Diary of Our Wyoming Wagon Trip

On March 22, 1922, Barney left home at Fairfield, Nebraska, for Sussex Wyoming in his covered wagon. He had worked and planned several weeks ahead, getting it furnished and ready for the trip.

His plans were to drive through to Sussex to file a claim on 640 acres of land in that area (as homestead rights) and expected to make his home in the wagon for seven months.

This was government land and they required him to reside six months on the land; also make improvements on it to the value of $75.00 before he could file for ownership.

He had bought a team and wagon from his dad and bought a canvas cover for the wagon and a small two-burner stove to be bolted down to the floor of the wagon to be used for both cooking and heating. He then made a frame for the wagon inside to hold a mattress and springs for his bed. He built a cage on the outside of the wagon to haul seven chickens; six hens and one rooster. Also a rack on the back to carry hay for the horses. His only supply was a five-gallon can for water and a barrel of smoked hams. Someone had given him a collie dog to take with him.

I flatly refused to go with him, both to travel that way and live in that wild country, so I took a job in a small department store and planned to live with his mother and father in their home.

He left in the afternoon and drove to his sister Nellie's place about five miles away and spent the night with her, The next morning he left and drove to where his other sister Stella lived at Hastings, Nebraska, and spent the second night with her.

In the meantime, I had only worked at the store for two days when I decided I didn't want to stay back there alone for those seven months, so sent him a wire to meet me at Kearney, Nebraska, which was Sunday, P.M.

He had slept in the wagon where he had put it up for the night in a stockyard corral. So I slept my first night in the wagon, which I knew would be my only home for several weeks (five in all).

March 28

This was Barney's birthday and we got up early and ate our breakfast at a close-by cafe. We started on our long westward journey. We drove on until noon and then stopped along the side of the road to cook our dinner. We had missed our dog before we left that morning. While we were eating, a man drove up in a car and he had our dog. He had found him following us out on the road. We drove on to Overton, Nebraska, and as it was too cold to sleep in the wagon, we stopped at an old farm couple's home. Had an old broken down bed to sleep in and she only charged us $1.50 for both room and breakfast.

March 29

We left early and drove until noon where we stopped for lunch. I had made a pan of fudge to eat on the way. Barney walked along the railroad tracks to pick up coal for our stove. I drove the horses a short way, but they were afraid of the passing trains, so he had to get in and drive. We spent the night at Lexington, Nebraska, cooked our supper and went to bed.

March 30

We drove in such cold wind we had to stop early at Cozad, Nebraska, where it snowed all night. When we got up the next morning, everything was covered and wet with snow. Our coal and wood were all wet as we had to put some things outside to make room for the bed. The poor horses were covered with snow as they were fastened to the back of the wagon.

March 31

It took us most of the morning to cook our breakfast and get the things dried out. We left at noon and drove to Gothenburg, Nebraska, and stopped and bought a few groceries at a little store. It was so cold and wet we camped there for the night. Barney went up on the street and talked to some people, but I stayed in the wagon and crocheted. It was too cold for me to get out. We went to bed early as we had only a lantern for light.

April 1

We left for Brady, Nebraska. It had warmed up and Barney walked along the road hunting rabbits. Stopped and bought something for our lunch and spent the rest of the day looking over the small town. Barney went out hunting again for a rabbit and shot one. We had camped close to the little town and cooked our supper. Our coal and wood was still wet and not too good for cooking on the stove so our meal was late and we went to

bed.

April 2

We left early and drove in a cold wind. Our wagon cover came loose and Barney had to stop to fasten it down to the wagon. We didn't have anything to eat at noon, as it was too windy to build a fire in the stove and too cold to eat outside. There was no town near, so we drove for miles in desolate country and finally came to Maxwell, Nebraska, where we spent the night camped in the stock corral where the horses would be warm. We had to walk a mile to a restaurant as there was no place to park our wagon.

