In 1851 an important treaty had been con cluded at Fort Laramie with the plains Indian) by which they were confirmed in their right to roam pretty much at will north of the Ore gon Trail on their promise not to interfere with the government's project of building roads across the plains and establishing military posts at convenient points. This treaty or series ID: treaties rendered the overland trails safe for a number of years. In 1864 occurred the Sand Creek massacre in Colorado which started an Indian conflagration that spread next year Wyoming. The mines of Montana and Idah lay off the beaten line of travel and in 1865 the government undertook to construct a brand: road north from the Oregon Trail, in the vicin ity of Fort Laramie, to Bozeman in Montana This road was to run through the territory re served by the Treaty of Fort Laramie to the Sioux. Under the guidance of Bridger a detachment under General Connor tried an sucessfully to open the road. Despite the fan that the Sioux of this region, under their leader. Red Cloud, had refused to yield the ground or even to treat concerning it, Col. Henry B Carrington, in 1866, was ordered to proceed with the task of opening the road and erecting and garrisoning posts along the way. Morose north to Fort Reno (later Fort McKinney) as Powder River and using this as a base, orders called for the establishment of a garri son here and the erection of forts on Powder Big Horn and Yellowstone rivers and the pro tection of the road. The last-named site afterward eliminated but Fort Phil. Kearni, and Fort C. F. Smith were located during Jul) and August, the former near the site of Bui falo, Johnson County. The Sioux were con sistently hostile and on 21 December the u (sod train was attacked a few miles from Fort Phil Kearney. Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Fetter man went to their relief, enabled the wood tray to reach the fort in safety, but was himsel. with all his officers and men, 81 all told, mas sacred by the Indians. In the summer of 12.2)7 the Fetterman massacre was avenged by Mai James Powell. War with the Cheyennes and Sioux, however, dragged on until in the sprirte of 1868 a treaty was concluded at Fort Laramie by which the government agreed to withdrs. its garrisons from the Bozeman road and aban don the country to the Indians. This same year another treaty, concluded at Fort Bridger created the Wind River Reservation for tl-e Shoshones to whom were later added the Arap aho. Peace continued in Wyoming but through the continued reinsquishment of the northern part of the territory by the whites. In 1870 a number of citizens of Cheyenne or ganized a mining and prospecting company to explore the Big Horn country. The Sioux were apprehensive, however, and the expedi tion was abandoned. Four years later, this deferred reconnaissance took place but this time as an official expedition under General Custer, again causing great uneasiness among the Sioux. Actual war broke out in 1876 in which Custer lost his life. The Sioux, however, were crushed and Wyoming made safe for the whites.
In 1834 Wyoming had been a part of Utah Territory, Oregon Territory and the newly created Nebraska Territory. In 1859 Wash ington Territory was set off, including part of western Wyoming. In 1861 • part of the southern portion was included within the newly formed Idaho Territory. In 1865 a bill was introduced into Congress to create the Terri tory of Wyoming and in 1867 voters of Lara mie County. including the city of Cheyenne, sent a delegate to Congress. He was not per mitted to take a seat but his presence in Wash ington did much to hasten the actual creation of the Territory by act of Congress, under date 25 July 1868. At that time there were four counties, Laramie, Albany, Carbon and Carter (Sweetwater), each running the entire length of the State from north to south. Agi tation for Statehood was begun in the 80's and in September 1889 a constitutional convention met in Cheyenne. Their work was afterward ratified. By act of Congress 10 July 1890 Wyoming was admitted as the 44th State of the Union.
During the 70's the cattle industry began and continued to be one of the most important in the State. Perhaps the most prospercius years were from 1880 to 1882. Since that time
the open range has been gradually but very surely restricted, while several seasons of un wonted severity, notably that of 1886-87, re tarded the industry. With the restriction of the range came a growing feeling of hostility be tween the large cattle interests and the small settlers, whose homestead locations covered the watering places to which the range cattle formerly had free access. Many of the settlers owned no cattle but eked out a precarious ex istence by stealing unbranded cattle (maver icks) from the herds of the great stock own ers. In portions of the Territory it became impossible to get a jury of settlers to convict anyone of cattle-stealing (rustling). The cattle men resorted to force and between 1889 and 1892 several supposed 'rustlers' were lynched. This aroused an intense hatred against the cattlemen, several of whom were forced to leave Johnson County, the seat of most trouble, under cover of darkness and on swift horses. In 1892, however, the stockmen resolved on a coup and brought up from Texas an armed body of 50 men with the intention of invading northern Wyoming and killing the 'rustlers.' This culminated in the so-called Johnson County raid. Proceeding by rail to Casper the raiders started north toward Buffalo, learn ing on the way that several 'rustlers' were at the K C ranch on Ponder River. Most of the K. C outfit were absent on the round-up and only 'Nate' Champion and 'Nick' Ray and two trappers, who had stayed over night. were in the cabin. The place was surrounded, the two trappers captured and Ray shot dawn as he started out of the cabin. Champion bore Ray into the cabin under a fusillade and then for hours defended himself and his wounded com panion, taking time to keep a careful record of the details of his siege, hour by hour. Ray died in the course of the afternoon. Toward nightfall the besiegers fired the cabin and Champion, in undertaking to effect his escape, was shot down and killed. The raiders then started north toward Buffalo. but the alarm had been given and they turned in and fortified themselves at the T. A. ranch on Crazy Wo man's Fork, 12 mites south of Buffalo. Here the besiegers became the besieged, holding out for over two days against an infuriated mob of over 400. The leader of the settlers. 'Arap aho Brown,' finally contrived what he called a go-devil, consisting of a breastwork of logs on wheels, which he proposed to move up toward the log buildings where the raiders were besieged and then to destroy the cabins with giant powder. Just before this prototype of the modern tank was started, in the early morn ing of the third day. Col. J. J. Van Horn of Fort McKinney, under orders from President Harrison, came to the rescue with three troops of cavalry. The raiders surrendered and were transferred to Cheyenne where they were re leased on bail on their own recognizance to appear for trial in January. At that time, on Johnson County's inability to pay the costs, the case was dropped.
Trouble has, from time to time, developed between the cattlemen and the sheepmen, in which some blood has been shed, but with the creation of the national forests and the regu lation of an amicable agree ment has arrived at.
In the last two decades the activities of the State have been devoted to developing the abundant natural resources available.
Bibli_oltraPhi•—• Bancroft. 'History of Ne vada, and Wyoming' (San Fran cisco 1890); Cary. 'Life Zone Investigations in Wyoming' (United States Department of Agri culture, Bureau of Biological Survey, Bulletin No. 22); Carrington, 'Ab-sa-ra-ka, Land of Massacre' (Philadelphia 1878); Chapman. 'Last War for the Cattle Range' (in Outusg, Sep tember 1905) ; Coutant, 'History of (Laramie 1899); Dale, 'Brief Sketch of History of Education in Wyoming' (Depart ment of Public Instruction Bulletin, No. 2, Cheyenne 1916) : Dale, 'The Ashley-Smith Ex plorations and the Discovery of a Central Route to the Pacific' (Cleveland 1918); Heber* 'Civil Government of Wyoming' (San Fran cisco 1917); Nelson, 'Report on the Flora of Wyoming' (Wyoming Experiment Station Bul letin No. 28, Laramie 1916); Talbot, 'My People of the Plains' (New York 1906).