USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 60
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actual settlers, double the ordinary price, from which it re- ceived hundreds of millions of dollars. The bonds it issued have been paid for by the newly-organized company, and they in turn will be obliged to assess the interest to the people who patronize the road. Wyoming will have for its share more than one-third of the interest on the amount paid by the reorganization committee; thus the general government, which received a greater portion of the benefit, escapes by placing its burden on the shoulders of the pio- neers of the west. I think I hear someone exclaim, "What would you have had the government do?" I answer promptly in the language I used in 1864, "It is the duty of the general government to build this railroad-not only a broad gauge, but a double track-and then lease it for enough to keep the roadbed in repair, stipulating that the people shall have the benefit of low rates of fare and freight." This policy would have built up the west and would have given protection to the pioneer farmers, miners, manufacturers and merchants. This would have doubled the population of the western states and would have devel- oped enterprises of great moment throughout the western country. Had this been done, Wyoming would today have had a population of 250,000 and her mining enterprises would have astonished the world.
But to resume the history of construction. During 1865 forty miles of track were laid from Omaha west. The following year-that is, 1866-the road was completed to a point 300 miles west of Omaha. By this time the rapidity of construction began to astonish the world. The Indians' were troublesome and quite a number of employes were killed and scalped, but the work was pushed forward during the season of 1867, regardless of danger and death, and before winter set in the rails were laid to Chey- enne and beyond to Sherman Hill. Trials and difficulties in the way of the builders now began to show themselves. The mountain country had been reached and everybody looked forward to slow progress from the foot of Sherman Hill
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west, but they little understood the ability and enterprise of the men who led the army of construction. They had learned the art of grading, placing the ties, stretching the iron and building the bridges. Wyoming once reached, detachments of tie-choppers covered the hills for miles on either side of the proposed line. The ties were cut, dressed and rushed to the grade with great celerity, and as soon as the graders had passed on cars loaded with rails moved forward and stopped just long enough to place two rails in position, when they again moved up and other rails were laid in less time than it takes to write the facts on paper. To the many who saw the work done, every workman ap- peared as an expert, and they had to be to hold their posi- tions. Every night word was sent by telegraph to the east, stating the number of miles completed that day. On start- ing out from Omaha, the average per day at first was one mile; finally two miles was the day's work, and as the men became more expert, three miles was a day's work. A little later four miles per day was accomplished, then five, and by the time Cheyenne was reached six miles a day was the average, and before the Wyoming construction was com- pleted seven miles a day was announced. When it is un- derstood that it took 2,580 ties, 352 rails, 5,500 spikes, 704 fishplates and 1,408 bolts to complete a mile of road, the rapidity of the work will be appreciated. Following the track-layers came a gang of men with shovels and picks who ballasted the track, and these, like the others, per- formed their work in the quickest possible time. The men in all departments were willing to do a big day's work every day because they were well paid, well fed and properly housed. Each man worked as if the completion of the great enterprise depended on his individual efforts. The men at the head of the Union Pacific not only understood rail- way construction, but they possessed a knowledge of men which enabled them to select the chiefs for the different departments. The force once organized, every man at the head of a division of work fell into his place and moved for-
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ward. The secret of success was the selection of the proper men to do the work and the organization of the forces in the field. Early in the spring of 1868 the road was built down the west side of Sherman Hill and on the night of May 8th the iron was laid to Fort Sanders; little after noon of the 9th Laramie was reached, and before the sun went down the track-layers had passed on and were out of sight of the citizens of the town. The spring, summer and fall of 1868 were stirring days in southern Wyoming. The army of employes numbered thousands-graders, bridge builders, tie and timber choppers, men running the numerous saw- mills, a small army quarrying and hauling stone, hundreds of teams bringing in ties and timber, the well-organized force laying the ties, putting down the rails and complet- ing the ironing of the road, made up a scene which can never be forgotten by those fortunate enough to be engaged in the proud achievement-an achievement that meant so much not only for Wyoming, but for the whole west, and still more for the nation. In a large sense it contributed to na- tional unity and expansion of empire.
