August 4

1778  The Wyoming Independent Company establishes Camp Westmoreland near Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, in the Wyoming Valley.

1876  Frank E. Lucas, the13th Governor of Wyoming upon the death of Governor William B. Ross in 1924, born in Grant City, Missouri.  Upon his defeat by Nellie Tayloe Ross, he returned to his adopted town of Buffalo and became the editor of the Buffalo Bulletin.  His term as governor was a mere matter of months in length.

1886  Doc Holliday, doing well living on an income from gambling, was arrested in Denver Colorado for not having a legal means of making a living.  This was part of a city wide crackdown on gambling.

1916   Cheyenne State Leader for August 4, 1916. The Wyoming National Guard still short of recruits.
 

The August 4, 1916 details the continued efforts to bring the Wyoming National Guard up to strength, this time with an appeal from the Governor for five recruits from every county.

2020  Mills became a city under Wyoming law.

The proclamation by Governor Gordon reflected the municipality having achieved a population in excess of 4,000 residents.  This by extension meant that Natrona County became the only county in Wyoming to have two first class cities within its boundaries.

July 23

1632  Three hundred colonists bound for New France depart from Dieppe, France.

1847  Founding of Salt Lake City by Mormons.

1864  The USS Wyoming docked for extensive repairs.

1874  George Custer climbs Inyan Kara Mountain in the Black Hills of Wyoming and carves his name there.

1888  Construction commenced on the State Penitentiary in Rawlins. 

1890   The official celebration of Wyoming statehood held in Cheyenne.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1890  Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show opened in Berlin, Germany.

1903  The Ford Motor Company sold its first car.

1923 Monday, July 23, 1923. Disasters. First ascent of Clyde Peak. French Foreign Legion failure. Squamish Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw amalgamation. Sigsbee funeral.

I'm often amazed, particularly in regard to weather disasters, how often headlines from 1923 read like those from 2023.

That't not to draw a conclusion that I do not intend to suggest, I m'just noting it.

Clyde Peak, left, Blackfoot Mountain, right in 1925.

Norman Clyde became the first man to climb Clyde Peak in Glacier National Park.

Clyde Peak, now. By Owen Jones - File:Red Eagle Lake.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109050999

1929  Cheyenne Frontier Days commenced for 1929.  

1973   Old Faithful Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Attribution:  On This Day.

1989  The Lake DeSmet portion, Stinking Water Gulch segment and Ross segment of the Bozeman Trail added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1989  The Powder River Crossing at Kaycee added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1989  Trabing Station in Johnson County added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1989  Antelope Crossing at Ross added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1989  Sage Creek Station in Converse County added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1993  A magnitude 3.7 earthquake occurred about 80 miles from Laramie.

April 11

1803   Napoleon's Treasury Minister offered to sell Louisiana for $15,000,000.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1865  USS Wyoming recommissioned.

1890  Natrona County organized.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1892  The siege at the TA Ranch had fully set in, with Johnson County residents moving the siege line slowly forward by advancing bails of hay and while pounding the buildings with rifle fire.  Heavy rifles, even including a .45-145, a heavy "buffalo" rifle, were employed to fire on the structures.  One invader made his escape, but the rest were holed up. An effort by 20 invaders to saddle their horses resulted in several horses being shot.  A couple of men were lightly wounded.  A snow fall continued all day and into the night, making the night bright.  The Johnson County men asked for the loan of a cannon from Ft. McKinney but were refused.

1898  President McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war against Spain.

1899  The Treaty of Paris ending the Spanish-American declared in effect.

1913  Albert S. Burleson, Postmaster General, proposes to President Wilson to introduce segregation into the Railway Mail Service at a Cabinet Meeting. Wilson would act on the proposal and segregate the agency, which had been integrated since 1881.

1916   Casper Daily Press: April 11, 1916
 

1918  Natrona County Tribune, April 11, 1918. US troops engage Mexican raiders
 

Of course most of the news was on the war in Europe, where it was reported that Americans were being committed to battle in the British sector, the British and the Portuguese now being pressed, as we know, by Operation Georgette.

