bleached bones of animals everywhere strewed along the track, the At the American Rendezvous on Green River they met the vast con­ hastily erected mound, beneath which lie the remains of some departed friend or relative, with an occasional tribute to his memory roughly course of trappers, Indians, traders in their wild orgy of yarns, trading, �fighting, drinking, racing, gambling and sometimes killing. From this point they set out with a Hudson Bay party for the long stretch to Fort Hall on the banks of the Snake. Whitman persisted in taking his wagon as far as this fort. Here Dr. Whitman converted the wagon into a cart and with it the party struggled forward to Ft. Boise where he was forced to leave it for the time being,—and, where it proved of immense service to the Hudson Bay Company in completing their fort. Four years later carts, and seven years later, wagons were to come on through to Oregon. It is to Marcus Whitman, however, that we must give the larger credit in making the great trail a roadway. From Ft. Boise they made their way along the Snake, thence up the Burnt River, down Ladd’s canyon into the Grande Ronde, thence over difficult Blue Mountains. Gray, who was a member of the party, says, “As the party began to descend from the western slope of the Blue Moun­ tains, the view was surpassingly grand. Beiore us lay the great valley of the Columbia: on the west, and in full view. Mount Hood rose amid the lofty range of the Cascade Mountains, ninety miles distant. To the south of K. t. H ood stood Mt. Adams, and to the north Mt. Rainier; while with the assistance of Mr. McKay, we could trace the course of the Columbia, and determine the location of Walla Walla.” Making their way down to the British posts of Ft. Walla Walla and Ft. Vancouver where they were courteously received and cared for, Whitman selected as the place for his mission, Waiilatpu, some 30 miles east of Ft. Walla Walla, while Spalding settled among the Nez Perces, 120 miles farther east. Dr. and Mrs Whitman at once erected buildings, called the Indians around them, planted and harvested their crops from season to season, attended the sick, taught the Cayuses the Christian faith, and fed and cared for many weary immigrants at the end of their long struggle across the continent. All of the time the entire Oregon country (now Oregon, Washington, Idaho) was claimed by the Great Hudson Bay Company for the British. One day in the fall of 1842 when Dr. Whitman was at Ft. Walla Walla, it was announced that the Hudson Bay Company was at last bringing settlers into the country. One of the guests was so greatly elat­ ed that he arose from the table and shouted. “Hurrah for Oregon, Ameri­ ca is too late; we have got the country.” Something surged deep within the heart of this great American. In two hours he was back at his mis­ sion and within twenty-four hours he swung into the saddle for a 4,000 mile journey to the capital of the United States. With a small escort he was at Ft. Hall in eleven days and knowing of the terrible snows in the mountains, he left the Oregon Trail and turned south toward the Santa Fe Trail. Passing Ft. Unita and Ft. Uncompahgre and striking boldly over the terrible snows of the moun­ tains the party lost its way. Lovejoy says that after hours of waiting in the storm, an old mule pointed his ears forward and when urged ahead guided the party back to the camp of the previous night. Whitman rode back to the fort, secured a new guide, and was again soon fighting his way through the terrible drifts, and gorges, over almost impassable barriers, through icy streams and with frost-bitten fingers, nose, toes, and ears, finally reached Taos. From here the party went to Santa Fe, where they picked up the well worn tracks of the Santa Fe Trail through New Mexico to that wonderful haven. Bent’s Fort, in Colorado. Thence Whitman made his way on east to Independence. He arrived at St. Louis about the last of February, 1843, and hurried by stage to Washington. Still dressed in his buckskin breeches and his great buffalo coat with hood, heavy fur leggings and boot mocassins, he arrived at the nation’s capital about the time the Secretary of State, Daniel Webster, was say­ ing, “But you are too late. Doctor, for we are about to trade off Oregon for the cod-fisheries.” It is said that he got a better hearing with the frontiersman, John Tyler, President of the United States. At all events, they at the capital, would remember the intrepid courage of one of America’s great men of the trails and his plea for the land beyond the Western Mountains. All the way east Whitman had stirred up the people by telling them of the wonderful country on the last frontier. As he came back to Inde­ pendence in the spring, a great party of 200 wagons and 1,000 men, women, and children were ready for that Great Migration in its mighty trek across the plains. Again following the trail into the great west this party organized, quarrelled, divided, but kept the divisions within supporting distance of each other. Whitman was always in the van pointing the way, swimming the streams to guide the caravan to the best crosslooking after the sick at night, and encouraging every one by hi® hopefulness and promise of land and plenty in the great western empire, ihis time they reached the Columbia with their wagons. Two succeed­ ing emigrations added greatly to the number of Americans spreading over Oregon. These tides of humanity were too staunch to be turned aside, or trifled with. Thus, in 1846, Great Britain recognized the Amer­ ican pioneer (who went into the west for homes) by signing the treaty giving to the United States the Oregon Country as far north as the 49th parallel. The great missionary and the emigrants had won, but Dr. and Mrs Whitman were to pay the great price. The Cayuse Indians, because many of their number had died of a strange malady, believed the doctor was the sourse of the illness, and hearing also the great numbers of whites now coming to the new land, brutally murdered Dr. and Mrs. Whitman, little Mary Ann Bridger, and Helen May Meek, daughters of the great fur trappers, together with some nine others in November of 1847. Six miles southwest of Walla Walla today the traveller and explor­ er of the Old Oregon Trail may behold the beautiful monuments an<f markers which a grateful and thoughtful people of a great state hav« erected to the memory and heroism of theseintrepid .......................... American pioneers. IN CAMP ON THE PLATTE “ An unoccupied spec­ tator, who could have be­ held our camp today, would think it a singular specta­ cle. The hunters returning with the spoil; some erect­ ing scaffolds, others drying meat (of the buffalo). Of the women, some were washing, some ironing, some baking. At two of the tents the fiddle was employed in uttering its unaccustomed voice among the solitudes of the Platte; at one tent I heard sing­ ing; at others some were engaged in reading, some the Bible, others pouring over novels. While all of this was going on,. that nothing might be wanting to complete the harmony of the scene, a Campbellite preacher, named Foster, was reading a hymn, pre­ paratory to religious ser­ vice.” Joel Palmer in 1846. A DAY WITH THE COW COLUMN IN 1843 by Jesse Applegate The above title represents the story of one day’s travel on the old trail and has now become a classic. It is written by Jesse Applegate who went out with the “Great Migration,” of the Whitman party of 1843. The Oregon Historical Quarterly (Dec. 1900) has done a great service in preserving such an intimate word picture of life on the trail. Some ex­ cerpts appear below: “The emigrants were also assured that the Sioux would be much opposed to the passage of so large a body through their country, and would probably resist it on account of the emigrants’ destroying and frightening away the buffaloes, which were then diminishing in numbers. “The migrating body numbered over one thousand souls, with about one hundred and twenty wagons, drawn by six-ox teams, averaging about six yokes to the team, and several thousand loose horses and cattle. “The emigrants first organized and attempted to travel in one body, but it was soon found that no progress could be made with a body so cum­ brous, and as yet so averse to all discipline. And at the crossing of the “Big Blue” it divided into two columns, which traveled in supporting distance of each other as far as Independence Rock on the Sweetwater.” “It is four o’clock A. M.; the sentinels on duty have discharged their rifles—the signal that the hours of sleep are over—and every wagon and tent is pouring forth its night tenants, and slow-kindling smokes be­ gin largely to rise and float away in the morning air. Sixty men start from the coral, spreading as they make through the vast herd of cattle and horses that make a semicircle around the encampment, the most distant perhaps two miles away. “The herders pass to the extreme verge and carefully examine for trails beyond, to see that none of the animals have strayed or been stol­ en during the night. This morning no trails led beyond outside animals in sight, and by 5 o’clock the herders begin to contract the great, mov­ ing circle, and the well-trained animals move slowly towards camp, clip­ ping here and there a thistle or a tempting bunch of grass on the way. In about an hour five thousand animals are close up to the encampment, and the teamsters are busy selecting their teams and driving them inside the corral to be yoked. The corral is a circle one hundred yards deep, formed with wagons connected strongly with each other; ths wagon in front by its tongue and ox chains. It is a strong barrier that the most vicious ox cannot break, and in case of an attack of the Sioux would be �BO contemptible intrenchment. From 6 to 7 o’clock is a busy time; breakfast is to be eaten, the tents strucK, the wagons loaded and the teams yoked and brought up in readiness to be attached to their respective wagons. All know when 7 ©clock, the signal to march sounds, that those not ready to take their proper places in the line of march must fall into the dusty rear for the cay. “There are sixty wagons. They have been divided into fifteen diinsions or platoons of four wagons each, and each platoon is entitled to lead in its turn. The leading platoon today will be the rear one tomor­ row, and will bring up the rear unless some teamster, through indolence or negligence, has lost his place in the line, and is condemned to that uncomfortable post. It is within ten minutes of seven; the corral but BOW a strong bayicade is everywhere broken, the teams being attached to the wagons. The women and children have taken their places in them The pilot (a borderer who passed his life on the verge oi civilization and has been chosen to the post of leader from his knowledge of the savage smd his experience in travel through roadless wastes), stands ready, in the midst of his pioneers and aids, to mount and lead the way. Ten or fifteen young men, not today on duty, form another cluster. They are ready to start on a buffalo hunt, are well mounted and well armed as ttiey need be, for the unfriendly Sioux have driven the buffalo out of the Platte, and the hunters must ride fifteen or twenty miles to reach them. The cow drivers are hastening, as they get ready, to the rear of their charge, to collect and prepare them for the day’s march. “It is on the stroke of seven; the rush to and fro, the cracking of whips, the loud command to oxen, and what seemed to be the inextricable confusion of the last ten minutes has ceased. Fortunately every one has been found and every teamster is at his post. The clear notes of a trum­ pet sound in the front, the pilot and his guards move out of the encamp­ ment, and take up the line of march the rest fall into their places with the precision of clock work, until the spot so lately full of life sinks back into that solitude that seems to reign over the broad plain and rushing river as the caravan draws its lazy length towards the distant El Dorado.” “They (the wagons) form a line three-quarters of a mile in length; some of the teamsters ride upon the front of their wagons, some march besides their teams, scattered along the line companies of women are taking exercise on foot; they gather bouquets of rare and beautiful flowers that line the way; near them stalks a stately greyhound, or an Irish wolf dog apparently proud of keeping watch and ward over his master’s wife and children. Next comes a band of horses; two or three men or boys fol­ low them, the docile and sagacious animals scarce needing this attention, for they have learned to follow in the rear of the wagons, and know that at noon they will be allowed to graze and rest. Their knowledge of time seems as accurate as on the place they are to occupy in the line, and even a full-blown thistle will scarce tempt them to straggle or halt until the dinner hour has arrived. Not so with the large herd of homed beasts that bring up the rear; lazy, selfish and unsocial, it has been a task to get them in motion, the strong always ready to domineer oyer, the_,weakt. -■Will I.—Il ■■ ' halt hl the front and rofbidfhu weak to pass thein.” " “But from the standpoint of the hunters, the vexations are not appar­ ent; the crack of whips and loud objurgation are lost in the distance. Nothing of the moving panorama, smooth and orderely as it appears, has more attractions for' the eye than that vast square column in which all colors are mingled, moving here slowly and there briskly, as impelled by horsemen riding furiously in front and rear.” “But the picture in its grandeur, its wonderful mingling of colors and distinctness of detail, is forgotten in contemplation of the singular people who give it life and animation. No other race of men with the means at their command would undertake so great a journey, none save these could successfully perform it, with no previous preparation, relying . only on the fertility of their own invention to devise these means to overi' come each danger and difficulty as it arose. They have undertaken to perform with slow-moving oxen a journey of two thousand miles. The ■way lies over trackless wastes, wide and deep rivers, ragged and lofty mountains, and is beset with hostile savages. Yet, whether it were a deep river with no tree upon its banks, a rugged defile where even a loose horse could not pass, a hill too steep for him to climb, or a threat­ ened attack of an enemy, they were always found ready and equal to the occassion, and always conquerors. May we not call them men of des­ tiny?” “It is now one o’clock; the bugle has sounded and the caravan has resumed its westward journey. It is in the same order, but the evening is far less animated than the morolng march; a drowsiness has fallen apparently on man and beast; teamsters drop asleep on their perches and even when walking by their teams, and the words of command are now addressed to the slowly creeping oxen in the soft tenor of women or the piping treble of children, while the snores of the teamsters make a droning accompaniment.” “The sun is now getting low in the west and at length the painstak­ ing pilot is standing ready to conduct the train in the circle which he has previously measured and marked out, which is to form the invariable fortification for the night. The leading wagons follow him so nearly around the circle that but a wagon length, separate them. Each wagon follows in its track, the rear closing on the front, until its tongue and ox-chains will perfectly reach from one to the other, and so accurate the measure and perfect the practice, that the hindmost wagon of the train always precisely closes the gateway, as each wagon is brought into posi­ tion. It is dropped from its team (the teams being inside the circle), the team unyoked and the yokes and chains are used to connect the wagon strongly with that in its front. Within ten minutes from the time the leading wagon halted, the barricade is formed, the teams unvoked and driven out to pasture. Every one is busy preparing fires of buffalo chips to cook the evening meal, pitching tents and otherwise preparing for the night.” “All able to hear arms in the party have been formed into three companies, and each of these into four watches; every third night it is the duty of one of these companies to keep watch and ward over the camp, and it is so arranged that each watch takes its turn of guard duty through the different watches of the night. They begin at 8 o’clock P M and end at 4 o’clock A. M.” Before a tent near the river a violin makes lively music, and some youths and maidens have improvised a dance upon the green; in another quarter a flute gives its mellow and melancholy notes to the still night air, which, as they float away over the quiet river, seem a lament for the past rather than a hope for the future. It has been a prosperous day; more than twenty miles have been accomplished of the great journey.” “But time passes; the watch is set for the night; the council of old men has been broken, and each has returned to his own quarter; the flute has whispered its last lament to the deepening night; the violin is silent, and the dancers have dispersed; enamored youth have whispered a tender “good night” in the ear of blushing maidens, or stolen a kiss from the lips of some future bride—for Cupid here, as elsewhere, has been busy bringing together congenial hearts, and among these simple people he alone is consulted in forming the marriage tie. Even the doctor and the pilot have separated for the night. All is hushed and repose from the iatigues of the day.” DATA AND DISASTER For the first few years after the opening of the trail by the SublettJackson-Smith initial wagon-train of 1830 only a few hundred set out each year. The year of 1843 with the Great Migration marked the first large numbers into the West. In 1844 from 500 to 700 went out; in 1845 over 3000 with 460 wagons made their way into the West; while in 1846 approximately 1600 went to Oregon and California. In 1847 at least 3000 Mormons made the trip over the two branches of the trail, finally reach­ ing Salt Lake; in 1848 a large number of Mormons and others were again found on the trail. This year may be said to close the pioneer-emigrant period. With the great gold excitement spreading over the world in 1848 and 1849, thousands upon thousands started for California. Some -went around the Horn (a few paying $1000 each idr passage), others via Panama, and by April 1, 20,000 had gathered along the banks of the Missouri ready to begin the trip over the trail just as soon as the spring grass would make its appearance to sustain the oxen and mules. The St. Joseph Advocate states that by May 18 of that year 2850 wagons had crossed the river at that point, and l^y June 1, 4000 wagons had passed Pt. Kearney on the south side of the river alone. It is estimated that from 8000 to 10,000 wagons went over the trail that year. There were often as many as ten oxen to each wagon. In the year of 1852, 500 wagons passed Fort Kearney in a single day. In a period of twenty-four hours, 888 wagons were counted on the trail between Fort Kearney and Julesberg on the south side of the river. In 1857 Albert Sidney Johnson passed over the trail with 2500 soldiers en­ route to quell the Morihons. Large numbers again fared forth with the “Pike’s Peak or Bust” discovery of gold in 1858 and 1859. In 1859 the secretary of the Columbus Ferry Co. at Loup Pork (just west of what is now Columbus, Nebraska) counted the following by the middle of June: 1987 wagons, 5401 men, 429 women and 48 children, 1610 horses, 406 mules, 6010 oxen, and 6000 sheep. With the moving of such vast hordes into the West, many started poorly prepared and outfitted. Worst of all, the dread scourge, the “Asi­ atic Cholera,” broke out in 1849 on the trail. Its victims would often live for only a few hours after the first attack. A multitude of graves soon lined both sides of the great roadway. Thus, the pioneers ol the plains lay dead in rows of fifties and seventies along the great highway. It is estimated that 5000 perished in the two or three years’ ravages of this terrible disease. Chenoweth, who ■went over the trail at this time, says, “But the name of cholera in a multitude—unorganized and unnumbered— is like a leak in the bottom of a ship whose decks are thronged with pas­ sengers. The disturbed waters of the ocean, the angry elements of Nature, when aroused to fury, are but faint Illustrations of the terror-stricken mass of humanity, when in their midst are falling with great rapidity the comrades—the strong, the young and the old—the strength and vigor of youth melting away before the unseen foe. All this filled our ranks with the utmost terror and gloom. This terrible malady seemed to spend its most deadly force on the flat prairie east of about Fort Laramie.” In 1860 the Omaha Republican estimated that a person could see from 50 to 100 teams at once on the trail. By May 23 of that year, residents declared that between 2500 and 3000, wagons had passed along the roadway of the trail. It was claimed on May 19, 1860 that 700 teams crossed in a single day between the Elkhorn and Loup Pork on the north side of the Platte. In the latter part of the ’5O’s the great firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell began their freighting business into the West. From April 25, to October 18, 1860 they had transported 2,750,000 pounds of freight. At one time this firm had in use on the trail 6000 wagons, 10,000 men, 100,000 oxen,, and many hundreds of mules. The enormous wagons carried from 5,000 to 15,000 pounds each. Stage coach travel was begun in 1858 across the 1900 miles from the Missouri river- to the western coast. At first it took 38 days carrying both passengers and mail, but this time was soon reduced to 24 or 26 days. In the early ’6O’s Ben Holladay had 135 stations, with 500 coaches and 150 drivers pushing on night and day to make the trips from river to coast. By 1860 the Pony Express riders were carrying the mail at break­ neck speed from St. Joseph to San Francisco in 10 days. Each rider carried the mail a distance of from 75 to 100 miles with two minutes for changing horses every 10 or 15 miles. Altogether, hundreds of thousands moved into the Far West as trappers, traders, voyageurs, gold seekers, soldiers of fortune, emigrants, soldiers, and settlers. One writer estimates that all in all there were 2,000,000 to pass over the old trail in helping to build the great westerB empire of the trans-Missouri country. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-F Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Oregon Trail Memorial Association Wyoming Roads Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains an article titled "Frank Julian Writes of Some Early Ranches," an issue of Wyoming Roads (September, 1925), a paper titled "The Blackfeet Indians," and a copy of the Oregon Trail Memorial Association's December 29, 1930 newsletter. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/365b4ef59748f7b926201d9d3f15e573.pdf 02c18ca9d5eb8638c93abc453145eccc Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-H Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Casper Tribune-Herald Malcolm Campbell Motor Travel Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1926 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains an article by Malcolm Campbell, published in the Casper Tribune-Herald on Sunday, March, 14, titled Packer, the Man-Eater, and a February 1926 issue of Motor Travel, titled "The Wagon-Boss: A Picturesque and Efficient Transportation Factor in the Old West and Some Reminiscences of a Survivor of that Occupation." Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/1bb14a6f063970cfbd1514451d86a84f.pdf d21ca0854d1f2601c3e5405e5eeb104f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-I Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Frances Seely Webb Casper Tribune-Herald Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1947-1948 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains newspaper clippings of articles written by Frances Seely Webb on Casper's first homes. There is also a paper on Shoshone Cavern National Monument. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/6816d5feb479b50fd2758af2fb5ae5ae.pdf 06f923487e40d712ff453c670fb6e661 PDF Text Text 2iJ^ Q*A«jt-u. ^^424*^ .■ ■ ''' < ?> ■'' ■ ' ’ X/^., ■ jllK^-. ■ -nmTierrt t'-'*' . ^>i-’..--'t:-‘.-.-'.ai«..MM**i-^-'^^^i?^=^^*-'->^ ‘»'««^‘^«--»-«^. ':i-r'g-.. �yv^ ,C4-"(a^ ol-JLt^ ''~hA7v^ j)^ ~ /iLe(p^ iC- -tC 1*J-mX «M a^ ktCc^ 1-^-^ <vi ->«-t*-«^ Ji.t.>M>()^ i^LiiJ-^ A-.^^ £^ 444zv^ l3 A J2jL.&-rt>1^->^^ A^u./jA>ft>Uj a^ ^yUlXh>^<A4, 4' /^-CAiJIAA-A^ n '/' ' "iL^ "^k^ZDCkz <5-Aa-z1z t^'«. 6--^-*-*v *v\a>6o^ ^HAl .———J ;,ts_?iS^KE’=., �ADDRESS BEPCHE SHERIDAN AND JOHNSON COUNTIES PIONEER ASSOCIATION Av. Stor'/, VJyoraing, August g4th, 1947 By Russell Thorp We vvho have experienced many of the pioneer days have an obligation to interpret them honestly for the benefit of our successois. This involves not only the preservation and making accessible of documentary material but the arrangement of historical objects in such a way that a complete and accurate story of Wyoming and its environs will be unfolded to those who visit our state historical museum and other historic shrines such as Fort Bridger, Fort Caspar, and similar places. The citizens of Casper and Natrona County did a fine piece of work in re­ storing old Fort Caspar. The members of the V/yoming Land Mark Commission, of which I have the honor of being a member, are now at work, through the generosity of the recent legislature, in restoring old Fort Bridger. We hope to make it so attractive in its restoration that thousands of tourists will linger annually to enjoy it and will learn from it much about Wyoming that they otherwise might not know. Because of its geographical location, V/yomlng has and will continue to be a most important link in the chain of western history. Although it was one of the last territories to be settled permanently, it figured in every important era of western development. Back and forth across what is now our state, went various Indian tribes, pathbreakers, fur trappers and traders, explorers, missionaries, soldiers, emigrants, miners, cattlemen, stagecoach men, freighters, railway builders, and homesteaders. Right now there is unprecedented interest in Western Americana. No doubt this is due to the fact that here in the West lie unmined treasures in the form of unpublished lore, unassembled historical data, uncollected relics. Professors, students, vrriters, publishers and collectors of all kinds of western data are finding VJyoming a rich field for their work. We must be alert to protect our interests and to save for our ovjn citizens what historical material we have left, before it is too late. VJyoming has long been a free foraging ground. Think for a moment of what has already happened to many of our treasures of the past. You all know how various scientific expeditions have come into ths state and have carried away some of the most remarkable dinosaurs and archaeological specimens ever dis­ covered. Not a hand was lifted to prevent these things from leaving our borders and going into museums in the east, or middle-v>Fest. You no doubt know, too, how trucks from California and other states carried away load after load of petrified wood from our petrified forest north of Medicine Bow, because we had no lav; to protect the removal of such matter from the state. �The sane thing has been happening tc seme extent to our -hlstarical materials. As early as th? 1330’3, Hubert Bancroft came into Wyoming and neighboring states and collected extremely valuable original manuscripts, records, pamphlets and bocks which ho placed in his large collection in California. Bancroft is to be commended upon the fine histories which he published and also upon the fact that he has saved for posterity much valuable data on the old West. But the fact remains that records which might now be within our own state are novr out in California‘because Bancroft was first on the job. It is true, of course, that it would be impossible to pass a law to pre­ vent individuals from giving away, selling, or destroying things of historical value which they own, but the state could provide inducements of such a caliber that our citizens would want to entrust their relics, manuscripts, photographs and pic neer keepsakes into the hands of the state rather than to let them go elsewhere. If a fine historical museum building were erected that would assure permanent security to donations, there soon would be a stream of valuable things flowing into the keeping of the state. I do not wish to discount the excellent work already accomplished in Wyoming. Much credit is due organizations such as the D.A.R., the S.A.R., county historical societies, the University of Wyoming, and the state his­ torical S'-'Ciety for past endeavors. The Wyoming Historical Society was established by an act of the legis­ lature in 1895. As originally planned it was to be "a safe depository for valuable books, files of newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, maps, charts, portraits, mineral specimens, and articles of value illustrative of the history and progress of our State,” A splendid start was made with Robert Morris as the first secretary. Volume 1 of the Wyoming Historical C-'llecti^ ns was assembled and published. Exhibits of relics and minerals were placed on display in the Capitol in Cheyenne. But as the years went by and the demands for more office space in the Capitol increased, the interest in the historical society seemed to de­ crease. The collection of the society was pushed arcund until it landed at last in boxes in a basement vault. The State Librarian, who was ex-officio historian, had only $250 appropriated annually for the work of the society. This sum was not even sufficient to bind the newspapers. No money was provided by the legislature for publishing historical papers, nor for traveling about the state to collect data. In the report of the State Librarian for 1916-1918 there appeared the following statement: "Wyoming is far behind other states in historical work simply because the matter has not been thoroughly considered by the Legislature, -2- �In 1919, the Wycning Legjsleturs Croated the 'Office of State Historian and. apnropriatei $5,000 for her vjork. This v/as reCueed to $5,COO by the Governor. Tv.'o years lete:^ r Stele Historical B'ard, a State Historian, an Advisory Board, and a Slate HiotoricaJ. Society were provided for by law. Later, as an eo.'