The Last String Team Freighter - 1906

This 1906 photo shows a string team freighter has just pulled into town, probably from either Rawlins or the end of construction along the railroad then building from Lander to Casper toward Lander. Lander's Main Street is extra wide because of the need to accommodate the early bullteam freighters who wanted to turn their teams around in the street. The building at left, now 214 Main, was moved down from Camp Stambaugh when it was abandoned in 1878; it is one of the oldest buildings in Lander. Sometime between 1888 and 1900, the Odd Fellows Building had the brick addition built on the west side. It was occupied by the Wyoming Saloon at the time of the photo and displayed the first electrically lighted sign. Down the street, across Second, was one of the town blacksmith shops, operated in turn by such men as Jules Stelzleman, Tom Shockley, and William Oldenburg. The office of a notary public was next, and then the building used by Charlie Allen for his law and justice of the peace office. Beyond the sheep wagon can be seen a sign which reads Laundry-Tailoring-Baths. This was Wah Lee's Chinese laundry and bath house. He advertised in The Lander Clipper, November 1, 1906, that hot and cold baths were available and that you could buy Chinaware, "Imported direct from China." The brick building he occupied had been J.D. Woodruff's Mercantile Store built in 1890.

The "Apple City"

Lander became known as "The Apple City"
after settlers planted large groves
of apple trees, some of which still exist today.

Stub Farlow

This a 1913 photo of "Stub" Farlow, a Lander native and relative of the Sioux War Chief Gall. This photo became the inspiration for the Wyoming license plate logo in use since 1936.

The Last Stage in
from Rawlins - July 1906

George W. Scott, Weather Bureau observer, came to Lander in 1894. His job was evidently not full time so he opened a photography studio. Then in 1895, he built the brick building shown above and leased part of it as a stage station. He also used it as a weather station with the instruments mounted on the roof. The observer whom he succeeded had bought the old Signal Service telegraph line which ran from Rawlins, and he in turn sold to Harry Wadsworth. Wadsworth leased the line to Scott and so Scott used the building for both the weather bureau and a telegraph station. Next door he built a smaller building for his photography studio. This photo of July, 1906 shows the last stage in from Rawlins. The railroad being built from Casper was in Shoshoni and officials had announced that they would establish regular passenger service. Both mail and passengers would come in from the east. Scott sold his photo studio to a man from Sheridan in February. By June 1, the man had decided to return to Sheridan and the photo studio was rented to Mrs. S.J. Pittman. She moved in an ice cream parlor and also sold candy, fruits, cigars, and periodicals (magazines). Scott himself evidently liked the idea of a candy business and opened a store in the old stage station office. Scott's brick building was bought by the Continental Oil Co. in 1967 and torn down to make room for more parking space at the service station.

The archeological record shows the presence of humans in the Lander Valley for the past 11,000 years. Until the arrival of the white man the Lander Valley was part of the traditional territory of the Shoshone Indians. The first Caucasian to venture into this valley was most likely John Colter who explored vast areas of the west after leaving the Lewis&Clark expedition in 1806.

The Lander area was next explored by a variety of trappers and mountain men. Rendezvous were held in the Lander area in 1829, 1830 and 1838. The first few white families settled in the Lander Valley in 1867 and 1868 with Major Noyes Baldwin building a trading post on the north side of the creek that now bears his name. This original trading post still stands on the banks of Baldwin Creek just north of present day Lander and is owned by the Museum of the American West.

George L. Baldwin was born May 4, 1869 at the cabin trading post. He was the first known white child to be born in the Lander Valley. Nine days later hostile Indians forced Baldwin to take his family back to South Pass City.

There was a problem with these new settlers as the land they claimed was actually part of the Wind River Indian Reservation which was designated to the Shoshone Indians at the peace treaty signed at Fort Bridger in July, 1868. This was to cause no end of problems as settlers were forced to move off.

On June 21, 1869 ground was broke on a military post which was located just west of the present day Safeway parking lot. This post was first known as the Camp at the Agency of the Wind River Reservation, then renamed Camp Auger and changed to Camp Brown, all in a matter of a year. This military post was under command of Major James S. Brisbin, 2nd Cavalry with the support of over 70 men and officers of Company H of the 7th Infantry Regiment.

In 1872 the camp was moved 15 miles to the north to the present site of Fort Washakie to be nearer the actual Shoshone Agency on Trout Creek. During this same year the peace treaty with the Shoshones was renegotiated as all the mining activity in South Pass and attempts to settle the Lander Valley fell within the boundaries of the reservation. Chief Washakie agreed to sell all the reservation land south of the North Fork of the Popo Agie River.

With the new treaty in place more settlers started moving into the Lander Valley. Most of these were an overflow from the gold mining influx in the South Pass area. Many of them set up small farms and sold their food crops to the miners in South Pass. A blacksmith shop and several saloons also broke ground.

These new settlers called their emerging town Pushroot, after noticing that warm spring winds seemed to push right through the roots of their crops causing them to sprout earlier in the year than they would have expected.

In 1875, the pioneer settlers applied to the U.S. Government for a Post Office to be opened. The US Postal Service was not enamored with the name Pushroot. Pioneer, Pony Express rider and horse freighter Franklin Lowe suggested the town be named after Frederick W. Lander. Lowe had come to know Lander when the engineer was laying out and constructing the Lander Cut-Off of the Oregon Trail in 1857. Evidently his respect for Lander, who was later killed in the Civil War,. led to the request. In March of 1875 the Post Office in Lander was opened with the first postmaster being James I. Patten.

The town of Lander continued a slow but steady growth throughout the rest of the late 1800's. Throughout the 1880's and 90's the student body in the local schools would double every 6 months. Most of this was due to the agricultural boom of homesteading and the ability to use barbed wire to fence off properties. The use of windmills to pump water enabled settlers to farm and ranch areas that were once thought to be too arid to be productive.

In 1884 Fremont County, named after Western explorer Charles C. Fremont was created. Lander was named the county seat.

One of the biggest challenges facing these early pioneers was that all goods had to be shipped in by horse freighters from either Rawlins or Rock Springs. These horse freighters were slow, expensive and required very dedicated drivers in a dangerous job. The town of Lander was supplied by these rugged and determined teams until the coming of the railroad in 1906. With the the railroad's arrival and the new ease of obtaining goods the growth of Lander took off.

LEADER Mission Statement

TO PROMOTE A DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY AND COORDINATE THE RETENTION, EXPANSION AND RECRUITMENT OF BUSINESS, WHILE IMPROVING LANDER AS A QUALITY PLACE TO LIVE

LEADER Corporation
185 South 5th Street
Lander Wyoming 82520