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A REPUBLICAN WEEKLY ISSUED
THURSDAYS AND DEDICATED TO
SERVING THE PEOPLE WITH ALL
THE NEWS FIT TO BE PRINTED.
CENTENNIAL EDITION
The Lovell Chronicle
LOVELL, BIG HORN COUNTY, WYOMING, THURSDAY, JUNE 1, 2006
LOVELL IS THE TRADING CENTER
OF A GREAT AGRICULTURAL AND
INDUSTRIAL SECTION WITH A
POPULATION OF 5,000 PEOPLE.
CHRONICLE, NUMBER 2
Innovation, perseverance marks Chronicle
history through 100 years of publication
Among the very oldest
continuously-operating businesses in Lovell is our newspaper, the Lovell Chronicle,
founded in 1906 as the town
was incorporated. Our history
is intertwined with the history of our community, which
is fitting, since a newspaper’s
job is, literally, to chronicle
the events of a community.
We are celebrating the
Chronicle’s 100th birthday
with this special edition.
While other newspapers
in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming may have been founded
earlier than the Lovell Chronicle, the Chronicle may be the
oldest paper to publish under
the same, continuous name.
The Chronicle had its
humble beginnings in May of
1906 when H.S. Jolley persuaded a relative – J.P. May
– to move to Lovell and establish a newspaper.
May,
newspaper
editor, band leader and active
citizen, named the paper the
Lovell Chronicle, a name it
has retained.
Machinery to print the
paper was hauled to town
from Bridger, Mont., by wagon. Housed in a small building along the old main area of
town, the paper was published
in what was later to become
the office for the Lovell Clay
Products Co. The newspaper
plant soon moved, though,
when other businesses began
to move further south into
town.
May sold the Chronicle to
W.M. Jones two years later,
in 1908, but Jones didn’t last
long as editor.
At the request of members of the Lovell Commer-
cial Club, Jones left town one
night, putting the newspaper
in the hands of the club. Of
course, to retain legal status,
the paper had to be published
each week. This meant that
Mac Cline and a few others
had to get the paper out with
little or no help from experienced printers.
Relief was found – and
none too soon – when Reyn
Leedom, an energetic editor
and printer from Nebraska,
took over management of the
plant. Under his ownership,
the plant gained new and
better machinery, including
a Linotype, one of the most
important parts of a modern
printing plant of the time.
With the building of factories in Lovell, the Chronicle
enlarged to properly represent
the town. Special editions
were issued in 1917 to celebrate the construction of the
sugar factory and again in
1920 when returning servicemen from World War I published a cooperative project.
The paper was active in
promoting the glass factory,
the brick and tile plant and
all civic improvements. In
later years, before Leedom
left the town, he placed a
great deal of effort behind the
building of the road over the
Big Horn Mountains, and one
sharp turn was called “Leedom’s Loop.”
In 1926, E.O. (Ted) Huntington moved to Lovell from
Cody, after having lived in the
lower Shoshone River Valley
from 1908 to 1915 as a boy.
Ted started in the newspaper
business working for Ernest
Shaw and L.L. Newton of the
Cody Enterprise with Caro-
COURTESY PHOTO FROM JEANNE HAMER
The Lovell Chronicle crew is hard at work in this 1958
photograph, including Louise Huntington (standing in
the middle).
line Lockhart. He sold his
interest in the paper and purchased the Lovell Chronicle.
Before Huntington had
even published the paper for
four years, the plant was destroyed by fire in June 1930.
The building on the east side
of Nevada Avenue just north
of Main Street was a complete
loss. This incident, coming at
the beginning of the Depression, might have discouraged
anyone from trying to make a
comeback. But as Huntington
put it, “The response from the
community was so prompt and
sincere, it gave us the necessary spirit to start anew.”
While replacing equipment and becoming settled in
the building on Main Street,
where the paper is currently published, the paper was
printed in Basin with the assistance of P.P. Anderson. The
Chronicle was printed in the
present location for the first
time on July 31, 1930.
