Buffalo Bill Dam by Zina Abbott

 

 

While visiting the fantastic Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, and the eastern entrance of Yellowstone National Park, a must-see stop on the highway between the two is the Buffalo Bill Dam and its attached visitors’ center just west of Cody.

 

William F. Cody and George W.T. Beck (above, also with sheep rancher, Henry J. Fulton) officially became business partners in 1895 with the founding of Shoshone Land and Irrigation Company, later known as Shoshone Irrigation Company. they also founded the town of Cody. Buffalo Bill served as president of the new company with Beck as general manager. This company planned to irrigate more than 400,000 acres along the Stinking Water River, today’s Shoshone River.

Construction of what was the known as the Shoshone Dam, six miles west of Cody, Wyoming, was the key that opened about 90,000 acres in northwestern Wyoming to irrigated farming. So dry and forbidding was this part of the state that it was one of the last regions in the United States to be settled. It wasn’t until the 1890s, with dreams of irrigating the region and turning it into productive farmland, that a significant number of people began to settle there.

Shoshone Canyon is a gorge cut through the Rattlesnake Mountains, a northwest trending uplift in the earth’s crust that rises 3,700 above the surrounding terrain.

D.W. Cole with wife and three daughters

In early 1904, Buffalo Bill transferred his water rights to the Secretary of the Interior, and that July exploratory drilling began for Shoshone Dam. The structure was designed by engineer Daniel Webster Cole, who stayed near the dam site during construction, which took place between 1905 and 1910.

Starting in July 1904 and continuing for ten months, work began with drilling for geologic investigation. At the same time, construction of an access road up the narrow canyon from Cody began.

The chosen contractor for the dam itself was Prendergast & Clarkson of Chicago, which started work in September 1905. The company built a camp for workers. It also started on a diversion dam designed to divert the river into a wooden flume, through a tunnel, and out through another flume to rejoin the river bed. Two men were killed in the construction of the tunnel.

A June 1906 flood destroyed the flume. The delay caused the Bureau of Reclamation to suspend the contractor's contract and to call upon the contractor's bonding company, U.S. Fidelity and Guaranty Company to ensure the completion of the work. Little work was done until March 1907. Another flood in July damaged the diversion dam again.

Working conditions were harsh, leading to the first strike in Wyoming's history in November, in which workers demanded and received three dollars a day from U.S. Fidelity and Guaranty Company.

In March 1908, the bonding company delegated responsibility for the work to two new contractors, Locher and Grant Smith and Company. Work progressed more quickly, with the first concrete pours in April. 

Spring floods set the project back once again, causing concrete work to be suspended. Concrete work started again in March 1909, and despite more spring flooding that suspended work from July to September, work moved quickly. Another threatened strike was broken when Italian laborers were replaced with Bulgarian workers. Final concrete was poured in January 1910, with a final cost of $1.4 million. Seven construction workers were killed on the project.

When completed in 1910, Shoshone Dam, one of the first concrete arch dams built in the United States, was considered an engineering marvel. The concrete structure measures 108 feet (33 m) deep at the base, tapering to 10 feet (3.0 m) at the crest, with a volume of 82,900 cubic yards (63,400 m³) of concrete. The dam was part of the Shoshone Project, which comprised a system of tunnels, canals, diversion dams, and Buffalo Bill Reservoir.

Artist rendition showing relative height as compared to U.S. Capitol

At 325 feet high, the Shoshone Dam also was the highest dam in the world, surpassing New York’s Croton Dam. During construction, a certain competitive spirit existed to exceed Croton Dam’s height, as noted in this photograph. 

Courtesy Buffalo Bill Dam Visitors Center

The height of the rival dam was written on the side of Shoshone Dam.

It is anchored into Pre-Cambrian granite rock on either side.

The spillway is an uncontrolled overflow weir on the south side, 298 feet (91 m) wide, dropping through a tunnel in the left abutment.

Visitors to completed dam about 1910

 The dam ended up costing $929,658 to build, a tremendous sum in those days. Immediately after completion the dam suffered from leakage through the outlet works, leading to low water elevations that exposed mudflats, which soon produced dense blowing dust. Corrective work to valves took until 1915.                   

Problems with the right abutment's outlet works led to their abandonment in 1959. They were sealed in 1961.

