Let's Talk Wyoming
A podcast about Wyoming and everything we talk about including the weather, politics, energy & agriculture, sports & everything else effecting our state.
Let's Talk Wyoming
Let's Talk Wyoming - Wildfires' Fury, Appalachian Resilience, and Honoring Wyoming's Past
What if the unseasonably warm and dry weather wasn't just a climate anomaly, but a harbinger of more challenging times ahead for Wyoming? On this episode of "Let's Talk Wyoming", we cover the intense wildfires blazing through Hot Springs County and the Bighorn Mountains. The Elk Fire's relentless devastation, consuming over 75,000 acres, serves as a stark reminder of the fragile balance between nature and our communities. We express our solidarity with those affected and the heroic firefighters facing these unpredictable conditions. Meanwhile, a bit of unexpected humor brightens our spirits with the appearance of a "Harris Waltz for President" sign, while we commemorate the centennial of the scenic Wind River Canyon road—a journey steeped in nostalgia and beauty.
Shifting gears, our attention turns to the indomitable spirit of communities in Appalachia and North Carolina as they navigate the aftermath of recent hurricanes. The stories of resilience and unity serve as a powerful testament to human strength and self-reliance, challenging us to think critically about resource allocation amid political shifts. A touching narrative of prayer and divine intervention underscores the profound connections that bind us together. Finally, we step back in time to honor Addie McGill's legacy, whose preserved grave speaks volumes about the enduring spirit of the West and our dedication to Wyoming’s rich history. Join us for an episode rooted in reflection, remembrance, and the shared journey of overcoming adversity.
Good morning and welcome to let's Talk Wyoming. I'm Mark Hamilton, your host, and today we'll be taking a look at our continued warm weather here in Wyoming. We'll talk about our fires. We'll take a look at some cowboy football. We'll talk about some other issues going on in the country with these storms that are hitting the East Coast and the East Coast. We'll have a story on a gravesite that has withstood the passing of time here in the state of Wyoming. Thanks for joining us. I hope you enjoy the show.
Speaker 1:Taking a look at Wyoming weather here on the 10th day of October Hot and dry, hot and dry. Just unbelievable our weather right now. Across the state it is hot and it is dry. Don't see any relief. We haven't really had a major freeze yet. Got pretty close, got down to about 32, but last night woke up this morning it was 52 degrees and looking at the long-range forecast here in Wyoming it looks dry and hot, unseasonably warm. I don't know when this is going to stop and with the fires, that's the big news here.
Speaker 1:Our elk fire, which is the closest to us here in Hot Springs County, is directly northeast of us, on the north end of the Bighorn Mountains. It's affecting that area from the Bighorns all the way down into Story. It's at the point of Story, affecting Bighorn. It has got over to Tongue River and Dayton Big Horn. It has got over to Tongue River and Dayton. It has been just unbelievable. Last I saw over 75,000 acres have been destroyed and with these temperatures there's no end in sight. The smoke has just been horrendous. We have had days where it's hard to be outside and we don't even live near the fire. I know there's days in sheridan where they've had told people that more or less need to stay indoors and the impact it's had on animals all the ranchers in the area had to move livestock their cows out, get them shipped to safe spots. Also Also affects every other type of animal, their horses and we get into wildlife. That's just unbelievable. You're pushing a lot of wildlife out of their habitat and they've got to go somewhere and that's from everything you can think of is going to be going somewhere to get away from this. And then, after the fire is ultimately put out, most likely when it snows sometime I would assume in November and we get enough snow, we'll put the fire out, but there'll be no feed in those areas for these animals and it's having an impact because some of these areas you know they are cattlemen are grazing their cows and it's been warm, but there is some still grasses and stuff to graze the animals. Now that they're going to move out of there and that's gone, now they're going to end up having to buy hay to feed these animals and it just throws the whole cattle operation out of whack. The wildlife they're going to need something to eat, so they're going to start moving into areas trying to find feed.
Speaker 1:It's catastrophic. It's a sad situation. I know I said in a podcast back in the spring, early summer we had a very, very wet spring, a lot of rain, and when we get a lot of rain we get a lot of green, get a lot of grass growing, and unfortunately we just can't continue to seem to get rain all throughout summer. And what happens? Wind and dry, dry and a lot of wind dries out the grass and lightning and other things cause fires and it's terrible. Right now, of course, we have fires also over in the Dubois country, so our state definitely has been impacted by these fires. But I pray for the people over there. The firefighters have been fighting an endless battle and again, thanks for all they're doing.