Ted Huntington was fatally injured in a car accident
near Lander on December 6,
1954, and publication of the
Chronicle then became the responsibility of his wife, Francine, and his son, Burt. On October 1, 1955, Burt purchased
the paper from his mother.
In 1958, the Chronicle
became a tabloid and soon became Wyoming’s first weekly
paper to use the new offset
technology. On January 21,
1960, Huntington started a
distinctive tradition that was
to last for years, when the
front page of the Chronicle
featured a full-page photo.
The newspaper also had a tradition of printing a full-page,
full-process color photo on
Easter. The front page photo
was reduced somewhat later
that year (1960) when the paper adopted a covered wagon
pioneer setting for its flag,
with the large photo below.
During part of Burt Huntington’s time as publisher,
the Chronicle was published
only 51 weeks a year, because the Huntington family
liked to take a vacation during the week following Christmas and did not publish a paper that week. Because Burt
Huntington was a pilot, there
were frequent aerial photos
used in the paper, and on May
9, 1963, Huntington converted the newspaper’s flag to an
aerial photo of the town.
Burt and Louise Huntington published the Chronicle
until the end of 1970, when
they sold the paper to Roy and
Bob Peck of Riverton and Ron
Lytle, who took over as publisher January 1, 1971, moving to Lovell from Riverton.
According to Bob Peck, the
Huntingtons were planning
to get out of publishing at
the time, but they soon found
themselves in Red Lodge,
Mont., where they published
the Carbon County News.
Lytle switched the Chronicle format from a tabloid to a
broadsheet in March of 1971,
and it has retained that format ever since, moving to
the standard advertising unit
six-column layout in the early
1980s. For two years, Lytle
ran a flag bearing a rose to
reflect Lovell’s noted “Rose
Town of Wyoming” name.
Then on March 1, 1973, Lytle
instituted the distinctive wild
mustang flag that was been
the trademark of the newspaper ever since.
Under Lytle, the Chronicle was named the top
small weekly newspaper in
the country in the National
Newspaper Association Better Newspaper Contest in
1974.
Lytle
published
the
Chronicle until 1975, when
he and his wife Katy moved
north to Hardin, Mont., to
publish the Hardin Herald.
Pat Schmidt, another product
of the Peck papers, took over
as publisher, printing his first
issue July 24, 1975. In the
early 1970s, Schmidt recalls,
a person could walk right into
the unlocked Chronicle office
and find no one there. Everyone was next door at coffee,
but there was little worry
about theft.
Like the Huntingtons and
Lytles before them, Pat and
Emily Schmidt were very active members of the community during their time with the
Chronicle. Under Schmidt,
the office was remodeled, and
a new Compugraphic Editwriter video display terminal
and word processing system
was installed. The newspaper continued to be an award
winner.
In July of 1984, Schmidt
moved south to Thermopolis,
where he took over as publisher of the Thermopolis Independent Record.
Taking Schmidt’s place
at the helm was current publisher David Peck, son of the
late state senator and co-publisher of the Riverton Ranger,
Roy Peck, and the nephew
and cousin, respectively, of
current Ranger co-publishers,
Bob Peck and Steven Peck.
David Peck also moved into
publishing out of the ranks
of the Riverton Ranger, publishing his first Chronicle
issue July 19, 1984. Peck
and his wife Susan lived in
the “Lovell newspaperman’s
home,” the same house owned
by both the Lytle and Schmidt
E.O. “Ted” Huntington is pictured in his Chronicle office
in the early 1950s. Ted ran the newspaper from 1926 until
his death in 1954.
families before them at 10
Wyoming Street.
Schmidt served as president of the Wyoming Press
Association in 1986, Peck in
1993.
Publishing the Chronicle
was mostly a family affair under the Huntingtons, and it is
difficult to assemble a list of
reporters/news editors from
that era because bylines were
not used, except for community correspondents. William
Schweinler was listed as assistant editor in the early
1960s. Jeane Wagner later
worked for several years as a
reporter into the early 1970s.
