Uinta County

After the tragic end of the Frontier Index at Bear Town in 1868 no attempt was made to print a paper in the new county of Uinta until 1871, when a man named W. L. Vaughn opened an office for the publication of a weekly paper called the Evanston Age. At the end of a few months he moved away, leaving his little plant behind. Two years later a man named William Wheeler took over the printing press and supplies, and publication was resumed. A mutilated copy dated March 17, 1875, is in the hands of the author. It may …

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Next in point of time to the settlement of the Green River tributaries comes that of what is now the western part of Lincoln County. In 1873 a squaw man named Tilford Kutz built a one-room log house on Smith’s Fork of Bear River. He had a ferry boat in which he took travelers across the stream, and the station was known as Smith’s Fork. Shoshone and Bannock Indians from the neighborhood of Fort Hall set up their tepees and there were often several hundred Indians near by. In 1874 two men known as “Syl” Collett and Robert Gee brought …

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World War I Draft Registration CardsMicrofilm Roll List, M1509: Wyoming (13 rolls) Uinta County, Wyoming World War II Casualties – Army and AirforceHonor List of Army and Army Air Corps Wyoming World War II Casualty List – Navy, Marines and Coast GuardHonor List of Navy, Marines and Coast Guard World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred OverseasThis database is a listing of American servicemen who fought in the Second World War or the Korean Conflict and were interred outside of the contiguous forty-eight states. Each entry provides the individual’s name, rank, unit, death date, and location of interment (listed …

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The first man to make a permanent home in Uinta County was John Robertson. He was commonly called “Jack Robinson”, and more familiarly “Uncle Jack”. Robertson was a familiar character among the early trappers. He had come to the mountains with the Hudson Bay Company, and had later cast his lot with the Ashley men. Having followed the roving life of the trapper for some years, in 1834 he built a cabin well up on Black’s Fork of Green River and made it his home. Other trappers were soon attracted to the beautiful valley and moved in with their squaw …

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Fort Bridger takes its name from one of the most famous scouts of the West. James Bridger was born in Richmond, Virginia, March 17, 1804. There is but little known of the family except that there was an older brother and a sister younger than James, and that the parents kept a hotel in Richmond and owned a farm near by. Although this would indicate that they were in comfortable circumstances, James never had the advantages of schooling, and he never learned to read and write. In 1812 the family moved to St. Louis, and five years later he and …

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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 …

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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 …

Uinta County, Wyoming Genealogy Read More »

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 …

History of Schools in Evanston Wyoming Read More »

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. …

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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 …

Fur Traders and Trappers Read More »