Heritage

2016

Influential Women of Johnson County

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A supplement to the Buffalo Bulletin

2 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 31

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30 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

A quiet leader

Leader

Continued from 3

By Jen Sieve-Hicks

jen@[Link]

Bulletin courtesy photos

Above left: Irene Voiles Smith was born in 1919 and graduated from Johnson County High School. After earning her registered nurse certificate, she
served as a nurse in the European theater during WWII. She returned to Buffalo and married Alfred L. Smith, and managed the Occidental Hotel following the death of her mother-in-law, Margaret Smith Bowman.
Above right: Irene Smith, far right, married Alfred L. Smith in 1950, and they made their home at the Smith Bros. Ranch on Crazy Woman Creek where
they began their family. The couple had three daughters, Beverly, far left, Margaret, center, and Joan, second from right. Irene was a practical woman
who did "what she thought needed to be done," Margaret said, that included helping to found Northern Wyoming Mental Health and the Powder River
Basin Resource Council.

The general tenor seems to be they

didnt talk about themselves or what
they did, even when they came back.
I dont think very many of them did,
Smith-Braniff said.
The human suffering and firsthand
trauma shed witnessed left an indelible mark, something Smith-Braniff
said eventually led her mother to work
to help found a mental health clinic in
northeastern Wyoming.
Without ever talking about it, I
think she understood, Smith-Braniff
said. She was always a caregiver; she
knew about that trauma.
Upon her return stateside, she
worked as a nurse for stints in both

Worland and Buffalo, where she would

meet her future husband.
Alfred L. Smith was Irenes patient.
He was 39, also a WWII veteran and
immediately taken by Irene. For her
part, Irene said she wasnt in the habit
of dating cowboys.
Eventually, the two began a courtship, but not until Alfred proved he
could stay sober for a year. Alfreds
sobriety and commitment to Alcoholics
Anonymous would eventually lead the
couple to assist many other Johnson
County residents through the programs
12 steps.
He was kind of the initiator, along
with my uncle, of the AA program (in

Buffalo), Smith-Braniff said. My

mom was part of that; she was the
nurse. She knew how to make people
feel comfortable, she made no judgments; she helped get them back on
their feet. They 12-stepped a lot of
people.
A self-taught environmentalist, Irene
was one of the founding members of
the Powder River Resource Council.
Smith-Braniff said that her mother read
books in preparation for meetings and
even took a class at Sheridan College
to better understand coal gasification.
She was very quiet until she had
her facts, and then you didnt want to
question her, Smith-Braniff said.

Smith-Braniff said that looking

through the lens of history, she can
see how her mothers participation in
WWII eventually influenced even her
environmentalism.
These women who came into
professions that had been restricted
became their own movers and shakers
in this world, she said. They came
home and they were so accomplished
at decisive decision making; they cut
through all the clouds of dust and
got right to the heart of things. She
could ask one question and just really hit what was the real issue. Its
one of things that made her a really
remarkable person.

Spirit

Continued from 5

Despite her young age at the time of the invasion

and her Scottish birth, its clear in the interview
where Margarets sympathies lie.
You know those big cattle companies had their
nerve, she said. They werent even citizens of the
United States. They were Englishmen. They came
over and monopolized this beautiful world.
In the interview, Margaret recounted the early
days of Buffalo and Johnson County as tough, but
also interesting and full of special friendships.
Buffalo was a good place and a place where
really there was a lot of culture and refinement
and niceties about there was a lot of people in
the early days that were wild and reckless and
wanting experiences, Margaret said. But the
people who were staying and made Buffalo were

high class, they were fine people. You wouldnt

find finer families anywhere than were in Buffalo
in the very early days.
She should have known.
In 1903, Margaret graduated from the
University of Wyoming one of the first women
to participate in the Army ROTC program there.
Immediately upon her graduation she was elected
the county superintendent of public instruction.
At barely 21 years old, she was the youngest person ever to fill that office.
In 1907, she married Alfred M. Smith, a pioneer stockman and son of John R. Smith, one of
the first homesteaders in the county. The couple
lived on the familys ranch in the Trabing area
until their two sons Alfred L. and Robert C.

were school age, and then Margaret moved to

town.
In 1916, the Smiths purchased the Occidental
Hotel, which Margaret continued to run until her
death.
Her husband died in 1934, and in 1958
Margaret married Oscar Bowman, a childhood
acquaintance.
Margaret continued to manage the Occidental
and with her encyclopedic knowledge of local
history, she was a founding member of the
Johnson County Historical Society.
At the time of her death in 1976, she was
Johnson Countys oldest living pioneer and
the oldest living graduate of the University of
Wyoming.

Johnson Countys and Buffalos

history is rife with women who
led their community in one way or
another businesswomen, philanthropists, educators, thought leaders
and politicians.
Irene Voiles Smith was none of
those. Yet, she served as a nurse on
the frontlines of the European theater during World War II and would
later return to her hometown and
play instrumental roles in founding
Northern Wyoming Mental Health
and the Powder River Resource
Council.
Irene was born Christmas Eve
1919 in Buffalo to Carl and Mary
Voiles. Her father worked for the
Padlock Ranch; her mother was a
homemaker. The family was incredibly poor, according to Irenes
daughter Margaret Smith-Braniff,
and scraped through the Great
Depression with next to nothing,
a fact that Smith-Braniff said she
believes helped shape her mothers
world view.
I think that growing up in the

Depression, and being from a very

poor family, had a profound impact
on her she was very frugal and
very aware of the needs of people of
all stripes, Smith-Braniff said.
When Irene graduated from
Johnson County High School in
1937, there were essentially three
career paths available to women:
teaching, nursing or secretarial work.
Irene initially intended on studying
to become a secretary. As fate would
have it, her sister Pearl was basically
providing home health care to a family and Irene got involved helping
out. Eventually, she chose to make
nursing her vocation. In 1942, she
earned her nursing certificate from
Artell Christian Hospital School
of Nursing in Kansas. In 1943, she
enlisted in the Army and served
with Pattons Third Army on the far
Western Front.
After just over a year of service,
Irene returned to her hometown a
changed woman.

leader
continued on page 30

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Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 3

Bulletin courtesy photo

Irene Voiles Smith was a nurse, a mother and a strong advocate for
those who needed the most help. She founded Northern Wyoming Mental Health along with the Powder River Resource Council.

