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GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA, U. S. A. THE ARTHUR H. CLARK COMPANY A History of the Original Uinta County, , and its Subdivisions ca!n tlfi btar ttmltn:tg of mu fatlytt, ~.~.~~

CONTENTS

-Page Introduction ...... 9 Author's Preface ...... 1 1 Chapter One-The First Settlers...... 13 Chapter Two-Physical Features...... 19 Chapter Three-Early Discoveries...... 24 Chapter Four-Fur Traders and Trappers...... 30 Chapter Five-John Robertson...... 41 ·Chapter Six-James Bridger and His Post...... 47 Chapter Seven-The Trail ...... 58 Chapter Eight-Further History of Fort Bridger...... 66 Chapter Nine-Early Transportation and Mail Service..... 75 Chapter Ten-Union Pacific Railroad...... 82 Chapter Eleven-Early Days in Evanston...... 91 Chapter Twelve-Early Evanston .. ·...... 104 Chapter Thirteen-Chinatown ...... 116 Chapter Fourteen-Almy ...... IZI Chapter Fifteen-Evanston-Continued . . . . _...... 137 Chapter Sixteen-Further History of Evanston ...... 150 Chapter Seventeen-Vicinity of Evanston...... 177 Chapter Eighteen-Bridger Valley and Beyond...... 189 Chapter Nineteen-Indians ...... 2()() Chapter Twenty-Yellowstone National Park...... 210 Chapter Twenty-one-The Piney Country...... 215 Chapter Twenty-two--Jackson's Hole...... 230 Chapter Twenty-three-Lincoln County...... 245 Roster of Uinta County for the Spanish-American War. . . . . 266 Roster of Uinta County for the World War ...... 268

INTRODUCTION Romancers of the early frontier in Wyoming nave passed. With them the squawman, the covered wagon and the American Indian, who has whooped himself into a tame and stupid retreat. Old Fort Bridger is crumbling into ruins. Even the creek beds, along which the ponies of the cowboys used to splash in low water, have shifted with the years. The first phase of the great borderland show is at an end. A.nd its record in that part of Wyoming might well be ended, too, were it not for such a historian as the author of this little volume, "Uinta County, Its Place in History." Elizabeth Arnold Stone came to Uinta County in the early seventies-a tiny girl. In this state, which she has loved to call her own, she has grown to womanhood, experiencing in her every­ day life some of the romance, the hardship, the true friendship, which pioneering in an unmade country called for. She has known in life many of the characters of whom she has written in her history. She has felt the lure of the open sage prairie, the blue skies and the whistling gale, which have enticed these char­ acters from more comfortable homes elsewhere to this high spot in the Rockies. Her college training and years of reading have given her a sense of discrimination and balance, which, added to distinct literary ability, have furnished fine tools with which to work. And now for three years the author has labored conscien­ tiously to make this work an authentic and attractive record. This ds no compilation from the findings of others. Mrs. Stone has delved into virgin soil. She is a true pioneer. To be sure, she has read the few scribbled records, which the cowboys of that day have left--{:owboys well schooled and cowboys unlettered, who rode the range side by side. She has told of the fossil beds newly discovered, in the eyes of the arche­ ologist one of the choice finds of the country. These make tangiole food for a history. But there is something more in this history-a thrill which fires the blood at thought of the crumbling walls of old Fort Bridger, long ago the goal of weary overlanders looking for sup­ plies and shelter from the In

CHAPTER ONE The First Settlers Who were the first settlers in U-mta County? Where did they come from and when did they get here, the real old timers? It is not easy to answer these questions. Many a late arrival indulges the pardonable illusion that he is one of the original pioneers be­ cause this region was never inhabited in any practical> efficient way until he rose above our horizon. But the early history of Umta. County goes much farther back than that. Fortunately that early history bas been written in the rocks, principally in those of the Bridger formation. Beside this story bas a human interest. In 1846 and 184-7 some employees of the American Fur Com­ pany brought specimens and curiosities to St. Louis.1 These rocks they had picked up in their wide wanderings, things that had appealed to their curiosity and imagination. American science had not been born. Everybody whose opinion was worth consideration believed that the world had been created in six days, "from sun up to sun up," and just six thousand years ago. All this had been figured out in the family record of folks who had lived be£ ore the· flood, and had lived so long that life insurance companies back there, if any there were, enjoyed the rare opportunity of accumu­ lating a magnfficent surplus. Into this strangely unscientific· world of the first half of the 19th century, these humble men drifted down the Missouri in their flat bottomed boats. They were dressed in deer skin leggings, they wore beaver and coon skin caps, they were tanned by wind and weather and had a consuming thirst. They never got mentioned on a page of history. But the names of many seekers after truth, shine on that page because they bought these things for a song or a drink and studied them. Among these odd specimens and pick-ups were big fossil bones, fragments of enormous jaws, and many kinds of strange teeth that bad been turned to stone. Three-quarters of a century ago the only people who knew anything about anatomy were the doctors. They bad to study it so that they could set broken bones, and one of these specimens, the fragment of an enormous petrified jaw, fell into the hands of

1 Olilbome's Age of Marnma]a, pp. t and 10. UINTA COUNTY

Dr. Hiram Prout, of St. Louis. He wrote an article descn'bing it. In 184-9 Dr. David Owen and Dr. John Evens brought back a collection of fossils from the "bad lands." They attracted con­ siderable attention. The interest grew and spead like a prairie fire until it lead to the extensive explorations in 186cJ and 1870 that ._were conducted by Dr. F. V. Hayden m the interior of the Rocky Mountain Region. The writer of this book saw Dr. Hayden in 1870 when he stopped a few days outfitting in Laramie, where her father was pastor of the Presbyterian Church. They had been fellow students in Oberlin College, Ohio. Dr. Hayden was in the prime of life and did not carry an ounce of superfluous flesh. He was as straight as an Indian and there was a far away look in his eyes as if he saw the things that lay away off somewhere. One of her brothers was eleven years old and Dr. Hayden captured his imagination. He wouid wash dishes, feed horses, oil boots-do anything if they would just let him go. The great scientist listened to the eleven­ year-old boy with the patience of a god. He almost made up his mind to take my brother along. But that brother had not yet completed his education. His parents did not think it a wise thing for him to leave school, and the day Dr. Hayden left the little boy sobbed himself to sleep.2 Dr. Hayden did take a boy along who was several years older. The boy was John F. Coulter. He became a great botanist and is now at the head of that department in the University of Chicago. It was this Hayden Survey that discovered the world famous '"Bridger Deposits," in Uinta County. That was the Homeric age for the American geolog:ist, and this country produced great men who proved equal to the great opportunity. Before them lay the unexplored. Each was a dis­ coverer, who followed knowledge like a sinking star. The con­ tribution that Wyoming made to the sum of human knowledge of the past of our planet has never been equaled by any other section of the globe. The Science of (Paleontology, the story of the life of the past, was built up and revealed by a company of men whose names, to the thoughtful mind, shine brighter than

2 0. P. Arnold, attorney of Laramie. Mr. Arnold's interest in geology and palenoto­ logy has led him to a deeper study of the subject than is common to the lay student. The author is indebted to him for the description of "Our First Settlers" and their im­ portance in the scientific world. ITS PL-~CE IN HISTORY 15

the artificial lights of the successful soldier and the politician. They were Hayden, Powell, Dutton, Marsh, Cope, Maclc, and many others. These men roughed it. They were not all amiable all the time. ''The laurels of Miltiades would not suffer them to sleep." They quarreled among themselves, like Agamemnon and Achiles. But they fought not over Breisis but over Science. They took the Troy of Superstition, leveled the walls of Ignor­ ance and enlarged the empire of knowledge. They laid those foundations upon which American Science is building the struc­ ture that we see today. The Fort Bridger :Basin is bisected by the Union Pacific Railroad. Its drainage through many creeks, the largest of which is Black's Fork, is toward Green River. The bound it on the south, an east and west range that meets the Wasatch range, running north and south at right angles. These ranges rise to an elevation of 12,000 feet above sea level and some 5,000 feet above the basin. Away from the streams the surface is broken, intersected by washouts and topped by buttes that show the characteristic and complicated erosion of "bad lands." Without . other covering than a scanty growth of desert vegetation this landscape is forbidding. The vast tableland of barren clay varies in the changing light from soft buff to deep gray. Along its base Cottonwood Creek, all that is left of a once mighty river, winds its discour­ aged way. Into it, from the west, Sage Creek, also known as Dry Creek, empties a scant supply of water as yellow as the clay through which it flows. The bench is studded with strange­ shaped mounds that gruesomely suggest the massive forms of animals buried below-here a herd of reclining elephants, and a little farther along a group of aligators, exposing their withered skins to the strong mountain sunlight. The history of the basin has been carefully worked out. During the closing eras of that immeasurable period in geo­ logical history that preceded the Tertiary Age, known as the Cretaceous, and often spoken of as the Age of Reptiles, an in­ trusion of the sea extended from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. It was a period of the sinking of the continent and a great series of sedementary rocks was laid down by the rivers of that 16 UINTA COUNTY

time having their sources in the mountains of the west. These formations include the Dakota sandstones, the Benton shales, and a long altering series of later deposit Both shales and sandstones have made Wyoming rich in coal and oil. On the delta of the streams of this ancient and sunken land forests grew, with tangled underbrush of fems, rushes and stocky plants. These forests were afterward converted into the coal of Rock Springs and Almy. Along this coast roamed the reptilian life of a score of a million years ago, those extinct forms of life called Dinosaurs, and reptilian swimmers, also extinct, that preyed upon the teeming life of the semi-tropical sea. Then came the extended age of the uplift. The whole series of rock laid down in this sea and on its shores was lifted to the level of the ocean and still higher. As they were lifted they were also tilted. The edges were worn off by wind and water and on the eroded surface some 2,0<:X) feet or more of other deposits were· laid. These were the Bridger deposits. The first theory was that this 2,000 feet and more of hard and soft rock had been swept by the currents of mighty rivers into a ·great lake, there to make this great accumulation in thickness as the land kept on rising and the lake kept filling up. But how could there have been so deep a lake and where did tRe stuff come from that filled it up? So it was that even as early as 1875 Clarence King, the first head of the Geological Survey, recognized in these rocks volcanic ash material, and it was afterward discovered that these Eocene deposits of some four to six million years ago consisted largely, and in some places exclusively of material that had been emptied over the surface by explosive volcanoes. In a word, the fossil fish of Ham's Fork of Green River, and the petrified bones of an ex­ tiRct fauna found in the Bridger badlands are the remains of an ancient life preserved in the ashes and cinders blown from the subterranean depths by volcanic explosions, just as the in;. habitants of Pompeii and Herculaneum, in historic times, were entombed by the outpouring of Vesuvius. Grabau, Schuchert and Osborne, our out-standing scientists, have explained this. They draw a landscape picture very dif­ ferent from what it is today-that landscape of from four to six million years ago. 'fhe Rocky Mountains did not exist. It was ITS PL_A..CE IN HISTORY

a flat country covered with marshes that eventually formed coal beds. These conditions reached far up into Alaska, where plants grew that cannot now e..xist m the open north of Old Mexico. This nearly level land was probably covered with vegetation and well forested.s There can be little doubt that most of the animals lived near the places where they were buried. They were such as would be found in a well-wooded region. The stream chan­ nels of the Bridger have been found to contain the remains of sharks, garpikes, crocodiles, and catfish. Three species of snakes have been descnoed. The Bridger rivers swarmed with turtles and there were extensive stretches of dry land, as is shown by fossil land tortoises, some of them nearly three feet in length.' This low-lying land was rimmed with a circle of active vol­ canoes, the throats of many being now south of the railroad track. The Rocky Mountains as we know them were rising. It was a period of crustal elevation and during the long ages of their activity these volcanoes emptied out over the Bridger Basin thousands of feet of ejected material, burying from time to time the prehistoric mammals of the basin. There we find the skele­ tons of creodonts, with sharp teeth and sluggish gait, the ances­ tors of flesh-eating tribes. Near Grizzly Buttes are the petrified bones of monkeys, anteaters, and rodents. Here are found the bones of the primitive rhinoceros. Here was the evolutionary home of the camel.$ There were giant pigs and hoofed animals, part way between an elephant and a rhinoceros; tapers, dogs and, last but not least, the classic Eohippus, no bigger than a rabbit, to which ancestral form the modem horse traces its verified lineage.8 Nowhere else in all the world has such a find been made. It is not the purpose of this historian to belittle the dis­ coveries made in other sections of the Rockies and particularly in Wyoming. On Como Bluff, Albany County, Professor Marsh unearthed the bones of gigantic quadrupeds known as Dino­ saurs, but they were reptiles and have vanished from the earth. In Big Hom County a reptile bird, with a wing spread of fifteen feet, had left his fossil in the rock, but no bird like that ever flew out of the Mezozoic age. Dr. Samuel Knight, then profes-

a Osbome's "Age of VammaJs," P. 158, 159, 160. 'Ibid. 6 LulL "Organic Evolution," P. 633. 6 Ibid. 18 UINT.A. COUNTY sor of geology in the University of Wyoming> found the articu­ lated paddle of an immense swimmer, swift and voracious, protruding from the walls of a washout in Niobrara County. But the giant Ichthyosaur never swam out of the Jurassic sea. In Converse County there have been discovered the teeth of tiny mao111 aa]s still older, brought to the surface by industrious ants, but these little creatures were no larger than a mouse and scur­ ried around in the shadows of the giant reptiles to perish, leaving no descendants now living. On the other hand, it is the verified claim of Uinta County that within her borders, and there alone, there has been unearthed the fossil proof of a varied and pro­ gressive type of life back to which along the lines of evolution every species of animal inhabiting the earth today traces its dis­ tant pedigree. It is the proud boast of Uinta County that she added this shining page to science. Who, then, were the first settlers, the earldest immigrants? Barring bivalves and reptiles that can be safely ignored, the forms of life first to come here were those strange, archaic forms that drifted in from that now frozen but then semi-tropical land that hugs the Arctic ·Circle. Buried in the ash of volcanoes that was poured out from exploding craters rimming the Bridger Bash, they left behind them the story of the rise and fall of mammalian life. Then came the American Indian by way of Behring Strait.T He passed from the stage followed by the fur trader, the trapper and the river boatmen who once poled their clumsy craft up the Missouri. Then came the American scientist. ,vith him came the people who live in Uinta County today.

7 Huntington. "The Red Man's Continent." ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY

CHAPTER TWO Physical Features

The Territory of Wyoming was organized by Act of Con­ gress in the year 1868, with the boundaries of the present state. As originally divided, its four counties, extending from Montana on the north to the and Utah lines on the south, were Laramie, Albany, Carbon and Carter. In its derivation Carter County stood alone among not only the counties of Wyoming but of the nation as well, for it was composed of portions of the three great western accessions of the United States. That part northeast of the Shoshone range came from the Louisiana Pur­ chase of 18o3. From these mountains to the 42t1d parallel is a tract acquired from the Oregon Territory, to which the claim of the United States was definitely established in 1846. The land south of this came to us from the Mexican Cession of 1848. The territories of Utah, organized in 1850; Dakota, in 1861, and Idaho, in 1863, contributed to the formation of Carter County. From the time of the organization of the Territory of Utah in 1850 to the establishment of our territorial government, the southern part was known as Green River County, Utah.1 At the meeting of the first territorial legislature in 1&5g Carter County was divided into Sweetwater and Uinta Counties. The original Uinta ·County was about fifty by two hundred and eighty miles in size. Within it lay nearly all of the Yellowstone National Park. For variety and beauty of scenery the region covered by this history is unsurpassed, and each year sees an increasing number of tourists from all lands enjoying its attractions. Yellowstone Park is the wonderland of the world. Its mountains, rivers, lakes, falls and geysers have been described by the ablest pens in all languages. Due south of it lies Jackson's Hole. In the Shoshone 11:ountains on its eastern boundarv., the Yellowstone River has its rise in several small stre-ams and flows north. The Snake, flowing from the north, passes through Jackson Lake· on its southwest journey between wild mountain ravines. The lake mirrors in its depths the massive form of , and is guarded· by the lofty Tetons, the Alps of the Rockies. The

1 See Chapter VIIl. UINTA COUNTY

giant of this magnificent trio lifts its hoary head nearly fourteen thousand feet above the level of the sea. From Teton Pass a panorama of matchless beauty greets the eye, lovely valleys, bil­ lowy slopes covered with a- thi~ plush-like verdure of varied evergreen, and snowy moootains dazzling white in the rare at­ mosphere. On the south of Jackson's Hole rises the , where the Hoback River takes its source. It flows northwest into Jackson's Hole, and unites with the south branch of the Snake River. John Day's River flows north along the ea.stem slope of the , and enters the Snake near the Idaho boundary. A few miles west of its mouth Salt River, an­ other tributary from the south, enters the Snake. Salt River is the main stream of the beautiful Star Valley, whose cultivated fields and pretty villages nestle between the most picturesque of mountain ranges. Despite its high altitude, this valley is capable of sustaining a population of many thousands. The Piney, La Barge, Fontenelle and other eastward-flow­ ing streams, water a region famous in the cattle history of the state. All are tributary to Green River, as are the streams rising in the to the east. Green River flows along the eastern boundary of the original county, out into Sweetwater County, and on to the Colorado. Ham's Fork flows from the northwest and joins Black's Fork, which, with Smith's Fork and other streams, supplies water for the famous Bridger Valley. Henry's Fork and its tributaries water the southeast comer of the region .. On the west numerous small streams having their rise in the Uinta Mountains unite to form Bear River, which pursues its winding course, enriching the valleys of three states, Wyo­ ming, Idaho and Utah, before losing itself in the briney waters of the Great Salt Lake. Bear River nearly doubles upon itself in its journey of nearly four hundred miles, and its mouth is about fifty miles from its source. In spite of these splendid water courses the agricultural de­ velopment of Uinta County has been slow. In the minds of the early settlers the short seasons and the high altitude were too great a menace to farming and they turned to what they thought the safer road to wealth, livestock raising. The native grasses ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 2I that had nourished countless herds of buffalo, deer and other wild animals, were utilized for cattle, and fortunes were made on the free range. Later, big ranches were taken up and devoted to the care of livestock and cutting native bay. Then through cir­ cumstances as romantic in their own way as any of the develop­ ments of the frontier, came the discovery of the possibility of agricultural wealth. ...~ few chance grains of wheat or oats from the feeding grounds would take root and spring up in surprising vigor, and under the benign influence of the constant mountain sunshine, would mature in an astonishingly short time. Canals and ditches from the generous mountain streams furnished a steady supply .of water, and the rich virgin soil combined with these elements in producing grains superior both in quality and quantity to those of lower agricultural lands. With an altitude nowhere less than five thousand five hun­ dred feet, the winters of Western Wyoming are long and severe, but so dry is the air and so abundant the sunshine that the new­ comer from lower-lying regions feels inclined to doubt the verac­ ity of the thermometer registering 30° below zero, and even lower. The snowfall is abundant, making up for the dearth of summer, and there is a charm in the winter prospect that no one can escape. Spring com~s on slowly, and summer frosts are not unknown. However, they do not seriously interfere with vegetation, which, with the adaptability of nature, de­ velopes an amazing hardiness. From July until late autumn the climate is wonderful and must be experienced to be appreciated. The mountain flora is profuse and varied, and adds much to the loveliness of the view, decking hills and valleys with a brilliant beauty that changes from month to month. .Professor Marcus Jones, the painstaking botanist of Salt Lake City, says that no place on earth holds a greater variety of wild flowers than the stretch of hills between Goodman's ranch and Evanston in July. Most of the mountain streams are fringed with willows, backed up by the hardy cottonwood. The quakingasps, with their shimmering leaves, group together in the next higher places, gathering around slow-melting snowdrifts on the hillsides and n1nning back into the ravines. Sarvice be~es, haws and choke cherries love the same moist soil, and their glossy foliage de- Z.? UINTA COUNTY

lights the eye long after the pretty blossoms have fallen. Still higher up the evergreens flourish, climbing in stately beauty, to the forbidding timber line, which is here about ten thousand five hundred feet above sea level. And everywhere between these green vistas grows the sagebrush, toning down their vividness with its soft, unobtrusive gray. Game is still plentiful, and the region around Jackson's Hole, owing to its proximity to the Yellowstone Park sanctuary, is the finest hunting ground in America today. Bear of many species, mountain lion, mountain sheep, elk, deer, antelope and moose abound. The same wild life is to be found throughout the county, though not in such numbers. Coyotes still lope across the hills, and on a wintry night their doleful howls are carried to dwellers of towns as well as of ranches. The work of the beaver is still to be seen along the streams, much to the disgust of the rancher, whose plans seldom coincide with those of this untaught builder of dams. Elk have become so accus­ tomed to the presence of man that they are a constant menace to haystacks, and no winter passes that the state does not have to make provision for feeding these animals now cut off from the free range on which their ancestors feasted. On the predatory animals, the bear, the wolf, the coyote and the fox, a bounty is paid by the state and trappers are still able to make their capture profitable. Fish are plentiful in streams and lakes, the favorite being the mountain, salmon and rainbow trout. There is a great variety of feathered folk throughout the region. On the night preceding August first, when the open season, for sage chicken and grouse begins, the hills are alive with hunters armed with shotguns, and they are still able to bring in a goodly supply of the delicious wild fowls that were within easy reach of all a score of years ago. The smaller mountain birds, of which we shall mention only a few, are an interesting study. The waxwing, or cedar bird, winters in the Bridger Valley, from whence in -the early spring great flocks of the crested beauties make their flying ex­ cursions, and flirt their brilHant feathers half concealed by the soft gray overlapping plumage. The notes of the gamble spar­ row are to be heard in every valley, as is also the merry, ques.:.· ITS PLA;CE IN HISTORY tioning song of the wild canary. Most loved of all the song­ sters is the mountain meadow lark, whose liquid strains delight the ear from early dawn to dark for many a month. Storks are found in some places, and curious and stately pelicans strut along the shores of some of the northern lakes, where are also a few wild swans. Hawks are common, and occasionally one may see an eagle. There are many migratory birds, from the bluebird, with its wonderful hue, and the sociable robin, both of which come to prospect for homes before the winter snows are gone, to the flocks of wild ducks and geese that call the hunter again to the mountain lakes and stre.a.ms in the late fall. UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER THREE :Early Discoveries There is some reason to believe that the Spaniards were the first white men to enter Wyoming. Traces of ditches and relics of early mining implements have been found on the Big Hom and Yellowstone Rivers and there is a tradition that they pene­ trated what is now the confines of Yellowstone Parle, but definite proof is lacking.1 Coming nearer to recorded history are stories of French and Canadian trappers having visited the streams of southern Uinta County in the days of the early fur trade, and it is highly prob­ able that this was the case. Nothing definite, however, is known until we come to the name of John Colter, who, some time be­ tween the years of 1&>7 and 1810, crossed the northern part of the county. Colter was a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and was held in high esteem by his comrades. On the return of the expedition to the Missouri River, in August, 18o6, he asked permission to join two trappers, Dixon and Hancock, who were well known to the Lewis and Clark men, and who purposed trapping on the headwaters of the river. His request was granted, and, supplied with powder and other needed articles by the friends he was leaving, he started on the new venture. After a short time Colter entered the employ of the Spanish fur trader, :h-fanuel Lisa, who was sending trappers up all of the mountain streams. In the fall of 18o7, in company with John Potts, George Drouillard and Peter Wiser, all old Lewis and Clark men, he reached the mouth of the Big Hom, where a trading post was stationed. Colter was commissioned to go to the Crows and other friendly Indian tnoes to solicit their furs, and accordingly set out toward the southwest. He was on foot and carried a pack of thirty pounds, besides gun and ammunition. After visiting the Crow nation on the east _side of the Wind River Range, he traveled west. Opinions as to his route differ. Chittenden thinks he crossed the Wind River l\10UJ1tains and

1 The "Spanish Diggings" have been investigated by expeditions sent out from the Field Museum, Chicago, the American Museum of Natural History, New York. the Uni­ versity of Nebraska, and others. In Volume Nine of "Records of the Past," published in 1909 'hy Robert F. Gilder of Omaha, we find the statement that "Who the quarry men were may never be known, but the work performed has no counterpart on the continent." BUFFALO FEEDING IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK Photo by Clarence Cook.

ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY

Teton Pass to Pierre's Hole, as the Teton Basin in Idaho was called, and he places at that spot a battle between the Crows and the Blackfeet, in which Colter received a severe wound in the leg. From Pierre's Hole he traces his route northeast to the geyser region and across to the northern shore of Yellowstone Lake., then down the river some forty miles to Tower Falls, and eastward across the moUDtains by way of an Indian trail.% Chittenden's scholarly and intere,--ting work was written in the year 18g5. Since that time the growing interest in western exploration has led to new discoveries resulting in some neces­ sary changes in the location of the battle ground of the Crows and the Blackfeet, and consequently of Colters route across the Park. According to Dale the fight took place far to the north­ west of Pierre's Hole, and he thinks that it would have been unlikely if not in1possible for Colter to make the trip as described.' We shall probably never be able to trace the journey exactly, but it remains true that Colter carried the story of the wonders of this marvelous region to Captain Clark, and that "Colter's Route of 18o7" was made a feature of the Lewis and Clark map. As concerns the physical possibility of his crossing the park in the dead of winter with such a pack, the author has been assured by more than one mountaineer that it could be done. The feat of an outlaw was cited who., to elude officers, made the trip from Montana to Jackson's Hole and back twice in one winter. Al­ though Colter's descriptions of boiling mud, steaming lakes and mighty geysers were too wonderful to be received with any­ thing but skepticism, and this supposedly mythical wonderland was for years referred to as "Colter's Hell", the place of this explorer is secure in history. He was undoubtedly the first American to enter Wyoming, as_ well as the first man to carry to the world the story of the marvelous region we call Yellow­ stone Park. The fur trade was the source of much wealth in the days I of the early settlement of America. The Hudson Bay Company dated from the year 1670, when Charles the Second granted a charter to a stock association, with exclusive rights to the fur business in the British possessions, and powers amounting to those of an indepenent government. American companies be-

.2 Chittenden. c'AmericaJi Fur Trade." a Dale. "Ashley-Smith Explorations.., UINTA COUNTY gan to be organized at the opening of the nineteenth century, the first of which was the Missouri Fur Company, of which Manuel Lisa was the head. He was a Spaniard who met with great suc­ cess in deaJing with Indians as well as in choosing his men. Andrew Henry, one of the greatest of western explorers, was in his employ. In 1810 he was trapping on the Snake River tnoutaries, and Henry's Fork was named for him, as was also the first trading post to be erected west of the Rockies. With him was associated a trapper named John Hoback.' The An1erican Fur Company was organized by John Jacob A 1,tor in 18o9. In the spring of 1811 he sent out a band of sixty men to cross the country to the mouth of the Oregon, where they were to join a party that was making the journey by water. The overland expedition was under the command of a man named Wilson P. Hunt, a native of New Jersey, who, though inexperienced in Indian warfare, was a good business man and organizer. His first recruits were forty Canadian voyageurs, all good boatmen and trappers. These were supplemented by a hardy band of frontiersmen, prominent among whom was a Scotchman named Ramsay Crooks, who, in 1793, at the age of sixteen, had come to America. His letters, which were models of clarity, furnish the most valuable history we have of the expedition. Another was a friend named Robert 11:cLellan, whom Washington Irving describes as a remarkable character, possessed of a "fiery spirit and reckless daring." John Day of was another valuable addition to the party, as was also John Hoback, whom they picked up on the M~ssouri River. These last two names are perpetuated in the names of streams in the original Uinta County, Wyoming. The recruits Edward Robinson and Jacob Rizner, as well as Hoback, had been in the employ of the l\1issouri Fur Company, and had trapped in the upper Green River and Snake River country be£ ore. Soon after leaving the winter camp on the Missouri they were joined by two experienced trappers named Benjamin Jones and Al~"IC­ ander Carson. \Vith the exception of a man named Rose, who later left them to join the Crow nation, the personnel of the party left little to be desired. Peter Dorian, a Canadian half­ breed, went with them on condition of being allowed to take

4 Chittenden. ''American Fur Trade." ITS PLACE IN HISTORY along his wife and two children.15 They were equipped with riding and pack horses, as well as supplied with the best of pr0VISt0ns. Hunt's plan was to follow the route of Lewis and Clark, but after conferring with various explorers, among whom was Colter, whom they met on an upper tnoutary of the Missouri, they decided on a more southerly route in order to avoid the hostile Sioux. They entered what is now Wyoming, near its northeast corner, and traveled southwest to the place where the Wind River joins the Big Horn. From this point they crossed over to Green River, ascended that stream and made camp on one of its upper tributaries. Washington Irving describes this river as flowing through "a lovely green valley surrounded by lofty heights.',. Buffalo were plenty, and with the help of a friendly band of Snake Indians they secured as much meat as they could carry. On the 24th of September they broke camp and crossed the mountains to the southwest, arriving at a stream recognized by Hoback as a tributary of the "Mad River," as Snake River was sometimes called. Irving describes their j our­ ney along the stream, now known as Hoback River, in the fol­ lowing words: "As it meandered among rocks and precipices they were often in danger of being swept away. Sometimes the banks advanced so close upon the river that the men were obliged to scramble up and down their rugged promontories, or to skirt along their bases where there was scarce a foot-hold. Their horses had dangerous falls in some of these passes. One of them rolled with its load nearly two hundred feet down into the river, but without receiving any injury. At length they emerged from the stupendous de.i."iles and continued for several miles along the banks of Hoback River, through the stem moun­ tain valleys. Here it ,vas joined by a river of great magnitude and swifter current, and their united waters swept off through the valley in one impetuous stream, which, from its rapidity and tur­ bulence, had received the name of 'Mad River.'" They camped in sight of the snowy peaks of the Tetons, which they called "Pilot Knobs," and left the basin over the for the Pacific Coast.

11 Ibid. • IrviDg. ".Astoria. UINTA COUNTY

On the 28th of Jun½ 1812, a party of seven left Asto~ the Pacific trading post, with dispatches for John Jacob Astor. Robert Stuart was m couuoand, and with him were four of the men who had made the outward journey with Hunt, nameJy, Ramsay Crooks, Robert McLellan, John Day and Ben Jones. The other members of the party were Andri Veller and Francis LeCI~ who had made the ocean voyage with Stuart. Before having pro­ ceded far on their way J obn Day showed symptoms of insanity, and he was left in the care of some friendly Indians, who promised to take him back to Astoria. On Snake River the Stuart party came across four other members of the Hunt expedition who had been trapping in the mountains, and one of them, named Joseph Miller, joined them in the eastward journey. The other three, Robinson, Rezner and Hoback, could not make up their minds to leave the wilds. Stuart's band crossed over to Bear River, which they called Miller River in honor of Joseph Miller, and then turned north in the hope of getting out of the country of the Blackfeet, as these Indians were showing signs of hostility. Two days' travel brought them to a stream running north, doubtless Salt River of Star Valley. They followed it to the place where it empties into the Snake River, near the present Idaho-Wyoming line, and as no traces of Indians were seen they began to hope that they had eluded them and relaxed their vigilance. On the 19th of September, as they were preparing breakfast, a band of twenty Indians galloped up with whoops and yells and ran off every horse they had. The loss was a ternole one. To proceed on foot across the mountains seemed almost impossible, so they finally decided to make a couple of rafts and float down the Snake River in the hope of coming across friendly Indians from whom they might get some horses. They traveled about ninety miles, but traces of the ever-troublesome Blackfeet made them give up this plan, and with almost despairing hearts they began the eastward march. Winter had set in and their sufferings were appalling. More than once did they face starvation. On the ·first of October, by an Indian trail, they crossed the Teton range. Just to the east of the mountains they came upon a herd of elk, and Ben Jones succeeded in killing five. Crooks was taken ill and they rested a few days and dried some of the elk meat for future use.T They

T Stuart's Jouma.L ITS PLACE IN HISTORY left Jackson's Hole by Hoback Canyon. Along the slteams of Green River they journeyed, finding barely enough to keep them alive, and then crossed over to the Sweetwater. At one time a friendly but very poor band of Snake Indians saved them from starvation, and we read that for many days at a time they struggled on without food. On the thirtieth of October they came to the Platte River, and as buffalo were plenty they decided to make a camp. The site was near the present city of Casper, and they stayed for five weeks before re.5uming the joumey.8 It was not until the thirtieth of April that they arrived in St. Louis, all hav­ ing survived the dreadful experience. For the greater part of the way their route across Wyoming became a part of the Great Ore­ gon Trail, though historians differ in opinion as to whether they went over South Pass, that famous passage across the mountains that was made known to the world by Ashley's man a decade later.

I JbicJ. 30 UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER FOUR Fur Traders and Trappers In 1823 William H. .A.shley, a Virginian, who had settled in St.. Louis, entered the fur trade. He was commonly lmown as General Ashley, having gained the title in the state militia of Mis­ souri. With him was associated a group of men whose names have become famous in western Wyoming. Andrew Henry, whose services were invaluable both as organizer and explorer, became one of the partners, and he holds a unique place in that sturdy band. He was fond of reading and a skillful performer on the violin, which was his constant companion as well as an ob­ j ect of great interest to his comrades. Others whose names are connected ,vith the region embraced in our subject are David F. Jackson, the Sublette brothers, Etienne Provost, Jedediah S. Smith, James Beckworth and James Bridger, all men of ability in some line. The first year Ashley established a trading post on the Y el­ lowstone in what is now eastern Montana. This was soon aban­ doned because of the hostility of the Indians. In 1823 his men crossed to the mouth of the Big Hom and foil owed it to its source.1 The Interior Basin embraces the northern part of the Rocky Mountain region and was the last to be explored by the fur com­ panies. It is cut off from easy access by the diverging chains of mountains, the Big Hom and Medicine Bow ranges to the east, the Uinta and Wasatch to the south, and the Wind River and Bitterroot ranges to the west. In the spring of 1824 Ashley brought out the main body of his trappers to the Spanish River, which he rechristened Green River in honor of one of his St. Louis partners. Here the men separated into small companies and started out in different direc­ tions with the understanding that all were to assemble in the Green River Valley, at the mouth of the Sandy, on or before the tenth of the following July. One party of seven, headed by a man named Clement, traveled up Green River, exploring the region that was later part of the original Uinta County. Geography was in the making and we are unable to trace their course with any

1 ClrlttendeD. "American Fur Trade." ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 31 degree of accuracy, but it is interesting to note that on one of the small streams flowing in from the west they saw a band of wild horses near the site of the present town of Dani~ and gave the stream the name of Horse Creek, which it still bears. They bad trouble \\ith Indians, and one of the number, named LaBranch, was killed while he was separated from the main band.: On the first of July, 1824, they gathered, according to ap­ pointment, for the first Rocky Mountain rendezvous. The place of meeting had been changed to a spot about twenty miles north of the mouth of Ham's Fork of Green River. Success bad at­ tended the efforts of the trappers and the scene is one to stir the imagination. General Ashley had brought out a supply train of pack horses with traps, clothing, goods for Indian trade and other provisions, including whiskey. Furs were counted, experiences of the various expeditions were exchanged, notes on the topog­ raphy of the country compared, and rough maps drawn which became the foundation of the geography of the future. General Ashley, accompanied by fifty men, left the following day with the furs, which were to be loaded in boats on the Big Hom en route to St. Louis.1 · Some idea of the scale on which the business was conducted may be gained from the account of an Indian raid on Bovey's Fork of the Big Hom, in which a single trapping party lost one hundred horses and forty traps. Beckworth says that the men remaining at the rendezvous after Ashley's departure did not separate for a week, and were joined by twenty-five of those who had left with the leader after they had loaded the furs on the boats. His accounts of their do­ ings, as well as of many incidents of the fur traders, were gath­ ered into a volume entitled "The Li£ e and Adventures of James P. Beckworth, Mountaineer, Scout, Pioneer and Chief of the Crow Nation," which was published from his dictation late in his life. He was a unique character, of mixed French and negro parentage, and while he can hardly be called great in any direc­ tion save that of prevarication, his book gives us some realistic pictures of mountain conditions. He was commonly called "Jim Beckwith." He was not without his admirers, one 6f whom, Wil­ liam F. Drannon, says : "He was a hero in his day. For

2 Ibid. a Ibid. UINTA COUNTY bravery he was far above the average, and at the same time he was honorable and upright.',. He entered the employ of the American Fur Company, and in his old age went to Denver, where he is said to have married a negro woman. The story goes that the Indians, who looked upon him as a sort of mascot against ill luck, induced him to return to them in the year 1867, and that as he was preparing to leave them they served him w.ith a poisoned dish, from the effects of which he died, thus keeping his mortal remains in the tn"be.~ The work of trapping requires both patience and skill. The beaver is a wise little animal and great care is necessary in its capture. Traps were usually approached by water to avoid leav­ ing traces of the presence of man, and were baited with spice mixed with a substance of penetrating smell obtained from the loins of the beaver and called castor. The secret of its manufac­ ture was care£ ully guarded and it is said that beavers as much as a mile distant would be attracted by its scent.' 'fhe Canadian trappers traveled by canoe and on foot, and their C?'ample ,vas fallowed by the first Americans in the trade, but as distances covered grew longer, horses gradually came into use. Ashley mounted all of his men and made it a point to em­ ploy expert marksmen. With all of their advantages there was danger in these innovations. A mounted horseman was not easily concealed from the sharp eye of the Indian, who was growing more and more resentful over the encroachment on his hunting grounds, and many a man was followed stealthily to his traps and killed beside his game that was then stolen. There were soon hundreds of trappers in the employ of various companies, and Coutant estimates that fully two-thirds of them met death sooner or later at the hands of the red men. In the autumn of 1826 Ashley, now a rich man as wealth was counted in- those days, sold out to Jedediah S. Smith, David Jackson and Captain William Sublette. He acted for some years as agent for his successors, but did not come to the mountains again.. In 1831 he was elected to Congress, and at the expiration of his term of office, in 1837, he returned to his home in St. Louis, where he died the next year.1

• Dramlon. UThirty-one Yeare OD the Plains. n i. Coutant. History of Wyommg, Volume One. • Alexander l(ajors. "Forty Years on the Frontier." 1 Chittenden. ".American Fm Trade." ITS PL.. l\.CE IN HISTORY 33

The Sublette brothers were Kentuckians by birth, who bad made their homes in St. Louis. There were four of them who entered the fur trade. Milton was an able frontiersman, but his fame has been partially eclipsed by that of William, who was one of the most commanding figures of the day. He was six feet two inches in height, and his personality was so marked that the Indians bestowed upon him the name of "Fate." In 1830 Milton Sublette, James Bridger, Henry Fraeb and Jacob Fervais bought the controlling interest in their company, which was then called the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. In the meantime the Missouri Fur Company had been at tracted to the rich fields of the Interior Basin and competition grew keen. The American Fur Company, as the Astorians were now called, was also pushing its men into the Rocky l\.1ountain region, and was ruthless in following the experienced trappers and taking advantage of their knowledge of the country. .A.f ter the rendezvous of 1832 in Pierre's Hole, James Bridger, with a companion named Fitzpatrick, tried in vain to elude two of these designing men, named Vanderbourgh and Dripps, and finally decided on the desperate course of leading them into the country of the hostile Blackfeet. Vanderbourgh was killed by the Indians, and Bridger himself was badly wounded. In spite of all strategy the American Fur Company was unsuccess­ ful in competition. Fontenelle, one of their employes, wrote, on July 1, 1833,: "We have always been too late, and our oppo­ nents in the country make a great boast of it." The methods employed in competition di:ffered but little in character from those of today. Small companies were frozen out, and while the big ones kept in the public eye by assisting government expeditions in their explorations, there was much complaint over their heartlessness toward the men who had given their best years to the work and were left to spend their old age in poverty. The most serious indictment against the fur trade was the deliberate debauchment of th~ Indians by means of whiskey. Strict laws had been passed by our country prohibiting its sale to them, as the ternole effects of its use upon the Indiaris were well known, but the American companies claimed that without it they were powerless to compete with the English, who had 34 UINTA COUNTY

no such restrictions. It \\'aS smuggled out in every possible man­ ner, and for impurity rivaled the most poisonous bootleg product of today. The enforcement of the law was largely dependent on the character and ability of the Indian agent, who was too often chosen for purely political reasons. It was not until the appoint­ ment of _,\ndrew Dripps, in 1842, that any degree of success was achieved. He was indefatigable in his efforts to enforce the law, and did not hesitate to cross the mountains in the dead of winter to follow up every possible clew. He held the office for four years, and while he was accused by his enemies of favoritism toward the American Fur Company, yet his disinterested loyalty to duty is a matter of history. Major Andrew Dripps was a native of Pennsylvania. Like many of the fur traders, he married an Indian woman and was the father of several children. His papers were preserved by one of his daughters, who married a man nan1ed \Villiam Mul­ key, and lived in St. Louis, where Dripps died in 186o at the age of seventy-one. l\1uch valuable information concerning the times has been gleaned fron1 this source.8 With the expansion of the fur trade the rendezvous grew in importance. It was held in the summer at some point decided on the previous year. The n1outh of Horse Creek was a favorite spot, and other meeting places were the Popo Agie River, Bear Lake, Cache \ 7alley and Pierre's Hole. Traders from the east, as well as trappers all the way from the Canadian to the Mexi­ can border, came to these reunions, and from the names handed down we find that all nationalities that went to make up our early ciwilization were represented. They came from different stations of life, and while financial gain and love of adventure were, doubtless, the leading motives of the majority, yet there were among them men of larger vision who realized something of what the West was to mean to coming generations. Of these none stands higher than Jedediah S. Smith, who made accurate drawings of the Hoback River and many other sections of the Interior Basin, before entering on his explorations in Southern California. He was killed by the Commanches on the Cimeron desert in 1831. His letters reveal a man of well-rounded Chris­ tian character and high aspirations as well as a conscientious

a Ibid. ITS PL_.\CE IN HISTORY 35

student and chronicler. _,:\_ geography of the Rocky Mountain region prepared by him was published after his death.' Smith's Fork of Green River, as well as the Snake River tributary, was named for him. There is little doubt that the names of Henry's Fork and Black's Fork were derived from Andrew Henry and Daniel Black, who came here with the Ashley men. Burnt Fork is said to have been so called because of forest fires along its bank, the effects of which are still visible. The beautiful stream Fontenelle preserves for us the name of the French frontiersman, Lucian Fontenelle. He was born in New Orleans about 18o7, and was said to be of royal lineage. At an early day he entered the fur trade and worked with Dripps, and was later associated with Bridger. He was married by Father de Smet to a woman of the Omaha tribe and had four children. It is said that he com­ mitted suicide at Fort Laramie in 1837.10 At first the furs were brought to the rendezvous on horse­ back, but ,Captain Bonneville, who came out in 1832, used wagons, and to avoid the daily pacldng and unpacking, trappers soon adopted this method where roads permitted. The company trappers were paid in proportion to their catch. In the early days $1200 was considered a fair compensation for a year's work, but as prices advanced a good trapper often made as much as $30CX).11 The Indians brought their furs to the rendezvous, and when under the influence of liquor would sell the harvest of months for a mere song. There were few abstainers among the white men, and brawls were frequent, for it was a rough life, but the vices incident to the frontier were offset by the vritues of courage and fidelity. Many trappers took squaw wives and £ell into the ways of the red men so completely as to be taken for Indians. The "squaw man" would build a log cabin of one or two rooms in some place convenient to his traps and establish a rough home where his Indian wife would cheerfully slave for him and bear his children. There was some rude furniture and the manner of living was in some respects an improvement over that of the native Indian, but it lacked :its easy method of house cleaning,

• Dale. "Ashley-Smith Explora.tiom." 10 Coutant. Bistor:, of WyomiJJg. 11 llajors. "Forty Years on the Fiontier." UINTA COUNTY which was simply to move the wickiup. It was a strange, wild life, well-nigh devoid of higher ambition or refinement, and yet there is proof that there were many happy homes, built upon the fidelity of the white man to his squaw wife. Among their de­ scendants are some of the substantial citizens of our state. Many of the half-breed children were sent to "the states" to school, and though it is true that the majority grew up in ignorance, we must remember that most of the trappers were unlettered men, who, as a rule, did the best that they could for their offspring. The year 1832 was the most eventful of the fur trade, for it brought to the mountains two parties of explorers who were destined to play important roles in the history of the West. As ·Captain William Sublette, with a party of sixty men, was about to start for the mountains, he was overtaken at Inde­ pendence, 11issouri, by an expedition under the leadership of Nathaniel J. Wyeth. Mr. Wyeth was a Bostonian who, at his own expense, had fitted out twenty-two New Englanders for the mountains. All were inexperienced in mountain life, and they gladly availed themselves of the permission to join Sublette's party, promising to obey its orders. They took the well-known route across Wyoming to the upper waters of Green River, and each day's experience was a fresh revelation of the vastness of the stretches of travel and the difficulties under which the pio­ neers labored. Robert Campbell, one of Sublette's men, tells of an unsuccessful attack made on them by a band of Black:£ eet on a stream flowing west from the Wind River mountains, where they had their first taste of the dangers of Indian warfare. From here they crossed the Shoshone and Wind River ranges to ·Pierre's Hole. Here, on the 18th of July, they had an encounter with a large band of Blackfeet Indians, in which one white man was killed and Captain Sublette was wounded. Wyeth proved both his skill and courage, and gained the admiration of the more experienced mountaineers, but some of his men lost their zest for further adventure, and two days after the battle a party of seven set out toward the east. In it were two grandsons of the famous Daniel Boone, a New Englander named Joseph More, a man named Foy from Mississippi, Alfred K. Stephens of St. Louis, and two others. They reached Hoback Canyon July 25. As they were going down the hill a band of Blackfeet started in ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 37

pursuit. More was thrown from his horse and was promptly killed by the Indians. Foy and Stevens, who had turned back to help him, were shot, and Foy died on the spot. Stevens man­ aged to rejoin his companions, but died five days later in Sub­ lette's camp, to which the survivors returned.12 On the first of 1-Iay of the same year the Bonneville expe­ dition was launched. Benjamin Louis Bonneville was a French­ man of fine education, who had obtained a commission in the United States Army. He was granted a three-year leave of ab­ sence from 1832 to 1835 "to explore the Rocky Mountains and beyond,'' for the purpose of making for the war department reports on the "character and customs of Indian tribes, the con­ dition of the fur trade, and the natural features of the country."11 He was to bear all of the expense of the expedition. On the first day of May, 1832, Bonneville left Fort Osage on the Missouri with one hundred and ten men and a full equip­ ment, including twenty-eight wagons, horses, mules and oxen. His were the first wagons to go through South Pass. They reached Green River on the 27th of July and traveled up Horse Creek, where they put up a building for the purpose of making it a fur-trading post. This ,vas the first attempt to establish such a station in Wyoming, as Fort Laramie was not built until 1834. Some time was spent in erecting the necessary fortifica­ tions of breastworks against the Indians. Fontenelle, whom he had met on the v,tay out, joined him here, and he put up a camp near by. Competition arose in dealing with the Indians, and their parting was less friendly than their meeting. .L~fter giving his jaded animals a rest of a few weeks, Captain Bonneville, leaving some of his supplies and his wagons at the post, pro­ ceeded northwest across Jackson's Hole to Pierre's Hole. In what he calls ~'the dark defile leading to Jackson's Hole" he came across ·the bodies of More and Foy, and buried them. u Bonneville spent the following winter m the Salmon River country and early the next spring started with thirteen men for his fort. He had left there a party under the command of a trapper named Mathieu,, and three of them had been killed by Indians. The rendezvous of that year was to be held near by, but, owing to the hostility of the Indians, it was not so well at-

u Chittenden's "American Fur Trade." IS Irving. ''Astoria.,, DINT_~ COlJNTY tended as usual. There had been many casualties, and one man, who was leader of a party that had trapped m the Crow country, was the only survivor of his little band of men, the rest having been killed. The life of the fur traders was too full of change to permit deep-seated grudges. At the rendezvous of 1833 Bonneville was filled with surprise over the friendly intercourse between the men of the Pacific Fur Company and those of the Rocky 11ountain Company, following so quickly on the Vanderbourgh-Dripps affair, but it is only one of the many striking examples of the tolerant spirit of the wilds. The underlying rectitude of Dripps outweighed his reprehensible . methods in competition in the minds of his co-workers. To them a tried friend was the dearest of possessions, but the enemy of the day was often the ally of the morro,v, and the necessity of standing together against the red men was an ever-strengthening bond. From the rendezvous Bonneville sent out a party of forty men to explore Salt Lake. They were under command of a man named Walker, and were instructed to meet the captain on Bear River the next July. After \Valker's departure Bonneville set out for the Big Hom with his furs. Boats were made of buffalo skin for the journey down the Yellowstone and the Missouri to St. Louis. Wyeth had been unsuccessful in the fur business, and he and some of his party returned to St. Louis with the Bonneville men. The captain, after seeing them started on their way, turned again westward. From his cache on Green River he supplied his trapping parties and sent them out, and then ex­ plored the Wind River country, taking notes and making maps. On the 24th of October we find him at Ham's Fork. From here he crossed over to Bear River and then to the Snake. The next few months he spent in the northwest, and it was not until July that he again entered the Interior Basin. Here he was joined by Walker, whose expedition has been a complete failure, for he had squandered the money furnished him in the Mexican settlements of California, and had accomplished nothing for the cause of ex­ ploration. Bonneville was nearly at the end of his resources, and he made a desperate effort to reimburse himself, but the Indians had been influenced by the Hudson Bay Company not to trade with him, and his own men did not meet with the success that ITS PL-r\CE IN HISTORY 39 he expected. In November, 1834, he went into winter quarters on Upper Bear River, where he found game was plentiful. The following April they broke camp and set out for Ham's Fork, and on the 2.2nd of June passed for the last time out of the region with which this book deals. The abandoned trading post on Horse Creek, which was named Fort Bonneville, came to be known by the fur traders as "Fort Nonsense," and soon fell into . nun. In spite of financial failure and many disappointments, the work of the "Bald-headed Chief," as the Indians called Captain Bonneville, was a valuable one. His maps and reports on the wide range of subjects assigned in the government instructions under which he was sent out, were of untold value, and have given him a name among the foremost explorers of the world. Much of his work was carried on within the bounds of the region with which this book deals. Both the lake and the mountain that bear his name lie without its borders, but the site of Fort Bonneville has been definitely established within the original Uinta County. On August 9, 1915, eighty-three years after the fort was built, H. C. Nickerson and Grace Raymond Hebard, president and secretary of the Oregon Trail Commission for Wyoming, visited the spot and set up a granite marker on which was carved the fallowing inscription :H SITE OF FORT BONNE\lILLE 1832-1915 The Wyeth expedition was even less successful than that of Captain Bonneville, but in 1833 he came out with a second party with the purpose of establishing forts for the convenience of traders and travelers. With him were Jason and Daniel Lee, missionaries sent out by the Methodist Board, and Jason Lee preached the first sermon west of the Rockies near Fort Hall. This post remains as a monument to Nathaniel Wyeth, and well has it served its purpose. Other Christian workers followed, and never was there a finer set of pioneers, nor men who did more for the perpetuation of American ideals. In 1825 the American Board of Foreign

u Dr. J. W. Montrose of Daniel was one of the leaders in marking this llistoric sport. Isolated though the region is a large audience gathered for the ceremony and participated in a patriotic program of great interest. The bounds of the old stockade were easily traced by logs buried to the depth of three feet or more. UINT.A COUNTY

~fission, a union of Congregationalists and Presbyterians, sent out Rev. Samuel Parker and Dr. Marcus Whitman to look over the western field. At the rendezvous, which was held at the mouth of Horse Creek in July, there was a great gathering of white and red men, and so impressed were the missionaries that Dr. \\'hitrnan decided to go no farther before urging upon the board the need for rein£ orcements. The response came the fol­ lowing year, and on the 4th of July, 1836, a little band of Chris­ tian workers knelt on the summit of South Pass and claimed the land to the west in the name of America and the Church of Christ. The leaders were the returning Dr. Whitman and the Rev. Henry H. Spaulding, and they brought with them their brides, the first ,vh~te women to make the journey to Oregon. u With deep emotion the old trappers greeted them when they reached ·Green River, and the Indians, not to be outdone in hos­ pitality, gave an exhibition of riding and lassoing that the young brides found more terr,ifying than entertaining. From there they traveled on through the dusty sumn1er hills to Fort Hall, accom­ panied as far as Bear River by the famous scout, Jim Bridger. A new song was breaking in on the music of the wilderness. Patriotism, education and duty were its keynotes. Try as he might to ignore it, the gentle but persistent tones pierced to the soul of the frontiersman and brought back to him memories of his childhood and a vision of the future.

i;; Eels. '·Marcus Whitman. FOUND AMONG JOHN ROBERTSON'S PAPERS

I1'S PLi\CE IN HISTORY 41

CHAPTER FIVE John Robertson The first man to make a permanent home in Uinta County was John Robertson. He was commonly called "Jack Robinson", and more familiarly "Uncle Jack". Robertson was a familiar character among the early trap­ pers. He had come to the mountains ,vith the Hudson Bay Com­ pany, and had later cast his lot with the Ashley men. Having followed the roving life of the trapper for some years, in 1834 he built a cabin ,vell up on Black's Fork of Green River and made it his home. Other trappers were soon attracted to the beautiful valley and n1oved in with their squaw wives, and thus formed the first permanent settlement in the Rockies west of Fort Laramie. By a rare piece of good fortune we have come into the pos­ session of so1ne papers that throw light upon the early years of John Robertson, and serve to bring nearer to us the life of the frontier. vVhile Robert Calverly, later deputy sheriff under John Ward of Uinta County, was serving as foreman of the Chapman ranch, he heard of a trunk in the lodge of an Indian woman that was said to contain some of the belongings of "Uncle Jack." This woman readily handed over the only thing that was of interest to him, a package of letters. Some of these came into the possession of D. G. Thomas, former prosecuting attorney of Uinta County, and he has kindly placed them at the service of the author. There are among them a number of bills and receipts interesting as voices from the past. The oldest is ·dated January I, 1826, and bears no address. ( See illustration.) There are three from the year 1&?9, the first being a liquor bill to a certain John Smith. A receipt from a man named Charles B. Tomlinson to John Robertson for $18, is dated September 5, 1829, and holds an added interest because of the name of the famous William L. Sublette written in one comer, although we have no means of knowing why it is inscribed there. The third, dated De­ cember 24, reads : "Received from John Robertson Ten Dollars on account of Mr. Cressant," and is signed "Sam Berry". Of greater interest because of the personal character is the following: 42 UINTA COUNTY

Rocky Mountains Pierre's Hole July 15, 1832 1\1: y dear Father I write these lines to let you know that I am enjoying good health at this time. I am now about to make a fall hunt having bought horses and traps which has taken all the money I had made; and if I have success catching beaver * * * * I have got a little spending money but it is not a thousand dollars, still afloat and plenty of friends. I should have come down this fall but Sublette and Fitzpatric persuaded me to stay out this year, and besides I got to be lazy and do not believe I could go to work. I have sent down $100 by Mr. Sublette to pay for the land. If he says he will get me the coat give him the hundred dollars, and you can take his receipt in full. You must look out for yourselves, I can't always be with you. \Ve are poor iin this country but I am trying to make a living and want you to do the same. John Robertson.

Pierre·s Hole, Sublette, Fitzpatric-all names to conjure with on the frontier in the days of the fur trade! As we trace these lines, penned nearly a century ago, there is brought nearer to us that first wild tide of new world life that swept westward over the Rockies, leaving in the mountains, plains and valleys the· beginnings of civilization. In the following letters there is no mention of his father, and it is probable that the loss referred to in a letter to his mother, ,vritten in 1835, was his death. This letter was written after he settled on Black's Fork, which was then part of Mexico.

Green River Rocky ~I ountains .A.ug. 19, 1835 My dear NI other: I received your letter and was very much hurt at hearing of the loss \Ve have met with, but it is a debt we all have to pay. I had made every calculation on coming down this fall, but I am disappointed, hut if God spares my life and yours will see you next fall. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 43

I have sent you four hundred dollars which Capt. Stewart will hand you. Remember me to all my friends. Your affectionate son John Robertson On the outside of the sheet, folded as was the custom be­ fore the use of envelopes, is the address, Mrs. Sarah Robertson near St. Louis Mo. favored by Wm. Daniels. ( See illustration.)

For some reason the promised visit was not made, for two years later he writes : Green River Rocky Mts. August 3, 1837 My dear Mother, It is two years since I received a letter from you but hear from you verbally every year. I understand James started this year for the mountains. Should he have returned my advice is to remain in the states doing anything whereby he can support himself. Had I received a letter this year which I expected I would have .come home-had everything special called in line. I made no arrangements to remain until within a few days past when I engaged in the same employ where I've been since coming to the mountains. I sent by Capt. Dripps who goes to the states an order for $1 ,(X)O which he will draw for me and put the same in the hands of Mr. Wm. Sublette, and to him I shall give orders to put the money at interest. I was last year employed by a party as partizan to a trap­ ping party and trapped in the Mexican provinces and I start again tomorrow for the same country and I shall not return to this country until next rendezvous when I shall expect to hear from you not verbally from what other people may hear but by letter. Captain Dripps intention was to return to this country next year, and any communication you may hand him will be for­ warded for if I am alive I shall see him when he comes. 44 UINT_.\ COUNTY

Please give my regards to all enquiring friends. Your dutiful son John Robertson The address on the reverse side of this sheet is : l\irs. Sarah Robertson Owens Station Missouri Favored by the politeness of Capt. Stewart. How these letters, having reached their destination through the "favor" or "politeness" of trusted friends found their way back again to the writer is a matter of conjecture, but the prob­ ability is that they were returned to John Robertson at the set­ tlement of the family estate. As far as we can learn, he never visited "the states" after his first journey west. But we are fortunate to be able, through them and information given by acquaintances, to piece out something of the story of this first settler of Uinta County. Proofs are many that John Robertson was, in his time, a man of great influence. The keynote of his Ii£ e was kindness, and to the very end red men as well as white came within its spell. He started his pioneer experience some,vhat in ad­ vance of most of his associates as concerns education, for it is to be noticed that the letters are well written both as to style and penmanship. ·But when the old order gave place to the new, we find him left hopelessly behind, bound by the shackles of indo­ lence and of the drink habit. He is descnoed by one who knew him well as "very tall, honest, jolly, slouchy and dirty, never sober except when away from liquor." His first ,vife, Marique, or "Marook," as she was sometimes called, was a very dark Indian, evidently not of the Shoshone tribe. She brought him a girl from a former union with a Frenchman, who had deserted her. She was named Lucile, and "Uncle Jack" is said to have "loved her as his own." There is a story that while Robertson was at one time absent from his ranch Marique learned of a plot to drive off some of his cattle, and for some reason did not warn her husband. He felt the lack of her fidelity keenly, and, although he continued to provide for her, he never lived with her again. His second wife was a Shoshone, and she, too, a: la.I X ~ 0 ~ u, .• X -~ 0 ~ ~ z __ .,.. 0 ' u, ~a: UJ m a:0 z X 0 ~ LL 0 a: UJ ~ ~ UJ_.

