August 27

 Members of President Arthur's party in Yellowstone.

1883  President Arthur began a tour of Yellowstone National Park.

Gen Stager spends some time fishing while with President Arthur in Yellowstone.

1884  Nels H. Smith, Governor of Wyoming from 1939 to 1943, born in Gayville South Dakota.

1910  Theodore Roosevelt was present in Cheyenne for Frontier Days.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1917   Allen Tupper True receives a contract to paint eight oil on canvas murals for the Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne. True was a prominent muralist who did a collection of prominent murals in the region.

1933  A monument was dedicated at the Overland Trail Crossing on the North Platte.

1942 The USS Wyoming torpedoed by the U-165.  She did not sink, but four men were killed in the attack.

2002  Kaycee endures a flood.

August 21

1918  The 100 Days: The Second Battle of the Somme commences.

The Casper Daily Tribune for August 21, 1918, which also noted the results of the prior day's primary election.

On this day in 1918, the British resumed advancing, after having halted to regroup and reorganize.

New Zealnders during the Battle of Bapaume in a scene that could easily be mistaken for one from the Second World War.

The offensive resumed with a New Zealand assault at Bapaume, part of the Second Battle of the Somme, in what is known as the Second Battle of Bapaume.  The first day's assault was successful but the following day was slow, which was to characterize the overall progress in the region over the next several days. The Kiwis were continually on the assault, but the battle did not feature the breakthroughs seen earlier in the 100 Days Offensive.  The effort lasted through September 3, with the town being taken on September 29.  That was only a phase of the massive large scale offensive, however.

Bapaume on August 30, 1918.

The town of Albert was taken during the resumed offensive on its second day, August 22.  The British forces expanded the assault thereafter with what is referred to as the Second Battle of Arras on August 26.  Bapaume was taken by the Kiwis on August 29.  The Australians crossed the Somme on August 31 and then fought the Germans and broke through their lines at Battle of Mont S. Quentin and the Battle of Peronne.  Australian advances between August 31 and September 4 were regarded by General Henry Rawlinson as the greatest military achievement of the war.

British Whippet tank, August 1918.

The Canadians Corps seized control of the western edge of the Hindenburg Line on September 2, with British forces participating.  Following this came the famous Battle of St. Quentin Canal which would feature all of the Anglo American forces under Australian General John Monash.  Cambrai would follow that.

Laramie Boomerang for August 21, 1918, also noting that Carey and Houx were advancing to the general election.

Things were clearly starting to fold in for the Germans.

The New York Herald, August 21, 1918.

1937  Fifteen firefighters were killed, and 38 injured, in the Blackwater forest fire near Cody.  Those who lost their lives were:

Alfred G Clayton, Ranger South Fork District, Shoshone NF, age 45
James T. Saban, CCC Technical Foreman - Tensleep Camp F-35, age 36
Rex A. Hale, Jr Assistant to the Technician, Shoshone NF; from the Wapiti CCC camp, age 21
Paul E. Tyrrell, Jr Forester, Bighorn NF (Foreman), age 24
Billy Lea, Bureau of Public Roads Crewman.
John B. Gerdes CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
Will C. Griffith CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
Mack T. Mayabb CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
George E. Rodgers CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
Roy Bevens, CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
Clyde Allen CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
Ernest Seelke CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
Rubin Sherry CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
William Whitlock, CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35
Ambrogio Garza, CCC Enrollees: Tensleep Camp F-35

2017  Wyoming experienced an eclipse, with much of central Wyoming experiencing a total eclipse.

The event resulted in record landings at the Natrona County International Airport.

Maybe Berlin Airlift Rates were achieved.

Light private aircraft parked on unused runway at the Natrona County International Airport.  This part of the tarmac was used just for small private aircraft.  Another was used for private jets.

They came in, and then they left again.

Hundreds of private aircraft, arriving in time to see the August 21 solar eclipse, stacked up waiting to land and landing one right after another all morning long, and then taking off right after that.

The airport has likely never seen anything like this take off and landing rate. . . at least not since World War Two.

August 2

1867  Just one day after a nearly identical event occurred outside of Ft. C. F. Smith, the northernmost fort on the Bozeman Trail,  9th Infantry repulsed a Sioux and Cheyenne attack in  the mountains near Ft. Phil Kearney in the Wagon Box Fight, a battle again demonstrating the superiority of the new breach loading rifles over the muzzle loading rifle.  The soldiers were grossly outnumbered during the fight.