4 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 29

A job fit for a lady

Writings of the
Manley sisters
provide insight into early
American history
By Stephen Dow

stephen@[Link]

Today, the educational careers of

Mary and Edith Manley would be
enough to impress any prospective
employer: Mary graduated from the
University of Kansas where she worked
with William Allen White, who later
became a successful newspaper editor and publisher. Edith earned both a
bachelors and a masters degree from
Kansas State University. But in the late
1800s these accomplished women were
dismissed with a scoff.
Mary had dreamed of becoming a journalist, but her attempts to
secure a job as a reporter were rebuffed
in spite of her writing skills, Patty
Myers wrote in The Exceptional
Miss Manley, for the Jim Gatchell
Museums Sentry Magazine. It was
not a job fit for a lady she was told at
her interviews.
As it turned out, moving to Buffalo
provided the Manley sisters an oppor-

tunity to put their skills to work. As

the first female editors of the Buffalo
Bulletin, positions they held from 1896
to 1900, the sisters proved they could
do the job just as well as a man. Some
thought at the time that journalism was
not a job fit for a lady, but these were
no ordinary ladies.
Mary was the first of the sisters to
settle in Buffalo. After being rebuffed
at numerous job interviews across the
eastern United States, she decided to
move to Buffalo in 1888 and become a
teacher.
It was in Buffalo that Mary had
her first successful job interview
with school board member Carroll
Hathaway Parmalee, a charismatic
man who would eventually become a
Wyoming district judge and represent
the nations largest judicial district outside of Alaska.
In fact, Marys job interview was so
successful that it led to more than a job.
When she moved here and submitted her picture to the school board,
rumor says Mr. Parmalee kept her picture and eventually the romance blossomed, Steve Reimann wrote in an
undated Buffalo Congregational Church
bulletin.
Indeed, four years after Marys arriv-

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Manley
Continued from 4

Bulletin courtesy photo from the Johnson County Library

Edith, far left, and Mary, second from right, Manley, proved the world
wrong when it came to what women were capable of.

al in Buffalo, she married Parmalee.

Their first child, Eleanor, was born
a year later.
It was around this time that Edith
started making frequent visits to see
her sister. After graduating in 1893,
Edith followed Marys example and
became a teacher in Beloit, Kansas.
However, as with Mary, Edith found
love in Buffalo when she least
expected it.
She fell in love with J.E.
Chappel, a jeweler who also worked

as a gunsmith, watchmaker and

engineer. They were married in
1896.
That same year, Edith was hired
as the editor of the Buffalo Bulletin,
and she worked there for three nonconsecutive years. According to her
obituary, she received many positive comments from her fellow editors in the state.

Manley
continued on page 29

Edith took a break from her editing duties when she became pregnant with her daughter, Alice, in
1898. This provided the perfect opportunity for Mary to fill in and fulfill her
long-dormant dream of working at a
newspaper.
In Wyoming, at last, Marys writing skills received the recognition they
deserved.
Mrs. Parmalee is a talented writer
and poet, wrote the author of a letter to the editor featured in the March
10, 1898, issue. She has the knack of
furnishing news in a happy vein so the
paper is in good hands.
The writing skills of the sisters
extended far beyond the daily newspaper. Mary was an accomplished poet.
Although little of her writing survives,
a comical poem written in commemoration of George Washingtons birthday
was partially reprinted in an undated
Buffalo Womans Club newsletter.
An excerpt provides a brief view into
Marys poetic skills:
To one Augustine Washington and
Mary Ball, his wife
Was born one day a little boy to
crown their married life.
They might have named him
Mortimer, or otherwise appalled him
With Hezekiah or Zebilon, but

Edith Manley

Mary Manley

George is what they called him.

Both sisters were also avid history
lovers perhaps because they had lived
through so much history themselves.
The girls father was a captain in the
U.S. Army, and he was transferred
to military outposts across the West,
including Fort Abraham Lincoln the
fort from which General George Custer
and his forces emerged before their
infamous last stand in the summer of
1876. Years later, Mary recalled that the
procession of soldiers leaving the fort

foreshadowed the gruesome battle to

come.
The fog was so strong that only a
small portion of the force could be seen
at a time, and the sound of an advancing body of men was heard for some
time before they came into view, Mary
wrote. Three companies of infantry
and a long train of baggage wagons
closed the ghostly procession for
ghostly the forms appeared as out of the
mist they came, and into the mist they
faded, many of them never to return.

According to her obituary, Edith

also had an intense interest in frontier history, and she wrote numerous
papers about it. One of the papers
that survived, Wyoming Old Trails
Passing Through Johnson County,
was reprinted in a January 1931 issue
of the Bulletin.
The history of Wyoming as a
white mans country is essentially
the history of her old trails and old
roads, Edith wrote. But these roads
had to be fought for and protected
from the Indians, who made the great
game county their permanent home.
These excerpts are just a small
sampling of the work written by the
Manley sisters during their decadesspanning careers. While many of the
writings have been lost to time, the
ones that remain provide keen insight
into early Western history and showcase writers that possessed brilliant
minds (Buffalo Bulletin, January 3,
1952). Editors may have scoffed at
the sisters talents shortly after they
graduated from college, but today its
hard to ignore the strength of their
body of work or their importance as
pioneers in their field. Together, they
proved that writing definitely could
be a job fit for a lady.

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28 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 5

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Bulletin file photo

Margaret Smith Bowman was honored on her 90th birthday with a celebration with over 100 friends and family members in attendance. Her
granddaughter, Margaret Smith-Braniff, served tea at the event.

Serving the local community for 49 years.

Pioneering spirit
By Jen Sieve-Hicks

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Born 11 years before the Johnson

County Cattle War, Margaret Smith
Bowman was a true Johnson County
pioneer and a firsthand witness to
much of the countys fabled past.
Margaret was born in Scotland on
Aug. 19, 1881. She moved with her
family to Johnson County when she
was 5 years old.
In a 1974 interview, Margaret,
already in her 90s, recounted the
cattle war, that infamous invasion
of northern Wyoming in 1892. She
would have been 10 years old at the
time of the war. Margaret recalled
walking along the north side of the
courthouse and seeing the bodies of
Nate Champion and Nick Ray laid
out in front of the Methodist Church,
which would have been on the southeast corner of Main and Fort streets,
where Reimann Oil was located.
We knew it was horrible and terrible and there was a lot of hard feelings and everything, but I dont think
as a rule the children, 10 to 12 or
something, they knew it was an awful
thing, but well I was really too
young to realize what was back of all
that, Margaret said.

Spirit
continued on page 30

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Bulletin file photo

Alfred M. Smith and Margaret pose

with their two young sons, Robert
C., left, and Alfred L., right. Margaret
was born in Scotland, but moved
to Johnson County when she was
5 years old. She was 10 years old
at the time of the Johnson County
Cattle War and had an encyclopedic
knowledge of Johnson County's
pioneer families.