The reservoir began to lose capacity immediately as a result of the Shoshone's heavy silt load, and the material deposited at the head of the reservoir continued to blow when the reservoir was drawn down. Work continued on silt dikes and reforestation into the 1950s, but the reservoir's capacity is reduced from initial projections.

1926 visitors to Shoshone Dam

In spite of these difficulties, along with completion of the Panama Canal, Buffalo Bill Dam was considered an American triumph. Both construction projects were featured at the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. To represent the dam project, the U.S. Reclamation Service, barely a dozen years old, erected an exhibit featuring an idyllic forty-acre irrigated farmstead set in a desert valley rimmed by beautiful mountains—part of Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin.

 

The Buffalo Bill Dam was considered a significant enough structure that it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places within the first five years of the register’s creation.

Today, the Buffalo Bill Reservoir and Dam irrigates more than 93,000 acres, where principal crops are beans, alfalfa, oats, barley, and sugar beets.

Again, I encourage all who visit either Cody, Wyoming, or Yellowstone National Park to take the time to visit this landmark dam, one of the earliest of its kind. 

My most recent release is Eleanor, part of The Switchboard Sisterhood. Although set in 1925 Anchorage, Alaska, like the Buffalo Bill Dam, it tells of moving into modern technology. to find the book description and purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/buffalo-bill-dam-wyoming

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill_Dam#

https://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~35~35

http://www.waterarchives.org/

Buffalo Bill Dam Visitors Center https://bbdvc.com/

https://centerofthewest.org/2018/01/12/points-west-buffalo-bill-town-1/

https://exploringwitheriks.wordpress.com/2018/08/25/forged-in-ice-snow-the-buffalo-bill-dam/

 

Black History Month – A Famous Horse Trainer – by Jan Scarbrough

In honor of Black History Month, I want to tell you about the famous African American horse trainer Tom Bass.

The African American Heritage Trail of Kansas City, MO, gives basic details:

Tom Bass was a former slave who became a world-famous rider and trainer of fine show horses. At a young age Bass became known for his skill with and knowledge of horses. Bass rode before presidents and royalty and represented Missouri at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893. He invented the “Bass bit,” a horse bit that prevented the abuse of horses during training.

The blurb for the book Whisper on the Wind: The Story of Tom Bass - Celebrated Black Horseman gives perspective on Bass’ fame:

Before Jackie Robinson ever donned a Dodger uniform - there was Tom Bass. Before Rosa Parks ever demanded a seat in the front of the bus - there was Tom Bass. Before Martin Luther King ever had a dream - there was Tom Bass. Before Barack Obama ever ran for President - there was the legend of Tom Bass - the black horse whisperer.

Bass' forte was the American Saddlebred horse.

The American Saddlebred has a long and proud history. The American Saddlebred became a recognized breed evolving from the Kentucky Saddler to the Saddle Horse in the 1800s. This breed was created through the refinement of prominent Thoroughbred and Trotting Horse foundation sires that crossed with Canadian Pacers, Hackneys, Morgan Horses and more to develop the breed officially organized by the American Saddle Horse Breeders Association in 1891.

From the battlefields of the American colonies to the bright lights of Madison Square Garden, the American Saddlebred has trotted to a tremendous legacy as the “Horse America Made.” (American Saddlebred Horse & Breeders Association)

When Bass became known as the best horse trainer in the 19th century, he trained horses for notable people including Anheuser-Busch executives Adolphus and August Busch, Will Rogers, and President Theodore Roosevelt. He also started the Tom Bass Riding Club. Celebrity guests to his farm included William Jennings Bryan, President William McKinley, and circus magnate P.T. Barnum. (Wikipedia)

What does this have to do with Cowboy Kisses? Have you heard of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show? A 2021 article says: The "Wild West" that America fell in love with didn't exist. It was invented by Buffalo Bill — who himself was a character invented by the eccentric William F. Cody.

Tom Bass sold Buffalo Bill Cody his famous gray gelding Columbus. The horse could stand on his hind legs then drop to his knees in a bow. He could trot sideways, then bow. Columbus was a “high school” horse able to do a Spanish Trot (changing leads every other step). Amazingly, the Saddlebred could canter backwards for a full turn of the arena!