The army had its share of work in the construction of the railroad; its duty being to protect working parties as they advanced toward the west. In Nebraska the Indians had been hostile in the extreme. They harassed surveying and working parties continuously and as the track ad- vanced and the line to be defended grew longer more soldiers were required to give protection. It soon began to be under- stood that it was useless to undertake to construct the road without adequate force. Troops were thrown out in ad- vance and a strong guard kept constantly in the vicinity of all working parties along the line. In spite of all the pre- cantions taken, a considerable number of men were killed by the savages. Surveying parties, tie and timber chop- pers were attacked almost daily. Truly eternal vigilance was the price of safety. Danger lurked everywhere. Work- ing parties were too apt to venture beyond protection and as often as they did they met with exciting adventures and fre-
2
THOSCOURANT
SIDNEY DILLON.
SHAY GOUL
PIONEERS OF THE UNION PACIFIC.
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quently lost their lives. As the work progressed across Wyoming additional troops were pushed forward. Forts Russell, Sanders, Steele and Bridger were well garrisoned and between these were numerous camps wheresoldiers were held in readiness to move on short notice in any direction. A majority of the men employed in the construction car- ried revolvers for self protection. The men doing the work, and the soldiers, realizing that they were conducting operations in an enemy's country, but nothing was al- lowed to hold back the work. The people of the At- lantic and the Pacific watched eagerly for the daily reports from the two great armies of railroad builders. one pushing across the deserts and mountains from the east and the other, which had started from the shores of the Pacific, was making its way across the mountains to the appointed place of meeting. The year 1868 witnessed the greatest achieve- ment in construction known in the history of all previous railway building. As the months passed and the year began to wane, it was realized that the Rocky Mountains which had so long been a gloomy barrier against civilization would soon be cut in twain. That wonderful man of science and progress, the civil engineer, had utilized the dark recesses of Thomas Jefferson's "Stony Mountain" and built a railway through and over it on which was to be carried a restless tide of humanity, quite in contrast with all that had been before. Thirty-two years had passed since Mar- cus Whitman and his bride had toiled up the North Platte and through the valley of the Sweetwater, on to Green River and beyond into Oregon with their wagon; the first vehicle to cross Green River and to roll into Fort Hall. If these two pioneers could have escaped the merciless sav- ages they reasonably might have lived to see the iron road- way parellel their route across the Rocky Mountains. Jim Bridger saw the miracle and partially realized its impor- tance. Captain Bonneville talked about it at his farm near Fort Smith, Arkansas, and never ceased to wonder over the remarkable achievement. That other grand old pioneer,
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Alexander Majors, witnessed the great event and thanked God that he lived to see it. His pony express riders, his stage drivers and bull whackers congratulated each other over the fact that a more rapid method of transporting the mails, passengers and freight across the Rocky Mountains had been found and that the sun of civilization was flood- ing mountain and valley where all before had been loneliness danger or death. The few remaining trappers looked on from afar, scarcely being able to believe in the reality of what their eyes beheld. The wild man of the mountain refused to sanction the coming of the train of civilization, fully realizing that it was a power that would crush him and all his warriors.