April 3

We left early and drove on to North Platte, Nebraska, went to the post office for our mail (the first we had gotten since we left home). We spent the rest of the day reading our letters and cleaned the wagon. We had camped close to a house and the people who lived there were from Hastings, Nebraska. They asked us to come in and spend the evening with them. They gave us milk and eggs for our breakfast.

April 4

We drove to Hershey, Nebraska, and bought some groceries and hay for the horses. We had to stop early so we wrote some cards and letters home. We walked up on a hill and took some pictures. We left the chickens out for the first time and they all came back to their cage before dark.

April 5

When we left there, I drove the horses while Barney walked along the road to gather wood for our stove to cook our supper, as we had not eaten anything since our breakfast We were tired and hungry and stopped beside the road for the night. After we ate we went to bed and the coyotes roamed and howled all night around our wagon. It scared the horses so badly they tried to break loose from their posts.

April 6

We ate breakfast in the wagon, and when it warmed up we drove on to Paxton, Nebraska. When we got up the next morning, the weather was worse, so we spent the day in the wagon, keeping warm. It was a small town with nothing much to do.

April 8

The weather was still stormy, but we left at noon and stopped at Roscoe, Nebraska.

April 9

We drove to Ogallala, Nebraska, and stopped around noon. It was much warmer and we camped and stayed the rest of the day which was Sunday. We walked out to a small park and took some pictures and also wrote letters. While we were in the park our dog wandered away and we had to go without him the next morning.

April 10

We had only driven a few miles when the wind came up again and we had to fasten our cover back on the wagon; this was the second time it happened. The wind was so strong we couldn't travel and had to stop and camp out on the highway, miles from any town. Barney had to give the last of our water to the horses that night.

April 11

The next morning we drove on to Chappell, Nebraska, and it was warm enough that we cooked our dinner out along the road. We stopped near a farm house. The couple asked us to come in and eat supper with them so we did. She gave us a plate of cookies. I put them in our wagon and while we were inside their dog got in our wagon and ate them all. We filled our water can from their well.

April 12

We drove all day in a cold hard rain and stopped at Lodge Pole, Nebraska. We camped near a farm house. The people again came out and asked us to come in and eat supper with them. They gave us vegetables and milk.

April 13

We left early for Sidney, Nebraska, and stopped early. We sent cards and letters home and ate our supper at a cafe.

April 14

We cooked our breakfast and drove to Potter, Nebraska, where we camped near the stock yards.

April 15

The next morning we got up to find an old man sleeping along the side of us in a little wagon with only one horse. We left before he got up and saw a little naked boy out in the street. We had to stop and wait for his mother to come out and get him. It was raining. Barney took his gun and walked along the road again looking for rabbits and we had to stop early that night out on the road far from town as it was too bad to drive.

April 16

We drove on, but had to stop early as it was too muddy and raining too hard for the horses. We found a small grocery store and got some things to eat. After supper, we then went to bed. Again, we were miles from a town.

April 17

We drove the next morning to Kimball, Nebraska. We stopped early and after we had eaten our supper we went to a show (the first one we had seen since we left home). In the night, we heard a man scream and holler. The police came and took him away. We didn't find out what was wrong. The next morning we heard a noise and looked out and found a drunk or crazy woman on the other side of us. We hurried to get away from her.

April 18

We drove to Bushnell, Nebraska, and found a little black and white dog following us. We stopped a few miles down the road, went up on a hill and took some pictures. This was near the Wyoming and Nebraska line. We picked our little dog up and drove on to Durham, Wyoming and spent the night there.

April 19

The next day we drove on to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and put the horses in a corral and went up town to a hotel where we stayed two days and nights and had some laundry done. We then went to an Indian dance out on the street in the afternoon.