But the Tribune, which unlike the other Casper paper wasn't completely dominated by oil news on the cover, also reported that there had been a skirmish with Mexican forces of some sort, probably raiders, along the border.  One of the Cheyenne papers also included this on the front page, so the troubles to the south managed to reappear even in the midst of the massive 1918 German Spring Offensive.

As it turned out, this skirmish was only that, with American troops apparently repulsing an attempted raid into Texas by Mexican forces of some sort.

1941  President Roosevelt issued an executive order creating the Office of Price Administration.

1952  Wyoming Catholic Register begins publication.

1956  The Colorado River Storage Act passed Congress, ultimately resulting in Flaming Gorge Dam. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1964  Dedication of the copper plated Tyrannosauruses Rex built by S. H. Knight, at the University of Wyoming.  The life size dinosaur statute is located just outside of the entrance of the Geology Museum at the S. H. Knight Building on the campus.   Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1968   President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act).
 

President Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

It was one of his hallmark achievements.

On this day, in 1968, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 into law.  The act prohibited discrimination in housing rentals and sales based on race, religion or national origin.  

Prior to this bill such discrimination had been common.  Indeed, restrictive covenants in deeds for entire subdivisions commonly did just that.  One such example from Casper prohibited the sale of houses to "Mongolians".

1973  Vore Buffalo Jump added to the National Register of Historic Places.

1976  The Apple I created.

1994  The Brush Creek Work Center in Carbon County added to the National Registry of Historic Places.

1996  Jessica Dubroff, age 7, and her father and flight instructor, died when airplane crashed after takeoff from Cheyenne Regional in a storm. Dubroff was attempting to be the youngest person to fly across the United States at the time.

April 8

1832  John "Portugee" Phillips (Manual Felipe Cardoso) born in the Azores.

1889  William F. Cody donated three elk to the proposed National Zoological Park.  Attribution: Wyoming State Historical Society.

1890  An election for the county seat of Natrona County pitted Casper against Bessemer.  Bessemer received more votes, but had only 24 residents, so the commissioners ruled the vote fraudulent and chose Casper as the county seat.  Bessemer now no longer exists.

1890  The Episcopal Church in Douglas bought the Congregational church.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

 
1892 On the afternoon of this day, Stock Detective and Invader informed the invasion party at the Tisdalde Ranch that "rustlers" were located at the the KC Ranch, and that the party included Nate Champion, a well known and somewhat controversial small stockman.  Stockmen Irvine and Wolcott urged an immediate march on the location, which perhaps was not surprising as Champion was a witness against stockmen enforcer Joe Elliot.  Canton, Ford, Campbell and Hesse, however urged the party to march on to Buffalo, which was regarded as the headquarters of the opposition (and which demonstrates how bold the stockmen's plan really was).  After drinking and arguing, a vote was taken and the party elected to march on the KC.  The Johnson County Invaders reached the KC Ranch in Johnson County, Wyoming, at midnight.. Since disembarking in Casper on April 6, they had ridden east and then north, cutting telegraph lines in the process.

In  modern highway miles, the trip is only about 70 miles.  Granted, in the context of the era that would be fairly long distance to cover by horse, so perhaps the amount of time that the invading party took to cover this distance is not too surprising.  A typical cavalry unit at the time covered about 30 miles in a day, although they could cover 60 or more, while severely stressing their mounts, if necessary.  Here, as the invading party was entering clearly hostile terrain, depleting their mounts unnecessary would have been unwise.

Having said that, the amount of time that this advance took was significant in that it showed the extraordinarily ill advised nature of the expedition.  It the party nearly two days to reach their first target and they had yet to deeply penetrate into Johnson County.  The presence of the party was already known, and counter insurgents, if you will, were already at work preventing the telegraph lines that the invaders had taken down from being repaired.  While their location had not yet been discovered, a better military mind would have regarded them as already in a poor tactical posture.  Worse yet for their endeavor, new articles had been published in Cheyenne, Denver and New York to the effect that an action was afoot.  Cheyenne's newspaper even correctly noted that their specially chartered train had gone through Douglas and Casper, and then discharged its passengers for a trip to Johnson County.

