Contributed by
Harold A. Dodge
My parents, Ira Dodge and
Sara Slate Dodge were married in Bozeman, Montana. They had their horses
saddled and a pack string ready for a honeymoon trip through Yellowstone
Park, Jackson Hole, and up the Gros Ventre over the divide to the Green
River, down the river to the Black Buttes, where they took a road over to
New Pork and on over to Willow Creek where Ira had filed a homestead
claim. The Willow Creek is a tributary of the New Fork and is northeast of
Cora, Wyoming.
Shortly after they arrived at the
homestead, Ira had the misfortune to tangle with a grizzly bear. The
encounter left him terribly disfigured, but he continued to develop
the homestead into a nice little ranch and headquarters for hunting
parties. He also trapped elk for shipment to New York state to stock their
mountains. On one such trip he
met a young German artist hardly able to make his wants known in English,
but he wanted to go West to study wildlife and to paint wildlife pictures.
Sarah, having taught German in school, got along beautifully with the
young artist, as he was a very apt pupil. He went on to become the
West’s most famous wildlife artist. His name was Carl Rongius, but to
most who knew him he was Rongie.
....
We had a marriage. Billie
Alexander claimed Ora Yarger as his bride. It was a lovely affair.
Mrs. William Enos (Mary Francis
Yarger - inserted) died, as
did Shadrack White and Sam Hill. Sam left a large family.
There was also a tragedy. Deputy
Sheriff Charles Holden of Big Piney was shot and killed making an arrest
at the Sam Reed ranch. The hunt down and capture of the killer by my
father and J.M. Vandervort, and how my mother removed the bullet from the
killer’s leg, and the trip to the railroad, is an exciting and thrilling
story of its own. George Hartley was ambushed and killed as he came
through the gate between the William
Enos place and the Yarger place.
His killers were never apprehended.
Most of the men who took out
homesteads still worked in the Tie Camp during fall and winter, but they
were turning more to ranching,
and some had cattle.
In the spring of 1902 when my
folks were living with the Ira Dodge family on Willow Creek, there was
quite an Indian scare, which, I believe, was the last Indian threat in the
country. Carl Rungius, the young artist who was sponsored by UMC (United
Metallic Cartridge Company, which later became the Remington Arms Company)
was Mr. Dodge’s first dude. Rungius came in 1896 and was the first dude
in the Green River country. Rungius had brought a friend with him who was
a scientist and was working for the New York Museum of Natural History.
The two had found an Indian grave, or really several graves, that were not
very old.
....
Billy Wells took up land farther
up the river and built a good meadow and ranch besides what was known as
the Wells Dude Ranch, which was the first built especially to give guests
individual cabins. There was a large lodge and dining room. Billy Wells
was pretty much of a dude his self and did not understand how to handle
horses but had done his hunting with dogs which he tried on bear without
much success. But he hired good native hunters when he hunted elk and
sheep, and he used a large pack outfit. People I have known who said they
worked for him are Jack Reynolds, George Pixley, Ralph and Vint Faler, and
all of the Alexander brothers. He later bought the Pinedale Roundup and
moved to Pinedale.
Others were Billy Steele, Ed Finnegan, Glen Coleman, Jimmy Bertram,
Buster Mcllvain, Walt and Shorty Lozier, Clyde Antrobus, Frank and Billy and Guy Carr, Walt and Dave Meyers, Henry "Herb" Hand,
Bill and Charlie Alexander, Rex and Mart Wardell, Bob Hickey,
Dennis Mitchell, Harvey Washam, George Hereford, Joe Graham, Ben "One Thumb" Stewart, and, I'm sure, many others. Out of this
group, there were two who hit the big shows and won money - Henry Hittle and Billy Steele. Walt and Shorty Lozier and Dutch Olson hit the
smaller shows where they rode away with winnings and may have hit - performed in - the big shows. Two who usually took part in the four-horse
chariot races were Guy Decker and Ralph Mills. Not all performed in shows. But all were good cowboys and everyday ranch hands. As I
reread the list, I think that with the possible exception of Joe Graham and Ben Stewart all performed in rodeos in one way or
another and made their living doing ranch work.
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