1876  James Bulter "Wild Bill" Hickock killed in Deadwood by John McCall in Deadwood's Saloon No. 10.  He was uncharacteristically sitting with his back to the wall and was holding a hand of cards made up of Aces and 8s, known ever after as a "Deadman's Hand".  McCall was shortly tried and found innocent, surprisingly enough. Thereafter he fled to Wyoming, where he was unwelcome by Wyoming authorities who regarded the Deadwood trial as invalid as the Deadwood settlement was illegal, being an unauthorized town on unceded Indian Territory.  McCall was subsequently tried in Yankton, Dakota Territory, and sentenced to death.

Hickock left behind a widow, Agnes Lake, in Cheyenne.  He'd written her:  "Agnes Darling, if such should be we never meet again, while firing my last shot, I will gently breathe the name of my wife — Agnes — and with wishes even for my enemies I will make the plunge and try to swim to the other shore."

1882  The  Brush-Swan Electric Light Company of Cheyenne incorporated.

1887         Rowell Hodge receives a patent for barbed wire, an invention that would make fencing the range practical.

1887  The Catholic Diocese of Cheyenne created.  

1903         Martha Jane Cannary, "Calamity Jane", died at age 51.  Her death on this date is particularly odd, as she claimed to have been married to Wild Bill Hickock, but to have divorced him so that he could marry Agnes Lake, although there seems to be no independent evidence for that.

1918  August 2, 1918. The odd war news.

In a lot of ways, the news of August 2, 1918, was the same in character as for other days, but with a slightly odd (and also, we'll note, period racist) tinge.

The article on the bottom right brings this paper here.  That must have been an awkward family reunion.

Sad news from Laramie on this day.  A professor of my former department at the University of Wyoming, the geology department, had died of disease while serving in France.  As he was a professor of "economic geology" at a later school, we can take it that he was a professor of economic minerals.  The war was taking quite a toll in all age ranges.

Evidence of that toll and the scale of the war is in this paper.  Every military age male, according to this Cheyenne paper, was now in service.

And the Onondaga had declared war.

On this paper, the terms used here are clearly racists in regard to African American soldiers.  It's odd, to say the least, to see headlines of this type in a newspaper in common circulation, giving us an idea of how deeply ingrained racists ideas were at the time.

1923  Thursday, August 2, 1923. The Death of Warren G. Harding.

Warren G. Harding died suddenly at 7:30 p.m. in a San Francisco hotel. As readers here know, he had been ill for several days prior.  His probable cause of death was a heart attack.

Harding had been traveling the US, including Alaska, in his Voyage of Understanding.  He was well liked during his period in office, and he was deeply mourned in the U.S., and around the globe, following his death at age 57.

Following his death, his reputation has declined.  He had not really wanted to be President in the first place, and it turned out that while he was personally not involved in them, his administration was scandal ridden.  Harding was not free from scandal himself, however, as he'd had at least two affairs during his marriage, the first of which was to a woman who may have been a German spy. The second would lead to the birth of an illegitimate daughter, his only child, a fact which was hidden during his lifetime and contested by his widow thereafter.

Elizabeth Ann Blaesing, daughter of Warren G. Harding,

Harding was seemingly unprepared for death and indeed, while he looked much older, at 57 he wasn't all that old.  His medical care while ill has been criticized as hastening his death, but at the time little could be done for strokes (which was what his death was attributed to at the time) and heart attacks were frequently fatal.  Given the history of his illness, there's reason to suspect that he may in fact have suffered a heart attack several days prior, or at least was suffering from heart problems several days prior.

Florence Harding, his widow, was fiercely protective of his legacy and reputation.  In photographs, she rarely appears to be happy while they were in the White House.  Very unusually for the age, she did not wear a wedding ring.  Harding was her second marriage, and she was slightly older than he was.  She'd die the following November at age 64.  Blaesing, who lived a quiet life and avoided commenting on her parentage, died at age 86 in 1995.

Most Americans would not learn of the Presidents' death until the following day, when newspapers hit their doorsteps.

As an aside, Harding's death remains relevant to the present age, and actually shows us how things have improved and not.  Medically, physicians may well have detected Harding's heart condition before it proved fatal, if they had our current abilities in that arena.  This is not necessarily so, however, which points out that our two top contenders for the Oval Office today are literally on death's doorstep.

Also of interest, in the era it was obviously easier to keep personal secrets, as Harding had done for many years.  Keeping an illegitimate child of a President unknown is almost unimaginable today.  But also of interest is that it would have been a devastating scandal had the news broken.  As recently as President Clinton's term in office, an affair was scandalous, but now there's real reason to wonder if it would be.  Indeed, a certain section of former President Trump's support comes from Evangelical Christians (although not all support him), which undoubtedly would not have occurred had Trump lived in the 1920s.