>n'riy nieasure, the governor reconinended that the historical department be letumed to the State Librar’y, aa it is today. Time does not permit a disoussion of whether this is a satrsfactory arrangement. I do, however, wish to bring out the fact that the state has receive many valuable donations because it has not had a separate museum of sufficietn size and quality to attract such donati'^ns. not mere heresay. I quote from the Second Biennial Report of the Historian for Wyoming for 1922: failed to historical This is State y *An offer has come to Wyoming for a complete library of Wyoming and v/estem literature which includes almost every published book on this section and which is valued at $75,000. The conditions under which the state may own this priceless library have not as yet been met—the erection of a suitable fire-proof building in which to house it. This is a wonderful opportunity vrhich Wyoming should not allow to pass." The state did allow this opportunity to pass. The collection, assembled by William R. Coe, which in its final state was valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars went to Yale University. It is perhaps the most complete collection of its kind. Its loss to Wyoming cannot be estimated. At present a number of federal bureaus are interested in historical projects of me type or another. Included among these is the National Park Service, which has its so-called Historical Technicians who are at work on many commendable things. In one instance, however, it is reported that an historical technician was asked to unearth historical data to prove a national m<^nument historic after the monument had been created. The monument might be within the borders of V/yoming. I shall leave the answer to you. It is within the power of these various federal bureaus to put their own interpretation upon our local history, to select and reject data to fit their desires. I feel confident that a well-financed, modem state museum maintained by our legislative support, could put a much more unbiased interpretation upon Wyoming’s history and could create greater pride in the story of the state’s achievements than could be developed by technicians who are not sc in tune with the citizenry of our commonwealth. Speaking of state pride—let us consider the case of the Minnesota Historical Society, which is the oldest institution in its state. It is housed in a massive, threestoiTr, fireproof building, erected in 1918 at a cost of $500,000. In Wisconsin, the historical society has a building of Bedford limestone which cost, with equipment, $610,000. It is true that Wisconsin is a much older, more thickly populated, and wealthier state than V’yoming,but it is interesting to note that this magnificent sum of $610,000 was appropriated bv f^e state ’’e-sris"*atn’'ns of 1895- 1897 and 1899: �Nebraska, our neighbor, is nakirg a drive toward a new historical building. The Nebraska Eistorieal Society, founded and incorporated In 1867, id the oldest state institution in Ne’o:?asha. Great interest is be ■’.ng shovjn throughout the state of Colorado in the longrange improvement pr~gic,’i n w under way for the development of the State Museum, which is a sepai-’ « bui.lciing just south of the Capitol in Denver. Plans call for doublirg the present exhibit space and a complete reclasRification of some 20,000 exhibits in accordance with modern standards and for more practical use. As part of the work, exhibits will be segregated that are suitable for traveling I'^an exhibits, so that che Historical Society may extend its service throughout the state to local nureums, libraries, and schools. A second phase of development approved by the Colorado State Historical Society is the establishment of several branch or historic house museums at points of statewide historic importance. It is understood that the request of the Board of Directors for ^103,000 for the Museum improvement, to be provided from the Capitol Building Fund, was met with hearty approval by the State Planning Commission. It may be an inspiration to us here in the West who are struggling along faint trails to know that the private funds which made up the endowment of the Historical Society of Philadelphia total |1,250,000. The New York Society with its monumental home on Central Park West, is privately endowed at #4,600,000 and receives no financial support from the city. The teaching or writing about antiquity often fails to arouse a real understanding because it is not connected With any tangible experience of the listener or reader. Often, too, professional historians are apt to be more theoretical than practical. Historical societies with fine displays can prove to be real citadels for democracy. We all know that this is an age of visulization. The younger generation is notion-picture minded. Many Of our magazines are largely pictorial so that **he who runs may read." Our children have a well-developed appreciation of things they can see. There are so many diversions these days that the average person will not spend the tine digging out facts, as did many persons of an older generation. We must keep pace with the times in presenting historioal material in a visual fashion. It stands to reason that a person who has inspected a real state-coach will be better able to appreciate our methods of early transportation than one who has merely seen a picture of a coach in a book. There is one modem phase of historical work that could be expanded with a new museum,—the making available to the public of microcopies of �docunents, letters, papers, and other things pertaining to the 1 istory of the State which could not otherwise be consulted. In a recent issue of the Mississippi Valley Historical Revj ew there app'-o.red a statement to the effect that the records of the WyoLdng Stock Qrowors Association were "probably the most complete and valuao'e collection of oapers covering the range industry found anywhere, covering the period 1673-1923." This collection did not happen by accident. The officers of the Association carefully preserved all records and during the past decade especial thought was given to the indexing, classification, and permanent preservation of this valuable data vdiich now is housed permanently in the Archives of the. University of Wyoming. We have reached the place in the development of Wyoming where some of the oldest and most substantial homes are being sold. Family possessions are being divided, scattered, or destroyed. We must not delay. We must strive to provide a large, fireproof historical building of a caliber that will induce our pioneer families to deposit their possession within its walls. Teachers of history report that the better and more extensive is a person’s acquaintance with the history of his locality, the better he appreciates international problems. A study of past records shows that whenever the women of Wyoming made up their minds to elect a certain candidate, to back a certain legislative measure, or to kill a certain proposed bill, they were victorious. If you decide now to unite in a drive for a fine state historical museum building there is no question of the outcome. Such a building would serve as a stockade to fence Wyoming in and to prevent it from continuing as a free forage ground for hunters of Western Americana. -5- �fl. 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'4S"“s':2t?s ^^iSSrS' ^e^. come one hte con»- ’^CwcVmV^- ( ?T?he past 30 veais^th^ casper s^ t”"d moTt OWN COUNSEL nut e^vln^as ey<«e I man onh -was’ ’’c'tole actuahy ‘'^though \ VnoXdg® .u«ess he rea business succes ^y^y^ess•^?„'r. 1 w.»««“SF«’,»?“ .Si fmen,. then ne o^ ..ghow Lt ^e hotel ^‘’uni^l h«d'^ ' '.meetings. toemed _ soctftM bear his p i t''L, .W cohstthd'1 Lome/hat .^yyvely Um ^he Mid'^^^^ place ’.„®,ttad been hem , , needed gatherings^ y„ 1909,i^h; spirited citi to �FIRS'! 3OR \ ” ei ?^^?nrdrmX to \ i? WWssB?Si oS°si'SS’‘£sss bBafS;<rg\“« r^asthen 'US»-Sur .ort»“l®;S5 «i»f-c^Red, iSL: X ^^rogie^^^^^^^^ «. “■'s.jd B« »^ “^^^ '\ other'*« -I .1 ,Ue >■» “&«Saissks c ssriS” sb ss 't^® dUc|eho^h^;,ttrea^^^ m Henurng tire man -s c:;^mcit-\^ii;^,^S:^-^» ibeeir ®'g’^®tuck to tire guncli-\ who Ibis men nv^yor, t^^citizens ■ — From tha^....... . ? he imposed ess interesL he isired it. nraJority „„ Quaiity I, -ness mt men and tne r perseryering^ \ recognized tne^^arent m ^tti®'^ hired. 1 tiiey tiad porTUI^® „t -p Hen- i m o** -- to ..n.r.bomsv , Piece. uix^H''*’ cner. °’'h “ Bnstar^'^’ iotiem^ have .phe Bnsr ^ppgjai e.ejLexl -week Dr tir. de wa on» jac A red ’AS"S«'"•»' ““■ yni. tS' residence is one mnnino, � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-K Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Russel Thorp Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1947-1948 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains a handwritten paper on Steve Tobin, who came to Wyoming from Ireland in the fall of 1895 and "in charge of 120 blooded rams." He met friends of his from Ireland in Casper and it is here he came to be engaged in the sheep business. Researchers will also find an address by Russell Thorp to the Sheridan and Johnson Counties Pioneer Association and a handwritten paper titled "Grandeur of Teton Mountains." Lastly, there is a newspaper clipping on the death of Casper businessman W.F. Henning. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from their use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/68d15676a4713869ddc9a4f618f930d5.pdf 7886514df561cf45cd096078d7e163c8 PDF Text Text THIS CHANGING WORLD (By Alfred J. Mokler) Spread over the entire Northwest and part of the Southwest portion of the United States, and almost as mysterious as the mirages of the desert, are the remains of civ­ ilization that peers at us through the murky gloom of the past. Cradled in the desert, humanity and citizenship survived for centuries under such adverse conditions as no other people on earth were called upon to endure, and, in dying, gave unto the keeping of the desert its sacred relics. Today, wherever men trevel the wiste plf ces they ere «aBnfronteyv»ith thia evidence, shrouded in the dust of centuries, with desolation surrounding it. The prehistoric people of Western America, neglected through the ages, labored for love of home and land and gave to mankind priceless gifts that we, in the light of little understanding, perhaps have failed to appreciate fully. Just how many of the arte of civilization they gave to us is not known. Certainly they are the fath­ ers of irrigation, and it may well be that they gave to us the arts of pottery-making and weaving. Who these people were, science does not know. The Indians may be their descend­ ants, though these Indians, with the possible exception of the Pueblos and i.unis, are far removed. How far back into the past history of this ancient people extends^ science has not discovered. Geology and anthropology, working in harmony, ere agreed that it must have been very close to that time in life of mankind when the dawn of civiliza­ tion first showed through the darkness of savagery. Nearly 400 years ago, when the army of buncaneers under General Francisco de Coro­ nado moved up fran Mexico, bent on looting the rich cities reported to exist far to the north, they found, instead of stately municipalities, rich in gold and silver, only the remnants of this once powerful nace. Gone was their glory. Forgotten were their 1 airts except those necessary to supply mieager needs. Ko longer were there soldiers in the mighty battlements of stone that crowned the hillstops. Death or other lands had claimed all those who had traveled the highways of the homeland and left from sandled feet endless miles of trails worn deep in solid rock. These trails today stand unchal- Z31dest lenged as the world's/highways. �The oenturiee of time and the numberlesE feet that went into the making of these trails oan be appreciated only when we stop to consider that our own modern sidewalks, on the busiest streets of our oities; resist the tread of millions of feet, year after year, with no appreciable wear. Then do these ancient trails, some of them worn almost knee-deep in solid granite, and inches deep in carboniferous lime, as impervious to wear as cement, speak to us of antiquity that staggers the imagination. It is unfortunate that until almost the last 20 or 30 years this wealth of historic and roraantic material was neglected. Men, more interested in loot than in truth, have / n fo sailed away^the the Valley of the Nile to rifle the tombs of the Pharaohs. During the past several decades, however, an increasing number of students in the "science of man" have answered the oall to our own Great Northwest with the result that startling new discoveries have been made. Some of these discoveries compel the re-writing of the history of mankind. Tourists, traveling westward, find a land of roamnce, where the trails of today, winding through painted desert and purple sage, blend into the trails of long ago that lead us back to the time when mankind wore the swadling clothes of eivilizetion. As we follow these ancient trails across the desert space to some lonely canyon and come to an anoient home, perched, overhenging cliff, like an eagle's nest, high up under some let us sit in the doorway that looks out over the endless waste and speculate on the courage of those who, barehanded, wrested a livelihood from this un­ friendly land. Even if we do not know their names, or whence they came, we do know much of their history. Fran sand-strewn desert floor to terraced hill and from cavern shelter to great buildings of stone in Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, and other western states, there are numerous groups of rooms which once sheltered the anoient people. It was these people, struggling to maintain their homes in a land where climatic changes briught endless drought, that gave to the world the art of irrigation, and made it possible for us, their heirs, to reclaim for agriculture these very lends that have lain fallow through the centuries. No more dramatic chapter is recorded in the annals of man than that of these an­ cient people who, for love of home, lifted themselves fran savagery into the light of civilization that freed the race from the misery of famine that stalks where water �Science has proved from the presence of prehistoric lakes end the fossil remains of plant and animal life that at one time in mary pieces of 'Wyoming and other western states that this was a land of plenty. It was here that a primitive people basked in the warmth of a benevolent climate, and, with little effort, gathered from vine and tree, sufficient food for the day, with no thought of the morrow. There came, however, in the lives of these primitives a time when the warm, moist­ ure-laden winds from the Pacific no longer found their way inland with the regularity that had marked the centuries before. One of those climatic changes in the life of the «arth that so baffle the students of nature was taking place, reducing to a desert waste a country ftir larger than all of Europe, and rendering destitute millions of prosperous people. The security of their old life was taken from them, not in one devastating cat­ astrophe, but by the slow attrition of time that stretched into ages, keeping alive the flickering flame of huj^ian hope. Year after year saw a diminishing rainfall. Finally, no longer did grass grow in the open places or water course through the channels that once jwui full. Animal life gradually disappeared—dead or migrated to greener fields. Only the deer and mountain sheep remained. With the exception of these two hardy animals, marijvas alone in his des­ olation. Loving his land with that fervor known only to primitive mtn, he stayed on. Loath to leave it for the terrors of unknown places, he exerted every effort to sustain himself. Ko longer able to gather his food from forest or stream, he stored water behind crude dams and planted his seeds and nursed them to maturity from his precious store. Thus he gave to the world the art of irrigation, and in so doing learned that ”in the sweat of thy face shall ye eat your bread? It could well be that it was here in our own land of Wyoming that Old Mother Nature geve to mankind its first lesson in the art of self-support. The ebb and flow of humanity over the habitable portions of the earth through the countless ages of human existence, and the inevitable exchange of arts and companying this movement, cuetrans ac­ imposes a Herculean task on that branch o;J^cience whose busi­ ness it is to classify and credit to the different races their contributions to civilis­ ation. Never has this task been approached with minds as alert to the truth as it is at the present time, when science is seeking evidence for the sake of truth rather than the hope of perpetuating tradition. �js Science^persuaded from the study of ample evidence that men did have a humble beginning, and that he did not spring from the earth fully armed, ready to fight the battles of life. It ia for this reason that scholars are ignoring greet ancient culture and seeking among the lov/ly home of the most primitive people the clew that shall event* ually lead to the exact spot where man started on his long, slow, upward journey to his present development. So long have we been eduo ted to stand in awe before the greet age of such coxintries as Egypt, Asia Minor, and China, while our own evidence of antiquity reamined unpublished, that it may come as a surprise to seme people to learn that origin of the Chinese picture-writing, accredited the world’s oldest written language, did not have its wonderful beginning in Asia, but in our own far vzest. Long before the riign of Fu-Hi, first emperor of China, more than 2,800 years before Christ, the people of our own America were carving on imperishable stone the history of their own lives, using characters that are proven to be parent to the language of the whole world, We have abeolute and positive proof of the existence of a race of people in the Muddy and Virgin River Valleys, near whet is now beint Thomas, fcievuda,(9,000 years be­ fore Christ. The "Lost City of the Pueblo Grande," which for four years, beginning in 1830, was excavated by end under the direction of the Museum of the American Indian of Kew York City, The ruins that were restored to light at that place were proren to have been the largest prehistoric settlement ever found on the western hemisphere, Europe was citiless then. Culture had not even found its way into the barbaric coun­ tries to the north of the Italian peninsula, end Christianity was unheard of at time the Ancient the of Hevada were worshiping the sun, shaping graceful urns, Em­ bellished with colored geometric designs, weaving rugs of feathers, wool and fur, cul­ tivating corn and squash, spinning threads of silk, msde from a then common desert shrub. They were wearing tunics, after the fashion of early Greece, living in orderly, well-planned cities, end writing history. The anthjropologists and acbheologists in charge of the excavat'on work, with whom I had some correspondence, say that the "Lost City" wet, eight miles in width and miles in length. When we take into consideration that Casper, 55 a city of about 20,CXX) population, is less than thiree miles square, we can mofc fully realise what a large �city thie “Pueblo Grande" must have been. In unearthing this ancient metropolis, strata upon strata were found, denoting a certain well-defined period in the ancient civili­ sation of America, The vanished race was identified as the Pueblo Indians, giants in stattiire, the many skeletons which were found measuring more than seven feet in height. Not only were the Pu^jIqs large in stature, but the well-established houses, with their dosens of rooms, the corrugated and painted pottery, the carved shell jewelry, the fine furnishings of their dwellings, the txxrquoise end other precious atones, their intric­ ately carved altars of stone, the weaving of silks, the cultivating of corn and veget­ ables, all would indicate that they were a race of intelligent and industrious people. The planning of the city, with its large buildings encircling a common center, with a ceremonial fire-place in the center, would show that the prehistoric Pueblo;; were wor­ shipers of a god—probably sun worshipers, and that they had a knowledge of astrony. But another matter of no small interest concerning this ancient city and its people is the fact that some distance to the north of the main thoroughfare of the city there was unearthed three immenoe triangles, laid out, themselves in a triangle, end among numerous rock-writings that were found there were many understandable picture-writ- sniong which were geometric designs of squsrey, triangles, ings spirals end oir0 U.S fillet cles, all of which were depicted by these Indians 5oime. years ago. The archeologists claim that these rock-writings show the characteristics of five distinct knovm races: The Maya, Toltec, Chinese, Egyptian and Pueblo. yaiat became of these people is a mystery. Like the pygmy cliff dwellers of the south, they vanished. One theory explaining their extinction, according to the scien - tists, is the progressivey^up of the country. The inhabitants could no longer got suf­ ficient water tc raise their crops, and they perished; the winds of the desert eroded their dwellings, weeds grew in their gardens, temples caved in, and the relentless desert sand drifted in and covered the whole city, buiying all evidence of a once great race, and keeping the secret locked in the depths for centuries. Such were the ravages of time end the elements. But even if we do not know whence these people came, wo have learned much of their history from the rook-writings and their unearthed dwellings, where, 900 rooms were grouped under one roof.... in one instance, �The "Cliff Dwellers" is a term applied to designate the houses in the cliffs of the arid jregion which were occupied by a race of Indians now extincfefe The plateau country of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah abounds in natural recesses and shallow cav­ erns weathered in the feces of the cliffs, not from choice, but because of the en­ croachment of war-like tribes, who were non-agricultural, and having no established place of abode. Many of these cliff sites were near streems and fields, and were occu­ pied because they afforded shelter and were natural dwelling places. The area in which the cliff-dwellings occur is practically co-extensive with that in which ere now found traces of town buildings and relics attributable to the Pueblo tribes. The most noteworthy of these groups of built cv.ellings are found in the canyons of the Mesa Verde in Colorado. Many of these places of abode are capable of accommodat­ not merely single households, but communities of considerable size. ing shelters the buildings are much diversified in plan end elevation, MmH, In the larger owing to irreg­ ularities in the conformation of the floor and walls. The first floor was the rock sur­ face, or, if that was uneven, of ol^ or flagstones, and the upper floors were constructed of polesj^et in the masonry, after projecting through the walls and overlaid with similar poles and willows, fin5.8hed above with adobe cement. The doonvays were small and SQarith. The lintels were stone slabs, or consisted of e number of sticks or small timbers. Win­ dows, or outlook aperatures, were numerous fnd generally small. The antiquity of the cliff-dwellings can only be surmised. That many of th^jwere occupied in comparatively recent times is apparent from their excellent state of pres ervation, but their greet numbers and the extent of the work aoocxaplislied suggest very considerable antiquity. Just when the occupancy of the cliffs began, whether 500 or 5,000 years ego, must remain a question. Some archeologists have reported the occurennce of ancient stone houses overwhelmed end destroyed by flows of leva, and have inferred greet age from this. Intimately associated with these cliff-dwellings, and situated in the plateaus immediately above or at the base of the cliffs below, are ruins of pueblos in every way identical with the pueblos in the open country. « ♦ • Now, during the remainder of my time let us glimpse of prehistoric Wyoming, as has been made by discoveries by reputable scientists: The rem ins of reptilian, fish, mamal and plant life alike are preserved in geolog- �Icel fonnt'tions that hold no rival for palentological research, end they are so recog­ nised by authorities. In southern and southeRstern Wyoming dinosaur graveyards have given up hundreds of specimens. Among recent discoveries v.as the five-toed horse which roamed in that part of the country known as the Big Horn Basifc country a hundred million years ago. Near Chugwater, in the southeastern area, a fossil camel was uncovered. It was found intact in river deposited sands end was removed to the Wyoming University. In the Jackson Hole country there was found a fossil member of the deer family, said to have been exposed to erosion of the shale in which it was embedded. The fish beds of southeastern ’joining are distinctive, the town of Fossil taking its nsme from the deposit. Here are found many remains of marine life, including fish, snakes and birds. Coming down to petrified forests, those of the Yellowstone National Perk are the most f&moue of the area, although another exists about seventy miles south of Casper, off the road to Medicine Bow, w’here the trunks of trees litter a large area. The petrified trees of the Yellov/stone are of different species than those which are growing there today. They include a broad-leaved species, including leural, sycamore end oak. In some places ,, scientists have distinguished a succession of forests, twelve in number, and one abOHe the other, representing as many repititions of the volcanic process that petrified them oyer a period covering many thousands of years, hhen one forest grew it was covered and petrified, then another grew above until it was also covered and petrified.... Independence Pock, covering an area of twenty-five acres, west from Casper, fiyv. fifty-three miles south­ is said by geologists to have ccme down to its present location, in a great sheet of ice about 200,000 years ago. Its formation is different from the other rooks in that immediate vicinity which came down in the several glacial periods. Iftriae of the same character may be seen at the end of the Pathfinder dam. This old rock is an rich b'l si of 14.0.1 ii-iie.res't outstanding landmark of the Oregon Trail daysj^as well as being of prehistoric signif­ icance. Up to the present time we have been dealing with conditions as they existed from 2,000 to 200,000 years ago. Now let us go back to about 150,000,000 years ego, when that part of the covmtry known as Wyoming was inhabited by dinosaurs, a Miocene genus of elephant-like mammals. Or, in plain English language, a huge, slab-sided creature, weighing from fifteen to twenty tons, and measuring frcsn fifty to sixty feet in length. �- 8 They hed whip—like necks, 6% the end of which web a ridiculously small Bead, containing a small brain. They floated, swam end fed in the waters with unhurried languor, end were sluggish, cold-blooded creatures. The olimte Vv^as tropical. The country was a flat land, rich in vegetation, and dotted by countless shallow lakes, swamps and rivers. Pines, bananas and figs covered the uplands. Thick, heavy grass grew along the banks, and rank vegetation thrived in o r Soj the TOters. After a million yearsMother Nature slowly changed the setting of the stage