1892  Remains of soldiers buried at Ft. Steele relocated to Fort McPherson National Cemetery.

1899  Edward D. Crippa, Wyoming's Senator for the balance of Lester Hunt's term in office for 1954, born in Rock Springs.  Crippa did not run for reelection.

1903  President Theodore Roosevelt commences his 1903 visit of Wyoming, starting with sixteen days in Yellowstone National Park.  His total time in Wyoming for the trip would be nineteen days.  Much of that time was spent on horseback.

1913 The US Seventeenth Amendment was ratified, requiring direct election of senators. Almost an historical footnote for the most part today, this really effected a radical restructuring of the American Constitutional system which has gone remarkably un-commented upon since 1913. The original Constitutional system contemplated the seat of Senatorial power really being in State legislatures, not in a direct election, so to a certain extent the change, which was meant to convey power to the citizenry, really only did so in the context of national citizenship while as the same time power was effectively conveyed from the states to the national government.

1916:   The Punitive Expedition, Railroads, and the Presidential Election of 1916: The Casper Daily Press of April 8, 1916
 

Lots of big news in this evening edition.

Theodore Roosevelt announced that he was throwing his hat in the ring, rather late, for the 1916 Presidential election.  Sort of.  He would not really end up being a candidate, and in fact, he was wearing down physically at this time, having never recovered from earlier serious health bouts and injuries.

Locally, the Northwestern Railroad story was indeed big news.  And apparently Frederick Funston was talking about railroads in connection with the expedition in Mexico.

1917  The Sunday State Leader for April 8, 1917: Join the Guard, but not the Navy?
 

The shape of a national Army was beginning to take place in the first days of the wary.  The US would conscript, although there was opposition to it, and the Army was going to be huge.

Americans were joining the National Guard, lining up, as they had in prior wars, to go with their state units rather than the Federal Army.  With conscription that would soon change, but here we see the evolution of the Army.  Joining state units had long been the wartime norm.  It still was, but that was going to change in short order, although conscription had been a feature of the Civil War as well.

Men (and of course now women as well) weren't joining the Navy in the same numbers.  But, as it'd turn out, the role of the U.S. Navy would not be as vast as some had thought.

And Ft. D. A. Russell was going to be busy. 

 

1918.  Lex Anteinternet: Big Horn Hot Springs, Thermopolis, Wyoming. April8, 1918

This photographs was taken a century ago, today.

If it looks familiar, perhaps that's because we use it as the flagship photograph for our Railhead blog, dedicated to railroad themes.

1922  United States Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals Justice James E. Barrett born in Lusk.  He was appointed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1971.

1935 The Works Progress Administration was approved by Congress.

1943 President Franklin D. Roosevelt freezes wages and prices, prohibits workers from changing jobs unless the war effort would be aided thereby, and bars rate increases by common carriers and public utilities.

From last year:

1963  The Wyoming League of Women Voters held its seventh convention.

Today is Easter for 2012.

The date Easter falls on shifts significantly from year to year, and does not occur on a specific date of the calendar every year.  The United States Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command provides the following discussion regarding the date:

Easter is an annual festival observed throughout the Christian world. The date for Easter shifts every year within the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar is the standard international calendar for civil use. In addition, it regulates the ceremonial cycle of the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches. The current Gregorian ecclesiastical rules that determine the date of Easter trace back to 325 CE at the First Council of Nicaea convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine. At that time the Roman world used the Julian Calendar (put in place by Julius Caesar).
The Council decided to keep Easter on a Sunday, the same Sunday throughout the world. To fix incontrovertibly the date for Easter, and to make it determinable indefinitely in advance, the Council constructed special tables to compute the date. These tables were revised in the following few centuries resulting eventually in the tables constructed by the 6th century Abbot of Scythia, Dionysis Exiguus. Nonetheless, different means of calculations continued in use throughout the Christian world.
In 1582 Gregory XIII (Pope of the Roman Catholic Church) completed a reconstruction of the Julian calendar and produced new Easter tables. One major difference between the Julian and Gregorian Calendar is the "leap year rule". See our FAQ on Calendars for a description of the difference. Universal adoption of this Gregorian calendar occurred slowly. By the 1700's, though, most of western Europe had adopted the Gregorian Calendar. The Eastern Christian churches still determine the Easter dates using the older Julian Calendar method.
The usual statement, that Easter Day is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs next after the vernal equinox, is not a precise statement of the actual ecclesiastical rules. The full moon involved is not the astronomical Full Moon but an ecclesiastical moon (determined from tables) that keeps, more or less, in step with the astronomical Moon.
The ecclesiastical rules are:

• Easter falls on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox;
• this particular ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunation (new moon); and
• the vernal equinox is fixed as March 21.

resulting in that Easter can never occur before March 22 or later than April 25. The Gregorian dates for the ecclesiastical full moon come from the Gregorian tables. Therefore, the civil date of Easter depends upon which tables - Gregorian or pre-Gregorian - are used. The western (Roman Catholic and Protestant) Christian churches use the Gregorian tables; many eastern (Orthodox) Christian churches use the older tables based on the Julian Calendar.
In a congress held in 1923, the eastern churches adopted a modified Gregorian Calendar and decided to set the date of Easter according to the astronomical Full Moon for the meridian of Jerusalem. However, a variety of practices remain among the eastern churches.
There are three major differences between the ecclesiastical system and the astronomical system.

• The times of the ecclesiastical full moons are not necessarily identical to the times of astronomical Full Moons. The ecclesiastical tables did not account for the full complexity of the lunar motion.
• The vernal equinox has a precise astronomical definition determined by the actual apparent motion of the Sun as seen from the Earth. It is the precise time at which the apparent ecliptic longitude of the Sun is zero. (Yes, the Sun's ecliptic longitude, not its declination, is used for the astronomical definition.) This precise time shifts within the civil calendar very slightly from year to year. In the ecclesiastical system the vernal equinox does not shift; it is fixed at March 21 regardless of the actual motion of the Sun.
• The date of Easter is a specific calendar date. Easter starts when that date starts for your local time zone. The vernal equinox occurs at a specific date and time all over the Earth at once.

Inevitably, then, the date of Easter occasionally differs from a date that depends on the astronomical Full Moon and vernal equinox. In some cases this difference may occur in some parts of the world and not in others because two dates separated by the International Date Line are always simultaneously in progress on the Earth.
For example, take the year 1962. In 1962, the astronomical Full Moon occurred on March 21, UT=7h 55m - about six hours after astronomical equinox. The ecclesiastical full moon (taken from the tables), however, occurred on March 20, before the fixed ecclesiastical equinox at March 21. In the astronomical case, the Full Moon followed its equinox; in the ecclesiastical case, it preceded its equinox. Following the rules, Easter, therefore, was not until the Sunday that followed the next ecclesiastical full moon (Wednesday, April 18) making Easter Sunday, April 22.
Similarly, in 1954 the first ecclesiastical full moon after March 21 fell on Saturday, April 17. Thus, Easter was Sunday, April 18. The astronomical equinox also occurred on March 21. The next astronomical Full Moon occurred on April 18 at UT=5h. So in some places in the world Easter was on the same Sunday as the astronomical Full Moon.
The following are dates of Easter from 1980 to 2024:

1980  April 6        1995  April 16         2010  April 4

1981  April 19       1996  April 7          2011  April 24

1982  April 11       1997  March 30         2012  April 8

1983  April 3        1998  April 12         2013  March 31

1984  April 22       1999  April 4          2014  April 20

1985  April 7        2000  April 23         2015  April 5

1986  March 30       2001  April 15         2016  March 27

1987  April 19       2002  March 31         2017  April 16

1988  April 3        2003  April 20         2018  April 1

1989  March 26       2004  April 11         2019  April 21

1990  April 15       2005  March 27         2020  April 12

1991  March 31       2006  April 16         2021  April 4

1992  April 19       2007  April 8          2022  April 17

1993  April 11       2008  March 23         2023  April 9

1994  April 3        2009  April 12         2024  March 31

2013  A major blizzard hits most of Wyoming.

Late day in Casper Wyoming, April 8, 2012.

