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WELCOME TO JOHNSON COUNTY, WYOMING
This is a special county with special history. Where else can you find Crazy Woman Creek, Hole in the Wall.
County War, John Barley Corn. I have asked the great volunteer from Johnson County to describe her county and
why it is so special. Check back often, the pages will be changing.
A Bit about Crazy Woman and Powder River
Clayton was the name of the first man known to have settled at the mouth of Crazy Woman, but the first to file homestead claims
were John Dalgarn (Dec. 10, 1883; Patent: October 1889); Henry GiImore (Dec. 20, 1883; Patent: October 1Q89;
and a second filing in October of 1891); John Menardi (filed 1886; Patent: 1891).
These four tracts of land formed the nucleus of the Old Ranch at the mouth of Crazy Woman Creek, first known at the
Menardi Ranch.
Menardi came here as a Civil Engineer and Captain of Co. G Troop of the Second Volunteers, a cavalry troop of Torrey's Rough
riders. He was a hog man, accumulating over 200 head of long-tusked swine which lived mostly on grass and roots. Most of this
hog herd was wiped out when an extremely hard winter brought a severe shortage of this feed, but for years, reports were received
about wild hogs seen roaming in that area—apparently the few survivors from the herd.
While Menardi lived on Powder River, he tried an irrigation project, building a dam on Crazy Woman Creek to water his
meadow land. This more than likely was the first attempt to irrigate land in that vicinity.
He sold his holdings to the Denios who later sold to Willis B. Spears. This ranch now belongs to the Faddis-Kennedy Cattle Co.
John R. Smith settled at Trabing, a Stage station, about 1880. He was followed around 1884 by Doc Huson, Charlie Bryant,
Chris Hepp, Johnny Hepp, Jake and Johnny Grueb, Chees Brown, John Sonny and the Crazy Woman Ranch settled
by Mendardi.
By the summer of 1904, people living in the Crazy Woman-Powder River area were most anxious to see a school established as there were
seven children of school age. Some of them were in their early teens—the most promising time of life for children to take an interest in
acquiring an education.
TheU Cross Wagon was here during the June roundup and Mr. McLaughlin, the roundup boss, gave a generous donation towards a
schoolhouse and all of the cowboys with the wagon promised to pay a dollar a number when they came back from the beef roundup, provides
Tilden Hollcroft, Alva Lorah and Bob Moore got out the logs. Many of the early settlers put out ditches, but none were successful
this side of Sussex as they either washed out or filled up with sand.Then came some of the noted cattle rustlers: Alec Stuart, George
Gordon, Arpana and Ed Tway, better known as "Eatem-up-Jake".
As the community developed, voting precincts were established so residents no longer had to go to the Luddecke ranch or into Buffalo
o vote. On Nov. 6, 1900, the Lower Powder River Precinct No. 19 was located at the Menardi Ranch, managed by Issac Stotts,
and judges were BM Dowd, C. C. Bugher and Ed Hollabaugh. In 1904, a second precinct was added—Barber Precinct No. 20,
establishedatthe schoolhouse with Sam Turner, Harry Williams and C. C. Bugher as judges. Lower Powder River No. 21 was
at the old Mendardi ranch with Robert Foote, Jr., S. T. Hollcroft and Issac Stotts as judges.
The other homesteaders donated $5.00. The five dollar donations and the money taken in at the dance paid for the doors, windows, floor and r
oot. As it was only the community building in the neighborhood at that time, it was built on fairly generous proportions. Even at that, the school
grew so fast that in five years a central school was built at the bridge.
The first teacher was Mrs. Donna Gertrude Jewell and the students were Ethel, Mable, Emma and Anna Lorah; and Frank and
Sadie Moore. The children did excellent work and were no trouble for they were glad to be back again after having had no school for two years.
Some difficult was experienced the first few years as there was a shortage of teachers in Johnson County. There was no mail route in
that area and the Johnson County School Board of Buffalo was a long distance away. There was some discussion also, as to where a teacher
could board. Two room log cabins were the only kind of home the homesteaders and and some of those were very small. (editors note, this
was the end of the article.) Can someone find what else happened with the schools?
(The following information was taken from a paper researched and written by Alma Smithand Alta B. Rose a number of years ago, and appeared in the Thursday, August 11, 1983 Bulletin Fair Edition, Page 37)
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