The lakes dried up, and the swamps vanished. The naKjHlw» dinosaurs become more and more concentrated as they were pushed together in huge herds by the drying-up process. They were water animals, and the disappearance of water was their death sentence. They could not migrate becadse of their great bulk. Some starved to death, others were stranded in the mire, while others in their frenzied rush to escape destruction, struggled to solid land only to be killed by the fleeh-eating monsters that skulked around the pools lived high for a time on the remains of the hapless sauropod.. .. Thus Jd presented^ only a glimpse of looming and the Great Northwest country, which is borne out by discoveries of petrified skeletons in all parts of the country. The remains of reptilian, fish, mamal and plant life are also preserved in geological for­ ever metions, that hold no rival for paleontological research in this^Changing World. �-------------------- --------------------------------------- 5TATE OF WYOMING Agricultural mb tndiislridl Production M Miscellaneous Statistical Report This compilation is a revision of statistical reports on Wyo. ming previously released under a project developed by Governor Hunt when Secretary of State. The original and subsequent reports met with such favor and the demand for them was so large that we have prepared this up-to-date pamphlet .as a continuation of this service to the State. Additional copies are available at the Governor’s Office. �COUNTY General Election Vote 1946 Passenger and Truck Registration 1946 Miles State Highway Area Square Miles County Seat Elevation Taxable Valuation 1947 Tons of Coal 1946 Barrels of OU 1946 Albany 7 4,450 5 5,955 7 218 8 4,399 2 7,165 5 $ 25,587,516 Big Horn 8 3,784 10 4,021 4 239 12 3,110 22 3,870 10 $ 17,192,086 12 369 Campbell 15 1,988 18 1,871 8 216 7 4,761 17 4,544 16 $ 10,497,307 5 179,455 Carbon 5 4,834 8 5,051 2 333 3 8,007 4 6,755 4 $ 33,736,752 3 1,080,479 8 1,835,293 Converse 14 2,300 13 2,231 17 137 11 4,133 13 4,815 13 $ 14,106,124 7 14,034 9 520,103 Crook 18 1,811 21 1,641 12 171 13 2,866 14 4,750 $ Tremont 6 4,637 6 5,085 1 373 2 9,225 9 5,357 8 $ 19,479,591 Goshen 11 3,168 9 4,788 15 150 20 2,186 20 4,104 9 $ 18,614,939 Hot Springs 19 1,729 20 1,796 22 89 23 2,025 19 4,326 $ 17 9,434,259 6 73,413 Johnson 17 1,847 19 1,831 13 170 10 4,164 16 4,645 $ 18 7,878,419 9 5,856 Laramie 1 11,617 1 14,192 11 183 15 2,678 8 6,062 2 $ 39,238,835 Lincoln 10 3,364 12 2,673 5 239 9 4,227 3 6,927 14 $ 13,648,217 Natrona 2 8,417 2 9,816 6 220 4 5,322 10 5,123 3 $ 37,815,593 Niobrara 21 1,545 16 1,954 16 140 16 2,664 12 5,015 12 $ 14,541,234 3 4,731,245 Park 9 3,605 7 5,073 9 200 5 5,175 11 5,018 6 $ 25,215,294 1 10,347,334 Platte 13 2,482 11 2,917 18 137 21 2,125' 15 4,733 15 $ 13,544,935 Sheridan 4 5,867 3 7,011 10 187 17 2,574 23 3,745 7 $ 23,734,139 Sublette 22 1,044 23 969 14 166 6 4,959 1 7,175 $ Sweetwater 3 7,512 4 6,647 3 316 1 10,495 6 6,271 1 $ 47,841,436 Teton 23 830 22 1,030 21 109 14 2,795 7 6,209 $ Uinta 12 2,635 14 2,181 20 120 22 2,094 5 6,748 11 $ 15,963,669 Washakie 16 1,918 15 2,043 23 86 19 2,241 21 4,061 $ Weston 20 1,702 17 1,930 19 127 18 2,403 18 4,334 $ 83,086 92,706 4,326 94,628 Total 11 283,624 5 3,538,118 21 6,935,535 8 7,806 4 4,003,138 6 2,722,405 General School Aid 1946 School Equalization 1946 17 3,988 5 $ 17,900 2 $ 47,732 12 $ 10,720 9 $ 13,603 $ 11 $ 12,016 4 $ 20,328 $ 13 9,050 19 3,405 $ 17 5,062 5 $ 31,565 $ 16 5,360 3 $ 47,193 $ 15 8,110 1 $ 59,286 11 $ 10,848 $ $ 22 947 $ 22 1,462 $ 20 2,354 $ 23 487 15 14,385 10 $ 13,164 1 $ 45,911 4 389,934 13 86,165 7 $ 24,684 7 $ 15,369 11 388 2 4,947,223 2 1,330,954 22 5,720,559 10 358,758 1 4,538,617 7 2,308,459 2 $ 39,518 4 $ 32,239 $ 19 2,924 16 5,730 8 $ 14,911 13 $ 10,580 9 $ 13,297 8 $ 20,658 3 $23,797 $ 12 $ 10,581 $ 21 1,868 $ 15 6,962 6 $ 16,547 $ 14 9,096 $ 16 5,607 $ 18 3,713 10 $ 11,346 20 7,414,436 14 15,775 $ 21 1,759 $ 14 8,479 19 7,783,903 12 129,617 6 $ 25,958 $ 18 3,968 35,847,249 $387,213 $289,455 23 3,308,814 $419,233,592 13 99 10 2,564 7,623,968 20 2,193 �lame & Fish Fees 1946 AU OatUe Preliminary 1-1-47 Stock Sheep Preliminary 1-1-47 Hogs & Pigs Preliminary 1-1-47 Dairy Gattie Preliminary 1-1-47 Horses Mules Preliminary Preliminary 1-1-47 1-1-47 Tons Sugar Beets 1946 Crop Tons AU Hay 1946 Crop Bushels AU Wheat 1946 Crop Bushels of Oats 1946 Crop 7 67,400 23 1,500 9*? . 10,500 8 65,400 13 54,500 1 504,300 5 $ 40,005 10 55,300 13 70,000 20 600 11 1,900 8 4,700 9 60 15 $ 12,897 17 28,300 10 80,000 3 6,400 5 5,400 12 4,000 16 10 > 11,339 1 80,600 8 113,000 11 2,800 22 500 6 5,400 17 10 15 36,500 5 514,000 5 354,200 7 5 34,942 6 59,400 1 308,000 18 700 12 1,900 3 6,600 3 90 1 99,500 11 62,100 16 86,400 19 1 9,987 4 61,300 5 152,000 12 1,700 14 1,500 9 4,600 11 40 12 46,400 14 53,400 15 98,400 1 20 9,697 7 59,400 17 58,000 7 5,400 8 3,200 7 5,200 8 60 11 50,800 4 608,500 6 353,800 3 5 41,183 12 49,100 6 133,000 6 6,000 2 6,900 1 7,300 6 70 7 20,236 4 85,900 8 103,600 3 484,200 15,369 5 60,400 18 51,000 2 8,300 3 6,000 11 4,200 1 140 1 171,079 9 55,500 1 1,337,200 7 270,000 I 99 II 6,569 18 26,000 19 51,000 14 1,300 17 1,200 21 2,400 14 20 11 1,228 20 28,400 16 16,200 19 72,000 i (114,040 8 58,500 4 165,000 8 3,500 15 1,500 10 4,500 18 10 12 1,172 13 41,700 9 80,100 13 129,700 1 89,916 9 57,400 14 63,000 1 8,700 4J00 13 4,000 13 30 8 9,802 17 35,200 2 925,100 2 487,500 1 9 1} 30,791 19 24,600 7 116,000 10 3,000 1 7,200 14 3,700 15 20 2 97,600 15 51,000 14 100,800 4 $ 40,858 16 36,700 2 295,000 23 300 23 500 15 3,700 5 80 21 21,100 22 3,000 22 21,000 9^ fl 2,474 11 50,600 11 76,000 16 900 16 1,400 16 3,300 20 10 19 29,600 12 56,100 9 189,000 6 138,073 15 41,500 15 62,000 5 6,200 6 4,600 5 5,600 2 120 6 20,364 6 69,700 10 72,300 4 418,600 16 fl 11,791 14 44,200 21 31,000 9 3,300 10 2,800 17 3,100 7 70 4 36,921 14 40,800 3 849,900 10 183,600 J 8 ^| 34,252 2 70,300 20 47,000 4 6,400 4 • 5,600 4 5,800 10 40 5 24,619 5 80,400 6 407,300 8 ( 259,200 11 122,521 3 67,800 16 62,000 21 400 21 600 2 6,900 12 30 3 95,600 20 4,200 21 23,200 10 =126,630 23 8,100 3 234,000 17 800 18 900 19 2,500 23 16,700 21 3,100 17 78,000 2 -} 83,673 22 14,100 23 6,000 22 300 20 700 23 1,400 16 35,300 19 10,300 18 72,600 13 114,045 20 21,600 12 76,000 19 600 9 3,100 20 2,500 19 10 10 53,400 18 11,500 20 30,800 18 =110,601 21 21,000 9 92,000 15 1,000 13 1,700 22 2,000 4 80 3 58,679 18 35,100 17 15,500 12 133,200 ; 21 ^1 9,608 13 46,800 22 29,000 13 1,400 19 800 18 2,600 10 1,333 22 18,000 7 247,600 11 153,000 ■1611,269 1,043,000 2,370,000 70,000 64,000 96,000 420,363 1,206,000 5,488,000 4,514,000 i 1,000 2 72,592 9 2,338 �Bushels of Barley 946 Crop Bushels of Corn 1946 Crop 23 6,000 Bushels of Potatoes 1946 Crop 100 Ib. Bags Edible Beans 1946 Crop 21 3,500 Bushels of Rye 1946 Crop Sales & Use Tax Collections 10-1-46 to 9-30-47 Population County Assess­ ors Estimate 1947 6 $ 11,793,806 6 $ 315,072 6 16,000 5 $ 13,726,638 17 240 10 $ 162,302 10 12,928* $ 12 6,190,520 $ 10 5,771,936 $ 17 5,022,074 $ 16 3,532,280 11 24,500 12 18,000 12 Lll,000 4 148,500 18 7,700 5 4,380 $ 17 75,925 17 6,100 16 9,900 10 1,800 7 $ 248,249 9 14,500 15 58,000 Total Non-Bank Savings Bonds October, 1947 18 140 4 348,300 2 340,800 Total Bank Deposits October, 1947 6 $ 12,008,797 5 $ 12,988,066 16 58,000 8 32,400 7 37,000 9 2,400 6 3,900 $ 15 84,486 13 8,700 $ 13 5,796,585 $ 14 4,265,557 8 !37,500 6 52,700 14 13,300 13 400 4 5,270 $ 22 36,782 21 5,550 $ 19 3,299,547 $ 21 2,052,668 5 !75,200 7 44,200 3 360,400 4 210,000 16 500 8 $ 217,006 5 20,000 $ 9 8,434,805 $ 8 6,924,841 1 >53,600 3 158,400 1 1,196,800 3 271,900 3 13,600 g $ 170,029 7 16,000 $ 8 8,438,902 $ 11 5,001,474 11 20,800 15 6,200 15 11,200 8 4,400 19 120 $ 16 77,056 18 6,098 $ 20 3,219,326 $ 20 2,625,610 13 09,600 13 14,000 8 34,200 11 500 8 2,660 $ 20 63,644 19 5,995 $ 16 5,023,787 $ 15 3,745,330 9 36,500 1 322,300 2 432,300 6 14,400 2 21,500 2 $ 805,865 1 37,500 1 $ 35,220,248 19 7,300 11 1,500 13 $ 110,389 11 10,564 $ 13 1,400 1 $ 815,828 2 35,400 2 $ 32,613,704 19 67,040 16 6,400 $ 21 2,405,283 $ 19 2,832,198 2 64,600 14 5,767,472 1 $ 42,159,979 $ 9 5,830,214 22 9,000 16 3,500 22 2,200 18 35,100 10 30,600 10 22,300 12 500 1 29,140 6 51,300 14 10,500 4 165,600 1 367,100 15 660 4 $ 355,946 8 15,000 $ 7 9,905,430 $ 7 7,910,118 7 39,200 2 168,500 9 23,100 7 14,400 7 3,400 14 $ 110,002 12 8,854 $ 15 5,529,440 $ 13 4,385,848 3 57,200 12 21,400 6 50,400 10 700 12 1,450 5 $ 346,642 3 28,000 23 27,849 23 2,336 4 22,500 $ 21 13,000 23 2,000 20 31,500 11 19,300 3 $ 400,682 19 32,300 5 52,000 $ 14 62,000 17 9,600 10 25,400 9 31,500 13 14,400 17 54,900 5 ' 52,800 20 5,500 90,000 1,122,000 2,498,000 $ 6 77,500 1,305,000 21 54,568 4 $ 17,320,185 $ 23 1,416,642 3 $ 20,109,859 2 $ 28,056,458 4 $ 15,201,478 $ 23 1,413,976 3 $ 17,520,991 22 2,500* $ 22 2,323,693 $ 22 1,788,659 11 $ 113,113 15 7,471 $ 10 7,395,543 $ 12 4,783,363 14 840 12 $ 112,629 14 7,500 $ 11 6,799,856 $ 18 2,859,381 9 2,500 $ 18 69,305 20 5,650 $ 19 4,008,098 $ 17 3,110,099 95,000 $5,202,806* ♦Includes $362,397 col* lected out-state 301,546 *1940 Federal Census $221,976,434 $196,554,330 �* I CASPER TRIBUNE-HErIlD USTRIAL EDITION—1926 » PAGE 15 LD OREGON TRAIL HISTORY HOLDS LIVE INSPIRATION Historic Landmarks Included in Markings Authorized by State Carried Out in Late Years; Fort Caspar Site Made Park ueiit eerected near ScattsKebecca Burdick, who died on the old Oregon trail. lued from Page Fourteen.) the Trails. The commislad a number of granite made, to be set up on the ton Trail. Three of these were furnished to Natrona and the first one to be set erected alongside the Alcova tout eighteen miles southm Casper, in 1917. This site marker, which was selected toard of county commissionfrom twelve to fifteen miles from the Old Oregon Trail, was said to be near the Trail, passing from the iter country into the Bates Inuntry. In 1920, this marker ren up and moved by the tf county commissioners at tigation of the author, who sirous of having the marker per creek, where the Old Oregon Trail crosses the Yellowstone High­ way, and it was dedicated and un­ veiled in the forenoon of Jidy 5, 1920. In addition to this being a marker for the Old Trail, it also is a monument commemorating the death of Lieut. Caspar W. Collins, who was killed by the Indians in this vi­ cinity on July 26, 1865. The unveil­ ing and dedication services of this marker 'W’ere also conducted bjj' the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Prayer was offered by Rev. P. K. Edwards, and an address was made by John C. Friend of Rawlins, who was -a tele­ graph operator at Sweetwater sta-" tion in June, 1865, when the battle of Platte Bridge Station occurred and who was one of a party of thirty sent from that station to Platte Bridge to restring telegraph wires which the Indians had cut. After Mr. Friend’s address the marker was unveiled by Mrs. Tom Cooper, regent of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and presented to the state in the name of Port Caspar chapter, the Oregon Trail Commis­ sion and Natrona County. Miss Hebard, who unveiled the marker at Independence Rofe the day before, was the principal speak­ er for this occasion. She vividly outlined the course of the Oregon Trail from Fort Laramie to the Platte Bridge Station, the name of this post later being changed to Fort Caspar; from this point she de­ scribed the course of the Trail to the Sweetwater and then westward to South Pass. She said the Indians con­ tested the white man’s progress as far as South Pass, and soldiers were stationed along the Trail at Laramie, Platte Bridge, Sweetwater Station and South Pass to protect travelers and keep up the telegraph lines. She presented an Interesting description of the old military post, first called “The Mormon Ferry,” then “Platte Bridge Station,” and later given the name of Fort Caspar, and then she Another of these markers had been presented a minute description of the It was taken to Independence Rock, fifty-five miles southwest of Casper, where it was set up in a cement base, and on July 4, 1920, it was ded­ icated and unveiled, the ceremonies being under the auspices of Fort ■Caspar Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, with Mrs. Byrant B. Brooks, state regent, pre­ siding, and Miss Grace Raymond Hebard, state historian for the chap­ ter and secretary of the Oregon Trail commission, unveiling the marker. Several hundred people were present at the ceremonies, many of whom were there to attend a special communication of the Ma­ sonic order which was held on top of the historic rock, commemorative of the first meeting of Freemasons, which was held in this territory, and which was opened and closed in form. The date of this meeting was July 4, 1862, and there were about twenty Masonic members present who were on their way to the "Ore­ gon Country” in emigrant trains, and they had stopped here to rest and refresh" themselves. The unveiling ceremonies of this marker were unostentatious, but nevertheless very impressive. At 11:30 a. m., the assemblage was call­ ed together and all bowed reverently and repeated the Lord’s Prayer. Then the national hymn, “America,” was sung in unison, and as the sol­ emn strains of the anthem rose up­ on the summer breeze, old echoes from this historic rock were awak­ ened to mingle in perfect cadence with the majestic measures. P. G. Burnett, of Fort Washakie, who made his first visit to this spot in 1865, addressed the assemblage, af­ ter which Miss Hebard removed the American flag from about the gran­ ite marker and in the name of the State of Wyoming presented it to the people as a permanent monu­ ment of the first highway from east to west that brought civilization to the great Oregon Country. accomplished, and on March 20, 1925, Mr, and Mrs. Thomas Mills executed a deed to the Natrona County Historical society for a tract of land 100 feet wide covering the approach of the old bridge and connecting with the land occupied by the old fort which was purchased by the city of Casper. It is the in­ tention, as soon as convenient, to have a replica of the old bridge constructed across the river, and the piers built on the same site that they were in 1858-9. When this is done it will give the people of Cas­ per a six mile circular drive to Mills, over the bridge, through the fort site, past the cits' pumping plant along the river, then connecting with the Alcova highway and back to Casper through the Standard ad­ dition, one of the most modern ad­ ditions to the city, where a great many beautiful residence have been erected. --------- e Other markers on the Old Trail In Natrona county are of stone slabs and boulders, as nature built them. A large boulder, weighing many tons, located at the Tom Sun ranch, in the Sweetwater country, near Devil’s Gate, has an appro­ priate description chiseled upon it, another on Independence Rock and another at Split Rock. At the lo­ cation of the “Three Crossings” stage and telegraph station, in Fre­ mont county, which was main­ tained by the government in the *60’s, chiseled on the face of a large gianite bluff is the inscription “Oregon and California Trail, 1843-9, 1914.” Fremont, Lincoln and Sub­ lette counties have erected a num­ ber of markers similar to those in Natrona county. There are nu­ merous other markers on the Old Trail in Wyoming, erected by the Erected on the site of old Fort Cas­ par on land to be made part of a memorial park. Oregon Trail commissioners, one of which is located on the boundary line of Nebraska and Wyoming. This monument is in an alfalfa field on the south side of the North Platte river, near the village of Henry, Neb. The Old Trail at this point has long since been abandoned and a new road established, and a “finder” or “lead” stone has been erected on the now main highway, and near the “finder” there is a gate in the fence surrounding the alfalfa field leading to the boundary marker. It was near this marker that Robert Stuart and his six com­ panions camped for several months (Continued on Pa.ge Twenty-two.) We Are Not Waiting for Business to Pick Up—We Are-Picking Up the Business! �as intended it should battle where Lfeutenaril* Carpar W. be. Casper, a short distance from Cas- Collins, with six of his men, were killed by the Indians and the massa­ cre of Sergeant Custard and his seventeen men, ExGovernor Bryant B, Brooks closed the services with a short address. In which he mentioned the heroism of Lieutenant Collin.s and the value of his life as an example, and while the speakers were painting word pictures of that long ago day, so vivid that the hearers could al­ most see the 3,000 Indian warriors skirting the skyline, modern travel­ ers in their automobiles with their tents and camp outfits strapped to the running boards swept by on the highway. ’S TO SERVE YOU OUR MOTTO IS QUALITY WORK ^ackardSix Packard Eight k the Man Who Owns One NOW SHOWING The Popular lUPMOBILE 6 and 8 WE INVITE YOUR INSPECTION E E. MANSFIELD, Inc South David St. Phone 346 Fifty-seven years after Its aban­ donment by the government and destruction by the Indians, and long-since obllterate'd by the sweep­ ing winds, the barren spot upon which Fort Caspar was located, the last marker furnished Natrona county by the Wyoming Oregon Trail commission, was erected by the county commissioners and the unveiling and dedication ceremonies of the monument were held under the auspices of the Lions club of Casper, assisted by the Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, the Charnber of Commerce and the Boy Scouts at 5 o’clock in the evening on October 1, 1924. Dr. M. C. Keith, president of the Lions club, presided at the ceremonies and Robert S. Ellison, president of the Chamber of Com­ merce, gave a history of the old fort and told of the part It had in the protection of the emigrants and described the battle of the small number of soldiers had with 3.000 Indians when Caspar W, Collins . and six of his men were killed and the massacre of the seventeen men with Sergeant Custard a few miles further to the west. William B. Cobb of the Kiwanis club followed Mr. Ellison with a short address, and at the conclusion of the cere-, monies a select detachment of the Boy Scouts, under the direction of Frank B. Taylor, removed! the American flag from the monument, while Mrs. Berta Smith san| the state song, “Wyoming.” ’ And thus the site of Port Cas­ par, after which the city of Casper, Casper mounta'in and Casper creek were named, wa.s definitely marked. It may be said in passing that after more than twenty-five years of effort on the part of a few citi­ zens of Casper to have the city of Casper acquire title to this tract of land, that It might be used for park and other public purposes, in the spring of 1925 the matter wa-s . We are not only a friend of the housewife but a friend of the entire family. Why? Because when services she is not tired and weary of the labors of wash day. She has a smile for every member of the family, and has more time to devote to the little ones. Even has a sm.ile for dad. Dad is a friend of ours because we do his full dress shirts and collars in a manner that pleases him. _ If you aie not familiar with our different services give us a call and we will have our representative call on you and explain Our Finish, Flat, Rough Dry, Dry Wash and Wet Wash Services We also have one-day special service. We use soft water only—and we employ nothing but the most efficient help and have the most modern and up-sto-date equipment. CDwALMCe TROY LAUNDRY CO. 326 NORTH DURBIN PHONES 1672—1673 Our Drivers Pass Your Door. �A ' jrarcFB TO , • - r, s 1 CASPER TRIBUNE-HERAW INDUSTRIAL EDITION^l DUDE RANCHING STILL IN INFANCY BUT IS GROWING .FAS Outdoor Recreation In Heart of Wilds Holds Many Thrills iT^OR sundry decades the, immigrant trains Inched westward to Cali­ fornia and Utah and Oregon and their bronzed pilots regarded Wyo­ ming merely as a segment of thoroughfare and never as a poten­ tial abode, with rich resources that demanded only diligence and persev­ erance for the reaping. When at last huddles of log buildings began to sprout in coulee and creek bot. tom as the nuclei of an empire of sheep and cattle, other decades I>assed before some Inquisitive soul chanced to probe beneath the sage­ brush af bunchgrass and unleashed J- the green-black reservoirs of power which lay couchant in subterranean sands. And the sequence of dis­ covery had not yet been exhausted. Only in the last few years has there been a consistent effort to cultivate and reap Wyoming's most magnifi­ cent crop of all—her scenery. Dude ranching, youngest and lust­ iest of Western industries, simmers down to just that—selling scenery. That term comprises, of course, a host of things—^fishing and hunt­ ing, camping, mastery of the rudi­ ments of horsemanship and wood­ craft—every novelty of outdoor life which yields a new thrill to jaded city appetites and warms asthmatic and swimming pools, select comI>any. For ruggeder tastes there are pack trips deep into the tene. brous recesses of primitive forests, sturdy fare prepared over an open fire, dreamless sleep beneath the stars," the thrill of undiscovered beauty waiting around every crook of the trail, the zest of conquest in outgaming mighty cutthroat of rain­ bow trout in their native waters. So in many parts of Wyoming ranches that found the fortunes of stockraising too hazardous and unprofi^ble have turned to farming the rich and inexhaustible and un­ profitable resources of natural beauty and the glamour which the mere word “West” conveys to East­ erners. The cowpuncher who found his profession slowly growing ob­ solete before the influx of nesters has become a dude wrangler. And if riding herd on tenderfeet is often fully as ticklish as valeting a bunch of temperamental “dogies,” the re­ wards are far more generous and certain. Industray in Infancy. Dude ranching had its inception and has reached its greatest perfec­ tion in three principal sections—• bling loghouse mothering a covey of cabins, a corail full of well broken saddle and pacTc horses, a staff of personable young men endowed at once with a knowledge of the .technique of outdoor life and a tolerant understanding of the idiosyncracies of men and women— given these three and you have a dude ranch. The raw materials are to be found almost anywhere in the state. And publicity is largely taken care of gratutlously by the movies and the horde of fiction writers who have Wyoming sym- Hayden Forest Turns To Livestock Grazing For, Major Revenues By JAMES BLACKHALL. Supervisor, Hayden National Forest he Hayden National Forest is situated in southern Wyoming. It lies along the continental divide, just north of the Colorado line, in Carbon county. A small portion of the forest (72,000 acres) on the Encampment and Big Creek water­ heads is In Jackson county, Colo­ rado. The waters of the west side of the forest drain into Little Snake river; the east side drains into the North Platte river. The forest has a gross area of 437,542 acres, and the elevation runs from 7,000 to 11,000 feet. It contains some beau­ tiful tracts of lodgepole pine and Englerqan spruce timber, but at the present time no timber 4a being cut except for local use, due to lack of Jackson Hole, a valley flanked on transportation facilities. one .side bv the maiestlc Tetons, on Grazing of live-stock et the nrea-' bolic with adventure and romance throughout the world. Highways Are Boon. ' A. farsighted program of road building has made every part of the state readily and comfortably accessible for tourist travel. The great arteries of t ranseontlnental traffic throb through the heart of the state—the Lincoln highway, the Yellowstone highway, the Rocky Mountain highway, the Atlantic-Yel­ lowstone-Pacific highway, the Blackand Yellow trail. Four great rail­ road systems serve it—the Union Pacific, the Chicago & Northwest­ ern, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul. And for all that Wyoming Is amazingly unspoiled. Nowhere else within the borders of the United States can the visitor find natural beauty so fresh and unsullied. No. where else can he so easily escape the drone of motors and the bark of voices &.nd lose himself in the mighty solitudes, of mesa and tim­ berland. Nowhere else can he re­ capture so perfectly the ancient glamour of the frontier and live so thoroughly the simpler, sturdier life of his pioneer fathers. ■So history Is repeatng itself. the appetite. The dude ranch’ testify that transients tend to yf to an established clientele. On tn guest roster are names famous i every field, society, art, polity finance. Year after year MS Roberts Rinehart had spent 1 summers In Wyoming and do much of her work here. Winter Guests Next. Hitherto dude ranching, lnde( has been a seasonal profession, B already indications are plentiful th within a decade it will handle wi ter guests almost, if not aa n merous, as those who now se refuge from the torrid Easte climate. Already shrewd perso are laying plans to make Wyomli Where once the tourist caravan streaked throug as heedlessly as the covered wagon trains a half century ago, with no thought but to cut short the distance separating coast from coast, more and more it is breaking up to explore the fresh beauties that lie off the beaten track. And a taste merely whets a haven for winter sports fans. is as accessible aS Banff In Cana( or Truckee in California: it hi every facility of Ski-ing, tobogga; ing, ice sports. The weather is invigorating b never unduly arduous. The American St. Moritz, som one has suggested. Well, why no T �city appetites and warms asthmatic bosoms with the forgotten joy that comes of contact with fundamentals. Accommodations Suit Taste. A dude, in short, is a seeker of outdoor recreation and dude ranch­ ing is the process of providing It for him in whatever state of dilution or concentration he prefers. For the softer ^reed there are all the com­ forts of home with none of its re. sponsibillties; all the luxuries of the finest resort hotel—a perfect cuisine, golf links and tennis courts one side by the majestic Tetons, on the other by the towering Gros Ventre range and offering scenic marvels no whit inferior to the Alps and far more virgin and untram­ meled; the region around Cody and adjacent to the eastern entrance to Tellowstone park, and the Big Horn range west of Sheridan and Buffalo. But the industry is in its Infancy and the recognition of its possibili­ ties is spreading rapidly to other sections of the state, A mountain and a stream or lake, a big, ram- The Kistler Tent and Awning Co Tents* Awnings Camp Supplies Decorations FAIRNESS ALWAYS IN BUSINESS TO STAY Auto Supplies Auto Tops Tire Repairing The Kistler Tent and Awning Co. 617-619 East Second St. Phone 2065 L. D. Branson Service AUTHORIZED UNITED MOTORS SERVICE STATION Headquarters for Grazing of livestock at the pres­ ent time constitutes the major use, and 100,000 sheep and 7,000 cattle are grazed on this forest during the summer months. The forest is a The Lee Doud Motor Co. DISTRIBUTORS Willys-Overland Fine Motor Cars very important one from a grazing standpoint, as it contains the last stretch of timber land along the continental divide for many miles. North bf the forest, the divide con­ sists of a high sage brush plateau, sloping off into unwatered desert range, on which sheep are grazed during the winter months. Be­ cause of the Hayden’s proximity to these winter ranges, its summer forage has always been in great de­ mand for sheep. It also supplies summer range for cattle that are winter^ in the Platte valley and in Snake river. Recreational Advantages. The Hayden offers many desirable camping places, most of them at present accessible only by horse or on foot. There is a good system of trails horseback travel, but auto roads bre lacking at present, althouglt a highway crossing the di­ vide Battle and connecting the Snake river and Platte river val­ leys iSj HOW under construction. Ex­ BETTY’S Beauty Parlor Wyoming’s Largest A DOZEN OPERATORS at Your Service STRICT PRIVACY Ladies’ and Children’s Hair Bobbing Parlor DELCO—KLAXON—REMY A. C. SPEEDOMETERS MARCEL With Bob Curl $1.00 Use Genuine Parts Only! Delco Light Farm Lighting Plants Zenith Carburetors—dumb Switches MAIL ORDERS Given Prompt Attention D. Branson Service 615 East Second St. PHILCO BATTERIES Phone 383 Phone 1700 424 West Yellowstone cellent trout fishing Is to be had in antr of the many streams and lakes tn the forest. The public may camp and fish anywhere within the forest, provided the state game laws are ob^rved and care is taken with camp jlires. Only one fire occurred in this for­ est dtirtng-.the season just passed. This itas caused by lightning and was extinguished by a ti-ail creW be­ fore any damage was done. ..... A complete line of Marinello Beauty Products ‘displayed in a beautiful showcase. PHONE PHONE FOR APPOINTMENT 707 707 Betty’s Beauty Parlor TRIBUNE BUILDING PHONE 707 �INDUSTRIAL EDITION--192<; i SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Markers and Memorials Along Old Oregon Trail Link Present With Pioneer Past (Continued from Page Fifteen.) In the winter of 1812, after being driven out by