2021  Fast pitch girls high school soft ball started came to Casper for the first time with NCHS playing KWHS.  Kelly Walsh won 6 to 0

March 24

1825 Texas officially opened to American settlers.

1834 John Wesley Powell born.

1890 School at St. Stephens opened. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1916   The Punitive Expedition: Casper Daily Press, March 24, 1916
 

1917   The Cheyenne State Leader for March 24, 1917: Germans raising army in Mexico?
 

It's odd to see how focused on Mexico the US remained as it started to rush towards war with Germany.  In today's leader we learn, supposedly, that Germans were flooding in from Guatemala to form an army in Mexico.

Something like that, you'd think, would be fairly easy to notice.
1934 Rodeo promoter, race horse owner, and rancher Charles Irwin funeral in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Gen. Pershing was one of his honorary pallbearers.

Irwin is little recalled today, but he was a major entertainment figure during his lifetime. He is sometimes mentioned as possibly having a role in Tom Horn's attempted escape from the Laramie County jail, but there's little evidence to suggest that is true, and Irwin never commented on it. His weight climbed enormously in his later years, and as a result a special coffin had to be built for the 5'4" 500 lbs Irwin. He died at 59 years of age, from injuries sustained in an automobile accident, with the automobile having been driven by his son in law.

1918.   March 24, 1918. The British holding, and the Paris gun.
 

1939  Earl Durand killed while robbing a bank in Powell.  Durand has been popularized in legend as a latter day mountain man and the "Tarzan of the Tetons".  In reality, he was a Powell area farm kid with a fair degree of woodcraft knowledge, a not atypical set of regional skills then or later. He was arrested in the early spring of 1939 for poaching but broke out of jail and then took a deputy sheriff and town marshal hostage and forced them to  his parents home, where he killed them.  He lived in the mountains for a period of days, and then chose to rob the Powell bank for reasons that remain debated.

1966 The Selective Service announced the enactment of college deferments based on performance.

2020  Governor Gordon issues his Third Closure Order

Governor, State Health Officer issue third closure order

CHEYENNE, Wyo. –  Governor Mark Gordon and State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist have issued a third statewide order, closing non-essential personal services.  

The order goes into effect tomorrow, March 25, and extends through April 3. The order is focused on businesses where appropriate social distancing measures are not practical.  The closure applies to nail salons, hair salons and barber shops; cosmetology, electrology and esthetic services; massage parlors; and tattoo, body art and piercing shops. Medically necessary services such as physical therapy providers may remain open. 

“While I understand the impact and sympathize with those most affected by these measures, especially small business owners, I support Dr. Harrist’s recommendation because this is about saving lives,” Governor Gordon said. “We have tried to navigate a thoughtful course, but as COVID-19 spreads through our communities, we must take this action now.” 

Dr. Harrist said, “People who are ill with COVID-19 can easily spread this disease to others to anyone nearby if they cough or sneeze. Staying away from others as much as possible helps protect all of us, including those who are most vulnerable to illness complications.” 

This order supplements previous statewide orders issued March 19 and 20 closing certain public spaces and prohibiting gatherings of 10 people or more in a single room or confined space. 

Residents with additional questions about any of the statewide public health orders should inquire with their county health officer.  

A copy of the statewide order is attached and posted on the Governor’s website.

Elsewhere:

1883     Long-distance telephone service was inaugurated between Chicago and New York City.

1944   76 Allied officers escaped Stalag Luft 3, which was later the topic of Paul Brickall's book "The Great Escape."

1975 The North Vietnamese commence the offensive that would defeat the Republic of Vietnam.

March 9

1820  Congress passed the Land Act.The act prohibited the purchase of the public domain on credit, reduced the size of the minimum purchase size to 80 acres, required a down payment of $100.00, a substantial amount, but reduced the per acreage price to $1.25/acre.  The act was designed to help stop speculation in public land and assist small purchasers.

