They say the country makes the man. The tougher the country, the tougher – and usually more interesting – the man. Not everyone was up for settling the remote and rugged country in Wyoming during the turn of the last century, but those who did had a few things in common. They were adventure seekers, weren’t afraid to risk life and limb, and most didn’t really have a whole lot to lose.
In “Men to Match our Mountains”, retired Wyoming game warden Jay Lawson cataloged the lives of some of the most notable pioneers of the West, folks who braved the wilderness and harsh weather, hunted for food, trapped fur for income, ran guiding and outfitting businesses, and established homesteads in the state’s early days.
The generation that was born around the late 1800’s and early 1900’s took part in a special time in the settling of that country. Their parents’ generation had fought off Indians, established homesteads and towns, and ran cattle on the open range. They were coming of age at a time when the land was being fenced in, big game populations were starting to recover from overharvest, and the land was still vast and unoccupied, with plenty of beautiful valley bottoms open for staking.
Many of these early pioneers were cowboys for the big ranch outfits and quite a few ran the rodeo circuit in their younger years. Almost all left home at a very young age to find work. Most served in the military during World War I, probably none came back the same. All kept a few horses to travel in the mountains and pack deer and elk out. They’d build cabins and small shelters and run trap lines for marten, coyotes and other furbearers in the deep snow of the rugged mountain country.
They were cowboys, loggers, outfitters, guides, artists, wardens, biologists, and some were women who were tougher than most men. As he spent time among these people in the course of his travels throughout Wyoming, Lawson realized these were special people whose stories should be told, as most were quite old and didn’t have much time left to share them. Jay began to interview these folks, get their stories down on paper, and eventually compiled them into a book.
“Men to Match our Mountains” was published in 2007, and features 27 legendary characters who embodied the true pioneer spirit of Wyoming. I don’t believe any of them are still with us, but thanks to Jay Lawson’s efforts, their legacy is.
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