The American Saddlebred Horse & Breeders Association has produced a short film honoring the black trainers. Tom Bass is featured about a minute and a half into the film.

Out of The Shadows: Bringing to Light Black Horsemen in Saddlebred History

Along with writing contemporary westerns, I write romances with American Saddlebreds in them. Sign up for my newsletter at https://janscarbrough.com/contact and download a free book!

Texas Jack--Scout, Cowboy, and Actor

John Baker Omohundro, also known by some as John Burwell Omohundro, was born July 26, 1846 in Palmyra on the Pleasure Hill farm in Fluvanna County, Virginia, to John Burwell and Catherine Baker Omohundro of Anglo-American ancestry. He attended grammar school in Fluvanna. At an early age, he demonstrated a strong skill in hunting and fishing.

Also known as "Texas Jack", he was an American frontier scout, actor, and cowboy. He served in the Confederacy during the American Civil War and, later, as a civilian scout for the US Army during the Indian Wars. Before his untimely death, Texas Jack became a legendary figure in the American Old West as a Western showman performing dramas on the stage throughout the country. He became a world-renowned hero in dime novels published around the world.

At the start of the American Civil War, Omohundro attempted to join his older brother, Orville, in the Confederate Army. He was twice refused for his age, but was allowed to serve as a courier at the headquarters of the Virginia Militia under Major General John B. Floyd. Because of his youth and knowledge of the countryside, he became known as the "Boy Scout of the Confederacy". In February 1864, at the age of 17, he successfully enlisted as a private in Company G of the 5th Virginia Cavalry, part of the Army of Northern Virginia. He soon served directly in General J.E.B. Stuart's command as a courier and scout. At the Battle of Yellow Tavern, he delivered a scouting report to Stuart only minutes before the general was killed in battle. During the Battle of Trevilian Station, Omohundro was wounded and admitted to the Confederate States General Hospital in Charlottesville on June 20, 1864. After recovering from his injuries, and a short leave home, he returned to his company and scouted under the command of General Lunsford L. Lomax. Following the Third Battle of Winchester,  the 5th Virginia Cavalry was consolidated with the 15th Virginia Cavalry, where Omohundro scouted under General Fitzhugh Lee during the last months of the war.

After the Civil War, Omohundro left Virginia at age 19 for Florida. After a short time, he moved on to Texas, arriving at the Taylor Ranch near Brazos, where he began working as a cowboy participating in cattle drives, notably on the Chisholm Trail, driving herds north to railheads in Kansas. After one drive across Arkansas to a meat-poor Tennessee, he was given nickname "Texas Jack" by the locals.

On another drive, Omohundro found a five-year-old boy orphaned after a Native American raid killed his family. He took the boy to safety in Fort Worth, and the boy later took the name Texas Jack Jr. in homage, going on to run the Texas Jack's Wild West Show and Circus in 1903 in South Africa.

It may have been on one of those drives that he made the decision to relocate once again, moving first to Fort Hays, Kansas, and then to the North Platte, Nebraska, area. Drawing on his past experience, including time spent as a scout during the Civil War, Omohundro picked up odd jobs scouting, hunting and guiding.

In 1869, Texas Jack moved to Fort Hays, Kansas, where he met California Joe Milner and Wild Bill Hickok, the latter being sheriff of Ellis County at the time. Later that year, Jack met and befriended William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who was working with the 5th U.S. Cavalry at Fort McPherson. Jack was hired as a scout and trail guide during the Indian Wars. Special permission had to be obtained since the U.S. government did not generally permit the employment of ex-Confederate soldiers. During the Battle of Summit Springs, Texas Jack captured his well-known white horse from Indian Chief Tall Bull. Texas Jack moved to Cottonwood Springs, Nebraska, where he continued to work as a scout for the government.

In 1869, Texas Jack met William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, who was also scratching out a living scouting, hunting and guiding. They became fast friends, scouting together for the Army and engaging in hunts. Texas Jack made a lucrative living leading hunting expeditions for American and foreign parties, which were popular at the time. 

Custer, Grand Duke Alexei, and Cody

Together with Cody, Texas Jack led the highly publicized royal hunt of 1872 with Grand Duke Alexei of Russia and several American military figures, including General Philip Sheridan, General George Armstrong Custer, and Colonel James W. Forsyth. Later in 1874, Texas Jack guided the Earl of Dunraven though Yellowstone and Geyserland. In 1876, Texas Jack led Sir John Rea Reid and his party on a hunt around the Bighorn Mountains and Sweetwater country. 