the Indians, from their cabin which they had built on the Platte river in the Bessemer Bend, about twelve miles west of Casper, where they had intended to remain during the winter. The ex­ act site of this cabin has never been established, but it was somewhere on the 07 ranch, and the Natrona County Pioneer Association and the Natrona County Historical society hold their picnics there each sum­ mer. The Stuart cabin was the first cabin built in the territory w’hlch now comprises the state of Wyo­ ming. A large marker has been erected at Port Laramie, at a point where the Old Trail entered the fort. John Hunton and Joseph "Wilde donated this monument, which is built of concrete, and is fourteen feet high, and the stateof Wyoming furnished the tablet, built of stone two feet square, which is imbedded in the monument. Fort Laramie was undoubtedly the most significant fort on the Oregon Trail, and was the first fort to be established in Wyoming. . One of the regular markers, such as those erected at Port Caspar and Independence Rock, is located on the Old Trail near Torrington. Three of these markers are located in Platte county, one on the divide east of Badger creek, one on the divide between Little Cottonwood creek and the Platte river and one at the site of the old telegraph and stage station, on Horse creek, south­ west of Glendo. Converse county has five of these markers on the Old Trail. One at the junction of the Cheyenne-Fetterman and Port Laramie and Fort Petterman road, one just south of the Wagon Hound, one at the LaPrele school house and one west of the SO ranch, at the junction of the trail and the new highway. A : .larger monument has also been erected in Converse county, five miles ■ west of Douglas, where the Old Trail crosses the road that leads to Fort Pettermam. On the site of Old. Fort Bridger the citizens in that neighborhood erected a large monument in 1915, built of cobblestones set in cement, the pyramid is ten feet in height and seven and one-half feet at the base. The state of Wyoming fur­ nished a bronze tablet for thia monument. Markers at South Pas.s. Two markers are located in South Pass, one of which was placed near Pacific Springs by Ezra Meeker In 1903, and the other was placed by Captain Nickerson of Lander, chairman of the Oregon Trail com­ mission, two miles east of Pacific Springs. The Meeker marker is . a large boulder with the inscription: ‘‘Old Oregon Trail, 1843-57,” and the latter was erected in honor of the two first white women to cross the continental divide, with the follow­ ing inscription: ‘‘Narcissa Prentiss Whitman, Eliza Hart Spalding, First White Women to Cross This Pass. July 4, 1836.” Rebecca Winters Marker. A marker of greater human in­ terest and one in which there is a touching sentiment is located on the Old Oregon Trail and now alongside the Burlington tracks about a mile east of Scottsbluffs.' At the time the engineers were making the survey through this part of the country they came upon a grave in the direct line of the survey. Over the grave was an arch-shaped ■wagon tire, rusted and crusted with time and upon the wagon tire was chiseled these words: ‘‘Rebecca Win­ ters, Aged 50.” “Boys,” said the chief, ‘‘we’ll turn aside; Here, close by tbe trail, her grave shall stay. For she came first to thia desert ■wide; Rebecca Winters holds the rightof-way.” A fence was" built around the grave by the railroad engineers and authorities of the Latter Day Saints (Mormon) church, in Salt Lake City were communicated with, and they had erected over the grave a substantial granite monument, annronriateiv'inscribed. And thii» �appx-opriaieiy inscrioea. Ana thus tlie line of a great railroad was "turned aside” in order that Re­ becca Burdick-Winters, who had started with her people to help sub­ due the wilderness, might lie un­ disturbed in the grave she had oc­ cupied for nearly three-fourths of a century. Hundreds of Markers Along Trail. Through the states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, extending from In­ dependence, Mo., to Seaside, Ore., and Olympia, Wash., hundreds of these "man-made” markers have been erected along the Old Trail in recent years, but at the time the thousands upon thousands of peo­ ple were on their westward way for the purpose of establishing for themselves a home and to build an empire there were no markers set up along the roadside to guide the travelers, except one at Gardner, Kans., at the junction of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails. At the forks of these roads there was a sign: "Road to Oregon.” Just three words pointing out the 2,000 mile route, about which hundreds of thousands of pages have since been written describing the adventures, the adversities, the trials and hard­ ships, suffering and death of the thousands who started over this great pathway. Occasionally the emigrants would find the white-bleached skull of a buffalo along the roadside with a message written upon it by those who had gone before; messages and names were also inscribed upon the sandstone and shelf-rock by the wayside, but the God-made markers, such as Scottsbluffs, Emigrant Gap, Iron Creek Pass, Independence Rock, Devil’s Gate, Split Rock, South Pass, and others, were the only guides for the weary travelers, but no other signs were needed, for the wheels of ths wagons and the hoofs of the beasts and the foot­ steps of the pioneers had worn a pathway along the 2,000-mile route several feet deep and many yards wide. To remain on the trail was the least of their dangers and troubles. An extended description of the "God-made Markers On the Old Oregon Trail” Is being written by the author, which will be published In series by an Eastern magazine, after which the story will bo printed In book form. �CASPER TRIBUNE-HERALD PAGE 14 INDUSTRIAL EDITION—1! MARKERS AND MEMORIALS LINK PRESENT WITH THE PAS Memorial Shaft to Trail Blazers Near Northwestern Station Is Re­ sult of Movement Launched by Women Pioneers in 1907 Pioneer shaft erected near NorthWestern station to commemorate trail-blazers of west. By ALFRED J. MOKLEB O the men and women of the Natrona County Pioneer Asso­ ciation belong the credit for the first movement that resulted in the erec­ tion of a marker, or monument, that would endure in Natrona county to appropriately mark and thereby per­ petuate to memory the old Oregon Trail that passed through where the City of Casper is now situated, and ■where some of the most substantial business blocks are located. Some people are wont to give Ezra Meeker the distinction of conceiving the idea of the erection of these monuments on the Old Trail, and perhaps he is T there he would go to Washington, the National Capital, and advocate the passage of a bill through Con­ gress for an appropriation of $30,000 to assist in defraying the expenses of erecting these markers. The bill, however, failed to pass. At the meeting in the old town hall in 1907, the ladies of the* Na­ trona County Pioneer Association were favorably impressed with the idea of having a monument erected in the town of Cagper, and they im­ mediately set to work to raise funds for the purchase and erection of a shaft that would not only be a credit to the Old Trail and the town of Casper, but one that would always reflect favorably upon this worthy organization. The money was not raised by popular subscriptions and “drives,” that are so numerous nowa-days, but it'was actually earned by the ladies, who gave entertainments and dinners and sold articles of fancy work which were made by them. They worked two years be­ fore they had sufficient funds to warrant the ordering of the memor­ ial, which would cost about $1,500, exclusive of the cost of the freight upon the stone from Indiana and the cost of its erection, both of which were donated by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway company. The ground upon which the shaft is erected, in the center of the small park directly north of the railway company’s passenger station, was also given without charge. The shaft was erected during the sum­ mer of 1914. Rev. Hutt of the Episcopal church, and the ceremonies were concluded by the unveiling of the monument by Miss Irma Patton. This “Pioneer Monument,” as it deservedly should be named, is an obelisk twenty-six feet in height from the top of its base, the bottom of which is four feet square and ta­ pers to thirty inches square within two feet of the top, where it termi­ nates a four-square point. The shaft .is in three sections, and is matte 4rom Indiana limestone. The base the monument is also in three Actions, each of which is eigh­ teen wChea in height, the first being sixteen feet square, the second twelve feet arcl the third eight feet square, there being a two-foot offset from each iff the sections of the base. Addiii the freight, the cost of the erectj^i, the chiseling of the inscrip­ tions fend the setting of the bronze tablet, all of which cost no less than $3,000, this is probably one of the most elaborate and expensive monu­ ments on the Old Oregon Trail. The Inscription on the South side of the shaft is as follows. Pioneer Monument Erected on the Site of the Old Oregon Trail In Memory of the Pioneers Who Blazed the Way. Built by Natrona County Pioneer Association 1849 1911 The date on the monument, 1849, would indicate that the Oregon Trail Fort Caspar in the Days of the Platte Bridge Battle the establishment of such an im­ portant military post as Fort Caspar, and it is even more regrettable that the date on the tablet should be al­ lowed to remain unchanged, and thus mislead those who are not familiar with the facts. The word “about," in the third line from the top, is equal to an acknowledgement that it is not known when the post was es­ tablished. But by referring to the records in the War Department it will be seen that “on July 29, 1858, Companies D and E, Fourth Artil­ lery, Captain Joseph Roberts, Cap­ tain G. W. Getty, being a part of the second column of the Utah ex­ pedition, occupied this point (Mor­ mon Ferry) for the purpose of keep­ ing open the communication with Salt Lake City and to aid in the prompt forwarding of supplies.” A bridge was built across the river here during the winter of 1858-59 by Louis Guinard and the name of the post was then changed to Platte Bridge Station, and on March 23, 1859, an order was issued from the War Department to “abandon the post at Platte Bridge.” The troops were withdrawn on April 20, of that year. No more troops were sta­ tioned here until May, 1862, when it was again occupied by volunteer troops who were serving as escort for emigrants and the protection of the telegraph line. November 21, 1865, Major General Pope ordered that: “The military post situated at Platte Bridge, between Deer and Rock creeks, on the Platte river, will be hereafter known as Fort Cas­ par, io. bouor oC Lieut. Caspar, 11th par, in honor of Lieut. Caspar Col­ lins, 11th Ohio cavalry, who last his life while gallantly attacking a su­ perior force of Indiana at that place." The post was abandoned on Octo­ ber 19, 1867, and the Indians imme­ diately set fire to the buildings and the bridge. The Wyoming state authorities who furnished the copy for the tab­ let are to be congratulated upon Marker erected by D. A. B. spot where Lieutenant Caspar Uns, for whom Casper was nai was kiUed in defense of a w! train, having the date of the abandonn of the post correct. The site of the old fort is miles west from the monument, stead of one, as stated upon tablet. During the session of the twc legislature of the State of Wyom In 1913, a bill was enacted provi< lor the appropriate marking of Old Oregon Trail, and historic li marks in the State of Wyoming, the establishment of an Oregon 1 Commission, consisting of tl members. An appropriation $2,500 was made at the time the became a law, to purchase appro ate markers, and it was provl that the several counties in wl the markers were placed should I the expense of setting them up. the subsequent sessions of the s: legislature $500 was appropriatet be expended by the commlssior (Continued on Page Fifteen.; IllllllllllllillllllllllilllllUllllllllllillillllllllllllllllllltllllllllllltliillUIIIIWIIIItllllU^ �I bflJi I BOTTLING WORKS I CASPER, WYO. PHONE 136 I I entitled to that honor, for he passed over the Old Trail in a prairie schooner, drawn by an ox team, in the summer of 1907, advocating the marking of the Trail that he first passed over in 1852. A meeting was held in the old town hall of Casper at that time, to which the public was invited, and it was at this meeting that Mr. Meeker told of his plans of traveling over the Old Trail from the “Oregon Country’’ to the site of the old town of Independence, Missouri, and from It was more than six years after the movement was started to raise the funds for the purchase of the monument that -the unveiling cere­ monies were held, which was on November 20, 1914, under the aus­ pices of the Natrona County Pion­ eer Association and the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Devolution. At these ceremonies an address was made by ex-Governor Bryant B, Brooks; students from the Natrona County High School sang ‘‘America;’’ prayer was offered by ANNOUNCING TALBERT OFFICE APPLIANCE CO. 109 S. Center Casper Phone 502 Which will conduct the business begun by W. L. ' Talbert a little over a year ago. AUTHORIZED SALES AND SERVICE for Kardex All-Steel Office Furniture L. C. Smith Error-No Corona Copy Holders Remingten Portable Multistamp Shipman-Ward Bates Numbering Machines Rebuilt Underwoods SUPPLIES RENTALS REPAIRS Sundstrand Adding Machine Line was established at that time. This is misleading. From 1840 to 1843, a decided flow of emigrants from the east traveled over the Oregon Trail from Independence, Missouri, to the Columbia river, and thus into the "Oregon Country.” American set­ tlers became so numerous in this part of the country that the United States actually laid claim to this re­ gion, and after quarreling over It several years, final settlement was made in 1846 between America and England, with definite boundaries be­ tween the United States and Canada. The Oregon territory was formed In 1848, therefore it is conclusive that the date on the monument is mis­ leading, Why this date was en­ graved upon the shaft, the writer cannot explain, unless those who had the matter in charge took it toe granted that the Trail was estab­ lished at the time of the “gold rush” to California, forgetting all about the flow of emigrantion to the “Oregon Country” for nine years previous. The figure “9” should be changed to tions, who, no doubt, will be deeply interested in these historical facta, may not accuse the Pioneers of thia ago of being too careless with the recording of facts and dates. A tgonze tablet imbedded In the monUBoent on the east side bears this inscription: Fort Caspar U. S. Military Post Established About 1864 For Volunteers A^ndoned October 19, 186T ' ' Shunted One Mile West' of This Spot Marked by the State of Wyoming 1914, It I^ very regrettable that the stat© authorities who had th© re­ sponsibility of furnishing th© copy for tbi© tablet displayed such care­ lessness, or Ignorance, in regard to Pure Fruit Flavored Beverages IN BOTTLES ‘'Oatt Ltt* ftr ef Strvft^ CASPER BATTERY CO. Factory Representatives VESTA BATTERIES GABRIEL SNUBBERS NORTHEAST ELECTRIC SYSTEMS EISEMANN MAGNETOS K. W. MAGNETOS PUROLATORS WICO IGNITERS Storage Battery and Electrical Repairing E, R. EARNSHAW, Prop. 119 E. Fifth St CASPER, WYO. Phone GO'* �j I i' Know Your Wyoming doming is a mountainsgroup state. It is bounded on the north by Montana, on the the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado and Utah, and on the west by Utah, Idaho and Montana. It is a lofty region, its mean elevation being about 6,000 feet--a broad plateau traversed by the Rocky mountains, the highest point of which is Mount Gannett, the state is varied. 13,785 feet. The topography of Its waters flow in all directions; drainage by the Green river to the southwest, by the Yel- and Snake rivers lowstaone/to the northwest, by the Big Horn to the north, and by the North Platte, Sweetwater end Laramie rivers to southeast. ^'*one of these rivers a^e navigable. The climate is that of the rarefied air of high elevations, and is salutary, with moderate winters and pleasant summers. The moisture precipitation is low, being at about twelve inches mean annually. The soil, almost in its entirety, requires irrigation, and there are more than 5,000 miles of ditches in the state. The crops include corn, wheat, oats, potatoes hay, alfalfa, and there is a considerable amount of fruit. No state in the Union produces a sugar beet with a higher sugar content, and the avearge yield of the beets is 13.5 tons an acre. The production of certified potatoes is ex­ tensive. Great mineral resources, clude coal, petroleum, gold, not fully developed, silver, in­ iron and copper. Since the days of the cattle kings, Wyoming has been rec- �(2) ognized as one of the greatest of livestock states. More tha’^00,000 head of fine beef catt^le and 4,000,000 head of sheep end lambs graze on, the open rang^^d ranches. The wool clip is of great value. The chief industries are petroleum refining, coal mining, lumber and timber prod­ ucts, bakery products, and dairying is important in a num­ ber of sections of the state. The population, according to the 1940 census, was 250,742, an increase of 25,177 over the 1930 census. Four cities in the state have a pop­ ulation of over 10,000, Casper, with 17,964; Cheyenne, 22,474; Laramie, 10,627; Sheridan, 10,529. Rock Springs is just under the 10,000 mark, with a population of 9,827. In the last decade the state’s urban population increased 33,5 perkent. Urban areas are towns of 2,500 or more. The urban population was 93,577; rural population, 157,165. There are twenty-three counties in the state, seventeen of which showed an increase and six a decrease in their population during the past ten years. o 0 o �Agriculture is the basic industry of United States. The happiness and prosperity of the American farmer is the happiness and prosperity of all other classes of citizenry. In analyzing the trend of events at Washington, D. C. from month to month, Our Observer covers a wide field. He does not confine himself to a strictly agricultural survey but delves into those things that are of interest to the farmer as they concern American citizens in general. —Editor THE CmZB>{. Washington, D. C., May 1, 1940 Economy Eorces Lose In a Spectacular Battle THE economy-minded Congress was short lived. With the constant pounding of pressure groups, representatives were com­ pelled to relent in their efforts to save money to the taxpayer. Expenditures for national defense found little opposition because of the war situa­ tion in Europe. Farm groups succeeded in adding to appropriations in more than one instance. Relief has faced a tempestuous sea, one of the most threatening of the storms produced by the White House re­ quest to be permitted to spend all the money within a span of eight months, which would bring the spending within the presidential campaign era. The one serious problem that is yet to be faced is how and where will be found the funds with which to provide the staggering appropriations. Torn between a conflict of heart and mind, fear that the limitation of the national debt may be overreached weighs almost as heavily with the repre­ sentatives as does their determination to avoid new taxes in an election year. • • • World Market About Lost To Cattle From United States JN Wyoming, the Stock Growers Association publishes a bulletin of information to its MAT. 1940 members. It carries the well chosen title of “Cow Country” and has wide distribution throughout the country. In a recent issue of this bulletin, appears a statement that should attract the atten­ tion of all classes of citizenry. “South of the Equator,” runs the state­ ment, “steers are selling at $3.92 and the ships go out of those ports with the weight of a billion and a half pounds of beet for the European and Asiatic trade. American beef went to sea in the same way fifty years ago. “But, last year. United States imported 80 million pounds of canned beef from South America and Australia and 3 million pounds of fresh and cured beef from Canada. United States beef exports found only 2 per cent of the world’s trade in meat. “The average American’s beef appetite has dropped from 75 to less than 50 pounds. “This is what the American cattlemen and their 75 million beeves face in the future.” And in spite of the decline, loss of mar­ kets, and, the paralyzing of the stock rais­ ing industry in Wyoming, it is now proposed by Secretary of Interior to convert much of the remaining fertile acres of Wyoming farm land into park and public domain. Wallace Admits Mistake Farmers Have Been Losers In Government Spending Spree pE reversal of form in government spend­ ing exhibited by Henry W. Wallace, Sec­ retary of Agriculture, has aroused consid­ erable speculation in Washington adminis­ tration circles. Wallace pointed out, in a statement, “that the Farm Credit Administration, which adopted a liberal lending policy in 1933 and 1934 to ‘save the farmer’ actually succeed­ ed in saving the ‘bankers and insurance (Continued on Page 22) Page T^ineteen �A fish pole, white water tumbling down from the melting snows, those hard fighting mountain trout . . . . what a life I And what a vacation! A couple of pretty dudines are looking at the mighty Tetons from across Jenny Lake. This Year is Wyoming’s GOLDEN WYOMING—The twenty-fourth state of the Union will be fifty years old this year and those cow-hands plan a real birthday party . . . Colorful Pageants, Celebra­ tions, Festivals! e e e e e Its majestic mountain scenery Its unexampled fishing and hunting Its world-famous dude ranches Its parks and playgrounds and rodeos Its sheep and cattle and elk and ante­ lope • Its hospitable people—no more friendly anywhere • Its roads—one of the finest systems in the nation, with paved highways leading to all points Page Twenty THIS YEAR—1940, Wyoming will attract travel from all parts of the country, in greater numbers than usual—the GOLDEN JUBILEE will be a magnet drawing thousands who have been shut off from foreign countries because of war . , . All the superlatives of a Hollywood movie studio would not do full justice to Wyoming. Amongst its many and varied attractions are: • YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, one oi the world's most popular resorts—its great geysers, waterfalls, wildlife, high coloration of deep can­ yons, have attracted world-wide interest. • GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARE, within the boundaries of the state, is in the Grand Teton range, the most beautiful mountain range in Amer­ ica—the center of the famous Jackson Hole country. • DEVIL S TOWER, in northeastern Wyoming, an awe-inspiring spectacle of nature—the first na­ tional monument to be created. THE CITIZEN �Devil s Tower, rising 865 feet above the surrounding terrain, is a mighty monument to the work of Mothe* Nature. This first national monument to be created is located in northeastern Wyoming. Lower Falls of the Yellowstone drops twice the distance of Niagara Falls and holds you spellbound as you watch Yellowstone River tumble into the Grand Canon. JUBILEE of the Wonder State On a lake in the high mountain reaches near Pine­ dale, Wyoming, where the solitude brings you close to nature ond causes you to ponder over its great­ ness. —Photo by C. C. Feltner. • OLD FORT LARAMIE NATIONAL MONUMENT, with its romantic history of the early west. There are many other places to see and enjoy and things to do in the delightful summer climate of Wyoming: RANCH LIFE retains much of the early-day flavor of the old west . . . many eastern­ ers enjoy it at the famous dude ranches FRONTIER DAYS in the old cow-town of Cheyenne, is a colorful event and rightfully described as the "daddy of 'em alll" .... then there is the SHERI­ DAN RODEO—the old west at its bestl WYOMING has great, undeveloped resources. Its steady growth will continue under our demo­ cratic system of government .... here, the Old Timer is still an individualist .... one of the last frontiers of old-fashioned Americanism. Wyoming is intensely loyal to these United States of America. MAT, 1940 For information, please write STATE BOARD OF INDUSTRY 4 COMMERCE Capitol Bldg., Cheyenne, Wyoming Page Twenty-one �I THE AMERICAN FARM I (Continued from Page 19) | ---------------------------------------------------------- | companies. The farmers were left with debts they can never pay.” Mr. Wallace admits that he is “now try­ ing to rectify the earlier mistake by re­ amortizing loans and giving borrowers longer periods in which to pay.” Most of the dependable farm leaders ques­ tion whether this new program will offer any relief from an already unfortunate situation. “Farmers are finding that it is just as unpleasant to be wiped out by gov­ ernment in 1940 as it would have been to be wiped out by a bank in 1934,” commented one farm leader. American Farmers May Regain Allied Markets As Result German Invasion concerted drive on the part of farm groups to induce the Washington ad­ ministration to re-open markets in Great Britain and France is under way. Leaders insist that the German invasion of Norway and Denmark has shut off one of the prin­ cipal sources of supply to the Allied nations and that United States should benefit as a result. Up to the present, allied purchases in United States have been largely confined to aircraft and war material and equipment. This has been, in a large sense, responsible for much of the stagnation in the industrial and agricultural fields. Anticipated war purchases did not materialize as far as the American farmer is concerned. Step Follows Step Agreements Supercede Treaties—And So On! ^HE reciprocal trade agreements delegate to the Secretary of States the power to fix customs duties or tariff rates on imports covered in the agreements. Senator O’Mahoney, Wyoming, suggests that if it is all right to do this, then, there is nothing to prevent Congress delegating to Secretary of the Treasury authority to fix income tax rates. Constitution of United States provides that all bills for the raising of revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives. Secretary of State contends that the “agree­ Page Twenty'two ments” are not “treaties,” and therefore exempt from the demands of the Constitu­ tion. In the case of the agreement with Columbia, one clause provides that the “agreement” shall supercede all treaties. Farm Benefits Do Not Go To Nation’s Farmers But To Banks and Insurance Cos. ^ADMINISTRATION statistics show that the largest payments under the program of farm benefits have not gone to farmers at all. The biggest single beneficiary in 1937 was Metropolitan Life Insurance Com­ pany whose checks totalled $257,000. In­ surance companies and banks, drew down the largest payments. Foreclosure of mort­ gage gave them this advantageous position. According to the record, approximately 3,750,000 of the 6,000,000 farmers of the country participated in the government’s 1937 program. The average payment should have been $75.00 per farmer. But more than 20,000 farmers received payments in excess of $1,000 while the vast majority will b' found in the brackets of less than $50 per capita. To be exact, there were 1,182,387 farmers who received between $20 and $40 each. Many New Frontiers Before American People If Research Is Employed gIXTY per cent of all the units manufac­ tured in United States are made in six per cent of the nation’s area. Decentraliza­ tion of industry, combined with a plan of honest co-operation between business and government, would mean fuller development of the remaining ninety-four per cent of the country’s area. It requires research in the agricultural field, the industrial field, the commercial. Research brought us the automobile, the radio, electricity and countless other facil­ ities with which Americans are endowed. The futunre use of farm products for the benefit of industry offers a field of wide research. The story of the soy bean offers a typical case of what can be done. Engineering principles should be applied to United States. More prosperous farmers and happy, contented workers in the in­ dustrial world would be one of the results. THE CITIZEN �INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT WYOMING The Wyoming State flo'^er is the Indian Pgint JBrush. The Wyoming State bird is the meadow lark. Tba^inpiilatinn of Wyoming is 240,000r Thc-Staie is 36S miles long and 2/0 miles wide With an area of 62,430,720 acrea^ Wyoming has thirteen State institutions. Wyoming has nearly 2,000 miles of railroad. Ninety-eight per cent of the population of Wyoming is white. Wyoming has 8,500,000 acres of forest land. Wyorning-has-e©Bi«-ef-the-wofl41».greaiest-h«t-sp«Bgs. Wyoming has rivers flowing into the Missouri, the Columbia, and the Gulf of California. Wyorning ranks first in known coal reserves, second in annual wool produc­ tion and third in known oil shale deposits. Wyoming was the first State to have a woman governor. Wvomiae-wnH ndmifti-d nr. .n Rtatp July 10, 48P0. In 1869 Wyoming granted political suffrage to women and was the firsvState to do so. Wyoming territory was created from portions of Utah, Dakota and Idaho ter­ ritories in 1868. 