Downtown Buffalo
Monday - Saturday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 684-7682

6 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 27

Traces of
a pioneer

Pioneer
Continued from 6

By Ben Ramsey

ben@[Link]

Many qualitative factors of Grace Irigarays life

have been lost to time. Her story is held together
with a handful of facts gleaned from her obituary the only evident piece written about her that
remains at the Johnson County Library and from
her relatives, the Lawrences and Martons.
Mary Lawrence, Irigarays 94-year-old daughter,
was happy to share what she remembered of the
woman that helped anchor the Basque community
in Buffalo.
Namely, that her mother lived a short, happy
life.
Born in St. Etienne, France, in 1896, Irigaray
came to Buffalo to make some money working for
her uncle, John Esponda, in the sheepherding business.
She came over here to work for her uncle
because she could make more money than she could
in France, Lawrence said.
Once she established herself in the community
and married Gaston Irigaray, the couple started
helping other Basques get established put them
to work at their sheep camp, washed their clothes

Bulletin courtesy photo from Grace Irigaray

Mary Lawrence as a child (on right with ranchhand) and her brother and father, photographed by
Grace Irigaray.

and taught them the ropes in their new homes.

Grace frequently hosted house parties. According
to Lawrence, Irigaray was also the only one of the
Basque women with a camera, and she took many
photographs of the Basque community, some of
which now hang on the wall of the Agape Manor

assisted living community in Buffalo.

Lawrence pointed to a framed picture of two children by a sheep wagon.

Pioneer
continued on page 27

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Thats me and my brother and our sheep dog, she said with
a youthful smile. Then she pushed her walker to the next one.
Thats me and my brother and my father and a sheep hand,
she said.
Irigaray spent her Sundays socializing and cheering at the
handball court in downtown Buffalo, Mary said.
I never saw her play, Mary said. She was always down
there yelling for them. Thats what they used to do on Sundays.
The men would play handball, and the women would sit on the
benches and yell at them.
Irigaray spoke Basque and English and loved the sheepherding business.
My gosh, they loved it, Mary said. And, of course, in
those days it was pretty good. Thats what everybody was doing
that came from France at that time. They had lots of house parties, and up in the mountains. They all liked to dance.
Irigaray passed away at age 55 from a stroke, and now Mary
is the oldest living Basque in Buffalo.
I just kind of took after my mothers place after my mother
died, she said. Dennis Kirven, he used to practically live up at
my mothers house, so he comes up here on Thursdays a lot of
the time to eat with us (at Agape). But all the kids used to come
to our place to play. We had a big yard and lots of apples and
everything.
Mary hopes that people remember her mother for her strength
of character and her work ethic. Though not many remember
stories about Grace Irigaray, the community she helped create is
woven into Buffalos social fabric in those who can trace their
heritage back to the old country, in the North American Basque
Organizations festival, in the mural downtown and in the little
European-style buildings that line Main Street, and in the dusky
photos that hang around town, showing the community through
Irigarays eye but never revealing the photographer.

Bulletin photo by Ben Ramsey

Mary Lawrence, daughter of Basque social mainstay Grace Irigaray, said her mother
was kind and hard working.

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26 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2015

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 7

8 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 25

Welcome Rodeo Fans

Woman

Ropin' and ridin'

Continued from 9

The trail for good food ends

here. Good luck fair & rodeo
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Bulletin photo by Jennifer Burden

The rocky cliffs that act as frames along Crazy Woman Canyon are a stark
reminder of just how rugged the landscape is and was for pioneers.

Bulletin photo

This year's Johnson County rodeo events kick off with team
penning on Aug. 3, followed by team roping slack at 6 p.m. Aug.
4 and 5 and the full fledged rodeo at noon Aug. 6 and 7.

The mans wife was white. She

was a stranger in the West. She did
not know the Crow language. She was
unfamiliar with the territory. It was
her experience that may have helped
coin the term out of her element.
Legend has it that one of the gifts
the trader brought was whiskey, or
black water. He would trade, secretly,
with the chief, who was said to be a
quiet and dignified man, according to the university report. His
demeanor and character changed, as
it often does, with the introduction
of alcohol. The chief would be seen
acting funny, dancing and hugging
the women of the tribe. It was out of
character, and the Crow became suspicious. What could be making their
chief act so out of character?
The tribe eventually traced it to the
trader, and they decided to order the
trader to leave the area. If he didnt, he
would be killed. It was an ultimatum,
but it didnt end up going the way the
Crow originally planned.
The warrior sent to the traders
cabin to deliver the message was sidetracked with a drink of black water,
according to the university. He joined
his chief in relishing the taste of something new and the feeling of freedom
it provided. But a young leader spied
the chief and the warrior partaking in
spirits and told the entire tribe what
was happening.
The warrior denied the accusations
and called the young leader a liar, but
the trader confessed to supplying the
chief and the warrior with whiskey.
The young leader challenged the
warrior to a duel. The warrior was
shaky, having grown fond of the whis-

key. He was speared by the young

leader.
The trader supplied the rest of the
village with whiskey for the next
week. The trader started asking for
money in exchange for the whiskey.
The University of Portland reports
that, at first, he asked for one robe per
drink, then two robes and then more.
Next came the trading of ponies, then
wives. But like most whiskey, it eventually ran out and chaos ensued.
The trader said he must leave
to go get more whiskey, but one of
the Crow didnt trust the trader. He
thought he would leave with all their
robes and never come back or
worse, trade with their enemies, the
university reports.
The trader, who feared for his life,
holed up in his cabin. Eventually, he
was killed in front of his wife. She
was struck with a tomahawk and left
for dead she wasnt.
Instead, she foraged the land for
food, sometimes running into Crow
women, asking them for help.
The University of Portland reports
that one Crow warrior found her and
tried to bring her to the village to help
her, but the widow feared for her life
and fled to the hills. Her fate was
never known. Perhaps she lived a solitary life in the hills. Maybe she found
her way to another village. Either way,
the story of Crazy Woman lives on.
The other story begins with a
squaw, who was left alone after an
attack on her Indian camp. After
seeing her tribe slaughtered, she
went crazy and lived on her own
until her death. People knew her as
Crazy Woman.

24 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Welcome Rodeo Fans!

