Pioneers of Outlaw Country: Wyoming History

Send us Fan Mail The strike of a rattlesnake, the danger of stampede, the whistling of cowboys, the swish of a lasso and the sting of the hot sun.   The cowboys on round-up are a true pioneer of Wyoming.  Welcome to another episode of "Pioneers of Outlaw Country," where we delve into fascinating stories from Wyoming’s past that often go unnoticed. I am your host, Jackie Dorothy, and toda...

Send us Fan Mail The Harvard student of law bent over his journal, writing in camp light and by kerosene. He was capturing the words that he would one day use to write the most popular Western fiction in the world.   In 1885, a young tourist arrived in Wyoming and went by stage to Medicine Bow. He was a 24 year old Owen Wister who faithfully recorded in his journal all that he saw - and he wasn&ap...

Send us Fan Mail When we think of the early visitors of Wyoming, we think of the cowboys, homesteaders, miners and others coming to the West to make their fortune. There was another group of young men who came west on the trains and stagecoaches. These were young, rich men looking for an adventure and relaxation. They were not in Wyoming to find their fortune but here to vacation. Among these youn...

Send us Fan Mail The faded pencil script spelled out rough poems, descriptions of sunsets and hangings, saloon scenes, cowboy tall tales, the wide-open prairie and the sharp retort of the gun.   From Owen Wister’s pen, the cowboy myth was born and became a true relic of Wyoming’s rich past.  For over 65 years, Owen Wister's journals lay forgotten - until a stubborn librarian from the Universi...

Send us Fan Mail The most famous cowboy prank in Wyoming... may never have happened.  Or did it?  In his novel, The Virginian, Owen Wister tells of a baby swapping prank that happened at a rural dance. It was common practice in those days to pile the babies under chairs and tables to sleep while the parents danced the night away.   According to Wister, two cowboys took advantage of this situation...

Send us Fan Mail When Owen Wister brought his family to Wyoming in 1912, they brought along a special friend: Peeshee, the waltzing mouse. The inclusion of this tiny tourist in their family gives us insight into the Wister family dynamics and their love of nature in all forms. The Waltzing Mouse, once as common as goldfish as pets for children, was a puzzle to the scientists who studied them. Thes...

Send us Fan Mail "Young man, go west!" Among the cowboys and frontiersmen, miners and homesteaders were a group of young adventurers - the rich young tenderfoot. These tourists were not seeking their fortunes but were tourists, looking to get away from the confines of civilization even briefly.  One of these young men took his journals and turned them into fiction, becoming one of the be...

Send us Fan Mail In 1902, the most popular book in America was The Virginian by Owen Wister.  This book changed America's perspective on the cowboy and turned the once maligned cowhand into a romantic hero. Told at times through the eyes of the Tenderfoot, this is a story of a courageous but mysterious cowboy known only as “the Virginian”. He works as foreman of a cattle ranch in the Wyoming...

Send us Fan Mail In 1903, Tom O'Day was villainized in the newspapers as a notorious horse thief but his friends and acquaintances defended him as a cheerful Irishman who may embellish a brand once in awhile. That February he was unarmed when, suddenly, he was in the fight of his life.  Join us on this exciting escapade of one of Wyoming's most beloved outlaws, Tom O'Day!   Thank yo...

Send us Fan Mail Happy New Year! What better way to celebrate than to travel back in time to 1884 in the Wyoming Territory.  Warning... Sprinkled in with the 1884 New Years predictions are superstitions and even an old-fashioned romance. We are celebrating the 1884 New Year just as residents did that same year and reading through the Cheyenne Daily Sun after staying up to bring in the New Year! 18...

Send us Fan Mail They were daring adventurers, forgers of a new life, homesteaders …. and forgotten to history. These vanished people were true pioneers of Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  The Pioneers of Outlaw Country.  Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the businessmen and women who all helped shape Thermopolis and Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  Here are their stories.    The Lost Owl Creek Colony    ...

Send us Fan Mail He was the founder of Thermopolis, well-respected businessman and cattleman, a dashing bachelor, expert horseman and a murderer.   This cattleman and businessman was a true pioneer of Hot Springs County, Wyoming.    The Pioneers of Outlaw Country.  Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the businessmen and women who all helped shape Thermopolis and Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  Here are...