183^’’® settlement in Wyoming was established at Fort Laramie in RIVERS IK WYOMING^ BadLwater, Belle Eourche, Big Horn, Cheyenne, Fall, Gray’s, Gros Ventre, Hoback, Laramie, Lewis, KlecLicine Bow, North Platte, Popo Agie, Powder, Shoshone, Snake, Sweetwal^er, Tongue, Wind, Yellowstone. WYO^II-NG LEALS IN BIG Wyoming leads all other Spates in big game re* -sources. All the varieties of game, including elk, ^eer, moose, mountain sheep, antelope, black, brown and grizzly bear, and many smaller animals are found within the--S^ate. �The Midwest Review Published Monthly by the Department of Industrial Relations and Distributed Free to the Midwest Family Issued Under Authority of the Midwest Refining Company Address All Communications to The Midwest Review, Post office Box 1075 Casper, Wyoming Volume VI August, 1925 Number 8 One of Wyoming’s Worthiest Projects The Annual State Fair at Douglas is the Clearing House through which the State’s Varied and Wonderful Resources are Exhibited to the World. By D. W. Greenburg All great commonwealths recognize the need and necessity for continuous educa­ tion of its people towards development of its latent and potential resources. This was recognized by the constructive citi­ zens of Wyoming many years ago. In 1901 a State Industrial Conference was held at Laramie to devise ways and means to stimulate the commercial and industrial growth of the state. It was attended by our leading citizens and out of its delib­ erations came a well defined program which included the gathering of a diversi­ fied exhibit of the State’s resources for display at the St. Louis World’s Fair and for annual exhibitions at various points in the State. The Wyoming State Fair becomes of age this year. It was 21 years ago that it was given life by the Wyoming State Legislature which made a modest appro­ priation for the founding and mainten­ ance of the institution. The State Indus­ trial Exposition was the forerunner of the State Fair. This exposition, the first which made any pretense of being a State­ wide show, was held at Sheridan in 1903 and was sufficiently successful to be held the following year in Casper. Following the Casper show a strong sentiment de­ veloped for a permanent State Fair and Douglas at once entered the field as a can­ didate for the location of the Fair. At the 1905 session of the Legislature, a bill was introduced appropriating mon­ ey for the establishment of the Fair, with the location at Douglas. The sentiment for the bill was by no means unanimous and the measure met with much opposi­ tion. Other towns wished to be consider­ ed for location and some of the legisla­ tors were in favor of putting the fair on wheels, giving every section of the State a chance at it. The Converse County delegation, at that time consisting of Ly­ man Cooper, who was speaker of the house, J. T. Williams, the representative in the senate, and John Morton of Doug­ las and Thomas Bell of Lusk, house repre­ sentatives, were able to get the bill through. The bill called for an appro­ priation of $10,000 to acquire land, erect buildings, and pay the premiums and ex­ penses of the Fair for the two year period. The Board of Trustees, to be appointed by the Governor, was to be in charge of the Fair. Governor Brooks named as members of this board Dr. Mortimore Jesurun, M. R. Collins, of Lusk, E. J. Bell of Laramie, H. L. Patten of Casper, and Alex McDonald of Sheridan. The board held its first meeting on April 5, 1905 and organized. There were two vacancies among the original appointments, those of Dr. Jesurun and H. L. Patten. These vacancies were filled by the appointment of Dr. J. M. Wilson of Douglas and A. E. Campbell of Glendo. The board organized and elected Dr. Wilson as president, A. E. Campbell as treasurer and M. R. Col­ lins as secretary. There was much doubt of the possibility of the Pair being a success that year, as the board had but $10,000 for the two year period and with this it must secure the land, erect the buildings and pay the premiums and expenses of running the fair for two years. The people of Doug­ las signified their willingness to guarantee the Fair and the Board proceeded to make �2 THE MIDWEST REVIEW its plans for the 1905 Fair. Practically is happily qualified to carry on this work. all of the appropriation of $10,000 was Undoubtedly the Pair this year will excel expended in the preliminary work and it all previous efforts. In the handling of was necessary for the people of Douglas details of the Pair a local board composed to subscribe the money necessary for the of leading citizens of Douglas work in running of the Pair. The dates were fixed harmony and cooperation with the Secre­ for October 3, 4, 5 and 6. tary. The board consists of James Wil­ A race track was constructed with a lox, Jr., LaBonte; Roy 0. Westley, Lara­ modest grand stand; an Art Hall was mie ; W. J. Dalton, Dr. J. R. Hylton, J. built and the town of Douglas built an Jeff Scott, Mrs. W. B. Musch, Vera S. Agricultural Hall. Considering the hand­ Trumper, J. L. Carmin and Frank T. Cum­ icaps and the short time for preparation, mings, all of Douglas. the Fair was wonderfully successful. The It is an interesting fact that last year date was late and the Pair management and the previous year the Pair weathered was anxious as to the possibilities of a through without going to the State Legis­ spell of winter weather, but fortunately lature without a deficit, probably the first the week was exceptionally warm. The time in the history of the organization, Pair managers worked without compen­ and at the last session $40,000 was appro­ sation. However, a good show was staged priated for handling the Pair on a twowith fine racing and sports, a large con­ year basis. This will not be ample to pro­ tingent of soldiers of the regular army vide for any new buildings which are helping greatly with their military man­ sadly needed because the Pair is growing euvers. There was a splendid agricultural to greater proportions, however, with con­ exhibit from the several counties of the servative management it is expected the State. The attendance was good and sum provided will meet all expenses. there was never any doubt after the first Something worthy of note in connection Pair had been held that the institution with the development of the State Pair was a necessary one and a permanent one. is the interest taken by both the North­ Prom 1905 to 1920 the Pair has been western and Burlington railroad systems, under the direct management of a State each taking a keen interest in the Pair Pair Board, the members being appointed and its success. The Northwestern rail­ by the Governor. The first president was road, recognizing the true worth of the Dr. J. M. Wilson and his successors were State Pair, donated to its perpetual use E. T. David of Douglas, K. D. Carey of a large tract of land at Douglas for Pair Caryhurst, J. M. Flynn of Douglas, Luther grounds. This valuable property will Freeman of LaBonte, Russell Thorp of eventually pass into the hands of the State Lusk, W. C. Irvine of Ross, Dr. B. P. for this purpose provided a Pair shall be Davis of Cheyenne, and Joseph Garst of held each successive year for 25 years. Douglas. In 1921 the management of The donation was made in 1913. Failure the Pair was given by the Legisla­ to hold a State Pair in any single year ture to the State Board of Charities will automatically revert the land back and Reform. This board controlled for to the original owner. two years, after which it was made a The citizens of Douglas take no small part of the Department of Agriculture. pride in the success of the Pair each year At the present time A. D. Paville, Com­ and in addition to providing entertain­ missioner of Agriculture, has supervision ment for the visitors, show that courteous of the State Pair, the active management and friendly spirit toward the visitor that being in the hands of Thomas P. Doyle, always has such a wholesome and lasting named secretary of the Pair this year. effect. No effort will be made here to Commissioner Paville has the coopera­ go into detail concerning the virtues of tion of the University Extension and Ag­ Douglas and Converse County because of ricultural College departments in perfect­ the intention at some future time to make ing details for the Fair and this year has Converse County a special feature of the devoted much time towards arranging for Midwest Review. In connection with the extended exhibits and educational pro­ Pair the City of Douglas furnishes to the grams. Mr. Doyle is a newspaperman and Pair ground the free water and does many �THE MIDWEST REVIEW state Fair 9/ic SULc 3air building '05 3 �THE MIDWEST REVIEW other things to relieve the Pair of a great burden of expense. Before leaving the subject of Pair man­ agement, the State Board of Agriculture, of which A. D. Paville is the Commission­ er and active head, composed of promi­ nent men in several sections of the State, has an important part in giving stability and permanence to the State Pair. The Board is composed of Governor Nellie T. Ross and J. A. Hill, Dean and Director of the College of Agriculture and Experi­ ment Station, Laramie, as ex-officio mem­ bers; Loraine Rollins of Lyman, presi­ dent; Paul Dupertuis of Lingle, vice pres­ ident; Herbert E. Sabin, of Node; Doug­ las B. Sparks, of Buffalo; and John Hen­ dricks, of Powell. The Pair has grown since 1905. The fine brick building. Agricultural Hall, has been erected. The steel grandstand has supplanted the wooden affair of 21 years ago. The Art Hall has been enlarged and remodeled. A fine exhibit pavilion for horses, cattle and sheep has been erected and the institution today is equipped to care for the wants of the exhibitors in a much different manner from the days of the first Pair. The Agricultural hall which was donated by the citizens of Douglas is still in use for other purposes. One of the chief needs for the Pair today is another building, modern and of ample proportions, to care for the increasing de­ mands of growing Wyoming. The Wyoming State Pair is primarily an exposition showing Wyoming’s re­ sources, indicating the progress which has been made in agriculture, livestock and industry. It is a revelation to those unacquainted with the State to visit Agri­ cultural Hall, which is crowded to its cap­ acity with agricultural exhibits from every part of the State. Prom the irri­ gated sections come every variety of fruit, grains and vegetables. Prom the vast empire of the Big Horn Basin, from Pre­ mont and from Platte, Goshen, Sheridan and Converse come exhibits which would be a source of pride at any State Pair. Prom the dry land sections come a sur­ prising lot of grains and vegetables in­ dicating the possibilities of Wyoming’s dry farm lands. The cattle and sheep exhibitions at the State Pair have for many years been com­ posed of the best representatives of the popular breeds. While cattle and sheep have long predominated, in recent years the swine department has made wonderful growth and this department this year will show that the raising of swine has grown to be a great industry. A new departure this year will be the exhibits of feeder stock. Livestock grow­ ers of Wyoming are beginning to realize that much of the profit of raising stock goes to Nebraska and Colorado feeders, and it is planned to utilize the abundant feed from Wyoming ranches for the feed­ ing of Wyoming stock. To encourage the exhibit of this class of stock and to edu­ cate the growers as to the financial ad­ vantage offered in this industry, former Governor Robert D. Carey, a former presi­ dent of the State Pair, has offered a regis­ tered Hereford Bull as first prize in this department. Governor Carey has always taken an active interest in the success of the Pair and is a leader in educating the farmer and livestock man of the State in better methods. Mr. Charles J. Hauf of Glendo, a prominent Shorthorn breeder, offers a registered Shorthorn Bull as first prize in the Shorthorn Class. The Wyom­ ing State Pair adds $60 and $30 as second and third prizes in each class. One of the interesting exhibits at the Pair this year will be that of the United States Agricultural Department. This ex­ hibit pertains to things in which Wyoming is interested, such as the care of range cattle and sheep, the rodent control and numerous features which will both inter­ est and instruct. The Extension Department of the State University has always been a great aid to the Pair. It has been of exceptional educational value bringing to the farmer and stockgrower all that is new and prac­ tical. Daily demonstrations are given with lectures by experts so that the knowl­ edge gained by study and research may be imparted to those who need it. Of late years more attention has been paid to industrial exhibits of the Pair and this year promises to excel all previous years experience. One of the chief indus­ tries of Wyoming, the oil industry, will be represented by the Midwest Refining Com­ pany, Ohio Oil Company, and the Texas Company, who will contribute exhibits �THE MIDWEST REVIEW 5 �6 THE MIDWEST REVIEW which show the vast range and impor­ tance to the State of this industry. The Great Western Sugar Company of Wor­ land will have an exhibit showing what the growing of sugar beets means to Wyo­ ming farmers. Many other industries of Wyoming have secured space in the In­ dustrial building, showing that the State is depending more than ever upon its own manufacturers. The Boys and Girls Club Work has proved an interesting feature of the Fair. They come in force; dormitories are pro­ vided for the girls and the boys camp on the grounds. The special prizes which are provided in the Club work are of value; demonstrations are given daily by the young people; judging contests are held and it is the aim of the management to make the Fair a school for spreading knowledge to the farm and the home. The State spelling contest arouses each year as much interest as any one feature of the Fair. Practically every county in the State has its representative in the con­ test. The Wyoming State Tribune has offered prizes in the sum of $100 in this contest, which is under the supervision of the State Educational Department. Many years ago the Old Timers’ Asso­ ciation was formed, and since its incep­ tion, it has been a valuable and interest­ ing feature of the Pair. In conjunction with the State Historical Society, a meet­ ing is held each year, with a program of exceptional merit and interest. Much his­ tory of the State has been procured from those gatherings of men and women who participated in the events that have made history. The Old Timers look forward each year to the time when they can meet their pioneer friends from all over the State. John Hunton of Old Fort Laramie fame and Malcolm Campbell of Casper have never missed a Fair. They have been residents of AVyoming for 60 years and participated actively in the building of the State. Realizing that visitors to the Fair must be entertained, a program of amusements has been arranged, which will appeal to all tastes. The rodeo is still a strong fea­ ture of the program. It will be under the direction of Mr. J. L. Carmin and the best riders in the country and the worst buckers of the west will be present. The Fourth United States Cavalry, under the command of Colonel Latrobe, will be camped on the grounds. The soldiers will participate in the daily programs and the regimental band, one of the best in the service, will be one of the musical organi­ zations present at the Pair. Two other bands will furnish music during the entire four days of the Pair. A number of free acts, the best from the vaudeville circuits, have been secured. A Midway with a carnival company will add to the interest of the night entertainment. Sat­ urday, as an added attraction, there will be automobile races with some of the best drivers in the State contesting. Chief Yellow Calf and a band of Arapahoe braves will be there to lend a touch of color to the old West. The City of Douglas will be in gala at­ tire for the occasion and there promises to be enough diversity in the city proper during the evening periods to satisfy the most exacting. It is an opportunity this year for all loyal citizens of Wyoming to meet their friends and neighbors at the Annual Fair and to give its support and approval by being present. An informa­ tion bureau is maintained in Douglas for the convenience of Fair visitors. Reserva­ tions for rooms or any other information desired will be provided on application, either in person or by letter. The people of Douglas have always giv­ en the finest cooperation to the manage­ ment of the Pair. They take it as their duty to care for the people who come from outside points and it will be a pleasure for them to make the stay of Fair visitors a pleasant one. Our Cover Designs The three pictures which make up the front cover design for this special State Fair issue of the Review, are made from actual photographs of scenes at the State Fair, held at Douglas. The agricultural products are from one of the county exhibits; the two girls with their cake and bread are Wyom­ ing Girls, members of the Boys and Girls Club, and the third picture is from an actual scene at the Rodeo feature of the Fair. And the little Indian Malden on the back cover is likewise an actual photograph. We feel that the Kistler artist in Denver, who did this work for us, is to be complimented upon the results. We like the effect, and hope our readers will be likewise pleased. �THE MIDWEST REVIEW 7 The First Annual State Fair Back in 1905 Bill Barlow’s Budget at Douglas describes in detail the successful conclusion of the first State Exhibition. By Bill Barlow It was nearly 21 years ago that the First Annual Wyoming State Fair was held at Douglas. In that year of 1905 the fair was held October 3, 4, 5 and 6 and was the occa­ sion for a gathering of many Wyoming citi­ zens at Douglas. Among those who partici­ pated was Governor Bryant B. Brooks and his staff. It will be interesting to our readers to get a slant on the happenings of that week. Bill Barlow’s Budget, in its issue of October 11, 1905, tells the story of the first fair. It is reproduced herewith.—Editor. Well, to begin with, the weather was perfect, as though made to order—bright sunshine, warm, and but little wind. The attendance estimated at about 2500—pos­ sibly a little more than that. Sensational reports of a typhoid fever epidemic said to be raging here unquestionably kept hundreds away, particularly from the south and remote sections of our county. The best of order prevailed, during the entire four days—Chief of Police Proctor, Sheriff Messenger and Marshal Davis are to be congratulated. There was plenty doing each day—uptown, on the grounds each afternoon, and at night a half dozen attractions served to keep everybody amused and entertained according to his or her inclination. The big show was all that. Six coun­ ties were not represented; but will be next time. Fremont, Laramie, Weston, Albany and Converse were at the front, as will be seen by the list of awards else­ where. The agricultural display was as good as down-east ever produced; the livestock show limited but first class; the mineral exhibition calculated to drive the show-me pessimist into his hole. Only five ladies entered in the relay race—Miss Maggie Reid, of Douglas; Mrs. Guy Newell, of Springhill; Mrs. Mott Quest, of Newcastle; Mrs. William Irwin, of Cheyenne and Mrs. Sturgeon, of Cas­ per. Refusal on the part of the committee to permit her to ride two of the horses she had brought here for the purpose and the fact that she was thrown twice the first day, resulted in the withdrawal of Mrs. Irwin; later Mrs. Sturgeon also with­ drew. The race was not decided until the last day, and was won by the Con­ verse county champion, with Mrs. Newell a close second, and Mrs. Quest third. Miss Reid received $375 in cash, the $400 piano given by the city of Douglas, the loving cup given by the Denver Post, one pair of blankets, five pounds of creams, and a handsome cut-glass prize offered by J. J. Steffen and valued at $25. Mrs. Newell received $355 in cash, a pair of blankets and the cream and sugar set given by the Cheyenne Leader. Mrs. Quest received $230 in cash and a set of solid silver tea­ spoons given by the Cheyenne Tribune. In the horse race Douglas won first money in the wet test as the result of an accident to the Cheyenne team—who later won the straightaway by the close mar­ gin of two-fifths of a second. The huband-hub was not run owing to an accident to the Cheyenne cart whereby someone put it out of commission. There has been much controversy over these races, result­ ing in bitter feeling on both sides—that which the Budget refuses to judge. Cer­ tain it is that the Douglas team made every concession asked in the two races run, and should not have broken that record by refusing their visitors the use of their carts in the last contest, regardless of the circumstances attending “accident” to the Cheyenne cart. It is equally true that the abuse of the Douglas team and its cap­ tain appearing in the Cheyenne press is entirely uncalled for and based on mere presumption—of which there is plenty of circumstantial evidence to reply in kind if we were so minded. It goes without saying that much of the success of the races was due to the con­ stant supervision of Commissioner Don­ aldson, who has had much experience in such matters, together with the work of �8 THE MIDWEST REVIEW Governor Bryant B. Brooks (wearing beard and in civilian clothes) with Regimental Staff and Wyoming National Guard officers, in attendance at the first Annual Wyoming State Fair—1905. Messrs. Kay and Bailey, of Sheridan, who officiated as starter and timekeeper. It is rather late, now, to attempt a resume of the horses and purses; but certain it is that it was far and away the greatest race meet in the history of the state. The wonderful performances of “College Maid,” the Laramie guideless wonder, comprised an especially interesting fea­ ture, and the events introduced by the Tenth cavalry were enjoyable. Every­ body pronounced the track one of the best in the west and requiring only slight alteration to make it perfect. The Williams-Mustain fight went twen­ ty rounds without a knock-down, and was awarded to Williams by Referee Hynds. The contest was devoid of brutality, and as handled by Mr. Hynds could have been pulled off in a parlor. The Shoels-Kid lightweight scrap was refereed by Johnny Green, of Cheyenne, and was given to Shoels on the Kid refusing to continue the fight when his claim of a foul had been disallowed. The visit of the Denver chamber of commerce, Friday, was an event long to be remembered. They arrived by special train about 8 a. m. and headed by their own band marched to breakfast and later to Temple hall where Chairman Barrow introduced Governor Brooks and Presi­ dent Wilson in turn, each of whom wel­ comed our guests in such manners as to leave no room for uncertainty as to whether or no they had title to the keys of the state and city. Responses were made by President J. S. Temple of the chamber of commerce. Lieutenant Gov­ ernor Parks, Parson Uzell, Senator Pat­ terson and others, and the meeting closed with an address by our own Senator C. 1). Clark, who came all the way from Evans­ ton to endorse our greeting and to point out to our visitors the importance of go­ ing after the trade of what he character­ ized as an empire yet to be developed. The Denver bunch, among which were “Walt” Davis of the Post and a news representative, spent the day on the grounds and about town, leaving for home that evening. All were pleased, and out­ spoken in their belief that the Colorado & Southern should be extended to Douglas and eventually to the Northern Pacific, and it is certain that their visit will bear fruit along this line in due time. One of the most interesting exhibits on the grounds was the Cyclone irrigation pump, which was installed on the river just below the wagon bridge, and which was visited by hundreds of people. With �THE MIDWEST BETIEM ten horse-power this pump lifted 7,000 gallons of water ten feet, every minute. The stock in this enterprise is owned largely by Casper and Douglas people, who believe that through it the question of irrigating Platt bottom lands has been solved. The game of football Saturday forenoon between Douglas and Chadron teams re­ sulted in a victory for our visitors by a score of fifteen points to nothing. The game of quoits for which a purse of $75 was hung up was witnessed by a large crowd of interested spectators. Mr. George Walkenshaw, of Glenrock, who is the champion of the world, won first on a score of twenty-one, and in the finals for second Noah Young won over John Miller by a score of twenty-one to nineteen. The Militia broke camp Thursday, and the northern boys left for home that af­ ternoon, the balance remaining until next day. The Tenth cavalry, who thanks to Major Read and his staff, contributed so much toward the success of the fair and whose courtesies will be long remembered, set out for Port Robinson Saturday morn­ ing. The State Teachers association, at the close of a very interesting and profitable two-days’ session, elected as officers for the ensuing year, president, C. R. Atkin­ son, of Sheridan; secretary, Miss Effie Cumming, of Casper; treasurer, Miss Alice M. Sampson, of Cheyenne. The joint institute of Converse and Natrona counties was voted a success, and the plans will probably be followed next year again. In connection with the work of these bodies, addresses were made by Governor Brooks, Superintendent Tisdell and Dr. Brown. Resolutions of thanks were passed by unanimous vote, compli­ menting and thanking the retiring offi­ cers of the association, the people of Doug­ las, the speaker, and Rev. Tancock for the use of the church. The livestock sale was something of a disappointment to both the public and the promoters—owing doubtless to the fact that it was the first, and more or less an experiment. Fair prices were realized on what was offered, however. The sale of the Jesurun herd was accomplished by assignee Morton at good figures. 