1985  A category 3 tornado occurred outside of Sheridan.

2001  The Casper Army Air Base was enrolled on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Air Base is now the Natrona County International Airport, but many original structures remain, and a museum is on the location.

August 1

1839  Austin Texas, the new capital of Texas, held the first sale of town lots for the city.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1845  Gen. Zachary Taylor forces landed on St. Joseph Island to protect Texas from Mexican interference after annexation.  Attribution:  On This Day

1866  The War Department orders the raising of Indian scouts.

1867  Cheyenne attacked a haying party near Fort C.F. Smith, Montana.  Their attack failed as the haying party was armed with .50-70 cartridge rifles, then new, which allowed them to hold off the attack via superior and repeated firepower.  This battle is remembered as the Hayfield Fight and is a significant event in Red Cloud's War..  Attribution:  On This Day.

1870  It was noted that payday increased hospitalization at Ft. Laramie, on this day.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1876  Colorado admitted to the Union as a state.

1885    Louis Riel found guilty of treason and sentenced to death.  The defense had plead insanity, which does seem like a poor strategy under the circumstances.

1897   The Utah & Northern and the Oregon Short Line were consolidated under the name Oregon Short Line.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1915  Automobiles first admitted into Yellowstone National Park.

1916   Cheyenne State Leader for August 1, 1916. Guard getting ready to leave and some leaving the Guard.
 

Cheyenne's less dramatic evening paper was reporting on this day that it expected the National Guard to depart for the border at any moment.   South Dakota's Guard, we read, was in fact off to the border.  There was quiet a bit of dramatic news for Cheyenne residents returning home to their paper that today.

Somewhat surprisingly, the paper actually reported on who was being discharged for physical infirmity, and even giving the name of one who was being discharged on August 1.

Also, perhaps emphasizing the improving relations with Mexico, in spite of the ongoing deployment of the National Guard, Carranza's forces were pursing a five man raiding party that had been earlier pursued by the 8th Cavalry.  Perhaps emphasizing the global outbreak of violence, we read also that Zeppelins had the UK for the third time in a week.

1917  The United States Senate passes the text of the 18th Amendment to be sent to the states for ratification.   It read:

Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all the territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

The US entry into World War One spurred prohibition on, oddly enough, over concerns about the exposure to alcohol to young men that military service would bring about.  Congress had already passed a law prohibiting beverage alcohol within so many miles of military reservations, bringing prohibition to Cheyenne due to the presence of Ft. D. A. Russell there, and banning it on U.S. Territories (such as Hawaii), as opposed to states.  The use of grains for distillation had also been banned on the basis that it took valuable grains away from the production of food.

1917         Pope Benedict XV urges "an end to useless slaughter" of World War One.  His statement declared:

TO THE HEADS OF THE BELLIGERENT PEOPLES:

From the beginning of Our Pontificate, amidst the horrors of the terrible war unleashed upon Europe, We have kept before Our attention three things above all: to preserve complete impartiality in relation to all the belligerents, as is appropriate to him who is the common father and who loves all his children with equal affection; to endeavor constantly to do all the most possible good, without personal exceptions and without national or religious distinctions, a duty which the universal law of charity, as well as the supreme spiritual charge entrusted to Us by Christ, dictates to Us; finally, as Our peacemaking mission equally demands, to leave nothing undone within Our power, which could assist in hastening the end of this calamity, by trying to lead the peoples and their heads to more moderate frames of mind and to the calm deliberations of peace, of a "just and lasting" peace.

Whoever has followed Our work during the three unhappy years which have just elapsed, has been able to recognize with ease that We have always remained faithful to Our resolution of absolute impartiality and to Our practical policy of well-doing . We have never ceased to urge the belligerent peoples and Governments to become brothers once more, even although publicity has not been given to all which We have done to attain this most noble end....

First of all, the fundamental point should be that for the material force of arms should be substituted the moral force of law; hence a just agreement by all for the simultaneous and reciprocal reduction of armaments, according to rules and guarantees to be established to the degree necessary and sufficient for the maintenance of public order in each State; then, instead of armies, the institution of arbitration, with its lofty peacemaking function, according to the standards to be agreed upon and with sanctions to be decided against the State which might refuse to submit international questions to arbitration or to accept its decisions.