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Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 9

The woman
behind the
crazy name
By Jennifer Burden

jennifer@[Link]

Bull Camp
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2 bed,1 bath,
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1 Longhorn
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3 bed, 2 bath
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3 bed, 5 bath
16.29 acres
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161 Hemlock
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3 bed, 1 bath &
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3 bed, 1 bath
$215,000

608 & 610

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Nice duplex.
Two 2 bed/
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$182,500

58 Turkey
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4 bed/3 bath,
5 acres, pristine
view and lots
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$595,000

18 Sage Lane
2 bed, 2 bath
35 acres and
guest house
$375,000

355 Trabing
Road
3 bed, 2 bath
15 acres
$205,000

141 Upper
Clear Creek
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2 bed, 1 bath,
creek running
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acres.
$375,000

41 Airport Rd.
3 bed, 2 bath
with shop
2.7 acres
$310,000

Home & 35
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$795,000

29730 Old
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6 bed, 3 bath.
Great property
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$279,900

29423 Old
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62 acres plus
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$235,000

123 Barn
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1 bed, 2 bath
35 acres
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99 Dally Lane
4 bed, 3 bath
70 acres
$999,500

302 Keays
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3 bed, 2 bath
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12 S. Main
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3 bed, 2
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317
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20 Acres
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Lot 3 & 4
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Land Approx.
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No one knows for sure where the name comes

from. There are haunting legends in which the story
varies slightly. One thing is for sure, Crazy Womans
story has been told time and time again and has
paved the way for many jokes from tourists and
locals alike but the stories behind the name are
always tragic.
One of the legends begins with a half-white, half
American Indian man who came west as a trader. He
found the fork of Crazy Woman and decided to call
it home. He built a cabin and filled it with his goods.
After some time, he brought his wife and a supply
wagon west. It was said to be the first wagon drawn
by an ox that the Crow had ever seen, according to a
report from the University of Portland.

woman
continued on page 25

Bulletin photo by Jennifer Burden

Crazy Woman Canyon is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. Its history is one that
involves a harrowing tale of a woman gone mad.

Rick Pallister

for Johnson County Commissioner

With a long career in public service and as a lifelong
resident of the Rocky Mountain West, Rick is uniquely
experienced to partner with the residents of Johnson County
45 year resident in Wyoming, 34 in Johnson County
Bachelor of Arts University of Montana
28 years Wyoming Game Warden, 24 in Johnson County
Regional Director, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
NE Wyoming Program Director, The Nature Conservancy
Proven leadership and communication skills.
Excellent relationships with individuals, government
agencies, businesses, non-governmental entities
Building on experience - as Commissioner - Rick will:
Work to help Johnson County through scal challenges
Listen - long and hard - before making decisions
Reach out to all citizens in Johnson County
Work collaboratively and creatively with all levels of government,
business and individuals.

RICK

For all of Johnson County

PALLISTER

Johnson County Commission

Thoughtful Inclusive Decisive

paid for by Rick Pallister

10 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 23

Keyes

Continued from 22

Lets rodeo

Keyes won the contest, beating out 36 other

contestants for the historic privilege of having her
design represent the state.
On Jan. 31, 1917, the 14th Wyoming State
Legislature adopted the design. The design remains
impressive by todays standards, and the North
American Vexillological Association (which studies
the design and history of flags) rated it favorably in a
2001 ranking of state and Canadian province flags.
Newell, who knew Keyes as a child, described
her grandmother as friendly, yet proper.
She was kind, warm, always a lady with a capital L, stressed good manners with us, Newell said.
Really attractive as a young woman, kept a dignified appearance, never wore slacks. She always wore
culottes when riding and fixed her hair nicely.
Furthermore, she was a patriot and a historians
historical figure, always taking notes, collecting and
documenting artifacts and rocks.
Every summer my family would go to Wyoming
for a few weeks, Newell said. We would go
around looking at Native American sites and the
monuments. She was always looking for arrowheads and different Native American artifacts and
interesting rocks. She was really a rock hunter for
her whole life.
After winning the competition, Keyes went on to
design a rail car and several small commissions for
the town of Buffalo including a map, plus continued
to pursue commercial art. Winning also reinforced
Keyes sense of civic duty. She worked as a bill
clerk for the Wyoming State Senate in 1919 and a
telephone messenger for the Senate in 1921.
She gave up commercial art and most other work

Bulletin courtesy photo

Verna Keays Keyes was a 24-year-old graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago when
she dreamt of a design for the Wyoming
state flag. She remains to this day a prominent historical figure in the state.

when she married Arthur Charles Keyes on June 1,

1921. The Keyeses moved to Casper in 1925 but
in 1931 Arthurs Casper company, Keyes Tank and
Supply Company, lost revenue dramatically, forcing
Verna and her daughters, Priscilla and Elizabeth,

back to live with her parents in Buffalo for eight

years while Arthur tried to salvage the company (he
eventually paid off all his debts though it is unclear
what happened to the company).
During this time, Verna found solace in camping
and organizing the Girl Scouts, eventually directing
several camps throughout the West. Newell said she
carried her civic pride and sense of dignity with her
always.
I think it changed her life, Newell said of
designing the flag. I think she always was aware
of her responsibility to set an example to the public
and to children. She never swore or drank or anything like that.
Arthur died of a stroke in 1951. Keyes continued
to be an active member of her family until passing
away on Oct. 31, 1982.
The important thing for a historical person is,
really, she was a truly fine person, Newell said.
She was honorable and made an effort to reach
out to people, but she wasnt snobby. Sometimes if
youre a historical person you could get an attitude,
but she was never arrogant.
Newell said Keyes meticulously documented
her life, and she now has troves of Keyes papers,
which she plans to donate to the Jim Gatchell
Memorial Museum.
I kind of promised Verna in my heart that
everything important would come back to
Wyoming, Newell said. I cant imagine that
she would want things to get lost or given piecemeal to people. She never told me please give
everything to Wyoming but I think she would be
happy with that. Its just a hunch.

Good Luck 2016 Fair & Rodeo

Contestants!!

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to the Fair &
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burgers and homemade sausage.
Stop by and say hi
Locally owned and operated since 1971.

