Wyoming history is rather depressing. Unlike many states in New England or the Midwest, it wasn’t first settled by Christians seeking relief from religious persecution. It had no explorers like Christopher Columbus who sought the wealth of the land to help fund a war against the Turks. No, Wyoming history is at best a harsh survival story, and at worst, a tale of often less-than-upstanding men scrambling to use the land—or simply pass through it alive—for their personal wealth and gain. Here are some highlights from our Wyoming state history lessons this quarter, and perhaps a great lesson we can learn from it after all.
In America’s early days, many Plains Indian tribes lived in Wyoming’s territory. The Shoshone and Arapaho especially ran the show, since they were the first to trade with European explorers for horses and firearms. Most of Wyoming’s territory was part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. When Lewis and Clark’s famous westward expedition passed just north of Wyoming in 1807, one of their men named John Colter took off on his own and headed south. There he explored the Yellowstone region. People were aghast at his reports of such unusual geysers and waterfalls, and they nicknamed the place “Colter’s Hell.” (Speaking of Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea was a Shoshone Wyomingite and is buried just west of Fort Wasakie.)
What, then, brought people to live in this wild slab of unsettled territory? Well, as long as beaver hats were in style for early 19th century gentlemen, battalions of trappers began to make their way west to seek their fortunes. Recruiters advertised for “enterprising young men” to join the battalions, although the men who joined were often scoundrels, and at times even criminals. The renowned mountain man and trail guide Jim Bridger first came to Wyoming at age eighteen on such a trapping expedition—not a scoundrel himself, but certainly spending years in rough company.
Wyoming was also the scene of many wagon trails for settlers heading farther west. The California gold rush from 1848-1855, the Homestead Act of 1862, and the continued construction of the Transcontinental Railroad after the Civil War all brought multitudes of Americans through the Wyoming territory. Forts such as Fort Laramie, Fort Caspar, and Fort Phil Kearney were built to offer some relief on the trail and to keep the Indians at bay, who could often be violent toward white settlement. After a number of battles, massacres, broken treaties, and the settlers’ immense depletion of the buffalo population, the U.S. Army finally subdued the Indian tribes, and the government assigned them land on the Wind River reservation.
In November 1867, the Union Pacific Railroad reached Cheyenne, which made Wyoming accessible to settlers much more quickly than by wagon or horse. In a year’s time, Cheyenne’s population grew from just a handful to six thousand people! Similar towns sprouted up along the railroad line, and the Wyoming Territory was officially created in 1868. In 1889 Casper officially became a town, primarily for shipping cattle and wool. Like most railroad towns, saloons and prostitution served as the principal entertainment until the city councilmen attracted more civilized settlers by adding features such as running water, real streets, a school, a library, a fire department, and an official government building. A bit later, the discovery of oil in the early 1900s drew many people to settle and work for the oil industry, and the town boomed, growing to eight times its population in just 20 years.
Besides living in town, people also made a living as ranchers, homesteaders, and sheep-herders. These, however, did not get along and often became violent towards each other as they fought for control of the land. Not much more glorious was the life of the cowboy, as he drove cattle across hundreds of dreary miles from as far south as Texas. A cowboy’s work had more to do with low rations, diseased animals, and bad weather than those romanticized visions of the iconic American hero.
Much more could be learned about Wyoming history, but that’s probably enough to make the point! Our state’s beginnings, far from being noble and glorious, are those of violent Indian wars, wealth-seeking trappers, and seedy railroad towns. What can we and our students learn from this?
Well, first, we certainly get a clear picture of the corrupt nature of man’s heart: the lengths to which he will go for personal riches, his thirst for industrial progress, his tendency toward baseness when left to his own pleasures. At the same time, we also see some virtues at work in the bravery and tenacity of those bold enough to weather the Wyoming wilds. Most of all, though, stories like Wyoming’s make us truly wonder at the mercy of Christ. Against such a despondent backdrop, the miracle of the spread of the Gospel is all the more remarkable! Missionaries and churches found their way to the Wyoming territory, despite all hardships and dangers and immorality. Christians gathered to hear the Word of God and received His Sacraments. And they continue to do so, to this day! Look around our state, where faithful Lutheran congregations abound—a rarity in many other parts of the country. What a beautiful picture of redemption: that God sends out His salvation even to the wild, barren, and dirty places, making them beloved pastures for His little flock. Thank God for our churches, our school, and our pastors! May He always preserve His Gospel among His saints in Wyoming.
In Christ,
Miss Hahn