Once the supremacy of law has been established, let every obstacle to the ways of communication between the peoples be removed, by ensuring through rules to be fixed in similar fashion, the true freedom and common use of the seas. This would, on the one hand, remove many reasons for conflict and, on the other, would open new sources of prosperity and progress to all....

With regard to territorial questions, such as those disputed between Italy and Austria, and between Germany and France, there is ground for hope that in consideration of the immense advantages of a lasting peace with disarmament, the conflicting parties will examine them in a conciliatory frame of mind, taking into account so far as it is just and practicable, as We have said previously, the aspirations of the peoples and co-ordinating, according to circumstances, particular interests with the general good of the great human society.

The same spirit of equity and justice should direct the examination of other territorial and political questions, notably those relating to Armenia, the Balkan States, and the territories composing the ancient Kingdom of Poland, for which especially its noble historical traditions and the sufferings which it has undergone, particularly during the present war, ought rightly to enlist the sympathies of the nations. Such are the principal foundations upon which We believe the future reorganization of peoples should rest. They are of a kind which would make impossible the recurrence of such conflicts and would pave the way for a solution of the economic question, so important for the future and the material welfare of all the belligerent States.

1918  August 1, 1918. Mustering the Home Guard
 

The size of World War One is perhaps demonstrated in part by the fact that, like World War Two, the militia was expanded to include bodies in each state that replaced the Federalized National Guard.*

Normally these units are called State Guards, and they've existed in every state in modern times only during World War One and World War Two, although some states have retained State Guard separately from from somewhat before the war until the present time and a few have established them once again in modern times.  Most states don't have them, however.  They're state troops liable only to their Governors for service for the most part, unlike National Guardsmen who also serve as a reserve of the Army.

By this point during the Great War, Wyoming was experimenting with mustering its State Guard.  Of interest, rifle production had now caught up with demand and the State Guard was being issued brand new rifles, almost certainly M1917 Enfields, which were replacing the Krag rifle of Spanish American War vintage.  As Krags were perfectly adequate for what the Home Guard was to do, and indeed wasn't really obsolete in larger terms, it shows that production was catching up with need by this point in the war.

_________________________________________________________________________________

*As we earlier noted, the US also formed sort of a national militia of this type in the form of the United States Guards during the war. 

 

1927  Guernsey Dam completed.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1941  Parade magazine devotes three full pages to a feature article describing the U.S. Army's new vehicle, the Jeep.  In some ways, the Jeep really was a revolution in military transportation, but not so much as the much less heralded 6x6.  The extent to which all wheel drives would revolutionize travel in Wyoming can hardly be overstated.  Prior to World War Two, 4x4 trucks almost didn't exist in civilian hands, and those that did were not suitable for general use.  After the war, they rapidly entered into all types of backcountry use.  In terms of agriculture, this meant ground that was formerly completely inaccessible in winter before the war, was now accessible in many instances year around, eliminating the need for cowhands to be stationed in remote areas during the winter, and also just flatly eliminating the need for the same number of hands as previously employed.  For those in cities and towns, particularly sportsmen, the country was also suddenly opened up during the winter, when previously it simply had not been.

Jeep as lead vehicle in convoy, Iran, World War Two.

1941   President Roosevelt forbids the export of oil and aviation fuel from the United States except to Britain, the British Commonwealth countries and countries of the Western Hemisphere. Japan is left with only limited stocks of oil.

1942    Canadian Parliament passes the Veterans Land Act to provide settlement assistance to returning vets.

1947  The USS Wyoming, BB-32, is decommissioned.

1953  The movie Shane was released. The film, regarded as a Western classic, was filmed in Jackson's Hole.

The movie is based very loosely on the events of the Johnson County War and has remained popular all these years.  It's been subject to some wild interpretations as a result.  Like most movies which us the basic story of the Johnson County War as inspiration, it presents a heroic vision of the small, helpless farmer (rather than small rancher) who is pitted against merciless large ranchers.  Sets and costumes used in the film are mixed in regards to their authenticity, with the large cattlemen being most accurately depicted in regards to their appearance.  Jack Palance's gunman is particularly accurately attired.

Probably demonstrating my contrarian streak,  I always root for the large cattlemen in the film.

1957     The United States and Canada create the North American Air Defense Command (NORAD).

1959  Wyoming's artillery and armor National Guard units were consolidated into the 49th Field Artillery Battalion, which I was in, back in the old days.

1981     The music video cable channel MTV made its debut, heralding the end of civilization.

1985  The worst flood in Wyoming's history occurs in Cheyenne when the town is struck by a severe thunderstorm..  Property loss was $65 million in 1985 dollars.  Twelve deaths and 70 injuries occurred with particularly horrific flooding occurring in downtown Cheyenne. The event happened in the evening and people were caught unawares, including attendees of a downtown Cheyenne movie theater.