Building Buffalo one home at a

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Bloedorn Lumber

711 N. Main Street Buffalo, WY 82834

307-684-7761

22 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 11

The Keyes to
a good flag
By Ben Ramsey

ben@[Link]

Blue for the Wyoming sky, for

fidelity and justice. Blue for virility.
Blue is what Buffalo native Verna
Keays Keyes saw while dreaming
as a 24-year-old graduate of the Art
Institute of Chicago.
It was the summer of 1916, and
the Daughters of the American
Revolution were requesting designs
for the Wyoming flag. They put up
a $20 prize roughly the equivalent
$440.80 after inflation and Keyes
father, Wilbur Keays, encouraged her
to enter the contest.
According to her granddaughter,
Kathy Newell, Verna mulled over the
design, procrastinated until the due
date was nearly at hand, and then saw
the design in a dream.
A biographic written by Vernas
daughter and Newells mother,
Priscilla, quotes Verna as saying her

dream came from the true source of

all creation. The book Flags of the
Fifty States: Their Colorful Histories
and Significance, quotes Keyes saying the flags use of red is for the
Red Men who knew and loved the
country long before any of us were
here; also, the blood of the pioneers
who gave their lives in reclaiming the
soil. White is an emblem of purity
and uprightness over Wyoming.
And finally the red, white and blue of
the flag of the state of Wyoming are
the colors of the greatest flag in all
the world, the Stars and Stripes of the
United States of America.
An American bison was centered
on the flag the monarch of the
plains branded with the Wyoming
seal, which Keyes described as the
heart of the flag.

Keyes
continued on page 23

Good luck

58 North Lobban Buffalo WY 82834

307-684-2223
[Link]

to the cowboys and cowgirls

at the Johnson County Fair
and Rodeo from the
crew at Kirven & Kirven

Bulletin courtesy photo

Verna Keays Keyes' name is synonymous with the Wyoming flag.

She was just 24 years old when she created the winning design
for the state's flag. She put a lot of thought into her design, and it
paid off.

Hesse

Continued from 21

Bulletin courtesy photo

Vivienne Hesse is shown above at the 28 Ranch where she grew up.
Hesse was said to be an amazing rider. Family members tell stories of
her riding all over the countryside on her pacer horse.

Pick up a
Buffalo Bulletin
for the latest
Fair & Rodeo news

"She bought many, many cards that we still have a supply to use
for different occasions," said Christy Kessler, Vivienne's great-niece.
Kessler and her sisters, Karen Boggs and Margo Mader, remember Vivienne as progressive and a good will ambassador. She loved
Wyoming and Johnson County, they said.
She was always taking pictures, Kessler said. She would pull
up her skirt to her knees and pace off the distance. She made lots of
prints and gave them away. To this day, we still have multiple copies
of many pictures.
For some time, Vivienne also gave babies born in Johnson County
$1 to start their college funds.
Historic records remind us that Vivienne was the belle of the ball
at dances.
She was said to be a beautiful dancer. She was small and feminine
and greeted people with what became her moniker, Top of the morning to you, Merry Sunshine.
Vivienne was asked to cut the ribbon at the opening of Crazy
Woman Canyon Road in September 1935.
Vivienne never married. Historical records and family members say
she was waiting for someone who matched wits with her father and
never found the right man. Her father was said to have a keen judgment, uncanny foresight, a retentive memory and decided ideas, and
its likely he instilled those characteristics in Vivienne.
In 1935, after F.G.S. Hesse had died, Vivienne and her mom
bought a home on South Lobban Avenue and lived together for many
years. Isabelle died in 1952.
Vivienne, as always, continued to be a good will ambassador for
Wyoming, Johnson County and Buffalo. Vivienne truly believed she
lived in Gods Country.
Vivienne died on Christmas Eve 1975 at the Johnson County
Memorial Hospital.

Kirven & Kirven

104 Fort Street
Buffalo, WY
307-684-2248

Rodeo days are here!

Welcome
rodeo fans and
contestants
to the
2016 Johnson
County
Fair & Rodeo

Ron's
Plumbing
49 Western Ave.
Buffalo, WY 82834

307-684-2992

The belle
of the ball

12 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 21

Vivienne Hesse, a lady

with a smile
By Jennifer Burden

jennifer@[Link]

Bulletin photo

Hayden Peterson, last year's grand champion, does his thing in the arena. The judge commended Peterson for his skills and said it
was obvious he knew what he was doing. This year's beef show starts at 8 a.m. Aug. 4.

Welcome to the
Johnson County Fair & Rodeo

Bulletin photos

Left: Buffalo Chamber of Commerce ladies

Angela Fox and Brittiny Morrison showed up in
character at the annual fair and rodeo parade
last year. This year's parade starts at 10 a.m.
Aug. 6.
Above: Miles Packard, of Arvada, showed "true
grit" at last year's fair.

Vivienne Hesse was described as

gayly flirtatious, an individualist
and loved by all who knew her. She
described herself as "fortune's favorite child." She was an educated lady,
friendly and carried around a heart of
gold. She didnt play by anyone elses
rules, though she managed to remain
a lady in every sense of the word a
difficult task for a woman who came
of age in the early 1900s.
She called Buffalo home but found
time to travel to Europe. It was her
sense of wonder, her ease of grace
and her genuine love for her friends
and neighbors that landed Miss
Vivienne Sutherland Hesse on the
list of prominent women in Johnson
Countys history.
It was Nov. 7, 1888, at the 28
Ranch on the Middle Fork of Crazy
Woman, when Vivienne Sutherland
Hesse was born to Fred G.S. and
Isabelle Hesse.
From an early age, Vivienne was
full of joy and energy.
She grew up on the 28 Ranch,
located between Buffalo and Kaycee.
Her father, Fred George Samuel
Hesse, was a prominent figure in the
early days of the state. Fred was born
in 1852 in Essex, England, and traveled to the U.S. by boat when he was
20 years old. He worked trailing cattle for various companies in 1874. In
1877, Hesse worked for John Sparks,
and a year later he became the foreman for the Frewen Brothers 76
Ranch and the Powder River Cattle
Company. Times were tough, and for
payment Hesse received land from the
Frewen brothers.
After establishing his own ranch,
Hesse married Isabelle Sutherland in
1884. Sutherland came to Johnson
County from her home country of
Canada by way of Nebraska to visit
her sister, Annie Agnes and her husband A.W. Murphy, who was Hesses
assistant foreman at the 76 Ranch.
She met F.G.S. Hesse at the TTT
Ranch on WIllow Creek. The pair had
six children, three of whom died from
diphtheria. The three surviving children, Fred W., George and Vivienne,

Bulletin photos courtesy of the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum and the Johnson County Library