April 21

That morning we went back to the corral where we had left the horses. Barney decided that he wanted to trade one of his horses for a better one, as one of ours was not too good for traveling. Their names were Dick and Kirby. Kirby was the one we traded for; one that had never been driven and had never had a harness on. It took four men to help Barney get him out of the fenced-in corral. An old colored man watching told me not to worry—it would be OK—maybe. I wouldn't get in at first, and walked several blocks before I decided it was even halfway safe to get in and ride. In the confusion, we lost our little black dog. We drove out of town and stopped for lunch and let the new horse rest awhile. He really gave Barney a bad time, trying to hold him back. We stopped early out on the road and a herd of wild horses stormed around our wagon all night

April 22

We cooked our breakfast and drove on out in the country. We didn't stop for lunch as we had no fuel for our stove. Around four o'clock we were still trying to find a town or place to get something to eat. A friend of ours from home, Percy Guy, overtook us. He was driving a small car and was going to the same place we were to take up some land there. We all drove on up the road together and found an old house near Chugwater, Wyoming. It had an old stove and table and a well. We moved our mattress in and all three of us slept on it on the floor. In the night, our new horse took sick. The men worked all night with him. We thought sure we would lose him and be stranded there with only one horse, but he was better the next day. We decided to stay another day and give him a good rest. The men went hunting for rabbits and I cooked a large kettle of beans and made a pan of fudge, so we had a good meal, the first we had eaten in almost two days. We slept on the floor again.

April 24

The next day Percy Guy left in his car and we agreed to meet him in Casper, Wyoming, whenever we could get there. He was going to wait there for us. We left the same day and drove on to Wheatland, Wyoming, and stayed in a tourist home for the night. During the night I took sick and the man and his wife who owned the place took me to their doctor's home. He told me I would never be any better until I had an operation. We told him we were traveling and did not have any money. He gave me some medicine to take and I went back and went to bed.

April 25

The next day a man who was staying there and driving a car offered to take me on to the little town of Dwyer Junction, Wyoming. He left me at a hotel and I stayed the rest of the day and night alone.

April 26

Barney came and had no trouble finding me, as it was just a small place; really only a stopping place for freight trains and a small hotel. We spent the night there.

April 27

We drove on and it was so muddy the horses had trouble pulling the wagon up over the hills. We were worried and afraid we wouldn't find a town close enough, but we made it into the town of Glendo, Wyoming. It was so dark we couldn't see where to go after we got there and couldn't find a place to eat, so we went to bed with no supper. It turned real cold in the night and the next morning We found only a small post office and grocery store and still no place to eat breakfast We ate some leftover cold food before going on.

April 28

We drove on to another small town of Orin Junction. We stayed there all night and found

some wood for our stove. We cooked supper and went to bed.

April 29

We left the next morning for Douglas, Wyoming. Drove in a cold freezing rain all day, hoping to find a place to stop for the night. Our wagon cover sprung a leak and our bed was soaked. Late in the afternoon we stopped at a farm house and found 20 people there. They were all traveling in cars. We were lucky to have our bed even though it was so wet. The rest of the people had to sleep on the floor or wherever they could find a place to lay down. Some of the men slept out in the barn.

April 30

The next morning Barney used his horses to pull the cars up over a hill and through a bad mud hole. The woman and her daughter cooked breakfast for all of us and didn't want to take any pay. Someone took up a collection of $20.00 and insisted she take it. There was a young man traveling alone in his car and he asked Barney to let me go with him to the next town, I still didn't feel too good and had a bad cold. He took me to the town of Glenrock, Wyoming, where I rented a hotel room and waited for Barney to come on later in the day. We stayed at the hotel that night. He left the horses and wagon in a small park not far from the hotel. We ate our supper and breakfast at a cafe near the hotel.

May 1

We drove to Casper, Wyoming, and put the horses and wagon in a stock corral. Then we cleaned up and went uptown to meet Percy as we had planned. Almost the first one we met was him. He was waiting for us. We ate our supper at the "Wray's Cafe". We had followed this cafe sign 571 miles along the highway. We then went to a show. The next morning we met him at Wray's and ate breakfast together.