Send us Fan Mail She was the daughter of an oil man, grew up in the Grass Creek oil field – playing among the pumpjacks and dancing at the one-room school house in the early part of the 1900’s.   This student of the land was truly a pioneer of Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  The Pioneers of Outlaw Country.  Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the businessmen and women who all helped shape Thermopolis an...

Send us Fan Mail Major George “Sandy” Forsyth: His Forgotten Diary   He was a Civil War veteran, Cavalry Officer, Indian Fighter, General Sheridan’s aide de camp, avid fisherman, author, husband and Brigadier General.  This courageous soldier was a true explorer of Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  The Pioneers of Outlaw Country.  Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the businessmen and women who all helpe...

Send us Fan Mail Over the Stage Line to Thermopolis   They were adventurers, farm boys, prospectors, family men and former soldiers. These men who drove the stage through Wyoming had to be endure the heat of summer and the sleet and snow of winter... and bandits.   These hardy stagecoach drivers were true pioneer of Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  The Pioneers of Outlaw Country.  Cowboys, Lawmen and...

Send us Fan Mail   A single gunshot rang out. It was night on a bustling Wyoming street - yet no one admitted to recognizing the gunman who escaped into the crowd….   Dora McGrath: A Lady of the Wild West  She was the daughter of homesteaders and wife of a coal miner. A mother, business woman, stylish lady of society, soldier advocate, and first woman senator of Wyoming.   This courageous mother w...

Send us Fan Mail Joe Meek: The Mountain Man   He was the tall Virginian. A trapper, Indian fighter, pioneer, peace officer, frontier politician, and lover of practical jokes and Jacksonian democracy.   This friend and companion of Kit Carson and Jim Bridger was a true pioneer of Wyoming and Hot Springs County.    The Pioneers of Outlaw Country.  Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the businessmen and...

Send us Fan Mail As the wind blew across the snow, the mountain men made a winter camp without provisions or hope of getting any until they reached the plains where the buffalo roamed. They were living off the land and the deer and elk had fled this high country.  It was 1829 and Joe Meek was a teenage runaway who had joined this band of men as a hired hunter and trapper only the spring before. Th...

Send us Fan Mail He was a man of the West. A cowboy, husband, father, outlaw, hired assassin, lawman and lone wolf.    This Deputy Sheriff and Horse Rustler was a true pioneer of Hot Springs County, Wyoming.    The Pioneers of Outlaw Country.  Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the businessmen and women who all helped shape Thermopolis and Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  Here are their stories.    Albe...

Send us Fan Mail   He was a man of the West. A cowboy, husband, father, outlaw, hired assassin, lawman and lone wolf.   This Deputy Sheriff and Horse Rustler was a true pioneer of Hot Springs County, Wyoming.  Hot Springs County, Wyoming was a lawless rugged country, far from civilization and the law. The pioneers who came to this land had to have grit and the desire to survive.  Albert Nard a.k.a...

Send us Fan Mail She was the daughter of a cavalry soldier. A teacher, caregiver, rancher, homesteader, wife, mother and to some, an angle of mercy – even when the person in need was also a wanted outlaw.  This courageous homesteader was a true pioneer of Hot Springs County, Wyoming. Mary Hayes Picard and her sister-in-law, Lottie Weber Hayes, were home alone at the remote 2B ranch owned by the Pi...

Send us Fan Mail He was a man of the West. A cowboy, ranch foreman, top rider and roper with the Buffalo Bill Show, husband, father, homesteader, saloon owner... and outlaw. This member of the Wild Bunch was a true pioneer of Hot Springs, County. Walt Punteney was a stockman in Wyoming who sidelined as an outlaw in the infamous Hole-in-the-Wall gang. He counted as friends such well-known outlaws a...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the first episode of this 12-part series featuring stories from pioneers of the outlaw country of Wyoming; Hot Springs County. He was a man of the West. A cowboy, rancher, friend of the Indian warrior, cavalry officer, Hollywood movie star, and showman.  He lived by the adage, “Never look back; something might be gaining on you.” This son of Irish immigrants was a true...

Send us Fan Mail Pioneers of Outlaw Country Hot Springs County was a remote area in Central Wyoming, lawless and frequented by the Hole-in-the-Wall gang. In the late 1800’s, there were no jails, many saloons, and wide-spread homesteads. There were numerous opportunities for the daring and enterprising businessmen – cattlemen, horse traders, store owners, saloon operators, farmers, coal miners and...