Top left: Vivienne Hesse as a young woman. Vivienne was said to have been full of life from the time
she was born. That enthusiasm made her popular and liked by all who met her.
Top right: Vivienne Hesse is shown all dolled up for the 1959 Diamond Jubilee celebration in Buffalo.
Vivienne rode her horse in the jubilee parade alongside Wilbur Williams.
grew up at the ranch.
Vivienne attended grade school in
Buffalo and later St. Marys Hall, a
finishing school for girls in Faribault,
Minnesota. She also took a business
course at the Opportunity School and
Barnes Business College in Denver.
At one point, she worked in a
sugar factory in Billings, Montana,
later as a secretary to the secretary of the Albuquerque Branch
of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe Railroad, and she spent some
time with a real estate company in
California. But she kept finding her
way back to Gods Country.
According to historic documents,
Vivienne ended up homesteading
near her familys ranch and made
improvements to the land. Her
first homestead was destroyed due
to a fire caused by candles on her
Christmas tree. A second cabin was
built, which now sits at the Mountain
Plains Heritage Park east of town.
Although she homesteaded near
the Crazy Woman, she spent much of
her life in Buffalo, becoming a lady
about town. She was well known for
her presence on Main Street, greeting
all with a wave or a toot from her

mighty Buick.
It was in the mid-1920s that
Vivienne and her parents moved to
town. They found an apartment in
the Idlewild Hotel on Main Street
and later rented a home on Main
Street.
Vivienne was involved in various
organizations and activities, always
finding time to volunteer for the
greater good.
She was president of the Buffalo
Music Study Club, which brought
concert artists to the area. She
directed community concerts
and was president of the Zuleika
Chapter, a subsidiary of Sahida
Temple No. 86 of Sheridan,
Daughters of the Nile.
She was a dedicated
Episcopalian, attending two services
every Sunday and teaching Sunday
School to kindergarten classes for
more than 25 years. Former students
remember her picking them up for
Sunday School and taking them
home.
Her nephew, Fred E. Hesse,
remembered Vivienne as someone
special.
Vivienne was a character, evidently, Fred said in an oral history

transcription found at the Johnson

County Library. She must have
been from the time she was born,
right on through all of her life. She
was an individualist and did her
thing.
Fred said she was also an accomplished horsewoman.
She had a pacing horse that was
probably the greatest traveling horse
in the state of Wyoming, Fred said.
I remember them talking about her
running into a coyote, I think it was
or a wolf someplace over in the
McWilliams area. She pursued him
for half a day and finally ran him to
death down in the meadow below
the 28, and kind of a lean-to headquarters they had some help stay
down there that were haying. She
went in and got somebodys razor
and skinned it the coyote or the
wolf and took the hide home.
Locals remember receiving cards
from Vivienne on birthdays, anniversaries and holidays. Its said that
she sent hundreds of cards every
year.

Hesse
continued on page 22

20 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 13

Pioneer woman
Continued from 18

Sonnesbergers early life was

defined by tragedy. Born Delilah
Sarah Turner on Aug. 16, 1829,
in Patriot, Indiana, Sonnesberger
was orphaned three years later. Her
grandmother raised her until Delilah
married Daniel Sprague a day before
her 15th birthday. Five years later,
Sprague died, leaving Sonnesberger a
widow at 20.
She was later remarried to George
Babcock, and Sonnesberger gave birth
to seven children.
Sonnesberger started studying to
be a doctor. Within two years, she
had earned her degree. An undated
Sheridan Press article found in the
library archives notes that her training
paid off when Sonnesberger moved to
Wyoming.
She was never known to have
refused to go to the sick-bed of any
one, no matter how cold the weather,
how rough the road or how far the
distance in the sparsely settled frontier to which she had come, according to the article.
Within a few years of her marriage to Babcock, the couple moved
to Johnson County, which at that time
also included what is now known
as Sheridan County. According to
Sonnesberger, it was quite a wild and
dangerous place.
We were isolated from the world
in a country infested with thieves
and robbers, snowbound and with the
probability of falling into the hands
of the hostile Indians, Sonnesberger
wrote in her journal. This was about
the time of the Cheyenne outbreak
in Nebraska and two years after the
Custer massacre. It required nerve
to undertake this trip, fraught with
danger to life and property at almost
every turn in the road.
While her husband, who had gone
on ahead, prepared a cabin for his
new family, Sonnesberger and four of
her sons William, Ransome, Deloss
and Dellie embarked on a covered
wagon trek from Colorado to the
northern frontier of Wyoming. Their
destination was the recently opened
Fort McKinney on the Clear Fork of
the Powder River near Buffalo.
Feeling that our only safety
depended on being near a government
post, McKinney was our destination,
Sonnesberger wrote.
After a nearly two-month journey,
Sonnesberger and her sons arrived at
their new cabin a one-room log hut
with a sod roof and dirt floor. It was
located along Shell Creek approximately 14 miles from what is now
Buffalo.
Upon arrival, Sonnesberger was hit
hard by the grim realities of frontier
life.
We rested for the night and arose
early to find ourselves surrounded by

Bulletin courtesy photo

Delilah Sonnesberger's life was anything but easy. But being a

strong and confident woman, she managed to persevere.
try that every business transaction
all of the disadvantages of frontier
life; no roads except the old trail, and between any of the small minority of
citizens was well known to them.
no mail north of Fort McKinney,
However, Sonnesberger wasnt
Sonnesberger wrote.
intimidated by these thieves. They
However, this didnt stop her.
were intimidated by her.
Instead, she was motivated to work
I confronted one of the thieves,
harder than ever.
not 10 feet from me, just in the act
She was a natural born pioneer
of catching our pony, Sonnesberger
and enjoyed nothing so much as
action, said the author of an undated wrote. With a scream and a bound, I
cried out, Here he is, after the horse.
"Sheridan Press" article from the
Which was the most surprised he, to
library archive. She drove the team
be chased by a lady in her night dress,
that prepared the ground for the oats
or I to save my horse without any
for which her husband received a
further conflict, I never decided for
prize, and she homesteaded a tract of
he retreated behind the freight wagon
land close to what is now Sheridan,
and disappeared, showing his prowhich eventually became part of the
found disgust for ladies society.
town.
At other times, Sonnesberger used
While classic Western movies and
her brain to outwit the road agents.
novels often convince viewers and
In her journal, Sonnesberger recalled
readers that American Indians were
the most dangerous force encountered the time one of her sons overheard
a conversation between a few of the
in the old West, Sonnesbergers writthieves.
ings tell a very different story. When
One proposed a visit to our house,
they appear in her journal, Native
Americans are often depicted as being but another said, No, they have
friendly and gentle. It was the thieves got no money, for I saw them sell
two hundred dollars worth of butand robbers or road agents, as
ter in the Fort and buy checks to the
Sonnesberger called them who
full amount and send them away,
posed the biggest threat.
It was not fiction but a stern realSonnesberger wrote. This was news
ity that we were in a land controlled
to the boy, but correct to the letter.
by desperadoes by whom we were to
If we had ever started home with the
be dictated to, Sonnesberger wrote.
money they would have called on
They were so numerous in the coun- us to throw up our hands while they