1849  William Alford Richards was born in Hazel Green, Wisconsin. He served as the 4th Governor of Wyoming from 1895-1899.Richards has been discussed a bit here elsewhere, but is noted for having come to Wyoming as a surveyor, and staying on as a homesteader.

1888  Natrona, Convere and Sheridan Counties created by the Territorial Legislature. They were created by an act of Territorial Legislature which overroad a veto by the Territorial Governor.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1904  A sheep raid near Laramie results in the destruction of sheep camps and the death of 300 sheep.  The early 20th Century in Wyoming was marked by a sheep war that went on for nearly a decade in which cattle interests resorted to violence in an effort to keep mostly nomadic sheep operations out of the state.  Attacks on sheep camps became common during this period.

1912  Cornerstone of Bishop Randall Hospital laid in Lander.

1916  Pancho Villa raided Columbus New Mexico, an event which would spark the Punitive Expedition and the Federalization of the National Guard.  To varying degrees, the National Guard would remain Federalized from this point through 1919, although technically all members of the Federalized Guard were conscripted during World War One due to a legal opinion of the U.S.  Attorney General to the effect that the Federalized Guard could not be sent overseas, a view that was a surprise at the time, and which has been completely rejected since that time.

 From Lex Anteinternet:  The Raid On Columbus New Mexico. 1916

 

 Villa leading his forces prior to his 1915 defeat at Celaya

0100: Forces under Francisco "Pancho" Villa cross the border near Palomas, Chihuahua to advance on the small town of Columbus New Mexico, which they intend to raid in retaliation for Woodrow Wilson's actions in allowing Carranza's forces to be transported by rail across Texas to be used against Villa's forces in northern Mexico.  

Most are on foot.  Columbus is 2.5 miles to the north of the Mexican border town, where Villistas had been located and recuperating after a recent defeat at the hands of Carranza's forces.

Villa, who may or may not have accompanied his troops that day, commanded approximately 500 men.  His force of horsemen was in disarray after being defeated at the  Battle of Celaya in April of the prior year, from which it had still not recovered.  Villa had gone in that battle with 22,000 men, 8,000 of which were killed, and another 8,000 of which were captured in the battle.  His forces at Palomas, while dangerous, were a shadow of his prior Division del Norte.

Villa believed that nearby Columbus was garrisoned with about 30 US soldiers.  This intelligence was erroneous and US forces in the region were alerted to the possibility of trouble occurring.

1929  Greybull was flooded by the Big Horn River.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

 The Raid on Columbus New Mexico, 1916

 Col Herbert J. Slocum, U.S. 13th Cavalry.  Slocum was in command of the 13th Cavalry Regiment at Columbus New Mexico, or more accurately Camp Furlong which was next to Columbus.

0415:  Villistas enter Columbus New Mexico from the west and southeast crying "¡Viva Villa! ¡Viva México!"

They expected to encounter an American garrison of only 30 men, as noted above, based upon their scouting and intelligence.  However, Columbus had a garrison of over 300 men, to Villa's force of approximately 500 men.  The US forces were from the U.S. 13th Cavalry who occupied adjacent Camp Furlong.  Moreover, U.S. troops were equipped in a modern fashion, complete with the Benet Mercie light machine gun which had been adopted for cavalry use.

The raid on Columbus New Mexico, 1916

 Maj General John P. Lucas during World War Two.  Lucas, as a lieutenant, would react heroically to the Villista attack.

0415-0445 to 0730.  A pitched battle between Villistas against cavalrymen of the 13th U.S. Cavalry ensues. While caught by surprise, the US forces had some inkling that Villistas may have been on the move prior to the raid and reacted very quickly.  Local Columbus New Mexico residents also took part in the battle, defending their homes.  While the battle started in darkness, the fact that a hotel caught fire soon aided US. forces in being able to pick out Villista targets.

The early minutes of the action featured a heroic reaction by Lt. John P. Lucas who fought his way alone from his tent to the guard shack in spite of lacking shoes and shirt.  Lucas who commanded a machinegun troop, organized a single machinegun in defense until the remainder of his unit could come up.  He then organized them and worked to repel the Villistas.  Lucas made a career of the Army and died after World War Two at age 59 while still serving in the Army. 