Speaker 1:But the way it's moving now it's moving down the southeast side of the Bighorns and when you see it at Story and above Bighorn, which is south of Sheridan itself, it gets to be a little worrisome and with the way the wind's been changing it could go about any place and so it could impact a lot of homes. Now that area does have a lot of houses in that area, and it continues on. You're going to go down the mountain and end up in Buffalo, continues on, You're going to go down the mountain and end up in Buffalo. And the next couple weeks are going to be just wait and see what happens. But this morning it was hot and windy, wind was coming out of the south. So now suddenly the fire is going to change directions and suddenly you're out having to try to evacuate people and they're trying to get a fire line. What happens in these situations? That I've been told. I'm not a professional firefighter, but you set these fire lines to try to stop it and then you get these crazy winds coming. It blows everything over the fire line and before you know it you have the fire started again, just continuing on. So thoughts and prayers go to all those people fire line and before you know it you have the fire started again, just continuing on. So thoughts and prayers go to all those people that are impacted by our Wyoming fires. And it's just been one of those type of years, folks. But again, thoughts and prayers for everyone involved.
Speaker 1:Also in other news, around here in Hot Springs County we're getting closer to the election. I did see my first ever Harris Waltz for President sign outside of town. It was amazing that I'd never seen anything like that before. I kind of contributed to the COVID and you start getting people moving in the area and things start to change. Their whole community starts to change and I think we're really seeing it here in our community. But in our community we had the celebration about a week ago the 100th year of the highway or the road through Wind River Canyon. Can't believe it's been a hundred years. Drove that for 16, 17 years for my work from here in Thermopolis over to Lycite, wyoming and back and so very familiar with the trip. It's a scenic drive, it's a relaxing drive, but a hundred years old. So I guess we'll see what happens. I should say what the next 100 years has in store for us.
Speaker 1:Also in other happenings. I did get to make a trip up to northern Montana. I went to an area which is south of the Bear Paws Mountains in northern Montana, which would be south of Havre and Chinook country and just north of the Missouri Breaks. It's quite the area up there. It's about a six-and half seven hour trip up here from Thermopolis. Had to go up to take care of some business on a pipeline and haven't been up that way for quite a while and just enjoyed the trip, making that trip up and taking in a lot of the stuff and seeing how things have changed. But when I got up to where I needed to go off of the breaks and up off what we call Cow Island Trail, it hadn't changed much. It was pretty much the way it's always been.
Speaker 1:But it's out in the middle of nowhere, pretty much untouched from any type of outside influence. The few people that go through there are mainly the ranchers that run cattle through there. Also, hunting season's coming up There'll be hunters out there, but the rest of the year it's pretty quiet, not much happening. It's big gumbo country so you don't want to be out there. If it rains you won't go anywhere. No matter what you put on your tires. It is kind of crazy. So when you see a rain cloud you run for dry ground to try to find a way out. But made the trip up Again, remembering that there's so many parts of this country that nobody's ever been to and it is kind of nice to go someplace where you're the only person there and there's nobody around. And again, nice area Love the people up there. Just had a great trip. Made that trip back. Also have to catch up on our Wyoming Cowboys.
Speaker 1:Cowboys had a bye week last week so they ended up with a proverbial victory against BYE Not BYU, but BYE Bye. They came out victorious. They are in action this Saturday as they take on San Diego State in Laramie at War Memorial. It'll be interesting to see what adjustments the Cowboys made after their two-week rest. A lot of schools you end up with this bye during the year. It's kind of nice to have and get a chance to get some players healed up, take a little bit of time, step away for just a little bit from football, kind of recharge yourself mentally and then get back on the field and finish out the season strong. So the Cowboys right now with that lone victory against the Air Force Academy two weeks ago are now back at it again. Maybe they can get a two-game winning streak Now. San Diego State in the past years has been just a juggernaut. They have always had strong teams but they've seemed to have some issues in the last few years of getting back to that point. I know they are not that good this year. I should say they have, I think, one or two victories. But again it's a Mountain West game and, no matter what, when you're playing football whoever shows up is the one that's going to win. So big game for the Cowboys at the War Memorial Stadium there in Laramie on Saturday.
