UW football coach Joe Glenn often repeats the familiar mantra "Powder River, Let 'er Buck," as an expression indicating resolve - "we're going to go out and do this task successfully, whatever the obstacles." The derivation of the expression was debated as long ago as the 1920s because it had been used frequently by American soldiers in World War I. A succession of veterans assumed it had origins in their respective home states - not all of them from Wyoming.
According to an old-time Wyoming cowboy who wrote about the origins of the expression in Annals of Wyoming, the term first gained notice in northeast Wyoming - right where you'd expect - along the banks of the Powder River. In the winter of 1928-29, the Annals editor asked Edward J. Farlow of Lander, a well-known former mayor of Lander and state legislator, to tell the story in order to resolve the question that "has been revived by an eastern publication."
Here's how Farlow explained the origins in "Powder River, Let 'er Buck: Famous World War Slogan Came from Lips of One Missouri Bill," in Annals of Wyoming, January 1929.
"In the fall of 1893, the L outfit, Four Jay, Horse-collar and IX outfits pooled their herds of 1,600 beef steers and dry cows to be driven to the railroad and shipped east to market at the Double Dives, on the south side of the Big Wind River, just south of where the town of Riverton now stands... When this roundup was over, the beef bearing the brands I mentioned above were all put in one herd, and the outfit shaped up for the long drive to the railroad. This time to Casper, as we had never shipped from Casper before, and this was our first trip and the trail was new to all of the cowboys, but myself."
The outift consisted of eight cowboys, one cook, one horse wrangler, and Farlow who was boss of the outfit. As Farlow pointed out, usually the herds were taken south to Rawlins to the train, and sometimes to Medicine Bow. But this time, it was to Casper.
"None of them had ever seen Powder River and they were all excited. In the morning when they were catching horses for the day, I called out to them to get their swimming horses as we were going to cross Powder River several times before night. Missouri Bill, who already roped his horse, turned him loose, muttering that 'this damn buckskin couldn't even wade a river.'
"About 10 o'clock the lead of the herd reached the river and it was almost dry, the water standing in holes and barely running from one hole to the other. The herd followed down the stream for a distance of about two miles before they were watered, and we crossed it many times.
"When Missouri Bill saw it, he looked at it very seriously for some time, and then said, 'So this is Powder River,' and that night in camp he told us he had heard of Powder River and now he had seen Powder River, and he kept referring to Powder River nearly every day until we reached Casper, which we did in 28 days.
"In the evening before we were going to load for shipping, and the cattle were all bedded down near the stockyards, the boys all adjourned to the saloon for a social drink, and Missouri Bill said, 'Boys, come and have a drink on me; I have crossed Powder River.' They had the drinks and a few more and were getting pretty sociable.
"When Missouri Bill again ordered, he said to the boys, 'have another drink on me; I swam Powder River,' this time with a distinct emphasis on the words 'Powder River.' 'Yes, sir, by ____ Powder River,' a little stronger emphasis. Whe then drinks were all set up he said, 'Well here's to Powder River, Let 'er Buck.'".
The slogan was shouted louder and louder along with other similar references to the stream, very tiny most the year where the cowboys had crossed it en route to Casper.
As Farlow concluded his story, "that is the first time I ever heard the slogan," and from there it went around the world. Farlow added that "Missouri Bill's name was William Shultz and I have not heard of him for more than 20 years. He was a good cow hand and while here he worked for the L Outfit most of the time."
(Phil Roberts, a native of Lusk, is associate professor of history at
the University of Wyoming. He teaches the history of Wyoming and the
West, legal, environmental and public history. He is one of the writers
of the Wyoming Almanac. The historical information provided in the
Buffalo Bones articles is provided by the Wyoming State Archives and
Wyoming State Historical Society.)
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Wyoming's County Have Changed Over the Years
By Carl Hallberg
The map of Wyoming has changed much over the yeas. Geographical and man-made features, such as roads, trails, railroads, minerals, and terrain, have influenced the location and future of settlements but counties.
When the Territory of Wyoming was created in 1868, there were five counties - Laramie, Albany, Carbon, Sweetwater, and Uinta. They were long and rectangular in shape, stretching from the Colorado line to the Montana line. It seemed practical at the time, since the population mainly resided in the southern half. Anyone living in the north regions who had some kind of county business had to plan ahead for a long trip.
At one time or another it became politically expedient to create a new county. Citizens demanded that county government be more accessible and conveniently located. Traveling from Sundance to Cheyenne in the early 1880s was a long drive to be undertaken by only the most determined or those who left their farms, ranches and businesses in capable hands. But individuals were not the only players in the game. Some towns felt jilted by the power and seeming arrogance wielded by the county seats and even smaller towns and rural communities felt that the county seats were not giving due consideration to their needs and were all but ignoring them. County officials themselves felt it was too difficult to manage capably a large, expansive political tract.
As needed, new counties were carved out existing and in some cases, recently created counties. County names reflected some aspect of the natural landscape or prominent individuals in Wyoming or US history. By 1923, the current 23 counties were in place, and the county boundaries have not changed since. Not that there weren't opportunities to do so. Many would-be counties never made it off the drawing board. Although the urgency seemed genuine and plausible, many failed to get the final approval necessary from either the legislature or the governor.
By 1890, thirteen counties existed in Wyoming. The political map seemed to reflect the desires of everyone. Almost everyone. Some residents of southern Carbon County felt it would be better for all it broke away from Carbon County and formed Babbit County. Their efforts were not entirely supported by the legislature, and thus Carbon County remained intact. But the experience would be revisited time and time again elsewhere.
During the early part of the twentieth century, Wyoming's population increased considerably as newcomers took up homesteads or sought work in the mines. With the growth of cities, school districts, roads and other public improvements, political change was in the air for counties as well. Between 1909 and 1911, the legislature created the counties of Park, Niobrara, Campbell, Goshen, Platte, Hot Springs, Washakie and Lincoln. Other counties, however, failed to make it onto the map. Eastern Laramie County was to be separated from Laramie County and become Golden Prairie County. Several attempts were made between 1913 and 1921 to carve out parts of Fremont County to form another county - Shoshone County, Lake County (along with part of Lincoln County), Pilot County, McKinley County, and Arapahoe County. In 1913, the legislature considered creating Elk County of out western Lincoln County and Iron County from northern Platte and northwestern Goshen Counties. The legislature attempted in 1919 and 1921 to partition off eastern Converse County for Carey County.
All these failed to materialize. Not until 1921, did the legislature organize the last two counties in Wyoming - Teton and Sublette. Since then, the state map has remained static, as far as counties are concerned; though there was one more attempt to change the map. In 1927 the legislature considered creating Whitcomb County out of Crook, Campbell and Weston Counties.
Whitcomb County joined a select group of county wannabes. Had any of them succeeded, the map of Wyoming could have been much different.