9 Secretary Collins, of the Pair commis­ sion, announced that premiums awarded will be paid just as soon as they can be reached. Several hundred checks must be made out, however, and these sent to Treasurer Campbell at Glendo for signa­ ture, so that it will be ten days probably before they can be mailed to individuals. A Carnival at Midwest Pqr the first time in the history of the Home Camp, a carnival pitched its tents here. The Clark Carnival Company hav­ ing approached the management with a fair proposition, the proceeds to go to the “Yellow Dogs,” Big Boy Scouts of Mid­ west, permission was granted by Vicepresident Ellison, and the company gave an exhibition from July 21 to July 25 in­ clusive. Arrangements were made where­ by coupons were accepted by all the at­ tractions and concessions, a convenience which was appreciated by the employees. The features were good and clean, and the attendance, considering all the counter attractions, was all that could be expected. The carnival company put up a cash guar­ antee of $400.00 in place of the usual per­ centage, but the receipts exceeded the amount that would earn that much com­ mission if figured the usual way, conse­ quently the Big Boy Scouts received as their share an amount in excess of the guarantee. The relations of the carnxval manage­ ment and the representatives of the Boy Scouts were most pleasant, but from the standpoint of the owners erf carnival at­ tractions, two incidents occurred which took some of the joy from their lives. The carnival wrestler was defeated by our local star. Tommy Tomlinson pf Lewis Camp, in 33 minutes, and the forfeit and side bet was paid. The lady rifle expert offered $25.00 to any one who could dup­ licate her feat of shooting two rifles in crossed arms, both scoring a bull’s eye, and one of our crack shots stepped up and demonstrated his ability to claim the money to the satisfaction of every one, except the unfortunate owner of the con­ cession, who wondered how a man of such skill could be working in the oil flelds. She didn’t know we have “well shooters” here. �10 THE MIDWEST REVIEW �14 THE MIDWEST REVIEW Wyoming—Its Meaning, Origin and Application By John E. Bees* The first race of people to occupy the tribes inhabiting the Great Basin while the country which afterwards became known Nahautl included all those inhabiting Mexico as the State of Wyo­ down to and including ming was a member of the valley of Mexico. A Historian Passes the Shoshonean-NaThe Wind River *John E. Rees, hautl family of the country of western the a u t h o r of Amerindoid stock'. this valuable Wyoming is visited by contribution to This family was a continual and prev­ the annals of western history, evolved and developed alent southwest wind was a pioneer of Idaho and a along the Rocky Moun­ from whence it derives high type of tain system as that American citi­ its name'. This windy zen. On June range was formed and condition made the 11, 1927, he sent the accompany ­ grew geologically-. The country bleak in places ing paper to the and produced turbu­ probabilities are very Editor, the friendship be­ lent waters over the great that this was one tween them be­ ing of long lakes and ruffled the of the places where standing, and it streams into falls, human beings first de­ then was the intention of publishing it In The Mid­ veloped on this con­ rapids and swells, a west Review at the first opportunity. Mr. Rees passed away in September condition which the tinent and, perhaps, of 1928, and it is with regret that it has Shoshoni termed the earth’’. There are not been published before this time, so as to have added during his lifetime ‘ ‘ Washakeek ’ ’, mean­ several centers from another of his fine contributions of ing wasters shooting and which the Amerind de­ this nature. Mr. Rees enjoyed a nationwide reputation as an author­ dropping. Por this velop. The center ity on Indian Sign Language and In­ dian Lore, and also was as well versed reason the western part from which the Shoin the history of western America as shonean family de­ of Wyoming is known are many leaders now in that line. He was the author of many historic as “Washakeek’”*. veloped was in the monographs, particularly those relatWind River country'. ing to the origin of the names of The next people to “Oregon,” “Idaho,” and “Utah”, and The artifacts of their take up their abode in with this was completed the fourth, “Wyoming,” now published for the primitive civilization Wyoming w ere the first time. An intensely valuable pub­ have been found in lication for which he was best known “ Shy-en-nah ”, a tribe in his state, was “Idaho, Chronology, western Wyoming on of the Algonquain, the Nomenclature, Bibliography.” Mr. Rees was a native of DuQuoin, Ills., the headwaters of the largest family of In­ born January 17, 1868. With his Yellowstone and in the dians on the North parents he moved to Lemhi County, Idaho In 1877, and aside from a period Bighorn and Wind American continent; when he attended university at Val­ River valleys". Prom paraiso, Indiana, as a student, his en­ the Siouau, being sec­ tire life was spent near Salmon City. this center spread the ond ; Shoshonean, Fo’’ seventeen years he lived at Lemhi Indian agency during which period Comanche, east and third; they occupied Mr. Rees made an exhaustive study south; the Ute, west the greater part of of the western Indians and their ways. He was an attorney, and practiced his and south; the Sho­ eastern Wyoming and profession in his home community; he shoni, west and north; served in the state senate and the after about 1800 began lower house of the Idaho leaislature the Tukuarika, north­ to come in contact with for several terms. Early Western His­ tory was his pastime and he lived to ward; and the Moqui, the Shoshonis of the enjoy that phase of his life. In order southward®. Prom to follow his bent in later years, he western part. The taught history in the Salmon hiah these all other ShoShoshonis called them school. He is survived by a widow shonean tribes were de­ and one son, both now residing in “ P a w k - a -naw-vo ’ California, and to them we now rived. So, at the ad­ meaning painted ar­ acknowledge a deep aopreciation of the privilege of publishina what is vent of man upon the rows in allusion to oerhaps the last monog^'ach of this western continent the nature that Mr. Rees had written. their use of the striped Shoshonean family —EDITOR turkey feather on their constituted all the arrows’. �THE MIDWEST REVIEW 13 �THE MIDWEST BETIEW 15 Qrave5 in Fremonh Count)? oP ti^o Famouj ■' ’ * Indians -* ■< Ijr^ BB ■ ■B OraiPe of SfieajaWen . '"■■■*< ■ Graine of Chief^aihafie ■ ■ While the name “Wyoming” is of In­ dian origin yet it was not designated for or by any tribe inhabiting its territory. The appellation came from the Lenape or Delaware Indian language. It is derived from the words “Muh-ehu”, meaning tlte end and “Wau-Mic”, plains or “Muh-chuwau-mic”, the end of the plains^'*. The Lenape Indians occupied, aboriginally, the valley of the Delaware river and when that stream was named in honor of Lord Dela­ ware the appellation was attached to them and they were henceforth called “Dela­ ware” Indians”. In the western part of the State of Delaware is an elevated table­ land forming the water shed between the Delaware and Chesapeake bays. This water­ shed was the original home of the Lenape Indians and as it marked the end of the Atlantic Coast plains, they called it “Muhchu-wau-mic”, meaning the end of the plfiTnE'E This name has undergone an etymological change into the euphonious word, “Wyoming” which we now have. In 1742, the Lenapes were crowded out of their possessions along the Delaware and removed to the Susquehanna river and on a small tributary of that stream, where the level country gave way to the hills, they named the place in likeness to their original home, “Wyoming”. This is the Wyoming of colonial history'^. Crossing the Alleghany mountains, they were settled upon a tract of land in Ohio under the treaty of 1795, and here on a small stream flowing into the Ohio river at Cin­ cinnati, another home was established and called “Wyoming”''. These Indians were then pushed across the Mississippi rivet''" and in 1829 given and guaranteed all the country lying be­ tween the Missouri and Kansas rivers, ex­ tending north to the Kansas line'**. Within this territory and on a small stream which flows into the Black Vermilion and thence into the Big Blue river, in Marshall county, Kansas, they established a home for the fourth time and called it “Wyoming’”’. �iii- 16 THE MIDWEST They remained here until 1866, when they were removed to their final home with the Cherokees in Indian territory, now Okla­ homa’**. In their Kansas home near what is now Bigelow they were located on what was afterwards developed as the “Oregon” trail which was, at this place, formed by the junction of the roads coming up from Independence, Missouri and across from Leavenworth, Kansas’", and lived here dur­ ing all the western emigration of the ’30’s, ’40’s, ’50’s and ’60’s. There are several other places in the United States possessing the name “Wyoming” and they have been so called by emigrants from one of these localities"". " In quest of furs, the Delawares traversed much of the interior country"’. The Platte river was their natural route into the Rocky mountains and when they had proceeded upstream to its head tributaries, where the plains ceased and the mountains began, they once more applied the home name “Wyoming” to the surrounding country, meaning the end of the plains, alluding in this case, to the Great Plains of the United States. Knowing the country so well, mem­ bers of this tribe oftimes acted as guides and helpers to fur companies, emigrants and people going into the mountains, by which means they made known the name “Wyoming” and it became a familiar appellation"". The name “Wyoming” for this particu­ lar geographical section became so preva­ RE 1- 1 E IV lent that when the first bill was introduced into Congress, in 1865, to form this region into a territory, the word and its connec­ tion to this particular topography was quite well understood by all"'* and it eventually became the name of the present State of Wyoming. The first name, “Washakeek” that was ever applied to any portion of the country survives, only, in the name “Washakie”, meaning the chief of the Washakeek band. Footnotes and Explanatory (Note; In view of the importance of the foregoing paper, and the care exercised by Mr. Rees in giving the authorities, the same are given herewith as he had submitted them. It makes a splendid bibliography bearing' on this subject and one which our readers undoubtedly will be glad to have should they desire to make further research into the subject.—EDITOR.) ’—Kroeber, American Archaeology and Ethnology, IV, 164. Brinton, The American Race, 118. Rees, Idaho, Chronology, Nomenclature and Bibliography. 2—Bancroft, History oj the Pacific States, XXV, 325. —Pierson & Schuchert, Text-Book oi Geology, 1915, II, 962, 976. *—Bancroft, History of the Pacific States, XXV, 673. ®—Norris, Fifth Annual Report, Yellowstone National Park, 32-8. ®—Hodge, Handbook of North American Indians, II, 555. —Chittenden, American Fur Trade, II, 733. Irving, Astoria, 1836, I, 278. *—Stuart, Montana As It Is, Note 53. ®—Hodge, Handbook of North American Indians, I, 251. ’•’—Ibid, II, 278. Ibid, I. 385. —Winston, Cumulative Loose-Leaf Encyclopaedia, III, Dela­ ware. ’’—Hodge, Handbook of North American Indians, II, 978. —Royce, Indian Land Cessions, 654. Rand, McNally & Co., Universal Atlas, 1902, 35. —Jackson, A Century of Dishonor, 48. —Royce, Indian Land Cessions, 724. —Rand, McNally & Co., World Atlas, 1882, 717. —Royce, Indian Land Cessions, 840. —Chittenden. American Fur Trade, I, 465. —Upham, Minnesota Geographic Names, 110. —Jackson, A Century of Dishonor, 50-52. “—Irving, Adventures of Captain Bonneville, 1850, 94. —Bancroft, History of the Pacific States, XXV, 739. FORT LARAMIE Famed as a fur trading post and rendezvous for Indian Treaties as it appeared to Fremont in 1842, later rebuilt and made into a military post during Oregon Trail days. . -. ...PtMT-aMrlMitlnir t- ___ �THE MIDWEST REVIEW 15 The Natural Resources of Wyoming • Bn Bernice Berry Wyoming is a magnificent Empire where soil, water, sunshine, minerals, and oils united in making this state one of the most productive areas of the Rocky Mountain region, and where faithful citizens have built prosperous cities, towns, and com­ munities. In 1868 when Wyoming was admitted as a territory little thought was given to the values contained in the vast plains called Wyoming. Since then many valuable assets of the state have been revealed. To­ day Wyoming provides grazing ground for millions of head of livestock and soil for extensive agricultural development, while under its surface valuable minerals have been discovered. Industries of many kinds are now established and new ones are continually enlarging the long list. The best scenic places and out-of-door ad­ vantages of the state are visited by a great many people from all over the United States. There is still much to learn of the great commonwealth of our state. With the establishment of the territorial government began the great development of the basic industry of Wyoming—that of raising livestock. Great herds of buffalo and other wild grazing animals had lived upon the grasses found on the plains and mountains. The same plains were found to afford the best grazing ground for cat­ tle and sheep. The Indian’s pony gradu­ ally found its place by the sturdy mount of the cowboy, and within a quarter of a century Wyoming became a leader in the production of beef, wool, and mutton. During later territorial days the establish­ ment of ranches for growing winter feed for livestock was introduced. On July 10th, 1890, the Territory of Wyoming was admitted by Congress as a state of the same name—Wyoming. This new chapter in Wyoming’s prog­ ress may be considered as the closing of adventures and romance of pioneer days. Changing conditions did not, however, block the course of the fundamental indus­ try of livestock-raising. ♦This story won first award for g’irls in contest for The Ellison Awards.—The Editor. At one time the typical cowman and sheep-owner thought of Wyoming only as a ranching state and could little picture our present state with its cultivated fields, flour mills, sugar refineries, canning fat, tories, and other advanced agricultural in­ dustries. A part of Wyoming will always remain as range country, but some of its richer range country has been converted into satisfactory farming land. The value of farm crops in 1928 proved their success and equaled the value of livestock sold. Farming is practiced profitably in Wy­ oming, both by irrigating the farms and by dry farming. Under irrigation, fine crops of alfalfa, sugar beets, beans, pota­ toes, corn, vegetables, and small grains are raised. Forty-five thousand acres of sugar beets were grown in 1928 to supply the state’s four sugar refineries. A fifth sugar mill is now under construction at AVheatland this year. With an acreage of 22,000 in 1928, dried beans brought nearly $1,200,000 to their producers. Dry farms are now in use in the eastern part of the state. They produce good harvests of al­ falfa, wheat, oats, barley, corn, potatoes, and various grasses. The abundant sun­ shine and other climate conditions furnish a better quality of product, therefore we receive a better price. The dairy industry also has its proper place in agricultural development. The thousands of head of dairy stock have brought their producers an ever increasing profit up in the millions of dollars. Ilogs have brought a profitable return, too. Wy­ oming is not thought of as a honey state but in 1928 nearly 3,000,000 pounds of honey were produced. Turkeys alone brought $1,000,000. The yearly output of eggs and poultry is worth about $3,000,000. In the recording of our agricultural de­ velopment, it is important to take into con­ sideration that there are only 250,000 peo­ ple in the state. The previous figures are more outstanding when the relation is shown between them and the population. The value of the mineral resources of Wyoming has reached the enormous sum of $150,000,000,000. This seems a large �16 THE M1DWE8T figure but if you consider when mineral development began, it is a more reasonable sum. Coal mining has been a leading in­ dustry of the state for many years. The production during the last decade is an extremely high number of tons. Wyoming leads all other states in coal reserves. Mar­ kets are the largest problem now. AVyoming is also rich in iron. With the Seminoe district in the central part of the state, the reserves of iron are estimated at about five hundred million tons. The greatest developing mineral asset of the state at this time lies in its rich oil production. Eventually the black oils of AVyoming will become of greater value to the industry and to the state, but as it is, they can best be left in the ground except for some small present use as road oil, as­ phalt, and fuel oil. Its high sulphur con­ tent and the lack of gasoline make it unfit for the present markets, for it is now too costly to refine and compete with light oils at present prices. The value of nearly 30,000,000 barrels of crude oil produced in 1925 was $50,000,000. Due to low price and the closing down of oil fields in 1928 the production had dropped to 21,000,000 barrels. The Salt Creek Field, greatest light oil field in the world, located forty-five miles from Casper, Wyoming, is operated under most efficient methods. Gas pressures are preserved to force the oil from the sands, thus preventing water from entering the sands. Many of the fine highways and public schools would not be possible if it were not for the production of petroleum. Eleven National Forest Reserves of over 8,500,000 acres are in this state. These re­ serves furnish large amounts of merchant­ able timber. BEVIEW Wyoming is outstanding for its scenic attractions. The great Yellowstone Na­ tional Park, recognized as the greatest natural wonderland and summer play­ ground in the world, may be considered to head the scenic attractions of the state. The Park is in nearly the same condition that it was in previous years, therefore it is the place where man and nature come closer together and I think it will always be held priceless for this one purpose. Much development has taken place in four or five centers of attraction of the Yel­ lowstone. The lake, the canyon, the for­ ests, and the waterfalls are some of the Park’s earliest features but many new ones, such as the “1928 Geyser” have sprung up in unexpected places. Old Faithful Geyser is the biggest attraction of the Yellowstone. Every summer thousands of Eastern tenderfeet get a rare glimpse of the AVest —of vast areas, of cowmen and wranglers, of bucking bronchos and rodeos. There are now located in AVyoming about one hundred ‘ ‘ Dude ’ ’ Ranches. These ranches are maintained by old time AA^esterners. These “Dude” Ranches are summer homes for the man who seeks adventure like that of the rough cowboy days of old. AHsualize the total amount of the re­ sources of the state, and you will see Wy­ oming as a common-wealth now making good progress in the development of her extensive resources and with a future of more wealth than previously secured. Sources of Material and Statistics: 1. 2. 3. 4. Frank C. Emerson. “Wyoming's Resource As­ sets.’’ Midwest Refining Co., Midwest, Wyom­ ing, July and August. 1929. Bancroft. “The History of Oil.’’ XXV. Hodge. “Handbook of North American Indians.’’ R. H. Alcorn. “Wyoming’s Advantages.’’ Wy­ oming Press Association. Cheyenne, Wyoming, Jan., 1930. �April, 1932 THE VOICE OF THE SPORTSMAN Page S Scenic Beauties of the CHest By ALFRED I. MOKLER PALISADES OF THE WIND RIVER. Looking Northeasterly from Brooks Lake. One of the many charming spots in the Rocky Mountains. Courtesy of Alfred J. Mokler’s “Transition of the West. Words are inadequate to properly describe the wonderful scenic beauties of the West. The rugg-ed mountains, mighty plains, dense forests, pictur­ esque lakes, marvelous geysers, snow-capped peaks, petrified forests, great glaciers, marvelous hot springs, and above all the glorious sunsets, must be seen to be fully appreciated. In the spring and early summer months the vast undulating plains are covered with verdure and adorned with a great variety of wild flowers, re­ sembling the green waves and white-capped swells of the sea; along the banks of the mountain streams there is a fringe of timber; the foothills are covered with dense green forests, and the summits of the mountains, some of which are covered with eternal snow, stretch out like a long, low line of white clouds along the western sky. In the fall of the year the leaves on the trees are to purple, red and 'gold, of the most beautiful hues, the grass and flow­ ers of the plains have changed to gray and in the winter months the whole is covered with the white shroud of snow. Volumes have been written about these wonderful attractions, and after the first visit among them there is instilled in the human breast always to return, and after having re­ sided here for a time, few people are satisfied to live any place else. The world’s greatest natural wonders and most beautiful scenery are in the Rocky Mountain Coun­ try. More healthful attractions, alluring forests and streams for the pleasure-seeker and inviting pros­ pects for varied industries are here than in any other region in the world. A vast and rich territory, which, less than 100 years ago was a wilderness, inhabitated only by wild animals and hostile Indians and almost impenetrable by white man, now contains ten millions of people who have builded for them­ selves pleasant homes and modern, thriving cities Of this country it may be truly said: “The wilder­ ness has blossomed like a rose and the waste places have been made glad by the industry of civilized man. ’ The Indians called these mountains and valleys and plains their “La-no-wa,” meaning the land of the road to paradise. The white man has made the In­ dian s La-no-wa a land of peace and plenty. The Far-Famed Tetons The far-famed Teton range, lying south of the y ellowstone National Park, presents a splendid and magnificent piece of scenery. The “Three Tetons” are culminating points of this Alpine range and the mountains is the Grand Teton, which pierces the blue sky with an altitude of 13 747 ^et. Of the mighty and majestic Tetons, Hiram M Chittenden presents this beautiful pen pictureH '' ill FT'TTilf ili'liBiiiibb i " �capacity, when pr(\periy MHHMMIIHHgMkiaSHHW fished. A recent sih;;^vey . | of Nebraska t r dtU t streams showed th'^t ’ the beautifl the necessity of 1^™^SigJtwe®™ proving natural conaP^^ than\hTneJd fo? restoci\ing, and the remits will be better in proportion to th^ effort expendefci. Good Results With Little Effort The winter months offer^n excellent opportuniy to improve streams conditions by building retards and dams, which serve sevei^al to aerate the water, vary tho„ speed of the cu"e to form deep pools, to increase food suppb and to help prevent erosion of creek banks. The cost of construction of the retards will vary with stream conditions. By caref^ul selection of the retards there are few streams which cannot be nroved at a minimum of cost and\labor. r' P In the spring of 1930, the State o| Nebraska Game Forestration and Parks Commissi^ StS construction of a number of retards along Sted Creek in Holt County and on the Verchgres Cre^k in Antelope County. The condition ,of the streains had become such that there was littU food or coi e left Stock had trampled down the banks and oxer hanging grass and shrubs which furnished food and shelter the trout. Obstructions of naany different kinds were used. Brush, logs ^tumps ^nd old trees ■ such as willow, which have little valine as fuel o ^^*Trees ^were felled so that their tops\were down stream, the butts were wired to tree number 9 wire. They were sP fastened Jhat fihe ed dies formed by them would wash outi holes and create pools. In some places? a tree was ^stened on either side of the stream and,tops were tied toget, thus forming a deep, narrow channel, which afford ed excellent places for fish to hide, and ^eed on the ‘"Tstill different type of dam was made by laymg ----- several logs lengthwise inffhe stream, and^ on these were laid logs crosswise in the stream with their butts buried in the bank. The purpose of the length- ^l,e”»t^'«^^kes to ; ; ' e■ .et a will beat this range , • j i ^.^rrel and the As to accuracy the the world .30-06 cartridge are the.most^ccut LT %t°'cl,”i:'':be‘’re';?Sa’ and see ^ba. the believe this cnecK n cbnots and Camp boys are shooting at your about the super­ Perry. You are going to ask accurate 22 long rif taro-et rifles with hand really good one) an som g ranges loads, but remember 1 saicl irom to 1,200 yards. I. wH, pay the sman bore jho»tor‘o take a ^ood look at the new Lyman 48 J rear signi ____ _______ . Tur__ 1 1 rn — �May, 1932 THE VOICE OF THE SPORTSMAN Page 7 Scenic Beauties of the West Ry ALFRED J. MOKLER Mr. Mokler’s graphic description of western wonders is continued from the April number of this magazine THE FAR-FAMED TETON MOUNTAINS, VIEWED FROM THE EAST SIDE OF JACKSON LAKE. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SCENERY IN THE WORLD IS IN AND AROUND THESE “ALPS OF AMERICA.” (NOTE THE FACE OF THE DOG IN THE PEAK TO THE EXTREME RIGHT.) —Courtesy of Alfred J. Mokler’s “Transition of the West” The Yellowstone National Park The Yellowstone National park is the wonderland of the West. With its geysers, boiling pools, cav­ erns, terraces, petrified forests marvelous hot springs, mud volcanoes, crystal lakes, lofty moun­ tains, beautiful streams—with their wonderful cas­ cades and waterfalls—-dense forests, the home of birds, elk, deer, bear, moose, buffalo, beaver, moun­ tain sheep, and other wild animals of many kinds, attracts hundreds of thousands of people from all parts of the world, and it is undoubtedly the bestknown national park in America. This park is sixty-two miles long and fifty-four miles wide, giving an area of 3,348 square miles, or 2,142,720 acres. It is located in northwestern Wyoming, encroach­ ing slightly upon Montana and Idaho; 3,114 miles, or 1,992,962 acres being in Wyoming; 198 square miles, or 125,720 acres in Montana, and thirty-six square miles, or 23,020 acres in Idaho. It has an average elevation of about 8,000 feet above the sea level. The entire region is volcanic, and is remark­ able for its hot water phenomena. The internal heat of the earth which approaches close to the surface causes the geysers to play at quite regular intervals. For many years the geyser known as Old Faithful has played with an average regularity of every sixty-five minutes, and some of the quite small ones play every few minutes, while some of the larger ones play at irregular intervals of days, weeks or months. There are hundreds of small, bub­ bling hot springs in this park which throw water from two to three feet in the air from once to three times a minute; these springs are really small, im­ perfectly formed geysers. The action of the geysers, which are regarded with wonder by many people, is caused by water from the surface trickling through cracks in the rocks, or water from subter­ ranean springs collecting in the bottom of the gey­ ser’s crater, down among the strata of immense heat, which becomes itself intensely heated and gives off steam, which expands and forces upward the cooler water that lies above it. It is then that the water at the surface of the geyser begins to bubble and give off clouds of steam, which is a prelude to the playing, or spouting of the geyser. When the water at the bottom reaches so great an expansion under continued heat that the less heated water above can n.b longer weigh it down. �Page 8 THE VOICE OF THE SPORTSMAN May, 1932 it bursts upward with great violence, rising at quite they lie in straight lines at easy angles, from which a distance in the air and continues to play until jut high rocky prominences. Sometimes they lie in practically all the W’ater in the crater has been huge hollows carved from the sidewalls. Here and expelled. The water, which cools after coming in there jagged rocky needles rise perpendicularly for contact with the air, falls back to the ground and hundreds of feet like groups of gothic spires. again seeps through the surface to gather as before “And the whole is colored as brokenly and vividly in the crater’s depth, and in a greater or less time, as the field of a kaliedoscope. The whole is streaked accor ding to and spotted difficulities in and stratified the way of its in every shade return, be­ from the deep­ comes heated est orange to to the bursting the faintest point, when lemon ; from the geyser deepest crim­ spouts again. son through all These hot wa­ the grays and ter formations pearls to glis­ and spouting tening white. spouting gey­ The greens arc sers are interfurnished by esting ankl the dark pines beautiful to above, the look upon. But lighter shades more beautiful of growth and awe-in­ caught here spiring is the and there in Grand Canyon soft masses on of the Yellow­ the gentler stone, a scenic slopes and the feature of mar­ foaming green velous hue and of the plung­ coloring. ing river far Quoting from below. The a publication blues, ever tion of the In­ changing, are terior Depart­ found in the ment : “The dome of the Grand Canyon sky overhead. of the Yellow­ “It is a spec­ stone affords a tacle which spectacle wor­ one looks up­ thy of a na­ on in silence.” tional park But the gey­ where there sers and cas­ are no geysers. cades and falls Standing upon are by no I n s piration means all the Point, which wonders of the pushes out al­ park. The fos­ most to the sil, or petrified center of the forests, which canyon, one are said to seems to look cover more almost verti­ than 35,000 cally down up­ “CHIMNEY ROCK,’’ AS SEEN FROM THE EAST ENTRANCE TO THE YELLOWSTONE acres, contain NATIO.NAL PARK on the foam­ many trunks ing Yellowand branches stone river. To the south a waterfall twice the of trees which thousands of years ago were alive height of Niagara rushes seemingly out of the pine­ and green as are the trees in the park today. “Trav­ clad hills and pours downward to be lost again in ersing the valley of the Lamar river one may see green. From that point two or three miles to where at many places numerous upright fossil trunks in you stand and beneath you widens out the most the faces of nearly vertical walls. These trunks are glorious kaliedoscope of color you will ever see in not all at a particular level, but occur at irregular nature. The steep slopes, dropping on either side heights; in fact, a section cut down through these a thousand feet and more from the pine-towered 2,000 feet of beds would disclose a succession of levels above, are inconceivably carved and fretted fossil forests. That is to say, after the first forest by the frost and the erosion of the ages. Sometimes grew and . was entpmbed there was a time without �May, 1932 THE VOICE OF THE SPORTSMAN Page 9 volcanic outburst—a period long enough-to permit Outdoor Playgrounds a second forest to grow above the first. This in turn was covered by volcanic material and pre­ The grandeur and fastnesses of any and all of served, to be followed again by a period of quiet, these ranges of mountains in the midwest of the and these more or less regular alternations of vol­ Continent appeals to those who are seeking rest, canism and forest growth continued throughout the recreation and re-creation of nerves and body, and time the beds were in process of formation. Geo­ every summer many visitors find their way to the logical change.s