Speaker 1:One other thing this doesn't pertain to the state of Wyoming, but I've followed all the hurricane activity out in the eastern part of the US, just heart-wrenching to see what's happened. I've followed quite a bit of stuff from what's going on up in Appalachia in North Carolina. That storm was so crazy the way it guided itself up through Florida and Georgia and Tennessee and just kind of parked in North Carolina and those people there. I've watched a lot of independent journalists that have been up there in different sources and those people are tough up there. They are taking care of themselves. They don't even know how many people have died because of this incident. There is no telephone, there's nothing, and some of the stories it's just heart-wrenching to see. But these people are pulling together. They are pulling together and in that area is where Billy Graham's home was, where he lived, and he always talked about God's army. And boy, god's army is up there working right now.
Speaker 1:People are stepping up and out helping each other. A lot of people are coming in and doing stuff and then I tell you what people don't want to mess around with the US of A, because we got people out there that can get it done. They're not going to wait around, don't need government help. They're going to go get it done because they know, at the end of the day, the only people that they can depend on is each other. And it kind of warms your heart. I think that's kind of a message that we have going forward that we all need to remember. The only people we can depend on is us, because the way we are sitting right now, we're talking about the money that's being sent overseas. How much money has been sent to Ukraine here recently, while this is going on, they sent another $150 million or more to Lebanon and they don't have any money to help these people. And we've got to start waking up people on what's going on in the country right now. It's a crazy time and we better start bonding, getting together, getting with our neighbors, because we're going to be the people that are going to be standing. We can only take care of ourselves because there's nobody coming, and so my hat's off to all the people.
Speaker 1:Florida just had another hurricane hit, just unbelievable Two back-to-back. Now, come on, people, and there's been a lot of publications, a lot of stuff put out about weather modification. People kind of laugh at it, but it's been going on and I've seen some very credible people with the evidence and it looks like this is being put together on purpose and there's actually a report that I saw and I'm not going to say it's 100%, but I did see they were talking there could be another hurricane stacked up and right around the corner that's going to hit Florida again. So I tell you what Wyoming, here we're burning up and on the east coast they're getting beat to death. Pardon the pun. They're getting hit with everything under the sun with these tornadoes. And I tell you what?
Speaker 1:There's a lot of things going on in this country right now and we have an election coming up and people need to start doing some critical thinking on what's happening and what's going to be the best option for us going forward. We need to throw out some political leanings and just look at what in the heck are we doing and what do we need to do to right this ship? What do we need to do to right our ship? And we know all the answer, what that answer is. In God we trust, and I wanted to take a chance to share a post that I saw on X and I thought it was rather touching.
Speaker 1:For the last few days, we all have been uncomfortable about the devastating storm that was headed our way, an anomaly that was not only threatening the state of Florida but the entire country as a whole. After seeing the devastation it caused For our brothers and sisters in North Carolina and Tennessee specifically, we had a fearful idea of what to expect. In fact, it was broadcast to be much worse than Hill Lane. Not only did these last few days awaken us to so much truth about our government and our enemy, but it brought us all together in powerful prayer. As a nation, we united and got down on our knees and prayed to the only one who knew who would protect us, our Almighty Father God. He answered our prayers, he weakened the storm, he protected us and covered us in his loving arms. Here's where I witnessed an incredible moment.
Speaker 1:Early in the morning, all my neighbors and myself emerged from our homes to step out and see what damage was left from the storm. The storm had passed, but the sky was still cloudy and gray. It was gloomy and cold. About five of my neighbors gathered in my driveway and we began to discuss our expectations and our experiences from these storms. We started to converse about the power of prayer and how we could have experienced so much worse. We discussed how truly blessed we were that things weren't as bad as they could have been.