 The Raid on Columbus New Mexico, 1916

 

0730  A Villista bugler sounds retreat.  Villistas begin the process of withdrawing to Mexico with their wounded. 

The Raid on Columbus New Mexico: The Telegram.

 

The following telegram arrived in Washington, DC:

Columbus attacked this morning, 4:30 o’clock. Citizens murdered. Repulsed about 6 o’clock. Town partly burned. They have retreated to the west. Unable to say how many were killed. Department of Justice informed that between 400 and 500 Villa troops attacked Columbus, New Mexico about 4:30. Villa probably in charge. Three American soldiers killed and several injured; also killed four civilians and wounded four. Several of the attacking party killed and wounded by our forces. Attacking party also burned depot and principal buildings in Columbus. United States soldiers now pursuing attacking parties across the line into Mexico. No prisoners reported taken alive

The Raid on Columbus New Mexico, 1916

0730-balance of the day:  Troopers of the U.S. 13th Cavalry pursue retreating Villistas into Mexico.  Major Frank Tompkins, sought permission against the rules of engagement, to cross the border and was granted the same by Slocum.   His troops advanced past Palomas and fifteen miles into Mexico, where their pursuit is arrested by the Villista defense. As he had only a portion of the Camp Furlong garrison he was badly outnumbered in the pursuit but nonetheless engaged the Villista rear guard four times, inflicting heavy casualties on them.  When his advance was finally checked, he withdrew into the United States.

The raid leaves part of Columbus in ruins and will launch the United States into a punitive expedition into Mexico against Villa's forces, and which would nearly lead to war with Mexico.  Woodrow Wilson filled the vacant position of Secretary of War that very day.

The Raid on Columbus New Mexico: The news hit.

 

Most towns and cities in 1916 were served by a morning and an evening newspaper, or a paper that published a morning and evening edition.  Therefore, most Americans would have started learning of the Villista raid around 5:00 p.m. or so as the evening newspapers were delivered or started being offered for sale.

Here's the evening edition of the Casper Daily Press, a paper that was in circulation in Casper Wyoming in 1916 and which is the predecessor of one of the current papers.

1917   The Wyoming Tribune for March 9, 1917: State Troops Mustered Out
 

Wyoming's citizen soldiers were citizens again. . . although not for long.

And the Marines had landed. . . in Cuba.

The Cheyenne State Leader for March 9, 1917: Guardsmen Keep Thier Overcoats

 

Wyoming National Guardsmen being released from service were relieved to learn they'd be able to keep their overcoats.  A rumor had floated that they were to be taken and burned.  Not so, said the Army, they'd keep them.

In March, in Wyoming, that was really good news.

The Marines had landed in Cuba.  Out of Mexico and into Cuba?

The false story about Germany broadcasting the Zimmerman note to Mexico by radio was being floated.  That never happened, but the British were circulating the story as cover for how they had learned of the message.  Zimmerman himself was reported to have provided funds for an anti British rebellion in India.

The Graf Zeppelin passed away, as did the American Ambassador to Japan.

2020.  Governor Gordon issues the following statement.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 9, 2020 CONTACT: Michael Pearlman, Communications Director Governor Gordon issues statement on Wyoming legislators who attended a conference where an attendee tested positive for coronavirus CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Governor Mark Gordon has issued the following statement about members of the Wyoming Legislature who attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). An attendee of the conference was subsequently diagnosed with coronavirus.  It has come to my attention that several Wyoming legislators attended the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 29 where an attendee was subsequently diagnosed with coronavirus. I am given to believe that House and Senate leadership is aware of the issue. At this time it does not appear that any members of the Wyoming legislature had contact with this individual. Our state health officer has been notified and has identified these legislators as low risk. She advised that these individuals should continue to monitor their health closely at this time. I urge Wyoming citizens to recognize that as Covid 19 becomes more widespread, it is likely that many of us will eventually cross paths with someone with symptoms of the disease and people who are later diagnosed. We should continue to follow recommendations from healthcare professionals, including regular hand washing, covering the nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and staying home when sick.