Reporters/news editors
since 1970 have also included Wagner, Tracy Thompson
(1974), Yvonne Harvey (1975),
Mark Kitchen (1975-77), Sally Straka (1977-78), Wyoma
Haskins (1978), Bruce Moats
(1978-84), Scott Stackpole
(1984-86), Lori Mulley (198687) and J.D. Mach (1987-90).
Gib Fisher of Cowley also
filled in at the paper in 1987
and ’88.
Karla Schweighart Pomeroy had the longest run as a
Chronicle reporter. She was
hired in June of 1990 as a
reporter/news editor. She
was named editor in the fall
of 1999 and continued in that
role until moving to Laramie
on March 31, 2006, with
husband Alan. Connie Burcham was hired as the new
reporter/news editor in April.
In the summer of 1988,
desktop publishing came to
Lovell when the Chronicle
went in with the Powell Tribune and Thermopolis Independent Record to purchase
an Apple Macintosh computer and laser printer system,
which greatly streamlined the
Chronicle’s operation.
The paper continued to
modernize, first scanning negatives in the late 1990s, then
abandoning the wet darkroom
and moving into a fully digital
photography department by
early 2004. Production gradually shifted to full pagination under the leadership of
production manager Pat Parmer, and the Chronicle joined
with the Powell Tribune to
purchase Imagesetters (moving pages from computer to
page negatives) and further
streamline the operation in
2002. The digital camera
work, computer pagination
and the Imagesetters have
allowed the Chronicle to run
more and more color photographs in recent years.
One of the benefits of
working at the Lovell Chronicle is the view one sees by
stepping out the front door.
The Big Horn Mountains,
with their snow-capped peaks
and rugged canyons, loom to
the east seemingly a stone’s
throw from the end of Main
Street. Schmidt called it the
best “newspaper office view”
in Wyoming.
1906 to 1946 – recalling the first Chronicle edition
The following is a combination of stories from the inaugural edition of The Lovell
Chronicle on May 31, 1906,
and the Chronicle’s 40th anniversary edition published
May 23, 1946. We bring them
to you as written, complete
with language that might not
be considered to be politically
correct in 2006.
Killings and shootings
were not uncommon and we
expect this paper was not
unusual in that respect. The
style and wording of those
days is retained as far as possible. There have been considerable improvement in the
quality and type used.
A SAD AFFAIR.
––––
One Man Killed,
Another Injured.
Drunken Italian
With a Knife Cause
of Trouble.
Lovell, Wyo., May 31,
1906—Saturday
night
at
about ten o’clock one of the
worst and saddest affairs
took place at the Strong rooming House. The trouble first
started through the imbibing
of too much intoxicants by
some Italians who dropped in
that afternoon from the grading camps. A spirit of fight
seemed to possess the whole
crowd. One large, burly fellow
showed signs of fight earlier in
the evening but it was thought
nothing would result.
Shortly before the shooting, Tom Callahan had rented
a room and when he went to
bed the large Italian occupied
it. Callahan went into the
saloon to see what could be
done. Wesley Britton, who had
charge of the rooms, went with
Callahan to oust the foreigner
who refused to leave and drew
a knife, chasing both men out
after a brief scuffle. Britton
went back into the saloon and
procured a six shooter. Just as
he entered the rear door, gun
in hand, the Italian made a
rush for him, and was about
six feet from his intended victim when Britton fired, striking the would be assassin
in the left arm and the shot
glanced off, striking Callahan,
who was in the doorway of the
next room. The bullet made an
ugly wound, penetrating the
cavity of the abdomen.
The Italian was not badly
hurt while the innocent man
had received a mortal wound.
Callahan was immediately
cared for by Dr. Clymer, but it
was evident that he could not
live long. He died twenty-two
hours later. Justice J. O. Everett empaneled a jury, consisting of N. D. Bischoff, M.
D. Harris and R. C. May, who
returned a verdict releasing
Britton. Mssrs, Kelsie, Dunbar, Deputy Sheriff Young,
Dr. Clymer and Britton being
called as witnesses.
