Wyoming's Johnson County War

When traveling to Wyoming's Hole In The Wall country in September 2014 (see my Blog about the Hole In The Wall) we took the long way to Kaycee, going through Thermoplis, Worland, Ten Sleep, and Buffalo.

Leaving Ten Sleep one travels up to the Powder River summit before descending the twenty miles down into Buffalo.

Notice that we put the Ford in the middle as we wanted to make sure it made it.

Looking down off the Power River summit into Johnson County.

Notice that in this part of Wyoming there is no sage brush; just lots of grass and trees (very pretty).

Looking back to the Powder River summit area.

This part of Wyoming outside Kaycee has miles and miles of grassland and no sage brush.

This grassland is what caused the Johnson County War.

Down town Kaycee Wyoming, named after the KC Ranch owned by Nate Champion who was the first small rancher killed by the large rancher association and started the Johnson County war.

The Johnson County War, also known as the War on Powder River and the Wyoming Range War, was a range war that took place in Johnson, Natrona and Converse Counties, Wyoming in April 1892. It was fought between small settling ranchers against larger established ranchers in the Powder River Country and culminated in a lengthy shootout between local ranchers, a band of hired killers, and a sheriff's posse, eventually requiring the intervention of the United States Cavalry on the orders of President Benjamin Harrison.

For more information on the Johnson County War check out Wikipedia.

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