July 21

1860  Fenimore Chatterton, born in Oswego County, New York. He was a businessman, politician and lawyer who had relocated to Sheridan and then was elected Wyoming's Secretary of State in 1898, after having served in two terms of the legislature.  The death of Governor DeForest Richards made Chatterton governor in 1903, but he was not reelected in 1905.  He resumed the practice of law thereafter.

1867 Ft. D. A. Russell established outside of Cheyenne on  Crow Creek.  It survives as an active duty military post today, now as Warren Air Force Base.

Veterinary Hospital at F. E. Warren.

1885  Owen Wister was in Medicine Bow again, this time spending the night in the corner of a store.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1890  H. G. Welch demonstrated that strawberries could be raised on the Laramie Plains, which are generally at least 7,000 feet in elevation. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1941  President Roosevelt asks Congress to extend the draft period from one year to 30 months and to make similar increases in the terms of service for the National Guard.

So much for the lyrics of one of the then popular songs:

GOODBYE DEAR, I'LL BE BACK IN A YEAR

Goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year
'Cause I'm in the army now
They took my number right out of the hat
And there's nothing a guy can do about that

But when you get back you'll be all tanned and brown
Say, couldn't we buy that cottage right outside of town

Goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year
Don't forget that I love you

Don't fear, Dear, I'll be here in a year
'Cause I'm true to the Army now
Ah, what a soldier, you wait and see
Why, I'll be a big gun in the artillery

Now honey, be sure and keep cozy and warm
Gee, you look cute in that new uniform:
Oh, goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year
Don't forget that I love you

Goodbye Dear, well I'm here for a year
I'm in the Army now
But don't you worry, the General and I
Are the greatest of pals

Now, Ronnie, don't you lie
Well, he fixed it up so I could have breakfast in bed
Well, why are you peeling potatoes instead?
Oh, he's just kidding me
Good bye dear, I'll be back in a year
Don't forget that I

Don't forget that I
BOTH: Don't forget that I love you

Another versions (multiple versions in one year were common at the time):

Goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year
'Cause I'm in the army now
They took my number out of the hat
And there's nothing a guy can do about that

But when I get back, I'll be all tanned and brown
And we'll buy that cottage just outside of town
So, goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year
Don't forget that I love you

Goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year
'Cause I'm in the army now
Don't I look handsome dressed up like this
Stop your cryin' and give your soldier a kiss

They may send me out to the old Philippines
But, Sweetheart, you'll still be the girl of my dreams
So, goodbye Dear, I'll be back in a year
Don't forget that I love you

1942  Big Horn County's Fair cancelled.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1952 John Barrasso born in Reading Pennsylvania.  He was appointed to the U.S. Senate after the death of Craig Thomas in 2007 and has been serving in that office since that date.

1974  The Campbell County Rockpile Museum opened.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1987  The most powerful tornado in Wyoming's history,  the Teton–Yellowstone tornado,an F4, touched down in Yellowstone National Park and left a path of destruction 1 to 2 miles wide, and 24 miles long while leveling 15,000 acres of mature pine forest.

2010  The State Code adopted by the Legislature.

Wyoming, like most states has a set of state symbols.  I think I've listed them all over time, including now this one, the most recent to be adopted.

I've generally abstained from commenting on the symbols, even though a few of them strike me as a bit odd. For example, we have a State Insect, which I don't know that we need.  But so be it.

Here, however, I can't help but comment.

The State Code I guess, is okay enough.  Here's the statute that sets it out:

 8-3-123. State code.

(a) The code of the west, as derived from the book Cowboy Ethics by James P. Owen, and summarized as follows  is the official state code of Wyoming. The code includes:

(i) Live each day with courage;

(ii) Take pride in your work;

(iii) Always finish what you start;

(iv) Do what has to be done;

(v) Be tough, but fair;

(vi) When you make a promise, keep it; 

(vii) Ride for the brand; 

(viii) Talk less, say more; 

(ix) Remember that some things are not for sale; 

(x) Know where to draw the line.

There's nothing in here in particular that I disagree with, although that "ride for the brand" item doesn't really reflect a lot of Wyoming's history very accurately.  The central conflict in the state from the 1876 to 1900 time frame really centered around individuals who started out riding for one brand, and then acquired their own brand and quit riding for the Brand No. 1.  Indeed, it might justifiably be argued that Individuals, rather than Ride For The Brand, is the true mark of a Wyomingite.