During the summer of 1868 private enterprise kept pace with the operations of the railroad company; in fact led the advance. In the account of the building of Fort Steele I have given some idea of the rapid growth of the temporary towns which were started ahead of the railroad. Town building was very popular with a large number of enter- prising men but some of these were so unfortunate as not to consult the wishes of the railroad company and the latter, not feeling under obligations to meet the wishes of town builders, often left the embryo cities in the lurch. During the early summer of 1868 Green River was selected by pri- vate individuals as the place to build an important city. In July the town was laid out, lots sold, houses built and by September two thousand inhabitants occupied the place but when the railroad reached that point the company bridged the river and went on without paying the least attention to the enterprising town lot speculators who expected to make money by forcing the company to recognize a large towu. Years before this, there had been an important trad- ing station at this place, it being an old emigrant crossing. In the early days the Mormons had a ferry there, the river being seldom low enough to be fordable except late in the fall. When the water was up this ferry was in demand and the price of crossing was from five dollars up, according as
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the owners were found able to pay. The rush next was to Bryan, from which station a stage was run to South Pass. There was a good deal of uncertainty in those days as to the intentions of the railroad company. Bryan promised well but somehow those who had so often been disappointed had little faith in the future and when a new town was an- nounced on Bear River most of the people stampeded to that point. Early in November Bear River City contained a large population composed mostly of the rough element and as a consequence robbery and murder were frequent. The better element in the town finally made an effort to overawe the lawless and to accomplish this a vigilance committee was formed and wholesale arrests were made and the prisoners locked up in a temporary jail which had been provided. This enraged the rough element and a riot occurred. To add to the confusion the men belonging to the different con- tractors' camps on the outside came to town and joined in the riot and were promptly arrested and locked up. On November 20, armed men from the railroad camp came into the town, released all the prisoners confined in the jail and then applied the torch to the building. They next visited the Frontier Index office, which paper had boldly proclaim- ed the necessity of law and order, applied the match and the building and its contents were consumed. The town was abundantly supplied with a police force, but these were helpless in this emergency. The assistance of troops was asked for from Fort Bridger to quell the riot but these did not arrive until 8 o'clock of the morning of the 21st when order was restored. In this riot no one was killed but sev- eral persons were badly injured. Mr. Freeman, the editor of the Index was the greatest loser, his newspaper plant be- ing entirely destroyed. This outrage was deeply regretted by all the well meaning people of the town but there was no redress and so Mr. Freeman was obliged to suffer in silence the loss of his property. The Frontier Index is mentioned in another part of this history. It was known as a "Press on Wheels." because the outfit was hauled in a wagon from
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place to place in advance of railway construction. It some- times remaining as long as six months in a place but seldom a year. It did good work in Wyoming and its editor is worthy of remembrance in the history of our state.
The work accomplished during the year 1868, in railway construction, was remarkable. The well trained forces were kept in the field until December and in some places the work went on all winter. As early as October, trains were run- ning to Bridger's Pass and much of the construction work was completed as far as Bear River, and thus matters stood at the close of the year 1868.
What happened in 1869 will be detailed in the next volume of this work.
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CHAPTER XLV.
PIONEERS AND ORIGIN OF NAMES.
AUGUST LUCIUS, FIRST GOVERNMENT INTERPRETER AT FORT LARAMIE- SERGEANT LEODIGER SCHNEIDER-WARD AND GUERRIER AND OTHER POST TRADERS AT FORT LARAMIE-JAMES BAKER-ORIGIN OF THE NAME INDEPENDENCE ROCK-RICHARD WOOTTEN IN WYOMING-ORIGIN OF THE NAME PLATTE RIVER-B. F. LOWE, HENRY PERRI-OLD TRAPPERS AND TRADERS-ORIGIN OF NAMES OF BIG HORN RIVER AND MOUNTAINS, BIG WIND RIVER, WIND RIVER RANGE, SHOSHONE RANGE, POPO AGIE RIVERS, TETON RANGE AND PEAKS-CLIMBING THE GRAND TETON.
In the preparation of this work it has been difficult to speak at length of many of the characters who figure in the historic events, and the same difficulty exists in regard to lo- calities, and the origin of names of rivers and mountains. This chapter is given to supplement what has already been mentioned and to more fully explain matters of historical importance. Under this head will be found many things of absorbing interest which form a part of our early history. This chapter is made up of those things which merit a place in this volume and which of necessity were left out of chap- ters where mention occurs.
One of the interpreters at Fort Laramie was August Lu- cius. He accompanied Lieutenant Grattan on the morning of May 19, 1854, to arrest the Indians who killed the Mor- mon cow or ox, and he was there killed in what was known as the Grattan massacre. This affair is explained on pages 322-3. Lucius was a man of a quarelsome disposition, when under the influence of liquor, and as he had been drinking on the morning of that day, it is believed that his condition caused the Grattan massacre.
