Let's Talk Wyoming - Scorching Summers, Pioneering Paths, and Electric July Nights

Wondering how Wyoming's current heat wave is affecting local agriculture and daily life? Tune in to "Let's Talk Wyoming" where we unpack the impact of these scorching temperatures on everything from the upcoming malt barley harvest to the resilience of corn and sugar beet crops, all supported by efficient irrigation systems. Reflect on the lively 4th of July fireworks in Thermopolis and my travels through Cheyenne and Nebraska, where the night skies were ablaze with even more pyrotechnics. Plus, get excited for the upcoming school year and the Wyoming Cowboys' football season, promising an action-packed end of summer.

Journey back to 1863 with us as we recount the gold rush in western Montana and the heroic efforts of Iowa Congressman H.L.W. Hubbard and James A. Sawyers to carve out a new route through northern Nebraska. Hear about the intense conflicts with Native tribes and the relentless environmental challenges faced by these daring pioneers. Experience the harrowing encounters with Cheyenne warriors and the strategic measures taken for survival, from makeshift fortifications to setting up pickets. Celebrate Wyoming's indomitable pioneers whose courage and tenacity continue to inspire and shape the state's enduring legacy.

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:22

Good morning and welcome to let's Talk Wyoming. I'm Mark Hamilton, your host Today. We'll, of course, take a look at Wyoming weather. We'll talk about the 4th of July and in our history section we'll have the battle at Bonepile Creek. Thanks for joining us and we hope you enjoy the show. Music, enjoy the show Taking a look at Wyoming weather.

Speaker 2: 1:04

We are in that heat wave right now. Here, right after the 4th of July, we've got heat warnings out. I get a chuckle out of the depictions of the heat on the weather page. We have been in the hundreds before, but for some reason this is more extreme. But it is hot, it does cool down. But for some reason this is more extreme, but it is hot, it does cool down. One plus here in the state of Wyoming we do cool down at night. It gets down into the high 50s, low 60s, so it does cool down. You can open the windows up and your house will cool down. So that's what we're doing now, just trying to not have to run the air conditioning all day long. But it's definitely hot. But hey, we're in July and that's what we expect here.

Speaker 2: 1:48

When I was growing up as a kid here in the state of Wyoming, I grew up in the moorland and I can remember hundreds plus. All the time the summers were hot, hot and hot. So when I hear about this potential global warming or suddenly we're having hot temperatures we've had hot temperatures For some reason we just like to promote them more now. But water, I guess, is the issue right now, just making sure you keep everything watered and green. Right now we're here in the Bighorn Basin getting closer to the Right. Now we're here in the Bighorn Basin getting closer to the malt. Barley harvest is coming around the corner. All the rest of the crops look pretty good. Corn looks good throughout the area. Sugar beets are doing well. We've got definitely water here with the irrigation system, with our flood irrigation, the sprinklers and such Keeps these crops wet. So with water and a lot of this heat boy, it's growing. But here in Wyoming we are hot, enjoying the weather. I did see a report that the state of Montana is having some forest fires. But we don't have any fires at this point. But if it stays dry like this, especially with how wet we were in the spring with all this grass and stuff, we could have some fires pop up around the area. But here in Thermopolis it's pretty favorable right now. The river is down, the flow is down, as I said last week, and so we've got a lot of people on the water, either in tubes, inner tubes, or in kayaks and such floating. The fishermen are pretty busy. They did have to up the flow on the Bighorn. There was so much moss and the river right now is causing some issues for irrigators, so they brought the flow up on Monday to do a flush and then they brought it back down.

Speaker 2: 3:46

Talking about the 4th of July, I hope everyone had a good 4th of July. It was rather strange. Here in our town, in Thermopolis, we had the 4th of July and that evening we did have a pretty good little rainstorm, which was probably a blessing to put a little bit of dampness out in the air on some of this dry grass. But the town of Thermopolis decided to go ahead and let people set off fireworks between noon and 11 o'clock at night and it definitely was a more or less really loud air. A lot of people were setting fireworks off and I was out having dinner with some friends at their house and their two neighbors were definitely setting some M80s or something comparable, and of course people forget about all the dogs and a lot of people that have issues. All this noise can be tough on them but it went on most of the night.

