Wyoming Genealogy

The very name of Jackson’s Hole fires the imagination, so replete is it with historic interest and thrilling tales of adventure. A more beautiful spot does not exist. From the south it is entered by the Hoback Canyon, famous since the days of the early Astorians who followed the Hoback River to its junction with the Snake, crossed the mountain-rimmed valley and climbed the range over Teton Pass. The same route is in use today. A good road about thirty miles long brings the traveler to Victor, Idaho, the nearest railroad station. It attains in one place an altitude of…

At a first glance it might seem that the history of a tier of western counties in the mountain state of Wyoming could hold but little of interest for the general reader, and I must confess that when I began the collection of material for these pages I had but an imperfect idea of the importance of the original Uinta County. Its claims to attention as they have spread out before my view are so many and so varied that my own limitations have been keenly felt. Especially was this true of the badlands of the Bridger Basin, a section…

On July 8, 1871, a school was opened above a saloon in the block between Seventh and Eighth on Front Street. The school room was approached by means of an outside wooden staircase, and aside from the blackboard a small table and some common chairs, was destitute of equipment. Attraction, however, was not lacking, for Miss Cina Hopkins, sister to Mrs. Crocker, was the first teacher. There were eight pupils, among whom were the Gingel children. Miss Hopkins resigned at the end of a few months to become the wife of John Conlisk, a well-known conductor on the Union Pacific…

The first church building to be erected in Evanston was that of the Baptists, who put up a substantial edifice on the corner of Center and Ninth Streets in 1871. Mr. Crossley, the colored manager of the Rocky Mountain Hotel, was a well educated man and was minister. With the exception of the year 1875, when Rev. J. W. Howe was in charge, he held services until 1877, when he left town. Owing to the shifting population, the membership decreased until it was deemed advisable to give up the property, and in 1877 it was sold to the Roman Catholics.…

In 1823 William H. Ashley, a Virginian, who had settled in St Louis, entered the fur trade. He was commonly known as General Ashley, having gained the title in the state militia of Missouri. With him was associated a group of men whose names have become famous in western Wyoming. Andrew Henry, whose services were invaluable both as organizer and explorer, became one of the partners, and he holds a unique place in that sturdy band. He was fond of reading and a skillful performer on the violin, which was his constant companion as well as an object of great…

Romancers of the early frontier in western Wyoming have passed. With them the squawman, the covered wagon and the American Indian, who has whooped himself into a tame and stupid retreat. Old Fort Bridger is crumbling into ruins. Even the creek beds, along which the ponies of the cowboys used to splash in low water, have shifted with the years. The first phase of the great borderland show is at an end.  The First Settlers Physical Features Early Discoveries Fur Traders and Trappers John Robertson James Bridger and His Post The Oregon Trail Further History of Fort Bridger Early Transportation and Mail Service Union Pacific Railroad History of Evanston, Wyoming Chinatown Almy Bridger…