,. . ~~~;:.; ~- . -

a: :cl&J t- 0 .... :E :c"' 0 t- z 0 u, t- a: l&J m 0 a: z :c 0 -:a lL 0 a: l&J I- t- l&J ..J

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 45

brough him a child, who went by the name of "Bill Robinson." With other hangers-on Bill cared for the cattle, of which Robert­ son had accumulated three or four hundred head. He died be­ fore his foster father, and left several children, for whom Uncle Jack provided as long as he lived. \\Then he came to die it was found that they and Lucile, who had married a son of Robert Here£ ord, a native of New York, were the beneficiaries of his will. Besides this ranch at Robertson, which consisted of a few rough cabins surrounded by tepees to which the Indians often came, he had a place about a mile south of the present site of Mountain View-land that now belongs to William Thomas. A field near by was known as "Jack Robinson's Indian Camp," and there were of ten hundreds of Indians there. Neither place had fences except the cattle corrals. Many are the stories told of Uncle Jack's hospitality and kindness. One human tale comes from the pen of Mrs. Annie Summers, whose father, Jonathan }Ioopes, accepted the off er of one of his cabins in the summer of 1872. One August day an Indian woman, young but desperately weary and footsore, came to their place and sat down. Before long Uncle Jack came riding up, and after talking a ,vhile to the weeping girl, he brought her in to 1'Irs. Hoopes and asked her to give her something to eat, as she had traveled sixty-five miles and had eaten nothing £or two days. After finishing her meal the girl sat out under the trees and gave way to grief in true Indian fashion. The blanket drawn over her head could not silence the sound of her mournful wails, but at last, on seeing another horseman approach, she fled to the house. The newcomer was a rancher known as Shade Large, and he sprang from his horse and demanded of Robert­ son the girl. He was furiously angry, but the firm, gentle voice of Robertson was scarcely raised, and when Large had calmed down, he came for the trembling girl. Standing beside her he talked to her in her native language and then to the white man in English, and at the end of the parley Large got on his horse, Uncle Jack helped the woman up behind him, and they rode away to his ranch. 1\frs. Summers learned that the Indian was one of Robertson's wards, whom Large had married, and that he had treated her with such cruelty that she bad braved the UINTA COUNTY long journey to seek the help of her protector. Large and his Indian wife lived together and had a number of children, and it was said that he was always kind to her from that time on. The scene made an indeh'ble impression on the mind of the watching child, for after fifty years she writes : "It seemed so strange to see that Indian woman riding off with that handsome man." Whether there is any truth in the romance that wove itself about the youth of John Robertson we cannot say, but the story goes that he came to the mountains because the lady of his choice married another who failed to make her happy, or even provide for her. It is said Robertson never saw her again, but from time to time he sent her money. John Robertson lived to be about eighty years old and died in 1882. The commanding officer at Fort Bridger had a coffin made for him and he was buried in the post cemetery. The funeral was largely attended, for his kindness had won him friends from all walks of life. Among them were a few who could recall him in his days of ~nfluence when his wise counsel was sought by all. The grave was unmarked at the time, but a movement is on foot to erect a suitable monument for this first settler of Uinta County. ~

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.,.~ _;, ~ ~ ' .;. ~ ...: .. -:,... . , ':f,,·;<'

JAMES BRIDGER

ITS PL.-\.CE IN HISTORY 47

CHAPTER SIX Jam.es Bridger and His Post Fort Bridger takes its name from one of the most famous scouts of the West. James Bridger was born in Richmond, Virginia, ~larch 17, 18o.4. There is but little known of the family except that there was an older brother and a sister younger than James, and that the parents kept a hotel in Richmond and owned a farm near by. Although this would indicate that they were in com£ ortable cir­ cumstances, James never had the advantages of schooling, and he never learned to read and write. In 1812 the family moved to St. Louis, and five years later he and his sister were left alone, his parents and the brother having died. Thrown on his own resources, he worked for a time on a flatboat and later in a blacksmith shop. At the age of eighteen Bridger decided to seek his fortune in the \Vest, and in April, 1822, joined the Ashley party led by Andrew Henry. They ascended the Missouri as far as the mouth of the Yellowstone, and after being compelled to abandon the trading post there built by them, as related in Chapter Four, they crossed to the Big Hom and worked south along its course. From here they crossed over to Green River by way of South Pass. . In t.l-ie winter of 1824 a party of Ashley men, of which Bridger was a member, was encamped on Upper Bear River, and to settle a dispute as to its course, Bridger, who seems to have had a liking for solitude, followed the stream down to its outlet in Great Salt Lake. As far as we know, he was the first white man to visit this inland sea.1 It strikes us as a singular mistake that in spite of its altitude he should, on account of the salinity of its waters, have mistaken it for an arm of the sea, but such was his report to his companions when he joined them at the Green River rendezvous in July. In 1830 Bridger, with other members of the Rocky Moun­ tain Fur Company, traveled north as far as the Great Falls of the Missouri River. From there they turned south and followed the Jefferson River to its source. It was probably on the return trip that Bridger strayed into the geyser region. His descrip-

1 Bancroft. History of Utah. UINTA COUNTY

tions of this wonderland were greeted with the same incredulity as were those of Colter some twenty years earlier. The story of a spring the waters of which divided to flow to tht east and the west to find their way to the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, was one that \\'a.S universally disbelieved, though today it is a ,veil-known object of interest.: Finding himself discredited when recounting facts, he detennined to niake good his reputa­ tion as a liar, and related the most fanciful tales imaginable, one being of a petrified forest, where birds as well as trees, and even the songs issuing from their throats, had been turned to stone. lJnlike Colter, he had the satisfaction of liv.ing to see his true accounts verified, but his friends said that he suffered more than the scoffers realized from the doubts cast upon his veracity. In the year 1834 the fur traders, Robert Campbell and Wil­ liam Sublette, established a trading post in what is now eastern Wyoming and called it Fort William on the Laramie. This name was soon shortened to Fort Laramie. The next year Milton Sub­ lette and James Bridger took over this post, and a few months later it became the property of the American Fur Company.3 From the time when "Jack Robinson" had first settled on Black's Fork of Green River, he had lost no opportunity of urg­ ing on his friend, James Bridger, the building of a trading post in this well-watered valley, and in 1842 this advice bore fruit. A log house was built, a stock of provisions moved in, and all was surrounded by a fence eight feet high that served as a cor­ ral and a protection against wild animals. In 1845 Louis Vas­ quez, a Mexican, who had trapped for Ashley, bought a part­ nership in the business. Additions were made to the original building, and it became a well-equipped station, with blacksmith forge and other necessities. 1\-Iore trappers settled down in the neighborhood, and there were soon about fifty people in the valley . .l\. strange spot is the Fort Bridger of the early forties. Scattered about the rude stockade horses stamp impatient! y in the dust while their owners drink or gamble within. It is a mixed company, Indians inscrutable as the granite rocks on the hillside, furtive halfbreeds lounging against the walls, Mexicans ever ready with jest and song but conscious always of the con-

: Chittenden. "Yellowstone National Park." a Chittendon. "American Fur Trade." ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 49 cealed weapon, patient squaws keeping a watchful eye on the dush.-y babies that roll and tumble about their feet, the little group of white trappers comprising many nationalities but bound to­ gether by a common purpose only half expressed or understood, and, towering above all, the personality of Jim Bridger, whether drunk or sober, dominating the picture. Sometimes the gates open for a "coach and four," in which Vasquez and his wife Marianne fare forth in state for a pleasure ride across the roll­ ing hills.4 Indians and white men come and go either on foot or horseback. Such is the scene in summer, but when winter settles down for its long reign there is a closer drawing together of natural ties-stray Indians seek their own tribes, and a few more trap­ pers come within the range of the fort's protection. Already the beaver and the wolf are becoming scarce in the lowlands, and the traps are set farther up on the streams. The trappers make their rounds every few days to bring in their furs, and, save for the excitement of their coming and going, it is a time of waiting, waiting for melting snows and returning life. Among the few existing stories of the Fort Bridger of these early days is one dating back to the year 1843, when a party of Arapahoe and Cheyenne Indians made an attack on Fort Bridger while the men were off on an antelope hunt, and killed a number of Shoshone squaws. The Shoshone braves avenged this out­ rage by fallowing up the marauders and killing and wounding a number of them and recovering the horses. The second expedi­ tion of Captain Fremont, an account of which is given in the fol­ lowing chapter, was attacked by the same band, but "a shot from his howitzer brought them to their senses.":s. The early Oregon emigrants had but little effect on Wyo­ ming save as trail makers, but the year 1847 saw a movement that was destined to leave a lasting impression on our county. On July 7 the first Mormon train camped at Fort Bridger. They had been just three months on the way from their winter camp on the J\ilissouri. They traveled about twelve miles a day in order to let their livestock feed along the way. The pre1iminary survey of the route had been made in 1846 by Oliver P. Gleason, guided by the old scout, "Jim ,Beckwith".. This was by far the

' CoL A. S. Brackett.. State Historical Coilection. Volume One. 5 Ibid. 50 UINTA COUNTY

best organized company that had ever crossed the state. It in­ cluded school teachers as well as experts in all trades, such as carpenters, masons and mechanics. There were in the first train seventy-two wagons, ninety-three horses, fifty-two mules, sixty-eight oxen, nineteen cows and numerous dogs and chickens. The men, numbering one hundred forty-three, walked most of the way, and there were three women and two children. Many of the names enrolled are familiar in our county, their descend­ ants living among us. s Brigham Young, president of this newly organized religious order, was a wonderful leader, possessed of rare insight into human nature, as well as a varied store of knowledge. He was the first to make a practical application of irrigation to the west. Bridger's pessimistic forebodings as to the fate of a colony fool­ hardy enough to settle in the arid region around the Great Salt Lake had no terrors for him, and the history of Utah, as well as that of every colony founded by his followers shows how well grounded was his faith. The foundation of the Mormon church is industry, not only applied to their religious work but to the bu~lding of their com­ munities. Brigham Young spared no pains to attract settlers, and the church soon had n1issionaries in every land and clime. The building of a new Zion on earth still makes a strong appeal to the hearts of men, and the response came from all quarters. Practical problems were discussed in their religious services, and the majority, if not all of the converts, found their material condition am.proved under the supervision of trained leaders. The first train of Mormon emigrants stopped two days at Fort Bridger for rest and blacksmith repairs, and then took its departure by what is now the Lincoln Highway, though they forded Bear River near Mye~s' Crossing, instead of commg on to the site of Evanston. From here they traveled up Coyote Creek, and left the county July 12. Other trains followed the next few months bearing more women and children, and before winter two thousand ninety-five settlers were in the valley. The following year this number was increased to about five thousand, practically all of whom had taken the same route, now known as the Mormon Trail.-r

• Whitney. History of Utah. -r Ibid. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY SI

1848 was the year of the ~Iexican Cession. By it the United States gained Califomia, Nevada and Utah, and parts of New Mexico, Colorado and \Vyoming. This last named section in which we are especially interested, e.uended on the north to the forty-second parallel, and on the east to the hundred ninth meridian. In 1849 the l\formons organized the region embraced today in Nevada, Utah and southwest Wyoming into the State of Deseret.8 Brigham Young was elected governor. In 1855 the Territory of Utah was organized by act of Congress. The boundaries of the territory were those of the present state of Utah, plus the portion needed to make the rectangle, which now belongs to Wyoming. The gold rush of 1849, following so closely on the first Mor­ mon immigration, had its effect on Fort Bridger's history. It became a famous supply station and was va.sited by people from all lands. A description of the Fort Bridger of 1849, taken from the diary of Captain Howard Stansbury, is found in a government report published in 1852. He was in command of a government party consisting of eighteen men, with five wagons and f arty-six horses and mules. At Fort Leavenworth they had been joined by a train of six persons bound for California, under a leader named Sackett. This party was traveling with a wagon, a "traveling carriage," and fifteen animals. The account reads as follows: "August 11. Ther. at six o'clock 40. l\. drive of thirty miles during which we crossed Ham's Fork three times and Black's Fork once, brought us to Fort Bridger, an Indian trading post, situated on the latter stream, which here divides into three principal channels, forming several extensive islands, upon one of which the fort is placed. It is built in the usual f onn of pickets, with lodging apartments and offices opening into a hol­ low square, protected from without by. a strong gate of timber. On the north and continuous with the walls is a strong, high picket fence enclosing a large yard, into which the aJJimals belonging to the establishment are driven for protection from wild beasts and Indians. We were received with great kindness

8 See Appendix Two. 52 UINTA COUNTY

and lavish hospitality by the proprietor, Major James Bridger, one of the oldest mountain men in the entire region." He tells of stopping five days at the post for repairs on the wagons, dur­ ing which he explored the valley and gathered fossils. The flimsy character of these so-called "forts" may be judged from the fact that the entire string of trading posts put up by the ...Astorians on the Pacific slope was valued at only $7,500.9 Among the west-bound travelers in the autumn of 1851 was a young man by the name of John Watson Montieth. He was twenty-one years of age, and brought with him his sixteen­ year-old bride, whose maiden name was Lucinda Miller. The winter storms had already set in when they reached Fort Bridger, and the current stories of the unfriendliness of the Utah set­ tlers toward California-bound travelers, combined with the ad­ vice of J.im Bridger, caused them to spend the winter at the fort. Bridger was longing for other cooking than that of his Indian wife, and Mrs. Montieth boarded him when he was at the post. Mr. and l\Irs. Montieth were the grandparents of Mrs. Higgins, wife of L. H. Higgins, a ciV1l engineer on the Union Pacific, who for several years was stationed at Evanston. Mrs. Hig­ gins tells of the thrilling experiences to which she, as a child, listened from the lips of the little bride-grandmother, to whom each day was a fresh adventure of dnterest and foreboding. When spring came the young couple decided that they had seen enough of the West and returned to their home in . In the summer of 1853 William K. Sloan, father of A. C. Sloan of Evanston, arrived at Fort Bridger. He was driving one of twenty ox teams comprising a train that had been equipped at St. Louis. His account of the long and pecilous journey, beset by Indians who extorted from them provisions necessary to their own welfare, the inadequate supplies to be had at Fort Laramie, and the arrival at Fort Bridger early in October, are graphically described in his memoirs. Five miles east of the fort they were met by a wagon sent to them from Salt Lake with food which did not go far toward supplying their needs, as it consisted only of one side of a beef, some flour and a few sacks, of potatoes. They had been living for two weeks on "rusty pork", dried apples,

9 Chittenden. "American Fur Trade." ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 53

sugar and coffee, and a grand rush was made for the potatoes, half of which were devoured raw on the spot. Mr. Sloan descnbes Fort Bridger as "a string of log houses built in the shape of a quadrangle, with a gate on one side open­ ing into the square.. The doors and windows, or rather openings, were on the inside.~' He says: "The place at the time was oc­ cupied by a number of mountaaneers, the majority of whom had lately come from their trading stations along the mountain road to spend the winter." He mentioned seeing James Bridger, "Jack Robinson," Vasquez and Marianne, and two men who were after­ ward notorius in Utah history, Bill Hickman and Peter Rockwell. He continues: '"From Fort Bridger to Salt Lake the roads were terrible, rain and snow nearly every day, grass very scarce, and cattle perishing daily from cold and hunger." Mr. Sloan settled for a time in Salt Lake, and returned later to Uinta County. \\Tith the advent of non-Mormons in Utah clashes of opinions were bound to occur, and these had their influence on Fort Bridger. In 1853 Bridger turned over his interests in the valley to Louis Robinson, who, the Mormons claimed, represented them in the transaction. The purchase price was said to be $8,000, $4,000 of which was paid in money. Bridger claimed to have a 11:exican grant for a tract of land thirty miles square, and for some years Brigham Young tried to substantiate his title at Wash­ ington on this ground, but was unsuccessful. Some historians are of the opinion that the Mexican grant was a myth, and that the wily old scout had, in the modern vernacular, "put one over" on the Mormons, and sold them something to which he had no legal rig~t- 11:any, on the other hand, believe that Bridger honestly thought he had such a title. Land had been transferred in some­ thing of the same manner in New Mexico and Colorado by the Mexican government.10 Those· who knew Bridger best consid­ ered him honest in business transactions. However this may be, the Mormons took possession of the fort, but the government never recognized the claim. Bridger was married three times, his first wife being the daughter of a Flathead chief, who died in 1846, leaving him with two children, Josephine and Felix. At an early age they were sent to St. Louis for schooling. The boy served in a Missouri

10 Coutant. History of Wyoming. 54 UINTA COUNTY

regiment in the Civil War, and for a short time lived in Cheyenne in the very early history of the state's capitol. From there he went to Missouri and died in 1876. Josephine did not live to grow up. _ In 1B4-8 Bridger married a Ute squaw, who died the follow­ ing year, after having borne him a little daughter, whom he named Virginia. She was sent to St. Louis to be with her sister in a convent. In 1850 Bridger married for the third time, this wife coming from the Shoshone tribe. A girl, whom they named Mary, was born to this union in 1853, and four years later a son called William. The pictures of James Bridger show a spare mountaineer, somewhat above the average height, with the freedom from self­ consciousness of the man who is accustomed to doing big things. The lids of his keen eyes are narrowed to shut out the glaring mountain sunlight, and it is with pity that we read of eyes so won­ der£ ully trained that they were the envy of his scout companions, failing him utterly in his old age. There is a pathetic picture pre­ sented in a letter written by his daughter Virginia, who cared for him at the last, of his longing to regain his sight that he might once more see the mountains, the homeland of his heart. She tells of getting a gentle old horse that he could ride and a faithful dog to keep track of his wanderings in the woods near their home. He died at the age of seventy-seven, and was buried about a mile north of Dallis, ]\tlissouri. On December 11, 1904, a monument was unveiled to his memory by James Bridger's great-grand­ daughter, Marie Louise Lightle, in the Mount Washington Ceme­ tery, Kansas City, where the remains had been moved in 1902. It bears the following inscription :

'' 18o4-JAMES BRIDGER-1881" "Celebrated as a Htmter, Trapper, Fur Trader and Guide. Discovered Salt Lake, 1824; the South Pass, 1827; visited Yellowstone Lake and Geysers, 1830; Founded Fort Bridger, 1843. Opened Overland Route by Brdger's Pass to Salt Lake. Was Guide for Ex­ ploring Expeditions, Albert Sidney Johnson's Army in 1857, and G. M. Dodge in U. P. Surveys and Indian Campaigns in 1865-66. ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 55

''This monument is erected as a tnoute to his pio­ neer work by ~{ajor General G. M. Dodge."

James Bridger spent the two years from 1852 to 1854 as guide to Sir George Gore, an Irish nobleman, who is said to have spent two million dollars a year in the pursuit of pleasure. Though his hunting grounds were east and north of South Pass and did not extend ,into Uinta County, yet it is interesting to note that this party was guilty of the slaughter of twenty-five hundred buffalo, forty grizzly bears, and other game too numer­ ous to mention. It is said that the educated noblemen took much pleasure in the companionship of his guide, and there are stories of camp-fire scenes where he read aloud to the old trapper from some such books as Shakespeare and Baron Munchausen and listened with respect to his quaiintly expressed opinions. In 1856 Bridger was guide to the Government Expedition under the command of the United States Engineer Corps. War­ ren was soon succeeded by Colonel William T. Reonalds. In his report, published in 1867, Reonalds tells of Bridger's ac­ counts of boiling springs resembling the geysers of Iceland, and he adds: " ...~s he is uneducated and has probably never heard of such marvels elsewhere I have little doubt that he spoke of that which he has actually seen." James Bridger bought a farm near Little Santa Fe, Mis­ souri, but he could not bring himself to settle down. His services were much in demand as guide to emigrants, and to Government expeditions, and one cannot but be impressed with the amount of traveling done by these mountaineers. \iVilliam Drannon, "The Boy Scout," who ,vorked with Bridger for many years, tells of being with Kit Carson and Bridger on the tnoutaries of the upper Missouri River cin 1856, and coming south by a pas­ sage in the mountains that they named Bridger's Pass. They separated and the next summer met again in Taos, Mexico, at the home of Carson, and a few weeks later Bridger and Drannon were in Denver. It was the time of the rush to Pike's Peak, and they joined the gold seekers, but a few days satisfied them both that they were not adapted to mining, and they made their way to Fort Kearney to await their chance of conducting emigrant UINTA COUNTY

trains. It was not long before they were engaged by a party bound for the slope, and a bargain was made by which they were to be paid six dollars a day apiece and have com­ plete authority. Drannon descn"bes the organizing and drilling of the men that occupied three days, after which they selected eight assistant scouts and set out. They were joined by another train, making eighty-four wagons in all. A brush with savages resulted in the kilting of several Indians without casualties to the train. At Fort Bridger they met one of General Connor's officers, who ·warned them against going by way of Salt Lake, as the Utes were giving trouble in that region, and they accord­ ingly traveled west by ·way of the Sublette Cutoff. After a few days spent in Sacramento they parted. They next met at Fort Kearney, when Bridger was about to start with a party under the leadership of the pioneer, James Bozeman, for the Big Hom region. Bridger ,vas to receive $500 for his services as guide, and he offered half of it to Drannon if he would go along. Drannon laughingly declined, as he could see no reason why the old scout should divide his fee. The trip was successfully made and the road traced was the beginning of the Bozeman Trail. Drannon tells of a conversation with Bridger at this meeting at Fort Kearney, when the old man told him that he had in mind a home for his old age, a place "about fifteen miles east of Fort Bridger on Black's Fork, near the lone tree." He said: "There's where I mean to settle down after making this trip. I can sit in my door, and with a good glass I can see Fort Bridger that was named for me, and which I feel proud of today." It is doubtful ,vhether Bridger ever saw the old fort after this con­ versation. There is proof that Bridger advised strongly ~o-a,inst the attempt to build the road known as the Bozeman Trail into the country of the hostile Sioux, a road famous for the historic battle kno,vn as the ·'Wagon Box Fight," that took place August 2, 1868. From the beleaguered Fort Phil Kearney, following the Fetterman massacre of December 22, 1868, comes one of the many touching tributes to his character. It is found in the diary of Frances C. Carrington, wife of the gallant Colonel Henry B. Carrington, ,vho ,vas in command, and reads as follows: ·"There was one faithful and simple-minded man at the post, the col- ITS PL.. '\CE IN HISTORY 57 onel's confidential guide at all times, who seemed instinctively to know the visible as well as the invisible operations of the In­ dians, good Jim :Bridger," and she goes on to tell of his kind thoughtfulness toward every one around him.11 It is another proof of the fact that Bridger had friends in all walks of life, from the simple trapper and half-breed to the most cultured people. There were a few Indians, too, whom he counted among his friends, but not many whom he trusted. For years he car­ ried iin his back the arrow received in the Dripps-Vanderbourgh affair. This was cut out by Dr. Marcus Whitman at the historic rendezvous of 1836, and :the operation gave the scout an added respect for the missionaries.12 The place of James Bridger in history is secure. No man knew the Rockies better than he, and as for the regiion embraced in the state of Wyoming, he was undoubted authority. Land­ marks engraved themselves on his memory, and a judgment amounting to instinct led him unerringly to the shortest route. Before he was thirty years old he was known as "The Old Man of the Mountains." In essentials his word could be relied upon, but he was fond of "drawing the long bow" when telling of his adventures in order to make an interesting story. As for his character, it would be unfair to judge him by the standards of today. His weaknesses were those of his times and environment, but his virtues were his own.

11 Hebard-BrinnenstolL "The Bozeman Trail." l:? Chittenden. "The American Fur Trade.,, 58 UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER SEVEN The Oregon Trail Four years after the journey of Whitman and Spaulding to the northwest a missionary of di:ff erent faith but no less devoted to the service of God and man entered the confines of the original Uinta County. He ,vas Father de Smet, a member of the Society of Jesus, who had come as a young man from his home in Belgium to work in the missionary field. After some years spent among the Indians of the southwest, in April, 1840, he left St. Louis to join an expedition of the American Fur Company, with the purpose of taking the gospel to the Flathead Indians. He was thirty-nine years old at this time. On the 30th of June the fur traders reached Green River, near the mouth of Horse Creek, and a large rendezvous soon assembled. The news of the coming of the "Black Robe," as the Indians called Father de Smet, had preceded him, and a band of Flatheads, lead by ·Chief Big£ ace, was sent out to meet him. An Iriquois Indian by the name of Ignace, who came with him as guide from St. Louis, acted as interpreter. A large number of Indians were attracted to the spot. After a week spent by Father de Smet in preaching and giving instruction, there took place one of the most -impressive ceremonies recorded of the West. It is described by the reverend father in the fallowing words: "On Sunday, the 5th of July, I had the consolation of celebrating the holy sacrifice of Mass sub Dio. The altar was placed on an elevation, and surrounded by boughs and garlands of flowers. I addressed the congregation in French and in Eng­ lish, and spoke also by an interpreter to the Flatheads and Snake Indians. It was a spectacle truly moving for the heart of a mis­ sionary, to behold an assembly of so many different nations, who all assisted at our holy mysteries with great satisfaction. The Canadians sang hymns in French and Latin, and the Indians in their native tongue. It was tntly a Catholic worship. * * * This place has been called since that time, by the French-Canadians, La Prairie de la Messe."1

1 To the Rev. F. J. Barbelin, dated St. Louis University, February 4, 1841, published as letter 1, of "Letters and Sketches." ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 59

The scene is one to stir the imagination-the wild and ma­ jestic surroundings, the awe of the children of the wilderness at this ne,v manner of communing with the Great Spirit and the solemnity and gratitude of the self-sacrificing priest over the first fruits of his toil, combine to make a picture that stands out in contrast to the rough life of the frontier. With earnest rever­ ence the spectators follow the service and listen to the admoni­ tions of the priest, and then crave his blessing before they part. The spot where this service was performed is two miles above the town of Daniel.2 The follo,ving day, in company with the Flathead chiefs, Father de Smet proceeded on his westward way. They ascended Horse Creek, crossed the range to John Day's River, and fol­ lowed it down to the Snake and to Pierre's Hole, where the main body of the Indians was encamped, a,vaiting his coming. Father de Smet spent a few ,veeks with them and returned to St. Louis. In April of the next year, in accordance with a promise made to the Indians, Father de Smet returned, with five other missionaries, traveling to the Snake by way of the Green River crossing and Fort Hall. It was not long before a mission was founded near the present city of Missoula, Montana, and later one among the ·Coeur d'Alene Indians. For the next six years he was engaged in work among the Indians in vVyoming, Montana and Idaho, and his labors in promoting peace between the Blackfeet and the Flatheads were so successful as to win for him the thanks of Frankl~n Pierce, President of the United States. In 1858 Father de Smet once again passed through Wyoming, this time coming as far south in what is now Uinta County as Fort Bridger, with Johnson's army.3 His counsels and companionship were highly valued by officers and men. In 1868 Father de Smet once more left the monastery in St. Louis, where his last days were spent, to con£ er in behalf of the government and the Sioux Nation. On this trip he visited Cheyenne and met old acquaintances, one of whom was Jim

2 On November 7, 192.2, Father Short, Father Moreton, Father Schillenger 2.nd Father Welch met with citizens of Daniel for the purpose of marking the location of the Prairie of the Mass. Reverend N. S. Thomas, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyo­ ming, was the author of the movement. Bishop Thomas possesses the finest and most complete historical horary in the state concerning early Wyoming, and has been interested in spreading information. 8 Levi Edgar YOUDg, ''Father de Smet." 6o UINTA COUNTY

Bridger. He died five years later and was mourned by white men and red. Several bands of missionaries and a few settlers made the trip to Oregon in the six years following the journey of Whitman and Spaulding, but the number did not reach two hundred. Some came in wagons and brought their families, but the majority traveled with pack horses. In 1842 \Vhitman, in company with Amos Lovejoy, made his heroic trip from Oregon to· the national capital in the dead of winter to plead for the settlement of the northwest, upon which, according to the treaty of 1818, the claim of the United States depended. At Fort Hall the deep snow compelled them to leave the usual route and go far to the south. Whitman arrived in Washington March 3, 1843, succeeded in impressing on President Tyler and Daniel Webster, then Secre­ tary of State, the importance of his mission, and the next spring started west with an emigrant train of a thousand men, women and children. They had t\vo hundred wagons and a thousand head of cattle, and they carried implements and seed grain. The next year about fifteen hundred traveled the Oregon Trail, and in 1845 three thousand. The Whitman Massacre, on November 29, 1847, Jent a new impetus to the settlement of the northwest, and led to the greatest movement of home-~ers that the world has ever seen. Within the next six years over three hundred thousand people were in the northwest.' In 1842 the government, impressed with the importance of the west as something more than a field for fur traders and ad­ venturers, sent out ·Captain John C. Fremont at the head of a well-equipped party to make a survey of the mountain roads. His first expedition crossed South Pass and turned back after exploring the country east of the Wind River Range. Fremont's report on· _returning to Washington resulted in his being sent out again the following year. Fitzpatrick, whom the Indians called "Man with the Broken Hand," was chosen guide, and with nine­ teen men went in advance to Fort Hall, where he was joined by Fremont and the rest of the party the first of September. Their route from Green River was practically the same as the present Oregon Short Line Railroad, up the valley of Ham's Fork and over the divide to Twin Creek, which they followed down to

" Meecham, "Old Oregon Trail.'' ITS PL_,\CE IN HISTORY 61

Bear River. The early fur traders had often gone this way. These were the first United States soldiers to cross the Rockies, and they brought with them a twelve-pound brass howitzer that inspired terror in the hearts of the Arapahoes, who followed them up after having raided Fort Bridger.$ Fremont has been called "The Trail Maker", but, as one of our Wyoming historians points out, "Map Maker" would more accurately descn'be him. He followed old trails, but his were the first authorized maps of the West.4 They were published in great numbers by the government, and a heavy demand for them was created by the growing interest in western colonization. About eight miles north of Evanston rises a mountain which bears the name of , bestowed upon it by the In­ dians before the coming of white men. It is an outstanding land­ mark for many miles, and on a clear day it is possible to see from its summit the Teton peaks, more than a hundred and fifty miles to the north. On its rounded summit there is a pile of stones that is commonly called "Fremont's Monurnent". l\.s has been seen, Fremont's survey did not approach nearer than thirty miles to this spot, but old settlers in the neighborhood believe that some of the party climbed the slopes for the purpose of observation, and piled up the first stones, to which each visitor is constrained by custom to add a contribution of at least one. Between the years of 1849 a~d 1858 exped.itions led by Stansbury and by Simpson were sent out to explore the country through which the Oregon Trail passed. Their reports gave the first exact knowledge of the geology of the country, and are still authority. Both were officers in the United States Army, as was also Beckwith, who was sent out to report the feasibility of a railroad route across the mountains. The vision of the iron link between the Atlantic and Pacific was already dawning on the minds of men, though its consummation was more than a decade away. Meanwhile the stream of immigration flowed on. The trains stopped at Fort Laramie and Fort Bridger to buy provisions at exorbitant prices, and as the years rolled on other trading places were built, but none within the region we are studying. The

15 Fremont, "](emoirs of }(y Life.." • Hebard, "Path Breakers from River to Ocean." UINTA COUNTY

swelling tide deepened and widened the trail, the dead were buried by the roadside, but no other lasting impress was left upon the mountain region save for the hatred sowed in the breasts of their savage foes, that was to bear fruit in later years. From South Pass the main road led to Green River, near the mouth of the Sandy, and dipped south to Fort Bridger. From here it turned northwest to Fort Hall. There were many cut­ offs, as the shorter routes were called, but the great majority of emigrants w.isely kept to the main road. Those who did not often paid for their daring with their lives. Experience taught the necessity of organization, and the caravans, for the most part, moved under the strictest discipline. By night the camps were well guarded, and scouts rode ahead by day to watch for savage foes. Bridger and Fitzpatrick escorted many trains through \Vyoming. The ill-fated Donnar party was the first to attempt the cut­ off from Fort Bridger to California through Utah. It consisted of thirty-two people who had left their homes in Sagamon, Illinois, on the I 5th of April, 1846, and other emigrants who had joined them on their way, making eighty-one in all. At Fort Bridger they formed a well-organized train under the leadership of George Donnar, and, with a good stock of provisions, started out on what was called the Hastings Cutoff. They were seven days in reaching Weber Canyon by way of Echo Canyon.1 The tragic story of the hardships that befell the Donnar party does not properly belong to this history, save as another added illus­ tration of the folly of leaving the beaten trails. It was not until March, 1847, that they were rescued from their winter camp in the Sierra Nevada mountains, after thirty-six of their number had perished from hunger and cold. On the 17th of July, 1846, was ratified the treaty between the United States and Great Britain, ceding the Northwest Ter­ ritory to the United States. It included that part of Wyoming lying west of the crest of the Rockies and north of the 4211d parallel. In 1848 this cession was organized as the Northwest Territory, and President Polle appointed General Joseph Lane firAt governor.

"Levi Edgar YOUD&', "The Story of the Domw- Partr." ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

In 1848 the gold rush to California began. Twenty thou­ sand people traveled the Oregon Trail in the early spring, and the number was greatly increased by midsummer. All sorts and conditions of humanity ,vere represented, and great was the variety of vehicles, ranging from the favorite prairie schooner, drawn by from four to eight oxen, to the frailest of carts. When horses, mules and oxen died by the wayside, cows were often used as draft animals. From the discarded articles found in later years along the ,vay, it is clear that many of the travelers had but little conception of the hardships of the journey. Mahog­ any furniture, heavy trunks and other cumbersome objects have been picked up within the bounds of Uinta ·County, and many are the unmarked graves. In the summer of 1852, the year of the cholera, over five thousand people died on the Oregon Trail.' The way in which this crisis was met showed the metal of the emigrants ; some ,vere terrorized, and advocated leaving the vic­ tims by the wayside, but the great majority proved their fitness as builders of the new \Vest by faithfully standing by the stricken ones. The train in which John T. Slate wath his wife and five children crossed was an example of the contending elements of sel £-preservation and fidelity to trust, in which the latter won out. Mrs. Slate, maternal grandmother of Rev. J. F. Vernon, formerly of Evanston and now missionary of Alaska, was among the stricken ones. She ,vas cared for as well as circumstances per­ mitted, and recovered. Mr. Vernon's grandfather on his father's side traveled the same road one year later, and both families set­ tled in the state of vVashington. One of the most interesting historic documents of the West is Independence Rock, on the Sweetwater, on which are inscnl>ed the names of hundreds of emigrants and which Father de Smet aptly called the "Great Register of the Desert." Only second in importance, is Names' Rock, a 1ight-colored boulder about twenty feet high and one hundred feet wide, that stands seven miles north of the mouth of Fontenelle Creek and about six miles west of Green River. The meadows below were the camping place of many travelers, who climbed the bill to cut in the soft rock names and dates, many of which are still legible. The name of

a Heecham, "Old 0recon Trail." UINT~J\. COUNTY the scout Jim Bridger is here inscn'bed, either by a companion~ as he could not write, or by some subsequent traveler. In the early spring of 1857 Capt. Frederick West Lander, an engineer in the Department of the Interior, was sent out to explore the country west of South Pass for the purpose of de­ tennining the shortest practicable route to the Pacific. He made a painstaking survey as far as Point of Rocks on the western boundary of Idaho, and laid out a road that shortened the dis­ tance materially. From South Pass ,it led northwest over the Wind River range to New Fork of Green River, which it fol­ lowed to a point a little north of the present site of Big Piney. From here it ran over Thompson's Pass to Salt River and on to Grey's Lake. 0 The estimated cost of this road was seventy thousand dol­ lars. A band of workmen, under a contractor by the name of Wi11.iam F. McGraw, had been sent out with a military escort the previous fall, but reached South Pass too late to begin work. During the winter the party scattered, some returning to the east and others going on to the Pacific Coast. In the summer of 1858 work was begun. Although one of the avowed objects of this road was to avoid the J\,lormon settlements, it is interesting to note that the forty men who '\\"ere engaged for the work were from Salt Lake. Twenty miles of heavy pine forest was cleared, ten miles of willows, and upward of four hundred thousand cubic yards of earth was excavated..1° The emigrant guide issued that year by the government calls attention to the following reasons why travelers should take this new cutoff, namely, shortened distance, good feed, wood, water; no tolls, and fewer steep grades. 11:any trains did take this route, but after the arrival of Johnson's army and the settlement of the Mormon question, the main tide turned again to the old traveled highway, and the road through Salt Lake gre,v m favor with Calif omia-bound travelers. The Lander Cutoff can still be traced, and many sections of it are in use today. In 1913 the Legislature of Wyoming appropriated the sum of $2,500 to place appropriate markers along the old Oregon Trail. A committee of three was appointed by the governor to

• J. Cecil Alter, "Old Oregon Trail.'• io Ibid. :---,- ~ ,,,,;.. ~~' ~;

INSCRIPTION ON NAMES' ROCK

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 65 carry out this work, the members being Capt. H. C. Nickerson of Lander, president, A. H. Parshall of Cheyenne and Mrs. B. B. Brooks of Casper. They worked in conjunction with the Sons and Daughters of the i\merica.n Revolution. The first sec­ retary was ~Irs. H. B. Patten, and she was succeeded by Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard. Subsequent legislatures have appro­ priated the sum of five hundred dollars at each session. The veteran Ezra ~Ieeker, who traveled the road in 1850 in an ox cart, has twice retraced his steps in more modem conveyances, and has been of untold help in marking its course. In October, 1924, at the age of ninety-three, he made the trip from Vancouver to Dayton, Ohio, by airplane with Lieuten­ ant Kelley of the United States service. The following markers have been set up within the boundaries of the old Uinta County: About three miles northeast of Fontenelle a slate slab inscribed "Oregon Trail 1843-1914." In Township 24, Range 113, there has been chiseled .on a sandstone bluff "Oregon Trail 1843." On Slate Creek, Township 23, Range 113, a slate slab is marked "Oregon Trail 1843-1914." At Emigrant Springs, near the postoffice called Supply, is a slate slab marked "Oregon Trail, 1843-1915." In the sagebrush near this stone are the graves of several en1igrants with unmarked slabs above them. Near the crossing of Rock Creek, about eight miles from Coke­ ville, a solid granite stone has the inscription "Oregon Trail, 184-3-1915." The little city of Cokeville has two stones on the old trail. On the eastern border of the town is a pillar about nine feet high, appropriately inscn"bed. The other is near Border, just south of Bear River on the Wyoming-Idaho tine. A fine monument of cobblestones set in cement has been erected · at Fort Bridger, and bears the following inscription on a bronze tablet donated by the State: "Fort Bridger, established as a trading post, 184-3. U. S. Military Post on the Oregon Trail, June 10, 1858, to October 6, 18go. This monument is erected by the State of Wyoming and a few interested residents. 1914-" 66 UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER EIGHT Further History of Fort Bridger .A description of the extent of Green River County, as re­ corded in the ".A.cts of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah," reads as follows: "All _that portion of the territory bounded north by Oregon, east by the territorial line, south by the parallel forming the southern line of Davis County, and west by Weber and Davis Counties, is hereby called Green River County, and is attached to Great Salt Lake ·County for election, revenue and judicial purposes." The Act further states that the "sheriff of Salt Lake County is hereby authorized to organize Green River County whenever the inhabitants of the said county shall call for organization or circumstances shall render it ex­ pedient.m As there seems to have been no demand for such an organization, the government was administered by the officers of Salt Lake County until the creation of the Territory of Wyoming in 1868. ·Chapters 50 and 54 of the same book of compiled statutes also deal with Green River County, the first having reference to the ferries on Ham's Fork to which Joseph Bunsby was given exclusive rights. The toll rates were fixed by law at $2 to $6 for vehicles ; draft animals, 50 cents, and sheep and hogs, 10 cents. Daniel D. Wells was granted the same rights on Green River. F.ive per cent of the tolls received were to be paid to the treasurer of the Perpetual Emigrating Fund Company. . Chapter 88 records an act passed in 1855 by which was created the Provo Canyon Road Company, consisting of Aaron Johnson, Thomas S. Williams, Evan M. Green and Wi11iam Wall. To them and their successors was given for the term of twenty years the exclusive right of making a good wagon road "from the mouth of Provo Canyon, in Utah County, to Camas Prairie, then to continue northeasterly on the most feasible route till it intersects the main traveled road from the United States to Great Salt Lake City, near Ham's Fork, in Green River County, Utah Territory, and to keep the same in good repair, with the

1 "Acts, Resolutions and Memorials passed at the Several Annual Sessions of Th& Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah, published January 1, 1855, at Great Salt Lake City, Joseph Cain, Public Printer." >­ ..J a. a. ~ u,

~a: 0 u. - -....~ .;;- i£. .... 0

~ ~ -C c; -....-

.....-c -=!:::IJ §; -.... -,.....

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY privilege of taking toll thereon at such specified rates as sha11 be established by the aforesaid county court." Wi11iam A. Carter was made Probate Judge, with powers beyond those of the same office of today, as will be seen from the following. record of a divorce found on page go of book A of the county of Green River, on file in the courthouse in Evanston. Territory of Utah, L~ County of Green River.J· To the Probate Court: We, the undersigned petitioners, were, on the 10th day of July, A. D. 1865, united together by marriage, since which time it has become apparent to both and each of us that we cannot live in peace and union together and that our welfare requires a sepa­ ration. Now, therefore, having made an equal and satisfactory distribution of property, we petition that a decree be made dis­ solving our matrimonial connection and that we be restored to such independence and separate relations as was ours before the date of marriage hereinbefore made. To the foregoing petition and these statements herein we hereunto affix our names, declar­ ing on oath that it is a true recital of both as .to facts and desires. Nicholas Walke, A. W. Walke. Subscribed and sworn before me, Judge of the Probate Court of the .county and territory aforesaid. Witness my band and the seal of the said court this 14th day of November, A. D. 1866. (Seal) W. A. Carter, Probate Judge.

Territory of Utah, 1 In the Probate Court County of Green River.J To all to whom iit may concern : Know ye, that Nicholas Walke and A. W. Walke, his wife, having on the 14th day of November, 1866, filed their mutual petition before the Probate Court of Green River County, in said Territory, praying for a joint divorce from the bonds of matrimony, and assigning as a reason therefor that they cannot live in peace and union together, 68 UINTA COUNTY

and that their welfare and happiness require a separation. Now, therefore, the court being satisfied that said petition is just, and that the facts set forth therein are true, and of a mutual and satisfactory distn'bution of their property having been made, doth this day dissolve the matrimonial bonds heretofore existing between the parties above named, and doth hereby order and decree that the said ./\. W. Walke resume her former name as A. W. vVhittall. Witness my hand and seal of said Probate Court of the County afsd this 14th day of November, 1866. (Seal) \V. A. Carter, Probate Judge. In the autumn of 1853 the Mormon conference meeting in Salt Lake commissioned its apostle, Orson Hyde, to organize a company for the colonization of the Green River tributaries in the neighborhood of Fort Bridger. John Nebeker left Salt Lake City with the first train on the 2nd of November and proceeded to Fort Bridger. From there they traveled up Smith Fork and located about nine miles above the fort. This was the first agri­ cultural settlement in what is now the state of Wyoming and was called Fort Supply. Nine days later a -second company, headed by Isaac Bullock, arrived at the new settlement. This made forty-five people in all, and they brought with them forty-six wagons drawn by oxen, eight horses and mules, and one hundred ninety-three milk and beef cattle. 2 They had seed grain and farm implements and other tools, and they immediately set about erecting a shelter against the rapidly approaching winter. They put up a two-story log building, with wings on either end, large enough to house the entire number. The first child born was Mary Melissa Meeks, who lived to become the wife of Willard Swan of Utah. Wolves were troublesome in the valley, -and killed some of their cattle that winter and scattered their horses. Caring for livestock and hunting was the chief occupation of the men, and the women busied themselves with housewifely tasks. The labors of all were interspersed with the study of the Shoshone dialect. Elijah B. Ward, an old trapper at Fort Bridger, and his squaw were the instructors. The Mormons believe the Indians,

2 Whitney, ''History of Utah." ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

whom they call Lamanites, to be of the lost tn'bes of the Children of Israel, and were mterested in their conversion to the doctrines of their church. The Indians were friendly and responded in a measure to their instructions. Plowing began on the third of April that year. The season was favordDle and they were encouraged with a fair crop of wheat and potatoes. The following year was not so satisfac­ tory, because of an early frost that injured the wheat. The Indians caused them trouble, too, and shot some of their cattle, but with the help of the ever kind and diplomatic John Robert­ son the uprising was soon quelled. In the summer of 1855 a few more families moved in.' Each year saw more progress made. Considerable land was cleared of sagebrush and planted in crops, and although there were many hardships, life went on much the same as in other Mormon colonies. Families lived close together instead of scattering out on farms, and a sane mingling of social enjoyment with religious work brightened their days. The year 1857 brought a crisis in the struggle between the local government and the United States officials in Utah. The news that President Buchanan was sending out an army to en­ force the laws and seat Alfred Cumming in the governor's chair hitherto occupied by Brigham Young, caused the Mormons to organize against what they considered an unwarrantable inva­ sion. They divided the territory into ten military districts, and Isaac Bullock was given command of Green River County! ·Colonel Albert Sidney Johnson was at the head of the army. Great preparations had been made for the campaign, and the supply trains conducted by the freighting firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell started across the plains in the early summer. Cap­ tain Van Fleet, with a small force of men, preceded the main army and arrived at Ham's Fork early in September. Near the junction of that stream with Black's Fork he established a post and called it Camp \Vinfield. Leaving here his six wagons and army mules he proceeded west and reached Salt Lake September eight. After spending a week in the Utah capitol he returned to

s Ibid. "Ibid. UINTA COUNTY

the camp, and was joined on the second of October by Colonel E. B. Alexander with eight companies of the Tenth Regiment.5 It was not until the twenty-third of November that the main body of Johnson's army arrived at Fort Bridger. What must have been their dismay to find nothing but ruins in the valley! The colonists had been recalled to their former homes in Utah, and all the buildings, both at Fort Bridger and Fort Supply, together with such goods as could not be moved, had been burned. The torch had been set by Louis Robinson, Brigham Young's agent at Fort Bridger, on the third of October. On the same day forty­ three men, headed by Lot Smith, had set out to intercept the gov­ ernment supply trains. They had met them at Simpson's Hollow, about two miles west of the mouth of the Big Sandy. Resistance on the part of the freighters was useless, and after taking from the stores as much as they could carry, the Mormons set fire to fifty-two wagons, and all of the valuable freight was consumed. There was no bloodshed, but the grass was burned for miles on either side of the trail.8 General Johnson's army established their winter camp about two miles below Fort Bridger. They called it Camp Scott, in honor of the nation's commander-in-chief. The command con­ sisted of the Fifth, Seventh and Tenth Infantry, Second Dra­ goons and Phelps' and Reno's Batteries of the Fourth Artillery.1 Captain Macey, wdth forty men, was immediately sent to Fort Massachusetts, in New Mexico, for provisions, and did not suc­ ceed in getting back to Bridger Valley until spring. The army was entirely dependent on the supplies brought with them, sup­ plemented by what game they brought in, and when that failed they killed many of the horses for food. The men met all the privations with cheerfulness, harnessed themselves to the wagons to bring fuel from the hills, and worked in every way for the general good.7 The mountaineers lent valuable aid to the new-comers, and Jack Robertson once more proved to be everybody's friend by acting as interpreter with the Indians, enlisting their help for hunters, and frequently advising from his store of knowledge. Winter and spring passed without serious mishaps. On the tenth

5 "History of Fort Bridger.'' Chambers. 1 "History of Utah.'' Whitney. 7 "History of Fort Bridger," Chambers. •• - -.

OLD FORT BRIDGER From n. drawing by M. D. Houghton, Stute Historian's office, Cheyenne, Wyoming.

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 71 of June Captain William Hoffman arrived with supplies. He was in command of Troop K, First Cavalry, and Companies E and H, SiA"th Infantry, and with them he remaaned at Camp Scott, while Johnson, with his army, proceeded to Salt Lake.s Captain Hoffman took possession of the old fort soon after the departure of Johnson, and Fort Bridger became a military post.9 Improvements were soon under way, permanent barracks and quarters put up, and the old boulder stone buildings were used for storehouses. As time went on trees were set out along the stream, and their verdure still delights the eye of the traveler as he approaches over the Lincoln Highway. In August, 1858, Captain Hoffman was relieved by Colonel Canby, of the Thirty-ninth Infantry, and he remained in com­ mand at the fort until March, 186:>. He was succeeded by 1-fajor R. C. Gattin of the Seventh Infantry, who commanded the post for three months, at the end of which time he was ordered to New Mexico, and Captain Albert Cumming of the Tenth Inf antry was placed in command. The clouds of the Civil War were darkening and General Johnson left Utah in 186o, joined the Confederate Army and fell at Shilo. Captain Albert Gardner, who followed 1-Iajor Gat­ tin in command of the troops at Fort Bridger, went east on ten days' leave of absence, and he, too, cast his lot with the South. The fort was left without a commander until May, 1861, when Captain Jesse A. Gore arrived. The troops from Camp Floyd, Utah, were ordered to Fort Bridger, and almost immediately Colonel Cooke, their commanding officer, gave orders to sell at auction the bulk of the provisions on hand:. and, with all but a few of the troops, he moved to Fort Leavenworth. This was early in .t\ugust. Captain J. C. Clark, with a few men, was left in command until December, then he, too, was called east, leav­ ing Sergeant Boyer in charge of the government property.19 Following the removal of the United States troops from the frontier forts the Indians decided to make one more struggle for their htmting grounds.· A strong hand was needed at Fort Bridger, and that need was met by William A. Carter, one of the outstanding figures in the history of Wyoming. He organized a

8 Whitney, "History of Utah." 9 Chambers, "History of Fort Bridger." 1 • Ibid. 72 UINT_-\. COUNTY

volunteer company of sixty, most of them old mountaineers whom he could trust. The very ex;istence of this company made for 52fety, and peace was preserved throughout the region within its influence. The title of Colonel was conferred upon Mr. Carter by his associates. In December, 1862, a company oi volunteers under Captain l\,L F. Lewis was sent to Fort Bridger. They were organized in California and consisted, :in part, of the deserters from the Con­ federate Army and captured soldiers who had been moved to the western states.11 Several such companies succeeded each other at the fort. During this time Major Baldwin, who afterward founded Lander, was in command for. about a year. In 1866 volunteers were retired from the frontier, and the fort was again manned by regular troops. Brevet Major S. Burt. with Companies F and H, First. Batteries, were sent to Fort Bridger. From that tin1e until 1878 government troops occupied the fort. In the early days they were engaged in guarding and guiding travelers across the country, and later in protecting stage lines and those who built and n1ainta~ned the transcontinental telegraph lines. They also afforded valuable aid to the Union Pacific Company in its work of construction. One of the government inspectors at Fort Bridger in the '70s was James Richardson, father of l\frs. F. Kohlenburg of Evanston. She was born there. The family moved to Logan, Utah, where l\'.irs. Kohlenburg's grandfather was one of the earlv., non-Mormon settlers. · In 1878 troops were withdrawn from all the western forts. In doing so the government took the ~tand that with the settling of the west by white men the Indians \Vere unlikely to cause fur­ ther troubles. Their hopes received a crushing blow when, in August of the next year, there was an uprising of the Utes in Northern Colorado. Major Thornburg, commander at Fort Steele, was sent to the \i\'hite River Agency to protect the gov­ ernment employes. On the 29th of September they fell into an ambush that resulted in the massacre of Major Thornburg and thirteen of his men, and the wounding of fifty-seven. When the news of this atrocity reached Fort Bridger Judge Carter lost no time in starting for Washington. He impressed

11 Lumez, "Great Salt Lake Trail.,. ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 73 upon the government the necessity of troops at Fort Bridger, and in June of the following year Captain Bisbee was sent out, with the Companies F and H, Fourth Infantry. He was succeeded by lfajor de Russey, and, in turn, by Lieutenant Eltonhood. A road across the mountains to Fort Thornburg, Colorado, was constructed by the troops and until 18go Fort Bridger was a mili­ tary post. From a historic view point it is one of the most interest­ ing places in the entire mountain country. William l\.. Carter was a descendant in the sixth generation of John Carter, the founder of one of the most prominent fami­ lies of Virginia. When a youth Mr. Carter served in the United States Army in the Seminole war, and there formed friend­ ships that influenced his entire life. One of these was with Gen­ eral Harney, who was at the head of Johnson's army during its organization, and who offered Mr. Carter the position of post trader, which he accepted. Mrs. ·Carter, also a Virginian, whose maiden name was Mary M. Hamilton, followed him to Fort Bridger two years later. They built a beautiful home that was famous for its hospitality and its influence. There ,vere six chil­ dren. Ada, who became the ,vife of J. K. Corson, an army sur­ geon; Anna, who married James Van Allen Carter ; Lulie, now Mrs. Maurice Groshon ; Roberta, ]\f rs. vV. H. Camp, and William A. and Edgar. 11 r. and Mrs. Groshon resided for many years in the old Carter home. They are now living at Cheyenne, where Mr. Groshon has held many important positions; Mrs. Groshon is state regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Richard Hamilton, a brother of Mrs. W. A. Carter, came out with her from the state of Missouri and made his home in the valley, where he was a man of prominence. He died in 1888. Two of his sons, Charles B. and Robert, are engaged in ranching in the Bridger valley. James van Allen ·Carter was a native of Missouri. Inspired by the desire to see the West, he came to Fort Bridger in 1866 with a freighting train. He was not related to Judge Carter, but soon became a favorite in the home. He was a man of fine mind and winning personality, and was one of the foremost citi­ zens of Uinta County. He soon learned to converse with the Indians, and was interpreter in all important government affairs. Mr. Carter had a drug store in Evanston in the '70s, and made 74 UINT_r\. COUNTY his home here for several years. It was here that he died, sur­ vived by his wafe and one son, Edgar, who live in California. To many besides the author it is a matter of regret that the name Carter County was lost with the creation of Sweetwater and Uinta Counties, for since the year when Jim Bridger gave up his post no name is so linked with the reg.ion as that of the Carter family. It was like Judge Carter not to push the matter. His disposition is illustrated in his refusal to accept the first gov­ ernorship of the Territory of Wyoming, when offered that honor by President Grant. However, to the seeing mind the shades of the past still people the spot in a more intimate way than if he and his family had sought to push their claims for recognition. The old home, with something of the southern charm, still stands in the fenced enclosure where a sun dial marks the passage of the sunny hours. Within is the square piano that was brought across the plains dn 186o. The family carriage that was used for more formal occasions than the ordinary ranch vehicles is still pre­ served. A fence ,vithin a field protects the grave of the faithful dog companion of an early freighter who showed his love by erecting a marble headstone with the inscription : "Man never had a tn1er friend. we·n n1eet beyond the range." All these scenes bring to mind pictures of heroic days nobly, endured. The shades of great men still wander among the trees or sit by the hospitable board. Among them are army men, General Sherman and General Harney; builders of the Union Pacific, Gould and Dillon ; great statesmen, including President Arthur ; scientists, l\;farsh, Leidy, Cope and Hayden. There were writers, too, who took the old stage route across the plains. Among them stands out the ,vell-loved author of ''Roughing It," who did much tov."ard bringing nearer to the East the life beyond the Rockies. Surely Jim ·Bridger "builded better than he knew!'' ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 75

CHAPTER NINE Early Transportation and Mai] Service In 1848 a young Missourian by the name of Alexander Majors, who had been hauling freight on the Santa Fe trail, became so impressed with the future of the industry that he de­ termined to go into it on a larger scale. \V. H. Russell and Thomas \Vaddell, men who had also had some experience on the southern route, became his partners, and the company began busi­ ness under the firm name of Russell, Majors & Waddell. The result was the organization of the biggest freighting company that the world has ever seen. In the zenith of its prosperity it employed about four thousand men and had six thousand wagons on the various transcontinental routes. A train consisted of from twenty to thirty wagons, and was under the general direc­ tion of the "wagon master," whose subordinates, a teamster and assistant to each wagon, were called "bull whackers". The men were paid a dollar a day and board, and so strong was the lure of the \Vest that there was a rush for positions. Few of them returned with their trains, and most of the oxen and wagons were sold at the end of the outward joumey.1 William Cody, who was later famous as "Buffalo Bill", en­ tered the employ of Mr. Maj ors in 1848, and a life-long friend­ ship resulted. His first work ,vas that of messenger boy between trains, a position calling for courage and resourcefulness because of the hostility of the Indians. His ability won the esteem of the older man, and he, in tum, had the greatest regard for Majors, whom he considered the leading spirit of the great busi­ ness. In his old age Mr. Maj ors published a book called "Seventy Years on the Frontier", the preface of which was written by Cody. Among other tnoutes to his friend he writes: "Alex­ ander Majors never shirked a duty or failed to meet an obliga­ tion.'' Strict rules were laid down for the employes, prohibiting the use of liquor and profanity, and although they may not always have been adhered to in the wild life of the frontier, yet there is no doubt that they had their influence in making this the safest, as well as the largest, company in operation.

1 Majors, "Seventy Years on the- Frontier." UINTA COUNTY

The fate of the first trip of this firm into Wyoming in 1856 when the government supplies for Johnson's army were d~ stroyed, has already been told. The next year a regular freight service to Salt Lake City was begun. The round trip starting from the 1'1issouri took all summer. Across Uinta County the two roads were still traveled from Fort Bridger, the one to Fort Hall and the other to Salt Lake. In 1851 two men known as Hockaday and Leggitt estab­ lished a stage line to Salt Lake. It began on a monthly schedule, which was soon made semi-monthly. The driver cared for his own horses, and it took twenty-one days to make the trip out. The fare was one hundred and fifty dollars and passage had to be engaged months in advance. They made a specialty of mail and express. 2 In 1858 Russell, Majors & Waddell bought out Leggett and Hockaday and put on a daily service. The trip from Atchi­ son to Salt Lake was made in ten days. Stage stations equipped with horses and provisions were built about twenty miles apart; Millersville, named from Miller, a well-known stage driver; Fort Bridger, Big l\'.luddy and Bear River Crossing comprised those within the region we are studying. The company received from the government $400,000 a year for carrying maiL' The vehicles were Concord coaches. They were swung on strong leather straps, and afforded as much comfort as possible on the long mountain journey. Hour after hour by night as well as day the passengers endured as best they could the rocking motion of the forward progress. At stations they would alight to stretch their cramped limbs, and eat meals of varying quality. The stage driver was a high-salaried man for his time, re­ ceiving from $150 to $200 a month. He was autocrat of his realm, and many were the hairraising yams of events on the road spun by them in later years. Jim Brumley, who "fingered the ribbons'' for some ten years, was an adept in this art, and gloried in entertaining the guests at the eating house in Echo that he ran for many years after the railroad was built. One day he was tcl1ing a thrilling adventure to a party of "tender­ feet", and described being chased from his stage by a band of

% Inman, "The Great Salt Lake Trail." 3 Ibid. ITS PLi\.CE IN HISTORY 77

Indians. He pictured himself, unarmed and separated from his companions, making his way at breakneck speed up a canyon, the yelling redskins ga~ning on him at every step. On either side rose precipitous cliffs hundreds of -feet high, and he found himself faced by a huge perpendicular rock. At this point of his narration he paused, and silently gazed at his breathless audi­ ence, one of whom tremblingly asked: "And what did you do?" His answer came with a gulp : "By, G--, they killed me!" At the side of the driver sat a man with a sawed-off shot­ gun, and he bore the title of "guard". ·Before the year 18oo half a million people had settled in the western territories. There was an earnest demand for quicker mail service and this resulted in the organization of the Pony Express. The idea had been conceived in 1854, by William Gwin, Senator from California, while he was making the over­ land journey on horseback. For several years it was at different times brought to the attention of Congress and the public, but no definite steps were taken until 1859, when W. H. Russell became interested, and made a contract for his company to carry the mail by horseback, from the terminus of the ea.stem tele­ graph lines at St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento. The route was that of the old stage line and covered nineteen hundred sixty miles. At an enormous expense one hundred ninety sta­ tions were equipped with horses to furnish fresh mounts for the riders, and "'ith provisions. The old stage stations were utilized, and others built, so that the stopping places were about ten miles apart.. The new stations within the limits of this work were Quakenasp Springs and Needle Rock. There were about five hundred horses in this work, animals chosen for speed and endur­ ance. Eighty riders were employed at $125 a month and board. From either side of the light saddle hung two leather bags filled with sealed dispatches, many of which had been telegraphed from the east to the starting place on the Missouri. At first the rate was five dollars for the half ounce, but it was later reduced to one.' On the third of April, 18oo, the riders started from the two terminals with their valuable loads. On the fifth day, not far from Fort Bridger, their relays bailed each other from the sad-

' Ku7 :B. Pack, "U. P. )(apzme for October. 1123.,. UINTA COUNTY dles and galloped on. In ten days the trip was accomplished. This time was never exceeded, and was often cut by as much as twenty hours. The equipment was of the lightest possible, saddle, bridle and bags being limited to thirteen pounds, and the riders were chosen for their skill, courage and lightness of weight. They rode night and day, and were relieved every forty miles if all went well, but there are records of men being in the saddle twenty hours at a stretch. Only once was the mail lost, but there were many hair-breadth escapes, for the Indians cherished a deadly animosity toward these daring horsemen. One of the very early settlers in Evanston was John Wade. If one may believe the story of his life as told by himself, it was one long adventure from the arrival of his father's family at Salt Lake to its close. \-Vhen a young man he was taken by In­ dians, and for three years was in captivity. When he finally made his escape he found his way with great difficulty to Salt Lake, where he appeared one night at his mother's door, and, though nearly naked and greatly changed, he was recognized and taken in. Later he became a scout and roamed all over the Rockies. He entered the employ of the Pony Express, and at the time of Lincoln's First Inaugural was the bearer of the mes­ sage through this part of the country. There was a race between the Santa Fe Trail and the Oregon Trail in getting the news to California. He told of riding at breakneck speed from Fort Bridger to Bear River Crossing, where he expected to be relieved, but, owing to an accident to the rider stationed there, was disap­ pointed. The station keeper tried to prevail on him to rest and eat, but time was too precious, and quickly changing mounts and snatching a piece of pie in his hand, he continued the journey. Though worn and weary when he reached Salt Lake, he had the satisfaction of finding that he had contributed to the success of the Oregon Trail messengers in the race. The time consumed in carrying this message was seven days and seventeen hours. Mr. Wade had a blacksmith shop in Evanston in the early '7os and spent his old age on a ranch near Millburn, in the Bridger Valley, where he died in I 920. As a business venture the Pony Express was a failure, for the e...~pense was terrific. 1861 was, as we have already seen, a bad year in the Indian country. Horses were run off, stations ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 79 burned, and many a brave rider was shot from ambush. Even the usually peaceful Shoshones joined in the depredations, and in March, 1862, they made a concerted attack on the stations be­ tween the Platte and Bear River and captured every horse in the serv:ice. Stage passengers were not molested, but many were left in standing coaches from which the horses were taken. A negro ,vho was cooking at one of the stations on the Sweetwater was killed, and three drivers who resisted the demands of the savages were wounded, but there were no other casualties.::. As United States military forces were engaged in the South, General Conner sent three hundred men out from Salt Lake to guard the line.6 This was known as the Nlormon Battalion, and was under the command of Lot Smith. As quickly as possible the ne,v equipment was sent out and operations resumed, but it was a fatal blow to Russell, 1\-fajors & Waddell, the company that had done so much for the upbuild­ ing of the \Vest. They were obliged to sell out, the purchaser being Ben Holiday, proprietor of the stage line from Salt Lake to Sacramento, and he continued the daily .stage service. Holi­ day received from the government $1,()(X),OOO a year for carry­ ing mail, but even that did not make the business pay, and in 1866 he sold to the Wells Fargo Company, who continued to run their stages up to the time of the regular trains on the Union Pacific.1 The Pony Express was abandoned in 1862 after sixteen months of activity. In the winter of 186o Edward Creighton of Omaha came as far as Salt Lake by stage and traveled on horseback to Sacramento, to satisfy himself as to the advisability of building a tel~o-raph line to connect ·with one that had already been constructed as far as Denver. His trip resulted in an agreement by which the Califomia Telegraph Company con­ tracted to build from Sacramento to meet a line to be built by the Western Union to Salt Lake. The government o:ffered a subsidy of $40,000 a year to the company first to complete its work. Creighton's men reached the goal on the 17th of October, 1861, and gained the bonus. Just a week later the through line was completed, and the first message sent."