Speaker 2: 4:47

And then the next day I made a trip down to Nebraska, had to go to Cheyenne and then into Nebraska and coming back from that trip on the 5th, that night at Glendo Reservoir a lot of you people are familiar here in Wyoming If you've been through the area. It's off of 25 Glendo's between Cheyenne and Casper and the fireworks were going off there. It was kind of strange but there near the lake they were setting fireworks off a large firework display, large firework display. And then when I went through Glenrock or by Glenrock on Interstate 25, down on the interstate they have some ball fields and other stuff down there and they had fireworks going off there. So I was coming through it in the dark. So I've got to take in a couple of firework shows. So definitely fireworks were out and about, people were setting those off and enjoying the Fourth of July and, as I said on that trip, that's about 1998, I think would have been the last year that I went through there. So yeah, I enjoyed the area.

Speaker 2: 6:14

Good trip over. I like Pine Bluffs. I like the layout of the town. Got a chance to drive through Pine Bluffs and look around and thought it was well, I like the layout, I like the homes, the school was very pretty there, looked like a nice place. You've got some hills there at Pine Bluffs. That breaks up from a little bit of the flatland that you run into in that area. So kind of a chance to see some different part of the area of the state of Wyoming, that southern part and into Nebraska. And again everything looked good down there, the crops looked good and people were out and enjoying themselves.

Speaker 2: 6:53

Also, our summer again is about a month away from school starting here in our area and it does go by fast after the 4th of July. And of course then we're lucky here We've got football season. If you're a football fan or a sports fan, high school sports fan and college fan, the Wyoming Cowboys will start their action at the end of August in Tempe, arizona, as they'll take on Arizona State. It might be a little hot down there at the end of August in Tempe, arizona, as they'll take on Arizona State. It might be a little hot down there at the end of August. And also our high school sports all those start football and volleyball and cross country and they do some golf and so it's a busy time. Everybody's back in school and I think your communities change a lot when school gets back. Everybody kind of gets into a different flow in your community. So right around the corner, you better enjoy these last few weeks of summer as we start getting into fall.

Speaker 2: 7:51

Today in our history section we want to look at a story from wildhistoryorg the Battle at Bonepile Creek, the 1865 Sawyers Expedition by Justin Horn. The bluffs around at sunrise were covered with Indians to the numbers of 500 to 600, and fighting was commenced by their charging down over the plains. Hundreds of warriors charged down as a group of US soldiers fills every Hollywood cliche of the Wild West. Add to this, the fighting occurred along a creek named Bonepile, and surely this battle took place on a Los Angeles soundstage. Fanciful as they sound, however, the events on a hot August morning in 1865, hot August morning in 1865, 10 miles south of present Gillette Wyoming, were very, very real.

Speaker 2: 8:48

In 1863, as the Civil War raged in the east, prospectors in the present western Montana area discovered gold and in just three years extracted $30 million worth of gold. But getting to Montana wasn't easy, and would-be miners' eagerness for wealth started a race to develop faster routes. Hoping to capitalize on the gold fever, iowans proposed a route west along the Niobrara River across northern Nebraska territory, cutting hundreds of miles off the existing Platte River Road. The proposed route held the advantage, at least from an Iowa resident's perspective, of moving a jumping-off point from Omaha to Sioux City, iowa. Iowa representatives convinced Congress to authorize $50,000 for a road-building expedition. But like the more infamous Bozeman Trail, this new route still had a problem. It passed through Wyoming's Platte River Basin, prime hunting ground promised by treaty to Native tribes. To lead the Niobrara Virginia City Road building expedition, iowa Congressman HL W Hubbard picked James A Sawyers.

Speaker 2: 9:52

The dark-haired, 6'4", tennessean-born Sawyers served in the Mexican-American War before coming to Sioux City in 1857. He rejoined the Army at the outbreak of the Civil War and, as a lieutenant colonel, commanded the Northern Border Brigade. The unit disbanded in late 1864 and Sawyers was discharged from the military service service. Now a civilian sawyers commanded a party of a hundred and ninety six civilian men, including his brother newell sawyers, in eighty one wagons. Initially, representative hubbard promised sawyers a military escort of two hundred cavalry troops. However, the armyord joined the Army at the beginning of the Civil War, the 29-year-old clashed with Sawyers when he believed was incompetent. In turn, 41-year-old Sawyers thought Williford fainthearted.