A search of the dead man’s
clothes revealed nothing as to
his former home, relatives or
associates. Fifty-nine dollars
and thirty cents was found in
his purse which with a few
personal articles was turned
over to the county authorities.
The burial took place Monday
afternoon.
The evidence showed that
when he was shot he said “it’s
all a mistake boys, he shot the
wrong man.” Efforts were being made to obtain some clue
regarding his relatives but all
he would say was that he had
a brother and an uncle in this
country but knew nothing of
their whereabouts, and that
he came from Ireland. Shortly
before he died he again stated
that they should not blame
Britton.
The only mistake Britton
made was in not going after
an officer, yet most men would
have done the same under the
circumstances. When an Italian is after a man with a long
knife, there are not many who
would not get a gun if possible
and when confronted again
with the knife, shoot.
––––
The Right Man.
1906—Lovell is fortunate in
having a man resident here
who is competent in every way
to act as deputy sheriff – a
man who is of known worth
when there is danger and who
does not flinch when he is surprised or throw up his hands
for any man.
C. H. Young, commonly
known as “Clab” Young, is a
true western frontiersman,
having served Uncle Sam
during the Indian troubles in
Montana and spent some time
with “Buffalo Bill” and similar western characters. A few
years ago he was one of Col.
Cody’s rough riders and is well
known among “Old Timers” in
northern Wyoming and southern Montana.
“Clab” is one of those who
well knows his ability with a
gun and always relies on his
aim. One of the typical range
men, he has spent many a
hard earned dollar in ammunition and bought a sample of
each new pattern of gun as inventions progressed from the
“Cap and Ball” to the “Browning Automatic.”
While the country is
sparsely settled and during
the time hundreds of men of
all classes are employed on
the railroad, passing through
every day, he is the right man
in the right place.
for the Crow reservation opening in Montana.
This is good news for Wyoming in general and Big Horn
and Sheridan counties in particular. It is but a few miles
from this part of the state and
no doubt many people in this
section will take a chance.
Sheridan is a good town and
able to take care of all who
come, while the military post
is near at hand to give perfect
protection during the rush.
Sheridan is fortunate and we
venture to say the wide-awake
men of that city will do justice
to the honor.
––––
Early Doctor
––––
Register At
Sheridan.
1906—May 24th Commissioner of the General Land Office
Richards has appointed Sheridan as a registration station
Dr. E. W. Croft, who established a record as a family
doctor for the lower Shoshone
valley. He was president of the
Big Horn Stake for 18 years
and established a medical record of assisting with the birth
of 3,000 babies.
––––
OPPORTUNITIES.
––––
Many Chances for
Various Business
Houses
1906—Lovell needs several
new enterprises. Among the
most urgent and most needed are two or three that must
come very soon or some local
persons will set up amateur
establishments in order to
meet demands.
A good jeweler would find
ample employment and an opportunity to build up a prosperous business.
There is room here for a
dentist and he will find all the
work he can handle.
In a country supporting a
population of three thousand
people, there is not a photographer. Occasionally a traveling amateur comes along but
even these individuals are
scarce.
Lovell is the trading center for a large scope of country, and the development of its
resources had barely begun.
Where there is now one person there must soon be ten.
No farm is yet fully developed
while industries have but
Continued on page 8
The Lovell Chronicle Centennial, June 1, 2006, page 2
Huntington family ran Chronicle for 45 years
Editor’s note: From 1926 through
1970, the Lovell Chronicle was owned and
operated by the Huntington family, first Ted
and Francine Huntington and later Burt
and Louise Huntington. Ted and Francine’s
daughter Jeanne Marie Huntington Hamer
has been working on a family history and
wrote this history of the family’s involvement
in the newspaper industry and their life in
north Big Horn County.
By Jeanne Huntington Hamer
Edward Olney Huntington was born
at Dayton, Wyo. January 23, 1900. He was
called Teddy as a child, then Ted or E.O.