:. "History of Wyoming," Coutant. • "History of Utah," Whitney. 7 Hebard, "Pathbreakers from River to Oc-ean.', 8 Tnman, ·'The Great Salt Lake TraiL" 8o UINTA COUNTY

The soldiers at Fort Bridger assisted the workmen in the building and later m the maintenance of the line. The Indians were very suspicious of the "talking wire" and cut down the telegraph poles at every opportunity. The course across the country is still to be traced by the broken stumps of poles run­ ning parallel to the old trail. Descriptions of the trip across the country on the old road vary with the season of the year and the spirit of the writer. Jolm F. Burton gives an interesting account of his arrival at Jack Robinson's seven Indian lodges on the 23d of August, 18&>. He tells of his kindly reception by the old mountaineer, and credits "Uncle Jack" with the possession of $75,000 and a numer­ ous progeny.11 The fortune was undoubtedly exaggerated, as the tax roll of Uinta County of 1872 gives the assessed value of his property as $2,268. It is well known, too, that the little copper­ skinned youngsters playing around the tepees were not Uncle Jack's offspring. Old settlers tell stories of designing Indians bringing to him captured children from other tribes with the de­ mand that he buy them. A debate always followed, Uncle Jack protesting that he could not care for any more children, but the threat "You no buy, me kill", and the raised tommyhawk over the head of the cowering child never failed to bring the bargain to an end, and the savage would ride off with the food, blanket or knife he had coveted, while the white man's camp would be aug­ mented by one more hungry mouth to feed. Captain Burton describes the Bridger Valley stretching be­ fore them in all of its late summer beauty, luxurious pastures, slopes covered with wild flowers, mountain currants and haw­ thorns on every side. Of the people, too, he speaks in glowing terms, and dwells upon the courtly hospitality of Judge Carter. Crossing to :Bear River they passed several trams of Mormon emigrants, and he descnoes the valley as a veritable graveyard. It is a sad truth that many succumbed to the hardships of the long march at the very threshold of their promised land. Leaving the fort by the Salt Lake road the traveler passed on the left a steep, flat-topped butte that had been left by the receding waters, for this region was at one time covered by the great Inland Sea. About eighteen miles farther on a sharp des-

• Burton. ''The City of the Saints." ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 81 cent led to the Big ~I uddy, where there was a stage station kept for many years by a Frenchman by the name of Baptiste. J. H. Beadle, who made the trip by stage in the summer of r8li8, gives the following description of the onward journey: "From here through a region of bright red rocks often capped by white clay, and frequent groves of pine, firs and quakenasps, we went up the grassy slope to Coperas Springs, and on to Quakenasp Hill. The altitude at the summit is nearly 8,000 feet. A sharp descent leads do\\111 to Sulphur Creek at the foot of a mountain called by the trappers 'Rim Base', because it is the eastern wall of the great inland basin, the waters of which flow into Salt Lake. Seams of coal crop out from the hillsides to the north, and about a mile to the south is Tar Spring." Mr. Beadle mentions a dug way down the steep grade from Quakenasp Hill.10 The pretty view of the Bear River Valley, with its luxuriant grass and fine native trees, never £ails to excite the admiration of travelers. From 1861 the station at the crossing of Bear River was kept by John Myers, and it is described as the very best station on the road. The meadows during the summer months were of ten dotted with the outfits of emigrants who stopped there for rest before entering on the last hard climb over the Wasatch Range.

1• Beadle, Editor of Salt Lake Reporter from 1889 to 1871. UINTA COUNTY

CH_i\.PTER TEN Union Pacific Railroad The evolution of a mountain road may seem a far cry from the building of a great railway. In the first we have the trail of deer and buffalo following the path of least resistance as marked out by mountain streams in their j oumey to the sea, taken up in tum by Indian, trapper and explorer, and they suc­ ceeded by horseman and wagon, each doing his part in defining the highway of the future. There may seem but little similarity between the ,vinding road and the steel rails seeking the shortest route between two given points, but the difference is more in degree than in kind. The engineer as well as the wild anamal is guided by the water courses. He, too, must seek out easy mountain passes, and though his skill may cut down hillsides and burrow through mountains, he, too, is subject to the all­ controlling features of the country traversed. Ten separate routes across Wyoming, Colorado and 1fon­ tana were studied before the course of the Union Pacific was finally decided upon. All of these followed with surprising ac­ curacy the old emigrant trails that had been the grov.1:h of the natural agents playing their unconscious part in the develop­ ment of western civilization.1 The story of the building of the Union Pacific is a romance of itself. The names of Asa ,Vhitney, who, in 1830, first caught the vision ; of Sidney Dillon, Oakes Ames and others associated with them in financing the great enterprise, will go down in history. The charter was granted by Act of Congress in 1862 and the route decided upon, but work did not begin until after the close of the ·Civil War. The year 1865 saw forty miles of track laid west of Omaha. The fallowing year a great army of workmen was making its way westward. First came the graders in gangs of hundreds, preparing the roadbed, then laborers who placed the wooden ties that had been cut in the mountains and floated down the streams ; track layers fallowed in cars that ran to the end of the finished track, and after they had passed on, came the ballasting crews to complete the work. A mile a day was the average the first year, but by the time Carter station was

1 Warman, "The Story of the Railroads." ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 83

reached they were laying nearly seven miles of track each day. From Fort Bridger soldiers came out to guard the workmen. and western Wyoming ·was spared the awful tragedies that occurred farther east at the hands of the Indians. Tent towns sprang up in advance of the work, and there was much speculation in land, but, as one boom after another col­ lapsed, investors grew cautious. Bryan, the first big camp west of Green River, achieved more permanency than most of these railroad towns, as it was the starting point for South Pass trade. Here a wye was built by the railroad and several stores were opened, some of which were later moved to Evanston. In November, 1868, the graders reached Bear Town, about forty miles west of Green River. McGee and Cheeseborough had the grading contract for this stretch of road, and employed bet\veen four and five hundred men, most of them raw Irish

emigrants. J.~ Frenchman named Alex Topence had the con­ tract for furnishing beef, and he put up a slaughter house and shack south of the track, while the so-called town was north. It consisted of some roughly constructed rooming and boarding houses and a row of business buildings comprising the Cali­ fornia Clothing Store, Nuckles' General Merchandise, a Jewish shoe store, and a generous sprinkling of saloons and gambling houses. On the same side of the track as Mr. Topence, but some distance below, was the office of the Frontier Index, of which Lee Freeman was editor. The paper was published daily and moved west with the work of construction. There was a rough element here, as in all grading camps, gamblers and confidence men flocking in wherever there was a payroll. A vigilance committee was organized, and on the 20th of November several arrests were made and the rioters were imprisoned in a temporary jail built of logs. The Frontier Index came out the next morning approving of the action of the officers and sounded a fearless warning ~oainst further lawlessness. No sooner did the edition reach the graders than, incited by the law­ breakers, they left their work and, armed with picks and shovels, marched upon the town. Their first halt was at the jail, where they released the prisoners and set fire to the building. Then Topence from his place, saw them in a noisy mob heading for UINTA COUNTY

the printing office. He rode down to Freeman's and urged the animal on the editor with the advice to "go while the going was good." His counsel was acted upon, and none too soon, for the mob marched across the gully, ransacked the premises and de­ stroyed all of the contents, including the type, and burned the building to the ground. Dr. Frank H. Harrison, a young physician who kept pace with the building of the road, kept an office in the town as well as a hospital tent on the 1Iuddy. He was returning from the latter place, where he had been attending some patients, when the picture of Freeman caught his eye. To use the doctor's words: "He was traveling so fast that you could have played checkers on his coattails," and was making for Fort Bridger to get help. On the outskirts of the town the doctor was met by a picket, who told him that strangers would not be allowed to enter. It did not take the doctor long to convince the man who he was, and that if there was any bloodshed his services would be needed. He describes walking up the street where fourteen men had been shot dead, or lay mortally wounded. The citizens had barracaded themselves behind sacks of flour and bales of merchandise in Nuckles' store, a substantial building made of green logs. When a spokesman had opened the door for the purpose of parleying with the rioters he had been shot dead on the doorstep. Inflamed by liquor, the rioters raged up and down, and one man named Tom Smith brandished a big six-shooter, which he shot off as fast as he could pull the trigger.. A bullet from the opposing side shattered the knuckles on his right hand, but this did not deter his activity, for stooping, he seized with his left hand the fallen weapon and continued his exciting work.. The next ·day the doctor counted eight bullet holes in the leg of one of the high­ topped boots in front of the Jewish shoe store, it bad not been made a target but had simply been in the way of that many of the deadly missiles. Miss Kate Smith of Evanston has an ironing board that was in the battle and bears the scars. The following week was a busy one for the doctor, as the wounded numbered more than the dead. At eight o'clock the morning after the riot troops arrived from Fort Bridger to find order, restored and most of the desperate outlaws moved on to pastures new. We have Mr. Topence's authority for the state- ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 85 ment that three outlaws were lynched at Bear Town, a number so small as to cause him real regret, as most of them lived to make trouble in other camps. There was much sorrow among the bet­ ter people over Lee Freeman's losses, but no means of redress were at hand and he moved back to Laramie. Later he made Ogden his home, and for several years published a weekly known as The Ogden Freeman_ Mr. Freeman died in Idaho.2 Evanston was the next town located. It was named in honor of J. A. Evans, surveyor on the Union Pacific. The first building was put up in the cut east of town by Harvey Booth. Mr. Booth had been selling provisions at a temporary camp be­ tween Bear Town and Evanston, and was moved on to the new location by a man named J. U. Eldridge. The trip was made in a blinding snowstorm on the twenty-third day of November. Mr. Eldridge, in the early '7os, ran the stage from Evanston to Randolph. He is now clerk of the court in Salt Lake City. On the 16th of December, 1868, the first train arrived in Evanston. E. S. Crocker, who had fallowed the building of the track from Nebraska, '\Vas the first telegraph operator at Evans­ ton. The office was in a building opposite the freight house, where the section house was later put up. Dr. Harrison bought the first lot on surveyed land. It was near the comer where the federal building now stands, and cost him $200. Five hundred people were soon on the scene, and the building of the town was in full swing when a sudden change of plans on the part of the railroad moved the town to Wasatch, with the idea of making that the permanent end of the division. Here machine shops of wood were hastily constructed, so-called "rag houses" of canvas and wood were hurriedly put up, and two thousand people flocked in. They included all the early arrivals of Evanston, with the exception of Harvy Booth and a saloon man by the name of Frank Moore, who remained to cater to the section men and such chance travelers as came along. Wasatch was one of the wildest camps on the road. Out of the fourteen graves on the hillside, only one was occupied by a man who didn't "die with his boots on." Tom Smith, the crack shot, who had terrorized Bear Town, was the marshal. Dance

:: Wm. T. Shafer, Editor. UINTA COUNTY

halls paid $200 a night for the privilege of running, but history is silent as to whose pocket it reached. Dr. Harrison was given the privilege by Land Agent Wil­ liamson of exchanging his Evanston lot for one at \Vasatch, and he moved his office in the dead of winter into a tent that was boarded up three or four feet from the ground. Fuel was a great problem, and he tells of paying $30 for a load of wood, all of which disappeared before morning, not all of it up bis own chimney! Frank H. Harrison was born in Toronto, Canada, April 20, r 842. He studied medicine in the Belville School of New York City. At the outbreak of the Civil V./ar there was a shortage of army physicians, and a corps known as "Medical Cadets" was formed from the students. Dr. Harrison volunteered for this service, and reniained in the army until the close of the war. In 1866 he drove a four-horse team to Denver, then a town of about four thousand. When the railroad was built as far as Cheyenne he moved to that place and was given a contract for caring for the ,vorkers of the grading camps. He opened the first doctor's office in Laramie, l\1ay I, 1868. From here he traveled west ,vith the advance of the ,vork, and many were his gruesome experiences on the frontier, where human life was held so cheap as to make death a matter of jest. From \Vasatch Dr. Harrison went to the thriving mining camp of South Pass, and vvas elected representative of Sweetwater County to the first Legislature of the Territory of Wyoming. He was a supporter of the first woman's suffrage law ever enacted. After a visit to the home of his childhood he came once more to Evanston, and was soon joined by C. G. Morrison, a South Pass friend. They opened a dntg store on Front Street between Ninth and Tenth, with ~Ir. Morrison in charge, while the doctor devoted his time to the practice of medicine. He has ever been the beloved physi­ cian of our town and county. No night was ever so dark or no storm so severe, as to keep him from his errands of mercy, and never was he kno\"\'11 to ask, "What is there in it for me?" Dur­ ing the "flu" epidemic of 1917, though he had practically retired from active practice, he could be seen on the streets far into the night ,vith his black medicine case, bent on relieving our over­ worked physicians. His interest in the general good, as well as ITS PLACE IN HISTORY the personal welfare of all, has been recognized, and he has held many positions of trust in the city and county. We are proud to claim Dr. Harrison as one of our foremost citizens, as well as the first settler of Evanston. On the tenth of May, 186g, the Union Pacific and the Cen­ tral Pacific met at Promontory, Utah. Among those who "'lt­ nessed this historic event ,vas a youth by the name of Ben Majors. In a letter to the author, written from his home in Headrick, , July 2, 1922, he says that he stood at the side of his father, Alexander l\iajors, that veteran freighter who had done more than any other man 1n the field of overland transportation, and to whom the driving of the golden spike connecting the east­ -ward with the westward track was the consummation of the dream of a lifetime. Both father and son had taken their places in the active army of railroad builders. They had constructed two miles of grade east of Green R1ver, had furnished the piling for the bridges across Green River and Bear River, and had sup­ plied six thousand cords of ,vood and one hundred thousand ties. Mr. l\iiajors ·was sixty-five years old at this time. He remained in the 'J..T est for many years and showed his faith in its future by promoting the development of every legitimate industry. He was ,veil k"llo,vn in Evanston during the 'jos and 'Sos. After entering Uinta County the course of the lJnion Pacific is almost due west as far as the junction of the Muddy with Black's Fork. The first station, Verne, consists only of a section house and tank. About five miles west is Church Buttes, so called from the cathedral-like appearance of a mass of rock a short distance to the south, that ,vas a landmark from the early days. of western exploration. From here the road follows up the valley eroded by the Big 11uddy. In the sununer months this is a small stream, so clear as to belie its name and to make us wish that the original name, Washakie ·Creek, had never been changed, but it is swelled to a turbid torrent in the spring from the melting snows of the Uinta Range. About six miles west of Church Buttes is Hampton, so called from a ranch owned by a man of that name who settled there in an early day, and six miles farther on we come to Elkhurst. Carter, about the same distance farther to the southwest, has been from the time of the building of the road, an important ship- 88 UINTA COUNTY ping place for Fort Bridger supplies and for all travel to the south. A little town of two stores and a school has grown up. It was named for Wm. A. Carter of Fort Bridger, and his brother, Richard Carter, was for many years its leading man. His hospitable home was well known in territorial days, and the family was prominent in the social and political life of the county. West of Carter we find the red sandstone of the Wasatch group, which grows coarser as we travel westward until, at Evanston, it is a coarse conglomerate.' The station Antelope, five miles beyond Carter, like Elkhurst, ·was named from the wild animals so common at the time of the building of the railroad. Bridger, six miles to the southwest, is the only railroad point to remind us of the famous scout whose name is perpetuated in mountain passes, trails and lakes in various parts of the RoclGes, as well as in Fort Bridger, fifteen miles south of the railroad. At Bridger the rocks of the Cretaceous and Jurastic ages come to the surface, though through the Bridger Basin they are found be­ low the tertiary beds.11 As first laid out, the road from Bridger followed the Muddy, climbed the divide and came down to the now abandoned Bear Town. On its line were the little towns of Piedmont, Hilliard, and Aspen, each important in its day as a shipping point for cattle and other interests. A man named J.\,Ioses Byrne settled at -Pied­ mont in 1867, and the station was first called Byrne, after mm, but it was deemed advisable to change the name because of its similarity to Bryan. The sisters, Mrs. Byrne and Mrs. James Guild, wife of another early settler, were natives of Piedmont, Italy, and they bestowed this very appropriate name on the town at the foot of the mountain slope. The divide itself was known to the early emigrants as Quakenasp Hill, because of the groves of these trees found in every ravme, and this gave rise to the name of Aspen. Hilliard was so called from Reuben T. Hilliard, one of the earliest conductors on the Union Pacific. The grade over the divide was steep, and there were many curves, so that helping engines had to be used on every heavy train. In 1901 there was opened through this section a new route

3 "Guidebook of Western United States." • Veatch, "Government Report." ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

following the course of the old Mormon trail, but instead of ~imbing Aspen Hill it pierces the mountain by a tunnel five thousand nine hundred feet long, the longest on the Union Pacific.. The construction was attended with much difficulty, as gas from .the oil-bearing strata and the crumbling f onnation caused many accidents. The highest point is seven thousand two hundred ninety feet above the level of the sea. It is lined with concrete. This cutoff cost the company twelve million dollars. Besides shortening the route ten miles, it eliminates many steep grades." East of the tunnel is Spring Valley station, so called from the numerous springs in the neighborhood. There is an exposure of the Frontier formation near by, a coal-bearing sandstone. Some forty miles north this vein reappears and f umishes a fine grade of coal. This vein is one of the largest in the world. Engleman, the United States geologist, collected fossils from Sulphur Creek in the valley in 1858. The waters on the east of the .A.spen ridge flow to the Green R.,h·er strea1ns and on to the Gulf of Mexico, while those on the ·western slope, with sources almost identical, find their outlet in the Great Salt Lake. r\ soft rock kno,\'·n as Hilliard shale is seen in the open valley through which the road runs west of Altimont. A short distance farther on it reaches what geologists call a "fault", that is, a rock pushed up from a deep underlying strata.6 This is called the Bed.--with formation and is the oldest exposed rock in Western Wyoming. Unlike the Bear River formation, the next to be entered, it contains no fossils. The Bear River strata consists of conglomerate sandstone with layers of opal and many fossils, and from here runs north to the Salt River Range. A little farther on the Almy, Fowkes and Knight formations, all coal-bearing, crop out. South of Millis begin the red sandstone bluffs of the Knight formation, deposited before the river had cut do,vn to its present bed. They are topped with gravel and soil, where native trees have taken root. A conspicuous land­ mark for miles around is l\'Iedicine Butte. It is what is known as an '"overthrust", having been pushed up from the rocks of the Tertiary age. The old wooden railroad bridge was about ~

5 Union Paci1lc Historian. in letter to the author_ 8 Ibid. UINTA COUNTY mile east of the present steel structure. East of it is the station Knight, which takes its name from the ranch extending along the river that was owned at one time by Jesse Knight, an early citi­ zen of Evanston. Three miles farther on we come to Millis, named for J. W. Millis, a conductor on the road in the early '7os. Evanston lies six nu1es farther west. The elevation at the station is six thousand seven hundred thirty-nine feet. A side­ track branches off from the main road about a mile, west of town to Almy, and five miles farther on, at Wyuta, the road passes out of Uinta County into the state of Utah. THE SNOW PLOWS OF THE U. P. R. R. AT EVANSTON Leslie's Weekly, November 24, 1877.

FOUR MILES EAST OF THE UTAH LINE-THE TOWN OF EVANSTON, ON THE BEAR RIVER, WYOMING TERRITORY Leslie's Weekly, November 24, 1877.

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 91

CHAPTER ELEv~N Early Days in Evanson

Soon after the completion of the railroad it was decided to make Evanston the end of the division, and work was begun on a substantial roundhouse and machine shops made of s~one. Bishop Sharp of the 1Iormon Church had the contract and em-· ployed about one hundred fifty men in the construction. It was completed the Fourth of July, 1871, and engines and men moved in from Wasatch to the accompaniment of shrieking whistles and cheers from the assembled crowd. A town picnic was held across the river, in which all of the community joined. The speech of the day was made by Dr. Sheldon Jackson, the pioneer Presbyterian missionary, who was afterwards famous for his work in Alaska and for the introduction of reindeer into that territory. On the morning of the picnic Mr. Booth met John Eldridge, and asked him if he could drive horses, to which El­ dridge responded that he had driven as many as fifty at a time in a herd and would not hesitate to handle a "four-horse team" . ...!\. fare of "two bits" was charged to transport the merry-makers to the picnic grounds, and the proceeds, amounting to twenty dollars, were evenly. divided between the driver and Mr. Booth. ~Ir. Eldridge and his family have been residents of Evanston since 1Iay I, 1871. As already stated, the first legislature of the Territory of Wyoming div,ided Carter County into the two counties of Sweet­ water and Uinta. The county seat of the latter was placed tem­ porarily just outside of the government reserve in the Bridger Valley, about two miles east of the fort. It was called Merrill, in honor of the officer in command of the post at that time. Temporary officers were appointed by Governor John E. Camp­ bell, and were as follows: Commissioners, James Van Allen Car­ ter, Russell Thorp and Jesse Atkinson ; sheriff, Harvey Booth ; county clerk, Louis P. Scott ; assessor, James A. Ellis ; Probate Judge and treasurer, William A. Carter; coroner, Charles 11. White1 The first county record was written in 1870 by J. Van A. Carter. Mr. Scott made Alfred G. Lee his deputy, and beginning

1 Wm. Shaffer, "Historical Bulletin of the State of Wyoming. 1890." lJINTA COUNTY

with 1872 the records of these early years are in his neat script. Mr. Lee marrried the eldest daughter of C. M. White, and was for many years a prominent citizen of Evanston. The tax rolls of 1870 show a property valuation of $500,597. Of this, $449,400 belonged to the Union Pacific railroad and the \Vestem Union Telegraph Companies. The tax levy was fifteen niills. Some idea of the relative in1portance of the precincts may be gained from the valuations. which are as follows : Merrill. $32,400; Aspen, $4,227 ; Almy, $23,549 ; Carter, $6,936 ; Evans­ ton, $8,367; Piedmont, $8,490; Bear River ( old Bear Town), $2,852. One hundred six dollars of the money collected was poll taxes from fifty-three Chinamen who were not voters and ,vho did not know that they were under no legal obligation to pay. They ,vere employed in section gangs. In 1872 two hun­ dred forty were taxed, some of whom were mining coal at Almy, and the nun1ber increased for some years. The county issued warrants bearing twelve per cent interest. They could be bought at a discount of twenty-lfive cents and were usually paid in two years. The western division of the Union Pacific ran from Green River to Ogden. D. V. Warren was the first superintendent.% His assistant was Jerome Filmore, cousin of Luther Filmore, who was assistant superintendent of the western division, with offices at Laramie. Jerome Filmore later became general man­ ager of the Southern Pacific System. Warren was succeeded by Earl, and the offices were brought to Evanston. Passenger service began with two daily trains each way, numbers One and Three from the east and Two and Four from the west. One and Two were Pullman specials, with dining cars, and after a short time were discontinued. The passenger trains made eighteen miles an hour, and so acconimodating were the crews that it was no unusual thing for them to halt near some interesting point, such as the soda springs near Piedmont, to give travelers the opportunity to walk a quarter of a mile across the hill for a refreshing drink. Freight trains made twelve miles an hour, and the so-called "emigrant trains" ran on the same schedule. Many foreigners who came as laborers to the Almy mines made the trip from New York this way, and were fourteen

1 Letter from Hrs. Crocker~ Portland, Oregon, September 5, tm. ITS PL.L-\CE IN HISTORY 93

days on the cars. Robert Louis Stevenson took advantage of this cheap mode of travel when he first journeyed to California in search of health, and graphically does he describe its discomforts when the choice lay between the interior of the car, crowded like a ship's steerage, with all sorts and conditions of humanity, and the heat of the roof, to which the men sometimes resorted. In 1871 E. S. Crocker ,vas moved back from Castle Rock, to which place he had been sent from Echo. The telegraph office was in the freight house. When the Western Union was establ­ lished Mr. Crocker entered the employ of that company with an office in the Sisson Wallace store. He brought with him his wife, Anna Hopkins Crocker, whom he had married in 186c) in New York, and who became one of the best loved women in Evanston. The Crockers built a substantial residence on the cor­ ner of Tenth and Center streets, which is now part of the Bristol rooming house. From her side door Nlrs. Crocker had an unob­ structed view of the caboose near the freight house where lived the Earls. They later moved to the railroad house, two doors from the Presbyterian Church. When, in 1873, the railroad put up the residence next to the hotel it became their home, as well as that of their successors. The Earls are still remembered -for their hospitality and sterling worth. The first railroad agent was named McCoy. He was suc­ ceeded by Frank l\,I. Foote, who came here from Bryan. :1:Ir. Foote served the railroad for seventeen years, and was an active man in public affairs until the time of his ~eath in 1915. He was twice appointed receiver of the land office, and '\\'--as at different times deputy sheriff and assessor. At the outbreak of the Span­ ish-American War he was put in command of Wyoming troops and advanced to the rank of major. He was active in Masonic circles, and had conferred on him the thirty-third degree. Mr. Foote married Ida L. Duell, sister of Charles Duell, who was employed at Almy. She makes her home with her children of whom three are 1iving, Mrs. Emma Fuller in Ashton, Idaho; Mrs. Grace Ruff in St. Louis, and Robert Foote in Anaconda, Montana. It was several years before the trains ran with any degree of regularity during the winter months. Snowsheds and fences built on exposed ground were the main protection against 94 UINTA COUNTY

drifts sometimes ten feet deep. One school teacher from the East, who made the trip out to Evanston in the dry month of August, to the great amusement of the trainmen, mistook the snow fences for the feeding racks for Wyoming sheep, of which she had heard. Old settlers still recall the winter of '71 and '72, when Evanston was shut off from communication with the out­ side world for three weeks. After the discontinuance of the PuJlrnan Special there were no dining cars, and the call "twenty minutes for dinner" sum­ moned the passengers from the coaches to hotels, where excellent meals were served at one dollar a plate. The Mountain Trout House at Evanston became famous for its trout dinners, served the greater part of the year. The first manager was a negro by the name of Cosseley. He was succeeded by a man with the appropriate nan1e of Kitchen, and he by George Waterman. The cooks and waiters in those days were Chinese. In an old copy of Leslie's Weekly, dated November 24, 1877, a writer in a special excursion train bearing some newspaper men to the Pacific Coast, describes the Mountain Trout House in the following words : "In the little hotel, a gem in its way for neatness and order, we find the dining room given over to their (the Chinamen's) pre­ siding influence, and nothing can be more soothing to the traveler's nerves than such a silent, soft-stepping, light-handed attendant, gliding behind one's chair like a shadow, always smil­ ing and deferential. In the little office of the hotel there is a good deal of decoration in the way of Chin~e and Japanese pictures, and some fine stuffed heads of Buffalo and lesser game. These trophies, together with the large dish of fresh trout on ice which adorns one of the windows, are evidences of the pleasures of the chase that can be indulged in around Evanston." He speaks of "little Chinatown north of the tracks, where a cluster of unpainted shanties crowd together, each one labeled with long strips of red paper about the door posts, and all as dirty as pos­ sible for anything to be." The Celestials on the platform are descnoed as "shuffling up and down on their cork-soled shoes, with their long pigtails swaying half way down to their heels, their hands thrust under the loose folds of their dark-blue blouses; with bland, smooth, yellow faces all youthful and inno­ cent and utterly inscrutable of expression, looking at us with a ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 95

sweet smile and jeering us probably in their native tongue for each other's delectation." The name Mountain Trout House was iater changed to Union Pacific Hotel. In 18cJ9 the main part of the building was destroyed by fire, and it was later fitted up for offices and the railroad cafe. One of the well-remembered man­ agers of the hotel was L. D. Jackson, who had charge for more than ten years. His widow and daughter Jean live in Washing­ ton, D. C., where the latter is secretary of the Young Woman's Christian Association. As already stated, Harvey Booth did not join the exodus to Wasatch at the time of the removal of the shops to that place. His tent from the cut was moved down to the lot where the Standard Timber office now stands and he formed a partnership with a man by the name of Frank Moore. A few months later 11oore sold out to a man named William McDonald, an arrival from Illinois, and the next spring they put up a two-story wooden building on the corner of Ninth and Front street and called it the Booth and 1fcDonald Hotel. In January, 186c), ~frs. Mc­ Donald came out to join her husband. She was the first woman to settle in Evanston. The first residence was put up by Mary Gingell a few doors east of the hotel. It was built of logs brought from the camp near Piedmont. The first marriage in Evanston took place in this house in I 870, the contracting parties being David Gingell and ·Caroline Gage. It was solemnized by Rev. 1\fr. Stevens, a clergyman of the Episcopal Church, who stopped here for a few days. After the death of Mr. Gingell his widow became the wife of Joseph Williams, who died in 1911. She still makes her home in Evanston. Front Street was built parallel to the railroad, which here runs northeast and southwest, and the town was laid out ac­ cordingly. In April Charles T. Duell, bookkeeper of the mine at Almy, was appointed postmaster.8 He never served in this capacity, but handed the office over to E. S. V\Thittier, the pioneer merchant of the place, who opened a store between Eighth and Ninth on Front Street. Mr. Whittier later moved to the comer of Tenth and Front Streets, where the Gottstein building was later put up.

a Bancroft. "Bistorr of W:,oamc.• UINTA COUNTY

He continued as postmaster until 1878, when the keys were handed over to A. i\.. Bailey. About this time a meat market was opened by a man named William Crawford. William Thompson, who had been n1noing a store and saloon in the coal camp of Almy, formed a partner­ ship with him in r872, and a few years later Harvey Booth and E. S. Crocker joined them in the market and in a ranch near Woodruff. One of the inexplicable mysteries of the west was the strange fate that befell two members of this firm. On the 26th of February, 18g3, William Crawford came to town to at­ tend a dance, put up his horses in a barn, and was never seen again, nor ,vas any clue found as to his fate. Two years later to a day Harvey Booth was found murdered in the barn belong­ ing to the company, and though every effort was made to f errit out the crime and to bring the murderer to justice, it was never accomplished. Mr. Booth is survived by his wife whose maiden name was Julia B. Anderson, and who came to Evanston from Canin­ dagua, ·New York, to teach school. The eldest son, Harvey, is a successful civil engineer in l\Iontana. James and the daughter Emily live ~n Southern California, as does the mother. The Southern Pacific was built by coolie labor. Keeping pace with the eastern construction of the road was the firm of Sisson, Wallace & Company, of San Francisco, who were con­ tractors and general agents for the Chinese employed on that road and on the Union Pacific. In 1870 they opened a store in a frame building on Front Street, and later erected the substan­ tial building known as the "Rock Store" which is now a part of the Beeman & Cashin block. The firm did a big business from Rock Springs to Ogden where ever Chinamen were employed. Clark Crocker of San Francisco was general manager, and A. V. Quinn was made manager of the Evanston store. Mr. Quinn, who may be numbered among the founders of Evanston, had gone to California in 1851 when he was twenty years of age. With the building of the Central Pacific he had worked toward the east, and he was present at the driving of the golden spike that marked the completion of the roads. On the second train that made the trip to Omaha he was a passenger, and after a visit to his childhood home in Kentucky he returned ITS PL_:\.CE IN HISTORY 97 to the west, ,vhere he was soon joined by the lady of his choice, who came out to Corrinne, Utah9 to be married to him. Soon aftenvard they moved to Evanston. Their first home ,vas on lfain Street, and in 1885 they showed their faith in the town by building the handsome residence on the comer of Center and Eleventh Streets, where they lived for many years. It is now the home of Fred Lowenstein, ,vho came to Evanston in IC)OO. ~f rs. Quinn was an active ,vorker in the l\Iethodist Church and in the cause of temperance. There were four children in the family, none of whom are now living. Mrs. Quinn died in r&fi. In 1903 ~Ir. Quinn married l\,lrs. l\,I arion ~fenough of Rock Springs, ,vho makes her home in Evanston. A.mong the stockholders of the Beckwith-Quinn Company were the Smith brothers. Edward Smith came out first. and ·was followed in 1876 by Albert, who brought ,vith him his wife and little son Clarence. 1Irs. Smith, widely known as May Riley Smith, is a gifted poet, and some of her s,veetest verse ,vas writ­ ten while she lived in Evanston. She is the author of .. Some­ times," and ··Scatter Seeds of Kindness." They made their home for 1nany years in the fran1e house north of the Presby­ terian Church~ ,vhich was built by a conductor by the name of Joe Miller. It has been replaced by the Da-wson residence. l\,frs. Sn1ith is now living in her beautiful home on the Hudson, ,vhere she is still the inspiration of a large number of friends and is prominent in literary and club circles . .A .. young man nan1ed Willian1 Parpe opened a jewelry store in the fall of 1870 in the same block in "'·hich 11r. vVhittier started his business. A. f e,v .,vears later he moved to the south side of 1Iain Street, bet,veen Ninth and Tenth, and then across the street to the present site of the Engstrom store. l\-Ir. Parpe was a kindly, generous, man and a lover of the beautiful~ not only in his line of merchandise, which was always the best, but in his appreciation of nature as ,vell. The back yard of his store was a ,vonderland, to which he had transplanted columbines from the slopes of ~Iedicine Butte; tall, pale forgetmenots from Pleas­ ant v... alley, pond lilies from mountain lakes and other wild flowers to grow side by side ,vith their cultivated kinfolk. Most of the lilacs that beautify our yards today came from the bushes that started there. Beyond the fact that ~fr. Parpe ,vas a Swiss by UINTA. COUNTY

birth:, his closest friends knew nothing of his early life, and his death by suicide in the fall of 18g3 was a cause of sorrowful wonder to the entire community. Not until then was known the full extent of his generosity, nor for how many struggling mothers he had paid the rent and supplied the coal. In 1870 the Union Pacific built a number of frame houses for the convenience of its employes. In the one just east of the present home of Fred Lowenstein lived C. C. Quinn, who was n1aster mechanic of the shops from 1871 to 188o. He moved from here to Riverside, California, and Thomas Carrick suc­ ceeded him as master mechanic. Next to the Quinns lived A. C. Phipps, master car builder. \Villiam Tildon, who was at the head of the construction gang, lived across the street, where Mrs. Tildon ran a hon1elike boarding house. The eldest daughter mar­ ried William Daley, then superintendent of bridges and water­ works from Cheyenne to Ogden. Mr. Daley later won fame as an Indian fighter on the Bozen1an trail, where he was engaged in freighting. His home was for years in Rawlins, where he died in 1923, one of the most honored citizens of our state. One of the earliest trainmen on the Union Pacific was Ed­ ward Linsley~ who was connected with the road from 1867 to the time of his death in 1913. In 1868 he was made engineer, and soon afterward came to the western division and settled in Evanston. The first n1arriage on record :in the books of Uinta County is that of Edward Linsley and Alice Gunnell, a daughter of a railroad man who came here in an early day. It ·was per­ formed by Rev. Fred Welty of the Presbyterian Church. This couple had the distinction of being the parents of the first pair of twins to be born in the Territory of Wyoming, Beulah and Claude. The latter has followed in the footsteps of his father as engineer and is well known in Evanston. He married Miss Isola Henry, and they are the parents of one son, Harry, who is studying in the University of "Tyoming. Another engineer of this early day was Peter Kraus, who is still running an engine, and whose sons are also in the employ of the road. Mark Murphy, William Murray and William Lethbridge, all engineers, were killed in railroad wrecks. Their families are well known in the town. E. L. Knoder, also an old­ timer, came in I 874- ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 99

C. H. Bogart, a native of New Jersey, had gone out to the western coast in an early day and entered the railroad employ in 1870. He came to Evanston the follo,ving year as fireman, and was soon promoted to engineer. In 1874 he married ifiss Kate \\relsh of Ogden, and the family, in which there are three sons and a daughter, moved to the junction city. Thomas Gorman, father of ~Irs. 1'1. B. Bohner, who made her home in Evanston from 191 I to 1922, was section foreman, and lived across the track. He was succeeded by John Byrne. George vV. Pepper came to Evanston in 186g from the eastern division of the road, where he had served as passenger conductor. After working here for eight days as brakeman he was made freight conductor. In 1877 he ,vas elected sheriff and served four years, after ,vhich he was employed by the Beckwith-Quinn Company. In September, '76, he married Miss Emma Rugg, who lived in Green River, and to this union four children were born, hvo of whom are still living, Nellie, who became the wife of Charles 1-'Iyers on upper Bear River_. and Phoebe, who is in business in an eastern city. l\rlr. Pepper died in 1899, and in I 9Q6 his widow was married to Samuel Dickey . ...A..mong early workers in the railroad shops was Thomas Johnson, ,vho had one son and several daughters. They moved to the State of Washington, where 11rs. Addie Johnson Gibbs still lives. ·Charles Carpenter \.Vent from the shops here to Vernal, Utah. His son Charles married Mary, daughter of James Mor­ ganson, and is engaged in business in Evanston. Mr. Morgan­ son ,vas an early settler in the vVest and had a shoe shop in Evanston. His daughter Johannah became the w.if e of Charles Seigel, proprietor of the Seigel Bakery. Two daughters are in Salt Lake and Mrs. Anna l\:Iorganson Hogeland makes her home in Los Angeles. James and l\iuns Morganson live in Utah. Among the first men to move their families to Evanston was Samuel Blackham. In 1862 traveling in an "independent" or non-lviormon train with his wife and eldest son, Samuel, he came west and settled in 1\1:orini, Utah. He fought under Captain Canfield in the Blackfoot War, and became conversant with sev­ eral Indian dialects. He was employed in building the railroad shops, and in October, 1871, put up a tent on the comer of 100 UINTA COUNTY

Eleventh and Center streets, into which his family, then consist­ ing of five persons, moved. As time went on and circumstances favored, this was surrounded by a wall_ of lumber, and additions were made until a cozv home ,vas established. His was the first ~ lot to be ornamented by trees transplanted from the riverside. The Blackham family have been pioneers in introducing flowers and shrubs, and their garden has always been a spot of interest. ~Ir. Blackham died in 1910, and his widow occupies the original home. Among his descendants who are well known in Evanston are the sons, Samuel and Benjamin, and the daughters, Mrs. Charles Morgan, l\1rs. T. A.. Williams, l\frs. E. C. \Vhite, Mrs. Lydia Nash, Mrs. Harry Judd and Mrs. Harry H. Hall. 11:rs. Jubb, or "Auntie Jubb," as she was called, also had an eye to floral decorations. though her efforts were not a joy to the residents, as they consisted in the importation of dandelion seeds from England. No doubt this common pest would have reached the country in time even without her agency. She was well known and well thought of, and her services were in demand in many an emergency such as nursing and the management of homes. One of the early settlers ·who came from \Vasatch with the moving of the shops was Charles Hammer. The family con­ sisted of six daughters, ,vho ,vere eagerly sought in marriage by the lone bachelors of the town. .A.11 are well known in Evans­ ton, 11lrs. Frank Gunnell, lVIrs. Lottie .Allen and 11rs. Victor Engstnrm having lived here for years. l\. firm by the name of Do"1ilS & Tisdel opened a restau­ rant and saloon between Tenth and Eleventh on Front Street, and soon afterward built the \Vyoming Hall, where the Hotel Marx now stands. The upper floor was used as a dance hall, and one of the old citizens tells of a ball in 1871 where they were successful in getting the attendance of as many as sixteen ,vomen, while the men numbered more than a hundred. Pete Downs was a unique and interesting person, as well as a famous cook. He served for many years on the board of County Commissioners, and was elected to the first state legis­ lature in 1891. He had a hobby for animals. For some time a monkey was in his saloon, but one day the little creature aroused the ire of its owner, and he plunged :it into a bucket of water. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY IOI

The monkey never forgave the indignity, and would so rave and chatter when Pete came in sight that he finally turned it over to the Red Store, where it was for many years an object of curiosity to the children. Another pet was a brown bear that was chained to a pole in front of the saloon. When winter came on Bruin decided that it was time to dig in. He was undisturbed until one night a brakeman by the name of Pete Mctfannus stumbled out of the saloon and into the bear pit. A.t first he was too stup­ ified to realize anything but the fact that he had found a warm resting place, but in time the movements of his bed fellow im­ pressed him as peculiar, and on awakening to the truth of the situation, with a howl of fear a very much sobered man sprang to the side walk and made his way down the street as fast as his legs could carry him. The bear emerged too, but the stout chain prevented him from giving chase. ...t\s long as he stayed here the life of the brakeman was made weary by the frequent allusions to his free lodgings. The Christensen brothers, Gotleib and :\lartin, natives of Denmark~ had for many years a store where they made to order boots and shoes of fine workmanship. l\Iartin went into the ranching business, in which he was succeeded by his son Adol­ phus. His wife was the wido,v of H. Cu1n1nock of Almy, and they are the parents of four sons and one daughter. They are now living in Los Angeles . ...A... man named Emil Faus established the first furniture store in Evanston. In 1875 he decided to try his fortune in the ' and sold out to E. S. Bisbing. 11r. Bisbing had two daughters, Anna now Mrs. Stephen Mills, and Clara, Mrs. Frank Tregea, who are living on the western coast. Their uncle A. H. Bisbing, who had been working for the Union Pacific, bought the store and lived for some years in Evanston. He had a son and a daughter, the former is now editing the "Who's Who" column of Collier's Weekly. Harry Bisbing visited Evanston in 1924, and took pleasure in renewing old acquaintances. In the very early '7os Max Idleman, who later became a resi­ dent of Cheyenne, opened a wholesale liquor house on Front Street that was sold to the firm of Gottstein and Brown. Brown left about the year 1875, and his partner, Mike Gottstein, bought the Whittier store and was succeeded in business by his cousin Jacob 102 DINT.A COUNTY

Gottstein. In 1885 he moved to Seattle where he amassed a fortune. He was succeeded in the Evanston store by his cousin Jacob Gottstein, who married the daughter of Aaron Levitt, a clothing merchant. lvlr. and lVIrs. J. Gottstein have three child­ ren, Cecelia, wife of J. Solomen of Stager, Illinois, and Arthur, and Lester. In 1873 Evanston was .incorporated as a city, and Mr. Brown was elected first mayor, beginning his duties January 1, 1874. On account of expense the city government was discon­ tinued two years later. Another man named Brown opened a fruit store in the wooden building on the corner where the Hill-Otte Drug Com­ pany is now located. In a room at the back was the office of the justice of the peace, with Christopher E. Castle on the bench. "Kif', as he was universally called, was a "f orty-niner" and had had an eventful career in California and Nevada before coming to Wyoming. He told Dr. Harrison that at one time in Califor­ nia, he paid taxes on property valued at $25,000. He was a member of the state legislature of California, in which a "frame­ up" was arranged by certain members who afterward repudiated the secret agreement and a fight ensued in which two men were killed. Whether ·Castle was guilty of the death of one of these is not known, but it was a common belief that he ,vas entitled to at least two notches on his gun handle. He fled from Sacra­ mento to Helena, Montana, ·where he became involved in a scrim­ mage resulting in some more killing, and as things had become too hot for him, he allowed it to be circulated that he was one of the dead men, after which he made his way to Green River when the Union Pacific reached that place. In 1872 he came to Evans­ ton, and lived here the rest of his life. He had left a wife in California, who, believing him to be dead, had married again. It was many years later that she sent word to her former hus­ band that she was going to pass through Evanston, and would like to explain matters to him. Kit never married again. His huge bulk and many eccentricities made him a notable figure in our early town history, but with all his shortcomings he was possessed with a fine chivalry toward women that one would like to trace to the place that this one woman had in his life. A path from the office of the justice of the peace through the dusty ITS PL_'\CE IN HISTORY 103 sage brash to the back door of Pete Downs' saloon ,vas traveled many times a day when the occupants of the court room includ­ ing the judge, lawyers, jury, and often the prisoners at the bar, would adjourn to seek liquid inspiration. Their convivial habits did not seem to interfere ,vith even handed justice as the decis­ ions were usually marked ,vith fairness. Many are the anec­ dotes told of Kit Castle. Finance ,vas not one of his strong points, and at one time a committee ,vas appointed to examine his books. They were turned over with cheerfulness, and when after fruit­ less work the puzzled committee told him they could make neither head nor tail to his reports, he answered that he was hoping that they might, as he could not. Kit Castle succeeded himself in of­ fice as long as he lived, and was sincerely mourned when his body was laid to rest. 104 UINTA. COUNTY

CHAPTER T\VELVE Early Evanston _-\ firm by the name of Ellis and Fairbanks had the contract to supply ties for the railroad company. _f\. large force of men was employed to cut down and trim trees in the mountains, some forty miles above Evanston, place them on the bosom of Bear River and direct their course down to the dam opposite the mill. In 1870 Jesse L. A.tkinson, who had been engaged in getting out poles for the railroad company at Riedmont, bought out Fair­ banks and the Evanston Lumber Company \Vas formed. There ,vere changes in the personnel of his partners, but from the time 1\1 r. .Atkinson entered the business to the year of his death, I 92 I, he was at the helm. It is in1possible to estimate the value of a life such as that of 1lr. A.tkinson, in the growth of a new com­ munity. He was born in Nova Scotia, and moved to New England in 1857, ,vhere he entered the mercantile business. In I 8&:> he began freighting across the plains, and in '68 was hauling goods to Fort Douglas. For many years he was a member of the board of county commissioners. He was the leading member of the Baptist Church as ·well as a generous contributor to other denomi­ nations and to the cause of temperance and reform. His unselfish interest in the upbuilding of the town was shown by the easy tenns he n1ade to the builders of homes in selling materials. Fifty years of such a Ii f e means 1nore to a place than can be put into ,vord~. His religion was unobtn1sive and consistent. His rever­ ence for the Sabbath is illustrated by an experience on the plains in his freighting days, ,vhen the train in which he was driving arrived one Saturday night at a point in Nebraska, where rumors of hostile Indians being on their trail caused his companions to urge ::\Ir. /-\tkinson to join them in an early Sunday morning start. Tn1e to his principles, he refused. On the f ollo,ving day he c2.n1e upon a bloody battlefield, where all the rest of the party had met death at the hands of the red men. Throughout the years no policy of e-xpediency ever caused 1Ir. i\th..--inson to s,verve f ro:n1 what he considered right, though not ahvays was the result so fortunate. l\Ir. Atkinson is survived by his wife and three children, of whom the oldest, Ben, makes his home in Evanston. . ,;.- -- ·. ~ , .• • ..;,~•":<.-_ • ~ ,,. . ,. •·· : , ,:'.-.:!._,,._..• ".-:'

/

i ., 1'' ~. :; . ~ . '

THE ARRIVAL AT EVANSTON STATION Leslie's ,veekly, ~ovember 24, 1877.

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

He married Christina, daughter of Bishop Brown. ~1rs. Atkin­ son and two daughters live on the western coast. Among Mr.. A.tkinson's partners \Vere the Ellis brothers, George and James, New Englanders by birth. After honorable service in the ·Civil War they came west and entered the lumber business. James Ellis went from here to Ham's Fork, where he was interested in a coal mine. George Ellis went to California. E. L. Pease was for a ,vhile connected with the mill. He represented Uinta County in the first territorial legislature, and again in 1877. The following year he ran for Congress and was defeated by Stephen W. Do,vney, after which he left for the east. lVI. V. Morse came out with a surveying party under William Downey when the ,vestern boundary of the territory was defi­ nitely determined. He took up some land to the west of the town, where he later built a home, and laid out an addition that is known by his name. Mr. Morse, from the time he came until his death in 1891, was connected with the lumber company. He left a wife and two children, who are well known in Evanston. The first log drive down the river was run by Charles DeLoney. He had come out to \Vyoming after the war, and in 1867 was getting out ties on Green River. He had a barber shop on Front Street in 1870. He married Clara Burton, daugh­ ter of the pioneer baker of the place. Their daughter Clara, Mrs. Jack Mills, is the oldest resident of Evanston who was born here. After several years, during which he was prominent in business and politics, Mr. DeLoney fitted up a store at Jackson, of which place he may be said to be the leading citizen. On the 22nd of February, 1871, Charles Stone arrived in Evanston w.ith a stock of goods from Bryan. It belonged to a chain of stores financed by Chicago capital, and was under the management of Orlando North, who, with his wife, arrived the following day. The place of business, known as the Red Store, was where the Hotel Evanston now stands. It was there that the first bank, kno,vn as the Mutual Exchange, was opened in 1873. The directors were Orlando North, James A. Ellis, -~- V. Quinn and C. E. Wurtelle. Money was scarce and loans com­ manded interest of from one to two per cent a month. In 1876 the bank was moved to a frame building on Tenth Street. The first cashier was a young man na~ed Frank Tildon. He was IOO UINTA. COUNTY

followed by 11. L. Hoyt, now a prominent business man of Big Hom, Wyoming, and he, in 1~2, by Charles Stone. In 188o the brick building, now occupied by the Hatten Realty Company, was erected, and the name of the bank was changed to North and Stone. It was succeeded in 1907 by the First National, and was moved to its present location. Mr. Stone was cashier until 1913, when 0. E. Bradbury accepted the position. Since 18g

Connected with the Red Store was James Smith, a native of Ireland, who came west to Echo in 1871, and moved to Evanston in 1874- In 1876 he married Miss Alice Grace from the state of New York. There were three children in the family. The daughter Florence became the ,vife of George Heitz, and lives in Salt Lake City. Of the two promising sons the eldest, Frank, died in 1905, three months after graduating from the University of Wyoming. Jack A., a graduate of the same institutio~ has been employed by the Union Pacific Coal Company of Rock Springs, where he is now safety engineer. During the World War he entered the military training school, at the Presidio, and crossed to France with the rank of first lieutenant. Two days before the signing of the armistice he was made captain. James Smith died in Evanston in 1921. His widow is a frequent visitor in Evanston, where lives her sister, Miss Sarah E. Grace, in the home built by Patrick Murray on Sage Street. Mr. Murray was an early employe of the railroad and now lives in Ogden. There are five children, all of whom are living in the west, except the daughter Molly, who is remembered as a teacher in our schools, and who married William Durburough of Philadelphia, a newspaper man who was widely known as a press correspondent during the war. Ashael C. Beckwith ,vas one of the prominent men of Wyo­ ming in the first thirty years of its history. Coming west from New York in an early day, he engaged in the lucrative business of freighting across the mountains to Salt Lake City. In 1867 he went to Cheyenne, where he put up the first store in the town. In a letter written to Ariel Hanson, a nephew, then in N e,v Yark State, he describes the wild surroundings of that frontier place, for which he predicts a prosperous future. In 1870 he moved to Echo, Utah. Successive steps in his mercan­ tile career are traced in the story of the store which started in a freight wagon, was later moved to a tent and then to a frame building. In 1872, with a partner named W. H. Remington, he came to Evanston and moved into the building formerly occupied by Brown. Soon afterward the erection of a fine brick building diagonally across the street was begun. A Canadian by the name of Wiillam Lauder bought out Mr. Remington in 1873, and the firm of Beckwith and Lauder was organized. It did a thriving ro8 UINTA COUNTY business until the death of the senior partner m 1&)6, after which Lauder and Sons took over the business. Mrs. Beckwith was a native of Ohio, and a lover of books, and some of her well-chosen volumes are on the shelves of the Uinta County Hbrary. Mr. Beckwith had a son and a daughter by a former marriage. Dora Beckwith Mertzheimer is a graduate nurse and holds the posi­ tion of dean of women in the high school of Sapulpa, Oklahoma. Her daughter became the wife of l\L E. Sisson, assistant to the general manager of the St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad. John Beckwith died in Idaho in 1924. There were two sons from Mr. Beckwith's second marriage; Fred, a business man in Idaho Falls, and Frank, who is engaged in the newspaper business in Delta, Utah. William Lauder was married in Echo to l\1iss Jane Gunn of Coalville, Utah. The Lauder family lived here for many years, and two of the sons are still in the state, Frank, who lives in Laramie, and Call, who is employed by the Rock Springs Mining Company. David married Mary Nelson, daughter of one of our early engineers, and they live in California. Margaret became the wife of Dr. Sayer, Annie has achieved success in her chosen pro­ fession of teaching and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Sarah is the wife of Rev. Robert Lahue in the university town of Nor­ man, Oklahoma .. E. W. Hinchman, who was bookkeeper for Beckwith and Lauder from 1886 to 18g4, lived in the house built by Robert Ross on the corner of Sage and Twelfth Streets. He moved to Denver with his little daughter, his wife having died in 1&)3. Well remembered in Evanston is the Goble family. George Goble was a bookkeeper with the Beckwith-Quinn store in the 'Sos. Mrs. Goble is the daughter of 0. C. Smith, one of the early residents of Rock Springs, and they made their home there for many years.. She has the distinction of having been the first woman elected as school trustee in the city of Spokane, where they now live. She was also regent of the Daughters of the Revolution of the State of Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Goble have three daughters. A banking institution known as Beckwith and Company, Bankers, was organized in 1873 and continued in business on the ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

site of the First National Banlc building until rgo6, when it closed its doors. The mining camp of South Pass attracted many men in the early '6os, who, with the waning of the mining excitement in the next few years, began to seek other locations. In April, 1872, Dr. Harrison returned to Evanston with a friend named R K. 11orrison. They opened a drug store on Front Street, of which Mr. 11orrison had charge, while the doctor continued the practice of medicine. Mr. Morrison sold out in 1875, and various part­ ners succeeded him, prominent among whom was George Solomon, who built the house on the corner of Sage and Thirteenth Streets that was bought by Mrs. Jennie Douglass. Mr. and Mrs. Solo­ mon are living in South Pasadena, ·California. In 1922 Thomas Osborne, ,vho had been a member of the firm since 1919, bought out Dr. Harrison. The place of business has for many years been between Eighth and Ninth on Main Street. Mr. Osborne married Miss Julia Vogt, a teacher in our schools. W. H. Roth was for a time :in the drug store with Dr. Harri­ son, and later had a store of his own in the Beckwith building. He died in Salt Lake City, and his widow was married to C. J.B. Malarkey, a merchant of Portland, Oregon. John McGlinchy came from South Pass, and in company with a man named L. G. Christie, started a hardware store on Front Street. i\ few years later Thomas Langtree, who had been engaged in bridge building, formed a partnership with McGlinchy, and soon after took over the business. Mr. Langtree married · one of our early school teachers, Miss Lou Houstan, and they built the house now o·wned by Dr. Harrison. Another South Pass man, John Anthony, brought the first milk cows and sold their product for twenty cents a quart. He built the house opposite the south comer of the courthouse, and lived there until 1877, when he moved to Idaho. Another man named John Felter, who had made South Pass a stopping place after an unfortunate financial experience in Den­ ver, came to Evanston about the same time as Anthony. He took up land across the river and sold milk, which was said to lose in quality with the crossing of Bear River. He was sexton of the cemetery, and before the purchase of a hearse in the town the cart from which milk was peddled in the morning hours 110 UINT~.\. COUNTY

often bore in the afternoon a casket to its final resting place. He died in 192(). The story is told that he gave directions that his body should be placed beside that of his wife in a vault he had built several years before in the Catholic cemetery, and that tlie side of the vault should be closed and sealed, never to be re­ opened. Why he who had laid so many to rest in !\-1:other Earth should object to having his own body interred, is a matter of fruitless speculation. One of the most prominent of the early citizens of Evanston was ·Charles M. White. He was a native of Michigan, who, with his wife and baby .daughter Nina, had come across the plains in 1865. He brought three hundred head of cattle as far west as Fort Bridger and left them in care of some ranchers while the family traveled on to Salt Lake. It was a disastrous winter, and less than fifty head were alive when Mr. White returned to claim them in the spring. When the flume was built on upper Bear River Mr. White moved to Hilliard, and in 1872 to Evanston. He built the adobe house that is now the home of Thomas Painter on the comer south of the courthouse block. 1\1:r. White was of a sanguine temperament and reverses seemed only to stimulate his activities. He brought the first irrigating ditch into town from seven miles up Bear River, laid out additions to the original town and did everything in his power to encourage building. He was among the first to take up land in the valley, and was the first to raise grain in the vicinity of Evanston. It was due to Mr. White that the city cemetery was moved across the river from its first location on the hillside east of town. He was one of the prominent lawyers of the county, served some years as justice of the peace and was twice elected to the territorial legis­ lature. In 1887 the family moved to Cokeville, and from there to Pocatello, Idaho, where the eldest son, Earle, still practices law. William and Edward, who have been eminently successful in the fruit-selling business, make their homes in Lewiston, Idaho. The daughter, Nina, after teaching three years in the schools at Evanston, was married in 1891 to John M. Sheaff of Kansas City, Kansas, and they have three daughters. C. l\L White died in 1912 and was buried in the Evanston cemetery, where three of the children were already interred. On Christmas Day, ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY III

1921, the body of his universally loved wife was lowered to its resting place by his side. In 1873 a merchant by the name of I. C. Winslow arrived, with his wife and two little sons. The coming of the Whites and Winslows might almost be said to mark an epoch in the history of the town, for it was the beginning of what some one has called the '·foundation of friendship" that has been the ruling spirit of Evanston. Hitherto the population had been largely composed of railroad employes, ,vhose stay was uncertain, and of people who looked upon Evanston as a temporary stopping place in the changing life of the west. 1Jrs. Wcrnslow was a beautiful singer and a leader in the church and social life. Their home was a cen­ ter of good cheer, and Mr. Winslow's store was a veritable social club for men. It contained books, newspapers, musical instru­ ments, wallpaper and many of the articles to be found in the modem drug store, and he did a thriving business, first on Front street and later on Main. Mr. Winslow died in 1901. His widow continued to occupy the commodious home they built on Sage Street, until the time of her death in 1918. A son, Dr. B. L. Winslow, practices dentistry in Evanston. The eldest son, Linwood, is a railroad man and lives in Salt Lake, and the sur­ viving daughter, Lisle, :\if rs. Joseph Roberts, makes her home in Los Angeles. J. G. Fiero, a native of 11ichigan, came to the ,vest ,vith Judge White, and shared many ups and downs of life with that pioneer. In 1868 he was engaged in drilling for oil at the old Carter well, near Piedmont. On coming to Evanston he estab­ lished a thriving business as contractor and builder, and some of the best of the old homes remain as monuments to his conscien­ tious work. Mr. Fiero died in 1913, and is survived by his ,vidow, who makes her home here. Other valuable citizens of this early day were ~Ir. and Mrs. Charles Priest, who came to Evanston in 1873, with their little daughter Bertha. Mr. Priest was a Grand Army man, and his wife was a sister of Ellis brothers. Mr. Priest served as depnty sheriff under William Hinton, and ,vas employed for many years at the freight house. They built the house on Eleventh Street that is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Stahley. In 1899 they moved to Pacific Grove, California, and are now living in Can- 112 UINTA COUNTY

ton, 11:assachusetts, near their daughter who became the wife. of Hosea Capen. In 1873 the contract for building the courthouse was awarded to Booth and McDonald. \,Villiam Dumford, who had lea.med his trade in England, had charge of the brick work, on which Thomas Widdop was also engaged. A man named McCook had the contract for the carpenter work, and James Baguley, a native of England, who had lived here since early in 1874 and who was known as a skillful artisan in wood, finished the interior. The building, which was one of the finest in the state at the time, still forms the main part of the courthouse, the front having been erected in 1904. James \Viddop moved to Burnt Fork, ,vhere his descendants still live. McCook took up the first ranch in Pleasant Valley, which was later owned by Henry Kaack. A brickyard between Evanston and Almy was started by a man named Hess and was bought by a competent brickmaker by the name of Pugmire. It produced an excellent qualjty of brick that ·was found to be :fireproof when the charcoal kilns made from it were torn down after more than ten years of use. They had been built by Evanston business men and were for years a source of profit. I~ is a matter of blessed memory that during their existence, when the banner of smoke was wafted over the town, we were free from the plague of mosquitoes. Those were the days when every town had its brewery, and a man by the name of Parkhurst put up a brick building for this purpose between the railroad tracks and the river, where it stood for some years before falling into disuse and ruin. A man by the name of Longpree started a brewery the other side of the river bridge, and later moved to Omaha. ~Iany years elapsed before there was another attempt in Evanston to manufacture beer, but the final gasp of the declining industry was made by the Becker -Brewing Company shortly before the passage of the eighteenth amendment in the erection of an imposing plant op­ posite upper Front Street, which is now used for a storehouse. In September, 1872, three young men by the names of Thomas Blyth, Charles Pixley and Griffith W. Edwards formed a partnership and opened a store on Main Street. Three years later Mr. Edwards withdrew to engage in business in Rock Springs, and m 1885 Mr. Pixley decided to devote his entire ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 1r3

time to his ranch interests, near Sage. Lyman Fargo, a native of New York State, became partner in the business, which, under the name of the Blyth and Fargo Company,. occupies one of the finest blocks in Evanston, and has extended to Pocatello, Park City, I(emmerer and Cokeville. 11r. Blyth, who is a native of Scotland, has met with deserved success in business, and has been one of Evanston's leading citizens. In 1874 he brought from Scotland his bride, whose maiden name was Bella Carmichael, and to this union eight children were born, five of \vhom are still living. From the unpretentious home on Center Street, where they lived till 1887, the family moved to the beautiful residence on the corner of Tenth and Sage, now the home of the youngest daughter, Mrs. A. P. Thompson, whose husband is a prominent physician. Mrs. Blyth's death in 1888 was a cause of general sorrow. In 18<)2 Mr. Blyth married Miss Fannie Anderson, sister of Mrs. Booth. Mr. and Mrs. Blyth traveled widely and their home was filled with objects of beauty from many lands and was a center of social life. Mrs. Fannie Blyth died dn 1914. Her husband spends most of his time in Los Angeles, ,vhere the eldest daughter, Kate, wife of Dr. J. T. Keith, lives, as does also the son, Charles, ,vho married Laura, daughter of C. D. Clark. Tom, the eldest son, who married Mable La­ Chappelle, is in business in ....\.berdeen, Washington. Another son, William, has also moved to the western coast. James Burdette came to Evanston in 1873, and was for six­ teen years delivery man for the Blyth & Pixley Company and its successors. Mr. and Mrs. Burdette migrated to America in 1870, bringing with them Mr. Burdette's mother and their oldest child, Alma. They were in Piedmont for three years while A{r. Burdette was watchman of the snowsheds, and was also interested in working the Carter oil well near that place. Mr. Burdette re­ signed his position with Blyth & Fargo to form a partnership with Isaac Dawson in the mercantile business. Later, he and his sons organized the Burdette Grocery, which they still own. Mr. Burdette has always been one of our well known citizens. He was elected county commissioner in 18g2, and served on the board for six yea.rs. The occasion of the golden wedding of Mr.. and Mrs. Burdette, March 8, 1918, is one to be long remembered, and five years later the fifty-fifth anniversary of their marriage 114

was appropriately celebrated. Thirteen children have been born to them, of· whom there are living two daughters, Mrs. P. G. Matthews and Lorina Burdette, and seven sons, i\lma, Ernest, James, Charles, William, Frank and Lorenzo. Wages were low in those days and the cost of living com­ paratively high. Men on ranches received from thirty to thirty­ five dollars a month and board. Clerks in the stores and book­ keepers got from seventy-five to one hundred dollars a month, railroad clerks about the same, and engineers were satisfied with the month's run if it brought them one hundred and thirty dol­ lars, while firemen and brakemen never drew more than one hun­ dred. Board without room ,vas from twenty-five to thirty dollars a month. There were no dividing social lines and the ties of friendship became almost as strong as those of kinship. During the sum­ mer months hunting was the favorite recreation, and poor was considered the marksman who returned from a few hours' ride in any direction with less than a dozen sage chickens. On holidays parties were formed and the buckboards on the homeward trip were piled high ,vith grouse and sage hens to be distributed about the town. There was a social club that got up dances, where the fair sex was generally outnumbered five to one by the men . ...'-\rrayed in the modish "Grecian bend'' and ample skirts of the early '70s, they sailed through the figures of the square dance as called off by a one-legged Irishman known as Pat Hoyt, or glided through the captivating waltzes of the day to such music as came their way. Sometimes it was a violin of a roving min­ strel who happened to be stranded in town. It was not until the coming of Arthur Sims in 1878 that the problem of dance music ,vas definitely solved. There was no instrument that failed to respond to his touch, and his appearance at a party with a con­ certina or his little portable organ, was always a signal for ap­ plause. Mr. Sims, who is known as Judge Sims from his long service as justice of the peace, lives with his wife among his flowers on the comer of Center and Fourteenth Streets. Each church had its entertainments, both musical and dra­ matic, to which the talents of all were freely tendered. Christ­ mas trees were public affairs, to which everybody brought gifts for families and friends. A censor was a necessity, for practical ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 115 jokes were sometimes indulged in, as on the occasion when C. C. Quinn, who was noted for his habit of exaggeration, unwrapped a dainty package that had deceived the watchful eye of the decorators, and revealed to the amused audience a box of con­ centrated lye. Never was a town blessed with a finer group of pioneer women than was Evanston. One name among these deserves special mention-Emma \\'ruttier, sister of the postmaster and first cousin of the Quaker poet. She organized the first temper­ ance society called the Blue Ribbon Lodge, and opened a reading room in the schoolhouse in which she was teaching. Here a little public library was started, to which many contributed. Miss Whittier married a man by the name of Caldwell, and from here they moved to Idaho. The town of Caldwell was said to be named £or him. rr6 UINTA COUNTY

CH-"-PTER THIRTEEN Chinatown To the north of the railroad tracks lay "Chinatown," a hud­ dled group of shanties built on railroad land. All kinds of ma­ terial were used in the construction and the houses resembled the work of half-grown boys more than that of men. When lumber gave out, packing boxes and building paper were substituted, and many of the roofs were 1nade of tin oil cans flattened out. Here lived a few merchants, half a dozen laundry men, and vegetable peddlers who cultivated truck gardens near the river. They irri­ gated them by means of water wheels patterned after those of their native land. On the end of each of the rough wooden spokes an open tin can was nailed, which was filled:by the flowing tide. The weight of the water made the wheel revolve, and on reaching a certain angle the contents were emptied into a wooden trough that led to the irrigating ditches running between the orderly rows of hardy vegetables. At a time when white men were too doubtful of the short summer to attempt gardening or farming, these thrifty people raised a crop that supplied the town. From a pole across his shoulder from which hung two baskets so heav.ily loaded that few white men could lift them, John Chinaman trotted through the streets with his delicious "lettucie, cabbage and ladishee", and such peas as grow only in these high altitudes. Root vegetables were in his stock, too, and his potatoes were justly famous. During the daytime most of the houses seemed deserted, but when the \vhistles of the Almy coal mines blew, Chinese miners to the number of four hundred or more came traveling into town, some walking, some riding in lumber wagons. In 188o there were less than twenty white miners in the Almy mines, but from that time on the number gradually increased, the recruits coming mainly from England, Scotland and Wales. There were Chinamen, too, working in the railroad section gangs, and they, too, made Evans­ ton their headquarters. All crowded into the shanties, many of which were opium dens and gambling houses, and among them were to be seen many sickly and yellow faces, but there was much laughter and friendliness. All wore their queues in that day, and all worshipped at the Joss House. This and the Masonic a: < uJ >- ~ uJ z uJ en uJ z :I: 0

00 i:; i: -..... >.... "": >. ~ ,.. "E. c:: ~ .....0 ;:: ~ \.

ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 117

Temple were the most imposing buildings in Chinatown. There was a two-story porch in front of the Joss House, and a flag pole on the roof. The door was flanked with carved panels and within hung many banners and richly embroidered draperies. Be­ hind the gates of carved teakwood was an elaborate altar, on which fragrant Joss sticks burned before their idol, whose placid face looked out from between deeply carved wooden panels cov­ ered with gilt. For many years this Joss House was one of three in the United States, and during the '7os and early '&)s thousands of Chinamen came to worship here on "China New Year". The date was about the tenth of February. The popping of hundreds of firecrackers would announce the coming of each trainload, and the early arrivals were stowed away in some inexplainable way until "China Big Day'' arrived. Schools were dismissed-most ,visely, for all the inhabitants of Evanston attended the celebra­ tion, and were courteously received. There was a parade led by the great dragon, a curiously constructed monster about two hundred feet long. It was made of gaudy embroidery, whlch hung down to within two feet of the ground on both sides, and revealed only the legs of the fifty or sixty men who carried the writhing reptile through the streets with its massive head sway­ ing from side to side. Games followed in the great open space be£ ore the Joss House, and the chief excitement centered around the explosion of a large rocket which sent up a wooden ball. All of the Celes­ tials watched breathlessly its course, for the lucky man who caught the ball as it fell ,vas to be keeper of the Joss Honse the coming year. So intent were they upon gaining this honor that a struggle was inevitable, and at one time several were killed in the melee. ....i\fter this, town officers were on the ground and things went more tamely. With the passing of the mass of Chinamen from Evanston and the change of the ideas of the latter generations, the Joss House lost much of its meaning. On January 26, 1922, it was burned to the ground, and its destruction was lamented only as the loss of a historic relic. Ah Say was for many years the Chinese contractor of coolie labor. He was a well-educated Chinaman and a citizen of the II8 UINTA COUNTY

United States, though he never gave up his queue. There is a story that he was the original of Bret Hart's "Heathen Chinee", and whether true or false, his character possessed much of the shrewdness of that famous Celestial. He was the one Chinaman who brought his wife here, a dainty, small-footed woman seldom seen outside his home. There were five children born here, and they were often seen on the street attended by a throng of admir­ ing coolies, at least one to a child. They made a pretty picture in their bright robes, each head surmounted by a red and green cap with a hole in the top, showing the shiny stiff hair of blue­ black. Ah Say was most hospitable, and a dinner at his house was an event long to be remembered. The table was set in the room entered from the street. At one end stood an altar with smoking censors, before which the host prostrated himself with libations of steaming tea before sitting down to eat. The fur­ nishings of the room were a strange mixture of elegance and shabbiness-wonderful embroideries and carvings against a back­ ground of grimy walls and rough furniture. Dinner favors were in vogue and sandlewood fans, embroidered shawls, silk hand­ kerchiefs, boxes of choice tea and cigars were among the gifts. Two large mercantile establishments of Evanston had Chi­ nese clerks, men of ability and undoubted honesty. Sisson, Wal­ lace & Company employed Ah Young, and he gave lectures to his countrymen on subjects dealing with their daily living. Ah You was in the employ of Blyth and Pixley. He was a fine-look­ ing, intelligent man, and the big words rolled glibly from his tongue--"superior quality", "excellent material", etc. Like all Chinamen, he ,vas capable of strong friendship, and he still keeps up a correspondence with Nlr. Blyth. In 1917 Mr. ·Blyth and his daughter, Mrs. Keith, were his guests at a magnificent ban­ quet in Hong Kong, where he occupied a position of prominence. It was an all-night entertainment, eating being interspersed with music, dancing and theatrical numbers. One of the prominent Chinamen on the western division of the Union Pacific was Sam Sling, whose life, as written by his son for the Union Pacific Magazine of July, 1922, is a veritable romance. Well born but poor in this world's goods, frail in body but of fine mental capacity, he began work on the section under a foreman known as Tim Riley. His promotions, first to the posi- ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY- 119 tion of office boy, and later to that of stock clerk and general as­ sistant to the superintendent, are a tnoute to the far-sightedness and kindness of W. B. Doddridge as well as to the ability and faithfulness of the youth. \Vhen the 0. S. L. was built he be­ came storekeeper and stationery clerk for that line, and was one of the most valued employes. _-.\.t the World's Columbian Expo­ sition in Chicago he was manager of the Chinese exluoits, but at the end of two years returned to the Union Pacific as passenger agent, with headquarters first at Chicago and later at Hong Kong, where he is one of the most progressive citizens. On the hillside east of town lay the graveyard, where yellow men were buried near their white neighbors. . ...f\. Chinese funeral was the occasion for a great procession, a mass of fluttering red papers to keep the ev,il spirits away, and roasted pigs and chickens to put on the graves for the use of the departed. But the bones of the Chinamen did not rest long in foreign soil, and a few years later all were dug up and sent across the Pacific. In 1877 a Welchman by the name of David Jones came to Evanston to ,vork and to teach among the Chinese, and to learn the language preparatory to entering the "Inland Mission", a religious movement in China. He was a Presbyterian and was assisted by that denomination in his services, though he made no demands of a financial nature and supported himself as a miner. •A. schoolroom was fitted up, and it ,vas usually crowded to its full capacity, especially on the nights when singers from the various churches met with them to teach the gospel hymns, in which the Chinamen joined with fervor. l\lr. Jones remained a year or more, and doubtless reached n1any by means of his self-sacrificing life and sincere message. He never reached China, for shortly after his departure from Evanston word was received that he had laid do"'-n his life in New Orleans, where he had gone as a volun­ teer nurse during an epidemic of cholera. Occasionally a dozen or more Chinamen would march in a body into the church, and it is to be hoped that some received a more just impression of the meaning of the service than the one who gave his description to Mrs. Charles Strong, by whom he was employed as cook on the work train. He told of their en­ trance into the sacred edifice where Mr. Arnold was "big boss", ho,v the people gathered round the stoves near the door and I.20 UINTA COUNTY

shook hands with each other and with them, and then seated themselves and joined in singing, "evelybody velly happy". He considered the prayer as a break in the joyful occasion, saying that the pastor swore, and the ladies bowed their heads and wept. He thought this moved the leader to regret, for again they sang, lfr. Arnold '"talk velly kind", and after more singing they went happily to their homes. But these picturesque scenes were soon to end, for there came a day in the fall of 1885, when Chinamen huddled together in frightened groups and white men listened with horror to the story of the Rock Springs massacre. A few agitators of the Molly McQuire type, then common in the coal fields of Pennsyl­ vania, had attacked the miners at that place, and the scenes rivaled those of the ·Coeur d'Alene riots. Defenceless Chinamen were driven from their homes and hunted to death in the hills, and some were burned in their huts. The survivors were brought to Evanston and troops from Fort Bridger under Captain Green and Lieutenant Carr, were sent here for their protection. Bar­ racks were constructed near the freight house and for a time the town had a military air. Finally, a del~oation of six miners was sent to con£ er with Governor Warren, who had come to look into the situation. They were Leban Heward, John Haldane, John Shaw, William Reese, Samuel Young and Hezek,iah Turner, men who owned their own homes, and so thoroughly did they impress the governor with their loyalty to their adopted land and their law-abiding spirit that the original plan was changed. The Chinese miners were moved to Rock Springs and Almy became a white man's camp. In the ensuing trial at Washington it came to light that not one of the leaders in this horrible tragedy, the foulest blot on the fair name of Wyoming, ,vas an American citizen, either by birth or naturalization, and some had not even taken out their first papers. Gradually race prejudice, that cruel offspring of the selfish and narro,v mind, has been conquered by a more just and wider understanding, and we see today our Chinese inhabitants in their true light. Honesty is one of their outstanding virtues, and is found in the vegetable peddler, who is still a welcome visitor at our back doors, as well as in hotel and restaurant proprietors. UPPER PORTION OF ALTAR, JOSS HOUSE Photograph by Katherine Drew.

ITS PL_.\CE IN HISTORY I2I

CH_l\PTER FOURTEEN Almy

During the years w~en Evanston was developing from a rail­ road grading camp into one of the permanent towns of the new Territory of Wyoming, there was springing up at her v_ery gates a busy mining town the influence of which was destined to endure long after its decline. It was the coal camp called _,\Jmy. There are in the ,vest few prettier sites than this once thriving camp on Bear River, and few that present such easy ac­ cess to the hidden wealth. The engineer pierced the hillside with gently sloping tracks that led to veins averaging twenty feet in "ridth. But let it not be understood that this school of mines fur­ nished an easy course of instruction. On the other hand, fire, water. explosive dust, firedan1p-in short, all of the enemies that n1ake mining dangerous and hard-were found here as in no other camp in the Rockies. and the man ,vho success£ ully passed his schooling at ...--\ln1y was fitted to cope with almost any condi­ tions that might arise in the bituminous fields. It ,vould be interesting from an industrial standpoint to be able to give the amount of coal that has been taken out of ...i\.lmy's n1ines, but statistics for the period of their existence, covering n1ore than fifty-five years, are not available. Some idea may be gained f ron1 such reports as that contained in the first collection of the Historical Society of the Territory of Wyoming, that states that in December, 1881, the Rock"Y 1Ionntain Coal and Iron Company shipped sixteen thousand six hundred ninety-four tons, and the lJnion Pacific Company seven thousand seven hundred tJ1irty-four.1 There ,vere nearly six hundred men working in the mines at that time. \¾'bile there was a slight variation between sun1mer arid ·winter output~ yet the greatest demands, those of the lT nion Pacific and Central Pacific roads, were constant. The presence of coal in the Interior Basin was known to the early trappers. In a map published by Stansbury following his explorations of 1852 the term "Great Coal Basin" designates the region between :Bear &i ver, near the present site of Evanston and Point of Rocks in S,veeh,rater County. This embraces the coal lands of southern Uinta County.2 During the following

1 F. L. Arnold. •'Uinta Countv." Wyolhing Historical Collection, Vol 1. :! Yeaiche's Go~ernment Report. I22 UINTA. COUNTY

t\venty-five years the government sent out several surveying ex­ peditions, of which the King party ·was the most comprehensive though not the most accurate. From 186:) to 1872 they surveyed a tract one hundred miles in width along the line of the Union Pacific, but, according to Veatch, their maps added but little to what was already known. In 1870 the Hayden Expedition began its extensive survey. Dr. \,'. F. Hayden, the painstaking and scholarly leader, had its headquarters for several months at Fort Bridger, and from there sent out his specialists. One of these named James T. Hodge, with his party spent several ,veeks in and about Evanston study­ ing the coal fields.. His reports roused much interest. In the summer of 1868 two men named Mears and Shaffer were sent by J\1ajor Laurence, a member· of the Union Pacific Engineering ·Corps, to prospect for coal in western Wyom,ing. They located adjoining claims about three miles north of Evans­ ton. Mears' claim ran north to the face of the hill and that of Shaffer south. In .A.ugust Shaffer sold his interest to Laurence, who formed a partnership ,vith l\.:lears and three others, Milton Orr and John and Joseph Noonan, under the name of the Bear River Coal 1Company. The first coal was taken out in September, 1868, from ,vhat was known as No. 2 mine. Early in 1869 the Bear River Coal Company consolidated ,vith the Rocky Mountain Coal Company, which was already operating a mine at Separation, Carbon County. A man named Henry Simmons \ was made president and had his headquarters at Almy. James I T. Almy, from whom the camp was named, was his clerk. In January, 1870, the company was reincorporated unde~ the name of the Rocky :NI ountain Coal & Iron Company. The first direc­ tors were the capitalists C. A. Henry, Fox Diefendorf and Jona­ than A. Wilde. Charles T. Duell, a young man from the state of New York, was made superintendent. The debts of the old company, amounting to $70,000, were paid off, and a wye was built from the main road, about a mile west of Evanston. to the mine. The company secured a small contract to furnish coal for the Union Pacific, but this did not last long. In June of the same year l\'.Ir. Diefendorf went to San Francisco and sold the controlling interest of the company to Clark Crocker and David C. Colton, both heavy stockholders in the Central Pacific. ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 123

Through their influence a contract was made to furnish coal for that road, and this held good until 1goo, \vhen a new management came in that gave the contract to the Pleasant Valley Coal Com­ pany of Utah. David E. Colton was president of the Rocky Mountain Coal and Iron Con1pany until his death in 1878, when Clark Crocker succeeded him. Later, his brother, George Crocker, became president. s In February, 187-1, Newell Beeman, a boyhood friend of Charles Duell, came out to Almy as bookkeeper for the company. Mr. Beeman, fresh from Ne,v York City and wearing the con­ ventional silk hat, has most humorously described his coming to the rough tent town of Evanston, the ride across the frozen fields with Sam Blackham, the arrival at the mine and his reception by his old comrade, whose first act of friendliness was to seize the "stovepipe hat", place it on the gatepost and shoot it full of holes with the explanation that that was the only use they had for such articles in Wyoming. Mr. Beeman found the prospects anything but alluring, but determined to give it a trial of six months. At the end of that time he went south and ,vas about to open a store in \Vichita, Kansas, when a telegram from David E. Colton offered him the superintendency of the mines at .Almy. Charles Duell had died of cholera on a trip East, and although his life in \.Vyoming covered a period of a little less than t\vo years, his fame still lives because of his power of making friends and his originality. Mr. Beeman was superintendent from the time of his return in 1873 until 188o, when .A. E. Bradbury suc­ ceeded him and was made manager. l\Ir. Beeman now lives in Salt Lake City. 1Ir. Bradbury was a native of \7ermont State, ,vho, at the age of seventeen, went to the Pacific Coast, via Cape Horn. and arrived in San Francisco in 1859. _,i\f ter spending some time in that vicinity he went to Portland, and there made the acquaint­ ance of the Huntley brothers, who were proprietors of one of the big stage lines. Mr. Bradbury entered ,their employ as stage driver, and after some time spent in Montana he was made super­ intendent of the line running from Bryan, on the lJnion Pacific road, north to South Pass, Atlantic City and Camp Stambaugh.

3 The author is indebted for many of the facts concerning the early history of Almy to a paper written by J. H. Martin for the Historical Department of the University of Wyoming. It is entitled, "A Short History of the Almy, Wyoming Coal Mines." - ., ,f t -"'T UINT:\ COUNTY

It was at South Pass that he met i1iss Roella Kidder, who be­ came his wife. In 1876 they moved to Evanston, and from that vear- the f amilv. has been identified with the interests of Uinta County. -'\.fter the closing of the Rocky Mountain mines at _\.lmy they moved to Evanston, where they erected the home on Summit Street now occupied by the son, 0. _E. Bradbury. Two older sons are living, Silas H. of Long Beach, California, and Valo, who lives in New York. In 1868 a mining man by the name of Thomas Wardell opened a mine about a mile east of the Bear River mine on ground purchased from Shaffer. Laurence claimed this land, trouble arose that resulted in the use of firearms, but there were no fatalities. \Vardell was dispossessed of the property, but in the early spring of 1869 he began ,vork on a new mine a short distance to the south for the Wyoming Coal and Mining Com­ pany, that had just been organized. This mine was known as No. 1.• With Wardell ,vas associated a young man called Patrick J. Quealy, ,vhose life story belongs to the history of the Kem- . n1erer mines. The first superintendent of the Bear River Coal Company was William Hinton. Ile had been connected with the Carbon County mines from the date of their opening, which was about the same tin1e as that of the ...t\.lmy mines. Mr. Hinton was a native of Kentucky, ·who had gone to California with the gold rush and drifted back as far as Wyoming. He remained in Almy until 18i5 ,vhen he was elected sheriff of Uinta County and moved to Evanston. In 1876 he was territorial delegate to the Republican National Convention. For thirty years he practiced law in Evanston, and held the offices of county attorney and assessor. His last years were spent in Hanibal, Missouri, where his only son, Jrunes Hinton, lived. A grandson, William Hinton, makes his home in Douglas, Wyoming. In 1875 the Union Pacific Railroad Company ca.me into pos­ session of the property of the Wyoming Coal and Mining Com­ pany, and a man known as N. W. Surat was made superintendent at ...t\.lmy. He remained only one year, a year full of such prob­ lems as were common in the mining world. Fire broke out in No. 1, and contrary to the advice of his foreman, water was

"' J. H. Martin. ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 12c...

turned in, resulting in the closing of the mine soon after. Labo:­ troubles confronted him, too, as can be seen from the penciled note preserved by his foreman, ,vhich reads as follo,vs: ~~Y Jan'y 25 James Bowns, All of the men are out without previous notice to me. I protest against this as a great wrong to me and a direct violation of your committee's agreen1ent not to stop work without first stating their grievance. You have no moral right to damage me thus seriously for something hundreds of miles away which I have nothing to do with, and I ask you to order the immediate resumption of work. i\nswer. lVL \V. Surat. No. 4 was opened by the Union Pacific Company in 1875~ and the next spring .A.dolphus Eurgens, ,vho had been train dispatcher at Laramie, was given the superintendency of the mines at Almy. ?vir. Eurgens, in 1875, married lvfinnie A.mold! daughter of Rev. F. L. Arnold of Evanston. Their first home was the upper story of the store built near the old \Vyoming mine. They moved later to a house put up for the superintendent on the hillside near the entrance of No. 4, ..which they occu­ pied until 18&), when 1Ir. Eurgens ,vas n1ade superintendent of the mines at Louisville, Colorado. It was in the new home that l\,f rs. Eurgens died in 1882, and the passage of forty years has not dimmed the strength of her character in the minds of all ~vho knew her, especially of the children whom she impressed "'ith her love of the beautiful in the inner as well as the outward life. lvir. Eurgens served the road in various capacities in Wyo­ ming and Utah, and died in Salt Lake in 1go8. Their only child~ Elizabeth, wife of H. N. Tolles, lives in Chicago, and is the mother of two sons. Reuben Fowkes '"·as n1ade foreman under Surat. He was a native of England and came to this country with his wife, whose maiden name was ~Iary Bacon, in 1870. After two years spent in Coalville, Utah, they moved to Almy. During the superin­ tendency of Mr. Eurgens, :Wlr. Fowkes was in charge of the un­ derground work, and held the position for many years. It is interesting to note that the Fowkes name, aside from being per­ petuated among us in the line of their descendants, who are among our foremost citizens, has been given a lasting place in UINT_.\ COUNTY

the geological history of the country in the "Fowkes formation" that comes to the surface on the ranch about six miles below .-:\.lmy, taken up by Reuben Fowkes in 187,4. This ranch is now O\vned by the son, Charles R. \ V. F o,vkes, who is clerk of the present Bear River Coal Company. He makes his home in Evans­ ton, as do three of the daughters! ~Irs. Seth Thomas, ~Irs. W. J. Starkey and Mrs. Harry Harris. Seven other children still live in the mountain states. John Graff, an employe of the Union Pacific at Evanston, was made superintendent after Mr. Eurgens. He was succeeded by a man nan1ed E. P. Epperson. In 1886 \V. T. Ramsay, an eastet n man. was made superintendent, and he remained until 1&)2, when James Bowns came into the management of the Union Pacific mines. Mr. Bowns came from England in 1871, had worked for a tin1e as a miner, and in 1885 was .made fore­ man at No. 3. In 1887 he was trans£ erred to the same position at No. 4, and in I 8&) was n1ade superintendent at No. 7, the last mine to be opened in Almy by this company. He held this posi­ tion until the closing of the mines in 1900. He still lives in i\lmy, where he has a fine ranch. He is known throughout the country as Bishop Bowns, from the position held in the ~\-Iormon Church, in which he .is a leading worker. He has served twice as justice of the peace of his precinct. One of his sons, W. H. Bowns, is fire boss at the Bear River mine, and another is cheif electrician at Castle Gate, Utah. Among the first miners at Almy were the three Johnson brothers and Joseph Fi£ e. Accompanied by their wives they sailed from Scotland, their native land, in early manhood, and settled for a time in Pennsylvania. In 1862 they traveled to­ gether across the plains to Utah, and on the opening of the mines at Almy, moved there. David Johnson was the first foreman at the Old Wyoming. Thomas Johnson was one of the most promi­ nent men in the settlement, and the home, under the motherly care of his wife, was a favorite gathering place, especially for those of their own nationality. 11rs. Johnson makes her home in Evanston with her daughter Elizabeth, Mrs. L. E. Smith. There are eight children in a._11, who are well known in the state. In 1872 Joseph Fi£ e opened a mine that was known by his name, and he was later employed by the Union Pacific. Houses ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 127

,vere scarce in the early '7os, and they had to take temporary sheiter in rooms ~,cavated in the sides of the hill, known as ·'dugouts". .t\.fter a short tin1e the company put up frame dwell­ ings. From a distance they looked as much alike as a flock of sheep, but the interiors revealed the character of the owners, and there ,vere many pleasant homes. The Roclq· :\fountain Company ,vas the first to employ Chinan1en, and brought in about seven hundred. After a strike of \vhite miners in 1874 the Union Pacific depended largely upon their labor, and at one time there were as many as twelve hun­ dred en1ployed by the two companies.:. A£ ter the massacre at Rock Springs in 1885 white men only were employed at Almy. Each of the two big mining companies had its store. That of the Union Pacific mines was situated near the Old Wyoming. It was made of brick and stood there for many years after the abandonment of the adjoining mines, and when torn down in 18g8 the bricks, which ,vere of excellent quality, were used in the construction of the Golden Rule Store at Evanston. A man named Slater ,vas in charge of the Union Pacific store that was put up near No. 2, and afterward moved to a large building between No. 4 and No. 5. James Eakin, w·ho ,vas for many years manager, moved, at the closing of the mines, to Salt Lake City, where his sons were in busi­ ness, and he died there in 1909. Oscar Lud,vig was book­ keeper for the store and mine from 1876 to 1887. The family lived in a large frame d,velling a short distance below the first store, and their hon1e was a favorite gathering place for the young of both .Almy and Evanston. There were three daughters and one son. :?\Ir. Ludwig died in 1923 at the home of his daughter May, in Kansas City, Kansas. 1\1any were the tragedies of the Almy mines. In March, 1881, twenty-nine lives were lost in an explosion at No. 2. Twenty of them were Chinamen, whose names have not been preserved. The white men were John Barton, William Glaspy and Silas Crosby, father of Thomas Crosby, who, through many hardships, has made for himself a place among our substantial men, and is foreman of the railroad shops at Evanston. A miner named Charles Beveridge had a miraculous escape. Seeing the

5 Wyoming Historical Collectio~ VoL 1. UINTA COUNTY flames coming through the trapdoor of his slope he threw him­ self into a depression between the tracks. His hands and feet were terribly burned, but in spite of being crippled he lived a long and useful life, and was postmaster in a little store he set up in _,\.lmy until 1904, when he was claimed by death. There were seven children in the Beveridge family, four of whom are living. William Beveridge taught in _,\lmy for some years and now makes his home in Ogden, as do two of the daughters, and another lives in Salt Lake City. One of the daughters became the wife of R. W. Fo,vkes and was well known in Evanston. She died in November, 1920, and is survived by her husband, three sons and a daughter. Shortly before midnight of January 12, 1886, there was an explosion that shook the earth for miles around and resulted in the death of eleven men. 1'hey were John Cummock, vVilliam Horsley, Frank Mason, Enoch Thomas, Robert l\1urdock, John H. Hood, Joseph Evans, John Peat, Ellis Gradman, John Hunter and two boys nan1ed Horn and Peterson. Work was resumed at the mine, but two years later it was closed on account of fire." Most disastrous of all .Almy explosions was that of l\1arch 20th, 1895, when, at No. 5, sixty men who \\i·ere just about to come to the surface for the evening meal ,vere suddenly ushered into eternity. The victims were James B. Bruce, 0. Maltby, vV. E. Cox, James \V. Clark, William Sellers, Jr., Jerry Cra,vford, James Limb, Fred l\Iorgan, Samuel Clay, vV. H. Grieves, \Villard Bro,vn, John G. Lock, George Hydes, David W. Laurie, Jr., vVm. 11orris, John Clark, James T. Clark, Wm. Longdon, lviarshall Longdon, John lviorris, David Lloyd, John G. ~Iartin, George Crichley, Geor~e_Hardy, 1'Iatthew Johnson, H. A. Hyborn, \-Vm. Pope, John \i\'llkes, Charles Casola, Gus Casola, vVm. Weedup, James Hutchenson, Samuel Hutchenson. Thomas Hutchenson, Wm. Sellers, Hugh Sloan, Wm. Graham. Jr., Henry Scotthern, Albert Clark, John Phebes, \Vm. Mason, Andrew 1\fason, John Lester, Wm. Wagstaff, Chas. Clark, Joseph Hyden, John Lethu, l\Iatt Silta, Walter Miller, Thomas Booth~ Benjamin Coles, Samuel Bates, John Dexter, Henry Burton~ Sam­ uel Holston, John Iapar, Angel Dermodi, John Fern~ Baptiste Julian, Aaron Butte, Isaac J ohnson.r

$ Bishop Brown's Diary. 7 News-Register, March 23, 1896. ITS PL_,\.CE IN HISTORY

Seven on ·the outside were killed by flying timber. Death came instantaneously to James Bruce, the mine foreman, and 0. Maltby, superintendent of motive power, died about two hours after being found. Those within the mine were killed instantly. The bodies were all rescued through the heroic efforts of rescue parties. The disaster occurred on Wednesday, and on the fol­ lowing Sunday interment services were held by ministers of the various denominations. Thirty-two were buried from the Mor­ mon Church, and the others from the chapels to which they belonged. Many lives were lost in accidents. Henry Cummock died from a broken back caused by a slide of rock. His widow be­ came the wife of Martin Christenson of Evanston. Harry Cum­ mock, her son, is instructor -in mechanics in a Los Angeles school, where he is eminently successful. The daughter Anna married Charles Stahley, a successful sheep man of Evanston. In 1873 the Mormon ·Church at Almy was organized under the Bear Lake Stake, with James Bowns as bishop. In 1878 it was transferred to the Summit Stake, and later to the Wood­ ruff. . l\1eetings were held in various halls until the erection of the meeting house in 1873. It is a well-built edifice and stands near Number Four mine. Among the prominent workers of the early day were James Hood, who was an accomplished musician, and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Dean, whose children received the best education available and have won for themselves places of honor in professional circles in Utah and Idaho. Three miners, George Griffin, La.hen Heward and Samuel Young, were instrumental in organizing the liethodist Church, and in 1887 a building was put up and dedicated, in which Mr. Heward preached the first sermon. Here he, with the help of other laymen and of a local preacher named John Reonalds, held services for several years. T-he first regular minister was Rev. 0. L. Ramsay, and he was followed by a man named Long. Dr. C. F. Gamble, the mine physician, and his wife _were active workers in the church, where she was for many years the organist. Mine Superintendent Ramsay started an Episcopal Sunday School in 1888 that met first in a dwelling house near their home and later in the ·schoolhouse at Number Four. 130 UINTA COUNTY

From the very early days Almy had its drama.tic club that rendered the popular plays of the day, such as ":East Lynn" and "The Hidden Hand". Among the stars were Jernima and Thomas Russell, Thomas Cutler and Richard Daniels, father of a son by the same name, who has been nicknamed "Pinkie Daniels" and is said to be the ''freckledest kid in the movies". The plays were at first given in the schoolhouse and later in the Temple of Honor Hall. From the time of its erection, in 1888, this building, located west of Number Four on the county road, was the center of much social life of the camp, taking the place, to a large extent, of the saloon which it was combatting. The lodge was an offshoot of the Evanston organization, and was started by Dr. Hocker of Evanston and other workers. David l\1iller, William Anderson, Edward Blacker, John Salmon and the Faddis brothers were among the leaders of the Almy lodge, in which there ,vere forty or more members. Most of these moved to the Lincoln County mines at a later date. The first public school was held in a frame building near the Rocky 1'Iountain store, and A. H. Parsons was the teacher. The grave of his wife, who was greatly loved, may be seen in the Evanston cemetery. Soon after her death, in 188o, Mr. Parsons left for the East. Among the early teachers was Miss Lizzie Ball, who, with her brothers, came from Coalville. The men took up land near Castle Rock, Utah, and their descendants hold ex­ tensive interests there and down the river. The son, Thomas Ball, married Amy 1"'umer, a member of another old Almy fam­ ily, and makes his home in Evanston for the sake of the educa­ tional advantages for their five children. Other teachers of the early days were Hugh Morgan, William Peterson, V-1. C. Moss and R L. Fishburn. In 1888 Mr. Fishburn moved to Brigham City, Utah, where he now is a leader in the business and political life. The years of activity in the Almy mines were a period of great labor agitation throughout our land. It was the time of the beginning of the mighty influ...""< of foreign labor, and conditions in the industrial world were in a state of chaos. Thanks to the leaders in Almy, these mines escaped the horrors that occurred in other mining camps. Strikes, to be sure, were common, some ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 131 of them serious in their effects, but riots were effectually suppressed. Industrially the mines have meant much to U'mta County, but their richest legacy is the men and women they have given us. Explain it as you will, the miner is a thinker. In the dark­ ness and solitude of the mines thoughts come to him, big thoughts dealing with his daily life and eternity. When he gathers with his comrades at the noon hour for the lunch that has been prepared for him at his home or at his boarding house in the morning, these thoughts find words, and new angles of vision are given by his companions to be taken back and turned over in his mind undisturbed by the petty sights and sounds of the outside world. They lend their own color to the rays of the setting sun when he emerges from his weary toil, and the evening song of the meadow lark and the laughter of his children have a meaning in his soul all its own. If he is a Slovak or an Austrian, accus­ tomed to taking his problems to a higher authority, it is probable that the priest or the labor leader will influence his actions, but not so with the Englishman, the Scotchman and the Welshman, who, under normal conditions, thinks out his own line of conduct. He may become an agitator, but he is apt to be a leader in some line. The magazines read and discussed by the Knights of Labor in the first reading room opened in Almy were the North Ameri­ can Review, the Forum and the Arena. It can scarcely be a mat­ ter of surprise to find men who devote their hours of recreation to such literature leaving a lasting impress on the world. Among those who remain among us are Laban Heward, eloquent in the pulpit and a worthy representative of his district in the state legislature; President Brown of the Mormon Church. who started Ii£ e in his adopted land as a blacksmith at Number Three, and whose story is part of the history of Evanston; Abraham Crawford, who served Uinta County for two years as prosecut­ ing attorney and now practices law in Evanston. 11:r. Crawf~rd has two sons living in Evanston, WiUiam and Abraham, ·and a daughter, Mrs. Ralph Giles. Another daughter, Mrs. A J. Piers, lives in Elko, Nevada. To the mining world this camp gave, besides those already mentioned, Thomas Sneddon, for twenty years superintendent 132 UINTA COUNTY

of the mines at Diamondville, John M. Faddis, superintendent of the Cumberland mines, and many others. Other prominent residents of Almy were George M. Griffin, who represented his district in the first legislature of the state, and _..\.lmy Peterson, J. L. Russell, and Jonathon Jones, who were instrumental in securing the passage of the eight-hour labor law in vVyoming, of which Russell was the father. Another who did much for the cause of labor in the state is Matthew Morrow, a Scotchman, who came to Almy in 1885 and who is spending his declining years [n Evanston. One of the sons, \Villiam, served in the Spanish-American War and con­ tracted fever, resulting in his death soon after his return. Two daughters married into the Coles family and are living on ranches, as does also the son Alex. Other sons are prominent in the communities in ,vhich they live. John has for many years been band leader in Evanston. Joseph Bird came to Almy in the early eighties. He is a leading business man of Evanston, and has been interested for many years in the hotels. There are nine children in the family. The son Joseph is conducting the Evanston Hotel, and Thomas the Marx Hotel. A daughter named Bretna married John 1'1or­ row, Jr., grandson of Matthew Morrow. Another native of Scotland was David Miller, who brought his wife and five sons to America in 18&>, and after a short time spent at Grass Creek, Utah, moved to Almy. Daniel, the eldest son, had three girls and three boys, who have been residents of Evanston for many years. Tom Miller is bookkeeper in the Blyth and Fargo store, and Daniel is now in Seattle. Of the daughters, Agnes and Elizabeth, the latter is best known because of her long service as clerk in the posto:ffi.ce, which dates from the year 1909. Robert l\tiiller, son of David Miller, Sr., moved to Kemmerer and twice represented his district in the state senate. In 1goo he was elected clerk of the court for Uinta County and served two terms. His brother was also a leading citizen of Kemmerer after some years spent in Almy. One of the early settlers in Almy was William Crompton, who came from Lancastershire, England, in 1868, and crossed the mountains with an ox team. He assisted in the construction of the railroad, and in 1870 moved to Almy, where he and his ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 133

sons took up land bordering the river. They developed a fine ranch that was devoted chiefly to dairy products, and is known as Crompton's View. Roy and Lester Crompton, sons of Squire Crompton, who died in 1~4, make their home here. William Crompton passed away in Ogden in 1904- His son Walter lives in Evanston and is actively associated with the Stockgrowers Bank. He married Elizabeth, daughter of David Miller, and to this union three children have been born, Laura, who became the wife of Everett Knight of Laramie, and Helen and "\,Valter. There lives in Evanston John Stacey and wife, whose Ii£ e story is another link to that of Almy, where Mr. Stacey served as postmaster for eight years and was also justice of the peace and director on the school board. Of the thirteen children born to them, eight are living. James Stacey is employed in the Palace Meat Market in Evanston. Two sons enlisted in the World War, Fred, who went to France and returned in safety, and Albert, who died of influenza at Camp Lewis. Joseph and Charles are employed by the Bear River ·Coal Company at Almy, and Fred lives in Woodruff. The Heward family is well known. Mary, the eldest daugh­ ter, married John Scott, son of an Almy miner. After some years spent in Kemmerer in the meat business, he moved his family to Salt Lake. The three daughters have been fitted for life with the best educational advantages. Arthur Heward mar­ ried Susan, daughter of Samuel Thomas, and they are the par­ ents of six children. They make their home at the Crompton View Ranch. Harold Heward is also engaged in ranching on Bear River, and they live in Evanston the greater part of the year because of educational advantages for their six cluldren. His wife is a member of the Sims family. Ernest Heward is proprietor of the Heward Meat Market. He married Sarah J. Williams and they have an infant son. Some of the foremost of the Almy settlers came from Wales. John Sims and his wife, Mary Phillips Sims, crossed the plains with a party of emigrants to Utah in 1865 and located at American Fork. In the early '7os he came to Almy as a miner. Mr. Sims was one of the first to· take up land and soon had a good herd of cattle on the ranch now occupied by the only sur- 134 UINT.t\ COUNTY

viving son, John Sims. Mr. Sims was three times elected county commissioner, and served for many years on the school board. Seth Thomas, who came to Almy in 1882, was for some time foreman at No. 4. The family resides in Evanston and are among our valued citizens. Of another Welsh family of the same name though not related were the brothers Windon and Samuel Thomas. The former lost his life in an accident at Schofield, Utah. Samuel Thomas took up a ranch south of Bear River bridge at Almy and later moved to Evanston. Henry married Amy Turner of a neighboring family, and they lived on the Almy road. A daugh­ ter, Mrs. M. L. Laslie, lives in Denver; Elizabeth, Mrs. Clarence Swart, with her husband and five children, lives in Sparks, Nevada. \Vales also sent to this camp a miner named Gomer Thomas, who has been eminently success£ ul, and now holds the position of state coal mine inspector of Utah. This position had been held also by another Almy miner, John Crawford, brother to Abraham Crawford. Enoch Danks, another native of Wales, left a son named David, who married a daughter of Enoch Turner and lives in Evanston. Tom Danks married Lena Evans. Her father ,vas for many years stage driver between Woodruff and Evanston. From the year 1873 to the time of his death in 18g8, Ben­ jamin Johnson was employed by the Union Pacific, first on the Rocky Mountain Division and later as section foreman at Almy. The family moved to Evanston, where still live the son Newell and two daughters, Mrs. Carrie Dye and Mrs. Gertrude :rvioffi.t. Another son, Edward, is station agent at the Aspen tunnel and Charles lives in Los Angeles. After the explosion of 1884 there were significant changes at Almy. Many of the old families, the Harris, Barkers, Phippes, Bates, Titmus, Bells, Banks, Jonathon Jones and others took up land on ·upper Bear River, and in their places came laborers from Finland. They were less easily assimilated into the life of the nation, but were, as a whole, a good class of people, neat in their homes and devoted to their children. A Lutheran Church was built near No. 7, and they had their own temperance society. Some Ita1ians and Austrians came also, but soon drifted to other ITS PL.. -\.CE IN HISTORY 135 camps. The Methodist Church was taken over by the Roman Catholics. Unlike the usual deserted mining camp, Almy is not an un­ sightly scar on the landscape, for beginning with the beautiful ranch of Crompton's View, pleasant homes and waving fields of grain succeed one another the length of the valley. After cross­ ing the tracks ,ve come to the ranch of the Sims brothers, and then to the extensive fields of Jack Mills. The old Heward and Thomas ranches, west of the river, are now part of the Chesney property. .,\lvin Thompson owns the old Saxon place. Enoch Turner still holds the place taken up by his father across the bridge. Farther down is the well-kept property of Harold Heward, f onnerly owned by John Sims. Joe Brown, Rob­ ert Faddis and George Sessons, all former miners, have ex­ cellent ranches bordering on the river. Almost opposite the Mormon Church lives Bishop Baxter on a place formerly owned by a man named Neville. John Stacey and Lyman Bro,vn have fine ranches farther down. Opposite No. 7, on another good ranch, lives John Salamela, a native of Finland, who remained in the valley when most of his countrymen sought other fields. l\Iarshall Bruce, son of J arnes Bruce, cultivates a good ranch below the bridge. It is with a feeling of pride that we think of these and other survivals of the settlement at Almy. While history necessarily deals with the names of men, too n1uch cannot be said for the ,vomen who bore a part no less important in the development of the west. An example comes to mind of a mother who, with her six little ones, followed her husband from a suburb of the city of Glasgow across the sea and plains to the crude mining camp on Bear River, and endured with fortitude and Christian courage the privations of the ne,v land that their children might enter upon the true heritage of American citizens. If we ask the question, ·was it worth while? we have only to look at the communities in which their sons and daughters are leaders, and where others less fortunate who received of the motherly care in the little home in Almy, all rise to call her blessed. A company kno,vn as the Bear River Coal Company is now working a mine on land leased from the Union Pacific, a short distance east of the Old \Vyoming. The officers are J. H. Mar- 136 UINT'-.\ COUNTY tin, superintendent ; George E. Pexton, president; 0. E. Brad­ bury, treasurer; D. W. \Varren, secretary; R. W. Fowkes, clerk. From sixty to a hundred men are employed, and the output goes far toward supplying the local demand. Thomas Martin brought his family from Scotland to Almy in the year 1881. His last years were spent in the home of his daughter, l\Irs. Dan Coughlin of Evanston, where he died in 1924- _.i\nother daughter, l\.Irs. James O'Keefe, lives in Ogden. John H. Martin, the only surviving son, married the daughter of William Fearn. Their home is the residence put up by George Goodman on Summit Street. The eldest daughter, Ethel, was married to Glen Eastman, a member of another Almy family, and he holds a responsible position with the Bear River Coal Com­ pany. There are two younger children in the family, Earl and Isabel, who are attending the University of Utah. There are among mining men some experts who believe that there will be a revival of the mining industry at _-'\!my. They affirm that the best coal, lying below the veins that have been worked, remains untouched and that with modern methods it can be mined in aln1ost inexhaustable quantities. This is to be de­ voutly hoped, but whatever the future of Almy, we have reason for gratitude for its useful and honorable past. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 137

CHAPTER FIFTEEN Evanston-Continued

On July 8, 1871, a school was opened above a saloon in the block between Seventh and Eighth on Front Street. The school room was approached by mea.11s of an outside wooden staircase, and aside from the blackboard a small table and some common chairs, was destitute of equipment. Attraction, however, was not lacking, for Miss Cina Hopkins, sister to Mrs. Crocker, was the first teacher. There were eight pupils, among whom were the Gingel children. Miss Hopkins resigned at the end of a few months to become the wife of John Conlisk, a well-known con­ ductor on the Union Pacific road, and they made their home in Ogden for some years, later moving to Los Angeles where Mr. ConHsk died. His widow and two sons survive him. The next teacher was Miss Whittier, and she was followed by a Miss Holmes. The building in which the school had been held was destroyed by fire, and for a time the Presbyterian Church opened its doors to the cause of education. Miss Holmes was the niece of the presiding elder of the Methodist Church, Rev. Mr. Pierce, and he timed her arrival so that he might meet her on a Sunday when he was preaching in Evanston. The news spread that the town was to be favored by the presence of an­ other lady and an eligible one, and all of the unmarried men, dressed in their best, were found loitering about the plat£ orm waiting for the coming of the train. As usual, it ·was late, and all of the blood in their bodies seemed to have reached their faces to be held there by the unaccustomed stiff collars, but they bore the martyrdom patiently until Mr. Pierce appeared, and taking in the situaton, stepped up to them with the words, "Gentlemen, you are no doubt looking for a young and giddy schoolrna'am to get off here. I think you will be very much disappointed." Still hoping against hope, they remained at their post, but all illusion vanished when, half an hour later, a plain, near-sighted maiden lady stepped down, and she was allowed to make her ,vay to the hospitable home of ,A. V. Quinn with no other attendant than her frank relative. Miss Holmes was followed by Miss Brundige, a niece of Ed Linsley, and she by Miss Sally Pepperly, who became the wife UINTA. COUNTY of \V. H. Remington. l\'Irs. Tooley, wife of the hardware mer­ chant, also taught for a time in the church and some years later in the schoolhouse that was completed during the summer of 1873. The building still stands opposite the courthouse on Cen­ ter _Street, and with some tasteful additions made by J. G. Fiero, who bought it, has since 1887, been the home of the William J. Cashin family. As a schoolhouse, it consisted of two rooms, in which a lady named Miss Brooks was principal and Miss Clara Bisbing assistant. 11:iss Brooks married Russell Thorp and con­ tinued teaching until 1876. Their home was what is now the Presbyterian manse. From here they went to the ea.stem part of the state and 1Ir. Thorp gained fame on the Boseman Trail, where he was engaged in freighting. Another teacher was James Hoy, who took up land in Pleas­ ant Valley that is now part of the Painter ranch. In 1877 Miss Lou Houston, a niece of General Houston of Texas, became teacher. She was married the next year to Thomas Langtree. A very successful private school was conducted about this time in the Methodist -Church by a man named S. J. Griffin, who is now engaged in business in Ogden. . ' Following Miss Houston we find the names of Professor Stevens and H. L. Griffin. From 1883 to 1888 the school was under the supervision of E. S. Hallock, a trained educator from the state of New York. Professor Hallock left Evanston for Salt Lake and was for nearly thirty years principal of schools there. The Evanston schools had outgrown the little building before his arrival and had overflowed into vacant rooms in dif­ ferent parts of the town. In 1885 it was moved into the first building to be erected on the. high school lot, and a well-graded school of seven rooms was established, which was the beginning of our splendid school system. Professor IIallock was followed by E. J. Stevenson, and he by J. C. Hamm, 1=1I1der whom the first class ,vas graduated. It consisted of Clara Dickey, Anna Mor­ ganson, Ida Carrick, Ethel Demsey, Lulu Winslow, Robert Hocker and John Lauder. Professor Stevenson was succeeded by J. ·B. Logue, ·who was here for only one year. In 1893 Miss Frances B. Birkhead, who had held the position of high school principal, was made superintendent. She became the wife C\f ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 139

Judge Beard, and is now state historian, with an office in the cap­ itol building at Cheyenne. Two educators from the state of Kansas, C. M. Perdue and J. I~. Fleming, followed Miss Burkhead. In 18cJ8 Professor C. C. Norwood accepted the position and served until 1903. 1{r. Norwood is remembered as a scholarly man whose wife also taught. The next principal was Professor Swanson, and be was followed by C. H. Shelba.ugh, who resigned to go to California in 1913. Professor George Coverdale from Michigan was super­ intendent the succeeding six years, and during most of that time the high school was in charge of Professor J. L. Kirtland, a fine educator, whose daughter became the wife of Laurence Engstrom. Since the year 1919 Professor C. C. Voellar has been superin­ tendent. The first building put on the high school lot is now called the East Grade School, and is under the care of James Robb. West of at stands the high school, built in 1915. The West Grade building, three blocks farther west on Summit Street, is in charge of Miss Kate Smith. North Evanston has a building to accom­ modate the three lower grades. A school wagon brings pupils from the Almv., mines . F. S. Jacobs, of whom nothing more than the name is known, was the first superintendent of schools in Uinta County. Others to hold this office were Richard L. Carter, F. L. Arnold, E. W. Hinchman, Miss Essie Strong, Mrs. Mary Jane Young, Miss Nell Pepper, 1\1:iss Iva Thomas, Miss Kate Smith, Mrs. Iva Thomas Irish, and Mrs. Jennie Isherwood, the present superintendent. The schools of Uinta County have always stood high among those of the state. Since the establishment of the yearly tourna­ ment at the seat of the State University, the place accorded our students has been a cause of congratulation to all. The first church building to be erected in Evanston was that of the Baptists, who put up a substantial edifice on the comer of Center and Ninth Streets in 1871. Mr. Crossley, the colored manager of the Rocky Mountain Hotel, was a well educated man and was minister. With the exception of ·the year 1875, when Rev. J. W. Howe was an charge, he held services until 1877, when he left town. Owing to the shifting population, the mem­ bership decreased until it was deemed advisable to give up the UINTA COUNTY

property, and in 1877 it was sold to the Roman Catholics. In 18&) there was organized in the home of J. L. _.\tkinson the present Baptist Church, of which Leroy M. White was the first pastor. He and his family are still remembered for their pure­ hearted devotion to Christian ideals, to which the church, though not one of the strongest in the community, has always adhered, thus adding much to the spiritual life of the town. Among the prominent workers are the members of the Isherwood family, Mrs. Claude Linsley, Mrs. Arthur Morrison and Mrs. L. Starr. The present place of worship ,of this denomination is a commo­ dious and convenient building on the corner of Eighth and Cen­ ter Streets. In the books of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Evans­ ton there is the record of the organization of the church in 1870 by Rev. G. M. Pierce, Presiding Elder of the district. On a lot donated to them by the railroad company a building was put up and dedicated. Ministers from Utah, among whom is the name of Rev. Mr. Seymore, preached occasionally. Rev. Marshall Howison was :in charge in 1875. In 1878 union revival services were conducted by C. T. Iliff, ·with the result that all of the re­ ligious interests of Evanston were strengthened. Rev. W. D. Thornton was pastor at this time, and the church membership that had dwindled to three began a steady increase that has been sustained throughout its subsequent history. Prominent workers were A. V. Quinn and wife, Elias Goodman and family, Mrs. John Sights and Mr. and Mrs. James 1IcKenzie. These who have passed from earth are survived by Mrs. Samuel Dickey, who has been a member since the early days, and a :fine band of workers. _Among the names of ministers those of W. 0. Fisher, W. H. Pierce and S. F. Beggs stand out prominently, and the helpful ministry of E. E. Hollar is still remembered. He preached here iin the 'gos and often held services at Fort Bridger and adjoining towns. There was a son, and a daughter named ·Crecy who taught in the public school and is now the wife of C. W. Haggard of Kansas City, Kansas. In the summer of 1923 she visited Evanston with her little daughter and was sur­ prised to find many of the friends of her youth still living here. During the World War Rev. A. A. Pogue was preaching for the Methodists, and as the Presbyterian Church was at that time ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

without a pastor an "Allied Church" movement was entered into under his able leadership and carried on for two years with what seemed to be a great success, but was later dropped. Mr. Pogue was followed by Rev. U. S. Crowder. Rev. J. L. Williams is the present minister, and is ably seconded by his wife, who is also an ordained minister of the gospel. They make their home in the parsonage on the same lot as the church. In the spring of 1871 Dr. Sheldon Jackson made his first visit to Evanston and on the twenty-fourth of April held a service in the Amusement Hall that resulted in the organizaton of a church called the Union Presbyterian. The first trustees were J. L. Atkinson, A. V. Quinn and E. P. Brown. A building was completed in December, but the record states that "owing to a snow blockade it was not occupied until spring." There were five charter members. Rev. F. L. ...;\mold, who was sent out to Laramie by the Home Mission ·Board in 186<), traveled across the state once a month, to fill the pulpit, until July, 1872, when Fred­ erick B. Welty, a young divine from Pennsylvania, took charge. He found the church building occupied by the public school, and for six months he held services in the Baptist Church. In January, 1873, the first schoolhouse having been completed, pews and pulpit were set in place and worship was begun in the build­ ing dedicated to that purpose, which served the congregation until I9(X), when a more modem edifice was erected on the same lot. In 1922 it was enlarged, and is now a convenient and spacious church home. Rev. F. L. Arnold moved wlith his family to Evanston in 1875 and remained here as a pastor for thirteen years, when he accepted a call to the Westminster Church of Salt Lake City. He was a frequent visitor in the homes of his children, who re­ mained in Evanston, and his influence grew stronger with the passing years. He was called "Everybody's Pastor", and the interest he eV:inced in the welfare of the people of all ages and conditions gave him a right to the title. He died in Salt Lake in 1905 shortly before his eightieth birthday, and the beautiful memorial service conducted by the ministerial association of Salt Lake was attended by many of the friends who had come under his helpful ministry in Wyoming as well as those from all parts UINT_J\. COUNTY

of Utah. His wife, Hannah Ramsey Arnold, died in 1922 and was buried by his side in the Mount Olivet Cemetery. Other mnisters of this church who left their mark on the community are the Rev. Charles M. Shepherd, under whom the new church was built and who is remembered for his scholarly and spiritual attainments; Rev. Leon C. Hills, who won the hearts of young and old by his tireless service, and who after a pastorate of ten years in Cheyenne is now in charge of the Park Hill ·Church of Denver; Rev. D. M. Davies, who served the cause of God and man on the street as well as in the pulpit. and who, with his much-loved wife, is now at Aberdeen, Idaho; and Rev. J. F. Vernon, now engaged in mission work in Alaska, under whom the last addition of the church was built. The pres­ ent pastor is Rev. Timothy G. Paddon, a native of London, and the church is prospering under his earnest and eloquent ministry. The Mormon Church began in the spring of 1872 ·with a membership of eight as a branch of the Bear Lake Stake, and William G. Burton was made Presiding Elder. Henry G. Mat­ thews, brother of Percy Matthews, was clerk. In 1877 the organ­ ization was completed and Mr. Burton was given the office of Bishop, a position he held until 1881, when he moved to Utah. He was succeeded in office by James Brown. In 1915 Mr. Brown was advanced to the rank of President, and Percy G. 1tfatthews became Bishop. Bishop Brown, as he is still called by his many friends, is one of the outstanding figures in the life of the county. From Scot­ land he came to Almy when eighteen years of age, and in 188o began work as blacksmith in the railroad shops. In 1893 he was made deputy county clerk under J. R. Arnold, and the next year he was elected county clerk, a position that he held for six. years. For four years he was connected with the Evanston National Bank, and in 1920 was the choice of the people for the office of clerk of the court. For twenty years he has served on the school board, and his services are in demand in almost every patriotic or other public meeting, where his pleasing voice and dignified bearing are sure to bring pleasure to his auditors. In 1882 he married l\1iss :Christina Hunter of Salt Lake City. She died in 1922. ITS PL_.\CE IN HISTORY 143

The brick edifice put up in 18&_) as a Mormon meeting house has been enlarged to meet the demands of the growing member­ ship. The church offices occupy a building across the road on Eighth Street, and a movement is on foot to erect a modem build­ ing commensurate with the needs of the people. The 1-Iormons have done much to faster the musical spirit of the town, and their present choir, under the trained leadership of John Neilson, is an organization of which any community might be proud. Up to the year 1884 there was no resident priest of the Roma.I}. Catholic Church in Evanston, but it was attended as a mission by priests from other towns. Among them was Father Cusson of Laramie, who, in the winter of 1877, interested the adherents of his faith in the purchase of the building now occupied by them. Father Fitzgerald was in charge of the church from 1884 to _1896, and under his ministry the church prospered. He was interested in the town and did much for its progress by working for the establishment of the fire department and other improvements. He built the house now owned by George E. Pexton, which was for many years the Joseph E. Cashin home. Other resident priests and the year of the beginning of their work in Evanston were : Rev. Peter Casey, 1896; Rev. lVlichael A. Kennedy, 1901; Rev. P. T. Haines, 1900; Rev. P. J. Walsh, 1903; Rev. T. J. Barrett, 1904; Rev. D. M. Tully, 1907; Rev. M. A. Kennedy, 1go8; Rev. P. J. Lynch, 1910; Rev. R. B. Groener, 1911; Rev. John F. More­ ton, 1914; Rev. John O'Connor, 1923. Father Groener, who is affectionately remembered for his ability and the strength of his friendships, is now located in Lawrence, Kansas. Father Moreton, an able young divine from the state of Vermont, brought with him his parents and other members of his family. His father died here in 1922 and the widow and three of the daughters remained in Evanston, after Father Moreton went to Casper. A comfort­ able parish house has been added to the original church building, and the property is a valuable one. Among the members who have helped to make a success of the work of this church will always be remembered the Hamilton brothers and their families, !1r. and Mrs. James Smith, John Smith, Mrs. James Code, Miss Nell Byrnes~ John Ward and w:ife, and the families of Derrick Allard~ Joseph LaRivierre, John Foley and Joseph and \Villiam E. Cashin. 144 UINTA COUNTY

The Episcopal Church was built under the scholarly ministra­ tion of the Rev. Samuel Unswo~ who had charge of the mission work in Evanston in connection with his work in Utah, during the early 'Sos. From the year 1873, when Bishop Spaulding came here from his headquarters in Denver to preach in the place of worship belonging to the Baptists, occasional services had been held by ministers from Utah, with which diocese Evanston was then con­ nected. In .A.ugust, 1885, the tasteful and dignified building that was made possible by self-sacrificing efforts of a few devoted mem­ bers and the liberality of their friends, was consecrated by Bishop Tuttle of Salt Lake City, assisted by Bishop Spaulding, Bishop Rafter of Cheyenne, and others. Rev. Allen Judd, from Iowa, was the first resident rector, and during his stay the rectory was built. He was succeeded by Rev. H. C. Galaudet. Among the active workers of this early day were Mrs. Frank Foote, Mrs. Louis Dempson and H. B. Hilliard and family. Mr. Hilliard was employed in the railroad shops. The family consisted of his wife, and daughters, Bess, wife of P. E. Glafke of Denver, Florence, who is a trained nurse, Grace, who, with her husband, J. T. Ray, is on the stage, and Margaret, who married George Harvey of Hamilton, Ontario. The Rev. Bert Foster, who was for many years rector, so slight of body that according to his own statement, he was rejected from the army because he was "not big enough to stop a ball", is remembered for his devotion to the church. Rev. Hyrum Bullis remained with the church for nine years, and left the missionary field, in which his life was spent, to go to •California, where he died. His widow survives him. Rev.George Hunting, later Bishop of Nevada, has a lasting memo­ rial in the hall built during his ministry which bears his name. Mr. Hunting's memory will always be held in high esteem because of his sterling worth. He died in 1924 and his widow survives him. Rev. Guy Kagie was here during the World War, and was one of the most active workers in national as well as church affairs; With his wife and little son he went from Evanston to Olney, Maryland, where he has a flourishing charge. The Evans­ ton church, which is known as St. Paul's, is now under the care of Dean Franklin C. Smith, who makes his home in Evanston and preaches iB Kemmerer alternate Sundays. He is editor of the ITS PL.. .\CE IN HISTORY 145

\Vyoming Churchman, a monthly publication that would be a credit to any state. After the tragic end of the Frontier Inde..x at Bear Town in 1868 no attempt was made to print a pa.per in the new county of Uinta until 1871, when a man named W. L. Vaughn opened an office for the publication of a weekly pa.per called the Evanston Age. _,\t the end of a few months he moved away, leaving his little plant behind. Two years later a man named Williiam Wheeler took over the printing press and supplies, and publica­ tion was resumed. A mutilated copy dated March 17, 1875, is in the hands of the author. It may cause some surprise to learn that it was published daily and cost $10 a year. There was also a weekly edition at $3 per year. The daily was printed in folio with a fourteen-inch column. In a column headed "News of the Morning from Associated Press Dispatches" is the report of the extra session of the Senate in which Mr. Ingalls introduced a resolution requesting the president to transmit to the Senate information in regard to the Sioux Indians migrating to the Black Hills. The paper is given over largely to advertisements. Among the locals we find the announcement of a St. ·Patrick's Ball at Hilliard, with refreshments at one dollar a plate. The dissolution notices of the partnership of Booth and McDonald, and of that of the ,Blyth, Pixley & Edwards company, are there, as well as the notice that the Almy stage, of which R. H. Porter was proprietor, ran three times a day, and the fare was twenty-five cents a trip. A well-preserved copy of the Evanston Age, dated September 16, 1876, has come into the possession of the author through the courtesy of Miss K.ate Smith, who recently found it in the back of a picture frame. It is a well printed paper of four seven­ column pages, and brings before us the life of the time. The subscription price was five dollars a year, and it was published Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The Territorial Directory reads in part as follows: Governor, J. M. Thayer; Auditor, 0. North; Court Justices, J. W. Fisher, E. A. Thomas and J. B. Blair. The .Uinta County officers were: Probate Judge, \V. M. Remington; County Commissioners, C. A. Phipps, N. Beeman, W. K. Sloan; Sheriff, Wi11ian Hinton; Assessor, M. C. Hopkins; Surveyor, W.. G. Tonn; Prosecuting Attorney, H. Garbanati; UINT_~ COUNTY