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Sergeant Leodiger Schneider was stationed at Fort Laramie and on continuous duty thirty-seven years. He ar- rived at the post with Company G, Sixth Infantry, August 12, 1849, and during the year 1886 was ordered east to take· charge of the property of an abandoned post in New Eng- land. This veteran joined the army in 1836. He was born in 1818 of German birth and enlisted from Pennsylvania. At an early age Schneider was apprenticed to a bookbinder, but not liking the trade he joined the army. The Sergeant was a well known figure at Fort Laramie from the first year of its founding as a military post down to within three years of its abandonment. During all these long years he was re- spected and trusted by every commander. At the time of the Grattan massacre there were three or four women at the post, and these quite naturally were much frightened, as they greatly feared that the Indians would make an attack on the garrison, and Schneider, to quiet their apprehen- sions, ordered that they be concentrated so that a better de- fense of them could be made. He was a great friend and admirer of First Lieutenant Richard B. Garnett, who as- sumed command of Fort Laramie July 19, 1852. Garnett resigned in 1861 and cast his lot with the Southern Con- federacy and won distinction and high rank in the Confed- erate army. He was killed at Gettysburg on the 3rd of July,. 1863. Schneider died, as near as I can learn, in 1892.
Among the recollections regarding early traders, Seth E. Ward is entitled to a prominent place. He came west to Fort Lupton, Colorado, in 1836, and engaged in business, trading with Indians as well as white men, over a consid- erable territory. In the early forties, this pioneer and William Guerrier established a trading post nine miles above Fort Laramie on the North Platte, on the south side of the river. They built a stone fort, or trading post, and conducted business there for several years. During the winter of 1858 Guerrier was in the Powder River country, trading with the Indians. On February 16th he was accidentally killed in a very singular manner. In the
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front of his wagon was a keg of powder with the head out, and this he was in the habit of covering with a blanket. Some of his employes had uncovered the powder without his knowledge, and having occasion to go to the front of the wagon he stepped upon the tongue with a lighted pipe in his mouth, the fire from which dropped into the powder. There was a terrible explosion, and the old trader who had braved so many dangers was killed. The stone in the old trading post was afterwards hauled away, but enough remains to mark the spot. In the early fifties Ward formed a partner- ship with a man named Fitzhugh, and this firm succeeded Tutt and Daugherty, the first sutlers at Fort Laramie. The firm of Ward and Fitzhugh continued until 1858, when Fitzhugh retired and William G. Bullock was appointed as agent for the firm, though Ward remained still continuing to hold the appointment as sutler. Colonel Bullock, as he was called, kept the agency of the firm until 1871, when Ward was relieved from the post tradership. Seth E. Ward was, in many respects, a remarkable man. He made strong friends among army officers, trappers and Indians. He was admirably adapted to this western country in the early times, always managing to get along with everybody without friction. Retiring from the post tradership he went to Kansas City, where he at this time, 1898, still lives, though greatly advanced in years. The next post trader at Fort Laramie was J. S. McCormick. He had a partner named Taylor, of Omaha, and they did business under the firm name of J. S. McCormick & Co. Soon after this McCormick retired from the business and Gilbert Collins was appointed post trader and held the position for four years, when his brother, J. S. Collins, received the appointment and was post trader until 1881, when John London was appointed and remained until 1888, when John Hunton received the appointment. He held the place until April 20, 1890, when the last United States troops retired from this noted trading post. These post traders cover the entire time Fort Laramie
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was occupied by the United States government, a period of nearly forty-one years.
John Hunton still resides at Fort Laramie, being the last link which connects the present with the past history of post traderships of that place. He was personally ac- quainted with nearly all of his predecessors and talks enter- tainingly of them. He was born at Madison Courthouse, Virginia, January 18, 1839. When the Civil War broke out he enlisted in Company A, Seventh Virginia Volunteers, and served throughout the war. In 1866 he left his native state and started to go to Nevada. On his way west he ran across a freighting outfit on the Missouri River belonging to Seth E. Ward and engaged to drive a mule team through to Fort Laramie, at which place he arrived in May, 1867. He at once took employment as a clerk in the sutler's store and remained in this capacity until October, 1870, when he started a ranch on the Chugwater and ran a freighting out- fit, carrying government stores to Fort Laramie and other posts. He continued in this occupation until 1882, when he found it necessary to devote all his time to his ranch and cattle business. This ranch became one of the best in the Territory. In 1888, as has been stated, he was appointed post trader. He has held many positions of more or less prominence. He was elected County Commissioner in 1886, and was Postmaster at Bordeaux for many years. In 1892 he was appointed United States Commissioner, a position he still holds. Mr. Hunton, during his residence in the State, met many distinguished military and civil charac- ters at Fort Laramie. He says that Robert Campbell visited the old fort for the last time in 1868, thiry-four years after he built Fort William, which later he called Fort Laramie. At the time of his visit he was a member of an Indian com- mission sent out to treat with the Sioux. Generals Harney, Sherman, Terry and Augur were members of the same com- mission. At that time Robert Campbell's hair was white and he was a fine looking elderly gentleman. He was popu- lar with all the old plainsmen, who gave him a warm wel-
JIM BAKER.