are exceedingly slow. No geologist timber-clad hills and snow-capped peaks, where would dare predict that a few thousand years from they forget their business cares and enjoy fishing now the present forests of Yellowstone park may lie and hunting during the day, a hearty supper and a buried under another layer of lava on top of which tranquillizing pipe in the evening, a sound sleep may flourish a new Yellowstone.” during the night, and a sunny disposition and con­ The first American to enter the region of this park tented mood in the morning. These are the great ■was John Colter of Saint Louis, but he received outdoor playgrounds where nature has been undis­ little credit for his discoveries. He was in the em­ turbed by the hand of man and people come to visit ploy of Manuel them from eve­ Lisa, a fur trad­ ry state in the er, in the sumunion, and m e r of 1807, many come here and when they from Europe to reached the remain during mouth of the the summer Big Horn river, months. The Lisa sent Colter snow-storms of out to inform the late spring the Indians that and early fall he was in their are somewhat country and of a handicap, wished to trade but the snows of with them. Colwinter must ter traveled melt and the more than 500 flowers of sum­ miles, crossing mer must with­ the Wind river er, in the moun­ and the Teton tains as well as mountains, go­ in the valleys, ing through and the people what was after­ who camp in wards known as the mountains Union, but now must prepare a Two - gwo - tee shelter for bad Pass, and trav­ MAMMOTH CAMP FROM TERRACES. THIS IS YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK weather if they eled diagonally HEADQUARTERS go in the early across what is —Photo by Haynes, St. Louis spring or expect now the Yellow­ , , . , ,, T • remain until stone Park. (To-go-te, or Two-gwo-tee, was a late in the fall. In midsummer the splendor of the mountain Shoshone, or sheep eater Indian, the name climate is beyond adequate description; the morn­ meaning in the Shoshone Indian language, a spear. ings and evenings are always cool and the middle To-go-te and one or two others of his clan, being of the day is pleasant; extreme heat is seldom more familiar with the mountain passes than other known, and the cool, refreshing temperature is Shoshones, were designated by Chief Washakie to enjoyed; the sky is of a deep blue color and in the guide President Chester A. Arthur and his party evenings the sunsets are magnificent. from Fort Washakie to the Yellowstone National During your travels you find many canyons and Park in 1883. Since that time the trail they traveled chasms. Ihey are deep and dark and dangerous to over the divide has been called To-go-te Pass.) descend, and there are also monstrous rocks that When Colter told his companions of the hissing rise like walls of the skyscrapers of the large cities. sounds of the hot water emitting from the earth, of When you return to your camp after a day’s ex­ the spouting springs, the roaring falls, the wonder­ plorations and have finished your plainly-cooked ful lake and the many other wonders of this region, but wholesome supper and sit around the camp fire they considered his yarns as one of their own kind m the evening enjoying your pipe your are undis­ and did not believe him. After returning to his turbed with the thoughts of commercialism or so­ home in Saint Louis, he told of his discoveries to cial contests. A mountain fire need be your only explorers and historians, but they did not take him fear. These fires are caused only by the careless seriously and it was not until many years later that or inexperienced camper, but when once started tliey cause more damage and are more dangerous explorers entered into the region and found all that than a prairie fire. The rushing blasts which roar Colter had related to be true. wX «‘’‘‘"'S and find their way to the deep gorges. The crash of the fallen trees, tumbling from crags and precipices, the lick­ ing flames and clouds of dense smoke is a sight that never can be forgotten. Frequent but briS raim storms come hurrying past amLrage with great fory or a short time, and then pass off, leaving even­ thing fresh, calm and serene restful and rapturous to hear �for a short time, and then pass off, leaving every­ thing fresh, calm and serene. It is truly delightful, restful and rapturous to hear the song of the birds, to behold the verdure of the valley and the grove, the beautiful clouds, and the glowing rays of the sunset, all of which gladdens the heart and brings contentment to the mind. Imangine yourself, you who do not know the wonder of the West, standing upon the spur of some granite range that rises several thousand feet above the plains; back of you and above you are the mountains; before you and below you lies the world. In the distance to the north and west more than a hundred miles away, rises groups of snow­ capped peaks through air so clear you see the shad­ ows on them. Between you and these snow-capped peaks, and to the far West there are miles upon miles of the plains; league upon league they stretch away to the shifting elusive horizon, and mile upon mile beyond that, hidden only by the curve of the earth itself. Here and there a tiny blur, detected in the midst of their color, rises the smoke from the engine of some loaded train following its thread of steel across the emptiness, yet no sound of man comes to your silence. Wheel and whistle are lost in the mightiness below you. Vast, sunlit, frail, the peopled world is airy as a dream. So dreamlike are its colors, so fleeting that you find yourself holding your breath lest it vanish quite away. It is a land of color, and the masses of stone which form the bleak cliff, spire and gorge seem to vary in tint and hue, the prevailing ashy gray changing at dawn and twi­ light by the sun's rays, which transforms them into glowing masses of rose and red, making a harmon­ ious contrast with the vivid greens of grassland along the foothills. But the deserts of the far West show the utter­ most glory of color. Crimson and dun and blue, rifted with the golden sands of some dried water­ course, far and away stretch the desert flowers, the white skies over them and always the mountain purple and lavender beyond their horizons. Deeper become the colors; richer, more luminous as the westward miles are traversed, until one catches up with the sunset. The loneliness and mystery of the West, as well as its color, are in the desert. The desert loneliness is not that of the prairies, that seem free from the tread of human foot since the world began, but is a loneliness forever bur­ dened with a sense of haunting, vanished races. Vanished races have been there; their trail is worn across the painted desert; some of them are nestling in the crannies of the cliffs, but trail and home have nothing to do with the sense of their presence in the land; it is felt, not inferred. But with all this vast waste of land, with all the mystery and loneliness it creates to look upon it, there dwells a spirit that once it has touched the wanderer, leaves him home­ less in other places forever after. Much of the old wilderness is practically un­ changed. The mountains are the same, except that the menacing Indians are gone and men of science are free to come into them and locate the rich min­ eral deposits that have been hidden there for thou­ sands of years; artists and poets may come and seek inspiration in them; the overworked and weary busines tnan may leave the turmoil of the city and in these enchanting, soul-inspiring giants of rfature of matchless grandeur, find quietude and a variety of scenery that will satisfy the mind and relax his tightened nerves. With the thousands of prosperous cities and 10,000,000 progressive people in the valleys, with this free, health-giving, God-loving country, transformed from a desert waste to a land of plenty, reclaimed from barbarism to civilization, surely it was not against the will of God that the white man should incite this glorious Transition of the West. �Page 10 THE VOICE OF THE SPORTSMAN May, 1932 H Day s Runt in the Long Hgo Ry DR. FRED HORTON In the early Nineties, antelope in countless thou­ sands roamed the prairies of northeastern Wyo­ ming. It was not unusual to see them in sight of town, I have gone out in the early dawn on my faithful hunting horse and would be back with my antelope in time for breakfast with the family. At that time the season was open from January first to December thirty-first. Where game wfis abundant predatory animals, such as the grey wolf, coyote and bobcat lived and thrived abundantly on'the game and livestock. Usually my two buddies, Al, Put, and myself, hunted together and a finer pair of buddies no man ever had. Thanks to the early training of our fath­ ers we had been taught to never waste game or fish. I don’t think that any one of us ever wasted an edible piece of a game animal. However, I have seen sportsmefi, so called, cut off the saddles of their antelope and leave the rest of the careass for the coyotes. We never hunted antelope in the summer time with the exception of one day. An antelope is at his prime 'for eating purposes along about the first of June, Then the bucks are fat, lazy and juicy. The three families could dis­ pose of this one animal before any of the me-at would spoil and no meat would be wasted. Then we \ laid off on the antelope until fall when we went on our annual hunt which usually lasted for a week or ten days of glorious hunting and camping. In pursuance of our usual custom we planned for a day’s hunt early in June. Shells were loaded (in those days we loaded our own rifle shells), lunch put up and alarm clocks set for two A. M. We wanted to get out in the antelope country by day­ light as the first two hours of daylight are worth all of the balance of the day for hunting antelope and daylight comes very early in this latitude. I had developed a strong desire to capture a young antelope for a pet for my young son, then three or four years of age and hoped to accomplish the feat on this trip. There is probably no wild ani­ mal that is easier to tame and domesticate than the young antelope. Within forty-eight hours after you put one on the bottle he is yours entirely and will follow you any place but he requires about the same care in feeding that does a babe of his age. We retired early, full of hope and anticipation. A few minutes before two my door bell rang. I jumped up with a muttered exclamation, of “There goes my hunt,’’ and with further exclamations on the way to the door, which my wife declared sounded like swear words, I found a young man who said, “My brother is very sick and we want you to come right out and see him.” My heart missed a few beats but I said, “Where do you live?” He said, “Out on Oil crefek.” My heart came back with a snap; that waS-. within a half mile of where we expected to start our^, hunt. Every thing was looking auspicious. ’■ This was long before the advent of the automo­ bile. Our equipment for travel consisted of a single, light top buggy and our three saddle horses. I hastily hitched the horse to the buggy and, leaving the other boys to bring the saddle horses, I drove to the home of the sick boy and by the time the boys arrived I had the lad attended to and made comfortable and was ready for the hunt. We drove down to the ranch about a half mile, where we were to leave the buggy and take to our horses, but here we discovered that Put had pulled one of his not infrequent boners. He had the bad habit, when starting on a hunt, of forgeting either his gun or his ammunition. This time he had for­ gotten both. We sent him back to the home where I had visited the sick boy to borrow a rifle and Al and I rode up on the top of the ridge to await his return. From this ridge, where we were reclining, there was spread out before us one of the most beautiful panoramas that the eye of man has ever beheld. To the east some twenty miles away the morning sun was just tinging the highest pinnacles of the beautiful Black Hills, painting each spire in colors of red, gold and blues, while to the west as far as the eye could see, rolled the undulating prairies clothed in soft grasses of early summer and dotted with the most gorgeous display of wild flowers in a riot of all the colors of the rainbow. It was good just to be alive on such a morning and brought to mind the words of the poet, “Where every prospect pleases and only man is vile.” We were soon brought to our feet by a flash of brown and white, where Put on his way back had flushed a doe and fawn who were heading our way. We hastily mounted and the chase was on. The fawn gave us a hard race for a mile or two but soon began to tire and we picked him up. Object number one accomplished within one hour. Then for the buck. Following down the ridge for a short dis­ tance, we spied a fat buck, some two hundred yards away lying down on a side hill taking a siesta. As there was no cover whereby we might approach closer, we decided to all take a shot at him together. With the usual result of such tactics, we all missed. After watching the buck disappear in the distance, we turned around to retrieve our mounts only to discover that Al’s horse had bolted and was heading for South Dakota at no mean pace. He gave us a hard run for about three miles before I cornered him under a cut bank and led him back. As I turned I saw Al slipping back and forth along a ridge; he would slip along a short distance, then crawl up and peak over the ridge, then slip back the other way and repeat the maneuver. I knew that he had a bunch of antelope spotted that were feeding along this ridge. As I came up to him, he said, “There is a nice buck in this bunch. Get �S... , Z ’ 1^4.. . '^t\,j..L~^ i(^ jl,£a^ ia-iA,^<r->^- tZu 'jA-i-ayf^ 4 �^>n4-€4^ / A f /k^ /\>«-i^vrT>^ ■iU^ tL krX^^ 7^ 9 / /ir\^'{^^^^ / /J �^'ir^ £r^ij^ o Sr o ^iMJji^ tk: • /(jyO yA T^«^ )/ iAT^ ' ,r ' . \± 4^ a « A )Swt/jtw-T^.A^ ^.»JZ<.-/'{^ �/kt, hy^eta^ ^:^JUt,,,ax<. 6| < f , ej Jj4^ tA}-i>><j4jf^^ P^. '^ ) s ^ f> ‘'’^ ^(/''■ftr^ A4Xt tZ 'l^ > �dx^44y>-A^^£x<z c> &-i^ ^??i#nv r^ CnnA< "KZ^ZfL �9^ =: -youo /i^ ^a' 2i-»^ <--^ ifi^-«=^12Z!pX^»cr--- /fete-v^u^^ 't^ • Ktur!^ f"^ �**(Ux><-x7 <3>t-<, QL o^.^M-'-y'-'-yi''^--''^^ ^t,ffzt''**'“*^ . 1, J-fvf Aj^ tb ^ku * ^t/CAX- �Whichever way Shb turn«rt lite eye i»tewsw3 confounded by the vastnees and varlety oi objecte. Beneath Mmn the Rocky Viountain£^n,8aoraipl to open all their secret receeeas; deep, soleran valleys; treaiured likeej dreary passes; rug­ ged dexiles, and toazning toxoents; while beyond theit savage precincts the eye «»s lost in almoct iiwneasurable landscap?; stretching on evry side into dim and hazy distance, like the expanse of a summer’s sea. look«8i Whichever way'ife beheld vast plains glimjiering with reflected sunshine; mighty streams wandering on their shining course toward either ocean, and snowy mountains, chain beyond chain, and peak beyond peak, till they msltMB like clouds into the horizon. df The peak upon whinh oi.y' standACommandte the whole Wind River Bhagh; which, in fact, may be consid­ ered one immense mountain, broken into snowy peaks and lateral spurs, seamed with narrow valleys. Pome of these valleys glitt.ersii with silver �lakes and gushing st reams; the fountain head, as it were, of the niighty~trib- utaries to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Beyond the snow pe-»ka, to the south, and far, far below the mountain range, the gentle river, C'lled the Swaetv^ater,x\ilj^ seen pursuing its tranquil way tlirough the rugged regions ot the Black Hills. In the east, the head- aters of the Wind/iver wander^ a plain until, mingling in one powerful current, they force# thelx way through the Fig Horn mountains and wm lost to view. To the north caught glimpses of the upper streams of the Yellowstone, that great tributary of the Missouri. In ether directions to be seen some of the sources of the Oregon, or Columbia, flowing to the northwest, p^st those towering land­ marks, Ghe thr^^Tetons, ana pouring down into the great lava plain; while almost a- feat, the CreenXiver, or the Colorado of the ^?e6t, ipt SQtS'forth on its wandering pilgrimage to the Gulf of California’; at first a mare mountain torrent, rtaahins northTOrd over ciag and preoiploa.in a euo- eeeeion ot ORoaaioa. end tumbling Into the plain, .here, expanding into an ample river, it oiroleS away to the aouth, and after alternately ihlning out and iie.-.ppeering in the mazes of the vaot landeoape, of mountains," S ■ TJ) I I I I I I I I I I / I/ lost in a horizon Wind river flow's toward the north through the Wind River canyon. As the water leaves the canyon it becomes Big Horn river. In this cawyon there are many interesting formations. Oblique’rocks'rise in sphinx-like shapes a thousand feet above the bed of the river. There are castle formations. Waterfalls corne tumbling out of the rock-formed canvon sides falling hundreds of feet, joining their voices ' with' that of the river in a mighty chorus that resounds like an echo through the flowing east and then south to the sea. Ten years after Bonneville visited these wonderful mountainsycame John C. Fremont, and it was on this expedition in 1842 that Fremont Peak and Freniont Lake were given a permanent name. Excerpts report to Congress enable the reader To gam a»» excebent word picture of this most beautiful mountain range: At sunrise a lofty snow peak of the mountain is glittering in the first rays of the sun, which has not yet reached us. The long mountain wall to the east, rising 2,000 feet abruptly from the plain, behind which we see the peaks, is still dark, and cuts clear against the glowing sky. The scenery becomes hourly more interesting and grand and the view here is truly magnificent. The whole valley is glowing and bright and all the mountain peaks are gleaming like silver. We come unexpectedly upon a most beautiful lake, set like a gem in the mountains. Here, again, a view of the most romantic beauty met our eyes. It seemed as if nature had collected all her beauties together in one chosen place. It is not by the splendor of far-ofif views, which have lent such a glory to the Alps, that these impress the mind, but by a gigantic disorder of enormous masses and a savage sublimity of naked rock, in wonderful contrast with innumerable green spots of rich floral be_auty, shut up in their stern recesses.” �“Lake Geneva” in the Big Horn Mountains under “Cloud Peak”-^fed by the waters of living glaciers^j^^There are more than 200 shimmering lakes and 1^00 miles of trout streams in this region. Peaks rising to elevations of from ten to twelve thousand feet may be seen from the Black and Yellow Trail which crosses this range. ParHre¥'4^^^©^‘^»atieTl'-»egal>d«^g---the bovettz-antP-GteyfeulL Laramie Peak/one of the most picturesque in the Kocky Mountain Region. The Old Oregon Trail, where thejCovered .M agon broke thro'Qgh, passes between this mountain and the Platte^River. It is tributary to the Park to Park and AtlanticYellowstone-Pacinc Highways, -(liswer^ Natural Bridge, on LaPrele /€Jreek, between Douglas and Glenrock, yone of the most remarkable freaks of rugged scenery in the Rockies. Located in a natural park setting it is the rendezvous for tourists and picnic parties. The immediate vicinity was the scene of many Indian skirmishes in the days of long ago and is along the route of the Old Oregon Trail. The Devil’s Tower (Matoe Tepee) of the twenty-four National ^Monuments, is located in northeastern Wyoming. Towering 1^80 feet above the Belle Fourche River, it is majestic and awsome. The shaft proper is 800 feet high above its stump. In the coloring nature has painted it with a multicolored brush and has excited the admiration of some of the most noted artists. It is tributary to the Custer Battlefield Highway and Black and Yellow 4'rail. G41L>4:tond a n CTmmf>»flMi>>fcbrhe-^Iejlly-<£iu-<xiah--cniap1ete informqtian Rugged Shoshone jGanyon west of Cody-on the road to grand scenic points of the state. The walls of the canyon are and Cedar^^Mountain on the left. The two constituted a single center of solid rock. At the upper end of the canyon is located voglnp the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park, one of the nearly perpendiculaiu with Rattlesnake Mountain on the right mountain urjtil the river cut a deep, narrow gash through it? Shoshone ^am, second highest in the world. T T. Premont Lake^in the heart of the Rockies, is one of Wyoming’s most famous sheets of water. Discovered by General Premont, the grea> pathfinder. The water of this lake is so pure it may be used in a storage battery. The lake is tributary to the Hoback-Canyon region, Safe in Jackson Hole, the wonder wild game retreat of the world. Elk gather by the thousands in their winter preserve maintained by state and federal governments. Under the shadow of the majestic 'Tetons it is a virgin wonderland where the elk, moose, deer and mountain sheep are making their last stand against the onward march of civilization. S7--i'f>-ieeli< gives-'ilhi«lu:a^ed-J^cij«?es^4«i--+ou*iBts--each .sunirti^. �J-l/L^t^^t-^T^^A-O-^ U si.,^ t>t 'Kji.f-^ <*^ ^)~-^ '>^ Cl.</xt., ................. . , . / ________ t. .^ •, e^ �-'^'M-***' "^“' , ■:^^c4»^ 6-^J- i^. gt.^..^^ JCg^^.,c-i£^^ ■' ^^''0-*..'^.^^^^ /&~MgZ^t ■*■ ■ r • - . -— -- - -W- , . , .. .-r- - 9 "' " —V ~ -.^-•**-«.-—»——^»»^—^BWW«-O.-»-AH«-*^-**—■**———-^ ^X^/vysj ^'“^-'J r?stt, ■^jrt/.^-VM^.. �i^Xtb '/lL.&^f >^*vJ 6(.fTf^ fUi-» ^tft-v>A4L . yxt>vv<vx^ Ij Cirv-c "T^ {^l^x.<u»»m«L<^^ a^ /\^ /le^ (^-C/f^ �V WYOMING FOR HEALTH AND PLEASURE Wyoming is the health and pleasure state of the nation. It IS not difficult to demonstrate that Wyoming possesses more natural and genuine attractions for -the health and pleasure - .seeker than any region of similar extent in the known world. Her towering mountains, mountain-locked parks, her grand t/ rivers and awe-inspiring cartons and her broad areas, so tempt- V ing to the research of all, have reaped the richest homage from,—~ the most cap.'^ble explorers and the best scholars of our land " The savant, the sportsman and the pleasure seeker alike find their ideal, and the invalid requiring an elevated region, and in search of health-giving ^,atww-oii_^gfgm”esC , neverib* disappointed. Wyoming’s many natural resources have attracted within her borders the farmer, livestock man, the miner and the oil producer^^aitfd.in these lines the best efforts of man have gone tort^to make for the commonwealth a place among the lead­ ing states of the nation. Wyoming has been progressive. Capable hands have been at work to make thecate inviting to thewhether he comes by rail or motor. The three principal railways serving Wyoming are the Chicago and Northwestern, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and the Union Pacific. Its system of highways are built on the highest standards, great""' trunk lines^ are the Park-to-Park Highway/, and the Lincoln rHgfiwayi trtncr highways of national importance reaching Cl”* into every corner of the ,,H{ate are the Custer Battlefield, Atlantic-Yellowstone-Pacific, Black and Yellow Trail and the newly projected Glacier-to-Gulf Highway. Every city and village in Wyoming extends a friendly greeting to the visiting tourist and the homeseeker and have established information bur^^s^^i tourist parks^a««i camps comparable with the best in the nation.^ Tiw»^bg»6hure_Ls hut a. sbghi^rjKute-te-Wyo in-caeye -detail -ar-aa^^-cofiiaxacciaL^opganizatio»^^ -stfnriar seryrcer-We-iByrte-Hiquiri^s. s �Motor Travel Picturesque and Historic Wyoming The Casper District, Once Crossed Only by the Old Oregon Trail, Now Reached Over Great Modern Highways Alfred J. Mokler Assessed valuation of city property, approximately $27,000,There are five banks and tioo trust companies, with total resources of $15,750,000. Bank deposits have increased 1,100% in six years. Casper is the most important city on the Yellowstone High­ way, and a division point on both the Burlington and Chi­ cago & Northwestern railways. It has an abundant supply of rMtural gas, a great factor in the industrial development of the community. Caspers educational system supports a corps of 176 highly paid teachers; sixteen churches minister to the religious life of the community. The Casper Chamber of Commerce is a very active commercial organization; Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions and Business and Professional IT Oman’s Clubs are among the leading service organizations in the State. Casper, the County seat of Natrona County, fFyoming, has a population (estimated by averaging the increase of five business indicators since 1920), of 32,114, a gain of 180% in four years. In the oil refining industry alone, it employs approximately 4,000 men, with an annual pay-roll of $12,000,000. The daily output of its refineries is about 1,171,428 gallons of gasoline, 320,000 gallons of kerosene, 50 tons of wax and 20 tons of asphalt. Casper has 57 miles of water mains, 39 miles of sewers and 30 miles of concrete and bitulithic pavement; improvements by the city during 1923 totaled $770,000. Building permits by individuals and business houses, irrespective of the re­ fineries, totaled $4,063,618 during 1923. The building of the first units of the llliite Eagle Refinery was practically com­ pleted last year. any people have had an en­ erroneous conception of M tirely the extent of the Oregon Trail, which was at times several miles wide, and traveled for so many consecutive years that all of them could not fol­ low in the same path. The Old Ore­ gon Trail in fact “hugged” the hank of the North Platte Jtiver all the way from Fort Larami; to the Sweetwater. It not only f.-.lh wod the oorth hank of the Platte, but there were times when the emigrants stayed on the south side of that stream for miles. There are many crossings between the Sweetwater and old Fort Laramie, as will be seen from reading accounts of early trips over this route. Last summer the writer, in company with Ezra Meeker, patriarch of the Ore­ gon Trail, inspected an old crossing site just east of Glenrock, which is ap­ proximately twenty-eight miles east of Casper; and were confident that we located the crossing described in the diary of W. P. Woods of June 21, 1849. To all appearances the emi­ grants of the 4O’s and 5O’s crossed from the south bank to the north bank at this point; and crossed again from the north bank to the south bank at a point approximately four miles east of Casper. They crossed again from the south bank to the north bank at a point ap­ proximately and one-half miles west of the present city of Casper, and the trail is very clearly outlined from the crossing west of Casper all the way to the Sweetwater. In some places the trail is still visible thirty or forty feet deep in the sand; at other places out on the level plain numerous tracks are discernible, and the trail as a whole has rather a “washboard” effect. There is evidence that the Oregon 000. Trailers, or some of them at least, traveled the north bank between Douglas and Casper; and as stated be­ fore, there is unmistakable evidence that they crossed at a point three or four miles east of Glenrock, near where Deer Creek enters the Platte. They re­ crossed again three or four miles east of the present city of Casper, and again at a point about a tfiile and 'a haff, west of Casper, vdiirh was known as the Mormon Ferry in 1847, changed to Platte Bridge Station in 1858, and named Fort Caspar in 1865, in honor of Lieutenant Caspar W. Collins, who CENTER STREET, CASPER Looking south, with a dim view of Casper Moun­ tain in the background. The parked automobiles and buildings under construction index the busi­ ness activity and prosperity of the city and the surrounding region. 