Coroner, Thomas Street; School Commissioner, S. K. Temple. The paper was the official organ of Sweetwater County as well as Umta, and the list of the officers is headed by the name of 0. E. Bradbury, Probate Judge and Treasurer. P .. A. McPhee, husband of 1\1:rs. Bradbury's sister, was sheriff. In the church notices we find F. L. Arnold, pastor of the Presbyterian Church. The Methodist Church at that time had no pastor, but held Sun­ day School at three p. m. The Church of the Latter Day Saints was in charge of vV. G. Burton. It was the year of the great gold excitement at Deadwood, and there is the report of an inter­ view with P. H. Tooley, an early hardware merchant of Evans­ ton, who had just returned from the diggings. It says: "He had no trouble with the Inddans, but saw men who had been mur­ dered just ahead of the train he was with." Two articles copied from the ·Cheyenne Sun and Leader are given over to accounts of dights with the Sioux in the Black Hills. In the telegraphic news is the account of the day's progress in the trial of John D. Lee, then being held in Beaver, Utah, for the Mountain Meadow mas­ sacre. There is also a caustic article on the case from the pen of Judge C. C. Goodwin, editor of the Salt Lake Tribune. The Centennial Exposition, then being held in ·Philadelphia, is men­ tioned freely in the dispatches and railroad advertisements. In the fall of 1876 William T. Shafer arrived in Evanston. He was the proprietor and publisher of a Green River paper called the Rocky Mountain Courier and of the Carbon County News of Rawlins. ...f\. partnership was formed with Mr. Wheeler under which these two publications were consolidated with the Evanston Age. l\.ir. \Vheeler became business roanagP.r and Mr. Shafer became editor. This arrangement lasted for two years, at the end of which Mr. Wneeler moved to Idaho, and the days of the Evanston Age were ended. In March, 1879, Frank Lannon, a young man who came out from New York to join his brother, George Lannon, an employe in the railroad shop at Evanston, formed a partnership with Mr. Shafer and the Uinta County Chieftain was founded. The office was in the story above the Booth & Crocker meat market, and in the fall was destroyed by fire. This was a great blow to the young newspaper men, and Frank Lannon decided to engage with another brother, Charles Lannon, in ranching on ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

upper Bear River, an enterprise in which both were deservedly successful. lfr. Shafer continued the publication of the Chief­ tain for about twelve years, and in 1&)3 he founded the Uinta Herald, which was later discontinued. William T. Shafer was born in Montrose, Pennsylvania, in the year 1838 and belonged to a fine family. Beginning his news­ paper career in his home town, he became war correspondent in the Civil War, and in 1864 was employed on a northern pub­ lication called the Bulletin, in i1emphis, Tennessee. After a time spent in Fremont, Nebraska, he came to \Vyoming. He held several important positions, was at one time receiver of the land office, was elected to the office of county treasurer, and had represented his precinct in the lower house of the legislature, in 1909. He was a man of good education and was capable of good writing, but his work varied greatly in quality. He was of a phylosophical turn of mind that sometimes led him to indulge in verse. His last years were clouded by great physical suffer­ ing, and his death by suicide in December, 1923, was a shock to the community, where he had lived for nearly half a century. In 1877 the Evanston Argus was published by Mark Hop­ kins, who later moved to Laramie. Another short-lived weekly was the Evanston Examiner, that first appeared in 1885. The following year the editor, E. Buchanan, took his plant to Park City, Utah. In 1887 a paper called the Evanston News was founded by two young men named Austin Decker and Wilson Dillon. _;\fter a few months Decker left and J. F. Loudin, son-in-law of J\,lajor Baldwin, the founder of Lander, Wyoming, continued the pub­ lication until 1893, when he sold to a company that put J. H. Ryckman in as editor. Mr. Ryckman was educated for the bar, and for several years he practiced in Evanston, where he is re­ membered for his penetrating wit and a certain brilliancy of mind that made for him a place among criminal lawyers of Los An­ geles, where he moved later. In I&jo a young man named Joseph U. Allard began the publication of a weekly called the Evanston Register. In 1894 he bought the News and the two papers were combined under the name of the News-Register. Mr. Allard is of French descent and came to Wyoming with his father's family from the state UINTA COUNTY

of Vermont in 1884- He made his way through the public schools and persevered in his chosen calling until he is one of the best known newspaper men in western Wyoming. He is now editor and publisher of the Rocket, of Rock Springs, Wyo­ ming. He was the founder of the Bridger Valley Enterprise, now owned by the Rollins brothers, of Lyman. In 1905 Mr. Allard sold the News-Register to Joseph T. Booth, a printer who had been in his employ for two years. Though but a boy in years, Mr. Booth conducted the paper until 1902, when he sold it to George Ewer, Jr. In 18g6, the year of the free silver ~ssue, the Wyoming Press was formed by a group of prominent citizens. J. H. Ryck­ man was its first editor. He was succeeded in a few months by a young man named Harry Glenn, and he soon afterward by Austin C. Sloan. In I 902 George Ewer purchased the Press and for a year and a half it was the only paper in the county, that then extended from the Utah boundary on the south to the Yel­ lowstone National Park. Under Mr. Ewer the Press was con­ ducted on Republican principles. n-Ir. Ewer was born in Birmingham, England, and in 1877 came to America with his parents, who are still living at an ad­ vanced age. Two sisters also make their homes in Evanston, Mrs. lviary Shopp and Mrs. Frank Brown. Mr. Ewer began his journalistic career under Mr. Shafer in the office of the Uinta Herald, and has been the first newspaper man to achieve any considerable degree of financial success. He has put up several buildings, one of which is occupied by the Wyoming Times, of which he is editor and proprietor. 1'Ir. Ewer married in 1893 Miss Mary Cain, a native of Indiana, and to them seven chil­ dren were born, all of whom, like their father, have received their education in the public schools of Evanston, where they are I well known. The mother died in the influenza epidemic in 1917. Mr.. Ewer's present wife was the widow of Thomas Johnson, son of Thomas S., and had resided in Evanston ,for many years. The Wyoming Press was purchased from Mr. Ewer in 1910 by J. T. Booth. Mr. Booth was born in Coalville, Utah, and re­ ceived his education m the public schools and the New West Academy of that place. He married Edna, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Peterson, who bas ably assisted him in his newspaper ITS PLACE IN HISTORY work. }.fr. Booth confined his activities to journalism until 1920, when he received from President Harding the appointment to the office of register of the United States Land Office at Evans­ ton. The Press is now in charge of Mr. Lee W. Jenkins, a ·'native son" of Califomia, an overseas veteran and a young man of wide experience in newspaper work. Evanston has had an exceedingly creditable amateur monthly called The Cottontail, owned, printed and published by the thir­ teen-year-old son of Dean and Mrs. Smith. Although the sub­ scription price was only twenty-five cents a year, the editor made a financial success of his work, and his paper received recogni­ tion as one of the best of its kind. A great change has come over the journalism of the country as revealed in comparing the papers of two score years ago and those of today. The bickering of the editors that was supposed to add spice to life has given place to a common courtesy more convinc­ ing as well as more pleasing to the general reader. Despite cheap criticism to the contrary it ~n be truthfully said that the con­ duct of the newspapers in Uinta County, both in times of peace and war, has been such as to merit the praise of all loyal citizens. 150 UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER SIXTEEN Further History of Evanston Like all railroad towns, Evanston has labored under the disadvantage of a· changing population, but she is indebted to the Union Pacific for many of her most valued citizens, as well as for her existence. Division Superintendent 0. H. Earl was succeeded by A. A. Egbert, and he, in 188o, by E. B. Dodderidge. Mr. Dodderidge soon came to be known as one of the best operating experts in the country. For seven years he was wee president and general manager of the Missouri Pacfiic lines, and is now living in re­ tirement in Chicago.1 vVith l\t1r. Dodderidge was associated Joseph A. Edson, now president of the Kansas Southern. A. A. Leggitt is remembered as one of the office force at that time. He went from here to Texas, where he died some years ago. Mr. Dodderidge was fol­ lowed by \V. E. Wurtelle, who was advanced from the dis­ patcher's office, and who ·was a prominent business man in Evans­ ton and Park City, U tab. George Dickenson, brother of the well known railroad man Edward Dickenson, \vas superintendent of the western division from 1883 to 18go. :Ivlr. Dickenson's business career in the northwest was followed with interest by all to ,vhom the family had endeared themselves. He died in Igo<), leaving a wife and two sons. Mrs. Dickenson's sister, Mrs. Jane Osburn, with her son and two daughters, lived here for some years and later moved to Seattle, Washington. Fred Mertzheimer, the master mechanic, who succeeded C. C. Quinn, went from here to the Kansas City, Mexican and Orient road. He died in 1922. Augustus Mertzheimer and Charles, both railroad men, were brothers of Fred l\tiertzheimer.. Among the early engineers were the Hamilton brothers, George, \Villiam and David. George was killed in a wreck in 18go, and his Wlidow and four children, after living here for some years, moved to Pocatello, Idaho. William went to Omaha. David, a pensioner of the company since 1922, lives in the house

1 The author is indebted to the Union Pacific Historian for much of the history of the early men of the Western Division. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY built by \t\rilliam T. Shafer on Sage Street. The daughter, Naomi, married J. S. Parmley of Boise, Idaho, and Edna became the wife of Dr. J. P. Deneen of Ogden. The son, W. H. Hamil­ ton, ~s machine foreman in the Evanston shops. His wife, for­ merly ~lay Berney, of Horton, Kansas, is a prominent club woman and\\~ one of the Wyoming delegation at the Biennial of 1922. 1fr. and :Wlrs. Hamilton have two daughters. The year 1~2, when I. H. Congdon ·was made superin­ tendent of motive power on the Union Pacific, saw a new group of men installed on the western division, some of whom were important factors in the development of this part of the country. One of these, George F. Chapman, came out as master mechanic. Mr. Chapman's father had been a member of the first board of directors of the lT nion Pacific, and was actively interested in its construction. George Chapman brought here his bride, Eliza l\L Capen. Mrs. Chapman died here in 1897. There were four children. Ruth became the wife of Harold Fabian of Salt Lake City; G. Hobert married Francis Clark of Evanston and is now living in Colum­ bus. Georgia, but was for many years surveyor of Uinta County; Mrs. Eiizabeth Chapman .t\llen makes her home in Boston, and Elwin F. entered the aviation corps during the \Vorld War and was killed in a clash of planes at the San Diego field on the fourth of June, 1918. Mr. Chapman's second wife is the daugh­ ter of ~Ir. and Mrs. Frank Ames of Boston, and Mr. and ~frs. Chapman are no,v living in Plymouth, Massachusetts. 3I r. Chapman left the railroad employ to engage in ranch­ ing, in which two brothers joined him. They had a fine property about twenty miles northwest of Evanston, and brought it to a high state of efficiency. They also founded the Neponset Meat Market, of ,vhich George l\'Iosey, the present proprietor, was for many years manager. \Villiam 0. Chapman, the eldest of the three brothers, was an influential man, and both he and his wife were well k11own in Evanston. He died in 1919 and his wife divides her time between the homes of her two daughters. J. Edwin Chapman, the youngest of the brothers, died in 1913. His wife, whose maiden name was Gertrude Robinson, lives in Boston. Their only son, Ralph, who married the daughter of UINTA COUNTY

Rev. and Mrs. H)''TUIIl Bullis, died of influenza at a training camp near Gettysburg in 1918. Others who have held the position of master mechanic are J. Dunn, now of Salt Lake City, and the Carricks, Thomas and Harry. Thomas Carrick went from here to San Francisco, and his son, Harry Carrick, is master mechanic at Stockton, California. The daughters, Bessie and Ida, live in Los Angeles. The elder Harry Carrick ~ for years in the shops at Mont­ pielier, Idaho. A. Stewart, who had charge of the shop for some time, lost his life in the World War. Anthony Jeffers went from here to Cheyenne, and now lives in Denver. S. Olsen was suc­ ceeded by Thomas Crosby, who is now at the head of the shop. Arthur Kingsbury was clerk in the shops for the ten years followting 1882, and his family is still held in remembrance. Among the engineers who came out in the early 'Sos, was Ben Gutting. In 1884 he brought his wife, an Omaha lady. Mr. Gutting's death in a bridge accident in 1904 was one of the tragedies of the road. His wife continued to live here for some years and she put up three houses on Fourteenth Street. She now makes her home in Rock Springs with her son, Arthur, who is a practicing dentist. Peter Peterson came out from the state of Iowa in 1883 as engineer, and built the home on the comer of Sage and Four­ teenth Streets. Ile met death iin a railroad accident in Arizona, where he was running an engine. Mrs. Peterson makes her home in Evanston, as do two of the daughters, Mrs. Ausherman and Mrs. Booth. The eldest daughter, Nina, wife of Fred W. Bower, lives in San Leandro, California. They have one son, Robert. Another engineer who left an impress on the community is Joseph Stevenson, who built the home now occupiied by John Stacey, and who, ,vith his wife, now fives at San Gabriel, California. Engineer George Baker ·ca.me here with his family in 1888. There are three children, Edward, Frank and Lilliian, all of whom live in Green River. Mrs. Baker is kno,vn for her unselfish service to others. They bought the home built by Robert Ross, now owned by Robert Sharp. ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 153

On the morning of November 17, 1go6, Evanston was thrown into deep gloom by the news of one of the most fatal wrecks in the history of the Union Pacific. It occurred at Azuza, a station between Green River and Granger. Eleven were killed ,in a head-end collision, and five of them were from Evanston. They were Engineers B. F. Eckles and William 1-f urray, Express Messenger James Winslow, a trainman named Cumstock and Roy Chan1berlain, clerk of the court, who was seated in a pas­ senger coach. Mr. Murray and Mr. Eckles were men of famiJies and the others were young men of great promise whose loss to the community can never be replaced. Thanks to the "safety first" move1nent throughout the land, these accidents are merci­ fully growing less frequent. The Union Pacific has always been foremost iin every movement for the good of its employes, and is one of the safest and best roads in operation today. Ole Bergstrom came from Omaha to work in the railroad carpenter shop at Evanston in 1883. After leaving the employ of the road he formed a partnership with George Carruth. Mr. and Mrs. Bergstrom were natives of Sweden. Never were citi­ zens more missed than they when, in 1912, they moved to South Pasadena, California, where ~1rs. Bergstrom d~ed ten years later. Her husband received a royal welcome when he visited here in 1923. Mr. Carruth is still engaged in the building business. He married ~Iiss Susan Daniels of Coalville, Utah, and they have two sons aJ1.d two daughters. Another shopman who became carpenter was M. E. Peter­ son. For some years the family lived in North Evanston, and later moved to their present home on the hill. There were seven children, three of whom live here, Ellen, Oscar and Mrs. Jennie Reeves. Charles, Anton and Florence, wife of Fred Blackham, make their home in Rock Springs. Another of the early engineers was Louis Demson, who, with his wife and three children, resided here for many years. They moved to Ogden and later to California. N. S. Nelson, who came here in the 'gos and has for many years run a passenger train, was the first to take advantage of the plan of the Evanston Building and Loan Association in erecting his home, which is at the comer of Sunnnit and Thirteenth 154 UINTA COUNTY

Streets. Over fifty houses have been put up by this excellent method, which is in the hands of our own business men. Charles F. Wilkenson, who, \"\"Ith his wife ~~d daughter, came here about the same time as Mr. Nelson, has been president of the business for many years. He has an attractive home on Center Street. W. F. Baden, another of the engineers of this per.iod, mar­ ried a daughter of Fred Larsen, one of the early shopmen. Mr. and Mrs. Baden have passed from earth and are survived by five children. The sons are well kno,vn here, as are the two daugh­ ters, who became the wives of the Sharp brothers. .:..c\.nother daughter of l\Ir. Larsen is the wife of J. H. Case. Among the later railroad men who have le£ t happy memories is H. A. Connett, who is now assistant superintendent of the eastern division, with an office in Cheyenne. Mrs. Connet pos­ sesses a beautiful contralto voice that is a delight to all who know her. A family deserving mention is that of Daniel Gerard, who came to Evanston in 1887. Mr. Gerard has served for years on the school and library boards, and has two daughters who have been successful teachers. John Redmond, one of the oldest of the railroad employes, still lives here. For many years Chamberla,in and Small were prominent builders of Evanston. In 1882 came A. \V. Anderson, a contractor and builder who had made Rock Springs a stopping place for one year in his journey from his native land, Sweden. He married in 18go. and there are four sons in the family-Oscar, who married Miss Bessee \Vorthen of Salt Lake City, is iin business with his father; W aldamar:, who is proprietor of Hotel \,\Taldamar ; Dewey, a lawyer of Seattle, Washington, and Clarence, the youngest son. Another man in the same business is A. L. Cheese. Mr. and 11 rs. Cheese came from the state of Illinois, and have made Evan_ston their home since the year 18g7. Their son, Dr. L. A. Cheese, is a practicing dentist here. The daughter, Mrs. Mary Edwards, lives in California. For over forty. years l\,Irs. Code, whose maiden name was Farrell, and whose husband James Code was blacksmith in the Union Pacific shops, ,vas engaged in the millinery business. Mrs. Code died in 1923, a few months after the death of her husband. ITS PL.-\CE IN HISTORY 155

The son John makes his home in Ogden. Belle became the ,vife of Benjamin Baum, a building contractor, whose work is sought by the government and many large concerns, and the youngest daughter, Kate, married J. E. Moorehouse, and lives in Oklahoma. The Beeman & Cashin Mercantile Company was established in I 883 as successor to the Christie and Lanktree Hardware Company and the ·Bisbing furniture store. Joseph E. Cashin came from New York in 1882, bringing with him his father's family, all of whom made their influence felt in the new home. During his ten years of residence here l\1r. Cashin was one of the most public spirited men, and represented the county in the state senate. He died in Chicago and is survived by his wife, Rose Gaynor Cashin. Connected with the Beeman & Cashin firm for many years were Joseph E. ·Cashin and E. H. Lewis. The present manager, John Smith, can1e here in 1882. He mar­ ried \Tirginia, daughter of Mr. and ~Irs. Jospeh Allard, and their only child, Frances, is a teacher in our schools. A. G. Rex started in business in Evanston in 1894. He had come to Utah with cattle before the building of the railroad, and took up land near Randolph. In 1873 he entered the railroad shops as carpenter, after which he established a news and sta­ tionery store on l\1:ain Street, which was later moved across the street to the present location. ?\fr. Rex died in lvlarch, 1924. There are many interesting men1ories that cluster around these days. One is of Henry Code, ,vho had the mis£ ortune of having his arms cut off above the elbow m early life, but whose indomitable spirit allowed him to ask favors of no man. He sup­ ported himself in a shop on Main Street, ,vhere he repaired sew­ ing machines and did the most delicate of locksmith work with the aid of cunningly constructed implements attached to his stumps of arms. He was coroner for some years, and during one campaign for the office he was described ,vith unconscious humor as "the man without arms who had a large family on his hands.,. His stepson, David Barton, who married Lydia Barnard, has a blacksmith shop on Front Street. They have one daughter, Leona, who has fitted herself for teaching. In 1885 Isadore Kastor arrived in Evanston, and was soon joined by his brother Leo. There was founded a clothing b~- UINTA COUNTY

ness that, from a small beginning on a counter in the Booth & Crocker Meat Market, where the Hill-Otte Drug Company now stands, has developed into one of the most important establish­ ments of the county. It is known as I. Kastor, Incorporated. Leo Kastor remained three years and then went to Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Mr. Kastor's youngest son, Shirley, is an important member of the .firm, as is also D. A. Coughlin, who has been with them since the year 1go8. In sharp contrast to the early days, when every effort was put forth to make an imposing display of their small stock of goods midst the incongruous surroundings of the livestock products and poultry, is the present building on Front Street, where they are constantly devising new methods to accommodate their growing business. Isadore Kastor was born in Bavaria, Germany, and came to this country when a youth. He married Fannie, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Lewis, and they are the parents of four children. Louis is in business in Salt Lake City. Selma became the wife of M. L. Katz, a success£ ul attorney of \Vorcester, Massachusetts, and Bertha, the youngest daughter, is attending school in Boston. I. l\tI. Lewis, a clothing merchant in Evanston from 1888 to 1896, is survived by two sons who live here, David and Aaron. The former married Valerie, daughter of 1v1r. and Mrs. Charles M osslander, and the latter Miss l\finnie Gunnell. Emma Lewis, who is remembered as one of our high school teachers, became the wife of Isaac Harris and lives iin Boston, as does also a sister named Martha, who married Dr. L. Golden. George Mosey came to Evanston in 1887 from western New York to work for Beeman & Cashin. His son Howard is in the Neponset Meat Market with him. He married Miss Clara Swen­ son, a teacher in our high school, and they are the parents of two children. Helen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geroge Mosey, is a successful teacher on the coast. - It may seem to the ordinary reader strange that the old county of Uinta has been the cradle of so many important be­ ginnings. Of all of the business enterprises born and fostered here none have become so widely known as those of Guy John­ son and his associates. The Golden Rule Mercantile Company had its birth in the year 1897 in the little wooden building be­ longing to I. C. Winslow, where the Wyoming Press office now ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 157

stands. The novelty of a ''five and ten cent counter" attracted buyers, and the little stock of merchandise was quickly sold and replenished, each new shipment adding to its volume until by the time the business had reached the age of two years a new home was necessary. In 1899 the building on Main Street was put up, and improvements and additions have followed with the years until it now runs through the block with a store room on Front Street. Guy Johnson was a native of West \lirginia, who came to Evanston from Great Falls, Montana, where he had a store. Shortly after his arrival he formed a partnership with T. A. Callahan of Colorado, and a plan of cooperative buying was worked out, that outlasted their partnership. In I 904 the Golden Rule Mercantile Company was organized, with Guy Johnson as president, R. W. Stevens, secretary, and Lucy Johnson, treas­ urer. To quote the founder; "It has been successful beyond all dreams and hopes, now selling yearly millions of dollars worth of goods." It has branch houses in Nevada, Utah and Montana. In 1898 Mr. Johnson brought to Evanston his bride who was the daughter of H. H. Green, D. D. of Iowa, and to her he credits much of the success of his undertakings. Three daugh­ ters and a son have been born to them, and they are making their home in Long ·Beach, California. Associated with Mr. Johnson was J. C. Penny who came to work in the Evanston store at a salary of $50 a month in the year 1899. At the end of three years Kemmerer was decided upon as a fitting location for a branch store in which l\1r. Penny was to have an interest. As an organizer he was no less giifted than his friend Mr. Johnson, and the story of his achievements is as striking, for the stores of the J. C. Penny Company are scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts, and have placed the name of the founder high in the ranks of the keenest busi­ ness men of the nation. The human element has been an im­ portant factor in Mr. Penny's success, and family ties and friend­ ships have not been sacrificed to financial considerations. Mr. Penny has three sons, Roswell Kemper and J. C. Jr. by his first marriage, and a younger boy who bears the name of K!im­ ball, the family name of his second wife. UINTA COUNTY

C. C. Smith, for many years manager of the Golden Rule, is now in business for himself in the Beckwith & Lauder Building on Main Street. It is impossible to do justice to the life story of Charles S. Baker in this volume, and it cis to be hoped that a worthy biography may some time be written. A native of New York, he ran away from home when a mere child, and his years have been full of thrilling adventure. He early attached himself to a ,vhaling vessel and later entered the navy ; he was on the San Jacinto on its important mission to .A.sia in 1855, and during the Civil War, when he was a bugler on the side of the North, was wounded at the battle of Bull Run. He later drifted west and wandered over the country from Texas to Wyoming, taking pic­ tures. With a photographer named Johnson he established the Union Pacific Photograph Car, well known for years through­ out the West. His pictures of Indians deserve special mention, for they are said to be the most remarkable ever obtained, and have found places in the Smithsonian Institute and other famous collections. In 1878 he came to Evanston and soon after opened a studio. His daughter -~ttie, also an experienced photographer, is in charge. In spite of failing hearing and sight, Mr. Baker is an interestnig story teller.:

George E. 1Pexton came to Evanston from the state of New York in 1887, and since that time has been connected with many of the substantial business interests of the town and county. He is president of the First National Bank of Evanston, and has extensive mining interests in both Almy and Schofield, Utah. Beyond the bounds of Uinta County he is well known, having served the Republican Party as national committeeman from 1904 to 1918, and has the unique honor of having attended four national conventions in that capacity. In 18g5 Mr. Pexton and Miss Annie Saunders of Salt Lake City were united in marriage. Mrs. Pexton is a valued club woman, and represented the Ladies' Literary Club of Evanston at the biennial held m Los Angeles in 1924, but her public work has never distracted from her home and social graces. There are two boys in the family, Elsworth and Sidney, both of whom ar~ engaged in business in Los Angeles, where Mr. and Mrs. Pexton spend a large part of each

2 Died Tuesday, October ~ 1924. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 159 year. Els,vorth married 11:iss Lucile Helping of Los Angeles, and they have two children. Mr. Pe.,-ton has faith in Wyoming. The author takes pleasure in stating that it was largely owing to his vision of the importance of the work that she undertook the task of collecting and recording the history of the original Uinta County. In 1885 the Downs Opera House was built on Front Street, and James Downs was for many years manager. He belonged to an old Scotch family that came here in 18&), and was a brother of 1.frs. Thomas Painter. Mr. and Mrs. Painter have one son, Tom, Jr., ,vho, like his father, is engaged in the sheep business and makes his home on the ranch. Two sisters of Mrs. Painter, Mrs. Annie Gibbons and Mrs. Lizzie Clark, live in Ogden, and the brother, David Downs, in Coalville, Utah. In I 888 a city government was again established in Evanston, and F. H. Harrison was elected mayor. He was succeeded the following year by F. M. Foote. In 18go I. C. Winslow was made mayor and served until, in 1894, Cyrus Beard was elected. F. H. Harrison held the office from 18<)5 to 1897, when C. S. Baker was elected. He was followed by J. R. Arnold, and he, in 18gg, by John A. Beckwith. C. S. Baker was aga~n elected in 1901, and remained in office until Igo<), when John W. Dykins assumed the duties of mayor. Charles L. Eldred took over the office in 1911, and Isadore Kastor in 1913. Thomas Painter became mayor in 1915 and continued in the office until 1921. John T. Romick served from 1921 to 1923, in which year Mr. Painter was again elected. Those who served as city clerk are Jesse Knight, Arthur Butler, 0. J. Smith, S. J. Van Ness, James B. Smith and William Cook. i1r. Cook kept the city records from 1904 to 1921, when they were given over to George H. O'Hara, the present clerk. Until the year 1915 the business of the city council was transacted in various rooms rented for the purpose. During the term of office of ~Iayor Painter the city hall was erected. It is a convenient and roomy building, in which are located the town jail and city fire department, as well as the town hall and the offices of the city council. James Ayrest, who came to Evanston in 1886, is oity mar­ shal. The night marshal is Harry Bodine~ who came here from New York in 1882 to work for the railroad and has since lived r6c UINTA COUNTY

here. Mr. and Mrs. Bodine have a son named George and a daughter named Florence, who is a skillful stenographer. The electric light franchise was granted by the city in 1899 to a company composed of local business men. As early as 1888 they had supplied the town with a fine lighting system. In 1924 it passed into the hands of the Utah Light and Power Company. H. L. WiIJiams has been manager for ten years and still holds the position. The n1oving picture industry took root in Evanston in 1907, and for a short time there were three houses running. The first was opened by A. C. Coey and H. C. ·Christie in the block where the Hotel Evanston now stands, and was known as the Edison. The second, called the Isis, was conducted by a Salt Lake com­ pany, and was in the building now owned by R E. Bryan. The third was opened by Arthur Bowen and Richard Tarkington in what is now the Blyth and Fargo warehouse on l\1ain Street. It was a common custom for people to visit the three in an eve­ ning, all for the modest sum of thirty cents, or, if so fortunate as to be under the tender age of ten, for half that sum. Bowen and Tarkington bought out the others, and since then there has been but one "movie" in Evanston. Mr. Christie went from here to Salt Lake, and Mr. ·Coey is now assistant manager of the western d~vision of the Union Pacific, with an office in Green River. 11:r. Tarkington, who, like Mr. Bowen, came here as a train dispatcher, also went to Salt Lake. Mr. Bowen continued the business on the lower floor of the Masonic Hall until the year 1918, when he put up the beautiful Strand Theater. In 1921 he sold out and went to Idaho, and is now living in Portland, Oregon. He married Miss Alice Cashin, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Cashin. The Strand Theater is now in the hands of a company of which J. H. Harris is the capable manager. It is keeping pace with the progress made throughout the country, and the best of plays are presented. Another beautiful hall, the Orpheus, was built in 1919 by a stock company composed of citizens, and has filled a long-felt want, as it is used for basketball games, dances and other gather­ ings. The annual flower show of Evanston is held in this build­ ing. This is a festival that always excites the.interest of the resi­ dents and the wonder of strangers, who find it hard to believe ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 161 that so great a variety of beautiful flowers can be grown at this altitude. Evanston has an attractive city park situated north of Bear River. The matter of buying this land from the state came up during the term of office of J. R. Arnold as mayor, and was soon carried through. The thick growth of cottonwoods has been thinned out, underbrush cleared away and a band stand and other conveniences added, resulting in a delightful pleasure ground within easy reach. Adjoining it on the west is a camp ground for tourists well equipped with electric lights, stoves of the design used in the army, laundry facilities, and hot and cold baths. Between the 15th of April and the 15th of August, 1924, twenty one hundred fifty cars took advantage of its shelter. It is under the competent care of John Cunning­ ton, an early resident of Wyoming, and as the modest sum of fifty cents a car is charged, it is more than self supporting. West of the camp ground is the baseball park with bleachers and race track. For the first six years after the organization of the Terri­ tory of Wyoming the public lands were included in one district with headquarters at Cheyenne. On August 9, 1876, there was created by an Act of Congress a seperate diistrict comprising the lands west of the thirty first meridian wth land office in Evanston. The following registers have been appointed from that date to the present time: William G. Tonn, Charles H. Priest, Edwin D. Steele, Albert L. New, G. L. C .. Goodman, Will­ tiam A. Hocker, Charles Kingston, Thomas V. Davis, Alexander Nisbet, Joseph T. Booth. The names of the receivers are as follows: Edwin S. Crocker, Henry R. Crosby, Edgar S. Wilson, William T. Schaffer, Frank M. Foote, Frank 11ills, Benjamin M. Ausherman, J. P. Folger, Donald l\fcAllister. The land office occupies the southwest side of one of the most beautiful in the state. It was put up by the federal govern­ ment at the cost of $18o,ooo, and was formally opened March 31, 1901. On the second floor a handsome court room with ceiling reaching to the roof occupies the center of the front of the building. The remaining part of the second and third floor is given over to offices and jury rooms. The post dffice auoss UINTA COUNTY

the spacious corridor from the land office would do credit to any city. James Foley has for many years been caretaker. Before the erection of the federal building the post office was held in various stores. Following A. A. Bailey, the names of those holding the office of postmaster are; E. S. Hallock, I. C. Winslow, ,villiam Pugh, J. H. Cameron, and Percy G. Matthews. John Henry Cameron was born in Nova Scotia. In 1883 he went west as far as Salt Lake City where for three years he plied his trade of carriage builder. Here he became acquainted with 11iss Mary Scholes, ,vho was married to him in 1887, the year after Mr. Cameron located in Evanston. He was interested in the Cameron & Chisholm carriage shop on Front Street. In 18g5 Mr. Cameron was elected county treasurer, and still held his interest in the business until his appointment to the position of postmaster by President \Vilson. The family occupied a home on Sage Street be­ tween Eleventh and Twelfth, and the removal to Salt Lake at the end of his term of office ,vas cause of universal regret. There is one daughter in the home, l\iiargarite, who taught for a time in, the public school and also filled the position of librarian in the county library. 11iss Cameron is a gifted story writer, and has done some able work along historical lines as well. She is now in library work in Portland, Oregon. Mr. Cameron's partner, Daniel Chisholm, built the home on Sage Street that was bought by J. H. Zipf. The Chisholms moved to Los Angeles where Mr. Chisholm died. He is survived by his wife and son, Frank, who is a practicing dentist. The Evanston Cash Grocery was founded in 188g by H. G. Drew. Mr. Drew as a young man went to California. He came to Evanston in an early day, and was for many years connected with the Beckwith & Quinn Company. In 1879 he brought out his bride, who like himself, was a native of Maine. There arc two daughters in the family, Della who became the wife of Charles Elred and lives in Stockton, Califomia, where their two daughters are enjoying the advantages of a college town, and Katherine who married William Lea, of Wellsville, Utah. E. H. Horrocks brought his wife to Evanston in 1884, and opened a barber shop. The family, in which there are three chil­ dren, occupy the brick residence built by George Dumford next ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

to the postoffice. The daughter Ethel worked for some years in the land office, and married C. A. Parton of Waterbury, Conn. McKinnon, Marsh & Peart bad a prosperous meat market here for some years. They became interested in the cattle busi­ ness and R. A. Marsh is now conducting the Consumers' Market. The Standard Timber Company, a big concern under eastern capitalists, bas been in operation since the year 1913. They cut their timber on the Green River watershed. The manager, George Loff, lives with his wife and son in the home built by Charles Blyth on Summit Street. The Overland Lumber ·Company is financed by the George A. Merril Company of Salt Lake City. Wilber Watts is manager of the Evanston branch. He married ~Iiss Gertntde Cortwright, a teacher in our schools. Dr. Bristol came here from Laramie in 1898. Owing to fail­ ing sight he has recently given up active practice, and lives with his wife on the corner of Tenth and Center Streets. Both are natives of Vermont. Dr. Charles Blackburn practiced medicine here from the year 1892 to the time of his death in 1898. His oldest son, Charles T. Blackburn, was appointed by Senator Clark to the Naval Academy and was a graduate in the class of 1907. He was overseas during the World War, when he was in command of the destroyer Beale, and later in Turkish waters. Prominent in business as well as in ms profession is Dr. J. L. Wdcks, who, with his wife, came to Evanston from Colum­ bus, Ohio~ m 1900. They live in the home built by Joseph Shaw, an early employee of the shops. Dr. and Mrs. Wicks have two daughters, Josephine who as a student in the State University, and Lucile. Dr. A. P. Thompson opened an office in Evanston for the practice of medicine in 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have three sons. In 1913 Dr. L. E. Fosner came with his wife who is a trained nurse, from :h{ontana. They are living in the large brick resi­ dence put up by A. C. Beckwith on the eastern side of town and have made it a beauty spot by means of trees and flowers. Dr. J. H. Holland came to Evanston in 1914- He had been connected with the army and had served as surgeon in the Phil- UINTl\ COUNTY

ippines for two years. During the World War he spent a year and a half in hospital work. The family in which there is one small daughter, lives in the home built by George Chapman on Summit Street. The Evanston National Bank was founded in 1907. The first cashier, J. W. Carse, went from here to San Francisco where he died, leaving a wife and three daughters. 0. H. Brown fol­ lowed him in the bank and went from here with his wife and daughter to Salt Lake. J. W. R. Rennie served for a short time and was succeeded by Andrew Coutts, who had been working in the bank for eight years. John Morrow is also employed there. Mr. Coutts is a son of William Coutts, a native of Scotland who has lived here since I 888. Andrew Coutts married Miss Sarah Faddis, a daughter of Robert Faddis of _,\lmy. The Stockgrowers Bank opened its doors April 5, 1915. William Pugh was cashier and has held the position since that date. William Haines is assistant cashier, and Laurence Reeves and Harold Kelly are employed there. Harold Gunnell who now lives in Maywood, CaHfornia, was connected with this bank for some years. Mr. Pugh can1e to Evanston in 1884 as manager of the tele­ graph office and with the exception of a short time spent in Ogden, has resided here since that date. His wife is the daugh­ ter of Judge and 11rs. Emerson of Ogdenw There are four daughters and one son in the family. Beth became the wife of William Haines, and they have two boys. Mable was married to William Carlton and lives in Nevada. The son Emerson is instructor of civics in the Carnegie Institute of Techonology at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Hattie, Mrs. John Paco, lives in Can­ ton, Ohio, and the youngest daughter Wilma, is a student in the State University. William Haines the son of C. S. Haines who came from Iowa to the Bridger Valley in 1900 where he was the first to plant fall wheat, a crop now widely grown. About twenty years ago the family moved to Evanston, where the father died leaving a wife and five children. The mother and the eldest son, Everett, who married 1\1iss Ethel Sims, also live here. Cecil is now in business in Rock Springs, and the daughters have fitted them­ selves for teaching and are holding positions in Idaho. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

A familiar figure on the streets of E~cUlSton is George Jones, who bad the misfortune to lose his eyesight in early boyhood, but who is able to get around without assistance, and is interested in all that pertains to the town. His father, Fred Jones, had a meat market here m the early '70's. Another man in the same business was Richard Seaton who with his family went from here to California. On the 14th of May 1884, a meeting was held in the Odd Fellows Hall for the purpose of organizing the Farnsworth Post of the Grand .A.rmy of the Republic. There was present J. K. Jeffry of the district of Colorado, who examined the papers of the followmg honorably discharged soldiers; John W. Dykins, Samuel Dickey, P. J. Downs, T. D. O'Flynn, S. A. Berrier, M. V. 11orse, Samuel Davis, Wm. W. Foss, Elias Goodman, Josiah Eardley, Cameron Hayes, W. H. Blanchard, Frank Perry, E. N. Dawes, \V. L .. Moore, David \V. Maurice, and Oscar Ludwig. To the residents of Evanston whose memories go back thirty years or even less, it is a striking fact that these men in spite of changing conditions, have with scarcely an exception been among the permanent citizens who have helped to make our history. In the completed roll comprising fifty-seven names the great major­ ity have been men of influence in the town and county. The little group that gathered at the cemetery on Decoration day, 1923, consisted of Dr. Harrison, Charles Baker, Samuel Dickey, and Charles Deloney, the first three being still residents of Evans­ ton, and the last named having stopped over on his way from Jackson to his birthplace in Michigan. The occasion was made memorable by the dedication of the burial ground of the soldiers who laid down their lives in the World War. Samuel Dickey, the present Commander of the Post, is a native of St. Louis. He became a member of the fifth Pennsyl­ vania Cavalry iin 1863 when little more than a boy, served throughout the war and was present at Lee's surrender. In 187·1 he came west and worked for Judge Carter at Fort Bridger. Four yea.rs later he accepted a position with Crawford, Thomp­ son & Company in Evanston. Under George Pepper he was deputy sheriff, and was elected sheriff of the county in 188o. For over thirty years he was employed in the freight and ticket offices in Evanston, and is one of the pensioners of the Union UINTA COUNTY

Pacific. He is a thirty third degree Mason. By his first wife Mr. Dickey had six children, three of whom are living, Lillian, widow of John Beckwith, who lives in Mountain Home, Idaho, Mrs. May Osborne, who lives in Califorma, and Clara, wife of Charles Dickenson of Cheyenne. John W. Dykins, one of the most active of the comrades, was engaged in the cattle business near Woodruff. His cultured wife, the sister of Mrs. Fannie Blyth and Mrs. Julia Booth, was a marked influence m his success, and helped to make the Dykins ranch a model in its way. Mr. Dykins died in California in 1921, his second wife having passed away two years before. Among his bequests was the sum of $500 to each of the Ladies' Aids of the Episcopal, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches. Elias Goodman was for many years chaplin of the post. T. D. O'Flynn, who was engaged in business here, and was for some time justice of the peace, died in the Soldiers' Home in Sawtelle, Calif omia. W. H. Foss and A. H. Bisbing were among our pioneer merchants. Frank Perry and W. H. Moore were well known in Evanston, and C. If. Blanchard lived here until his death in 1922. E. N. Dawes was killed while performing his duty as deputy sheriff. Frank Valeraux, W. H. Fallon, W. F. Boam, and Josiah Eardley engaged in ranching in the Bridger Valley, l\rladson Coffman took up a ranch on upper Bear River, and A. E. Eastman moved to a ranch in Woodruff. · Connected with the railroad at this place 1vvere, Joseph Shaw, W. F. Huff, Charles Fritz, H. 0. Singleton, Samuel Gauf, and H. R. Unks who was one of the first engineers. Others who made their homes here and whose decendents are still among us are John McGraw who had a ranch on upper Bear River, and who died in 1922 at the age of seventy nine, Peter Anderton, and Andrew Linden. William Willcinson lived with his wife for many years on the Almy road. They had two sons in the Spanish-American War, in which Samuel Dickey j r. was also a soldier. In the Spanish-American War, Wyoming was the first state in the Union to organize its full quota of volunteers, and the re­ sponse from Uinta County was prompt. Frank M. Foote, who had been colonel in the Wyoming National Guard, was made major of the state infantry consisting of seven compames. Company H was recruited in Uinta County, with Edward P. Holtenhouse ITS PLACE IN HISTORY captain, Henry Olenkamp, first lieutenant, George .A... Fast, and Thomas A. vVilJiams, second lieutenants. Our boys left Evans­ ton May 2, 18<)8, for Camp Richards near Cheyenne. One of the worst blizzards of the west was raging but did not prevent the gathering at Downs Opera House of every able bodied citizen of Evanston. The enthusiasm of the gathering, at which Rev. Bert Foster presided, was enhanced by the arrival of a telegram an­ nouncing the news of the battle of Manila Bay. (For roster-see Appendix I.) On the Fourth of July, 1920, an interesting ceremony took place on the courthouse square, where a monument to the mem­ ory of the men who had laid down their lives in the World War was unveiled by ~Irs. Ida Thomas Mills, widow of Charles M. Mills. President James Brown made the speech of the day. The names of all those who served ~n the war are inscribed on a bronze tablet inserted in the face of the pedestal. This tribute was the outcome of the work of the Uinta County Memorial As­ sociation, composed of men and women from all over the county. The surwvors of the training camps and battlefields, are banded together in the local post of the American Legion, of which W. ]. Watts is the present commander. Its work is supple­ mented by that of the Auxiliary, of which 1\1:rs. E. W. :\1cCon­ aghy is president. Both organizations are doing what they can to amel,iorate the condition of those whose lives, broken on the cruel altar of war, are no less a sacrifice than those who died. (For roster see Appendix 2.) To the work of the Red Cross, Uinta County furnished two whose names deserve more than passing mention, Miss Jean Sharp, who served overseas as nurse, and Captain John W. R. Rennie, who devoted his time and ability without financial recom­ pense to the cause. Both are natives of Scotland. 1Iiss Sharp received her training in the Dee Hospital of Ogden. ~Ir. Rennie has been a resident of Evanston for more than thirty years in connection wth the Blyth & Fargo Company. By temperament and training he ,vas admirably fitted to take charge of some of the important supply and distributing stations in France. Mrs. Rennie, who before her marriage was Mary I. Webster of Lara­ mie, was the first woman court stenographer in Wyoming. Under her able leadership the Uinta County Chapter of the Red UINT.A. COUNTY

Cross, of which she was first cha:irman, reached a high state of efficiency. ~frs. John Ward ably succeeded her as chairman. The second story of the Federal Building was devoted to the work of the chapter. .An important war organiration was the Home Guard Band, tmder the leadership of our public-spirited county treasurer, Nephi DeLoney. At the close of the war it was consolidated with the Union Pacific Band. Among those who have helped to make a success of this splendid musical organization that is well known the length of the railroad is George W. Jay. Another who has done much for the music of the town is Professor W. H. Toy. Mr. Toy has a studio in the Beckwith Building. On the summit: of the hill east of town, surrounded by culti­ vated fields and by trees, are grouped the buildings of the State Hospital for the Insane. One structure devoted to the care of male patients, the superintendent's residence and one hundred sixty acres of land ,vas the nucleus from which has been de­ veloped the institution as we see it today. It is one of the most complete in the state and compares favorably with hospitals of a liike nature throughout the land. The original hospital building, to which an addition was made in 1go6, was destroyed by fire in 1918, and has been re­ placed by a modem structure, the central feature of which is a spacious dining hall lighted from three sides that serves as an assembly hall. At the left of this building is Brooks' Cottage, built in 1910, ,vith its deep porches and cheerful rooms, where the woman patients are cared for. An electric light plant, fine barns and stables, a silo and separate kitchen and laundry have been added. A profitable adjunct to the property is the tract of land known as the Beckwith fields, lying under the hills to the south. It was fenced in by A. C. Beckwith in 1878 and is irri­ gated from the original White ditch. Most of this striking de­ velopment and much that iis not apparent save to the close student has taken place under the management of one man, Dr. Charles H. Solier, who has been at the head of the institution since the year 1&)1, when he succeeded Dr. Hooker, the first superin­ tendent. The farm, a model in its way, where are raised vege­ tables for the market as well as for the use of the hospital, bas for many years been under the management of Frank Tucker, ITS PLACE IN IIISTOR Y who was also engineer. Frank Plank, now of Pinedale, was steward for over ten years, and was foil owed by Thomas Cook, who, with his wife and two children, live on the grounds. Dr. Solier is of French ancestry and a native of Ohio. He is a graduate of Oberlin and of the Long Island, New York, School of Medicine. In 18g8 he married Julia B., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I. C. \Vinslow. l\iirs. Solier was a woman of un­ usual charm, and her death in 1921 was an irreparable loss to her family and a large circle of friends. The only son, Charles Winslow Solier, is a graduate of the College of Dentistry of the University of Southern Califomia, as is also his wife, whose maiden name was 11ildred L. Nutt. They were married in Los Angeles, August 7, 1924,. In the early territorial days the genius of William W. Cor­ lett, a lawyer of Cheyenne, set a standard that gave the bar of Wyoming a high place among the several states and territories, and history goes to show that Uinta County has done her share in maintain~ng this position. According to the first division of the territory into two judicial districts Uinta County was part of the second. The first session of court was held by Justice J. W. K:ingman, in a building next to the old Whittier store on November 16, 1872. The Legislature of 1873 created a third judicial district em­ bracing the counties of Sweetwater and Uinta. On July 9, 1873, Governor J. .~. Campbell assigned to Hon. Edward A. Thomas, one of the associate judges, the July, 1873 term of court in Uinta County, and he continued as the sole judge, presiding until July, 1877, with the exception of three terms, when Joseph 1L Carey presided. Judge William Ware Peck, an appointee of President Hayes, presided over the July, 1877, term. He was a learned and cul­ tured man, and was said to be one of the authorities of the day on the old common law, having been a student in the office of Martin Van Buren. Many claimed he was lacking in practical modes of procedure, which caused unnecessary court expense and much trouble. Much could be written on his unique character, short of stature, but dignified of mein, who -walked the streets with his gold-headed cane, his kindly, near-sighted eyes peering out from beneath bushy gray hair, who astonished bar and jury by 170 UINT.A. COUNTY engaging the services of a minister of the gospel to open court with prayer. He took a great interest in the town and presented the Temple of Honor with several hundred volumes from his own library, making the nucleus for a reading room and circu­ lating library conducted in their rooms above the Palace Drug store. However, criticism both well founded and cruelly unjust, railed for his removal, and as an appointee of the president could not be dismissed, the Legislature created a new judicial district in the uninhabited northern part of the state, to which Judge Peck was assigned. Jacob B. Blair succeeded Judge Peck and held the office until September, 1882. From then to September, 1886, the office ,vas held by Samuel C. Park. The next appointee was made by President Cleveland. Samuel T. Corn, a native of Kentucky, came to Wyoming from the state of IUinois, where he had for some years practiced 1aw. At the expiration of his term as judge, in 18go, he opened an office in Evanston and remained here until 18¢, when he was elected to the supreme bench, a position for which he was emi­ nently fitted by training and temperament. The ten years that the family spent in Evanston made for them a secure place in the hearts of the community. The question of statehood came up during their residence here, and Judge Corn worked for it with a devotion that ,vas undoubtedly a factor in the favorable result. He ,vas a pleasing and convincing speaker and a delight­ ful friend. At the end of his service on the supreme bench, in 1904, he and his vviife moved to Ogden, Utah, the home of Thompson~ the eldest son, who is chief ticket agent at the Union depot, and of the daughter Margaret, wife of Ross Snyder. Although he has passed the four-score milesto~e of life, he is still active as referee in bankruptcy, ,vith an office in Salt Lake City . ...t\nne \Velsh Com, another daughter, became the wife of Cap­ tain \:V.illiam Brunzeil, an officer in the regular army. William ,vho ,vas born in Evanston, is a graduate of i\nnapolis and is a naval officer. In I 8go Jesse I

and moved to Evanston in 1874- The family consisted of his cultured wife, two sons and three daughters, and the children have made for themselves lives of usefulness. Harriet Knight Orr, the eldest daughter, was left a widow with two little chil­ dren, whom she supported by her pen and by teaching, at the same time fitting herself for the position she now occupies in the University of \Vyoming, that of Dean of the Training Depart­ ment. In 1&)8 Judge Knight was elected to the Supreme Bench and moved to Cheyenne, where he died in 1~5, his wife having passed away the year before. David G. Craig, an attorney of Rawlms, Wyoming, became judge of the Third Judicial Court in 1&)8, and held the position until his death, in 1915, at which time John R. Arnold was ap­ pointed to the bench. Judge Arnold was the choice of the people at the ensuing election and was again elected in 1922 for the term that expires in 1929. John R. Arnold, the fourth child of Franklin Luther and Maria Arnold, was born in Ohio, and, with his parents, came to Laramie, Wyoming, in 1870. When a mere boy he began work for the Union Pacific Ra~lroad, first as messenger boy and then as s~tion agent at ·Cooper's Lake. In 1877 he was transferred to i\.lmy, where many lasting friendships were made. After a few years in the railroad service in Almy and Evanston, during which he studied law, he was admitted to the bar. He married Miss Sadie Daws of Salt Lake, and they are the parents of the fallowing children : Mrs. ~Iinnie Sample of Evanston, Franklin L. Arnold of Salt Lake City, Mrs. Florence Terry of Evans­ ton, Mrs. Ethel Walton of Salt Lake City, Charles S., who is engaged in business in San Francisco, California, and Dorothy, a teacher in the Evanston schools. Among the attorneys who are entitled to special mention is David G. Thomas, who began life as a coal miner. He came to Wyoming in 1878, and steadily advanced until he attained the position of State Mine Inspector. He was made superintendent of the Union Pacific coal mines at Spring Valley, and on the closing of that camp moved to Evanston. For six years he served Uinta County as prosecuting attorney and in 1912 went to Rock Springs, where he has held prominent positions in connection with the Union Pacific Coal Company, and has also been prose- UINTA COUNTY

cuting attorney of Sweetwater County for a two-year term. It was there that his gifted wife died in 1918, · and there that their daughter 1\-Iyfanwy, who became the wife of Dr. John Good­ nough, has a home that is shared by Mr.. Thomas. Dave Thomas may be called self-educated, as most of his lea.ming came from his reading. He possesses something of the "divine fire", and has written poems that sing themselves into the hearts of the readers. Besides many fugitive verses published in newspapers, he is the author of a volume called "Overland and Underground'' that is a revelation of the depth of his insight into nature and life. In 18go a jurist by the name of Cyrus Beard came with his family to Evanston. Though a native of the state of Pennsyl­ vania, most of his Iii£ e had been spent in the Middle West. In the University of Iowa, from which he received his degree, he formed a friendship with Clarence D. Clark that resulted in a partnership in the practice of law. Mrs. Beard died in 1&)3, leaving four children. In 1897 the family moved to Colorado Springs, and in the same year Miss Frances Birkhead became his wtife. In 1900 they returned to Evanston, and the firm of Beard & Spaulding was formed and continued until 1904, when Uinta County was honored the third time in having a member of its bar made the choice of the people for the supreme bench of the state. Judge Beard was a scholarly and faithful worker and his death in 1921 brought sorrow to the entire state, in which he had friends in all ranks of life. Three of the children are living; Mary, wife of W. C. Pefley of Idaho; Arthur, who is a civil en­ gineer in Caliif omia, and Claire, wife of George Daiber of Cheyenne. John C. Hamm was born in ·Pennsylvania and came to Evanston as principal of the schools from Kansas, where he had graduated from the state normal. He built the home on Lom­ bard Street now owned by W. H. Burdette. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and elected prosecuting attorney for Uinta County. A partnership was formed with J. R. Arnold under the firm name of Hamm & Arnold, that lasted until Mr. Hamm moved to South Pasadena, California, in 1910, to engage tin legal and real estate- business. His wife, who was also a native of Pennsylvania, died in the Evanston home. There are z. 0 (/J w C, ►t- o z <( UJ :::.:: <( ~ (/J <( ~

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75

ITS PL.. ~CE IN HISTORY 173

two daughters : Lillian, who became the wife of Robert Paine, a Green River boy, and Lenore, who married H. L. Rarnroow. Both are making their homes in Southern California. Benjamin M. Ausherman, a native of Maryland, who laid the foundation of a successful career in the schools of Kansas, came to Evanston in 18go. For a time he was receiver of the United States Land Office, at Evanston, and was admitted to the bar in 1&)2. He went to Washington as secretary to Sen­ ator Clark, and returned to practice law in Evanston. He became prominent in business circles, and was a director in the Evans­ ton National Bank. In 1912 he married Miss Claire Peterson, and they built a beautiful home on the comer of Tenth and Sum­ mit Streets, where Mrs. Ausherman lives with her mother, l\1r. Ausherman having died in 1922. Among the early members of the bar are C .. M. White, C. E. Castle, E. S. Whittier, R. W. Stoll, W. A. Carter, Leroy H. White, Arthur W. Butler, Earle C. White, James Hill, J. A. Hellenthal, ·Col. H. E. Christmas, Robert S. Spence and J. H. Ryckman. Payson Whitman Spaulding has been identified with the bar of the county and state since the year 1901. To students of the past there is interest in the fact that Mr. Spaulding is a diirect descendant in the ninth generation of Edward Spaulding, who migrated from England to the colony of Virginia in 1619, and that his grandfather, Joseph Spaulding, was fifth cousin to Rev. Henry Spaulding, who crossed Wyoming on his mission to the Indians of the Northwest in 1836, as related in Chapter Four. His relationship to Marcus Whitman is even closer, his grand­ mother having been cousin to the famous pioneer doctor. Mr. Spaulding was born in Maine and came west when a youth. He has become one of the best known lawyers in the western part of Wyoming, and is attorney for the Union ·Pacific Railroad Company. The fact that he was the first man in Evanston to own an automobile, an object Qt curiosity and awe to equine as well as human wayfarers in ffle early days of the nineteenth century, may account in part for his interest in good roads and ~ position among the members of the State Highway Com­ mission. Mr. Spaulding married Mrs. Nellie Quinn, nee John- 174 UINTA COUNTY

son, and they make their home on the comer of Twelfth and Summit Streets. The connection with Uinta County of Austin Clark Sloan, son of the pioneer William K. and Maria Townsend Sloan, dates back to the days of the building of the Hilliard flume. Follow­ ing his graduation from the Collegiate Institute of Salt Lake, ~fr. Sloan came to Evanston, where he married ~1ary, daugh­ ter of Mr. and Mrs. James ~IcKenzie. In 18<)8 he went with Senator Clark to Washington, and combined with his duties there the study of law, which resulted in his graduation from the Columbia Law School in 1903. The following year he opened an office m Evanston, and he and his wife are among our best known people. Reuel Walton, who was admitted to the bar in Utah in 1907, came to Evanston in 1911 and practices here, having served as prosecuting attorney for one term. In the choice of his pro­ fession Mr. Walton followed in the footsteps of his ancestors, his grandfather having been a member of the supreme bench of Maine, and his father, Wesley K. Walton, having been admitted to practice la,v before coming to the state of Utah. i\fter teach­ ing for a time in the Provo Academy W. K. '\,Valton took up land near Woodruff, and diviided his time between this property and a ranch at Midvale. He was for a time prosecuting attorney of Rich County. Mr. Walton and all of his children are gifted in music, and as there are ten sons and three daughters in the family: they were never dependent on help from outsiders, but formed a com­ pany of their own that was known as the "Walton Orchestra." Reuel Walton married Flora, daughter of Lort Lewis~ ancl they are the parents of two girls. His brother, T. W. Walton, mar- . ried Ethel, daughter of Judge and Mrs. J. R. Arnold, and after ten years spent on the ranch they are living in Salt Lake City. Prominent among the lawyers of Uinta County stands Louis Kabell, Jr. Mr. Kabell was born in Vernal, Utah, and received his law degree from the University of Colorado. He niarried Miss Ernestine Faus of Boulder, and they have one son. From 1913 to 1915 Mr~ Kabell was in the office of the attorney general in ·Cheyenne, from which place he came to Evanston and estab­ lished a successful law practice that extends to other counties. ITS PL.ACE IN HISTORY 175

Most distinguished of all the citizens of Uinta County is Clarence Don Clark, who came to Evanston to practice law in 1881. Descended on both sides from old colonial families, he was born in the state of New York and passed his boyhood in Illinois. He was a graduate of the Law School of the Univer­ sity of Iowa. In addition to his natural ability and splendid training, C. D. Clark is blessed with the gift of friendship to such a degree that there has been no office in county or state to which he might not aspire. From the position oi proset..,1ring attorney of Uinta County he stepped into the Congress of the United States, where he was the first representative of Wyo­ ming after the conferring of statehood. In 1&)5 he was elected senator and held this seat for twenty-one year;. ilis member­ ship on many important committees and his chainnanship 0£ the Committee of Judiciary led to his appointment in 1919 by Presi­ dent Wilson to the United States International Joint Comn1is­ sion, of which he is no,v chairman. This comnussion was organ­ ized in 1909 between the United States and Great Britain and works in conjunction with the authorities of Mexico and Canada adjudicating the conflicting rights on streams of an international character. Senator and Mrs. Clark divide their time behveen the nation's capitol and their home in Los Angeles. Of the four children born to them two have died, the son George, a boy of great promise at the age of fourteen in the year 1890, and Frances, wife of Hobert Chapman in the year 1919. The eldest daughter, Laura, is the wife of Charles P. Blyth, and they live in I"'os .An­ geles. The second daughter, Margaret, married Dr. J. If. Hol­ land of Evanston. The lawyers who served as county and prosecuting attor­ neys of Uinta County, including the term that will expire Jan­ uary I, 1925, are the following: William G. Tonn, from May, 1872, until December, 1873; H. Garbonati, eight years; William Hinton, one year; C. D. Clark, three and a half years; H. B. Head, two and a half years; Jesse Knight, two years; John C. Hamm, six years ; John W. Salmon, four years ; John R. Arnold, two years; D. G. Thomas, six years; Abraham Crawford, two years; John R. Arnold, two years; Abraham Crawford, four years; B. N. Matthews, two years; Reuel Walton, two years ; Abraham Craw£ ord, two years; Dick Westra, two years. UINTA COUNTY

The first sheriff of Uinta County was C. E. Castle, who served in that capacity during the years 1872-3-4- He was succeeded in office by the foil owing : William Hinton, two years ; Geo. W. Pepper, four years; Samuel Dickey, two years; J. J. LeCain, four years; John H. Ward, fourteen years; Frank H. James, six years; Jonathon Jones, four years ; John H. Ward, two years ; William R. Lowham, six years ; L. D. Christenson, six years. John H. Ward, from years of service in Uinta County, gained the reputation of being one of the best sheriffs in the West. His training for this office, full of dangers, in the days when cattle thieving, road holdups and bank robberies were of common occurrence, was gained in the 1Civil War when he served with the sixth Iowa Cavalry, and later when he was freighter on the plains. Mr. Ward was a native of Ireland and had come to America as a boy. In I 888 he n1arried Margaret, the daughter of Mr. and 1\1rs. James Byrne, who, in 1876, had come to Evans­ ton, where her father was section foreman for many years. Mrs. Ward survives her husband and with her sister, Miss Nell Byrne, lives in the attractive home on the corner of Morse Lee and Eleventh Streets. ITS PL.t\.CE IN HISTORY 177