Speaker 2: 11:05

As the expedition traveled across Nebraska, following the Niobrara River roughly by the route of today's US Route 20, they marveled at the endless prairies. Sawyers, a devoted Presbyterian, ordered the expedition to halt every Sunday to observe the Sabbath, a welcome rest from the task of digging stuck wagons out of the loose Nebraska sandhills. Departing the Niobrara River at Rush Creek, 30 miles west of present-day Chadron, nebraska, they traveled northwest, finding first the White River and then the Cheyenne River, which they followed into the sterile country of eastern Wyoming, with the Black Hills visible to their north. Sawyer's party found the Belfouche River on August 4th and from there traveled westward towards the Powder River Basin. At the same time, sawyer's civilian expedition made its way into Wyoming.

Speaker 2: 11:54

The US Army launched its own Powder River Expedition. As a punitive measure for the tribe's July 26, 1865 attack on Platte Bridge, brigadier General Patrick E Conard was ordered by General Greenville M Dodge to make a vigorous war upon the Indians and punish them so they'd be forced to keep the peace. News of Connor's expedition reached Sawyers on August 1st through Lieutenant Daniel M Danny. Williford had sent Danny to Fort Laramie to retrieve supplies, an action that grated on Sawyers as he blamed the low army supplies on Williford Initially on Sawyers as he blamed the low army supplies on Williford Initially, news of Connor's expedition seemed irrelevant to Sawyers as he intended to reach the Powder River by traveling north of the Pumpkin Buttes, while Connor traveling on the Bozeman Trail skirt of the Buttes to the south.

Speaker 2: 12:44

Traveling north of Pumpkin Buttes, sawyers made camp along a stagnant Cabrero Creek on August 9, camp along a stagnant Cabrero Creek on August 9, 1865. There Sawyers encountered the great mineral wealth Campbell County is known for today. Seeing large quantities of first-rate coal, I think it's almost an exhaustible amount. From the coal-laden campsite, sawyers' men traveled about 32 miles westward. Scouts found the Powder River on August 11th but reported that very bad lands made terrain impassable for wagons. In addition, the party suffered from dry conditions. The expedition's engineer, lewis H Smith, wrote in his diary Not much water for the cattle which are suffering from want thereof.

Speaker 2: 13:26

Facing these hardships, sawyers decided to turn the expedition around. They'd return to Caballero Creek and make for the powder on the south side of Pumpkin Butte. Want of water and excessive 90 degree heat continued to plague the expedition on August 13th Around noon, 19-year-old teamster Nathaniel Hedges traveled a few miles ahead of the main body to scout for water. Finding water at Bonepile Creek, hedges began watering the horses when he was attacked by a group of Cheyenne warriors laying in wait. Fellow teamster Albert Holman remembered seven arrows had penetrated his breast, a bullet hole in his cheek and several in his body. His head had been scalped, leaving bare the entire skull.

Speaker 2: 14:14

After the Cheyenne killed Hedges, sawyers reported they made a dash on our herd and stampeded and drove off eight cavalry horses Fighting back. Sawyers' men wounded at least one Cheyenne and bought themselves enough time to continue another 10 miles, hoping to reach Cabrero Creek. But the darkness closed in making travel impossible. Sawyer's men corralled on top of a small knoll that night. Fifth US volunteer infantryman John Colby Griggs wrote in his diary no one was allowed to sleep tonight for fear of Indian attacks. The next day they used some wood from one of the old wagons to construct a crude coffin for Hedges and buried him in an unmarked grave.

Speaker 2: 14:56

The men used their wagons to form a rudimentary fortification and dug rifle pits on top of the knoll. To keep watch, they set up pickets on nearby hilltops While Private Ulrich Jarvis of the Dakota Cavalry mandate picket, a group of 12 to 15 Cheyennes sneaked up on him. Fortunately for Jarvis, he heard the warriors and escaped. Scampering down the hill, Jarvis fired warning shots to alert the main expedition. With the warriors hot on his heels with the speed of the wind, jarvis made it back to safety, losing only his hat. Throughout the day the Cheyenne attempted to run off the expedition's livestock and each time Sawyer's men successfully fought them off. According to Griggs, 10 native warriors were killed, while Sawyer's lost no one that day.