My greater problem, or perhaps irritation, with the State Code is, I suppose, similar to my comments regarding "state" authors, in that in supposedly finding a "code" that identifies us, we had to copy it from a Wall Street figure and not a Wyomingite.  The code comes from a book that Owens wrote in which he identified what he though were "Cowboy Ethics" and argued that this simple Code of the West could teach the nation something.  I'm not arguing that it couldn't, but I tend to doubt that a Wall Street figures is really capable of capturing the ethics of a class and group so very foreign to his own.

Again, as noted, having been around a lot of cowboys and rural workers, one thing I think is totally missing is that they all tend to have a high degree of independence and its not unusual at all to find actual working cowboys who switch employers a lot.  Perhaps they "ride for the brand", but often only briefly.  The "talk less, say more" item is a nice toss to a certain Gary Cooper view of the cowboy (and Gary Cooper was raised on a Montana ranch) but truth be told, being an isolated group, quite a few cowhands like to talk quite a bit, if given the opportunity to.  One Wyoming politician, the former Senator Simpson, is widely celebrated in Wyoming for his gift of gab at that, which has occasionally gotten him into trouble.  But the general list is not a bad one.  I only think it a bit sad that in order to define what our ethics are, we had to borrow them from a Wall Street figure who wrote what he thinks ours our.  It would seem that we could have defined them ourselves.

2022.  Wyoming Attorney General Bridget hill informed the Governor that nothing precluded Wyoming's "trigger law" prohibiting most abortions from going into effect following the Dobbs decision.

July 12

1864  

1890  Lander incorporated.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1900 The first Elks Lodge to be chartered in Wyoming was chartered in Sheridan.  Up until after World War Two, fraternal lodges were a major feature of male life in most localities in the United States, with a very high percentage of American men belonging to some sort of fraternal organization.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1900 Basin saw a record high temperature for the state of 114F.  It is no longer the record high, as 115F was reached, in Basin, in 1983.

July 2

1850  

The grave of Alvah H. Unthank

Alvah H. Unthank was a 19-year-old pioneer travelling the Oregon who died of Cholera at a spot near the Dave Johnson Power Plant outside Glendrock in July, 1850.  

One of many such tragic deaths on the trails.

 

1861  Grace Raymond Hebard born in Clinton Iowa.

1861  Ellen Liddy Watson, remembered by history as "Cattle Kate", born in Arran Lake, Ontario Canada.

1862   Following up on a theme first touched upon in yesterday's entry, President Lincoln signed an act granting land for state agricultural colleges.  In its own way, this act would be as significant as the Homestead Acts in its impact upon American society.  Many state colleges and universities today owe their existence to this act, although the practical origins of these schools is often forgotten today.

1863  Chief Waskakie singed the Ft. Bridger Treaty of 1863, which provided:

Articles of Agreement made at Fort Bridger, in Utah Territory, this second day of July, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, by and between the United States of America, represented by its Commissioners, and the Shoshone nation of Indians, represented by its Chiefs and Principal Men And Warriors of the Eastern Bands, as follows:

ARTICLE 1.

Friendly and amically relations are hereby re-established between the bands of the Shoshonee nation, parties hereto, and the United States; and it is declared that a firm and perpetual peace shall be henceforth maintained between the Shoshonee nation and the United States.

ARTICLE 2.

The several routes of travel through the Shoshonee country, now or hereafter used by white men, shall be and remain forever free and safe for the use of the government of the United States, and of all emigrants and travellers under its authority and Protection, without molestation or injury from any of the people of the said nation. And if depredations should at any time be committed by bad men of their nation, the offenders shall be immediately seized and delivered up to the proper officers of the United States, to be punished as their offences shall deserve; and the safety of all travellers passing peaceably over said routes is hereby guaranteed by said nation. Military agricultural settlements and military posts may be established by the President of the United States along said routes; ferries may be maintained over the rivers wherever they may be required; and houses erected and settlements formed at such points as may be necessary for the comfort and convenience of travellers.

ARTICLE 3.

The telegraph and overland stage lines having been established and operated through a part of the Shoshonee country, it is expressly agreed that the same may be continued without hindrance, molestation, or injury from the people of said nation; and that their property, and the lives of passengers in the stages, and of the employes of the respective companies, shall be protected by them.
And further, it being understood that provision has been made by the Government of the United States for the construction of a railway from the plains west to the Pacific ocean, it is stipulated by said nation that said railway, or its branches, may be located, constructed, and operated, without molestation from them, through any portion of the country claimed by them.