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Vicinity of Evanston

The first permanent settlement on Bear River was made by John Myers. In 1855 he came across the plains to Utah, and two years later was working as carpenter at Fort Bridger. In 18oo he made his home on the east bank of Bear River at the point where the Salt Lake Trail crossed the stream, and from that day the place has been known as Myers' Crossing. Among the group of well-kept buildings situated near the lower boundary of the ranch there was conspicuous for many years a two-story frame dwelling that had been moved to Hilliard and was the home of the family. This was burned down in 1922, and has been re­ placed by a pretty, modem structure, where lives Fred B. Myers, one of the five sons of John Myers. His wife, a daughter of Lort Lewis, who came to Wyoming as a rancher on upper Bear River, is a member of another family named Lewis, that traces its ancestry back to the early Welsh kings. They have two chil­ dren, a boy and a girl. Extending some seven miles up the valley is one of the most beautiful ranches in the West. In the field about six miles above the crossing is the home of Charles A., an­ other son of John Myers. No man stands higher in Uinta County than Charles Myers, and it is safe to say that in the state senate, to which he has been twice elected, he has done as much for sound moral and business principles a5: any man in Wyoming. He married Miss Nell .Pepper and they have three children. The eldes~ of the family went to Texas and never married. A sis­ ter, Mrs. Leonard, made her home in Evanston for some years, and was the mother of six children, one of whom, Mrs. F. W. Hutchenreiter, still lives here. The brother Phill:ip moved to Salt Lake City, where he died.. John Myers has a fine ranch .at Piedmont and is the father of three children. The youngest of the family, a daughter named Grace, is the wife of E. H. Darling of Salt Lake City, and they are the parents of one girl. John Myers died in 1901 and is buried m the Evanston cemetery. His widow, now eighty-three years old, divides her time between Salt Lake and the ranch. From her doorstep she has seen the evolution of the transportation of sixty years, first over the winding trail where the lumbering emigrant wagon was followed by the stage Ij8 UINTA COUNT"\t

coach and the pony express, then along the roadbed, carefully surveyed for the steam horse with its huge loads of freight and· passengers, and today across the trackless sky, where the govern­ ment mail planes take their flight. The meadows lying under the over-hanging cliffs at Myers' Crossing were a favorite camping ground for Wasbakie's band, and that famous chief advanced to a place of friendship in the Myers family. Among many things that he told John Myers was that the year 1837 was a sad one for the Indians, as most of the buffalo in the vicinity died that winter. One summer morning the peace of the Indian camp in the meadows was broken by the clatter of horses' hoofs rounding the cliff above, and the voice of the rider who, with every leap of his steed, shouted the single word, "Cheyenne, Cheyenne, Cheyenne!'' He was a scout who had been sent out to spy on the movements of their dreaded enemy. Mr. 1Iyers saiid that within twenty min­ utes of the first alarm not a sign of an Indian was to be seen in the valley, human beings, tents and horses seeming to have vanished into thin air. On Sunday, September 28, 1924, a monument was erected on the crest of the hill at the side of the old trail approaching Myers' Crosssing from the east, in honor of the Mormon pioneers who reached this spot July 12, 1847. About seven hundred people gathered to ·witness the ceremonies that were conducted by the Woodruff Stake of the Latter Day Saints. The memorial is built of cobblestones set in cement on a cement base. It is built in the form of a pyramid surmounted by a beehive, and bears an appropriate inscription on a metal slab. Near the trail is the grave of Mrs. Mary Lewis, a member of an early band, who died in 1852. Following the completion of the railroad the demand for ties and building material became imperative. William K. Sloan, who has already been mentioned as a pioneer of Utah, erected a sawmill at the mouth of Mill Creek, a stream that enters Bear River about thirty miles above Hilliard, and lumber products of all sorts were soon turned out. Hauling by team was expensive and slow, and Mr. Sloan conceived the idea of building a flume for the purpose of floating down the lumber. The Hilliard Flume and Lumber Company was organized by him, in which were in- ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

terested John W. Kerr, Fred H. Myers and W. H. Wadsworth, all Nevada capitalists. Mr. Sloan was treasurer, a Salt Lake man named John W. Fowler was secretary and Alfred H. Bemis of Salt Lake was superintendent of construction. The flume began at the mouth of Fish Creek, and there a town known as Mill City sprang up. It consisted of a sawmill, a company store and boarding places for the men, the number of whom reached five hundred at one time. The construction began at the upper end where the lumber was prepared. After the completion of two or three miles water was turned in and the material for further building floated down to be distributed along the surveyed route by ox teams. A branch called the Howe flume extended six miles above Mill City, and there were also two feeders from East Fork and Mill Creek that served to swell the volume of water and supply that lost by leakage. It was built in a "V" shape of planks two inches thick and a foot wide, two and a half boards being used to each side, and was supported on a scaffolding of posts. Eighty tons of nails were put into it. The height varied with the contour of the country from the level of the ground to thirty feet over the railroad tracks at Hilliard. So great was the fall that a log put in the flume at Mill City could reach Hil­ liard in two hours if unhindered in its journey by "jams", and men were stationed along its course to prevent these obstructions. It was later decided that the better plan would be to float down the raw timber, as the soaking of the prepared lumber and the necessary rough handling en route were injurious, and accordingly the mill was moved to Hilliard. Here the lumber was distributed to the railroad for use as ties and building props in mines, and to the mill for the preparation of building material. These were the days when there was a great demand for charcoal in the smelting industry, and the feasibility of using the smaller trees and the limbs in making this product was soon demonstrated. Thirty-six kilns were erected at Hilliard, struc­ tures about thirty feet across and thirty feet _high, made of brick and shaped like the· old-fashioned beehive. The kilns were filled from the top and closed, a fire was started and was so regulated as to subject the contents to a smouldering heat for several days, at the end of which time the drafts were closed and the fire was permitted to die out. When cold enough for handling, the wood r8o UINTA COUNTY

was removed so evenly charred that logs a foot thick were almost unifonn in appearance from bark to core. A large business was done with all the smelting companies in the western states, and a small smelter was put up at Hilliard, but this proved to be a poor investment because of the expense in shipping the crude ore, and was soon discontinued. The decline of the charcoal industry began with the use of coke in smelters, and resulted in the shut­ tling down of the Hilliard kilns. The price of charcoal fell from twenty-seven to seven cents a bushel. There was a falling off, too, in the demand for naitve lum­ ber, due to shipping in of a better quality from the Northwest­ ern states. The Hilliard Flume and Lumber Company, in which not far from $200,000 had been invested, was sold to a company of Boston capitalists, Bean, Biglow & Chapin, but not before it had passed from the experimental stage when at was laugh­ ingly referred to as "Sloan's Folly", to a paying investment that had brought employment to a large number of workmen and had stimulated business of various kinds in Wyoming. The new company faced the same difficulties as had the original one, and failed to make a success of the work. At length G. W. Carleton, telegraph operator at Hilliard, pao.d $500 for the hold­ ings consisting of the kilns, the company's buildings at Hilliard and the flume that was rapidly falling to pieces. He repaired ten miles of it, floated down wood for various purposes and for some years continued to tum out charcoal that he shipped to Salt Lake for use in restaurants and other places. After even this demand ceased, the flume fell into ruin and the ranchers appro­ priated the lumber for buildings. About the only trace today of this once active industry is to be found in the plant life that marks its course. Seeds from the mountam sides that were carried down by the waters have found beds in the soil of the lowlands, perpetuating as nature only can the records of the past. Hilliard attracted to it the l\fyers family from Bear River Crossing, and they conducted a boarding house for some years. Another boarding house was opened by Mr. and Mrs. Clement C. LaChappelle. He was a French-Canadian, and his wife was from an English family that had settled !in: Utah. They took up a: ranch on Sulphur Creek, and after a time moved to Evanston, where two of their children still live, Roger, who is an engineer on the rail- ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 181

road, and who married Marion, the youngest daughter of Thomas Scott, and Valerie, who became the wife of Frank Cashin. Louise taught school here for many years, and married J. Whitney of Kemmerer, and they now make their home in California. Flo La­ Chappelle, clerk of the court of Lincoln County for some years, was appointed State Librarian by Governor Ross. W. S. Smith was another resident of Hilliard who later moved to Evanston, and who served the county as deputy sheriff in the early days. His daughter Grace taught the first school at Hilliard, a position that was filled some years later by Annie Sloan, daughter of William K. Sloan. She became the wife of C. M. Bissell, a prominent railroad man of New York state and makes her home in ...i\.lbany, as does the youngest daughter, Ella, who married E. M. Cameron of that city. Another daugh­ ter, Alice, was married to Frank Walker, who came from the East to manage the flume. They are living in Boston. G. W. Carlton ,vas a Canadian by birth. He came to Salt Lake with the first telegraph operators after the completion of the line. Here he met M-iss Cora Georgia Snow, daughter of an associate judge on the supren1e bench of Utah, and a strong friendship was formed that culminated in their marriage late in life. Mrs. Carleton ,vas a remarkable woman, whose story is in itself a romance embodying the most thrilling experiences of the life of the iisolated State of Deseret and its development. She was the first woman to be admitted to the bar in Utah, an honor that was conferred on her and Phoebe Cousins at the same time. The Carletons divided their time between their home in Hilliard, the town of Evanston, and San Diego, Califomia, where ~-Irs. Carleton was honored by being the first woman to be elected to the position of trustee of the public schools. lVIr .. Carleton -was a men1ber of the state legislature of \Vyo­ rning for one term. Both Mr. and Mrs. Carleton died in Cali­ fornia. A man by the name of Ferguson was the first to settle on upper Bear River. He did not have a patent, but for some years held the place by "squatter's right". In 1881 George C. L. Goodman took up a claim near by, and the next year a sol­ dier's homestead was taken up by his father, Elias Goodman. The Ferguson buildings and improvements were bought by them. r82 l.TINTA COUNTY

The first member of the Goodman family to come to Wyoming was John S.~ who worked for the railroad at Green River as early as 1872. The next year he was joined by George, the youngest of the four brothers, and together they moved to Hilliard to work on the flume. The father, Elias Goodman, with his wife and his two remaining sons, followed them and all engaged in the sheep business. The ranches were models in their way and were brought to a high state of efficiency. Elias Goodman died in 1896 and his widow some twelve years later. John Goodman had four children and now lives in southern California. Job, the second son, married Amelia Brewer, a native of New York, and they are the parents of two sons, Arthur and Albert, who mar­ ried the two daughters of Mr. and l\1rs. Jonathon Jones. Arthur's family, in which there are two sons, lives in Evanston with Mr. and ?\frs. Job Goodman ~n the home built by D. B. Rathbun. Albert, with his wife and daughter, moved to Stockton, Cali­ fornia. Job Goodman has served the county both as assessor and treasurer. The brother Will.iam moved to Idaho, where he died. George Goodman, son of Mr. and :tv1rs. Elias Goodman, was for many years engaged in the lumber business in Evanston, where two attractive homes now belonging to J. E. Martin and John W. R. Rennie, are among the monuments to his memory. Mr. Goodman ,vas one of our foremost citizens. He married Ruby Billings, a teacher who came here from Boston and who, with her daughter Elynor, lives in California. Mr. Goodman died in 1920 and was buried in the Evanston cemetery. John Hatten was for many years a well-known hunter and trapper at the bend of the river on Mill Creek, where he was in charge of the dam. He came in 1877 and his wife two years later. For three years 11rs. Hatten lived in the home cabin without seeing a white face other than those of her own family. There are two sons, the oldest of whom is Jesse, a prominent business man of Evanston. He married Anna, daughter of C. A. Lannon, and the family, in which there are four girls and one boy, live in the home built by Senator Clark. Mrs. John Hatten also lives in Evanston. Edgar, the second son, lives in Salt Lake. Jesse Hatten owns a valuable ranch running east from the river. Across the river is the Homer place. Below the Hatten ranch we come to those of George Barker, J. F. McKinnon and ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY the Crown, which was originally taken up by R. M. Le~'15. Emmet Hare's and the Phipps ranches lie between it and Charles Myers. South of Hatten's is the ranch taken up by 1Iichael Low­ ham, a Scotch-Irish settler, who had one daughter and nine sons, all of whom were well known in the vicinity. Charles Danielson was the first to demonstrate the raising of vegetables in this high-lying region. Emil Pauly and !Iichael ~1ariarky took up ranches near the river. In the days of the eastward march of the Coxey Army there dropped off in Evanston a man with his roll of blankets. His name was James Havorka. Nobody asked his nationality, but they soon found out that he belonged to the brave race of men whose steadfast purpose is the building of a home. In the course of time he located highest up on ·Bear River. Today the $40 he had iin his pocket on the day of his arrival has been multiplied a thousand-£ old. His wife and two children, one of whom is a teacher in our high school, have added to the lasting worth of our countv. . The Lewis families are fondly remembered, though they left Uinta County many years ago. R. M. Lewis, ,vho now lives in Boise, Idaho, was employed for many years by Beckwith, Lauder & Company. He married Miss Sarah Reed, a teacher from the state of Maine. They have one son, ,vho has achieved success as a civil engineer, and one daughter. Thomas Lewis married Rose ·Clinton, and they have a son and two daughters. They went from here to Wenatchee, Washington. The tract of land south of the railroad at Hilliard was for a time l(nown as Poverty Flat, not because of the character of the ]and, but from the financial condition of the settlers, most of whom came from the Almy coal camp. They made every sac­ rifice, many working in the mines in winter to earn money to buy a cow or two with which to start a herd, while their wives and small children were often shut off from communication with the outside world for ,veeks at a time by the deep snows. A striking example of success that has repaid such efforts is seen in the Barker Brothers Land & Livestock Company. Today the Hilliard Flats is a prosperous ranching district, with modern schools, that produces more hay than any other section of the UINTA COUNTY same size in the mountain region, as well as a good yield of hardy gram. The deprivations of ranch life are offset by many advan­ tages, and one of these is the pleasure of guests in the home. Besides the invited friends there are many who make the ranch a stopping place for their own convenience, and these often add unexpectedly to the joy of life, especially to that of the chil­ dren, who are always on tiptoe to catch a glimpse of the thmgs that lie just beyond their horizon. The forest ranger, the gov­ ernment expert, the church worker, the hunter or the fisherman caught by storm or accident far from his expected stopping place, all write their paragraphs on pages not blurred by too f re­ quent inscnpttons. Surely the guests of the ranch home have but a faint conception of their importance! · They may be found wanting, but they are sure to be weighed in the balance, not by ignorant admirers, but by minds unspoiled by too much worldly wisdom. When in 1887 Charles Moslander took up land on the Big Muddy the county assessor, J. Van A. Carter, made the remark that a man with courage enough to settle on the Aspen ridge de­ served to have his taxes rebated. Today this same ranch, which has always been devoted to cattle, is one of the most flourishing in the country. Mr. Moslander is a native of Missouri. His wife, from a pioneer Utah family, possessed all of the courage necessary to bring success. There were many sacrifices made in order to give the seven children the benefits of education, but they were cheerfully endured. The LaChappelle ranch was on the same side of the range, and it now belongs to Schmidt & Rupe. Three Scotch families, the Grahams, H ursts and Cordons, are remembered as early set­ tlers here. Charles Guild had a store at Piedmont that dated from the time of the building of the Union Pacific and is now conducted by his daughter, Mrs. Mary NL Cross. The family engaged in ranching, and George Guild and Mrs. James Guild have exten­ sive interests here. Joseph Byrne, son of 11:oses Byrne, has. a fine ranch adjoining. On Yellow Creek, west of the town, are the Wright ranches and those belonging to J. M. Peart, the Stahley brothers, Charles ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 185

Hagerman, the Spencers and Da'\id Dean. On school days a wagon brings the children from this district to the Evanston schools .. The Bear River valley lying north of Almy is commercially tnoutary to Evanston, although most of it belongs to Rich Coun­ ty, Utah. The first settlement, called Woodruff, from the Mor­ mon apostle of that name, was made in the year 186) by three men named Joseph Fife, George Eastman and John Bums. The first mentioned was the only one to remain there perma­ nently, and his descendants are well known in Evanston. Among the citizens of Evanston who have come to us from here are Bishop Baxter, the Eastmans, George Neville, the Spencer broth­ ers, the Reeds, and the Dean family. The outcroppings of coal in the Spring Valley district re­ ceived mention in Stansbury's and other early government re­ ports.. About the year 1898 the Union Pacific Coal Company sent out miners from Aln1y under the leadership of James Bowns, and he was made superintendent of the mine opened there. In 1900 the work was extended and David G. Thomas was ap­ pointed superintendent. There were at one time about three hun­ dred and fifty men in the camp. A school under W. H. Moss, who taught in Almy, was opened. Among the leading men of the camp were Joseph Dean, "\Villiam J. Starkey, Seth Thomas, Joseph B. Martin and other old Almy residents, who, in 1905, when the mine closed on account of the inferior quality ot coal, moved to Evanston. Dr. E. E. Levers, who had succeeded Dr. Gamble as mine physician at Almy and who held the same position at Spring Valley, was for three years in partnership with Dr. J. L. Wicks. He was a native of Ohio, as was also his wife, who will be re­ membered here as an accomplished musician and one of the sweetest singers it has been our good fortune to have in our midst. The first to open a mine in this valley was Judge Carter. It was later lmown as the Lezeart mine, and was for years operated by M. W. Isherwood. The production was steady but not large, and the coal iis fine for household purposes. The presence of oil in the Spring Valley region was lmown to the early trappers, but the first published account is contained in a small volume called the "Mormon's Guide Book," that ap- 186 UINTA COUNTY

pea.red in 1848.1 After descnoing the crossing of Sulphur Creek, the passage reads as follows : "About a mile from this place in a southwest course is a 'tar' or 'oil' spring, covering a surface of several rods of ground. There is a wagon trail running within a short distance of it. It is situated in a small hollow on the left of the wagon trail, at a point where the trail rises to a higher bench of land. When the oil can be obtained free of sand, it is useful to oil wagons. It gives a nice polish to gun stocks, and has been proved highly beneficial when applied to the sores on horses." A shallow well was dug out around the spring and it was called the Brigham Young Oil Spring. In 1868 Judge ·Carter, in driving a tunnel for coal about three miles west of Spring Valley, struck a flow of oil and de­ veloped a well there and another near by that produced about six barrels a day of heavy lubricating oil. It was sold to the Union Pacific at prices varying from forty cents to a dollar a gallon. In 1867 the ever-enterprising C. M. White began to drill a well in NW.¾, section 33, township 14 N., range 119.2 Drilling was done to the depth of four hundred eighty feet, but misfor­ tunes in losing tools and the great difficulty in supplying them at that early date, caused him to abandon the undertaking the next year. The importance of this oil region was never lost sight of, but it was not until the beginning of the present century that cap­ ital became sufficiently mterested to take up the work in earnest. In August, 1goo, the Union Pacific, in drilling for a water well, struck sand containing oil of a high grade at the depth of a little less than 500 feet. Excitement spread and the country was soon staked out under the placer mining laws. Big companies ap­ peared on the field and claims were located by the American Con­ solidated, the Atlantic & Pacific, the Pittsburg-Salt Lake, the Jager Oil, the l\fichigan-\Vyoming and others. Sinclair and Doheny of Teapot oil fame v,ere on the ground, and it is remem­ bered that in January, 1901, the latter gave a lecture on oil pro­ duction to an interested audience in the Downs Opera House. Among the local concerns that started drilling were the N ebergal, the Texas King, the Citizens, the Roberts, the Producers, and

1 W. Clayton, "The Latter Day Saints Emigrant Guide/' 2 Veatch. Government report. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY the Mountain Oil Companies. The last three named were com­ bined under the Mountain Oil Company, and this company has held on and has produced oil continuous! y. An act of Congress, dated July 1, 1862, had granted to the Union Pacific Railroad every alternate section along its course for twenty miles on either side of the road, these being the odd numbered sections. The rights of the road did not e..xtend to mineral wealth, other than coal and iron. The road had the coal mine on section z;, township Is north, range I 18 west. The right to drill on this section was claimed by some promoters, and a contest rose between the Union Pacific and the General Land Office, with the result that the contention of the road ,vas sus­ tained for this particular section, which was declared to be more valuable for coal than for oil. December 1, 1903, was placed for the limit for other contested sections, and this served to stimulate operators in developing the field. The ·work was pushed and a wonderfully fine quality of oil was taken out ; but, like many other precious things, it was not found in great quantity. Many difficulties were encountered in drilling, and the opera­ tors claimed that the Union Pacific, on which they were de­ pendent for transportation, discriminated against them. In the years 1905 to 1910 the ,vork declined. During the years of in­ activity a well-knovvn man named Clem J\ilorrison has been gen­ eral caretaker of the properties. C. A. Dom, one of the Spring Valley oil men, lived for a time in Evanston with his wife and three children. He was con­ nected with the Commercial Club, an organization that met in the upper story of the Beckwith Building and for some years did good work. The Doms moved to Oklahoma, ,vhere he met ,vith great financial success. E. W. Trenan of the 11ountain Oil Company is remembered as one who held on perseveringly until 1913, ,vhen adverse con­ ditions caused him to leave the field, to engage in business in Salt Lake City. F. A. Miller, an experienced driller, also lived in Evanston, where he bought the home no,v owned by Thomas Bird. ~lr. Miller became superintendent of the Ferris Oil Company. C. E. Hummel worked for many years for the Vulcan Oil Company. He has a home on Morse Lee Street in Evanston, 188 UINTA COUNTY where live his wife and daughter Esther, who became the wife of Elmer Ewer. One of the oldest men in the field is A. H. Whiteman, whose faith has been rewarded by a producing well of great promise that he has drilled on section 13, township 15 north, range 118. The well was ushot'' September the twenty-first, making a twenty-five barrel well of 43° gravity oil. It is not too much to say that the prospects for what Veatch calls "a very interesting field" are full of hope. ·..

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OLD FIREPLACE CHIMNEY, FORT BRl9GER Photograph by Gr-ace Raymond Hebard.

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN The Bridger Valley and Beyond The settlement of the Bridger \Talley has gone steadily for­ ward, and .it is today one of the most important agricultural districts in the state. Soon after the military reservation of Fort Bridger was thrown open three men named King Durant, Joshua Stewart and S. R. Brough took up land about five miles west of Fort Bridger. In 18<)1 a canal was taken out of Black's Fork under the direc­ tion of a Mormon bishop named Ferrin, and homesteads were located by F. L. Diffendaffer, William Snodgrass and Samuel Gross. Soon after there moved in a colony from Utah bringing cattle and horses. A canal that was taken out by Judge Carter some years before was purchased, and at a place about a mile and a half east of the present site of Lyman a settlement named Minersville, so called from their former home in Utah, was established. On land belonging to Henry Blumell, one of the settlers, a town hall was put up, that served as a general meeting place and a schoolhouse. The first teacher was 1'1rs. G. A. Thomas, mother of W. A. Thomas of Mountainview. This· dis­ trict is now known as the Bench. In 18g8 . Francis M. Lyman, an apostle of the Mormon Church, organized the Woodruff Stake, which included this newiy settled region. On the 1oth of May the following year he and an associate named Owen Woodruff selected the present town site, which was originally part of the homestead of S. R. Brough. Lots were laid out and a town hall, built by popular subscrip­ tion, was ready for the first religious service the 11th of Febru­ ary, 1900. This building served its purpose until the year 1914, when the present meeting house was erected. The first bishop, Mr. Brough, was succeeded by Melville Rollins. The town, which was originally called Owen, has for many years borne the name of Lyman. To the unprepared it is a surprise to find so progressive and well equipped a town at such a distance from the railroad. There are excellent stores and garages and good hotels, the largest of which tis the Johnson House. The Farmers and Stockgrowers Bank, a branch of the First National of Rock Springs, of which 19() UINTA COUNTY

Edward Statmiller is cashier, occupies a substantial building. The Bridger Valley Enterprise, published by Loraine Rollins, is an excellent weekly newspaper, and has done much toward build­ ing up a fine community spirit. A branch of the Umta County Library was established in 1915 in a room rented for the pur­ pose. It now occupies a convenient little building bought for a horary. The following librarians have been in charge: lvfiss Margaret Guild, tfiss Evelyn Brough, Miss M. Blackner and Mrs. Stanley Rollins. Mrs. Rollins is the daughter of Cornelius Evans, one of Lyman's pioneer settlers. The descendants of Watson Rollins have been prominent from the date of settlement, and Loraine Rollins has represented the county in the state legislature. Augustus Youngberg, a member of another pioneer family, has served the county as com­ missioner. Others who deserve mention are : William Phillips, the Hollingshead family, Wallace and William Hamlin, Joseph Wall, several of whose children IJve in the valley, and W. G. Moyes, who moved from Lyman to Idaho. Ephriam Marshall, another of the first band of settlers, was the father of eight chil­ dren who are well known in the county, one of whom, D. W. Marshall, is still living at Lyman. Mrs. Marshall, widow of the pioneer, lives in Evanston with her daughters, Mrs. Charles Cook and Mrs. George Brown. The largest canal in this section was taken out by the Big­ lows of Ogden, and is known by their name. It supplies water for the Biglow ranch, a splendid property lying to the west of Fort Bridger, and for many of the valley ranches. In the year 18g1 a sufficient number of people bad settled about six miles above Fort Bridger on Smith's Fork to sanction the opening of a postoffice, and ,in June of that year William H. Harvey was appointed postmaster. The place was called Moun­ tainview from a ranch owned by Mrs. Groshon that was situated at the foot of a butte overshadowing the towµ. Mrs. Agnes Hewitt, mother of Wiiliam and George Har­ vey, has been honored by the title of the "1-fother of Mountain­ view'" and her influence has outlived the span of her earthly life. The southwest comer of a homestead owned by her was laid out as a townsite, and in January, 18g8, the first house was built by a man named David Young. The same year the Har- ITS PLi\CE IN HISTORY 191

vey brothers put up a store, the completion of which was cele­ brated by an all-night dance. Soon after there was built by popular subscription a community ball that served as a social and business meeting place until the erection of the hall of the Wood­ men of the World in 1907. John Pfisterer, organizer of this order in Wyoming, built a pretty home on the edge of town, where the family lived some years before going to Ogden. A branch of the Morman Sunday School of Lyman was started in Mountainview in 1909 but was soon discontinued, and in 1910 a union Sunday School was opened. Three years later J. C. \\'hitsett was sent out by the Presbyterian Board, and under his leadership with the hearty cooperation of the people a taste­ £ul church building and manse was built on a lot presented by Mrs. G. A. Thon1as. In April, 1916, the Presbytery of Larame which embraces the southern part of Wyoming, met at Mountain­ view, the church was dedicated and Mr. Whitsett was ordained as pastor. In 1920 he and his family moved to California. The present minister is Rev. Mr. Edwards, and the church is pros­ pering under his able leadership. The Uinta County State Bank, a branch of the Stockgrow­ ers Bank of Evanston, is housed in a neat brick building, with William Newton as cashier. l\tlr. Newton's family consisting of his wife and daughter have a tasteful home near by. Thomas Anson, one of the early settlers, has served as county commissioner for two terms. William Thomas is another of the older residents who makes his home there. He has long served on the school board and is a prominent citizen. T. A. Megeath came to Mountainview from Sweetwater County, and held the position of United States Commissioner. His son, W. C. Megeath, bought the store and home of Wi11iam Summers, and has a prosperous business. South of Mountain.view is a stretch of land known as the "Bench", on which two ranchers, Robert Kidman and Andrew Polson, setteled in 18g6. -Polson had four sons, one of whom, Edward M., is well known in the county. His wife is the daugh­ ter of James Perry. About five miles west of Mountainview is the settlement of Milburn, where John Wade, formerly of Evanston, for some years ran a grist mill. A. A. Davidson is a prosperous rancher DINT.A. COUNTY

here. C. B. Hamilton, son of Richard Hamilton, James Sharp, and J. A. Fackrel have valuable ranch properties in the neigh­ borhood. On upper Smith's Fork about ten miles above Fort Bridger there is a settlement known as Robertson, so called from the first settler of the Bridger Valley. To the west are the ranches of William Smith, S. M. Hawkins, and Daniel Nash. Wallace Johnson, son of S. M. Johnson an early settler on Henry's Fork, has a ranch high up on the stream. It adjoins and includes part of the holdings of "Jack Robertson". The outliines of old Fort Supply now included in the Robert Coburn ranch may still be traced in the hurried logs and stone chimneys. Adjoining it is the ranch of G. A. Rassmussen, an early man in the region. Dr. William Carter, brother of J. Van A. Carter, had one of the largest ranches in the valley. Other ranchers in the vicinity are T. W. Boam, Morgan Bond, J. W. Center, W. B. Goodrich, 11. N. Hayward, 11rs. John Wall, John H. Overly, and Gustavus Beder. A figure whose long locks and flowing beard always attract attention, ~s that of Dick Jones, who came to the county with Coe and Carter, con­ tractors for railroad ties for the Union. Pacific. He settled near Robertston and next to him is J. C. Spencer. Both are unmar­ ried and are closely bound together by business and friendly ties. Between Mountainview and Lyman is the ranch of one of the foremost citizens of the county, H. J. B. Taylor. He is a native of Pennsylvania and came to Fort 'Bridger in 1881 as government freighter. Mr. Taylor has been very active in intro­ ducing into the valley fine stock, and his activities in promoting the best interests of the state have been recognized beyond the bounds of the county. His sons, Edgar and Charles, are also engaged in ranching. About the year of 1goo, owing to the difficulty in renting or buying houses in old Fort Bridger, a settlement was made about a mile to the east and was called Fort Bridger. Joseph Guild, son of the Piedmont merchant, opened a store; there ,vas a hotel and the inevitable saloon of that day, a school was opened and a number of people made their homes there. The location was unfortunate for farming owing to the alkali that came to the surface. Neither did it possess the natural beauty of many ITS PL.A.CE IN HISTORY 193

parts of the valley, and after a few years the people scattered to more attractive surroundings, though most of them. including the widow of Joseph Guild, remained .in the vicinity.

Urie consists of a schoolhouse and store surrounded bv., ,vell kept ranches. Among them may be mentioned those of J. B. and E. M. Fackrel, Joseph and Guy Eyre, 1fr. Godfrey and }Ir. Watson. ~Ir. Watson is the son of a section foreman who made Carter his home for many years. If a sightseer at Fort Bridger succeeds in enlisting the aid of John McGlaughlin he will be fortunate. Mr. McGlaugh­ lin, who is kno,vn throughout the country as "1Iac", came to the fort W•ith the soldiers, and is a most interesting guide as well as an entertaining companion. He will point out the various gov­ ernment buildings in one of which a store was for many years conducted by W. A. Carter, and is now under the management of Louis T. Harding. i\.nother is occupied by an excellent hotel kno,vn as the Roch£ ord. Some have fallen into picturesque ntin. An attractive home on the edge of town is that of A. J. Johnson, a prominent rancher. Others engaged in the ranching business near by are James A. Arthurs, Andre,v Dahlquist, G. A. Taylor, the Delaneys, Larsons, St. Jeors, Bedlacks and Pat­ tersons. Thomas Casto owns the ranch taken up by Louis Sh-irt­ liff, ,vho for many years had the contract for carrying mail in the valley. A. J. Valdez, a 1\-iexican, and Louis Wheeler were employed by Judge Carter in caring for his large herds of cattle, and both took up ranches of their own. \Vheeler later moved to Lonetree. Two miles from Mountainview there lives an interesting character named James Davis. He ,is of southern birth, and his father was second cousin to Jefferson Davis. In 1852, when he was five years old, the family came across the plains to Utah. Ten years later they returned to Kentucky and this boy of fifteen entered the ·Confederate Army, where he served for three years. At the close of the war he returned to Utah and enlisted under General ·Crooks in the Blackhawk War, after which he settled down on his ranch, where he has since lived. Mr. Davis is full of reminiscences of past history of the valley, and tells of being engaged in freighting for Miller, an employe of Russell, Majors UINTA COUNTY

& Waddell, from whom the stage station of Millersville was named. In r854, while Fort Supply was in existence, a man by the name of Henry ·Perry made a temporary home in the valley. He had been a freighter on the Santa Fe Trail, and as early as 1851 came out to the Rockies to hunt buffalo with the famous scouts Joe and John Baker. vVhen Johnson's army came through he was one of the men employed as government guide. For a time he settled in Montana, but later, with his wife and several chil­ dren, moved back to Wyoming. They vtere in Evanston and Hilliard from 1870 to 1878, and then went to Henry's Fork and engaged in stock raising. A daughter named Sarah became the wife of ·George Hereford, Laura was married to Thomas Casto of Fort ·Bridger, and James, who is in the mercantile business at Mountainview as well as ranching, married Nellie Hendrie, a member of another old family of the valley. Her mother came to Utah with the second band of Mormon imn1igrants. John D. Watson came west as a government freighter in 1884. Four years later he ,vas married by Father Fitzgerald of Evanston to a lady who, like himself, came from St. Louis. They made their home for a time at ·Carter, and then moved to the gov­ ernment meadows, at that time a favorite feeding place for hun­ dreds of wild deer. Mr. vVatson died in r917, but the home ranch south of Fort Bridger, in which there were ten children, is still kept up by his widow. A daughter, lvirs. P. 1\1. Mulhall, lives in Evanston. Among others who deserve mention are Joseph Wall, several of whose children live at Lyman, the Hollingshead family and James Phelps. 1-!r. Phelps settled on Henry's Fork, but later sold his property there and acquired a fine ranch about four miles southeast of Lyman. In an illustrated edition of the Wyoming Times of 191 I, Mrs. Herbert Taylor, then superintendent of schools for the county, tells in her interesting way of a visit to a school in the Bridger Valley that was held in a one-room building which had served its original purpose as a chicken house and had been donated by the owner. The teacher and eight pupils traveled to it on horse­ back, and hitched their ponies to the rail fence in front of the building. In looking at the beautiful buildings provided for the ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 195

schools today to which autos bring the children from remote parts of the valley, it is not easy to realize that such a change has been wrought within the memories of the settlers not yet of middle age. The several original districts have been consolidated into one known as Number Four, and the schools rank high in the ever-improving system of \Vyoming. The Lyman School Band has won an enviable place in the annual state tournament, and many honors have been earned by contestants in various lines from both Lyman and Mountainview. The agricultural importance of the region has been demon­ strated. In spite of high altitude there has never been a failure in grain crops, and the yield per acre of wheat, barley and rye is double that of lower sections of the country. Vegetables of all sorts have been success£ ully raised, as well as small fruits and apples. The work of the university extension department has received hearty support, as have also the valuable suggestions of the county agricultural agents. The first director of the agri­ cultural experiment station at Lyman was A. E. Hyde, who mar­ ried Bernice l\1arshall and now lives in Douglas, Wyoming. A man by the name of Thomas was the first . county agricultural agent. He was followed by W. C. Carrington, now a resident of Colorado, and he by W. R. Smith, who is building upon the foundation laid by his predecessors and is alive to the needs of the various communities. A great event in the county is the Bridger Valley Fair, held successively at Fort Bridger, Lyman and Mountainview. Besides the usual exhibits there have been presented beautiful and instructive historical pageants that have been of great interest. One of the very early settlers in southwestern Wyoming was Philip Mass. The story is told that he was once called as a witness in court in Evanston, and that in response to the question as to his nationality he answered that he was a Mexican. The next question, "\Vhen were you naturalized?" received the reply, "Never." It was then learned that the United States had ac­ quired Phil Mass with the Mexican cession of 1848. He was well known in Evanston, his base of supplies. Among his in­ teresting characteristics was his ambition for his children, for whom he employed a private teacher in the home on Burnt Fork. 1g6 UINTl\. COUNTY

Elijah Driscol, Shade Large1 W. -~- Johnson and Charles A. Davis, all cattle owners, were on the same stream in 1870. Bryan, then the end of the division and the most ,important ship­ ping point in the region, was their trading place, to which they traveled fifty or sixty miles on horseback. Johnson, as well as Large, was a squaw man, and his wife, who was known as "Jonny," was said to be the most beautiful Indian ever seen. Their ranch was m Sweetwater County, but their cattle were driven up the valley in the winter. There was the usual dead line ~oainst sheep, and the cattle men were success£ ul in keeping them out without much trouble. The cowboys were popular with the ranchers, for whom they did many kindnesses. In the early '70s a rancher named John Forshay took up land on Henry's Fork, a short distance west of the present site of Lonetree. This ranch now belongs to Eugene Hickey, one of the largest cattle owners in Uinta County. Mrs. H,ickey, who was the daughter of Robert Hereford, cattleman, schoolteacher and book lover, died in the influenza epidemic of 1918. The home, a fine two-story residence, breaks upon the view of the traveler from the west as he emerges from the grotesque and barren bad lands, and the scene cannot fail to arouse a feeling of pleasure. To the south rise the snow-covered peaks of the Uinta Range, with forest-covered foothills in the foreground leading down to a well-watered valley dotted with ranches, where brouse contented cattle and horses, for here every one owns cattle and every one rides. Rail fences as well as those made of barbed wire divide the fields. The nucleus of the settlement of Lone Tree consists of a neat little schoolhouse with two rooms, the meeting house of the 1'.lormon Church and a store, in which the postoffice is located. J. H. Gregory, the storekeeper, who came here in 1898, is a cul­ tured gentleman and the father of an interesting family. The first settlers were Mr. and Mrs. Jonathon Hoops and two little daughters. They had traveled by ox team by way of Echo Can­ yon and Evanston and brought with them all of their earthly goods, the most valuable being a small herd of cattle. They had stopped at Robertson to take advantage of the fine summer range, and arrived at their destination at the end of October, 1872. In a letter dated September 10, 1922, the daughter Annie, ITS PL.~CE IN HISTORY

now Mrs. Summers, descnoes the early days in this isolated valley, the dependence of the scattered settlers upon each other, and the all-night parties to which they would gather from far and near to dance to the music of volunteer fiddlers. At the age of sixteen she was claimed in marriage by William Summers, who had settled in the neighborhood in 1877. An election oc­ curred soon after their marrige and she was taken to the poles to vote, and although she protested that she was not of legal age, she was silenced by the argument that any one old enough to marry was old enough to vote. At first mail was sent out by J. Van A. Carter from Fort Bridger by any reliable person who chanced to be traveling to the valley, and as much as six weeks sometimes elapsed between deliveries. In 1888 a postoffice was established and Mrs. Sum­ mers served as postmistress for four years and three months. Dur,ing her term of office there was an advance from weekly to tri-weekly and then to daily delivery. Only once in Mrs. Summers' life at Lonetree was there a genuine Indian scare. In 1879, at the time of the Meeker mas­ sacre in Colorado, a runner came across the mountains from the south with the news that Indians ,vere headed for Henry's Fork. Mr. Hoops happened to be at the Summers' place, and he mounted a horse and started for his own home up the valley, five miles away, after giving directions to the others where to meet him. Getting into lumber wagons, they drove from one ranch to an­ other, gathering up the women and children, but nothing besides, for, in Mrs. Summers' words, "\Ve ·wanted nothing but our lives." Others followed and that night formed a camp down the creek, where they were joined by hunters and trappers from all the region around. On reaching Fort Bridger, Judge Carter put at their disposal an old building and the same night he ,vent on his mission to Washington to urge upon the government the right of the settlers to military protection, with the result that Fort Bridger was again manned with troops. For five days the terri­ fied ranchers remained at the fort, and then, upon hearing that the Indians had gone south instead of north, they returned to their homes, but the writer says that not until winter set in did they got over their nervousness, always fearing the return of the red men to the war path. UINTA COUNTY

There were two schools on Henry's Fork about three miles apart, to which the children rode on horseback. Rev. F. L. Arnold, superintendent for the county, made welcome visits to them once a year. One of the early teachers was William Moss of Evanston, and another who was remembered by many was J. T. Corns, a fine educator and a man of influence, who later moved to Seattle, Washington. The only church in those days was the services held by Mr. Arnold in the schoolhouse, and they were attended by all the settlers. At the junction of Beaver Creek and Henry's Fork lies one of the prettiest of mountain ranches belonging to Joseph Stein­ aker, who, with his wife, came here from the old Utah agricul­ tural settlement of Vernal. They have two sons, Elbert and William. The ranch was originally pre-empted by Joseph Pierrot, who, with Mr. Hickey, came from Canada to P,iedmont in 1872. He accomulated a goodly number of cattle and for many years lived alone in a cabin surrounded by pine and cotton,vood trees in the midst of his fertile fields. Throughout the county, where he was well known, he was commonly called "Joe Parrot". He died in Evanston in 1919. Following the valley to the east we come to the Workman, Hanks and Stoll ranches. "Grandma Stoll", who died in 1918, was the beloved Mrs. Louder of the "Letters of a Woman Home­ steader" and other books of Elinor Pruitt Ste,vart, who lived a little farther to the east. 'Both heroine and author were much loved and highly honored. The Episcopal Church has a mission just across the Sweetwater line, and conducts a prosperous Sun­ day school. To the east of the old Pierrot place are the ranches of Frank Workman and Eugene Hickey, Jr. On Beaver Creek we come to the Wheeler and \i\/adsworth ranches. The Ray Johnson, Smith, Bullock, J. J. Johnson and Phelps properties lie between it and the town, and above it Wright Johnson and Jed Bullock have fine ranches. The Lonetree country has not been without its tragedies. With the many splendid men and women who came here to make their homes there were some lawbreakers who sought this isolated spot to escape justice, and who did not leave behind the traits that had led to a change of residence. One of the most ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

~a-rant cases was connected with the disappearance of a man named Sam Smith, a kindly man and much loved. \Vith a com­ panion named Jacob H eyse he spent his summers excavating on the bad lands for Professor 1-Iarsh, and as his wants were few he accumulated quite a sum of money. Both were squaw men, and Smith had two children, whom he sent to "the states" to school after the death of his ,vife. In the summer of 1887 he disappeared, and when some weeks later his body was found it gave evidence of foul play. It was said that there were honest people who knew more about the mystery than they dared tell, far removed as they were from courts of justice, and the truth of the a:ff air never came to light. There appeared in 1921 a book, the plot of which was laiid in this region. It is called "Judith of the Godless Valley," and contains some beautiful word pictures of the scenes on Burnt and Henry's Forks. Had the gifted author, Honore Wilsie, been content to put forth the work as fiction it would have passed for one of the fanciful tales woven about some interesting threads of facts. When, however, both editor and author protested that the story ,vas l,iterally true, a storm of protest rose not so much from the region itself as from the neighboring communities, where it was felt that an injustice had been done to a section of the state in which we have reason to take pride. It is doubtful whether there is in .i\merica or in the world a community more unique than this. Ambitions for their children and making every effort to supply them with the best of educational advantages, they are content to live in this beautiful valley, and they ask nothing better than to be able to hand down to their successors the possessions that they have wrested from the surrounding wilderness. 200 UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER NINETEEN Indians The Indians most closely associated with western \Vyoming were the Shoshones. As a race, they are connected to the Utes and Piutes, who have settled to the south of them, but are of a higher order of physical and mental development than these root-eating relations. On the other hand, they are quite distinct from the Arapahoes, their neighbors on the north, with whom they seldom intermarry, as each looks down upon the other with true tribal pride and prejudice. The Shoshone is more reticent and has been slower in following the lead of the white man in accepting religious te2ching, but he possesses in a marked degree the virtues of sincerity and faithfulness.1 In appearance the Shoshones are of medium height, supple and alert. Poligamy is common among them, but they are, as a rule, true to their ideas of virtue. The squaws are treated with good-natured indifference, and children are the objects of great interest to men as well as women. When young, the women are often graceful and comely, but they gro,v fat and shapeless with advancing years. They are generally clothed in articles discarded by the n1en, and present a shabby appearance, except for their lower limbs~ ,vhich are always neatly encased in leggins and moccasins. Hands and feet are slender and well formed. They are skillful in bead work, and take pride in decorating their papooses, as well as in lavishing much time on the adornment of their lords and masters, whose bodies they paint ,in fantastic de­ signs with mineral-colored clay. The hair of the men hangs down in a thick braid on either side of the face, with a scalplock m-:isted on the top of _the head, through ,vhich an eagle feather is stuck. The blanket is their favorite garment, but in every modem group may be seen a great variety of clothing, ranging from overalls and cotton shirts to more modish attire. Besides bead work, the women excel in the painting of tanned hides, which are often quite elaborate, depicting stories of the chase and other adventures by means of simple illustrations most interesting to decipher.

1 Bishop Talbot, "My People of the Plains.,, CHIEF WASHAKIE. THE FRIEND OF PEACE, PREPARED FOR WAR Photograph, C. S. Baker.

ITS PLA.CE IN HISTORY 201

Language and traditions point to the Hindu origin of the Shoshones. The Supreme Being was to them "Our Father'', instead of the "Great Spirit", and death a pilgrimage to the land beyond the setting sun, where they were to be incarnated into some other form of animal life, according to the deeds done in the body. Their native custom was to wrap their dead ia skins and deposit them in caves or clefts between the rocks, '\\'1th a gen­ erous supply of material things for the journey into the unknown. If the departed was a chief, many horses were killed for this purpose. Mourning, consisting of from three to·five days of loud lamentation, was a part of the funeral rites. Of late years they have buried their dead, and an interesting part of the ceremony is a procession around the open box or coffin, when all who wish well to the departed take his hand in a last friendly clasp. 2 It is the custom to put on the grave the tepee, bedstead or stretcher in which the lnd,ian died, and the Indian graveyard looks not unlike the back yard of a junk shop. Every three years there was a gathering of all the scattered bands of the tribe at the Grand Encampment. It was an occa­ sion for the hunting of game and wise laws were enforced against killing more than could be used. Buffalo was the favorite game. The chosen animal was first hamstrung by a mounted Indian with a flat spear, and then killed by the huntsmen. Squaws to the number of about fifteen gathered around and removed the hide first from one side, from which they then cut the meat, and when the body had been turned over by horsemen by means of ropes attached to the feet, they treated the other side in the same man­ ner. The meat was cut up into thin slices and taken to the wid.-i­ ups to dry. When it had hung a few hours the pieces were taken down and put between two stones and pounded until tender, after which they were again hung up.3 The great religious festival of the Shoshones was the Sun Dance. The tribe was called together about the 20th of June, and immediately began to collect poles for the dance hall. -~fter a large number had been gathered they selected the longest and painted three black bands near the top. These were calld "wish rings". The pole was set up in the center of a cleared space and

2 Marion Roberts, in Wyoming ChUTcbroan, 1917. 3 Wilson, '"Uncle Nick Among the Shoshones." 202 UINTA COUNTY other poles were set around. Eranches of trees formed the walls and the roof. Th~ who coveted a special boon, whether health, success in battle, or other gift of the Sun God sufficiently to enter this strenuous test of physical endurance, assembled on the evening of the first day. Their bodies were painted white, and in two ghastly processions they marched twiice in opposite directions around the hall. That night they rested, and the next morning at sunrise, painted in bright colors, each man wearing a beaded apron, a band of porcupine quills about either wrist from which hung a rabbit's foot, and with a cluster of jingling bells attached to the ankles, they reassemble. In one end of the hall sit the mu9icians, both men and women, beating tom-toms and raising a monotonous chant. For three days and nights, without food or drink, and with only short intervals of rest, the dancers, with their eyes fixed upon the wish rings, move forward and back, keeping time to the music. Each morning at sunrise the medicine man raises his voice in a prayer song, the dancers approach the central pole, rub their rabbit feet against the wish rings, and the dance is resumed. At noon of the fourth day the din of the tom­ toms gives place to silence, and those who have not already been overcome by exhaustion stagger from the hall. At sunset came the feast, which had been prepared by the women, and there was a time of great rejoicing. Gifts were ex­ changed, men givring away their choicest possessions, horses, cat­ tle, and even their ,vives. Such prodigality often resulted in great suffering, until the government stepped in and forbade the Sun Dance. A petition has been made on the part of the Indians to allow it in the future, and they promise to be more temperate, both as regards physical strain and gifts. Another dance of the Shoshones was the Buffalo Dance, which was more like a game. In this the women, attired in sage­ brush aprons, played the part of buffaloes. At a given signal they ran into the sagebrush, and the men pursued them with shouts and hilarity. When all were captured they returned to the tepees for a feast. 4 The chickadee is revered among the Shoshones for its wis­ dom. The gopher, on the other hand, is dreaded as an omen of

" Morris, "Wyoming Historical Collection," Volume 1. ITS ·PLACE IN HISTORY 203

ill luck. Their arch enemy is a demon by the name of Ninin~ who

15 Wilson, "Uncle Nick Amoac the Shoshones." UINTA COUNTY

Indians he worked most consistently for the good of his people. He was born in 18o4-, became chief at the age of nineteen, and was the leader of his tn'be for nearly eighty years. They were the years of the greatest Indian troubles through which the coun­ try ever passed, when the white men, often through force of necessity, often from selfish motives, were steadily encroaching on the hunting grounds of this once independent people. Of all mountain chiefs, he alone could be relied upon to stand by his given word. Well did he deserve the title bestowed upon him by General Conner, "The Friend of Peace." Washakie's mother bore his father four children, one girl and three boys, all of whom, save Washakie, met an early death. In an interesting book written by Elijah N,icholas \\Tilson, we learn many facts concerning the -life of the tribe and his particu­ lar family. The author ran away from his home in Utah when a little boy, and was made a member of the Shoshone tribe. Washakie became his adopted brother, and his mother gave him the place of a son in her kind heart. He says Washakie was most considerate of his mother, and heartily approved of the ,vay the white boy strove to lighten her burdens, but that he was powerless when it came to influencing other boys to do likewise. Washakie had several wives, and a large number of children to whom he was deeply attached. The tragic circumstances con­ nected with the death of his eldest son have made it celebrated an song and story. In 1866 the tribe was returning from a buf­ falo hunt in the Big Horn Basin, and on the Sweetwater they were attacked by Sioux, who had followed them across the Sho­ shone trail. Washakie's men charged the enemy, and while the chief was standing over the body of a Sioux whom he had killed his eldest son, N annanggai, rode up. The father taunted him with cowardice, saying: "I, an old man, have killed this Sioux, and you, like a squaw, come up after the fight." This so roused the youth that he charged alone, and fell within sight of his father. The Shoshones say he spent the night in mourning, and that when morning came his hair had turned snow-white.6 The affairs of the moe were in the hands of a council made up of its wisest men, presided over by the chief. Next in im­ portance seems to have been the "war chief'', who looked after

6 J. A.. Breckens, "Wyoming Historical Collections," Vol 1. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

the diplomatic relations with outsiders. \Vhen word was brought by the Pocatello Indians that the whites were about to make trouble because of the Shoshones keeping Dick Wilson, it was this chief who conducted the negotiations resulting in the boy going back to his parents. With a party of mounted Indians bearing buffalo skins and furs, he set out on the beautiful horse that the Indians had given him for Salt Lake. He was firmly resolved to return the n~-t spring, and meant to spend the rest of his life among the people who had been so kind to him, but life had other things in store, and he never saw his dear "old Indian mother" again. Washakie was five feet ten inches in height, and was well built and commanding in appearance. The similarity of his fea­ tures to those of Henry Ward Beecher has often been remarked. We are fortunate in having a variety of pictures of him taken by our pioneer photographer, Charles Baker, and these show him in all manner of dress, from the Indian war bonnet and gor­ geous blanket to the unlovely calico shirt and jeans. He was a familiar figure on the streets of Evanston in the '70s. One sum­ mer day in 1875 a band of his trecked into a vacant lot on the south comer of Center and Seventh Streets. The braves were, as usual, mounted on well-kept Ind.ian ponies. The women had ridden on long poles covered with skins and blankets that were fastened to either side of the horses, and they and the papooses seemed no worse for their dusty ride. \Vashakie was the central figure and attracted unusual interest because of his remarkable headgear. He wore a wide-brimmed sombrero adorned with a sur­ prising ornament of a silver coffin plate, on which were engraved the words "OUR BABY". He had not robbed a grave for it, but got iit from the son of an Evanston furniture dealer, who car­ ried a supply of coffins, Enil Faust, to whom he had given a bow and arrow in exchange.· Washakie was a welcome guest in many homes. He pos­ sessed a natural dignity that commanded respect. His disdain for the Arapahoes was shown in many ways, one of which was the manner of greeting their chiefs. Instead of shaking hands, as with an equal, he would coldly extend two fingers, keeping the

T The author was an eye witness to this scene. UINTA COUNTY

other fingers clenched, which was the Indian way of showing distrust.a Many are the stories told of Washakie.. He was a personal friend of General Grant, and was highly honored by all the army officers who knew him. Mr. 'Baker tells of seeing him once in a stovepipe hat that had been presented to him by President Arthur on a trip to Fort Bridger, where he met the chief. It was adorned with eagle feathers,. and the wearer consented to be photographed in it, but unfortunately the film met with an accident, and we have no copies of it. On one of Mr. Baker's visits to the tribe he found Washakie in much anxiety over a son who was very ill. A medicine man was dn attendance, and his treatment when the youth lapsed into unconsciousness was to spray the face with water squirted from his mouth. As often as he succeeded in reviving the patient, Washakie presented him with a pony. At the end of some hours the young man breathed his last, and the medicine man went away richer by twenty horses. Being a good Indian does not mean having the same standard as a white man. When Washakie was called to account by United Sttaes officials for the murder of his mother-in-law, he shrugged his shoulders and asked : "What can do? She no mind me !"11 The family of Samuel Blackham of Evanston recall the ex­ citement of a dinner party at their home in which Washakie was the guest of honor. l\1r. Blackham could converse with the chief an his native tongue, and sat down at the table with the party embracing the chief's three wives and several children. Mrs. Blackham had prepared a fine chicken dinner, and she and the little daughters, who shyly withdrew to the comers of the room, watched Wiith interest their strange guests. Washakie, who had picked up many of the customs of the white men, plied his knife and fork with ease, and sternly rebuked ms family when they lapsed into the native custom of using fingers. At the close of the meal to which the guests had done ample justice, great was the surprise of the hostess to see them pack into bags brought along for the purpose every scrap and crumb that was left on the table. The failure to do this would have been in their estima­ tion a slight on the hospitality of the host.

8 Dr. Harrison. 9 Judge Gibson Clark. ITS ·PLACE IN HISTORY 20'J

There were many such interesting experiences, and yet to the residents these summer visitors were not an nnal1oyed pleas­ ure. The dusky faces peeping in une..xpectedly at open windows, the outstretched hands and the demand for "cold bisikee, papoose hungry," were not to be disregarded with safety. Mrs. Thomas Johnson, who lived in Almy in the early '7os, tells of having to bake a great hatch of small loaves of bread each day during their long stay near their ranch, in order to supply the Indians as well as her own family. One day she missed Jack, her three-year-old son, who had been playing in sight of her kitchen window, and gazing anxiously down the valley she descried a moving band of . Indians. Looking more closely her eye caught in the receding mass a patch of red which she identified as her child's red waist. 11:rs. Johnson was an expert with a gun, but without stopping to get it she started on the run after the Indians. In telling the story she said : "I was that mad that I could ha' killed three Indians wi' my bare hands." She overtook them within a half mile, and they sullenly handed back the little boy to his irate mother. In the summer of 1872 a large band of Shoshones was en­ camped on Yellow Creek, about three miles west of Evanston. There were more than a thousand of them who had con1e in squads of twenty or more, their heavily loaded tepee poles drag­ ging behind the horses in the dust, and making a well-marked trail over the hills. l\. man. by the name of Dick Blundell had built a house on land he had taken up near the Almy wye. Toward sunset of the day late in August as he was returning from town to his home, he overtook a well-mounted Indian brave, and a good-natured debate arose as to who had the better horse. It was proposed to settle the matter by a race, and they set off neck and neck. On nearing his home Blundell instinctively turned his horse in order to avoid a telegraph line that had been strung between two poles to serve as a clothes line. The Indian, ignor­ ant of this obstruction, dashed into it, was caught by the wire just below the chin, and fell to the ground with a broken neck, while his frightened pony galloped on toward the camp.· A hasty glance convinced Blundell that the red man was dead, and in fear that the Indians would trace the fatality to his door and accuse him of murder, he made for town as fast as his horse could 208 UINTA COUNTY travel. The news that a "big Indian" had been killed spread quickly, and in fear that revenge might be taken on the town, men gathered in groups to plan for resistance. Darkness settled over all. Suddenly there rose on the evening air the plaintive notes of the death song. Its shrill and piercing notes accom­ panied by the rythmic beat of the tom-toms, gathered in strength and penetrated every nook and crany in the valley, receding and advancing with the changing currents of air. For hours it rose and fell, then came silence and the tenseness of expectancy. Slowly the night passed, and when, in the light of early morning, a reconnoitering party was sent out to Yell ow Creek, they found the ill-fated camping ground deserted. Whether the Indians surmised the cause of the death of their companion was never known, but as far as the white man was concerned there were no further results of the tragedy. These wards of the government were allowed to ride free of charge on the Union Pacific trains, and the platforms between cars were assigned to them. It was a curious sight to see them peering out from their enveloping blankets at the growing civil­ ization that was slowly but surely supplanting the wild life of their earlier days. It may not be generally known that Evanston was once honored by a visit from Madame Bernhardt. One summer after­ noon in 1884 the train on which she was travel~ng westward was tied up by a landslide, and the "Divine Sarah" passed some very interesting hours near the station, not in her usual role of enter­ tainer but, for once, as the entertained. A group of Shoshone braves beguiled the time by per£orming various stunts of lassoing and riding, to the great delight of the tragedian. In the courthouse in Evanston there is record of a treaty signed July 3, 1868, at Fort Bridger, which was at that time still part of Green River County, Utah. It solemnizes the peace that was never broken between the United States government on one side and the Shoshone and Bannock tribes on the other. It as­ signs to the Indians their reservations and defines their rights and duties, guarantees them schools, and specifies the supplies to which they are entitled. Besides clothing and provisions each roaming Indian was to receive $10 a year, and those engaged in agriculture $2C>. Among their rights was that of hunting "on ITS PLACE IN HISTORY the unoccupied lands of the United States so long as game may be found thereon, and so long as peace subsists among the whites and Indians on the borders of the hunting districts." This clause is worth remembering, because of its bearing on the future his­ tory of the Indians in Wyoming and the country in general. It is signed by N. G. Taylor, W. T. Sherman, Lt. Gen'l and five commissioners for the United States, and by Washakie, his (X) mark, Waunipitz, his (X) mark, and six other Shoshones, and by a like number of Bannocks. J. Van Allen Carter was the in­ terpreter. By this treaty the Wind River Reservation was given to these two tribes. In 1871 trouble between the Shoshones and the Bannocks resulted in the latter being removed to the Fort Hall Reservation. The Arapahoes were allowed by the Shoshones to share the land with them, and although they had been traditional enemies, they have lived side by side in peace. The year of this treaty saw also the signing of the treaty be­ tween the United States and the Sioux nation, but instead of a Washakie, that had to deal with the treacherous Sitting Bull and Red 1Cloud, and its culmination was the Custer massacre in 1876. Washakie was buried with military honors on the Wind River Reservation and his grave was marked by a massive granite slab. He will always be remembered as an example of fearless rectitude, and as one of nature's noblemen. 210 UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER TWENTY Yellowstone National Park The first division of the vast region embraced in the original U'mta County was made in 1872, when the Congress of the United States set apart the Yellowstone National Park. It contains three thousand three hundred forty-eight square miles, all of which, except a small boundary to the east, north and west, com­ prising less than three hundred square miles, lay within the orig­ inal Uinta County. This is the largest park in the world. It is not the purpose of this history to enter into a descrip­ tion of the wonders that have been the inspiration of some of the most beautiful word pictures in the language. To no two people does it make the same appeal, and accounts vary with the witnesses. Nothing, however, can excel the impressions recorded by Kipling on his visit to the Grand Canyon in the early '905. As to the history of the region we find no reference to it for many years after Colter's discovery. Hemmed in on all sides by mountains, the approach is difficult. On the east the Absoroka range separates the waters of the Yellowstone River from those of the Big Horn. Some of these mountains rise to the height of 1 I ,ooo feet. The extends into the park about twenty miles on the northwest. On the south are the Red l\ioun­ tains, the highest peak of which is , with an altitude of 10,385 feet. The Indians seem to have been strangely reticent as to the wonders within these mountain barriers, although some of the outside tribes must have known of them. This may have been the result of superstition, or more probably because they hesi­ tated to describe phenomena so foreign to their usual experiences. When we remember that even the white men, speaking in their native tongue, could not gain a respectful hearing on the subject, it is no wonder that "poor Lo" shunned it. A humble branch of the Shoshone Indians made their home within these mountain walls. They had no horses and no weapons, other than the bow and arrow, and they seem to have been utterly unfit for competition wath outside tribes. Their chief source of food and clothing was the mountain sheep, from whence ~~.-.~ -. .· ... :;· .~:~.:~

RIVERSIDE GEYSER By Clarence Cook.