Speaker 2: 15:45

The next morning, august 15th, sawyer's wrote, the bluffs around at sunrise were covered with Indians to the number of 500 to 600, and fighting was commenced by their charging down over the plains and shooting into the corrals. After the initial ambush found mountain howitzers. Sawyers proudly noted his men could repulse each charge of the native warriors. After two days of fighting the Cheyenne realized further fighting would not be successful and they called for peace. Sawyers began negotiation with the tribe, with Cheyenne's George Bent interpreting. In exchange for the wagons and loads of supplies, the Indians agreed to allow Sawyers safe passage. This agreement, however, did not please everyone. The rivalry between Sawyers and Captain Williford flared because some of the soldiers did not feel it was right to buy off the hostiles. In his own report Sawyers noted the military escort were discontent with this treaty but were restrained by the majority from fighting. Peace did not last long.

Speaker 2: 16:51

Sawyers next reported that Private Anthony Nelson and John Rouse of the Dakota Calvary ventured out among the Cheyenne, possibly to trade with the Indians. An argument broke out and in the melee the privates were shot. In the response Sawyers' men opened fire with their howitzers and killed several of the Indian ponies. Remembering the events a decade later, holman wrote it was presumed that the Indians had induced the two to go further out of bounds and then, just for devilish cruelty, they murdered the Norwegians. Sawyer's men recovered Nelson's body but couldn't find Rouse, leading Holman to speculate. He was still alive and perhaps from the fear of the same treatment, treatment the Mexican had joined the Cheyenne. Griggs was also certain Rouse had deserted. There were no doubt entertained by the cavalry that he had deserted to the enemy. A salvo fired from the two howitzers brought Sawyer's men some space and they moved from Bonepile Creek to return to the Caballero Creek.

Speaker 2: 17:53

Sawyer sent out scouting parties to determine General Conner's location and see if the army could send relief. In his report Sawyer's noted Williford for growing fainthearted and pressing to abandon the expedition and make for the safety of Fort Laramie. From the evening of August 16th through August 18th they remained corralled at Caballero Creek. During this time the Cheyenne made occasional runs for the livestock. Sawyer's scouting parties returned on August 19th having ridden 150 miles in 50 hours. They reported General Connor had crossed the Powder River and had a large expedition More important to Sawyers. The Cheyenne were moving north, leaving the road south of Pumpkin Creek clear. Unknown to Sawyers.

Speaker 2: 18:37

Events from Connor's expedition triggered the northward movement of the Cheyenne. On August 13th, the same day, the Cheyenne killed hedges at Bonepile Creek. Connor's Pawnee scouts, led by Captain Frank J North, spotted another group of Cheyenne warriors at Crazy Woman Creek. A skirmish ensued in which North's horse was shot out from under him and several Cheyenne were wounded. North's men followed the Cheyenne northeast down Crazy Woman to the Powder River, catching up. On August 16th the Cheyenne mistook North's Pawnees for a party of Cheyenne warriors, possibly the Cheyenne-harassing Sawyers. North and his scouts attacked the Cheyenne village and killed 24 Native Americans, including George Bent's stepmother Yellow Woman.

Speaker 2: 19:24

With the Cheyenne moving north, sawyers and his party marched south unmolested. They reached the Powder River and camped one mile south of the newly established Fort Reno. On August 24th, sawyers and Williford would now contact General Connor. Connor ordered Williford to remain at Reno to assume command of the post while his men were to be mustered out of service with the end of their enlistments as replacements service with the end of their enlistments as replacements. Connor ordered the six Michigan Volunteer Cavalry Escort Sawyers on north up the Bozeman Trail.

Speaker 2: 19:58

Sawyers' expedition continued north, crossing Crazy Woman Creek on August 26. They reached Clear Creek by present Buffalo Wyoming on August 28 and passed by Lake DeSmit on August 29, unaware that a battle was underway 40 miles to the north. On August 28, connors Pawnee scouts, along with guide Jim Bridger, saw smoke from the Averapahoe village on their horizon. Next morning, august 29, near present Manchester Wyoming, connors men took Black Bear's village by surprise During the Battle of Tongue River. Two of Conner's men were killed and six wounded, while the Arapaho lost between 35 and 63, including many women and children.