ARTICLE 4.

It is understood the boundaries of the Shoshonee country, as defined and described by said nation, is as follows: On the north, by the mountains on the north side of the valley of Shoshonee or Snake River; on the east, by the Wind River mountains, Peenahpah river, the north fork of Platte or Koo-chin-agah, and the north Park or Buffalo House; and on the south, by Yampah river and the Uintah mountains. The western boundary is left undefined, there being no Shoshonees from that district of country present; but the bands now present claim that their own country is bounded on the west by Salt Lake.

ARTICLE 5.

The United States being aware of the inconvenience resulting to the Indians in consequence of the driving away and destruction of game along the routes travelled by whites, and by the formation of agricultural and mining settlements, are willing to fairly compensate them for the same; therefore, and in consideration of the preceding stipulations, the United States promise and agree to pay to the bands of the Shoshonee nation, parties hereto, annually for the term of twenty years, the sum of ten thousand dollars, in such articles as the President of the United States may deem suitable to their wants and condition, either as hunters or herdsmen. And the said bands of the Shoshonee nation hereby acknowledge the reception of the said stipulated annuities, as a full compensation and equivalent for the loss of game, and the rights and privileges hereby conceded.

ARTICLE 6.

The said bands hereby acknowledge that they have received from said Commissioners provisions and clothing amounting to six thousand dollars, as presents, at the conclusion of this treaty.

ARTICLE 7.

Nothing herein contained shall be construed or taken to admit any other or greater title or interest in the lands embraced within the territories described in said Treaty with said tribes or bands of Indians than existed in them upon the acquisition of said territories from Mexico by the laws thereof.

Done at Fort Bridger the day and year above written.

James Duane Doty,

Luther Mann, jr.,

   Commissioners.

Washakee, his x mark.

Wanapitz, his x mark.

Toopsa+owet, his x mark.

Pantoshiga, his x mark.

Ninabitzee, his x mark.

Narkawk, his x mark.

Taboonshea, his x mark.

Weerango, his x mark.

Tootsahp, his x mark.

Weeahyukee, his x mark.

Bazile, his x mark.

In the presence of—

Jack Robertson, interpreter.

Samuel Dean.

1865  Sioux and/or Cheyenne raid the telegraph line near Platte Bridge Station, wounding Sgt. Holding of the 11th Kansas.  Sgt. Holding's attacker was killed by Pvt. Hammond, and the body was thought to be that of a European American, not an Indian.

1867  The first law partnership in what would become Cheyenne (two days later) formed. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1874  7th Cavalry left Ft. Abraham Lincoln to scout the Black Hills.

1885    Big Bear surrenders to General Strange at Fort Carlton Saskatchewan after his men run out of food and ammunition.  He was sentenced with Poundmaker to three years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary.

1890     Congress passed the Sherman Antitrust Act.

1916:   Sheridan Enterprise, July 2, 1916. Mexico and the Somme
 

Border tensions shared front space with the British offensive on the Somme on July 2, one day after the British offensive had commenced.
1932     Democrats nominated New York Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt for president at their convention in Chicago.

1936  It was reported that Crook County was enduring a grasshopper infestation, one of those plagues of the 30s which were so common in the West and Mid West at the time.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1937   Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator.  The CGC Itasca, while conducting re-supply operations in the Central Pacific, made the last-known radio contact with the plane.

Earhart had a Wyoming connection as she was having a cabin built for her in the Meeteesee area, where she vacationed.

June 8

1888  John Merritt and C.W. Eads established the town of Casper.  Their initial site would be at the present day intersection of McKinley and A Street and anticipated the arrival of the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad (Burlington Northern Railroad) the following week..   Present day Eadsville, once an independent town but now part of Casper, is named after Eads.  Attribution:  On This Day.

 Casper in 1890.

1915  Hoyt Hall at the University of Wyoming named for John Hoyt, UW's first president and a former territorial governor.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1918  A total eclipse of the sun was experienced in Southwest Wyoming, as well as in Denver Colorado.


1974  Suddenly a pop icon years after his death, due to the movie "Jeremiah Johnson", Mexican War veteran, frontiersman, trapper and former Cody Sheriff John "Liver Eating" Johnston is re-interred at the Cody Cemetery.  Robert Redford, who had played him in the film, was on hand.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

May 29

1815  British government opens Canadian commerce to US citizens following the end of the War of 1812.

1843   John C. Fremont again departs from St. Louis to explore the West, having only recently returned from his first western expedition.