May 2

Percy left in his car for Sussex. We went back to the wagon and I told Barney I had had enough of this kind of life and traveling and planned to stay in Casper. I rented a room at a private home to look for some kind of work to help pay my expenses. There was a big oil boom on there and everything was so high. I had to pay $25.00 a week for my room. Butter was $1.00 a pound and eggs were 95 cents a dozen.

May 3

Barney and his collie dog left (someone had given him another one). They left on the last stretch of 60 miles to Sussex, where he was to make his home for the next several months. I went back to my room, alone.

May 4-20

I applied for work at the telephone office; I didn't look any further, since that was about all I had experience in. After I had been there two weeks, I found myself at night wondering what kind of a place Barney was living in and how he was going to pay for my expenses all this time, as I was not only lonesome, but broke. There was no phone where Barney was living out in the "sticks", so I sent him a wire to come and get me. A woman rode 20 miles to deliver the message to him.

When Barney came home that night after the rain, he brought a little lost lamb, just two weeks old. We fed him with a bottle and nipple (I don't know where we got them). We kept him all summer and he came to be a real pet and company for me when Barney was gone. The lamb wouldn't let Barney get near him. I was the only one who could touch him. When we sold him to a woman for $5.00, he wouldn't follow Barney up to her place. He couldn't even drag him. The lamb laid down and hollered for me, so I had to go along to get him up there to get the $5.00. It made Barney pretty mad at him!

Near the end of the required time, we made a last trip to our place. We scattered cans and paper in the yard to make it look more lived-in. We wrote on the door: "Old Soldiers Home, Closed for the Winter". As we were gathering up things to put in the wagon, we heard a crash and looked up in time to see the whole roof cave in.

We laughed about the soddy that lasted just long enough. Barney had shot a rabbit earlier in the day and we cooked the rabbit over the hot rocks. We had brought some cold 4-day-old biscuits and warmed up beans and ate our dinner--the last meal we would have on the place.

Barney had hobbled the horses while we worked that day. When he went to get them to hitch up, they had wandered away. He told me to get in the wagon and stay there while he hunted for the horses, since it wasn't safe for me to get out where there were so many rattle snakes. He left, not knowing which direction they had gone into the hills. He had always made the dog stay with me for company and protection, but this time the dog followed him. He searched for several hours before he found the tracks that led to a place with a corral and a couple of tents. They were a bunch of horse thieves, traveling around the area, and they had tied our horses up in their corral. They had a bunch of horses tied there, but Barney identified his, and they still had his hobbles on them. At first, the thieves weren't going to let Barney take them, but after a hot argument, when Barney threatened to turn them in to the county sheriff, they let him take his horses.

It was after dark when he came back and a hard rain was coming up. I was sitting in the wagon, looking every direction and not knowing where he was or how far he had to go before he found them. We drove the five miles in a hard, cold rain to the log house where we had been sleeping, and then decided to keep going to Sussex. We went to bed with no supper. This house also had a sod roof, and in the middle of the night, we woke up when the whole roof of wet mud fell right into the middle of our bed. We put some old blankets on some of the hay and straw in the other comer of the house where it was still mostly dry, and spent the rest of the night; but as you know, we did not go to sleep. We lay there and wondered what could happen to us next. When morning came, we knew there was no other place to move to or to live. We felt we had spent enough time on the land, and we were near the end of the six months; we were not only discouraged, but financially poor.

We sold the wagon and horses for enough money to pay our fare on the train back home to Fairfield. We hired a man to take us to Buffalo, the county seat, 60 miles away, where we could catch a train. We rode in the back of an old truck, sitting on boxes and suitcases for seats. It was midnight when we left Buffalo, and after six long months of hardship and homesickness, we bid good-bye to Wyoming. After riding for two days and nights on the train, we arrived home again at Fairfield, with around $1.00 in our pockets.

It was September 18, 1922, the end of our second honeymoon.

Forty-five years later, September 18, 1967, Barney was taken from me, never to return.

Contributed by:  Holly Yankovich

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