transferred the cash to their own

pockets.
Sonnesbergers family was the
fourth to homestead in Johnson
County. By virtue of being one of
the first, Sonnesberger had a lot of
unique experiences that few others
can claim. She was the first person
to receive a copy of the Sheridan
Press when it came off the press
May 19, 1887. She also had the
rare privilege of seeing the town of
Buffalo being built from the ground
up.
Mr. Trabing, improving his
opportunity, moved his goods to
the present site of Buffalo, erected
the building now owned by J.H.
Conrad and Co., named the town
and commenced a flourishing trade,
Sonnesberger wrote. Soon after,
other houses were in course of erection, and it became evident that
Buffalo was there to stay.
Even more historic was
Sonnesbergers role as the first
woman to cast a ballot in Johnson
County in 1880 a full 40 years
before women were officially
allowed to vote in the U.S.
Mrs. Foster was the second to
vote, and she is the true pioneer
woman of Johnson County without
doubt, but age gave me the preference, Sonnesberger wrote. Upon
voting, we felt we had a firm footing in the goodly heritage of Uncle
Sams vineyard.
In later years, Sonnesberger gave
up homesteading and became a
prominent businesswoman in the
Sheridan area.
She dealt in property, Byron
is quoted as saying in an October
1981 Sheridan Press article.
Byron noted that, at one point,
Sonnesberger owned the entire
southeastern part of Sheridan.
By the late 1880s, Sonnesberger
was one of the richest women in
the area. A Methodist, she used her
money to pay for a wide variety of
Christian causes, including building
both a Baptist church and an invalids home in Sheridan.
After Babcocks death in 1872,
Sonnesberger moved to Colorado,
where she met her third husband,
W.A. Sonnesberger.
Sonnesberger died on her 61st
birthday in 1890 the same year
that Wyoming became a state.
Jennings says that this serves as
a reminder of just how influential Sonnesberger was to the early
development of the state and the
county.
You cant have a history of
Johnson County without Delilah
Sonnesberger, Jennings said.
She helped make this area what it
is today.

Bulletin photos

Above: Kenzie Miller was nothing short of adorable last year as

she led her sheep around the ring.
Right: One of the youngest riders had one of the best waves
during last year's fair and rodeo parade.
Below: Gabbi Bolli takes her turn in goat tying during last
year's youth rodeo.
Bottom right: Andy Wages shows off his skills with chickens
during last year's Johnson County fair.

14 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 19

Infamously influential: Nettie Wrights Buffalo

By Nick Spanos

nick@[Link]

Among the decorous, distinguished

and immensely influential women of
Johnson County, Nettie Wright may
seem the antithesis of such approbation, but in the early 1880s, speaking
strictly in terms of influence, she was
unmatched.
Putting it bluntly, Nettie was a prostitute, but despite her infamy as a lady
of the night, or perhaps because of it, in
just five years Nettie managed to build
up one of the most successful businesses in Buffalo and win over some of the
towns most prominent figures.
Although some of Netties origin
story is somewhat obscure, her time
spent in Buffalo was relatively well
documented.
Nettie's story starts in Des Moines,
Iowa, where she was wed to a gentleman with the surname Stewart.
Nettie and her husband had two sons
together, but after Stewarts death,
she decided she wasnt fit to raise her
boys. With the last of her savings,
Nettie bought a small farm in Iowa
and gave it to a couple that agreed to
raise her sons.
Like much of Netties enigmatic
life, what she did after abandoning

Bulletin image

In the late 1800s, women wore blazers with prominent shoulders.

When Nettie Wright was the madam of Johnson County, she was
sure her ladies were dressed just so.
1880.
her sons is obscure. Speculation is
that after departing Des Moines and
At that time in its history, Buffalo
before arriving in Buffalo, Nettie mar- was rough around the edges. Myriad
ried Charles Wright.
saloons and storefronts made up Main
She arrived in Buffalo in the fall of Street, which at the time was either a

marshy pit or a dusty lane, depending on the season.

Nettie had immigrated to the
United States from Norway in the
1860s and a slight trace of her
Scandinavian accent remained in
her speech. By all accounts, she was
comely with an enticing smile
and bright blue eyes, which was
a beguiling sight for the haggard
locals.
Not long after arriving in town,
Nettie gave N.L. Andrews, Buffalos
first lawyer, a document with orders
to collect $250. The document had
Charles Wrights name on it.
There is no record of what Nettie
did with the money, but its likely
that she used some of it to purchase
the Laurel Street property. The
property had a one-story structure
facing what is now Angus Street.
During her early years in Buffalo,
Nettie struck up a friendship with
Charles McLead, and not long after,
the two became business partners.
McLeads Saloon was operated out
of Netties building, who then sold
one-half interest to McLead.

Nettie
continued on page 19

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Nettie

Continued from 14

The building became known as

McLeads Saloon, and things seemed
to be going well, but it was not long
before things were complicated considerably.
On the morning of Dec. 21, 1881,
Nettie and McLead were in one of
the saloons rooms together when
Bill Heaton, a bartender at the saloon,
kicked down the door, and began shouting at McLead. In a jealousy-induced
fit of rage regarding Netties affection,
Heaton shot and killed McLead.
Nettie did nothing to stop Heaton
or report the shooting, which allowed
Heaton to flee. After the murder,
Heaton rode to Fort McKinney seeking
asylum.
At the time, the ready availability of
the law was not what it is today, and it
wasnt until July 1882 that Nettie stood
accused of three crimes, two of which
involved the death of McLead.
Nettie was accused of being an
accessory to murder; grand larceny, for
taking McLeads gold ring and other
items; and a morals charge for living
with a man out of wedlock. Nettie and
the man she had been living with, Jud
Braziel, pleaded guilty to the morals
charge and were fined $25, but the two
other charges still loomed.
Two unlikely figures came to
Netties aid; James M. Lobban and
Harvey A. Bennett posted Netties
bond of $400 and she was released.

Prominent and well-respected figures

in Buffalo, Lobban was a probate judge
and Bennett was a businessman who
later became the citys first mayor.
After her bond was posted, Nettie
was set free, and later she was found
not guilty of the crimes. Heaton was
never prosecuted.
Nettie then purchased back
McLeads half-interest in the property.
Braziel then became her business representative. Braziel was also part owner
of the popular Cowboy Saloon and
Billiard Hall.
Exonerated of the charges and
looking to expand her business,
Nettie began to renovate the saloon.
She added a second story and converted the downstairs portion of the
building into a dance hall.
Nettie couldnt read or write
nor did she fit in with the pioneer
women of the time. Despite her lack
of education and outsider status,
Nettie was industrious and had no
illusions about the service she provided to the men of Buffalo. At the
time there were approximately 700
people in Johnson County, with three
men to every woman. This fact, coupled with Buffalos proximity to Fort
McKinney, may have contributed to
Netties decision to choose the frontier town as her home.
Netties saloon was surrounded
by thriving storefronts, and she was

proud to be located in the neighborhood.