1876  Crook's forces depart Ft. Fetterman for the second time in 1876, for a summer campaign against the Sioux.

1878  John M. Thayer concludes his term as Territorial Governor.  Thayer was originally from Massachusetts but had relocated to eastern Nebraska to farm and practice law.  He served in the Civil War and was brevetted to the rank of Major General.  He was appointed Territorial Governor by President Grant, and returned to Nebraska after his term concluded.

1878  John W. Hoyt took office as Territorial Governor.  Hoyt was a polymath who had a law degree and a medical degree, had taught chemistry, and who was interested in agriculture.  He was the University of Wyoming's first president. 

1888 First Wyoming National Guard unit, the Laramie Grays, organized.

1890  The Wyoming's first Federally recognized National Guard unit formed, Company A, 1st Wyoming Regiment, the Laramie Grays.  The Laramie Grays are a short lived cavalry unit.  In spite of the absolute dependance on the horse for the economy of the region, Wyoming National Guard units were generally infantry, and then artillery, up until after World War One.

1891  The cemetery for Ft. Bridger relocated to Ft. McPherson Nebraska. 

1903  President Theodore Roosevelt made a whistle stop in Evanstson.

1904  A Natrona County boy was shot while herding sheep at Alkali Gulch. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1912  John W. Hoyt, former Territorial Governor and first President of the University of Wyoming, died in Washington D. C.

1919  A new city  hall is opened in Casper.  The building is no longer there.  Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1943   “Rosie the Riveter” appeared on the cover of “The Saturday Evening Post" in an illustration by Norman Rockwell.  The concept of Rosie the Riveter would go on to virtually define the war industry employed working woman of World War Two, and would later be the subject of a very famous war poster, by another artist.  The image has gone on to later somewhat define feminism, but the image it has come to portray is inaccurate.  In truth, women were employed in war industries during World War One as well, and in some ways female labor during World War One was not only every bit as important as it was during World War Two, but more important, as women took over many roles in agriculture normally occupied by men.  The entire concept, therefore, that World War Two caused women to enter the workplace is incorrect, as the same forces were at work during World War One.

1943   Meat and cheese began to be rationed in US.

1971  A category 2 tornado injured three people in Casper.   Attribution:  On This Day.

1984  A 5.0 magnitude earthquake occurred 23 miles from Gillette.  Attribution:  On This Day.

March 28

1845   Mexico dropped diplomatic relations with US.

1846   US troops move onto the left bank of the Rio Grande River.

1865   The District of the Plains was established.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1870  Camp Augur reorganized and renamed Camp Brown.

1906  An ore mill at Encampment burned. Attribution:  Wyoming State Historical Society.

1908  Fifty-nine people killed in a mine explosion at Hanna.  Attribution:  On This Day.

1916   The Punitive Expedition: The Casper Daily Press, March 28, 1916
 

Note in this one the fruit and vegetable advertisement.  Quite a difference in regards to how available these things are today.

1917   The Cheyenne State Leader for March 28, 1917: Calls to arms.
 

A general call to arms was going on, as Wyoming National Guardsmen were returning to service.

1918   Wyoming State Tribune, March 28, 1918. Muleless Days?
 

The big news was on the war, of course, but a frightening item about a shortage of mules appeared on the front cover as well.

At that time, that was no minor matter.  Mules and horses remained the prime movers of short hauling and agriculture in the United States in 1918.  And the US was also a major supplier of both to the Allies.

Unlike automobiles, a demand for equines couldn't simply be supplied overnight.  A natural product had to develop naturally.  By this point in 1918 horses and mules that were born in the first year of the war were just getting to the point where they were trainable.  Horses and mules of older age, and usable for anything, had been pressed into the demand long ago.

1920  March 28, 1920. Tornadic outbreaks, Typhus, Bulgarian elections, and movies.

A disaster of another type, contaminated water, was plaguing Casper.  Casper would have outbreaks of waterborne diseases for years, including typhus.

1970  The location of Ft. Reno placed on the National Register of Historic Sites.

1975   A 6.2 earthquake occurred about 93 miles from Evanston, WY.

1982  The Sheridan County Historical Society transferred title in the Trail End Historical Center to the State of Wyoming.

2008 Gray wolves removed from the Endangered Species List.

2020  In an emergency session, the Town of Jackson, Wyoming, issued a shelter in place order for the town, implementing recommendations from Teton County's health official brought about by the COVID 19 pandemic.  The country recommendations, issued on the 24th, further recommended that people from outside the county or with second homes leave the county for their primary residences.