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come at the fort. Mr. Hunton was also intimately acquaint- ed with James Bridger and had many talks with him regard- ing his life. Bridger claimed that his mother was Dorothy Tyler, a sister of President John Tyler, and that she was dis- owned for marrying his father. He describes Bridger as being an old looking man in 1867. He was tall. spare, with gray eyes and thin lips, mild talking, low toned, and though determined in manner was not rough. When Hunton first went to the fort, Joseph Bissonette, John Reshaw, Antoine Janis, Nicholas Janis and Antoine Ladeau as well as Jim Bridger were frequent visitors.
Lieutenant W. H. Brown built the first hotel at Fort Laramie, and the second was built by Collins in 1875, and the manager was Jacob Markell, the father of J. E. Markell, manager of the Union Pacific hotel system. The last hotel was destroyed by fire April 19, 1890. The mail and tele- graph route to Fort Laramie was by the way of Julesburg until the fall of 1867, when the government established a mail route from Cheyenne and built the telegraph line along the same road. The new telegraph line was connected with the old one and was used as far west as Fort Fetterman. Antoine Ladeau, the half breed, was the guide in laying out the new road from Cheyenne. The building called "Bed- lam," at Fort Laramie, was made famous by the writings of Captain King. It was erected in 1852, was 32x48 feet on the ground, two stories high, with a double deck porch on the southeast side. This was the first permanent quarters built for officers. The lumber in the building was hauled from the Missouri River. When completed, tradition says that it cost $60,000. It received its name, "Bedlam," from the fact that it was often the scene of carousal of the offi- cers. This was before the days when the wives and daugh- ters of military men came to reside at Fort Laramie. About 1880 a one story kitchen of concrete was added on the rear. The first flagstaff at Fort Laramie stood near the old stone guard house, but a later one was erected in the northeast corner of the parade ground, about 150 yards northeast of
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the first one. The last pole was a spliced native yellow pine, 100 feet long, set in the ground twelve feet. This pole blew down on November 3, 1897.
James Baker or as he is more familiarly known, Jim Baker, has been mentioned many times in this history. It has been pretty generally conceded that his experience in Wyoming covered a period of greater length than that of any other white man, unless it be Jim Bridger. Baker was born December 19, 1818, at Belleville, Illinois, but while yet an infant went with his parents to live on the Sagamon River. From early childhood he was taught the use of fire- arms and at the age of twenty was an expert marksman. In the year 1838 he joined a company of recruits at St. Louis, who were entering the service of the American Fur Com- pany and with them he made the long journey up the Missouri, across the plains into Wyoming. There were ninety of these recruits on that trip and they went direct to the rendezvous, which was that year at the mouth of the Popo Agie on Big Wind River. His first trip as a trapper was up Big Wind River to its head and then across the range into Jackson's Hole. During the next nine years he served as a trapper and was constantly employed by the American Fur Company and was in the brigades of Frapp, Vasquez, Bridger and Fitzpatrick. On August 20, 1841, Frapp, with thirty-two trappers under him, Jim Baker be- ing one of them, had a desperate battle with Sioux and Cheyennes on Snake River. Ten men had been sent out for the purpose of driving buffalo. it being understood that the men in camp would head off the bison after the ten had started them running in their direction. It chanced that these men ran on to a large body of Indians and were at- tacked with great fury. One of the ten, named Burken, was wounded badly in the fight and he at once turned his horse in the direction of the camp, which he reached in safety, when Frapp ordered twenty of his party to mount and he led them to the rescue of the nine trappers who were carrying on the unequal contest. It was a desperate fight but the arrival
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