Although Nettie was rising to
prominence in Buffalo, she still kept
her ambitious and accommodating
attitude. She kept her patrons happy
by making sure the liquor flowed. To
keep up with the demand, Nettie enlisted the services of Jones & Harrington,
Buffalos foremost liquor supplier.
The cost of the pioneer libations
were as follows: A gallon of whiskey
was $3, a gallon of wine was $2.50,
a quart of beer was 32 cents, and $18
would buy you a dozen bottles of
champagne.
Belligerence was never tolerated in
her saloon, and Nettie prided herself on
the fact that her establishment was free
of riffraff.
However, it was not the liquor that
kept the customers coming back. It
was Netties three entertainers: Mattie
Kellogg, Kitty Murphy and Essie
Woods.
Each night the three madams, clad
in expensive apparel, would make the
rounds through the saloon. At that time,
Netties dance hall was the best attended in Buffalo.
Kitty was in charge of the receipts
and banking, and Essie was literate
and therefore read documents aloud to
Nettie. Mattie was sickly during her
time at Netties Saloon and passed away
not long after working there.

Nettie continued to make changes to

her establishment. In 1885, she had a
roller skating rink attached to her business perhaps the first in Wyoming
history. Braziel bought 45 pairs of roller
skates for a $1 a pair. There is no testimony to the popularity of the rink, but
given the availability of liquor and the
gayness of the patrons, it can be supposed that the rink was a success.
As Netties saloon grew in popularity, her health was in a rapid decline.
In 1884, Nettie went to Buffalos sole
doctor, John C. Watkins, who diagnosed
her with galloping consumption, which
was later known as tuberculosis. At the
time, there was no treatment. Her health
continued to diminish until her death on
March 25, 1885 she was 40 years old.
The following day, Nettie was buried in Buffalos original cemetery east
of town. Watkins was in charge of the
arrangements. Netties funeral service
was well attended by Johnson County
residents who wished to pay respects to
the infamous Nettie Wright.
Eventually, Buffalos original
cemetery was closed down, and the
bodies were moved to Willow Grove
Cemetery, where Netties body was
reburied in an unmarked grave.
Much of Netties life will forever be
a mystery, but it is irrefutable that
from 1880 to 1885 Nettie was the
toast of the town.

That's
the
one
Bulletin photo

Allen Nielson
participates in
the team penning event at
last year's Johnson County
Rodeo. Team
penning at this
year's rodeo
kicks off at 7
p.m. Wednesday,
Aug. 3.

18 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Good Luck
Fair & Rodeo
contestants!

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Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 15

Pioneer woman
Delilah Sonnesberger defied expectations
to become one of the most influential women in
Johnson County history
By Stephen Dow

stephen@[Link]

Often, it is not until we look at things in hindsight that we can see

how truly revolutionary they were. So it is with the life of Delilah
Sonnesberger.
During her life in Johnson County, Sonnesbergers ingenuity and determination were taken for granted as traits necessary to survive on the harsh
frontier, said Nancy Jennings, Johnson County Librarys reference librarian. But looking back now, its clear to see that her accomplishments as a
doctor, a businesswoman and the first female voter in the county helped
challenge common perceptions of the day about what a woman was capable of.
During that time, it was thought that when you became a doctor,
you could no longer consider yourself a woman, Jennings said. Mrs.
Sonnesberger was constantly redefining the idea of what it meant to be a
woman at that time.
In a written introduction to Sonnesbergers will, Sheridan historian Elsa
Spear Byron agrees with Jennings statement.
In the 1880s in Wyoming, it was unusual for a woman to be a business and professional woman let alone one who was educated as a doctor, Byron writes. Such a woman was Delilah Turner Sonnesberger of
Buffalo and Sheridan.

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Wonderful improvements.

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Pioneer woman
continued on page 20

Good Luck

Fair and Rodeo Participants!

N O RT H R I D G E E Q U E S T R I A N R A N C H

IH RANCH

B O B C AT R A N C H

B U F FA L O , W Y O M I N G

SHERIDAN, WYOMING

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log home, guest house and exceptional
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Productive 387 deeded acre modestly

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16 Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016

Johnson County
Fair has something
for everybody
By Stephen Dow

stephen@[Link]

When you ask Byron Geis of the

Johnson County Fair Board to discuss the one thing hes most looking
forward to at the fair this year, his
answer is simple.
The whole thing, Geis said.
There really is something for everybody at the fair. It should be a great
time for all.
Still, Geis said he has a special
place in his heart for the tried and
true events at the fair, including the
sheep feed and sheep lead contests
on Tuesday, Aug. 2.
Those events always bring a lot
of people to town, Geis said. I
think a large part of the popularity
is due to how it connects us with the
Basque culture of this area. These
kind of events have been going on
in Buffalo since long before the fair
was started. Its great that the fair
can continue that tradition.
Another long-standing tradition
at the fair is the rodeo. Geis said it
promises to be one of the highlights
of the week again this year.
I always love the very beginning

of the rodeo when the Buffalo High

School band comes out and plays the
national anthem surrounded by all of
the cowboys and their horses, Geis
said. For me, that epitomizes what
the rodeo and country lifestyle is
all about.
Geis said that to make the rodeo
more fun and accessible for everyone, the event will be experiencing
a few minor changes this year.
In previous years, all events
took place on both Saturday and
Sunday, Geis said. So, for
example, if you wanted to know
the results of a roping competition,
youd have to wait until Sunday.
Now, were trying to group similar
events together on the same day so
folks dont have to wait as long for
results.
Geis said he wants all Johnson
County residents to come out and
support their friends and neighbors
during fair week.
It really is a community event,
Geis said. Its great to come out
and support all of the exhibitors and
rodeo participants, who spend a lot
of time and money preparing for this
special week.

Bulletin photos

Above: The sheep lead is one of the most popular events at the
Johnson County Fair. Each year, dozens of youngsters fashion
their outfits, complete with matching sheep. This year's sheep
lead starts at 7 p.m. Aug. 2.
Right: Kris Newman shoots for that perfect 8-second ride at last
year's Johnson County rodeo.

Buffalo Bulletin, Heritage 2016 17