Texas Jack points at Cody, who reclines in front of Buntline

In December 1872, Omohundro and Cody debuted the first Wild West show, Scouts of the Prairie, written and produced by Ned Buntline. Dime novelist, Ned Buntline, wrote the play in four hours. It debuted in Chicago.

Texas Jack's performance was well-received by critics and featured the first rope act performed on the American stage.

Ned Buntline, Buffalo Bill Cody, Giuseppina Morlacchi, Texas Jack Omohundro

The show starred Giuseppina Morlacchi, a dancer and actress from Milan, Italy. She was the same age as Texas Jack and Buffalo Bill. She became a classically trained dancer, traveling throughout Europe. She moved to the United States at age 21 to perform in the theater circuit with her Morlacchi Ballet Troupe, making her American ballet debut in 1867. She introduced the can-can to the country the following year. A fine actress as well, she was soon appearing in the major cities of the American Northeast. Just weeks before his buffalo hunting expedition with Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack, the Grand Duke Alexis saw Morlacchi on stage. Buntline also saw her and recruited her to join his new play, Scouts of the Prairie.

Giuseppina did not come alone to the United States. She was accompanied by her manager of five years, John Burke, who was smitten by her. He had presented her with rings and was planning on settling down with her in a house in Lowell, Massachusetts. Those dreams ended when she met Texas Jack. For the Virginian and the Italian, it was love at first sight. She returned the rings to John Burke and pledged herself to John Omohundro. Heartbroken, Burke wore the rings and never married. Instead of devoting his life to her or to any another woman, he spent it instead promoting his new friend Buffalo Bill. It was a task he pursued until Cody's death.

With Scouts of the Prairie's combination of the two well-known scouts with the lovely and talented Morlacchi, the 1872-73 season of the road show was a resounding success. 

The relationship between Morlacchi and Omohundro was also a success; Texas Jack and she fell in love and were married on August 31, 1873, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rochester, New York.

Bill Hickok, Texas Jack, Bill Cody

Texas Jack and Buffalo Bill pose with their friend "Wild Bill" Hickok. Hickok joined them onstage in the play Scouts of the Plains in 1873-74.

The following year Texas Jack, Morlacchi and Buffalo Bill struck out on their own with a new play, Scouts of the Plains, and a new co-star, their friend Wild Bill Hickok.

In 1873, Buntline left, and Texas Jack's friend, Wild Bill Hickok, joined the group to headline in a new play called Scouts of the Plains. Hickok did not enjoy acting, often hiding behind scenery, and in one show, he shot the spotlight when it focused on him. He decided he preferred gambling. He was the first to leave the show mid-season.

Desiring a lighter tour schedule, the Omohundros parted amicably with Buffalo Bill Cody in 1876 to create their own troupe, re-enacting scenes from the West on stage. In 1877, he formed his own acting troupe in St. Louis, known as the Texas Jack Combination featuring Morlacchi, Arizona John Burke, Modoc War scout Donald McKay, trick-shot Maud Oswald, and several Sweetwater and Warm Spring Indians. In May of that year, he debuted Texas Jack in the Black Hills, written by Harry Seymour, to rave reviews. Other plays the combination performed included The Trappers Daughter, Life on the Border, and The French Spy.

Texas Jack & Guiseppina 

 

The Texas Jack Combination was successful for Giuseppina Morlacchi and Texas Jack. They happily toured together for the next several years, with periods of relaxation at the Massachusetts home once desired by John Burke. They continued to perform separately as well.

In 1878, Texas Jack appeared with Dr. W. F. "Doc" Carver, a dentist turned exhibition shooter who he met several years earlier in North Platte, Nebraska. Five years later Carver joined forces with Buffalo Bill to create Buffalo Bill's Wild West.