15 was slain by the Indians at this point. A ferry was in operation here inter­ mittently from 1847 to 1858, and a wagon bridge was maintained from 1859 to 1867. In view of these facts, it would be a mistake to say that the early emigration “followed the north bank of the Platte from old Fort Lara­ mie to the Sweetwater.” It is our opinion that while the trail followed generally the Platte Rivei all the way from old Fort Laramie to the Sweetwater, the emigrants were gov­ erned by the amount of water flowing in the Platte at the time they happened to be traveling. If the water was low, they undoubtedly made several cross­ ings; but if the water was high they evidently followed one side of the river as far as they could possibly go. The trail was never any great distance from the river on either side, and for that reason must have gone through what is now the City of Casper or its outskirts. We doubt if there was ever any great amount of travel along the south bank between the present city of Cas­ per and the Sweetwater crossing, for the reason that the walls of the can­ yons along the south bank were very steep, and the south bank is more mountainous from here on than the north bank. The Oregon Trailers could not possibly have taken a more southerly route passing a little below Casper, for the reason that they would be shut off by the Casper range of mountains. Thirty-six years ago there was no Casper; where the city is now located was then a sandy sagebrush flat, home of the prairie dog and coyote. It was announced that the Northwestern Rail­ way Company would extend its line to a point near old Fort Caspar during �Motor Travel the summer of 1888, and a town would be built at the end of the road; but its exact location had not been decided upon. John Merritt was the first to locate here; he came in on horseback early in June without even a tent. He had a round-up bed, a few provisions and an oyster can in which to make coffee —all brought on a pack-horse. He made his home under a cottonwood tree on the river bank at a point about due north from Ash street. C. W. Eads was the second man to come here to locate; he had learned that the railroad was to be extended and a town built at the end of the line, and wanted to be one of the first settlers in the new place. Mr. Eads ar­ rived in the evening of June 7, 1888, when he found Mr. Merritt preparing for supper by frying a piece of meat on a stick and boiling his coffee in the oyster can. Eads asked Merritt if he had any idea where the town of Casper was, and Merritt replied that he had been here for some days, but had not seen anything that looked like a “town.” Eads had a team and wagon, a tent, sheet iron stove, a few utensils and some provisions. With him were his daughter Fannie, and his son, Kise. The men put up the tent near the spot where Merritt was cooking his supper, and the next morning after breakfast they looked over the ground. They moved their tent to a spot now known as McKinley and A streets, where they established the town of Casper; others came in the next day after Mr. Eads arrived, and still others followed close­ ly in their steps. The temporary town was built near the tent which had been erected by Mer­ ritt and Eads on a strip of ground about half a mile east of where the Natrona County Court House now stands, the exact location being be­ tween First and A streets and between McKinley and Jefferson streets. About a dozen business buildings stood on this strip of land, half of them facing the south and the other half looking toward the north. The main street was running east and west, and was about the length of a city block. These buildings were, of course, only temporary structures, in which to transact business until the permanent location could be surveyed and platted by the townsite company. The material used in the construction of these buildings was plain rough lum­ ber, hauled down from a sawmill on Casper Mountain. A few carried on their business in tents. The flooring in most of these buildings, and in all of the tents, was just earth with the sage­ brush and cactus cleared off. There were three general merchandise stores, one drug store, a hotel, one restaurant and several saloons. Cowboys and Indians were about the only people that came in to do any trading, and they spent most of their time and money in the saloons. The railroad was built in and stopped near where the stock yards are located, about a mile east from the Court House. The first train arrived on June 15, 1888; there were about a hundred actual residents in Casper at that time; and the event was celebrated by the residents and visitors in a manner long to be remembered. The present townsite had not yet been sur­ veyed or platted when the railroad was built in; it was late in the fall of 1888 before any of the lots were sold, and none of the business houses were moved to their permanent locations until about the middle of November of that year. The first business lot to be sold in Casper was No. 13, in block 8, which is on the northwest corner of Second and Center streets, where the Stockman’s National Bank is located. Nathan S. Bristol, the purchaser, put up a small frame building on his lot, in which he carried a small stock of groceries and a line of grain and stock-feed. The employes of the store slept in this building, and for the first few years their beds were surrounded with sacks of grain to protect them from bullets often fired during the night by cowboys who had come in from the range to celebrate. The pros­ pects for Casper to become anything but a shambling, temporary frontier village were not very encouraging. Town lots were sold at a very small price and the buildings erected were put up as cheaply as possible. Most of the people in business here were of the opinion that the railroad would soon be extended; and it was their in­ tention to move further west with the railroad. Application was made for the in­ corporation of the town of Casper by John Merritt on April 9, 1889, to the Board of County Commissioners of Carbon County; there was no Natrona County then. The county commis­ sioners acted favorably upon the ap­ plication, and a to.vn election was ordered to be held on July 8, 1889. A mass meeting of the citizens was held at the Congregational Tabernacle on July 6 for the purpose of nominating candidates for mayor and councilmen; at the first town election George Mitch­ ell was elected mayor; Robert White, P. A. Demorest, A. McKinney and John Adam, councilmen. People who lived here then were Photograph from Casper Chamber of Commerce A CROSS SECTION OF CASPER, WYOMING Taken from a point somewhat to the left of the view on page 15, showing in the background an extensive vista of comfortable homes, nearly all built within com­ paratively recent years. The oil tanks seen at the top of the opposite page are only a short distance over to the right (across Center Street) from this view. 16 �Motor Travel From a Diary of 1849 Account of Crossing the North Platte Nearly 75 Years Ago.* W. P. Woods , hursday, June 21, 1849.—We an early start and drove 12 Tmade miles to the mouth of Deer Creek, where we found teams crossing the Platte. Four boats, each consisting of two dugouts fastened together, had been made by emigrants who had crossed before and gone on, others buying their rights and continuing the work. We paid $3 per wagon for the use of the boats, and swam the oxen. Just before reaching here the acci­ dental discharge of a gun by a mem­ ber of the Pittsburg Company, who was unloading a wagon to make the crossing, killed a man from Illinois, the ball passing through the body just above the heart. A man was drowned here yesterday; and just 12 miles above seven men have been drowned in two days while rafting their wagons across. Buffalo have been seen again today. A party of soldiers were met returning to Fort Laramie with some stolen cat­ tle and horses, and two of the thieves. We have driven the wagons on to the bank of the stream and the cattle over the hills to feed, and are waiting for supper. Friday, June 22, 1849.—We were roused early and in good season com­ menced crossing our wagons. The line for two miles along the river bank presented as busy an aspect as it ordi­ narily does in St. Louis, or any other small town in the States. Wagons in * See reference to this diary in “Picturesqu^^ and Historic Wyoming,” page 15, column 1. / pieces, boxes and chattels of al! kinds made a scene of extraordinary activity far out in this uninhabited western country. Our “boat” was called the “Two Pol­ lies and Betsy,” from there being two dugouts, with a log between them. Joining forces with the twelve Cincin­ nati mule trains, the “boat” started off in style with 30 men to cordelle it against the current. The men were obliged to work in the water, which rendered it quite unpleasant; but by ' 4 o’clock p. m. we were across and then drove the oxen down to swim. With all of our efforts, swimming and wading from that time until dark, we could only get three of, them to cross; so had at last to let them re­ turn to the shore, and weye obliged to keep watch of them until tnorning. The water is remarkably swift and cold, the low temperature probably due to our proximity to the snows of the moun­ tains. To the south of us, about four miles from the Platte, there arises a range of very high, pine-clad hills, which appear to terminate in the_Laramie Mountains. Saturday, June 23, 1849.—Again re­ sumed our labors by recrossing the river for the purpose of crossing our ox-teams, but at first with no better success than the day before. Here we witnessed scenes far surpassing any­ thing the imagination ever conceived— .the long to be remembered crossing of the Platte. No pencil can portray or pen depict the scene as it really was. From the report of the Fremont expedition of 1842 HOT SPRING GATE, WYOMING A deep channel cut by the North Platte River for about 400 yards through a sandstone ridge. Near this spot the westward Oregon Trail leaves the North Platte and crosses over to the Sweetwater River. 20 Fancy for one moment our feelings on observing the vast aggregation of oxen, mules, horses and wagons, mixed indiscriminately with men clothed, half-clad and even almost naked, en­ countering the elements that were tem­ porarily stopping our progress. By about noon we succeeded in crossing; but . both men and teams were ex­ tremely exhausted. /' The onlookers witnessed sights ranging from the laughable to the alarming. In one place six men were assisted ashore by hanging to the tail of a mule, with a rider on him at that, while in another case, extreme effort.s were being made to save a man from drowning. A boat sank with a wagon containing women and children, but was saved by striking a bar. I was carried by the swift current outside the jam of cattle, and saved myself by catching hold of the tail of one as I passed him, and letting him tow me to shore. Those scenes are over, though we shall long remember the crossing of the Platte. We yoked mir teams and drove on over a very rough and sandy road for about four miles, where we encamped on the river bank to feed our oxen and rest ourselves. Many a man here wishe.s himself back in the States. For two days a dense cloud of smoke has been rising from a hill far off to the south; it may be pine timber fired by Indians or hunters, or a bed of coal on fire. We are camped in a pleasant spot among a grove of cotton­ woods; the smoke from the stoves curls up among their branches. It has rained and hailed a little today; but at times the sand was so hot that I could not endure it barefooted, and preferred walking along on the prickly pears. Tractors Supplant Horses The tractor is slowly shoving the horse from Pennsylvania farms. In the past year 10,000 horses disap­ peared. There are apparently ample horses to go around, because, while the num­ ber decreased, the price has also gone down an average of $12. Over 218,000 farmers use not quite an average of three horses and mules. According to the Agricultural Depart­ ment the horse and mule power on the average Pennsylvania farm is worth less than $270. �Motor Travel The Indians of today frankly acknowl­ edge their ignorance of either its his­ tory or meaning. One Crow chief said, “It was built before the light came,” meaning it was prehistoric, while an­ other claimed it was a shrine for the worship of the sun. The Medicine Wheel can be reached by highway from Sheridan, Wyoming. The Shoshone Dam, built between the almost perpendicular walls of the Shoshone Canyon, backs up millions of acre feet of water, which serve to run a hydro-electric plant and furnish water for 136,000 acres of highly productive irrigable land in the Big Horn and Shoshone river basins. The Yellowstone Highway may be seen at the base of the right wall winding up­ ward and upward on its way from Cody to the eastern entrance of Yel­ lowstone Park. This scenic stretch of highway is rivaled for beauty by the Wind River Canyon road on the Yel­ lowstone highway and Two-Gwo-Tee pass route to the southern entrance of Yellowstone Park, through the famous Jackson Hole and Teton mountain country. Moose, elk and deer are still plenti­ ful in that vast region. Wyoming is the last of the big game states. Here in this virgin wonderland, the “Jackson Hole,” flanked on one side by the Tetons and on the other by’ the Wind River mountains, elk, moose, deer and mountain sheep are making their last stand against the onward march of civ­ ilization—the greatest foe to wild life. To the real sportsman, Wyoming is the greatest playground in the world; with the protection of the State the great elk herds which range in the Jackson Hole country, bordering the Yellowstone Park, are holding their own, while the moose and deer are said to be actually increasing in numbers. The antelope is the most interesting of all the game animals in the State of Wyoming, and in spite of the strict game laws the species is slowly dimin­ ishing. The largest live glaciers in the United States surround Gannet, Helen and Chimney Peaks in the Wind River range of the Rocky Mountains. These glaciers are located in Fremont County, Wyoming, and can be reached by pack train from Lander, Wyoming. The trip is not difficult for anyone who can ride horseback. There is a variety of scenery, lakes, canyons, streams, waterfalls, and a wall of ice five hun­ dred feet in height, clear and streaked with blue and green metallic tints. The water, as it leaves the snout of the glacier, is not unlike that which is discharged from the battery of a stamp mill. The stream passes under a natural bridge; from the top of this bridge one sees the water, blue and clear, disappearing through a deep box canyon, dashing over rapids to the foot of the mountains. These glacial streams never fail, and the dryer and hotter the summer the stronger the flow. Independence Rock, a mass of black granite rising out of the plains, about 55 miles southwest of Casper, which was the halfway station or resting place for the wagon trains on the “Old Oregon Trail” from Indepen­ dence, Missouri, to the Oregon coun­ try, is probably the most interesting landmark on the whole of that historic route. It was here that the Oregon travelers stopped to rest and refresh themselves. Here also they found pure fresh water and an abundance of feed for their stock; here they cared for their sick and buried their dead. Many graves of emigrants, even now discernable, bear mute testimony to the toll of death resulting from the saving of a vast territory for the United States. From the very first, emigrants made Independence Rock their camp­ ing place; and the custom of inscrib­ ing on it their names caused Father De Smet to call it “The great register of the desert.” Robert Stuart and his party passed by the Rock in November, 1812; Na­ thaniel Wyeth was there in May, 1832; Captain Bonneville’s party was there in July, 1832; Rev. Samuel Parker was there in 1835; Dr. Marcus Whitman and his bride and Rev. H. H. Spauld­ ing and his bride were there in 1836. These were the first white women that crossed the Rocky Mountains, and were the first white women to cross the American continent by wagon. Father DeSmet was there in 1840, John C. Fremont and Kit Carson in 1842; and from that time on until and including 1852, an ever-increasing tide of emi­ gration and travel went by on the way to the Oregon Country and California. Thousands of names, monograms and dates are chiseled on this massive rock, some of them dating as far back as 1832. Independence Rock is 193 feet high at the north end, 167 feet high at the south end, 1,950 feet in length and 787 feet in width. On July 4, 1920, Wyoming Masons celebrated the 58th anniversary of the first meet­ ing of Masons ever held in what is now the State of Wyoming, which con­ vened on top of Independence Rock, July 4, 1862. One of the best and most interesting pictures of the rock will be found in Chittenden’s “Fur Traders of the Far West.” Wyoming’s historical and scenic wonders are more attractive and in­ teresting than can be found in any other state in the Union. It has a splendid, healthful climate. The win­ ters are moderate; the summers are cool in the mornings and evenings, and pleasant in the middle of the day. Wyoming is a vast natural parkland, covered during most of the year with almost indescribable beauty. Photograph from U. S. Geological Survey ONE OF THE RED BUTTES OF WYOMING These conspicuous natural monuments are the result of extensive erosion from red sandstone of the Casper formation. This particular one is along the Overland Trail, or Lincoln Highway, about 9 miles southeast of Laramie City; but there is also an extensive area, known also as the “Red Buttes,” south* west of Casper. 19 �Motor Travel From a, drairnng by Blanche McManus THREE STAGES OF WESTERN TRAVEL First, the typical and picturesque cowboy and pony, now gradually disappearing^ second, the steam locomotive, whose tracks now almost literally gridiron the trans-Mississippi River country; and, third, the motor car, which within the past 25 years has become the well-nigh universal means of travel in the “wide, open spaces.” resembles the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It has been dedicated by the Federal government to Natrona County for park purposes. This place was visited by a detachmenLof Captain B._L. F. Bonneyillelsparty in July, 1833, and was named by them the “Burning Mountain,” as it was at that time emitting sulphurous fumes and gases from burning bitu­ minous deposits. Captain Bonneville, an army officer, who secured a special dispensation from the army to conduct a party of fur trappers and hunters through what is now Wyoming, guided the first wagon train from the Missouri River up the Valley of the “Platte,” then called the “Nebraska,” and on into the Green River country which was then, except for the Indians, a hunters’ and trappers’ paradise. The Wind River Canyon Highway, one of the most beautiful in the West, passes through a most wonderful can­ yon of the Rocky Mountains, where its almost perpendicular walls tower 2,000 feet above the level of the river. This cuts through a crack in the rim of a natural basin in which is the city of Thermopolis, where some of the most famous mineral hot springs in the world are located. Among the numerous interesting formations is a huge shaft of granite shaped like the Washington monument, which stands out on a base half-way up the wall, and rises to a height of 750 feet above the base. The forma­ tion is capped by a sphinx-like head so apparently exact in its proportions that it has the appearance of having been chiseled by a master sculptor. Ancient castles, great tombs with sol­ diers standing guard, pyramids that might rival those of Egypt, were their history known, all look down upon the river and highway. - They Imve-- looked down fw aeonsof time, unmolested, as the walls are so high and precipitous that none have dared explore them. Small waterfalls and springs spouting water so pure and clear that it may safely be used in a storage battery, add to the many interesting things to be seen in this great canyon, which has only within the last decade been made to yield to the tools of man. Probably no other relics of early Indian occupation of the United States are so shrouded in mystery as the medicine wheels of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming. These, dis­ covered in the early part of the present century, have since been an object of much discussion and conjecture as to their origin and antiquity. In the American Anthropologist of March, 1903, C. S. Simms, of the Field Columbian Museum, gives an account of the wheels found on the summit of Medicine Mountain of the Big Horn Range at an altitude of over 12,000 feet. Mr. Simms was conducted to the spot by “Silver Tip,” a prospector and hunter who had lived with the Indians when a boy. The circumference of the wheel measures 245 feet. In the center, which corresponds to the hub of a wheel, is a circular structure built of stone, about three feet high; from this radiates twenty-seven lines of stone, forming the spokes. The outer circle or rim is marked at seven different places by stone structures, erected on the rim, except the one on the south, which is built several feet beyond, but connected to the whole by an elongated “spoke.” The eastern rim structure differs from the others in construction, and is nearly square; and, unlike the others, is higher, while the opening faces out instead of in. On the projecting slabs of this struc­ ture rests a perfectly bleached buffalo skull, so placed that it looks into the rising sun. Within the central struc­ ture, which resembles a truncated cone, there is a slightly circular depression in the ground. While the existence of the Medicine Wheel is, of course, known to the Crow Indians, and was undoubtedly erected either by their forebears or an earlier tribe, none know of its origin, excepting that it was made by “people that had no iron.” Several years ago a trip to the Medi­ cine Wheel was made by Doctor Long, of Sheridan, Wyoming, going up through the main canyon of the Little Big Horn. He says in writing of the trip that the history and origin of the Medicine Wheel is veiled in obscurity. From an old print INDEPENDENCE ROCK, WYOMING Famous as a resting place for emigrants on the long western trail; and the scene, on July 4, 1862, of the first regularly conducted Masonic Lodge meeting in Wyoming. A later view of Indepen­ dence Rock was shown on page 12 of Motor Travel for March. 18 �Motor Travel Photograph from Casper Chamber of Commerce A WYOMING “TANK FARM * Looking southeast over a number of immense oil tanks toward the Standard and Mid-West refineries: the city of Casper is in the left background and Casper Mountain in the extreme distance. There are more tanks in, this immediate vicinity than could be included in the view. Scenes like this may be duplicated to-day in several parts of the State of Wyoming. compelled to put up with many incon­ veniences and hardships that we of to­ day would think were terrible if we had to endure half the privations they did then. But they struggled on, and after about ten years the town proudly boasted of a population of 8J0; in 1910 our population was 2,639; in 1922 we were credited with 11,447, but we really had a population of 18,000 or more; and today there are at least 32,000 people living in the city of Casper, making it the largest in the state. We were made a city of the firstclass in January, 1917; we have thirty miles of paved streets, and the best water works system in Wyoming. The largest oil refineries in the United States are located here; and Casper is blessed with a happy, healthy, con­ tented and prosperous people. The first step toward the division of Carbon County and the organization of a new county was taken when a bill was introduced in the territorial leg­ islature in 1888 for such a purpose. The bill passed the legislative body, but was vetoed by Governor Moon­ light; the legislators passed the bill over the governor’s veto. On January 31, 1889, a petition was formally pre­ sented to the governor requesting that three commissioners be appointed for the purpose of organizing the new county of Natrona; but on February 26 the governor announced that he would not make the appointment, and nothing more at that time could be done toward the forming of the new county. Governor Moonlight was succeeded by Francis E. Warren, to whom a new petition was presented early in 1890, requesting that three commissioners be named for the purpose of organiz­ ing the new county of Natrona. On March 3, 1890, Governor Warren made the appointments as requested in the petition; the commissioners took the oath of office March 5, and ordered that an election be held on April 8, 1890, for the purpose of electing county officers and the selection of a county seat, the candidates for which were Bessemer and Casper. Bessemer received more than twice as many votes as Casper; but they were declared irregular, and Casper was named the seat for the new county. The newly elected officers took the oath of office and at a regular meeting of the board of commissioners held on April 12, 1890, the county of Natrona, Territory of Wyoming, was declared duly and regularly organized. The county derives its name from the natural deposits of natron or carbon­ ate of soda found in numerous basins and lakes that abound within this part of the state. Teapot Rock, near the Teapot Dome oil field, about 35 miles north of Cas­ per, from which the Teapot Dome de­ rived its name, is an interesting land­ mark and responsible for the name as applied to nearly everything in the vicinity. This rock is approximately 75 feet from the base to the top. At the left may be seen the “spout” of the teapot, which has the appearance of being about to fall; but has been standing at the same incline for years. Actual production in the Teapot Dome field is small in comparison with many other Wyoming fields. Its giant neighbor, the Salt Creek field, which in the main supplies four different re­ fineries in Casper, is considered by eminent geologists to be the greatest light oil field in the world. It can pro­ duce 150,000 barrels of petroleum daily under present conditions, against 4,000 barrels from Teapot. If Teapot were unknown or undis­ covered, the oil industry in Wyoming as a whole would hardly miss its pro­ duction. Casper, the oil center of the Rocky Mountain region, undisturbed by the Teapot investigation, continues to turn its wheels of industry, and is looking forward to continued develop­ ment. Casper ships more oil by rail than any other city in the world. “Hell’s Half Acre,” a tract of natu­ ral scenery, a marvel to tourists and travelers, is located approximately 45 miles west of Casper on the Yellow­ stone Highway. It is peculiar in natural and picturesque scenery, re­ sembling a giant bowl or depression in the earth, covering approximately 320 acres, which from its great depth, the coloring of its walls and pinnacles and the beautiful weather carving on the surface shales and talcs, enhanced by the contrasting colors of the strata. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes Subject The topic of the resource Local authors -- Wyoming -- Natrona County -- Casper Casper (Wyo.) -- History Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) Natrona County (Wyo.) -- History Description An account of the resource The Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are a series of the larger archival collection that are his papers. Both his Letterboxes and his Notebooks available in this digital repository include holograph manuscripts, which is to say, manuscripts written in the author's hand. Much of the material in Mokler's Letterboxes dates to the 1920s and 1930s. Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letterbox 1-L Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Alfred J. Mokler Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/</a> Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Casper Tribune Herald Midwest Review The American Farm Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 1925-1925 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Alfred J. Mokler Papers, NCA 01.v.1992.01 WyCaC US. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Description An account of the resource This Letterbox contains an address to the Casper Literary Club on April 26, 1945, titled "This Changing World," a State of Wyoming Agricultural and Industrial Production and Miscellaneous Statistical Report, sections of the Casper Tribune-Herald from 1926, a paper titled "Know Your Wyoming," along with pages from The Citizen and Midwest Review from 1940 and 1925 respectively. Researchers will also find an article Mokler published in the May, 1932 issue of The Voice of the Sportsman, titled "Scenic Beauties of the West." There are also handwritten pages on the Oregon Trail, and pages from Motor Travel. The latter contain an article by Mokler titled "Picturesque and Historic Wyoming." This article discusses Casper and the first people to locate here. Type The nature or genre of the resource text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource ENG Access Rights Information about who can access the resource or an indication of its security status. Access Rights may include information regarding access or restrictions based on privacy, security, or other policies. The reformatted text and images in the Alfred J. Mokler Letterboxes are for personal, not-for profit use of students, researchers, and the public. Any use must provide attribution to the Casper College Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center). While being the property of Casper College, all text, images and other materials are subject to applicable copyright laws. Commercial use, electronic reproduction, or print publication ot text, images, or other materials is strictly prohibited without written permission. All permissions to publish must be obtained from the rights holder and are not the repository's responsibility for securing. The rights holder may or may not be the repository. Users also agree to hold the repository harmless from legal claims arising from use of material held by the institution and made accessible in this digital repository. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Goodstein Foundation Library Archives and Special Collections (Western History Center) Relation A related resource Alfred J. Mokler Papers