Speaker 2: 20:42

As with Captain North's fight with the Cheyenne on Crazy Woman, conner's battle with the Arapaho had ramifications for Sawyer's expedition, with the Arapaho at ramifications for Sawyer's expedition. Sawyer's party meanwhile made its way along the Bozeman Trail through the Tongue River and on August 31st Sawyer reported that Captain Osmer F Cole from the 6th Michigan Escort was surrounded and killed by Indians while scouting ahead. The next day, arapaho's attacked the rear guard and teamster James Dilleyland and immigrant EJ Merrill were both shot and mortally wounded. On September 2nd Sawyer's party once again woke to the sight of Indians surrounding their camp, between 250 and 300 Arapaho around them Under a white flag. Sawyer's met with the Arapaho's. The two parties agreed to send three men each to find General Connor. The Arapaho's hoped Connor would return the ponies his men stole in the raid on their village and Sawyer's men hoped to convince Connor to send reinforcements.

Speaker 2: 21:44

For nearly two weeks Sawyer's expedition remained at Tongue River their present-day date in Wyoming, in a kind of standoff with the Arapahos Complicating matters. The members of the expedition knew they would lose the military escort if they pressed on, as the 6th Michigan had orders from General Conner not to cross the Bighorn River some 50 miles ahead. Fearing the loss of the escort, the civilian party refused to travel any further. With Sawyer's leadership in disarray, the civilian men voted to remove him from command, despite his protests that they were acting impulsively. It seemed likely that the seeds of the rebellion were planted in the expedition makeup as Sawyers struggled to maintain overall command of a mix of civilian and soldiers. This was highlighted by the first half of the journey and the feud between Sawyers and Milford. Now, sawyers lacked the authority to order the 6th Michigan onward, setting the journey in the feud between Sawyers and Wilford. Now, sawyers lacked the authority to order the 6th Michigan onward, setting the stage for the civilians in the expedition to question his leadership and move him from the command. With Sawyers no longer in charge, the party voted to turn around and head back south to Fort Reno.

Speaker 2: 22:55

As they were beginning their return, company L 2nd California Cavalry under Captain Albert Brown arrived as a relief party sent by General Connor and the Arapahos departed. Upon learning of the mutiny against Sawyers, captain Brown wished to have the mutineers executed for their crime. According to Sawyers, he begged Brown not to kill them as the mutineers were civilians, not soldiers. While the mutineers were spared, captain Brown's threats were enough to restore Sawyer's leadership. With order, and Sawyer's restored, the expedition pressed on towards the Montana Territory. They reached the Bighorn River on September 19th. As with the 6th Michigan, the 2nd Calvary were under orders not to proceed further. However, captain Brown provided a seven-man detail under Sergeant James Yukum to escort Sawyers to Virginia City. After crossing the Bighorn, the party continued along to the Yellowstone River without incident and reached Virginia City on October 12, 1865.

Speaker 2: 23:59

Although Sawyer's expedition succeeded in reaching Virginia City, it failed in its wider mission to establish a road between Iowa and Montana. General Dodge wrote While it is hard to survey and make a road through country comparatively unknown, its real purpose seems to have been to take the wagon trains through instead of making a road. But the Indian attacks, dry conditions, attempted mutiny and General Dodge's scorn did not dissuade Sawyers from believing Virginia City route was feasible. He attempted again in 1866, succeeding in reaching Virginia City. The Montana Post reported no trouble was experienced in crossing streams or on accounts of bad roads, loss of stock or molestation from the Indians. Albert Holman also noted that the second expedition recovered Nathaniel Hedges' body. But the second successful expedition did not make the Sioux City-Virginia City route viable. Continued fighting between the Native Americans and whites drove the US government to negotiate and in 1868, fort Laramie Treaty proclaimed the Powder River Basin as unceded Indian territory. Furthermore, the relentless progress of the railroad and the resulting greater ease of travel made Sawyer's and Iberra route for two more decades unnecessary.

Speaker 2: 25:21

Rather interesting story when you think about the area they covered, knowing that country and what they went through and what they continue to do. These people were pretty amazing, what they did and were able to accomplish. Thanks for joining us today and we hope you enjoy our podcast. As per the code of the West, we ride for the brand and we ride for Wyoming. ¶¶. We love, we love, we love, we love, we love, we love, we love, we love, we love, we love, we love. © BF-WATCH TV 2021.