Speaker 1:I then brought up the fact that all I was seeing here on X were people praying for us from all over the world and how it was because of all our prayers to God we were saved. Immediately after I said that, the brightest sun I'd ever seen shined so brightly through the palm trees. It was so powerful and so bright. We all looked up at it in silence, trying to shade the brightness from our eyes. In unison, the six of us shouted wow, we could feel the heat. It was so bright. We immediately knew God was with us. He shined his light so bright because he confirmed our prayers were answered. That was confirmation to all of us that he is always here and always listening. So thank you for all your prayers, thank you for trusting in God. He is healing our nation. No weapon formed against us will ever prosper. In Jesus' holy name, amen. And finally, today, while history, it's amazed me through a lot of stories that I've read and I've shared here on the podcast about the people that traveled through our state years and years ago the earlier settlers, and a lot of them didn't make it, and there are a lot of graves out there that are still standing that are just a testament to what these people went through. And one that I saw most recently on wildhistoryorg was Ada McGill's grave.
Speaker 1:Late in June of 1864, the Oregon-bound McGill family of Brown County, kansas, found that their three-year-old daughter, ada, was sick with dysentery when they camped near Fort Laramie. After a stop while the child's health improved, the family continued along the trail another 100 miles to a spot near present-day Glenrock, wyoming in Converse County. Fortunately for the McGills, they were traveling in advance of the troubles that will lead a few weeks later to the deaths on the trail of Mary Kelly and Martin Ringo. Long simmering tensions along the trail broke out in sporadic warfare later that summer between immigrants and the people of Lakota, sioux, cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. There were eight in the immigrant family, nancy and Caleb. There were eight in the immigrant family, nancy and Caleb McGill and their six children. Ada was the youngest child, benjamin the oldest was 15.
Speaker 1:Caleb McGill had served in the Mexican War as a teamster hauling US Army provisions in ox-drawn wagons. Later he worked as a freighter on the Oregon Trail between Missouri and Fort Laramie. Years later he told of a two-day walk in bitter cold that he and a partner made to find stray oxen. It was so cold that the men on the return journey would lie down at night beside the oxen for extra warmth they offered. In early July of 1864, the family camped alongside Deer Creek near present-day Glen Rock. Ada again became sick, but the next morning seemed better. The McGills continued on but had gone only a few miles when she became very ill. They stopped and camped that night, july 3rd she died, as Caleb told the story years later, from the boards of an abandoned wagon. The McGills made a coffin and buried the girl in her Sunday best calico dress, as the family remembered it later they heaped stones on the grave to keep wolves and coyotes out and went on towards Oregon.
Speaker 1:According to historian and retired school teacher Randy Brown, in Oregon they settled in Polk County south of Portland in Willamette Valley. Brown notes that most of the information on the McGill family came from WW Morrison of Cheyenne, a freight conductor on the Union Pacific. In the 1940s Morrison contacted the McGill family members still living at the time in Oregon. No contemporary family letters or diaries have survived so far as is known, and the grave is not mentioned in any other immigrant diaries that have so far turned up. The Oregon Trail route remained an important transportation corridor after the end of the covered wagon era corridor.
Speaker 1:After the end of the covered wagon era In 1888, a new railroad passed close to Ada's grave but did not disturb it. In 1912, while engineers surveyed for a better road between Glenrock and Casper, they found that the McGill grave, on a knoll 20 feet north of the old trail and marked with a rough inscribed headstone, would lie right in the center line of the new road Surveyor LC Bishop, who later would become Wyoming. State Engineer or Chief Water Officer decided to move the grave 30 feet north to the edge of the new road Under a large stone slab, about five feet down, according to Brown Bishop and a shovel crew of convicts from Converse County Jail found pieces of the little girl's skull, a few small bones, some pearl buttons and a few cut nails. Bishop carved the new stone with the same inscription as the original and buried the original about three foot deep in the new grave. Later in the decade, oil was discovered in the nearby Big Muddy Field and the town of Parkerton sprang up. Chicago and Northwest officials built the Parkerton Passenger Depot next to the grave. The station operated until 1935. By 1950s the town was mostly abandoned. The railroad line was abandoned and the tracks were removed in 1980.
Speaker 1:Addie McGill's grave survives, protected by a sturdy fence and marked with a plaque placed by the Oregon-California Trail Association. Just another great story from wildhistoryorg. From wildhistoryorg, you have faith in humanity when people go out of their way to move the grave. So it wouldn't be disturbed to go to the work of redoing the headstone. And today there is a historical marker at the grave of that young lady who died on a wagon train in the late 1800s. May God be with her. Addie McGill, 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. 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, go, go, go ¶¶. ©. Bf-watch TV 2021.