Beadles Dime Novel

Texas Jack became a popular subject of the dime novels of the late 19th century. One of the first in which he was featured was the 1872 title, Texas Jack; or The White King of the Pawnees, written by Ned Buntline. Texas Jack's popularity grew as he was featured on covers by publishers including Beadle's New York Dime Library, the Nickle Library, Log Cabin Library, DeWitt's Ten Cent, Street and Smith, and others. Many of these stories were written by the prolific author Prentiss Ingraham. Omohundro wrote articles in newspapers across the country recalling his hunting and scouting stories, and is credited as having authored one dime novel for Beadle and Adams in 1876 titled Ned Wylde, the Boy Scout.

Texas Jack and Morlacchi settled in Massachusetts with a home in downtown Lowell and a small farm in Billerica. In the spring of 1880, after several performances in the region, the couple decided to take their show business career to the silver-mining town of Leadville, Colorado, for a series of performances. There, Omohundro became acquainted with Horace Tabor and briefly joined Tabor's Light Cavalry, a local militia formed to keep order in the newly founded town. The couple decided to stay in the Rocky Mountain West rather than return to Massachusetts.

A few months after arriving, Texas Jack contracted a cold, which developed into pneumonia, and he died weeks later on June 28, 1880. The funeral was well-attended, and he was given full military honors, with several military companies in attendance firing a three-volley salute as his flag-draped coffin was lowered into the ground. His final resting place is Evergreen Cemetery in Leadville.

The grave of Texas Jack in Evergreen Cemetery

Shortly after Texas Jack's death, grief stricken Giuseppina Morlacchi departed for their Massachusetts home in Lowell. She never returned to the stage. She died of cancer six years later.

After several years, the grave fell into disrepair, and a traveling group of comedians raised funds to provide for its upkeep. In 1908, while passing through Leadville, Cody visited the cemetery and commissioned a granite grave marker for his old friend, mistakenly listing Texas Jack's age as 39 years.

In 1980, the Texas Jack Association was formed to preserve and promote Texas Jack's memory.

In 1994, Texas Jack Omohundro was inducted into the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in the Hall of Great Western Performers.

-=-=-=-=-

In only one source did I find reference to another incident in Texas Jack's life. Evidently, during his 1878 exhibition tour with "Doc" Carver, he ended up in Rawlins, Wyoming. He was there at the same time that Thomas Edison and a slew of astronomers,. scientists, and newsmen descended on the small railroad town in mid-July to prepare for the upcoming total solar eclipse expected to take place July 29, 1878.

The following was how Thomas A. Edison described his stay:

"There were astronomers from nearly every nation. We had a special car. The country at that time was rather new; game was in great abundance, and could be seen all day long from the car window, especially antelope. We arrived at Rawlins about 4 P.M. It had a small machine shop, and was the point where locomotives were changed for the next section. The hotel was a very small one, and by doubling up we were barely accommodated. My room-mate was Fox, the correspondent of the New York Herald.

"After we retired and were asleep a thundering knock on the door awakened us. Upon opening the door a tall, handsome man with flowing hair dressed in western style entered the room. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was somewhat inebriated. He introduced himself as `Texas Jack'--Joe Chromondo--[sic] and said he wanted to see Edison, as he had read about me in the newspapers. Both Fox and I were rather scared, and didn't know what was to be the result of the interview. The landlord requested him not to make so much noise, and was thrown out into the hall. Jack explained that he had just come in with a party which had been hunting, and that he felt fine. He explained, also, that he was the boss pistol-shot of the West; that it was he who taught the celebrated Doctor Carver how to shoot. Then suddenly pointing to a weather-vane on the freight depot, he pulled out a Colt revolver and fired through the window, hitting the vane. The shot awakened all the people, and they rushed in to see who was killed. It was only after I told him I was tired and would see him in the morning that he left. Both Fox and I were so nervous we didn't sleep any that night.

"We were told in the morning that Jack was a pretty good fellow, and was not one of the `bad men,' of whom they had a good supply…."

-=-=-=-=-

Although it did not move my plot along, I thought this scene was too good to pass up. I included a fictionalized version in my book, Mail Order Blythe. Blythe and her roommate view this scene from the top of the stairs that led to their attic room.

 

To find the book description and purchase link for Mail Order Blythe, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

https://truewestmagazine.com/the-tragedy-of-texas-jack/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Jack_Omohundro

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Jack_Omohundro#/media/File:Texas_Jack_Grave_Tight.jpg

https://www.texasjack.org/

http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/rawlins2.html