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 2II they were given the name usheep eaters.'n The remnants of this small tribe are now cared for on the government reservations. In 188o there was discovered about a quarter of a mile above the upper falls of the Yellowstone, a tree on which were carved the letters, J O R, and under them the date, 1819. The work bore evidence of great age, and is undoubtedly the oldest record we have within the limits of the park of the presence of white men, but the identity of the person who cut the letters into the bark has never been traced.2 The oldest written description of the park appeared in Octo­ ber, 1827, in a weekly journal published in Baltimore and called Niles Register.a It bears the date July 8 of that year, and was unsigned, but was probably written by one of Ashley's men, who, according to Dale, were in that part of the Rockies that season. The party, evidently consisting of four or more, came in from the west. There is an account of their arrival at a fresh-water lake about forty by one hundred miles in size, on the south shore of which they found boiling springs, "some of water and others of fine clay." They did not reach the main geyser basin, though they heard explosions resembling thunder and felt the trembling of the earth. They left the lake by a winding route to the north­ west.• In the year 1832 there appeared in the August number of "The Wasp", a paper published by the Mormons at Navoo, the first description written by an eye witness. The name of the author is not given, but he was plainly a man of ability both as observer and writer. He tells of hearing at the rendezvous of 1830 ac­ counts of a wonderful region across the mountains, which so aroused his curiosity that he induced two Indians to accompany him on a tour of mspection. They set out one evening after supper and slept that night beside a spring whose waters flowed into Kam.us Creek. The next day they rode about forty miles east and camped that night within sound of the roaring springs. A wonderful spectacle greeted their eyes the next morning. The Indians were overcome with awe, and wondered at the white man's presumption in approaching the basin of a large geyser after having seen it erupt three times at intervals of about two

1 Chittend~ ''Yellowstone National Park." 2 Ibid. 8 Smith-Ashley Explorations. • Obittenden. 2I2 UINTA COUNTY

hours. He descn'bes it as '"projecting a column of boiling water several feet in diameter to the height of one hundred fifty feet, accompanied with a tremendous noise." He states that a trapper named Alverez, of whom he had gained some of this information, declared that it was four times that height. Other geysers were in operation, but none so large. He descn'bes the location as "near the center of a small valley, surrounded by pine-crowned hills, through which a small fork of the Madison flows." Dis­ covering new wonders at each turn, the trio made their way to a lake, probably the Shoshone, and came out at the west.5 In 1829 Joseph Meek, one of Captain Sublette's trappers, was cut off from his companions by the Blackfoot Indians. For several days he wandered alone, without food or shelter. When he rejoined his company he was half crazed by hunger and fear, but his accounts of steaming hills and valleys so impressed his friends that one of them took down in writing a description. Meek's first vie,v of the r,ising steam brought to his mind the memory of "the city of Pittsburg, as he had beheld it on a winter morning a couple of years before." He described the rolling country where cone-shaped mounds exuded steam and water. This description was not published until the year 1871, when it appeared in a book entitled "The River of the West." l\ieek was well known among the trappers and later joined Bonneville's men. The year of Bridger's first trip into the geyser region was probably 1830. His stories so interested a young man named Robert Meldrum, a Kentuckian who was employed by the Amer­ ican Fur Company as blacksmith whom Bridger met on the Yellowstone, that they crossed the mountains together to view the wonders of the enclosure. Bonneville did not visit the region, but in a letter to N. P. Langford he states that at least one of his men did. This was Alvarez, who has already been mentioned. In the fall of 184-9 a prospecting party, guided by Bridger, arrived on one of the upper forks of· Green River, and as the sea­ son was too far advanced for prospecting, they spent the winter with a band of Bannock Indians. In the early spring they passed to the head of Green River and entered the park from the east. They saw the falls and the lake, and crossed the divide to Madi­ son River. Kit Carson was one of the number. During the

15 Coutant, History of Wyoming. ITS PL_;\.CE IN HISTORY

next few years several bands of prospectors entered the park, but none of them contnbuted much to what was already known. It was not until 1859 that the government was roused to explore the park country, and the first attempt resulted in fail~ ure, owing to the fact that too n1uch work had been assigned to the party. Captain W. F. Reynolds of the Corps of Topo­ graphical Engineers was instructed to "explore the sources of the Rocky Mountain rivers/' but did not have time to approach nearer to the headwaters of the Y ello\vstone than the east slope of Two Ocean Pass. This \Vas a source of great regret to him, and in his report, published in 1868, he says: '"I regard the valley of the upper Yellowstone as the most interesting unex­ plored district in our widely expanded country." \,Vith this com­ pany was a young man by the name of Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, who later became active in western exploration. During the '6os war and reconstruction problems so occupied the thoughts of our government that all else was pushed into the background, and it was not until a party headed by a man named DeLacy, in 186g, returned from the park with accounts so in­ spiring as to arouse public enthusiasm, that it was again taken up. David E. Folsom, W. C. Cook and William Peterson, all citi­ zens of Montana, spent over a month ~n the park and their re­ ports were printed in various papers and widely circulated. The following year the United States Geological Survey sent out the two expeditions, one under Dr. Hayden, the other under Barlo\\-· & Heap. They worked together and made many new discoveries, and they took photographs that were of great value in disseminating knowledge. In December, 1871, a bill was introduced into Congress to set aside and dedicate the region now known as the Yellowstone National Park. It was approved 1:farch r, 1872. From this date the government of the park passed from the county of Uinta to the Department of Interior of the United States. It is therefore with some surprise that ,ve read of a justice of the peace being elected in Uinta County some years later to enforce the laws of Wyoming within its boundaries. This grew out of the failure of Congress to enact needed legislation, but as it proved highly unsatisfactory, it was not long before a change was made. Civilian superintendents have been replaced 214 UINTA COUNTY by military, and a garrison has been built at Mammoth Hot Springs. J. W. Meldrum has long held the office of park commis­ sioner, with authority to enforce laws. He makes his home at Mammoth Hot Springs. At the time of his appointment there was no suitable dwelling for the family and a request for money to build one brought out the fact that United States funds were not available for the building of residences. A second request for money to build a jail met with success, and resulted in the erection of a pretty brick cottage, which Mr. Meldrum has occcu­ pied ever since. In the far corner of the basement a brick cell was constructed, which at last accounts sheltered the family wash­ ing machine, the only object ever incarcerated as far as known. Thus can the government at times be made to serve the needs of the people ! The management of the Yellowstone Park leaves little to be desired. The number of visitors is fast nearing 200,000 a year, and, at the close of the season, roads, camp grounds and hotels are in as perfect condition as at the opening. For years the main entrance was at the north. Later an extension of the Utah Northern permitted access from the west. There is now an approach on the east by way of the magnificent highway called the Shoshone Canyon Road leading to to Cody. The road lead­ ing from Jackson's Hole is constantly growmg in favor, because of the wonderful scenery and the fine hunting and fishing along the way. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 215

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE The Piney Country The upper valley of Green River, famous as the scene of many historic events in the days of the fur traders, was early recognized as one of the finest grazing fields in the Rockies. Most of this section lies within the bounds of the o~ Uinta County. It is a well-watered basin about one hundred miles in length and fifty in width, and from a scenic point of view is one of the most beautiful regions of the Interior Basin. From one of the tributaries flowing in from the west it received the name of the Piney Country. The first permanent settlement in this valley was made on the Fontenelle, its most southern stream. Rising in a range known as the Fontenelle Hogbacks, it flows south and then in an easterly direction to Green River. In 1872 a "squaw man" named John Smith settled a few miles above the mouth of the stream. He had about flve hundred sheep and was given the name of "Sheep" Smith. His wife had brought him three half­ breed children from a former union, and the oldest son, Edward Edwards, is now living on the other side of the valley near Pine­ dale. The next family to move in were the Pomeroys. Justin Pomeroy was a native of Massachusetts who with his wife and three children had come to Green River City in advance of the railroad. In 1873 they settled at the mouth of the Fontenelle. The oldest son, Roney, was married and brought with him his wife and little daughter Eva. There were four children born to them in the mountain home, one of whom, Frank, still lives on the Fontenelle. The mother and Eva, wife of Cyrus Bowman, are the only surv,ivors of this pioneer band of settlers, and live in \Vhittier, California, as does also the daughter Fannie who became the wife of William Tomlinson, a man long in the Blyth & Fargo Store at Evanston. The youngest daughter, Florence, now Mrs. George Viesco, lives in the state of Washington. In the course of time Roney Pomeroy and his brother Al­ fred moved up higher on the Fontenelle and engaged in stock rais­ ing. In 18go they sold out to Charles Robinson who had exten­ sive interests at Opal, and for some years made their homes at 216

Evanston, from which place they all moved to California. _AJf red Pomeroy, Jr., is now engaged in the cattle business on Ham's Fork and his mother resides in Ogden. Alice Pomeroy, daughter of Justin Pomeroy, married a Mr. Mathers and made her home in Buffalo, Wyoming. Daniel B. Rathbun was the ne-"d: to take up land on the Fontenelle. He was born in the state of New York, in 1837, and went to California in 186<). After some years spent in the gold :fields of the west he came to Green River City, where he married Hattie Fuller, a lovely and highly accomplished young woman who was teaching school at that place. In I 879 they settled be­ tween the Smith and Pomeroy ranches, and lived there until 1&)1 when the family moved to Evanston because of better educational advantages for their six children. They built the home on Lombard Street that is now owned by Job Goodman. This home as well as the one on the Fontenelle was always the center of hospitality to which young and old contributed. Mrs. Rathbun died in 1892. He was one of the most prominent citi­ zens of Uinta County, and was for many years a member of the board of county commissioners. He died in 1914, at the home of his daughter Hattie, wife of Fred Wurtelle, an eminent phy­ sician of North Platte, Nebraska. The oldest son, Dan, ha$ a fine ranch at Mason, ,vhere Bert, the youngest son, lives. Elmer Rath­ bun :is in business in Kemmerer, Wyoming. Henry has met with success in New York City, and Lyon is located in Whittier, California. In 1877 a man by the name of Charles Holden opened a law office in Green River City, and established a newspaper called "The Daily Evening Press". He was a native of Illinois, as was also his wife, who was endued with much of the pioneer spirit of her famous uncle, Daniel Boone. Four years' service in the Civil War followed by some years of experience on the western coast, had admirably fitted l\1r. Holden for Wyoming life, and forseeing that ranching offered a surer future for his five chil­ dren than did the pursuit of journalism, he decided to move his family to the Piney country. \Vhen Alfred Pomeroy came to the railroad town with a load of produce consisting of hay, butter and eggs, and offered the Holdens the use of his ox-drawn wagons for the return journey, the invitation was gladly accepted, MARY AND THE BEAR Taken in Yellowstone P:irk-Clarence Cook.

ITS PL.. \.CE IN HISTORY 217

and the family with all their earthly possessions, valued at less than $500, were conveyed to the cabin of Roney Pomeroy, whose wife and daughters were absent on a visit to Kansas. That au­ tumn ~fr. Holden moved his family a few miles farther up the stream into a cabin owned by a ''squatter'' named Rumsay. They bought this cabin and proceeded to homestead the surrounding land, making it a part of what later became the Holden ranch. Minnie Fontenelle Holden was the first child to be born of \vhite parents in the valley. There were seven children in all, five of whom lived to maturity. In 18g 1 the son Charles met a tragic death that shocked the entire west. While serving as deputy under Sheriff Frank James he was in pursuit of a desperate criminal, and was shot from ambush. Another son, Clarence, who was seven years old when the family came to the valley, is the pioneer resident of this section. The original Holden ranch belongs to the son Howard, and is run by Dave Alpenalp, who married Mr. Holden's daughter Josephine. For t\venty years Charles Holden, who was commonly known as Judge Holden because of his service as justice of the peace in this precinct, was a member of the school board, and his efforts in all lines of educational and patriotic work have le£ t their mark upon the state. His last years were spent in River­ side, California, where his wife died in 1907. Judge Holden died m 1913, and his daughters, Minnie and Ella, still dispense in the lowlands the same gracious hospitality that characterized their mountain home. Other early ranchers on the Fontenelle ,vere John Holland, who moved to Jackson's Hole, and George 1'.lcCray, who married a niece of Ariel Hanson. Ariel Hanson was a nephew of A. C. Beckwith of Evanston. In 18i2 he came out from New York to work in the Beckwith & Lauder store at Echo. He married Agnes Salmon of Coal­ ville, Utah, and after living several years in Green River City they, in 1881, bought the claim of Shade Large, a "squaw man," who had settled about ten miles from the mouth of the Fon­ tenelle. Large later moved to Henry's Fork. 1-fr. Hanson served as justice of the peace for several years, and in 189o moved with his family to Evanston. There were nine children, six of whom are still living, as is also the mother, who makes her home 218 UINTA COUNTY with the youngest son, Chester, in Whittier, California. An Indian known as "Old John" spent much of his time in the valley. He worked for the ranchers and showed his friend­ ship for them in many ways. In the summer of 1882 he gave them a warning that a raid ,v-a.s about to be made by some rene­ gade Indians from the Wind River Reservation, under the lead­ ership of an Arapahoe h"llown as Popoagie. It resulted in a few cattle and horses being driven off, but there ,vas no serious trouble. Curious to relate, the Indian wives of the "squaw men", whether from fear or from a sentiment of loyalty toward their own people, le£ t their homes and went with the Indians. _A,. few weeks later saw them back, very reticent as to their experi­ ences, but evidently well satisfied to return .to civilization. Until 1879 ranchers on the Fontenelle and the neighboring streams depended for mail upon irregular trips to Green River, at that time the base of supplies. In 1879 a weekly mail service was started, and "Johny Karnes," a half-breed, who had a ranch on La Barge Creek, was given the contract to carry the mail. Mrs. Holden was the first postmistress. After the construction of the Oregon Short Line a tri-weekly service was put on from Opal, and in 1882 it was made daily. This has been extended to Pinedale. A well-known name on the Fontenelle is that of Jacob Herschler, who came to the valley in 1888. He combined cattle and sheep raising, and met with deserved success. His wife was the sister of Mrs D. B. Rathbun. Mr. Herschler died in 1921 and is survived by his son Edgar, who holds the ranch property, and his daughters, 11rs. James Fuller and Mrs. Francis Lee. La Barge Creek flows into Green River about ten miles north of the Fontenelle. It was named by General Ashley in 1824, in honor of Joseph La Barge, father of a famous A-Iissouri R~ver captain. In 1877 N. S. Miller, a native of Denmark, moved with his family from the town of Green River into the La.Barge Valley, and settled on Swan Creek. There were already a few ranchers in the valley, John Karnes, who had a Shoshone wife, and three other "squaw men", Harnes, who was known as "Dutch George", Charles Butman and a man named Kutch. Karnes joined Holland when he went north from the Fontennelle, and ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 219 they became the first settlers in Jackson's Hole. After the death of Kutch his ·widow and children went to the \i\Tind River Reservation, and one of the daughters who had shown skill in moulding clay, went to New York city, to study sculpture, and is said to have met with marked success. Mrs. Miller, with her characteristic kindness, took a great interest in these Indian children, and did much to make their lives brighter and more useful. A postoffice was opened in the 1\riiller home and was given the name of Viola. In the early 'Sos a school was organ­ ized, and it is interesting to note that Miss Kate Smith, now principal of the west grade school of Evanston, began her career as a teacher in the schoolhouse on Swan Creek, a small stream emptying into the La Barge. There were five children in the Miller family, three of whom are living in Kemmerer-Ingar, wife of Charles Christman; 11ary, l\irs .. James Petrie, and Stella, Mrs. Peter Petrie. Another daughter, Mrs. Sorena Read, lives in Ogden, and the only son, Vigo, has extensive ranching in­ terests near Daniel. !\.1rs. 1\.1.iller makes her home in Salt Lake City. In 1882 a cattle company under the name of Post & vVarren took up land at the mouth of the La Barge and established the Spur Ranch. They bought up many smaller herds, and before five years had passed had the distinction of being the biggest cattle company in the Rocky Mountains. The moving power of this concern was Francis E. \Varren, who was governor of Wyo­ ming in both territorial and statehood days, and who has since the year 18go been a member of the United States Senate. In 1884 John lvicNish, a descendant of a pioneer Wisconsin family, homesteaded near Viola and developed a successful ranch. The only surviving member of this family, in which there were two children, is Mrs. Nora Venus Chalmers, who lives in Ed­ munton, Alberta. Another La Barge rancher was Hyram Smith. James L. Bess, who had three daughters and one son, was postmaster at a settlement that bears his name. The streams known as South, Middle and North Piney Creeks find their sources in the melting snows of the western slopes of the Star Valley Range, and at a distance of from fifty to sixty miles pour their waters into Green River. About ten 220 UINTA. COUNTY miles north of the most northern of these, Cottonwood Creek flo\\~ in from the same direction, and still farther north is the mouth of the historic Horse Creek. In the summer of 1878, as Judge Holden was returning from Green River City with a load of supplies, he was met by a stranger on horseback who inquired the distance to Huckleberry Flat. He was told that it was ten miles farther up the stream, and as night was coming on and he was unacquainted with the country, he accepted the invitation to share the Holden camp, though with considerable reluctance, as he had hoped to join his wife and two sons, who had gone ahead with their supplies. His name was Edward Swan, and he was moving from Idaho to the Piney country. This chance encounter resulted in a life-long friendship, for 1Ir. Swan settled on the Middle Piney, where he was soon joined by Otto Leifer, a Montana cattleman, who took up land above him. Leiier's ranch was known as the "Circle" These two men brought in about seventeen hundred head of stock, by far the lagrest herds in the basin at that time. There were four children in the Swan family, only one of whom is now living, Grant Swan of Salt Lake 1City. Mr. Leifer also moved to Salt Lake City where he died some time ago. Amos W. Smith, a native of 1Lissouri, came out to the Piney country in 1879, and worked on the Budd ranch. Foreseeing the future of the region he took up land on his own account, and within a few years had one of the best ranches in the west. In 1894 he purchased from Mr. McI{ay the ranch known as ''f>7''. The country is deeply indebted to J\ir. Smith for his efforts toward improving the grade of both horses and cattle. At the time of his death in 1919 he had several thousand head of fine stock. His success was a cause of satisfaction to all who knew him, for no man ever worked more unselfishly for the general good than did this unasurning cattleman who was noted for his silence and kindness of heart. In 1885 he married Hattie Griggs, sister to Norris Griggs who was in 1\1r. Smith's employ, and who later took up land on the same stream. l\tlrs. Smith survives her husband. Joseph A. Black, a native of Indiana who had acquired con­ siderable experience in the cattle business in other western states came to the Budd & ticKay ranch in 1881. In 18go he took ITS PL_.i\.CE IN HISTORY 221 up land and was very successful. He married ~Iiss ~Iary Jay­ cox, daughter of a rancher, and five children were born to this union. Some twenty years ago the family contemplated moving to California and went west to look up a suitable location. :\Ir. Black's verdict on returning was that he "could make more mon­ ey sitting on a rail fence in Wyoming than in work-ing twelve hours a day in California." However, as the neccessity for work grew less the family moved to the more genial region of South Pasadena. A successful rancher on the Big Piney and well kno,vn throughout the state is Oscar Beck, who has held many impor­ tant positions. Among others who deserve mention are John Angus, Cyrus Fish and Oscar Curtis. In 1879 Daniel Budd, a Civil War veteran from the state of Pennsylvania, with his partner, Hugh McKay, brought about a thousand head of cattle into the North Piney Valley. Some years later a store was opened under the name of Budd & Sons, and a postoffice established that was called B,ig Piney, around which has grown up a thriving town. The well-built business street contains a fine bank, two good hotels, a variety of first­ class stores, a garage and other institutions. The school building is a handsome structure, and there are two churches, the Epis­ copal and the Congregational. There are many pleasing homes in which may be found abundant evidences of culture. The Piney Examiner, an up-to-date weekly, is published by George Hopkins, a member of an early Evanston family. A mile beyond Big Piney is a settlement called Marbleton. It was founded by Charles P. Budd, son of Daniel Budd, as an outfitting depot for the northern region, and has a splendidly stocked store and good hotel. A prominent name on the Middle Piney is that of Daniel C. Nowlin, who entered the stock business there in 1891. He was elected to the fifth legislature of the state. The Fear ranch was founded in 188g by Frank A. Fear, a leading citizen of the valley. His wife, whose maiden name was Jesse Stringer, added much to the social and educational life of the settlement by her fine musical training. Another prominent man is Zechery T. Noble, who, with his brother Eugene, settled in the Piney district in the early 'gos, 222 UINTA COUNTY

and later took up land on Fall River. The Nobles, who came from Iowa, had a wide experience in cattle raising before com­ ing to western Wyoming, and their success was to be expected. In the spring of 1883 a young easterner named Charles F. Ball, who had spent about a year in Wyoming, was joined in Cheyenne by his father, Daniel B. Ball, fresh from New York City. On the 10th of March they set out with horses and wagon on an eventful trip westward. On the Laramie Plains they en­ countered a blizzard that heaped up the snowdrifts so high that they had to spread their blankets to make a passage for their team. Game was every\vhere, and thousands of antelope were seen on the east of Rawlins. The water in Green ruver was high, but the horses swam safely across, only to be drowned in crossing Ham's Fork. Daniel Ball entered the employ of Charles Robertson at Opal, and the son went to work for the Oregon Short Line. The following year a brother, Frank D. Ball, came out, and his father bought a herd of cattle from Charles Robertson and drove them to ,Cottonwood Creek, where they were the first settlers. The winter of 1888-89 is still known to the old settlers as "the hard winter", and losses were so heavy that the Balls, like many others, had no money to meet their pay­ ments. However, the difficulty was met by the capture of live elk that were sold to eastern parks. Among those who bought from the Balls were the V anderbilts, George Gould, Austin Cor­ bin and Dr. Webb. Charles Ball worked for a time with the surveyors in the Yellowstone Park, and in 18go took up land aear his father. The Balls were descended from John Ball, who came to America from Hull, England, in 1635. :J\fary Ball, mother of George Washington, was of this same family, and passed on to the great Father of our ·Country the same virtues that have brought success to these energetic and persevering pio­ neers of the Green River Valley. H. V. Cleophus, an Indian trader, settled at the mouth of the Cottonwood about the year 18go. He and his wife were French people of fine family and great culture, and their moun­ tain cabin was renowned for its many objects of beauty and art. A striking example of success in the palmy days of the stock industry is the story of James Mickelson. As a young man in 1882 he came out to work for Ariel Hanson, and later took ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 223 up land on the La Barge. In 18go he became foreman of the Spur Ranch. Five years later he bought from Otto Leifer his ranch and stock. A. cash payment of $5,000 was made with the understanding that the balance was to be paid from the sale of cattle the following three years. These payments were promptly met, and at the time of the last payment Mr. l\tiickelson's herd was just about the same, as far as numbers go, as at the date of the agreement. I\Ir. Mickelson was married about 1goo to Miss Mil­ dred Avery, and there were born to this union three children, one of whom died in early childhood. The son James has charge of the estate, which at the time of Mr. l\fickelson's death, in 1921, was one of the largest in the west. Mrs. Mickelson, ~th her daughter Mildred, ~s living in Big Piney. Because of its gently sloping banks which make it easy to take out water for irrigation, Horse ·Creek is one of the most valuable streams of the valley. The quality of the native hay of this region is exceptionally fine. One variety known as "nut grass" is particularly r,ich in nutriment. One of the earliest settlers in this valley was a man named Daniel, and the postoffice established a short distance from the mouth of Horse Creek was named for him. A thriving town has grown up with business houses, attractive homes and a good school. Sargeant Inn, a hotel that has gained a wide reputation, is a memorial to Dr. L. Sargeant, a practicing physician from the state of Maine, who established a fine ranch at l\Iema, a few miles up the stream. W. S. Roy, who came from Canada, had a prosperous cattle ranch adjoining the Enos place, and the Towns­ end, Hall and William Todd ranches are all valuable properties. Another prominent early settler was Dr. J. D. Montrose, physi­ cian and rancher. Other early ranchers were A. J. Sommers, Apperson, Angus and Vandervort. One of the foremost men in the region is D. H. Scott, who has a valuable ranch north of Daniel. Mr. Scott has served many terms as.chairman of the Lincoln County board of County Com­ missioners, and has freely tendered his services to all good causes. Another prominent rancher is T. D. O'Neil, who came from Cheyenne in an early day. About five miles north of Daniel is the state fish hatchery. It is located on a remarkable stream called "Forty Rod", which UINTA COUNTY

has never been kno"''"!l to freeze over. Some four miles north of the fish hatchery the ranchers, Luke Dickenson and Charles Beckel, took up land which ,is now part of the Harrison Stock­ growing Company's ranch. Fred W. Harrison, who came here in 191 I, is manager. He is the son of Dr. and Mrs. F. H. Har­ rison of Evanston. Miss Nell Byrne of Evanston has taken up a homestead adjoining this ranch on the north. A man named Albert Bayer was foreman of the Spur Ranch from 1888 to 18gg. He took up a ranch on Piney Creek, and contracted with the government to carry mail on a route running between Pinedale and Lander. The trip across the W,ind River Mountains had to be made on snowshoes during several months of each year, and called for the greatest heroism. His son, Charles D. Bayer, is now in charge of the Federal Biological Survey in Wyoming. Another mail carrier on this forbidding route was W. E. Enos, a romantic figure in the valley, who lived on a ranch near Daniel. Many were his thrilling adventures. The final scene of his earthly life came in January, 1924. He had contracted blood poisoning, and at the request of a Pinedale physician a telephone message was sent to Rock Springs to summon Dr. Lozier in consultation. The road was impassable owing to deep snows, but the government granted the use of a United States mail plane, and above the frozen landscape it winged its ,vay to the bedside of this faithful servant, who had never been swerved from duty by storm or cold. Mortal effort did not avail, and on silent wings the spirit took its flight. In the Green River Valley the feeling between cattle and sheep men did not reach the heights of bitterness that character­ ized some sections. To be sure, there was a "dead line", and woe to the reckless sheep man who dared to drive his herds across this invisible barrier! Nor did the "cattle rustler" ever get much of a foothold here, try as he might to ply his lawless trade. And yet it was a known fact that many herds were aug­ mented by stray cattle belonging to droves en route to the west­ ern states, and inquiry as to the right of the new owners was never pushed far. The ten years prior to Igoe> saw a great change in ranching methods throughout Wyoming. Before that time the cattlemen ITS PL-1'-CE IN HISTORY

pinned their faith to the open range. Then co-operation among ranchers in the building of i~o-ation ditches began, and farming was combined with stock raising. Better cattle as well as im­ proved land values resulted, and there followed a season of won­ derful prosperity. In spite of fluctuations in the market and other discouraging conditions, the future of this region is assured. For many years Rev. F. L. Arnold, pastor of the Presby­ terian Church of Evanston, Wyoming, was superintendent of schools in Uinta County. It was a position with a salary too small to excite the ambition of the ordinary office seeker, though a welcome addition to the meager stipend of a home missionary, and Mr. Arnold accepted it at the request of both political parties, looking upon it as means of furthering the causes ever dearest to his heart-religion and education. His v,isits were heralded with pleasure, and a service was always arranged at some convenient ranch or schoolhouse that attracted people from miles around. His interest in children endeared him to young and old alike, and he kept alive the spirit of friendship by re­ membering them with books and papers as long as he lived in the state. One of the child friends of Mr. Arnold writes from her home in California: "The helpful influence of this wonder­ fully good man has been a guide post to more than one character that was cast in the mould of that log schoolhouse." The first teacher on the Fontenelle was an Irishman named T. D. O'Neil. Many of the teachers were from eastern states, and but few of the ladies were allowed to return to their former _homes, but have become the wives of the ranchers and have en­ riched the Ii£ e of the region. In the summer of 1879 a young theological student was sent out by some religious workers in Chicago to establish Sunday schools in the inaccessible districts of the Rockies. His name was Newell Dwight Hillis. He spent a Sunday in Evanston, where he talked over the work with Mr. Arnold, and then pro­ ceeded to the Piney country. All who heard him were impressed with his earnestness and ability, although there was no way of foreseeing to what heights of literary and pulpit eloquence this gifted youth would climb. Mr. Hillis was for many years pastor of the Henry '\,Vard Beecher church in Brooklyn, New York. Other Sunday school workers followed and in most of the settle- UINTA COUNTY

ments some one was found to carry on the work out of which several churches grew in time. In 1921 the legislature of the state of Wyoming passed a law creating hvo new counties to be known as Sublette and Teton. The former was made up of portions of Lincoln, Fremont and Sweetwater counties, and the western portion, consisting of about one-half, ,vas originally a part of Uinta County. The southern boundary is about five miles north of La Barge. At the election foil owing the creation of these counties there was a contest be­ tween Big Piney and Pinedale for the county seat, in which the latter won by a small majority. Sublette County belongs to the Third Judicial District of Wyoming, of which Judge Arnold has been judge since the year 1914. The first court ,vas held in the Pinedale schoolhouse June LI, 1923. The importance of the occasion in the opinion of the people, was shown by the number of spectators that had gathered from near and far. In an appropriate introductory address Judge Arnold called their attention to the early history of this county which bears the nan1e of one of the greatest western fur traders and explorers, Captain W,illiam Sublette. He spoke of his bravery, his patriotism, and his strong sense of justice, quali.: ties recognized by white n1en and Indians as well, who nick­ named him "Fate", and he reminded his hearers that it was in the cultivation of those traits that success for state and nation lies. A prettier site for a town could hardly be imagined than the location of this clean, attractive county seat. It lies one hun­ dred five miles north of Rock Springs on a splendid state road that was fathered by the Lions Club of that city. One of the loveliest of mountain streams, known as Pine Creek, because of the trees that follow its entire course, flows through the town. "The procession of the pines" begins at the waters' edge and marches back over the rolling slopes to the mountainsides, circling on their way the lake that was named for the explorer Fremont. The mountain bearing his name looks down from a distance, and on all sides are historic landmarks eternal in their grandeur, Old Flat Top, Mount Bonneville and other famous peaks of the Green River Range, and to the west the Gros Ventre Mountains. Some ten miles south of Pinedale, Pine Creek unites with New ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 2ZJ

Fork and flows into Green River a short distance above Big Piney. Pine trees have been set out on the streets of Pinedale, giv­ ing to it an air all its own. In their branches hang electric bulbs for which the power is furnished by the falls of the stream. The town boasts of three good hotels, the oldest of which, The Pmes, is kept by A. G. Fardy and wife, who came to the valley in 1910. The settlement of Pinedale may be said to date from the year 1900, when a postoffice was opened about a quarter of a mile south of the present town in the home of a rancher, Charles Peterson. It was a one-room shack, with a stick chimney daubed with clay. Soon after the permanent site of the town was de­ cided upon a man named Ed. Graham was made postmaster. The mail was brought from Opal. The town is supplied with excellent stores and supports a weekly paper called the Pinedale Roundup, to which much of its prosperity may be traced, as it publishes contr,ibutions from enterprising settlers as well as the news. About 1910 the Congregationalists erected a neat edifice and organized a church, of which Rev. J. W. Naylor was the first resident pastor. He is still remembered for his self-sacrificing ministry that has left its impress on the region. Mr. Naylor died at the home of his daughter in Atchison, Kansas, in 1923. Next to the church, and painted like it in white with green trimmings, stands the schoolhouse of three convenient rooms, where the best of educational advantages are given. Pinedale has a forest ranger station, in charge of E. E. McKee, who is also president of the Pinedale ·Commercial Club, a live organiza­ tion that is doing much for the good of the community. One of the first forest rangers ,vas Harry E. Hall, who died in 1915, and whose widow, Sarah E. Hall, is noted as a fisherman. Mrs. Hall makes the avowal that she desires no better sport than to go out on Lake Fremont with a party that know nothing of fish­ ing for an hour before the game warden makes his rounds, and whose coming is a signal to divide her boatload of speckled beauties among her less skillful companions, that no one be caught with more than the law allows. About eleven miles north of Pinedale is a beautiful ranch called Rustic Lodge. It was built by Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Clark, who took up land there in 18g1. Mr. Clark died in 1918, UINTA COUNTY

and the son, who bears the same name, is in charge. 11rs. Clark has spared no pains in the cultivation of native trees and shrubs, as well as the introduction of fruits and vegetables which were considered unadapted to the high altitude, but which, under the wizardry of her care, are flourishing and have become an object lesson as to what can be accomplished. Her flowers are wonder­ ful and the place shows how much can be done by taste and effort. Mrs. Clark's mother, Mrs. Daniel Schultz, came out in the same year as did the Clarks, and took up land near by. Lying about five miles north of Rustic Lodge is a ranch known as the "Cross-Bar", owned by Perry W. Jenkins, a native· of Indiana and a graduate of several of the higher ;institutions of learning. Receiving his 11. A. from Columbia University, he entered the profession of teaching, his chosen field being mathe­ matics and astronomy, in which he gained distinction. In 1905 he came to the Piney country in search of health, and his well trained mind and broad interests soon made him one of the lead­ ing citizens of the state. ~1 r. Jenkins has represented his dis­ trict in three sessions of the legislature, where he fathered the bill creating Sublette County. His aims and activities are shared by his interesting family, consisting of a wife and four daughters. They have a cottage on the beautiful Lake Newfork, a short dis­ tance from the ranch, ,vhere he recently discovered the remains of a prehistoric animal most interesting to geologists. With his characteristic breadth of vision Mr. Jenkins invited the Boy Scouts of the state to spend two weeks in July, r923 and 1924, on the lake. The invitation was accepted by a large number and the time was spent between excavating the fossil remains, lectures on astronomy and other subjects, and the general good time that boys enjoy. A few miles north of the source of Horse Creek, tnoutary of Green River, there rises a stream that flows to the Pacific. After emerging from the Hoback Canyon it is known as the Hoback River, but the upper part of the stream is called Fall River from the many beautiful cascades that diversify its course. Here came in 1879 Eugene Alexander, a man already rich in mountain lore, who had worked as a freighter across the moun­ tams and later driver of the Holiday Stage Company. He was well acquainted with Bridger, whom he met for the last time at Independence Rock in 1868 or '6g he "couldn't exactly say ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 229

which". He described him as quiet in general company, but "when you once got the old man started his stories came free, and they were good ones too''. A cherished memory of Alexan­ der's was a meeting with Father de Smet when the priest made his last trip to the mountains. The author had the privilege of meeting this old mountaineer at Pinedale in 1923, and she was assured by many that no one had done more toward promoting the settlement of the region than had he. By many besides his immediate family he is affectionately called "Grandad". In 188g he took up land on Newfork River just below Lake de Amelia, which is also called New Fork Lake. One of the interesting events of the cattle country is the annual roundup held in the fall. A convenient spot is selected and a foreman chosen who is vested with as much authority as a baseball umpire. A grub ,vagon is provisioned by the ranchers and each cattle owner sends from one to three riders to look after his interests. At the direction of the foreman the riders scour the country for scattered cattle, some of them taking their places as night herders to prevent the cattle that are brought in from straying away. The roundup often lasts two weeks or more, and by the time every canyon and gully has been explored there are often as many as five thousand head gathered in. Then comes the big day when out riders are stationed around the herd and men are sent in to separate the animals according to their brands. The "mavericks", or calves that seem to have no family connection are distributed by the foreman among the cattle men to be branded with their herds. Formerly the branding was done at the roundup, but of late years this work is done on the ranches. There is an indescnoable fascination in the lives of these residents of the Green River valley. In the great American novel, "One of Ours", there is a word picture that fitly illustrates the boundless hospitality, where Albert Usher, the young marine,. who had gone through Ii£ e as an orphan, tells the hero of the tale that he supposes that "there are good women everywhere, but that Wyoming has the world beat." He goes on to say that he was brought up on a ranch in the mountains, and there wasn't a home in Pinedale or DuBois where he would not be welcomed like a son if he returned._ Even the chance visitor is impressed with the kindness of spirit, and can well believe that when the door of friendship is once opened it is never closed. 230 UINTA COUNTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-T\VO Jackson's Hole The very name of Jackson's Hole fires the imagination, so replete is it with historic interest and thrilling tales of adven­ ture. A more beautiful spot does not exist. From the south it is entered by the Hoback Canyon, famous since the days of the early Astorians who followed the Hoback River to its junction with the Snake, crossed the mountain-rimmed valley and climbed the range over Teton Pass. The same route is in use today. A good road about thirty miles long brings the traveler to Victor, Idaho, the nearest railroad station. It attains in one place an altitude of over eight thousand four hundred feet. On every side rise mountains, some covered with pine forests so thickly set as to seem from a distance like carpets of the finest plush, others rocky and forbidding, and belo,v and between the slopes of mountain valleys threaded by silver streams and dotted with lakes. Jackson's Hole is about twelve by sixty miles in size. Al­ though almost level as compared to the surrounding mountains there are many buttes and hills scattered over it, some covered with sagebrush and others densely wooded. The main branch of the snake river heads in the Yellowstone Park, is swelled by the waters of Jackson Lake and flows through the valley by way of the Grand Canyon of the . Among the tributaries within the valley are the rivers Gros Ventre and Buffalo, and smaller streams known as Pacific, Fish, Cotton,vood, Flat and Spread creeks. Each stream has its own lovely valley where ranches for profit and pleasure have been taken up. The early history of Jackson's Hole belongs to the story of the fur traders, as told m Chapters Three and Four. From the decline of the fur trade until its legitimate settlement, the valley was given over to the Indians and became a refuge for outlaws. So picturesque was the general conception of this latter class that their number has doubtless been exaggerated as well as their deeds. But there is no question that this mountain fastness offered an asylum to many a man who was fleeing from the arm o:f the law. In the Union Pacific Magazine for December, 1922, W. F. Hooker tells of the pursuit of a criminal wh~ was traveling TAME WILD LIFE By Clarence Cook.

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 231 on horseback the long distance from Laramie across the state to this sanctuary. The pursuer was N. K. Boswell, sheriff of Albany County. Before reaching his goal the outlaw ,vas killed by a mountaineer. One of the well known characters of the region was '·Teton Jackson", whose real name ·was Harvey P. Gleason. His repu­ tation as a "bad man of the wild and wooly west" was said to be in excess of his real achievements. He was an accommodating fellow, a good singer and had many friends, but it cannot be de­ nied that he caused the officers many an anxious hour. Most of the outlaws were "rustlers" either of cattle or horses, who drove their ill gotten herds into the Hole. It was not an easy matter to catch them, for they usually had friends who would give warning of the approach of officers. One of the strongest points in Owen Wister's "The \ 7irginian" is the portrayal of the ties that bound together these frontiersmen, whether good or bad. To them loyalty to friends was the su­ preme virtue. It was unthinkable that a man could coolly hand over to the officers a man who had fought by his side to save his dwelling from flames, or had spent the night in the saddle to bring a doctor to his sick child. .A.. nd while human nature is much the same the ,vorld over, yet it must be granted that the lawbreakers of the range seldom stoop to the mean and petty vices that are rampant in the slums. The call of the west was to the brave and daring rather than to the coward, to men capable of big deeds whether for good or evil. It was years before the last of the undesirables were weeded out, and it is a significant fact that the final struggle was against men who came in from the outside. It was the outcome of concerted action on the part of legitimate settlers, and resulted in the death of two outla,vs. This proved a salutary warning to others, and Jackson's Hole has since that time been as safe a dwelling place as any other section of the country. In 1865 a trapper known as Tim Hibbard spent tl1e winter in Jackson's Hole. He camped near the present site of the Snake River bridge, and the place was for years called Hibbard Flats. Other trappers whose names have been handed down are James Goodland and David Breckenbridge, who were here in 1884. 232 UINTA. COUNTY

The first settlers were John R. Karnes and H. G. Holland, who came from the Fontenelle and located adjoining ranches in 18&4- Karnes had an Indian ,vi£ e who made for him a happy home and was held in respect by all who knew her. They spent their last years in Pocatello, Idaho. Mr. Holland moved to Ore­ gon, where he died. Robert E. Miller, from the state of Illinois, was the first per­ manent settler in the valley. Possessed by the desire to see the west he came out as far as Sidney, Nebraska, when little more than a boy. After a short time spent at that busy shipping point for the Black Hills, he moved to Denver. In the summer of 1884 he came to Jackson's Hole, where he took up land. His home is in Jackson, and its artistic beauty presents a striking con­ trast to the one room cabin to which he brought his bride, who was also a native of Illinois. She arrived to find the house strip­ ped of its flooring, some enterprising neighbor having decided in the absence of the owner on his wedding trip to use the lum­ ber in the building of a flume, and the housekeeping had to begin on a dirt floor. With the adaptibility of the true helpmate Mrs. Miller fitted into the place of the pioneer as admirably as into her present station, which is that of one of the leading women of the community with an influence far beyond its bounds. A homesteader by the name of Frank Wood took up land in the valley in 1888 and established a fine ranch. The next year saw the arrival of four settlers, Uncle Jack Hicks, Dick Turpin, John Jackson and John Cherry. Mr. Cherry, now an old man, is one of the picturesque figures in the valley. As a child of eleven he was befriended by the well known cattle dealer Chis­ holm, who took him from his native state of Te.-x:as on one of the first cattle drives to the railroad in Missouri. In 1867 he V\t45 in Fort Laramie, and he has seen the transformation of the buffalo plains into the cattle range. He has gone through the varied experiences of path finder, trapper and guide, and his practical knowledge, which is quite independent of books, gives his word authority. VVhen asked his opinion as to whether John Colter could have made the winter trip into the geyser region as described in Chapter Three, he told of an experience of his own when he traveled thirty-five miles northward to Yellowstone ITS PL.ACE IN HISTORY 2 33

Lake on snowshoes with fifty pounds of flour, besides blankets and rifle "in eight hours easy." In 188g there \Vere sixty-four people in the valley, among whom may be mentioned the permanent settlers Michael Dip­ water, Brigham Adams, Edward Blair, Carrol Thompson~ Lo­ renzo Bebee, S. Hopkins and A. Marshall. Nothing seems impossible to these sturdy pioneers on whom the frosts of time seem to leave no withering blight. In 1922 William 1fanning at the age of eighty-three was put forward by his friends for the office of sheriff, and was defeated by oniy a few votes which were doubtless inspired by the skepticism of the younger generation as to his ability to perform the strenuous duties of the office. 1'1r. l\.Ianning was a native of Ohio and came to Kansas to hunt buffalo in 1866. He drifted south to Texas, where he joined the regular army, and from 1874 to 1876 fought under General Miles in the Indian wars in l\iontana. He was for a tin1e in the Teton Basin in Idaho before mov.ing to Jackson. In 1886 some ranchers from Idaho crossed the mountains into Jackson's Hole for the purpose of cutting wild hay for their stock. The same fall the first wagon with women and children was brought in by three of these men, the two Cheney brothers and Sylvester Wilson. It was too late to start the building of homes, and the "batches'~, as the unmarried men were called, gallantly placed their homes at the disposal of the families. The first child born in the valley was Effie Jane Wilson. She mar­ ried a man named Donald Imeson and still lives in Jackson with her two children, her husband having died. 1887 saw the settlement of Spread Creek by J. P. Cunning­ ham and William T. Crawford. Mr. Crawford and his famiiy are among the foremost citizens of the region. Stephen N. Leek, with his partner Nicholas Gass, came into Jackson's Hole in 1888. Mr. Leek deserves more than passing notice, for he has done more to make Jackson's Hole known to the world than any other man. His instrument is the most truthful of chroniclers, the camera, and in his hands it possesses the magic power of uniting truth with beauty, for he is artist as well as story teller. His was one of the first privately owned movng picture outfits in the ,vest, and in an early day he was 234 UINTA. COUNTY

exhibiting scenes in which herds of grazing elk made their dumb appeal for protection. It resulted in the appropriation of money by the federal and state governments to feed the largest herd of these animals in the world, the number being now about nine thousand head. ~Ir. Leek's pictures of scenery and wild life have become world famous. His ranch is situated a few miles south of Jack­ son, and an hour spent within its walls is something to be treas­ ured in the memory. Picture to yourself the tall, erect figure of a man no longer young but still strong to endure, whose eyes gro,v tender over the pathos of the struggles of wild life or light up with the thought of nature's beauty, and who has the power of putting into charming verse the impressions made upon his brain. Possessed of an accuracy that can come only from close observation, he is an ideal guide and his services are much in demand. For several seasons he has conducted a party headed by John White, a lawyer of Cleveland, Ohio. It is limited to four men, the other two being the guests of Mr. White. They start from the Leek ranch, well equipped with horses and provisions, and find delight in visiting regions hitherto unexplored. They have traveled through canyons and over peaks of which there is no recorded description, though sometimes proof exists that theirs are not the first feet of white n1en who have passed that v..-ay. One such sign '\vas upon the bark of a quakenasp in a canyon n1nning do\\1"11 to the upper Snake River and read "O. S. 1837." Strange to say, some months later Mr. Leek saw on the bank of the Y.... ellowstone, a short distance above the Upper Falls, the same inscription, initials and date being identical. Who the writer was n1ay never be known. ivir. Leek married the daughter of Elijah Nicholas Wilson, from \.vhon1 the town of Wilson is named. :Nir. Wilson's life stor;., is told in a volume of reminiscences dictated in his declin- ing years and entitled "Uncle Nick Among the Shoshones." Besides being a valuable contribution to our h."llowledge of the manners and customs of the Indians, this book is a revelation on the hardships of frontier life. From the time of his early child­ hood, when, in 1850, his parents migrated to Utah, the swift changing scenes are full of adventures well nigh incredible. Be­ £ore he reached his majority this pioneer boy had gone through ITS PL.i\.CE IN HISTORY 235

the experiences of sheepherding in southern Utah, of adoption into an Indian tn"be, of pony express rider, and of stage driver through the Idaho mountain passes. The book as originally pub­ lished has the ruggedness and strength that might be expected from one who had suffered much. A revised edition for the use of children appeared later under the title "The \\'bite Indian ·Boy." While interesting, it lacks the fire of the dictated book, and covers only his experience among the Shoshones. The town of Wilson is ea.st of the Teton Pass, and is impor­ tant as an outfitting point for tourists as well as for ranchers. From the main highway to Jackson there is a road leading north along the west bank of Snake River. A well-known guide was Edwin B. Trafton, who came here as early as 188o. In speaking of his death, the result of apop­ lexy on a street of Los Angeles, August 16, 1922, the Los Angeles Times quotes from a letter found in his pocket: "This will in­ troduce Edwin B. Trafton, better known as "Ed Harrington." Mr. Trafton was the man from whom Owen Wister modeled the character of "The Virginian." Doubtless the characteristics and adventures of more than one man went to make up this hero, but many of Trafton's experiences are to be found in the novel. What has been rather dramatically called "the last stand of the Indians" occurred in the summer of 1895. It arose from the conflict between the rights of the Indians to hunt on unoccupied lands as granted in the treaty of 1868, and the duty of en£ orcing the laws of Wyoming, which placed a closed season of ten months on all big game. The incursions of Indians into Jackson's Hole had become very annoying to settlers, and at their request W. W. Richards, Governor of Wyoming, issued an order for the enforcement of the state law. Several bands of Indians were arrested by state officers, but the prisoners were "white elephants" on the hands of the authorities. They could not pay their fines, and to keep them in captivity long enough to satisfy the demands of the law was a costly matter, and required more jailers than were avail­ able. The view taken at Evanston, the county seat, some two hundred miles from the problem, seems to have been that the whole thing was a local tempest in a teapot, and apathy increased in geometrical ratio as distances lengthened, so that when Wash- 236 UINTA COUNTY ington was reached it was impossible to rouse any interest what­ ever. However, a crisis was brought about by the Indians when three constables were sent out to arrest a band of hunters. The red men pulled their \Vinchesters and refused to submit, and as the officers were greatly outnumbered, the Indians were allowed to ride off to their camp on the Hoback until such time as the set­ tlers could raise reinforcements. At the request of some of the leading citizens William Man­ ning came into the valley from his home in the Teton Basin for the purpose of organizing a posse for the capture of the Indians. On the 2nd of July, 1895, thirty-eight men, duly sworn in as deputies, met at the \Varm Springs on the Gros Ventre River. The plan ,vas to cross the mountains to the Green River Valley and surprise the Indians at their camp by coming on them from the east. In the meantime a council had been held by the Indians. There were both Bannocks and Shoshones in the band, and the latter, in accordance with their usual policy of peace, favored surrender. The Bannocks, headed by Chief Race Horse, would not agree to this, but insisted on standing on their treaty rights. The Shoshones left them and moved to Green River, where they made camp. On the morning of the Fourth of July, to the sur­ prise of both parties, officers and lawbreakers n1et at Rock Creek. There was but a slight show of resistance on the part of the Shoshones, and after they had been relieved of their firearms, an organized march was started toward Jackson. It was an im­ posing caravan, for bucks, squaws and papooses were all mounted, and besides the pack horses bearing the possessions of the In­ dians, there were about seventy loose animals. The Shoshones were communicative, told the number of the Bannocks and the location of their camp, and, fallowing a trial be£ ore the justice of the peace that resulted in conviction, they were landed in jail. The officers then went back to finish their work. According to Stephen N. Leek, their route was around the head of the Snake River tributary called Horse Creek to Little Granite Creek, where they camped the first night.1 About noon the next day they came to the Hoback River and sent out scouts, who reported the Indians to be two miles farther up the canyon.

1 Kemmerer CamQra illustrated Edition, :May, 1917. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 2 37

At four o'clock the next morning the officers made their way on foot to the Indian camp and captured them without trouble. The ease with which the seizure was made served to make the cap­ tors doubly watchful, for they had a suspicion that more In­ dians were hiding in the neighborhood. ...t\t noon the march was halted and a hasty meal was eaten. When it came time to re­ mount the Indians caught fresh animals, but the officers did not pay much attention to the change at the time. The road led along a narrow trail where they were obliged to travel single file. Suddenly a whoop resounded through the canyon, and like a flash the Indians dashed up the hill to the right through the thick­ growing cottonwoods. It was cleverly planned, for they had taken advantage of the fact that the white men, shooting from the right shoulder, would have to turn their horses to take aim. Only one of the fleeing men was hit, and he was found dead a short distance from the trail. A woman with a little boy on a horse was scraped off by overhanging branches, but she scram­ bled to her feet and fled, leaving the little fell ow to his fate. Be£ ore long another woman came peering over the hill, looking for a baby that had been lost in the flight, but she was afraid to venture near, and the papoose was later picked up dead. Besides the horses, numbering about one hundred, the little boy was the only trophy of the fight. William Crawford and Mr. Manning took turns in caring for him on the ride to town, and he was taken in by Mrs. Crawford and kindly treated. He was nearly four years old, and as shy as a deer. When children came near he would draw his little blanket over his face, and refused their friendly advances. After some weeks he was turned over to the agent of the Shoshone Reservation and he was brought up there. It is said that he entered the World War and made an honorable record in France, but the writer has been unable to learn his name or any further particulars. The result of this raid was far reaching. Jackson's Hole became a center of national interest. Soldiers, both cavalry and infantry, were sent into the valley, the Indians were rounded up on their reservations, Chief Race Horse was arrested, and there began the trial of a "test case" to determine the status of the American Indian. From Evanston it was carried to the supreme court of the United States, and after some years a de- UINTA COUNTY

cision making the Indians amenable to the laws of the state in which they live was rendered. The town of Jackson is incorporated as a city. It has tele­ phone service, electric lights, modem business houses and good hotels. The resident population is about three hundred, but this is swelled to many times that number during the summer, for moving picture artists, painters and pleasure seekers find it an alluring spot. It has a weekly newspaper called the Jackson's Hole Courier that was founded in 1909 with the financial aid of the enterprising merchant Roy van Fleck. The Jackson State Bank was established in 1914, with Harry Wilson cashier. Mail is brought daily over the Teton Pass, and is distributed from Jackson to outlying districts. There are months when the mail carriers make their routes on snowshoes, and when theirs are the only faces from the outside world seen by the ranchers. As the result of the city election of 1920 Jackson sprang into national and even world-wide fame, for it had the distinction of being the only city governed entirely by women. Far from being a fight between the sexes, the election was an experiment in good government, and although some newspapers made much of the fact that Mrs. ·Crabtree of the Woman's Party was running against her husband, the truth of the matter was that she had his hearty support during the campaign, as he had confidence that the ability that had made the Crabtree Hotel a noted success among the pleasure resorts of the west would succeed in civic affairs. The other members of the city council were Mrs. Wil­ liam DeLoney, Mrs. D. H. Height and Mrs. C. R. van Fleck, while Mrs. R. E. Miller filled the honorable office of mayor. The story was widely written up at the time, the best account being given by Mrs. Genevieve Parkhurst, who made a special trip to Jackson for the purpose in the ,interests of the Delineator. It was published in the September number, 1922. She brings out the fact that the men had gro,vn weary of the ever-thankless task of public service and that the women took hold with fresh enthusiasm and the business sense that characterized the man­ agement of their homes and children, for all of them were mothers as well as housekeepers. Before the second meeting of the council they had personally collected the delinquent taxes and had increased the money in the city treasury from $20() to over ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 2 39

$2,000. Irrigating ditches n1nning through the streets that had hitherto wandered at their own free wills were confined within bounds, and neat crossings were constructed. The cemetery, on a sightly but steep hillside, to which there was no other road than a ~ding footpath, had long been the subject of discussion, and these women promptly carried out the building of a road through the clustering quakenasps to the city of the dead. A ·'clean-up week" was ordered, and was observed as a community holiday, in which ranchers and townspeople participated. Sidewalks were built, streets graded and many other improvements made by the whole-hearted co-operation of all. Jackson has a good brick schoolhouse and a twelve-year course of study. The road to this goal was beset by many diffi­ culties. The first school was carried on by private subscription, and was held on the ·Cheney ranch, south of town. In 1&)3, when Mrs. M. J. Young was superintendent of instruction in Uinta County, the first public school was begun in a three-room house about two miles north of the town. The location was inconvenient to the ranchers to the south, some of whom lived as much as twelve miles away. 11rs. Cheney visited the School teacher, l\:Iiss Hammond, and begged the privilege of using one of the rooms as a home for the children from her neighborhood. Here three of the mothers, lfrs. Cheney, Mrs. James Robinson and 1Irs. Mary Wilson, took turns in keeping house for eleven youngsters. The furniture consisted of rough beds arranged around the walls, a stove in one corner. and a big table in the middle of the room. The house-mother cared for the children, washed and mended their clothes and cooked the food brought to them from home stores. This arrangement held good until the erection of the Jackson Club House, when the school moved into the upper story of that building. The opening of the school was a gala day for the community. A procession was f onned, headed by a band composed of such instruments as were at hand. Suddenly some one called out, "There isn't a seat in the place !" A moment of consternation, then the veteran, Charles DeLoney, always ready for an emergency, ordered a halt before his store, a hasty re­ arrangement was made of dry goods and groceries, and each boy and girl, armed with a box corresponding to his size, resumed the: march. They were of all ages, and the line was wound up by an. IBNT-~ COUNTY

ambitious young rancher on horseback, his feed-bag hanging from one side and his bench from the other. A graded school was soon established, and the first class was graduated from the eighth grade in 1912. Clarence Cook, clerk of court under Judge Arnold, was a member of the class and had the honor of being valedictorian. Two roads lead north from Jackson to Moran, at the outlet of Jackson Lake. The n1ost direct, which was originally a rangers' trail, crosses the Snake at Minor's Ferry, where the sight of an abandoned bridge a short distance above the present road calls forth a story of its own. After the expensive structure had been built the treacherous stream decided on a new course, and it was left high and dry. Headed by William DeLoney, son of the merchant, a few enterprising citizens raised money to build a new bridge and to reinforce the banks of the river in order to keep it within bounds. lVIr. DeLoney started out with a subscrip­ tion paper one morning and before night had raised $15,000 for the purpose. The new bridge was completed in 192 r, the neces­ sary additional funds having been furnished by the county. The road runs through mountain forests, past meadows of native hay and cultivated fields, along streams where have been built ranch houses varying from the rough log cabin of the home­ steader to the elaborate "dude ranch", with everywhere the snowy ranges in sight, all watched over by the three Tetons, monarchs of the Rockies. Under their very shadow lie the matchless lakes Jenny and Leigh, so called from the daughter of a Bannock chief and her white husband, who lived here for many years. They are connected by a little stream and are famous for their fishing. Other bodies of water dot the scene, each \Vith a beauty of its own. At the head of Pacific Creek is Enos Lake, so called from an Indian who was exhibited at the San Francisco Exposition in 1915 at the age of 102, and who lived four years longer. A near-by body of water bears the name of Bridger, Uinta County's famous scout. A ride through this region gives the traveler some idea of the importance of the Teton Forest Reserve, comprising almost two million acres of timber, at the very fountainhead of the streams that water most of the land west of the Mississippi. It was set aside under the administration of President Cleveland, ~. ,_ ... -,,. .. ~ , ...... ·. - ~-- ~::.~.... ·:-.~ ...... ':'" . . . ~' .·- ..-, ... ~~-.. ~;;,~~

THE . LOOKING DUE WEST FROM TIMBERLINE Copyright W. 0. Owen, 1898.

ITS PL.-\CE IN HISTORY

and was one of the very first to be created. It is administered from the headquarters at Jackson, and there are employed under the forest supervisor, _A.. C. McCain, ten "all-year rangers" and from five to twenty fire guards, according to the season of the year. The new county of Teton received last year about $1,200 from grazing fees, and this goes to the school treasury. There are three sawmills on the western slope. Charles DeLoney was the first forest supervisor of this re­ serve. 1:Ir. DeLoney has already been mentioned as one of the founders of Evanston. He was the pioneer merchant of Jack­ son, and his family have been leaders in every line of work. The place of Mrs. DeLoney in the hearts of all is secure because of her skillful and unselfish service in sickness and need. William, the eldest son, is at the head of the prosperous mercantile busi­ ness established by his father. He was an active soldier in the Spanish-American war, and came out of the service with the rank of sergeant. His activity during the \Vorld War placed the Jack­ son Hole country highest in the nation in the number of volun­ teers according to population. 11r. DeLoney has represented Lincoln County in the state legislature, and he was a strong sup­ porter of the bill creating the counties of Sublette and Teton. An important date in the history of the region was the first session of the district court on June 17, 1923, at which Judge Arnold presided. Bishop Funston of Montana was the first minister to hold services in the valley. He was followed by Bishop Talbot of Wyoming, and with the co-operation of the settlers there grew up in time one of the most complete church properties in the west. The beginning was a "Rest House", an attractive build­ ing with library, reading rooms and gymnasium, that was com­ pleted in 1913. In 1915 a chapel was built, and soon after money was raised for a hospital. What this means to a community so cut off from the outside world can only be appreciated by those who have had the experience of caring for the sick or injured when the nearest medical aid was a hundred miles across the mountains. It has four fully equipped rooms, and has the best of nurses and a fine physician. In a copy of the Pinedale Round­ up, published in January, 1923, C. C. Clark tells of an entertain­ ment given in the summer of 1904 to raise money for the build- UINTA COUNTY ing. Dr. Clark came to Wyoming in an early day, and was the last practicing physician at historic old Fort Laramie. He came into Jackson's Hole as prospector for the Northwestern railroad, and when his work was ended settled a short distance south of Jackson. His wife, an accomplished musician, was asked to take charge of the program, and was so fortunate as to enlist the services of several artists who were spending the summer in the valley. Anna Kiskaddon, mother of Maud Adams, who was a drama.tic reader, was one, and among the others were Miss Seal­ enmeyer, soprano soloist, l\1rs. Glidden Barstrow, violinist, and a ba.ratone from New York City named Johnson. The hall over Van Fleck's store was packed, and "wild applause greeted each of the artists." "It was 2 a. m. when the crowd finally consented to let the performers go," says Dr. Clark, "and from the shower of coins that had been thrown on the plat£ orm after each num­ ber, over four hundred and fifty dollars were added to the build­ ing fund. All repaired to Pete Johnson's hotel, where a big supper awaited them.'' The writer said that it was the only en­ tertainment that he ever heard of in Jackson's Hole that did not end with a dance. Dr. Clark's wife, Mary Slavins Clark, was for many years at the head of the department of music of the University of \Vyoming. Previous to the finishing of the Episcopal Church, as early in fact as the year 1905, fourteen l'IIormon families living in the valley contributed $2,500 toward the building of a place of wor­ ship on the western edge of the town. The church added $500 to this sun1, and a suitable meeting house was erected, of which Parker & Mullins ,vere the contractors. The membership of this denomination has steadily increased, and is the largest in the town. In 1912 a Baptist Church was built in Jackson under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Baxter. Though the membership is not large the work of this denomination has been of great importance. On the road running northeast from Jackson is Kelly, a town of about fifty people, supplied with business houses and good schools. Moran is a summer resort and outfitting point for tourists, where a good hotel, surrounded by rustic cabins, is capable of accommodating a large number of people. It is conducted by D. B. Sheffield. The waters of the lake ai-e held in control by means ITS ··PLACE IN HISTORY 243 of the government dam known as the Shoshone Dam, that was erected in the year 1910, at a cost of $1,671,000. Its height is three hundred twenty-eight feet, its length two hundred feet, and it bas a storage capacity of over one hundred forty-eight million gallons.2 The lake mirrors in its depth the massive form of 11:ount Moran. The ~e of this crouching monarch was de­ rived from the artist Thomas Moran, who made known its grandeur by means of his brush in the early '7os.

: Frederic J. Baskins, Information Bureau, Washington, D. C. A short distance to the north of Moran is a beautiful resort known as the Ammoretti Inn, where the best of accommodations may be secured. Other postoffices in Teton County are Teton, Elk, Moose, Hoback, Zenith, Grovent, ·Cheney and Hot Springs. One of the interesting objects of the region is Slide l\foun­ tain, on the Grovent Canyon. In 19()8 a crack was noticed near the peak, and the northern half of the mountain gradually broke away from the southern portion, uprooting trees and damming the river to such an extent that a lake was formed. After years of commotion it has finally reached comparative stability, and a road has been constructed. The name Grovent is a corn1ption of the French Gros Ventre. So far as we know, the first attempt to scale the Grand Teton was made by a party under the French explorer l\Iichaud in 184-3. They reached a point under the overhanging summit, but were unable to proceed farther. In 1872 Captain James Stevenson, a member of the Hayden Expedition, accompanied by N. ·p. Lang£ ord, the first superintendent of the Yellowstone National Park, made the attempt. Scn"bner's Monthly for June, 1873, contains an article ·written by lvir. Langford, in which he claims to have reached the top, and on the strength of this he was awarded official recognition for being the first to ascend the Grand Teton. Captain Stevenson, on the other hand, never claimed to have made the last six hundred feet of the ascent, by far the most difficult of the undertaking. The first to achieve success was a party of three, consisting of William 0. Owen and two young men named Frank Peterson and Frank Schives. Mr. Owen, the leader, had made two un­ successful attempts, first in 1892 and again in 1897, and he is well satisfied as to the exact point at which Lang£ord and Steven- 244 UINTA COUNTY

son turned back. On the summit he found no traces of pre­ vious ascents such as are usually left by explorers of virgin fields, and the descriptions given by Langford in the Scnoner article are so wide of the mark as to be ridiculous to any one conversant with the facts. Among them was the statement that tracks of mountain sheep were found on the very summit, and that the party picked flowers within twenty-five feet of the top. Mr. Owen writes : "There isn't a flower within a thousand feet of the summit, and a mountain sheep ,vould no more be able to climb the last six hundred feet than he would to climb the Wash­ ington monument." There is no doubt in the mind of the author that Mr. Owen was the first to reach the summit. Of infinitely more value than her opinion, however, is that of the ...i\.lpine Club of London, England. In a letter to Mr. Owen, dated July I, 1924, the secretary says that after having examined the evidence he is satisfied that "the party of 1898 is justified in the claim to the first ascent of the Grand Teton." It is signed F. Oughton. In 1924 Mr. Owen again headed an expedition bound for the peak, and although he himself did not at this time succeed in reaching the highest point, five of the party did, and found there the names of the three successful explorers of 1898 carved in the rock and the little metal flag that they had fastened in the top of a rock-built monument. J\tieasurements and photographs of this party all confirmed Mr. Owen's claims. William 0. Owen is by profession a civil engineer, and was state auditor at the time of his ascent of the Grand Teton. He and his wife, formerly Miss Nellie Wilson, lived for many years in Laramie, and now make their home in Los Angeles, where he is well known by the Wyoming colony. Scarcely a summer passes that they do not visit Jackson's Hole, and he has, by means of articles and photographs, done much in making known the beauties of the region. · The author, who was a childhood friend of both Mr. and Mrs. Owen, is indebted to him for ~o beautiful views of the Tetons that appear in this book. From the summit of the King of the Rockies, thirteen thousand seven hundred forty-seven feet above the level of the sea, a panorama of match­ less beauty is spread before the lover of nature. The flimsy works of man in the valley below, even the massive concrete dam at the outlet of ·Jackson Lake, serve but to emphasize the enduring wonder of "the strength of the hills." CHIEF WASHAKIE Photograph b,·- C · S - B a k er.

ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 245

CHAPTER TvVENTY-THREE Lincoln County Next in point of time to the settlement of the Green River tnl>utaries comes that of what is now the western part of Lin­ coln County. In 1873 a squaw man named Tilford Kutz built a one-room log house on Smith's Fork of Bear River. He had a ferry boat in which he took travelers across the stream, and the station was known as Smith's Fork. Shoshone and Bannock Indians from the neighborhood of Fort Hall set up their tepees and there were often several hundred Indians near by. In 1874 two men known as "Syl" Collett and Robert Gee brought their families to the place. The next year they were joined by a third family named Bourne. Rita Bourne was the first white child to be born in the place. Evanston, seventy-five miles to the south, was the base of all supplies until the year 1875, when Mr. Collett brought in a small supply of groceries, bacon and whiskey, and began to trade ,vith the Indians. 7 The year 1878 saw the coming of John V\ • Stoner, the man who was known as the Father of ·Cokeville. Mr. Stoner opened a store near the Oregon Trail and carried a stock of general merchandise. .A.f ter the building of the Oregon Short Line his place of business was moved near the depot, and he added farm­ ing implements and building material. He ,vas also engaged in cattle raising, and ,vas one of the largest ranch holders of the section, as well as the owner of the site of the town. Prosperity of the truly "wild and woolly" type came ,vith the construction of the railroad. Money and men poured into the town, "cowboys danced in the street in their rawhide chapps, rode their bronchos into the saloons, and shot up the town in truly western fashion." It was a fashion more pleasing in read­ ing than in actual experience. Coe & Carter, the contractors for the furnishing of ties, had in their employ a young man by the name of Henry J. Som­ son, who made his headquarters at Cokeville. Under his man­ agement ties for more than half of the road were delivered. 1fr. Somson took up a ranch about ten miles north of Cokeville, and he became one of its most prominent citizens. He represented tJINTA COUNTY

Uinta County in the territorial legislature in 1887. Other well­ known pioneers were Victor Forgeon, Oscar Snyder and Claus Stoffer, all successful ranchers. William Martin, government scout; E. W. Holland and Abraham Stoner also belonged to this early day. In 1&)2 John W. Stoner brought from his native state, Maryland, his bride, whose maiden name was Nannie Folger. Two children were born to them, Roscoe F. and Sarah. Mr. Stoner died in I<;PJ and his son succeeded him in his business and ranch interests. Three nephews of J. W. Stoner came to Cokeville in an early day and became identified with the history of the town. Their names were Aaron, John H. and Frank Stoner. All were interested in ranching, as were also the early settlers, W. C. Ole­ son, Harry Nichols and William Vibrens. The last named ac­ cumulated a fortune and is now in the state of Oregon. Frank Mau, one of the most public spirited of the Cokeville citizens, was three times elected mayor, and twice to the state legislature. In 1883 Jacob C. Jacobson, a young blacksmith of Nor­ wegian birth, fitted up a shop in the building first put up by Stoner, and specialized in the making of sheep wagons. He started with a dollar and a half in his pockets, but by honest workmanship soon built up a flourishing business and a com£ ort­ able home, for this was the first place of its kind west of Rawlins on the Oregon Trail, the road still in use for travelers to the northwest. A son, Norman Jacobson, was born here, and he has become famous as an artist and illustrator. He lives in New York, but Cokeville has an enduring reminder of him in the in­ scription on a stone slab set up as a marker by the veteran, Ezra Meeker, in Igo<), on which Jacobson chiseled the words: OLD OREGON TRAIL-1852-56. In 1887 a man named Fred Roberts took up a ranch near Cokeville, which he devoted to the raising of high-grade sheep. He met with success and built a fine house in the town. A big horse ranch near by was started by the firm of Beckwith, Quinn & ·Company of Evanston, and William H. Wyman, a native of Illinois, was foreman. The Beckwith-Quinn ranch was brought to a high state of efficiency. It comprises eleven thousand a~~ of land, and is one of the few big ranches that has never been ITS PL_-\.CE IN HISTORY divided. The present foreman is John Reed. Mr. Wyman later opened a hotel in the town. The family was an influential one and he was elected to the first state legislature. Other prominent citizens of this time were Samuel Barrier, Thomas and Sylvester Collett and Fred and Richard Roberts. In 1885 William H. Embree, who had been establishing tele­ graph stations for the Union Pacific, came to Cokeville. He was a New Englander by birth and his wife was the granddaughter of John Fee, the founder of Berea College, Kentucky. Mr. Embree died in 1891, leaving the mother with six children. The son Howard H. is a business man of Kemmerer. William D. worked his way through Yale University and is now secretary of the Rockefeller Foundation Fund. From the headquarters in New York he has traveled all over the world. One interesting experi­ ence in which his brother Howard, also a Yale graduate, shared, was a trip through Canada with Edison, in search of nickel mines. Another brother, Edwin, after graduation, became as­ sistant secretary of Yale University. A daughter named Hallie went as a missionary to South America, and after eight years of service there is head of the Spanish 1-Iission at Los .Angeles. Ida Embree, after teaching for a time in Evanston, married G. N. Miles of the Beckwith & Lauder store, and now lives in Denver. Nellie, after the death of her first husband, Charles Rathbun of Fontenelle, married Noble Hillis, president of Todd Seminary of Woodstock, Illinois, and devotes her time to the management of the boarding school there. 1\Irs. William N. Embree lived ten years after the death of her husband, long enough to see her children launched on successful careers in which her self-sacri­ ficing life was a power that can never be estimated. In 1888 C. M. White moved with his family from Evanston to Cokeville, and for five years lived on a ranch. He was active in developing the resources of the region, and his family was in­ fluential in the community. The ranches around Cokeville, like many others in Wyo­ ming, started as cattle ranches and have gradually been stocked with sheep. The ranges of the forest reserve furnish fine pas­ turage, and Cokeville has become an important shipping point. J. D. Noblett came to Cokeville as agent for the Oregon Short Line in 1893 and has been identified with the development UINTA. COUNTY

of the town. He has served as mayor and has represented the county in the state legislature. He is chairman of the Lincoln County Wool Growers' Association. The first preachh-ig service in Cokeville was held by Rev. F. L. Arnold of Evanston in the early '8os, and a union Sunday School was organized in which the people of all religious opinions joined. In 1902 Rev. Charles 11udge of Montpelier, Idaho, be­ gan holding weekly evening services in the schoolhouse. The following year a Presbyterian Church was built, of which J. D. Noblitt and J. W. Stoner were trustees. Rev. Mr. Howard was the first pastor. Peter Nelson, a missionary of the Mormon Church held services in the schoolhouse from time to time, and in 19()8 a meet­ ing house was erected. There is a flourishing branch of the church there at present. In 1916 Rev. Mr. Reader, an Episcopalian clergyman, con­ verted an 9ld log building that had served as bunk house, dance hall and faro joint into a place of worship that was dedicated as the Church of Saint Bartholen1ew. Two years later a Roman Catholic Church was built. The first public school of Cokeville was held in a private house and taught by a Miss Condit. She was succeeded by a man known as Ike 1\tlcVay, who later had an eventful career as a quack doctor and horse thief. In 1886 a frame house of one room was built near the depot and was used as a schoolhouse until 1904, when it burned down. Among the early teachers were Miss l\1ary McKenzie of Evanston and Miss Woodie Hocker of Kemmerer. In 1905 a two-story brick house was built in spite of the opposition of many who could not believe that the prospects of the town justified the expense. In 1913 there was erected a !llodern schoolhouse costing $65,000. It contains a fine assembly room, s,vimming pool and up-to-date equipment. In I 9()0 there came to Cokeville a teacher whose name de­ serves more than passing n1ention, for the impress of her char­ acter is apparent on the town and on the entire state. Ethel Huckvale was of English parentage and was born in the town of Bloomington, Idaho, about thirty miles west of Cokeville. She calls herself "a humble product of Presbyterian Mission schools." She attended the school opened in Paris, Idaho, and took a ITS PL.-\CE IN HISTORY. 249 course iin the Collegiate Institute and the Westminster College of Salt Lake City. In 1900 she and her brother, Fred Huckvale, were engaged to teach at Cokeville.. Many of the present leaders of the community were among the children who came under her influence. 1Iiss Huckvale was greatly impressed with the need of religious services. To quote her own account: ''Much of the time our church was supplied with a pastor only during the summer months. At times I superintended the Sunday school, played the organ, led the singing, did the praying, taught the Bible class, and, in short, did everything but preach the sermon and draw the salary." Comprehensive as this may sound, it does not tell the whole story, for she was often janitor as well, and was always hostess to every lecturer and preacher who chanced that way. Her marriage in 1902 to John H. Stoner, son of Frank Stoner, did not interfere with her activities, which, on the other hand, expanded wdth the gro,ving years. l\. fight for law enforcement began with l\'.lrs. Stoner as leader, and she became president of the Law En£ orcement League, called by the opposi­ tion the "Uplift Branch." Her experiences in this position would make a book as thrilling as the chronicles of "Pussy-foot John­ son." The heroism of this- refined woman, frail in body, but ever steadfast of purpose, deserves to be written high in the an­ nals of history. In 1917 she was elected president of the state W. C. T. U. In 1920 she was a delegate to the International Convention of the Council of the Women of the World, which met in Christiana, Nonvay, where her services received high recognition. In 1922 her townspeople showed their appreciation of her ,vork by electing her to the office of mayor. Two other women were among the city officers, Rita Bourne Roberts, who has already received mention, and Goldie Noblitt, both of whom had fearlessly stood for years at the side of their leader. J\,Irs. Stoner refused the nomination the next year, but the result of her administration is of lasting benefit to the community. Mrs. Stoner's interest ,in preserving the annals of the City of Cokeville resulted in the writing by her of a short history of the town that is on file in the city hall. The author has bad access to this record, and has obtained the story of Mrs. Stoner's part in the development from other sources. UINTA COUNTY

Lying west of the divide that separates the ·waters flowing into Green River from the Snake River tributaries, is beautiful Star Valley. It comprises about eighty thousand acres. Under­ neath the entire region is a boulder and gravel bed, in which waters from the upper or southern valley disappear to come up between it and the lower valley in ever flowing springs. Some of these are strongly impregnated with sulphur. So porous is the soil that as much as nine cubic feet of water is run on ten acres without saturating the subsoil, but fortunately there is never any cause for worry over shortage. The first recorded mention of this valley was in Robert Stuart's journal describing the return trip from Astoria in 1812, as given in the third chapter of this work, when, to escape the Indians, his party traveled north to Salt River and followed it to its junction with the Snake, where occurred the tragedy of the stolen horses. The streams of Star Valley ,vere rich in fox and beaver, and were visited by occasional trappers, but emigrants crossed the country by the easier mountain passes to the north and south. The first attempt to make a road across the Salt River Range was when the Lander ·Cutoff was surveyed from the southern slope of Mount Wagner to upper Salt River. Some emigrants traveled this way and found fine pasture, but the deep sno,vs that cover the ground to the· depth of four feet or more and do not dis­ appear until the last of l\tlay, were discouraging to travelers. In the spring of 1874 two trappers, John Welsh and a com­ panion whose name has been lost, built a cabin and stayed an the valley about a year. In April their hay gave out and their horses starved to death. The men went out over the pass on snowshoes the first week in June, and later returned to get their furs. It was two years after this that the first permanent settlement was made in the valley by a man named August Leigmburg, who built a house on Stump Creek. This stream was named from a man who, in company wi~1 l\Ir. White, utilized the salt spring, about three miles above the town of Auburn. Stump & White boiled down the water and hauled the deposit across the range to the west to sell to Idaho and !1ontana ranchers. There are salt mines near by from ,vhich solid blocks of salt are cut for use of cattle. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

In 1878 some Mormon settlers moved in from Utah~ the leaders being C. D. Cazier, ~I. Hunt, William Heap and John Wilkes, and the tOVt"ll of Afton was founded. l\. school was opened in a log cabin, of which a man named David Robinson was the first teacher. He was followed by William Burton, who came to the valley from Evanston. A meeting house was built and Mr. Cazier, who had gone back to Utah, returned as elder. He was later made bishop of the ward. William Heap, a member of the pioneer band, was called the pathfinder of the valley, and has done much to encourage its settlen1ent. His family, in which there are five children, went through all the hardships imaginable in frontier life. Their home was once destroyed by fire, and one winter when they were cut off from communication with neighbors by deep snow, they lived for five weeks on beaver meat and muskrats. The name Star Valley ,vas bestowed by l\1oss Thatcher, a leader of the Mormon Church, who came here to hunt in 1878. A property known as Pyramid Ranch on the east of the road about a mile and a half south of Afton is of special interest, for it was the first ranch to be located. In 1885 A. Lucias Hale, a native of Salt Lake City, took up land by "squatter rights" and built a home. The shingles were hauled sixty n1iles from Paris, Idaho. lVIr. Hale ,vas the first contractor to carry mail from 1-Iontpelier, Idaho, to Afton. Mr. Hale's father joined him in the valley, and there are today more than one hundred of their descendants living there. Though he himself makes his home in Salt Lake, his mind turns often to the beautiful home of his active years. A Utah man named William Burton moved to the valley in 1886 and started a store in which his sons, Thomas and .A.rthur, were interested as well as in ranching. They put up a fine build­ ing in Afton and organized the Burton Creamery Association, a business that has branches throughout the valley, and that has done more to make Star Valley known to the outside world than any other. Star Valley cheese ~s shipped all over the country, and is highly valued. Other creameries ,vere started and prac­ tically every one in the valley is interested in the business. To Archibald Gardner & Sons, who came here from Utah, the vall~y owes its splendid flour and Lumber mills. The first illNTA COUNTY

was era..-ted on the south side of Swift Creek, and was so suc­ cessful that others were put up in various places. One of the enterprising pioneers at _J\.fton was _Arthur Rob­ erts, who moved to the valley from Utah in 1888 and started a general store, in which his brother Thomas was afterward in­ terested. He served as postmaster for thirteen years. He died in Logan in the month of February, 1924, and his widow and children make their homes in Afton. With characteristic Jewish enterprise Edward Lewis, uncle of Mrs. Fannie Gottstein of Evanston, went to Afton among the first pioneers and won success in the mercantile business. Afton is the largest town in the valley. It possesses electric light, a moving picture show and the largest church building an the state of Wyoming, a tabernacle with a seating capacity of three thousand. A bank was founded in 1907, and has proved to be a stable institution. There are the best of schools here, as throughout the valley, and a!l are furnished with modern build­ ings. The Star Valley Independent is a weekly that has ever been alive to the interests and the needs of the various communi­ ties. It is published by the Call Brothers, who came here about 1888, and who were for a time in the business of contracting and building. South of Afton are the towns of Fairview, Osburn and Smoot, and Grover and .A.uburn lie to the north. John Dav.is, who brought a stock of goods from Evanston, was the first mer­ chant in Auburn. One of the early settlers was John Reeves, who moved from Almy to the valley in 18go and bought a ranch near Auburn from a man named Bums. In 1896 he was joined by his brother William, and they built the Star Hotel. William later returned to Evanston and John moved to Utah. -~other brother, Joseph, has a fine ranch near Smoot. From Auburn the road leads north through a canyon known as "the narrows" to the lower valley. It is five to seven miles in width and excels in the production of wheat. Bed£ ord, Thayme and Freedom are independent little towns with stores, schools and pleasant homes. A state bank is located at Freedom. A press article preserved by Mrs. M. J. Young, who was seiperintendent of schools, gives the story of a trip to Star Valley in March, 18g3, that was the foundation of a sensational article ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

in the Police Gazette, according to which the experience would rival the most thrilling tales of adventure on the Russian steppes. The truth of ·the tale is that early one Friday morning she secured a team of horses at 1\-Iontpelier and started across the divide. In the middle of the afternoon, about half way to Afton, the horses gave out m the deep snow and the driver after unhitching them, started on foot to a ranch owned by a man named Cousins. 11 rs. Young, wrapped in blankets and robes, remained in the sleigh until the late afternoon, when a mail carrier, on his way to Mont­ pelier, Idaho, came upon the scene and took the weary lady as far as the mail station. It was a rude hut with a leaky roof, but there was a stove, and he shared with her his supper and made her as com£ ortable as possible. Near midnight they were startled by a pounding at the door, and admitted to the shelter of the cabin two Danish settlers of the valley, who had been prevented by the storm from getting to their homes. The mail carrier left about four o'clock in the morning and the others at six, but not before they had gone out and supplied her with enough chopped wood to see her through the day. The account does not tell what became of the driver with whom she started out, but it was late at night when the mail carrier returned. With him she once more resumed the journey, and arrived at Afton at six o'clock

Sunday morning. l Mrs. Young said that the kindness of the people in the valley repaid her for the hardships of this never-to­ be-forgotten journey. Her subsequent trips were made later in the season, when the contrast between the memory of the snow­ covered landscape and the verdant fields made the first experience seem almost like a dream. In 1868 an old mountaineer by the name of Harrison Church, who was a typical western trapper and prospector, dis­ covered coal on Ham's Fork, and built a cabin about a mile and a half below the present site of Diamondville. He succeeded in interesting some Minneapolis men, one of whom was United States Senator John Lynn, and a company was formed in which Church was a stockholder. S. H. Fields, a promoter of Salt Lake City, took hold of the management, and the Diainond Coal and Coke Company was formed under the control of the Ana­ conda Smelting Company. This company bought land that had

1 Evanston News Register. 254 UINTA COUNTY been taken up in the region, including that of I. C. Vlinslow, A. A. Bailey, E. S. Hallock and other Evanston citizens. 1'Iine Number One was opened in r894- The quality of coal was said to be the finest west of the l\Jississippi with the excep­ tion of the Las Animas County mines of Colorado. There are two workable sea.ms, one seven and the other fourteen feet in width. A solid roof of sand and soapstone has made possible safe and easy passages. James Overy, an Englishman who had worked in Almy, was made foreman in 1895, a position that was later held by Thomas Sneddon who had gained his mining edu­ cation in his native land, Scotland, and in Almy, to which camp he came in the year 188o when he was twenty-five years old. In 1898 he was made superintendent of the Diamond Coke and Coal ·Company. His family was among the most prominent of the mining to,vns, and his wife ,vas much to the community. The eldest daughter Margaret, was the wife of 0. H. Brown who was manager of the Daley Hotel. He became cashier of the Evans­ ton National Bank, and for some years lived in Evanston. The company opened a mine at Oakley, just south of Diamondville, and in 1900 another abou~ six miles to the south to which Mrs. Sneddon gave the name Glencoe. It was provid­ ed with substantial two and three apartment cottages of brick, and the housing conditions were better than those of other mining camps. .A brick school house was also built. All ·three townsites are owned by the company as most of the business enterprises are. The Diamondville Mercantile Company was started under E. 11. Roberts who was foreman of the mines. In 18g6 Donald McAllister of Evanston entered his employ as bookkeeper at the store, and when two years later Mr. Roberts left, he became manager and held the position until 1902, when he was elected county clerk of Uinta County and moved to Evanston. Mr.. McAllister remained in office until 1910, after which he returned to Diamondville and resumed his former duties. In 1921 he was appointed by President Harding as re­ ceiver of the land office with headquarters at Evanston. There are :five sons and one daughter in the family. Other managers of the mercantile company were D. F. Dudley, an Anaconda man, James Dickey a nephew of Samuel Dickey of Evanston, and A. M. King. Joe Carrola supplied the ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 2 55 camp ·with meat and groceries and also had a wholesale liquor establishment. Many of the i\lmy miners moved to Diamondville, of whom George M. Griffin, Daniel and David Miller, James and John Vickers were permanent residents. Joseph Bird was the first foreman of the Oakley mine, and Thomas Scott gas watchman. Of the ten children in the Scott family two make their homes in Kemmerer. l\Iary, wife of Royal H. Embree, after working her way through the University of Wyoming, became a successful teacher, and is the mother of three sons. Aleck Scott is city marshal!. John Scott married Mary, daughter of Laban Heward, and was for many years one of the partners in the Palace ~1eat Market of Kemmerer, the others being Carl Rogers and Albert Spinner. John Scott lives in Salt Lake City, where his three daughters are receiving the best of educational advantages. Three of the daughters of Thomas Scott are living in Evanston. Marion, wife of Roger La Chappelle, Agnes, who married Joseph Fearn, and Alice, wife of John Lowham. James Hunter, now foreman at Diamondville, also came from Almy, as did Thomas Russell, whose son of the same name has climbed from coal digging to the position of assistant man­ ager of the Amalgamated Copper Company with headquarters at Butte, Montana. He was superintendent of the Diamondville mines from the time of the death of Thomas Sneddon, in 1920. He married Cecelia, daughter of Thomas Sneddon. The first mine physician was Dr. C. T. Gamble of Almy. He was succeeded by E. D. Brown and he by E. F. Fisher, all three of whom were skillful physicians. Blaine Gamble, son of Dr. Gamble, makes his home in Kemmerer. One of the early business men of Diamondville was Stephen A. Mills who conducted a general merchandise store for many years. His wife was the daughter of E. S. Bisbing, one of the early residents of Evanston, where she taught before her mar- . r.rage. There is a Mormon meeting house in Diamondville, and a tLnon church building has been erected for the use of all denom­ inations. The town is provided with an excellent school of which J. H. Sayer was the first superintendent. On the election of Mr. McAllister to the office of county clerk, Mr. Sayer became UINTA COUNTY his deputy and moved to Evanston. He married Maggie, the eldest daughter of William Lauder, and they now live in Seattle, where he is a practicing physician. For a number of years A. L. Burgoon has been superintendent of the schools of Diamondville, Glencoe and Opal. In 18go a man named James Lee homesteaded on Ham's Fork, and being a practical miner he did some prospecting in the vicinity of his ranch with the result that a fine grade of coal was discovered. It is now being worked by the Union Pacific Coal Company, in which are associated with Mr. Lee the capitalists J. F. Fitzpatrick, John Griff and T. A. Nishe, Diamondville's pioneer Japanese merchant. They are expecting to furnish coal for the Raines Smelting Company of Salt Lake City, and have every prospect of success. Diamondville has an excellent hotel, built in 1894, called the Daley in honor of the lVIontana senator and capitalist. The story is told that in the summer of 1881 an official of the Oregon Short Line and a newspaper man from Omaha were being escorted by the owner over his ranch on Ham's Fork when one of the men picked up a stone which the rancher, Mr. Rob­ inson, immediately identified as an opal. A year later the road was built through this place and the station ,vas given the name Opal. The building of the Oregon Short Line was attended with considerable excitement. A company headed by a man named Negus contested with the Oregon Short Line for the right of way, and in the summer of 1881 the graders of the two com­ panies met near the tunnel north of the present site of Kemmerer, where they demolished each others' work. The Oregon Short Line held the line with armed forces and gained the control, some said by force of might regardless of right, though others claim that Negus had no backing and fought only with the hope of extorting money from the legitimate builders. By the fall of 1881 the road was completed as far as Sage, and the next year to American Falls, Idaho. Charles F. Robinson, the pioneer rancher of Opal, like many other successful men of Wyoming, $rted life as a poor boy. He was from an early New England family, and his branch had made its way to Livingston County, New York, where he was ITS PL_.\CE IN HISTORY 257 born in 184-7. After faithful service in the Civil War he took up the trade of carpentry, and in 1876 came to Wyoming, and was employed in the building of the courthouse at Green River. The next year he began to put up hay on Ham's Fork, and when the survey was made ,in 1881 he became owner- of the land which he had been improving. He stocked his ranch with high-grade Here£ord cattle and horses and added to his holdings until · he was the largest land owner in the county. Besides the Ham's Fork ranch he had valuable property on Green River near the mouth of the Fontenelle. In 1884 Mr. Robinson married Emma Wright, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James M. \Vright. Three children ,vere born to this union, two of whom are still living ; ..c\vis, who became the wife of Olaf Polson, who, with 11r. Rob­ inson's son Oscar, is managing the estate. After the death of 1-Ir. Robinson's first wife he married Emma Herschler, sister to Jacob Herschler of the Fontenelle, who survives him and makes her home in Ogden, beloved by all who know her. James M. Wright settled north of Kemmerer. He was a Grand Army man, having participated in some of the cn1cial bat­ tles of the Civil War. The first store at Opal was started in a tent by James David­ son, a rancher living west of the station. In 18go Hugh l\1cKay and his partner, G. M. Miles of Big Piney, bought and enlarged the business. Another store started by a firm known as Buck­ halter & Cotton, was merged with this, and the Opal Mercantile Company was established, with Jarnes M. Christman and the Petrie brothers as its officers. The postoffice is in this building and from here the stages carry passengers and mail to the settle­ ments on upper Green River. The town of Opal consists of some attractive homes, a hotel, a good schoolhouse and an amusement hall. There is no church building, but services are sometimes held in the schoolhouse. Opal's claim for prominence lies in its importance as a shipping place for stock. To it are tributary the great cattle and sheep ranches of the Green River Valley. In the spring of 1917 the sheep men of the region united in the erection of a sheering' plant where thousands of sheep on their way to the summer range· are sheared every year by the most ·scientific methods, and where the wool is sorted and prepared for sale. For a time the to~ as- illNTA COUNTY

sumes the air of a great market place. Buyers from the East meet with the woolgrowers, and the crop that has not been sold in advance changes hands. Sometmles fortunes are made and lost, or ~ingly so, but through all the changes of the market the sheep men hold on, and in the end prosperity comes as the result of their determined efforts, as is attested by the thriving ranches to be found throughout the county. The first school on Ham's Fork was taught by Mrs. Sarah H. Fenner, widow of John W. Fenner, who came to Uinta County in 1886. Ten years later she was appointed postmistress at Opal. A son married Miss Cora Wright. The geology of the Diamondville region is full of interest. .A.t Fossil, eleven miles west of Diamondville, are to be seen lime­ stone croppings of the cretaceous period, which afford some of the most curious and beautiful fossils ever discovered. Perfect specimens of a great variety of plant and animal life have been supplied by it to the great universities of our own and other lands. Joining the coal property on the south is a fine quarry of building stone, that was developed by a man named A. S. Barrett. For twenty years the work has been carried on by Lee Craig, who is known as Judge Craig, from the fact of his having been justice of the peace of Kemmerer. In 1897 there sprang into existence a new mining camp, to which Patrick Quealy was the moving spirit. Aside from being a practical coal mining man Mr. Quealy had acquired a wide ex­ perience in various lines of business, and _is today one of the most prominent citizens of the state. His father's family migrated from Ireland to ·Connecticut in 1863 when he, the youngest of eight children, was but six years of age.. He was fortunate in getting a good education, and, in 1874, came west. After a short time spent in Wyoming camps, one of which was Almy, he went to the northwest, but returned and was made state coal inspector for Wyoming. Mr. Quealy has held many important positions, and his mterest in education resulted in his appoint­ ment to the state board of education and the board of regents of the University of Wyoming. His wife, who was Miss Susie Quealy of Omaha, is no less public spirited and is loved for her unselfish devotion to the general good. There are three sons in the Quealy family-Fay Ambrose, Mahlon Kemmerer and Pat­ rick J., Jr. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY 2 59

Mr. Quealy became convinced of the fine quality of coal on Ham's Fork and succeeded in interesting the wealthy capitalist, Mahlon S. Kemmerer of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, in organ­ izing a coal company called the Kemmerer Coal Company. Some railroad official~ were associated wiith them in the Short Line Development Company, under the management of which a full­ fledged little city was quickly constructed where the railroad crosses Ham's Fork. Electric _light, telephone service and al] necessary business facilities were furnished. The first public official of the town was L. N. Huggins, who was made deputy sheriff in November, 18<)7. Mr. Huggins came to Evanston in 1872, and for many years served the road as engineer. In 1888 he was disabled in a railroad accident, and after a time he opened a saloon in Evanston, from which place he moved to Kemmerer. The business was a legitimate one in those days, and "Lime Hug­ gins", as he was called, gained a ,vide-spread reputation for his manner of conducting his house. He was said never to allow a man under the influence of liquor to buy another drink, and to discourage his patrons by means of printed mottoes hanging on the walls reading, "Don't buy a drink before seeing that your baby has shoes," and others of like nature. He died in Cali­ fornia in 1923. Kemmerer received its city charter in F-1fbru­ ary, 18g8, and Richard A. Keenan, who had been the first to put up a frame building, was elected mayor. The other members of the city council were William Fearn, R. A. Stanley and W_. S. Post. Ham's Fork, one and a half miles distant, formerly a trad­ ing point for ranchers, was abandoned and its buildings were moved to Kemmerer. When, in 1912, the new county of Lincoln was created, it was natural that Kemmerer should be made county seat. It is now the commercial center for a population of about nine thousand. In composition it is quite cosmopolitan~ and has business firms of many nationalities. There are two flourishing banks. The First National, of which P. J. Quealy is ·president, dates from the year 1900; R. A. Mason is vice president: and J. W. Bigune, cashier. Thomas Sneddon was for years vice president and a heavy stockholder. The Kemmerer Savings Bank was established in Igo<). A D. Hoskins is president, E. L. Smith ca.shier and Paul Comer assistant cashier. l\fr. Hoskins came to Kemmerer as manager of the Blyth-Fargo-Hoskins Company. He had served a thor- UINTA COUNTY

ough apprenticeship with the Blyth & Fargo Company, first at Evanston and later for five years at the store at Hilliard. The business ability of 11r. Hoskins has been recognized by the people of the state who elected him to the office of state treasurer in 1916. J.C. Penney, whose story has been told in Chapter Thirteen, has never lost his interest in Kemmerer, the scene of the begin­ ning of his successful career. In the spring of 1924 he donated to the American Leg.ion of that place the sum of $10,000 for the erection of a building to be known by his name. It is to be a fitting memorial of his life here, and will perpetuate his memory with future generations. Another in1portant business is the Kemmerer Hardware & Furniture Company under the management of J. H. Embree, Albert Heitz and J. W. Neil. Mr. Heitz is the son of W. G. Heitz, who came to Kemmerer from Rock Springs in 1902 and engaged in the meat business for the Frontier Supply Company. He took up a ranch near Big Piney and has met vvith great suc­ cess. A daughter named Stella was married to Dr. Robert Hocker. The first physician in Kemmerer was Dr. Chas. M. Field, an Englishman of culture and broad education who came to the mountains in search of health. In 1898 Dr. W. A. Hocker moved from Evanston to Frontier, and his family was later identified with the Kemmerer settlements. With Dr. C. D. Staf­ ford he had charge of the ]\,liners' Hospital. Dr. Hocker died in 1919 and -was buried in the Evanston cemetery at the side of the grave of his wife. Two sons, Robert and Reynolds, practice dentistry in partnership with Dr. J. D. Cunnington at Kemmerer. Dr. Cunnington was an early settler in Evanston. Two of the five daughters of Dr. Hocker make their home in Kemmerer­ } ennie, wife of J. E. Long, and Florence, 11: rs. Paul Comer; Woodie Hocker was married to Frank Manley, a leading figure in the coal mining world, and they live in Evanston, Illinois ; Edith became the wife of Frank Lauder of Evanston. Another daughter, Effie, is now a widow and lives in California. One of the early attorneys of Lincoln County was Colonel Horace E. Christmas, who gained his title from his work in. the National Guard of Wyoming, of which he was commanding officer ITS ·PLACE IN HISTORY 261 for five years. He was a native of England and came to Kem­ merer from Rock Springs, where he had for some years prac­ ticed law. There were eight children in the family, two of whom, H. R. and J. A., followed their father's profession, the latter being prosecuting attorney of Lincoln County at the present time. The sons, C. A. and Frank, are conducting a drug store in Kem­ merer. A daughter named Marion is the wife of J. W. Wither­ spoon of the "Up-To-Date Garage." Marjorie is a graduate nurse, and two daughters, l\1argaret and Cornelia, live in Pasa­ dena, where the former teaches school. John W. Salmon moved here from Evanston in 1900 and practiced law until his retirement in 1923. He held many places of trust, and has represented his county in the state legislature. There were nine children in the f amity. William, the youngest son, was in the air service during the World War, and was later employed in the state treasurer's office. He lost his life in the Knickerbocker Theater disaster in the city of Washington in February, 1921. Mr. and Mrs. Salmon are now living in Cali­ fornia. Kemmerer has had two flourishing weekly papers. The Kem­ merer Camera was founded in 18g8 by a man named C. P. Diehl. From 1go8 to 1916 C. Watt Brandon, one of the well-known newspaper men of Wyoming, was owner and publisher. Later, Robert Rose, one of the leading attorneys of the city, took over the work. He moved to Casper, Wyoming. Judge Rosenburg, an early settler, owned the Camera for two years. He is an im­ portant figure in the county and has served six years as assessor, and for some time as justice of the peace. The Kemmerer Republ-ican dated from the year 1913. It was founded by Lester G. Baker. In April, 1924, the two papers were consolidated under the name of the Kemmerer Gazette, with Mr. Baker as editor and G. E. Hand manager. I(emmerer has four churches, all supplied with attractive and convenient buildings. The Roman Catholic was the first to be erected under the direction of Father Casey of Evanston, who previous to its completion had held services in the opera house. In 18gcJ the Methodist Church was founded, with Rev. Israel Putman as the first pastor. A spacious meeting house of the Mormons was built in 1901, and in 1914 the Episcopalians dedi- UINTA COUNTY

cated a church known as St. John's the Divine. Rev. Wallace M. Pearson was the first rector. It is now in charge of Dean Smith, who preaches there two Sundays each month. The first public school was opened in 18g6, and from a small beginning a splendid system bas developed under the charge of some of the best educators of the state, one of whom is Professor Birch. It has a model high school building and the best of facilities. The Lambs' Club, the Fathers' and Sons' Club and the Rifle Club are all live organizations in Kemmerer. There is a fine public hall called Cook's Pavilian, where dances and other enter­ tainments are held. There is a modem playground, the gift of Mr. Quealy, as well as a city park. The latter is triangular in shape, and the business houses are built around it. Every year sees a good attendance at the Chautauqua meetings held here. The first mine to be opened was at Frontier, as North Kem­ merer is called. It has produced some of the finest coal in the state, and as many as two hundred men are employed. Though dependent on Kemmerer to some degree it has a first-class de­ partment store under the management of the Frontier Supply Company, of which P. J. Quealy is president. It has its own schools as far as the ninth grade, after finishing which the stu­ dents may attend the Kemmerer high school. The first teachers were ·Professor Sneddon, principal and Miss Florence Smith, assistant. A branch road leads to the mining town of Sublet, where a good mine is in operation. From Moyer's Junction about five miles west of Kemmerer, a road leads south, branching at Glencoe Junction to the Union Pacific mines at Cumberland. It was in 1goo that the Union Pacific began prospecting for coal about seventeen miles south of Kemmerer. August Paulson, the engineer in charge, lQCated a mine and a fine quality of coal was discovered. There are two seams about eight feet apart, the upper one measuring twelve to fourteen feet in thickness and the lower about five feet. The camp was first called Little Muddy, from the stream on which it was situated, but this was later changed to the more pleasing name of Cumberland. The second mine was opened within a few months. Mark Hopkins: the first superintendent, was succeeded by James Needham, and ITS PLACE IN HISTORY he by F. L. !.fcCarty. J. M. Faddis was later made superin­ tendent. The position is now held by George A. Brown, who came here from the Superior, Wyoming, mines. Lyman Fearn, son of Jack Fearn of Almy, is foreman of No. 2. George Blacker, who has been state mine inspector, is foreman at No. 2 South. He is another successful mining man who received his education at Almy, where his wife, whose maiden name was Bailey, also lived. The two camps are about two miles apart. Between stands the schoolhouse accommodating nine grades, that is at­ tended from both camps. There are two churches, the Mormon and Catholic. Homes well built and furnished with electric lights have been constructed for the miners. South Cumberland, a little settlement of about thirty people, is about a mile to the south of the camps, and lies within the bounds of Uinta County. The people work in the mines, but own their own homes. August 14, 1923, dawned like other workdays at the Fron­ tier mines. The usual tests had been made of air and gas, and the men who went down into the slopes that morning felt that Mine No. 1 was as safe as human foresight could make it. Among them was a driver, Clifford Phillips by name, who stood in one of the passages beside his horse, waiting for cars. "Sud­ denly," to quote his words at the coroner's inquest, "I felt some­ thing in my ears, and all over me, and after that the miners came running out!" With twenty-£ our others he found his way into a room that was comparatively free of gas, and with th.e aid of a shot driver named Mike Pavlisin, he organized the building of barricades against the deadly gas. The men worked madly. Some became discouraged and sought to find their way out, and three perished in the attempt. At last a current of air was felt, and cautiously they ventured out of the shut-in room and made their way to the surface. It was three o'clock when they stumbled from the underground passage into the blessed sunlight-near!y seven hours after the explosion. The scene at the mouth of the mine ·was indescribable, all who had loved ones employed in the mine gathered around, hoping against hope that their lives might by some miracle be spared. First came the work of clearing away the wreckage. Rescue parties from Sublet and Cumberland came to reinforce those on the ground. The work was splendidly organized, one of UINT... ;\ COUNTY the leaders being Captain Lyman T. Fearn of team No. 2 of Cumberland, whose efficiency won fo;· him the highest honor5 in the district of western Wyoming. In gas masks they entered the dangerous passages. Other brave men did not wait for even this protection against the poisonous fumes, but, covering their mouths and nostrils as best they could, forced their way into the depths of the mine. Body after body was brought to the surface until ninety-nine had been recovered. The women of the camps, headed by ?vlrs. Quealy, worked as nobly as the men. They cared for the stricken ones, and had ready steaming coffee and other refreshments for each exhausted man as he emerged. The funeral services, held two days later, were such as will never be forgotten. They were held in the triangle at Kem111erer, and the place was thronged with mourners and their sympathetic friends from all parts of the state. The Mormon Choir from Evanston went over in a body, and addresses ,vere given by various ministers of the gospel, including the Greek priest, after which the mutilated bodies were laid to rest. The report of the coroner's jury was that the explosion was the result of gas having been ignited by the fire boss when relight­ ing his lamp. His body, that of Thomas J. Roberts, was found near his open lamp, with the match lying beside it. It was one of the most fatal explosions in the annals of western mines. On the 16th of September, 1924, there ,vas a similar horror at the camp of Sublet, though the number of deaths was merci­ fully not so great, owing to the fact that it was an "idle day/' in which no coal was to be mined. Instead of the usual quob. of miners, ranging from one hundred eighty to two hundred n1en, there were but fifty-one underground. Of these, twe1ve ,vere rescued, and the remaining thirty-nine perished in spite of the heroic rescue work. So recent is the calamity that the author is not yet acquainted with the causes. A remarkable life connected with the mining camps of western Wyoming is that of the "blind preacher of Diamond­ ville." Minnie Weston was a young English woman who joined her father and brothers in Almy. ·Possessing a fine mind but almost wholly self-educated, she endeared herself to all by high Christian ideals and faithful service. She married an English­ man named Haddenham, who died, after which she kept a few TETON RANGE FROM THE SAGE BRUSH FLAT NEAR GERALDINE LUCAS' RANCH ON COTTONWOOD CREEK, LOOKING WEST ABOUT FIVE Ml LES DISTANT Photo hy W. o. Owcu, 1023.

ITS PL_,:\CE IN HISTORY boarders in Diamondville. In lighting a fire one day she was cruelly injured by an explosion, presumably caused by a stick of dynamite that had been inadvertently left in the coal. Almost totally blind, she began life again with the help of her kind neigh­ bors of Diamondville and other camps, who read aloud to her, did her writing and made possible a pastorate of sever2.l years in the !1ethodist Church. She is now receiving government training in Los Angeles, where her achievements have aroused the wondering admiration of all with whom she has come in contact. Her heart still turns to her people of the coal camps, whom she loves above all others, and she looks forward to the time when she can return to them. The story of Minnie Haddinhan has a message of greater import than that of a personal struggle from darkness to light. In it we read the story of a commonwealth bound together by ties stronger than personal ambition. One by one the actors in this first chapter of the history of the original Uinta County are passing from the scenes of earthly life, but they are leaving be­ hind them an enduring foundation upon which shall be built a civilization worthy of their highest ideals. UINTA COUNTY

ROSTER OF UINTA COUNTY FOR THE SPANISH-•..\MERICAN WAR CoMPANY H Captain E. P. Holtenhouse Second Lieut. T. H. Wi11iams First Lieut. Henry Olencamp Sergeant Major B. H. Moore Second Lieut. G. F. Fast First Sergeant \V. C. DeLoney QUARTERMASTER SERGEANTS W. 0. Taylor C. T. Fox SERGEANTS J. A. Morganson James Winslow F.A.Crase J. L. Townsend CORPORALS T. Holden Jacob Sherman W. T. Houstan P. E. Patterson J. J. Code, J. E. Rafferty Rea Bender MUSICIANS H. Miller F. Seigel COOK ARTIFICER J. W. Thatcher H. Jones \VAGONER J. Shaw, Jr. PRIVATES F. Able J. Hangnertner J. Miles L. W. Allen T. B. Hanson vV. Nichols _A. Anderson M. L. Hazzard D. Perry A. -E~ Arthurs J. Remmel J. Rafferty Frank Bowen J. A. Howard P. Roberts Harry Brown P. S. Jackson S. C. Joslyn Louis Bruemister I. Johns M. J. Rowland W. C. Bums F,. Johnson P. Schopp W. T. Byrnes F. 11. Jones ~1. Sedlack W. F. Caldwell J. E. Carlsburg F. L. Sello, A. M. Calkins L.A. Jones G. W. Sessions C. Carpenter T. 0. Jones P. E. Sperling 0. 0. Carson C. Kaus H. Teusen P. Christenson W. Kelley 0. A. Vanbliricon W. J. Clark F.LaComb P. Wilkinson, R. Crosbye J. D. Leyshon R. Wilkinson C. Erickson E. Lyst W. A. Woolam R. Fermazin A. C. McDowell N. D. Woods W. Freerks T. ~1cGuire H. S. Wright H. E. Hall A. Zemp ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

TORE-rs ROUGH RIDERS TROOP L, EVANSTON AND KEMMERER MusTERFJ> INTO SERVICE N!AY 18, I8g8 Captain R. A. Hocker Second Lieut W. A. Davis First Lieut. F. H. Shurtliff Sergeant C. E. Davis QUARTERMAST£R SERGEANT G. Ellis SERGEANTS A.. B. C. Lauder M. J. Cleary L. C. Marx H. Shepherd CORPORALS H.B. Dexter S. Fahlen T. Fife W. H. Evans C. Durnford C. F. Coggle H. N .. Laskey J. Walton TRUMPETER William 11:orrow SADDLER WAGONER J. I. I~ee E. C. Sims FARRIERS W. T. Lane W.R. Welsh TROOPERS H. R. Amens W. P. Hartzell W. T. Moore C. Bennett C. Johnson 0. N astor C. S. Beverage J. Johnson A. Niemela · J. B. Bowdige P. Johnson H. Nye W. Carpenter W. Johnson E. Perkins J. C. Christensen J. Jones G. J. Prudy T. -Cook F. Kennedy 0. Queal R. Crubbaugh H. La.string A. L. Quinn W. P. Darby C. \V. Long J. Reed- B. C. DeT,ano Hyrum Loveday R A. Robinson N. E. Demsey G. Lowham H. Scharff G. DeVore J. Lowham J. Simpson S. J. Dickey W. R. Lush C.H. Smith J. Eardly L. W. 1fcCark C. E. Strum D. Gehove 0. McRea J.M. Taylor C. F. Gimmer J. 0. Mansfield J. R. Tennant A. Goodman 0. Mathews E. Weeks F. Hall J. Wilkinson Left Cheyenne June 28, 18g8, for Camp Libre, Florida. Joseph Wilkinson was injured in a wreck June 26. Mustered out in October_ l.JINTA COUNTY

ROSTER OF UINTA COUNTY FOR THE WORLD WAR

THE RED CROSS Sharp, Miss Jean Rennie, John \V. R.

THOSE WHO PAID THE SUPREME SACRIFICE Lysberg, Chris Hardwidge, Lorenzo Center, Edward B, killed in Mills, Charles Monroe action Phipps, John Chapman, Elwin Edward Smith, Gilbert, killed in action Chapman, Ralph Edwin Stacey, Albert Edmund Crompton, Clarence Don Davis, Robert Marion Dean, David LeRoy Harvey, William Ray Garver, Delbert 1Coggins Smith, Joseph, killed in action

MILITARY SERVICE Allard, Abrose C. Barker, Arthur J. Allard, Charles F. Barker, Ernest T. Allard, Louis E. Barnes, George E. Anderson, George D. Barr, Gavin H. Anderson, Joseph W. Baskett, George V. Anderson, Leonard Batchelder, Glenn F. Anderson, Oscar V. Bateman, J. A. Anderson, Waldemar H. Baum, Alva Anderson, William E. Beers, Harry Anglesdelelos, Procopius Bell, Heber Anson, Mark A. Bell, Joseph B. Armstrong, Gess T. Bettison, Everitt Arnold, Charles S. Blackburn, Charles Arnold, William Blackham, Alfred S. Arthur, Elmer Bluemel, Edward Arthur, Thomas Bloomfield, Sydney J. Arwood, Floyd Bond, J. Robert Ashton, Ernest R. Borg, Swan Aufdermorte, Frank Briggs, Arthur A. Austin, Ernest B. Briggs, 11oroni Austin, Howard C. Brough, Franklin R. _Baden, Frederick E. Brough, Wallace C. ,Baden, W. Francis Brown, Edward H. Bailey, Joseph Brown, Henry N. Baker, Clarence E. Brown, James B. Baker, Frank G. Brown, Lester L. Ball, Otto Brown, Stanley C. Balhaus, Walter Brown, William G. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

Bryan, Redick Dawes, Ivor J. Buck, Frank Dean, Albert Budro, Gust Dean, Frederick Bullock, .A.llen Lee Decker, Clifford R. Bullock, Edgar G. Demon, Oscar Bullock, Gideon Denning, Oscar Bullock, Grant E. Diclimo, Barbantini Bullock, Harry G. Diston, John T. Bullock, Newton D. Donohoo, Cornelius B. Byrne, Robert C. Donohoo, Dewey C. Callister, Paul Q. Donohoo, Edgar D. Campbell, Earl E. Donohoo, John H. Carlisle, Edward Dunbar, Price Carlton, Harry Dunning, David L. Cashin, Frank A. Dunning, William Cashin, Leo J. Durnford, Neil Cashin, N orval B. Eastman, Roy Casses, Ray R. Edmund, Thomas Castle, Ray Edwards, Joseph Castro, vVilliam C. Eldridge, Clyde A. Chapman, George H. Ellis, James E. Christensen, Hyrum Ellison, John A. Clark, Jesse Ellsworth, Lewis G. Clark, William T. Erickson, Allie Cobb, Albert Erickson, Alma D. Coburn, John H. Erickson, Andrew Coey, A. L. Erickson, Grant Coff, Albert H. Ervin, John Coggins, Arthur Evans, Norman E. Conway, Dana R. Evans, Raymond Cook, Leonard C. Ewer, Alfred Corless, E. Stephen Ewer, Elmer C. Comeilson, Vernie R. Ewer, George '\V. Cotton, Ray Eyre, Clem G. Cowlinshaw, George Eyre, Clifford G. Crawford, Abraham G., Jr. Eyre, Donald Crumb, Clarence E. Eyre, Gerald Cunningham, Maurice Eyre, Robert B. Cunnington, Fred Fackrell, Orlen F. Dahlquist, Ernest Fackrell, Orson Dahlquist, Hugo M. ~Fearn, Alvin Dahlquist, Oscar W. 'Fearn, Harvey Danielson, Halmer '- Fearn, Jesse A. Danielson, Hyrum Ferguson, Ernest A. Danks, Ivor Ferguson, Isaac C. Darr, Gavin Field, Dennis Davidson, Emery Field, Donald M .. 2'70 UINTA COUNTY

Field, Julian Harris, William M. Field, William B. Hauge, Adolph H. Fillen, Albine S. Hatch, Clifford Finnegan, Edward Hayward, Frank E. Finnegan, Wi11iam B. Hendrickson, Charles Foley, Walter V. Hendrickson, Victor G. Folger, Alfred M. Henning, Long Foister, Dean E. Henningson, Henning J. Foote, Donald C. Hertz, Albert L. Foote, James A. Heward, Clarence E. Fowkes, Joseph V. Hickey, Alfred Freeman, Jeremiah R. Hickey, Callie W. Frye, Fred R. Hill, John C. Gamble, George A. Hobson, Clarence U. Gamble, James 0. Hodgeman, Morey F. Gamble, Vinnel Hoehner, Robert N. Garboloni, Peter Holland, Josiah H. Geller, Harry F. Holmes, Oscar H. Gerrard, Daniel Homer,. Ralph C. Gillispie, Cal Homer, Robert J. Gilmore, James Hooper, Jesse J. Gilmore, Joseph Hooper, Willard W. Gilpin, ·Clifford E. Hopkins, Howard P. Goodrich, Albert Hopkinson, Ernest I. Gorman, Frank T. Hopkinson, I-Iarold W. Gorman, John W. Horrocks, Ed. B. Gorman, Marshal J. Rumberger, Luther Graham, Robert L. Hurdsman, John L. Graff, George B. Huseman, Henry Gram, Bernard C. Hutchinson, Alonzo Grant, John A Hatchinson, William Gregory, Harry Hysell, Spencer Griggs, Henry E. Ingrish, Alwin Griggs, Percy M. Isaacson, Lee Griggs, Roscoe B. Jackson, Richard B. Gross, 0. W. Jarman, Franklin Guild, Leonard Jenks, Golden Gunn, G. Jenson, Carl E. Gunter, Robert H. Jensen, Thorwald Haines, Cecil K. Johnson, Carl H. Hall, Adolph H. Johnson, James Hall, John R. Johnson,JohnE. Hamblin, Henry M. Johnson, Henry H. Hanson, Chet Johnson, Joseph A. Harris, Archie Johnson, George T. Harris, Irvin H. Judd, Ronald A. Harris, Martin F. Kastor, Shirley S. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY ZJI

Kaufol~ Merl Morris, Neil Kelley, Uoyd E. Mqrrison, Jesse J. Kiddy, Albert L. Morrison,JosephA. Kiehm, John C. Morrow, John, Jr. Kingsland, Harry C. Mosey, Howard G. Klotsas, Harry 11urphy, William E. Klostrum, Emil Myers, Chester L. LaChappelle, Frank L. Narramore, Frank L. Lake, Frank S. Niel, Arthur N. Lamborne, Reuben Nelson, George A. Lane, Hugh T. Nisbet, Alexander C. Lang, Henning J. Nisbet, Matthew M. La.Riviere, Thomas N able, James Larson, Otto N able, Murray Lee, Darrell N able, William 0. Lester, Walter L. Norris, John A. Linden, Elmer Norris, Reuben Littlefield, David Oaks, Jessop McAllister, Richard H. Orson, James McCa:ffery, John C. Overman, John McClure, Charles E. Parkinson, William McCuaig, Anthony W. Parmley, Dean B. McDonald, Caleb R. Parsons, Arthur N. McDonald, Clifford Patterson, Floyd V. McGeath, William Peart, Alma N. McGillivray, John A. Perkins, Elijah McGonigal, Ray C. Perrin, Harry Mackey, Eddie Peterson, J. Anton Maltby, Franklin Peterson, Oscar E. Maltby, Raymond Pethick,. Thomas Maness, Alfred L. Pettit, Melvin L. Marks, Hyman -Pexton, Ellsworth Marshall, Daniel G. Pfisterer, Harry Marshall, John C. Pickhardt, Walter Marshall, Leslie H. Piers, Arthur J. Marsh, Franklin A. Platts, Kent Marsh, G. A. Polson, Olaf Martin, Lewis Powell, Byron Martin, Thomas E. Prater, Ray W. Maupin, William E. Pugh, Emerson tf. Melquist, Albert L. Raleigh, Robert Miller, Claud Randell,. Bert tfiller, Daniel Rasmussen, Andrew Mills, John L. Rasmussen, Joseph E. . Moon,. Harry Rasmussen, Wilford Moreton, Thomas E. Reeves, Abie, Jr. Morgan, Park B. Reeves, Alfred Z,2 UINTA COUNTY

Reeves, William, Jr. Solier, Charles W. Reilly, James A. Sommers, George Robbins, Charles J. Sommers, Steve J. Roberts, Harold Spencer, Clifford L. Roberts, J. E. Spencer, Howard H. Rogers, Leslie Stacey, Frederick Robinson, Cecil J. Staniforth, vVilliam Roice, Carl B. Starr, Lonnie H. Rollins, George L. Starr, William E. Romick, Ralph J. Stephens, Prewitt A. Romick, Ray W. Stevenson, Edward W. Rosenblaum, ~,fax Stevenson, James B. Rounds, Grant A. Stewart, Earl G. Rounds, James H. Stewart, Jesse Rowley, Robert J. Stonebraker, Erschel Rushia, Jewell P. Stukesbury, Budd Samora, Pedro Stutz, Edward J. Sampson, Harry L. Suerman, Victor Sandall, John E. Sutton, Alva L. Saxton, Anglo M. Swan, Frederick Saxton, Phillip R. Sward, Ernest J. Schofield, Walter H. Tanner, Walter S. Scholl, Russel J. Taylor, Bryce H. Schwertley, J. H. Taylor, Ernest E. Scott, Delbert Taylor, Oscar J. Scott, Leroy Taylor, Robert D. Sellers, Arme F. Taylor, William B. Schaffer, Frederick Thompson, Arthur P. Sharp, Francis Thompson, Joseph F. Sharp, Tom Thompson, Perry Shearer, Roy G .. Thompson, Samuel M. Shelton, Thomas P. Timmins, Thomas W. Seigel, Joseph C. Tingey, Clarence E. Sims, Harvey Tingey, Cyril L. Simpson, William H. Toy, William H. Skinner, Ray E. Troutner, Albert 0. Slack, John Turner, George Slagowski, B. E. Twitchell, Charles Slewker, Norman D. Twitchell, Frank Smith, Claud Twitchell, Willis Smith, Gus Urquhardt, Kenneth Smith, Hoke Varney, Clifford C. Smith, John A. Vibrans, Louis Smith, Robert Vozakis, Nick Snow, Charles A., Jr. Wainright, Earl Snow, Benjamin H. Wall, Dors Snyder, Oliver G. Walling, Nelson E. ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

Wallwork, Edwin F. Wilcox, Q. Watson, Clem M. Williams, Frank Watson, Daniel X. Willoughby, Floyd E. ,viedman, Earl Wilson, Joseph A. ,v elch, Charles Wilson, Samuel ,v ellbome, John W. Wright, James T. \Vbeeler, Walter D. Wright, Leland B. Whipple, Edson Wright, Ray R. Whiting, George Yardley, James 0. Whittle, James E. Young, Heber L. UINTA COUNTY

INDEX Page Page Afton.. • . . • • ...... 251 Churches ( Continued)- Agricultural Experiment wne Tree ...... 1.00 Station • ...... • . . • . . 195 Lyman ...... 00 Agricaltare • . • . . . . • . . • . . 20, 189 Mountainview ...... 191 Almy ...... • 121-136 Pinedale...... W American Fur Company. . • 26 Chinese ...... ll~l.21. Arnold, F. L...... 141., 225 Clark, C. D...... 175 Atkinson, J. L...... 104 Coal- Ashley, Capt. Wm. H...... 30 Almy • . . • ...... •.• 121-124, 135 Astorians ...... 26-~ Carter Mine ...... 185 Baker, C. S...... 158 Cumberland ...... 262 Banks- Diamondville ...... 253 Afton ...... 252 Kemmerer ...... 258 Big Piney ...... 221 Lezeart ...... 185 Evanston ...... 105, 108, 164 Spring Valley ...... 185 Jackson ...... 238 Cody, Wm...... 75 Kemmerer ...... 259 Cokeville ...... 245 Lyman ...... 189 · Colter, John ...... 24 Mountainview...... 191 Coulter, John F...... 14 Star Valley ...... 252 Crawford, Thompson & Co. 96 Bear River . • ...... 20 Settlements ...... 181-185 Daniel ...... 223 DeLoney, Charles ...... 105, 241 Bear Town...... ~ Beckwith, A. C...... 107 Deseret, State of ...... 51 DeSmet, Father ...... 58 Beckwith, Quinn & Co..... 96 Diamondville ...... 253-257 Beeman & Cashin...... 155 Beeman, Newell ...... 123 Downs, P., ...... 100 Big Piney ...... 221 Dripps, Andrew ...... 34, 43 Black's Fork ...... 35 Evanston- Blyth & Fargo ...... ll3 Building and Loan...... 153 Blyth, Thomas ...... 112 Cash Grocery ...... 162 Bonneville Expedition . . . . 35, 37 City Park ...... 161 Fort ...... 39 Electric Light ...... 160 Booth, Harvey ...... 85, 91, 95 City Government ...... 102,159 Bradbury, A. E...... 123 G. A. R...... 165 Bridger Basin Chapter 1- Land Office ...... 161 Fort ...... 4 7 -57, 66-75, 193 Loyal Legion ...... 167 James ...... 47, 53, 57 Moving Pictures...... 160 Burnt Fork ...... 35 Post Office ...... 162 Byrne, Moses ...... 88 Red Cross ...... 167 Carter County ...... 19 Fitzpatrick •...... 33, 42, 60 Carter, J. Van A...... 73,91 Fontenelle, Lucian ...... • 33, 35 Carter, Wm. A...... n,73 Settlements On ...... 215-218 Carter Station ...... 89 Fossil ...... 256 Chapman Brothers ...... 151 Fremont's Expedition . . . . 60 Church, Harrison • ...... ~ Churches- Geology ...•• 14-18, 87-90, 185, 258 A.fton ...... 252 Goodman, Elias...... 182 Almy...... w Golden Rule Mercantile Co. 156 Diamondville ...... 255, 265 Green River County. . • • • . 66 Evanston ...... 140-142 Green River Settlements, Jackson ...... 241.-242 Chapter, 21. Kemmerer ...... 261 Guild, James ...... 88 ITS PLACE IN HISTORY

Page Page Ham's Fork ...... 60, 256 North, 0...... 106 Harrison, F. H...... 84, 86 Hayden, V. F...... • ...... 1~ 122 Oil...... 185' Henry, Andrew • • . .. • • • . . . 26, 30 <>i,a.!...... • ...... 25-7' Henry's Fork...... • . . . . . 35 Oregon Short Line••....•. 245, 256 Hilliard ...... 88 Oregon Trail • • ...... 58- 65 HDUard Flume & Lumber Markers • • ...... 65, 246 <::,(). • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 178 Owen, Wm. 0. • • . . . . . • . . . 243 Hobaek, J" ohn • . . • ...... 26 Horse Creek • • • ...... 31, 58, 223 Paleontology of Uinta. Holden, Charles ...... 216 County. Chapter L Pa..ri,e, Wm...... 97' IndiaDSy Chapter 19- Penney, J. C. • ...... •.. 157, 260 Arapa.hoes • • • • •••••••• 200, 203 Pexton, Geo. E...... 158 Shoshones ...... 200-209 Pomeroy, Justin • • • . . . . . • 215 Washakie ...... 204 Pony Express • • • ...... 79 "Last Stand'' ...... 235 Prairie of the Mass...... 58 Jackson ...... 23,8 Quealy, P. J...... 124-258 Jackson, David E...... 30 Quinn, A. V. • ...... 216 J obnson's Army • ...... 69 Johnson, Guy . . • ...... 157 Rathbun, D. B...... 216 Joss House ...... 117 Red Store ...... 105 Judith of the Godless Valley 199 Robertson ...... 192 King Survey ...... 122 Robertson, John • • • ...... 41- 46 Kastor, I...... 155 Russell, Majors & Waddell, Kemmerer ...... 258-262 • • . . • ...... 00, 76-79 LaBarge ...... 218 Scott, Camp ...... 70 Lander Cutoff ...... 64 Sherman, Gen. W. T...... 74 Lauder, Wm...... 108 Sisson, Wallace & Co••.... 96,118 !Re,k, S. N...... 233 Sloan, Wm. K...... 52, 178 Lewis & Clark Expedition. 24 Smith's Fork ...... 34, 192 Lincoln County Created.... 259 Smith, Jedediah S...... 30, 34 Lisa, Manuel ...... 24 Smith, May Riley...... 97 Lone Tree • ...... 196 Soldiers' Monument Evans- Lyman • • . • . . . • . . . . • . . . . 1~ ton ...... 16'1' South Pass . . . • . . . . • • . . . . 29, 109 McDonald, Wm. • ...... 95 Spanish American War. . . 166 Majors, Alex • ...... 75- 87 Spanish Diggings • • • • . . . . 24 Marsh, Prof...... 17, 199 Spring Valley ...... 185-188 Mexican Cession . . • ...... 51 Star Valley •...... 250-253 Miller, R. E...... 232 Stansbury, Howard •..... 51,185 Moran ••••..•.•• - • • • • • - · 2-4:2 Stage Line . . . • • • • • ...... 76 Mormon Immigration • . . . . 49 State Hospital for the M:ountainview • . . • ...... 190 Insa.ne...... 168 Myers' Crossing • ...... 50, 177 Stewart, Elinor Pruitt. . . . 198 Myers, John • . . • . . • ...... 177 Stuart, Robert...... 28 Names Book • • • • . • . • . . . • ffl Sublette County ...... • 226 NeI>Qnset Meat Market •... 151, 156 Sublette Brothers •....••30, 33, 42 Newspapers-- Supply, Fort . . • ...... 68 Big Piney Examiner. . .. • 221 Teton County •..•...... 226, 241 Bridger Valley Enterprise 190 Thomburgh Massacre • . . . 72 Evanston . .. . . •.....•.. 145-149 Twain, Mark • • . • • . . . . . • . 'l4 J" ackson Hole Courier. . . 238 Kemmerer • . . • • • . • . . . .. 261. Uinta. County Bar...... 169-175 Pinedale Roundup • • . . . 227 Organized...... 19, 91 Star Valley Independent. 252 Sheritfs of • • • • • • • • • • • • 176 2']6 UINTA COUNTY

Page Page Union Pacific- Whitman and Spaulding •. 40, 60 C-Onstruction o~ Chapter, 10- Whittier, E. S...... 95 Employees . . . . .•. 93, 98, 150-153 Whittier, Emma ...... 115 Urie ...... 100 Winslow, L C. • . . . - .....• ll1 Winfield, Camp ...... 70 Yanderburg ...... 33 Wyeth Expedition ...... 36 Wasa.tch • • • • • • • . • • ...... 85 Yellowstone Park ...... 25 Wilson . . . • ...... 235 Chapter 20. White, C. M...... 91, 110 Young, Brigham ...... 50

THE LARAMIE PRINTING COMPANY LARAMIE, WYOMING 192A