Huntington later in life. In his early years,
he attended schools in Jamestown, Kan., then
at a one-room schoolhouse on Crooked Creek,
northeast of Lovell. When the family moved
to a ranch in the Southfork area west of Cody,
he worked at the local Cody newspaper to
pay for room and board while attending high
school. He graduated from Cody High School
and worked for his father as a guide for
hunters through the Thorofare and Jackson
Hole areas.
He spent one winter trapping in the
Thorofare country, and in 1920 he rode
his motorcycle to Laramie to attend the
University of Wyoming. Ted often expressed
that obtaining an education was extremely
important, and he worked for the Union
Pacific Railroad at the roundhouse in
Laramie to pay his tuition, room and board.
He worked, sometimes at night, and attended
classes for two years before he found this
rigorous schedule impossible to maintain and
returned to Cody.
In August of 1923, Ted and his friend
Charlie McEachron constructed a boat to take
a trip down the Big Horn River from Basin to
the Barry Ranch in the Big Horn Canyon.
This was considered a very daring feat, as
others who had attempted the trip had lost
their lives. An article which appeared in the
Basin Republican Rustler and was reprinted
in The Lovell Chronicle many years later
gives a humorous version of this dangerous
adventure.
Ted and Charlie McEachron both worked
at newspapers for L.L. Newton and Ernest
Shaw at the Basin Republican Rustler and
the Cody Enterprise. Ted became part owner
of the Cody Enterprise and in 1926 he sold his
interest and bought the Lovell Chronicle from
A.R. Leedom. He was the editor and publisher
of the Chronicle until his death.
Ted lived with the George Sherwin family
on Main Street in Lovell. His sister Mildred
Huntington was married to the Sherwins’
son Wylie, and when she became ill with
tuberculosis, she came to stay with the
Sherwins to avoid transmitting the disease
to her children. Ted frequently called the
Wylie Sherwin family at Wapiti with reports
of Mildred’s condition, and the telephone
operator who put through the calls for him was
Francine Clavier. They became acquainted,
and a romance bloomed. Francine’s family
had moved to Lovell from Salem, W.Va., in
1925. Francine’s father Samuel Clavier, a
glass blower, was the president of the Salem
Window Glass Company Co-operative that
purchased the glass factory in Lovell.
Ted and Francine were married
September 4, 1927, in the Cody Presbyterian
Church. It was a small wedding with family
in attendance. Photographs of that occasion
indicate that there was a family party following
the wedding at the home of Ted’s father, Cecil
Huntington, who lived on the Northfork. Ted
and Francine lived in an apartment house
near the Sherwin home in Lovell. They later
purchased a home on Montana Avenue in
Lovell. On September 10, 1929, a son, Burton
Edward, was born in this house.
According to an article in the book
LOVELL, Our Pioneer Heritage, by Rosa
Vida Bischoff Black, published in 1984, the
newspaper plant was destroyed by fire June
30, 1930. She explains:
“In June 1930, before Ted Huntington had
completed four years editing The Chronicle,
the plant was destroyed by fire, a complete
loss. This happened in the beginning of the
Great Depression and might have proved
fatal to the paper’s life because of the economy
at that time, but Huntington stated: “The
response from the community was so prompt
and sincere, it gave us the necessary spirit to
start anew.” While replacing the equipment
and getting settled in a building, the paper
was printed in Basin with the assistance of
P.P. Anderson. The Chronicle was printed for
the first time in the present plant July 31,
1930, and has been published every Thursday
from the present location.”
There was some panic during the fire
when someone saw Burt’s baby buggy
inside the newspaper office, but it was soon
discovered that he was safe with his mother.
Ted often mentioned that without the help
of the bank in Lovell and the support of
the business community, he could not have
continued in business.
A daughter, Jeanne Marie, was one of the
first babies born at the Lovell Hospital March
1, 1933. As business was often slow during the
Depression, Ted had time to spend with his
family, and they often enjoyed camping/fishing
outings to Yellowstone Park and the Sunlight
Basin in the summer, plus skating, sledding
and skiing in the winter. During the ‘30s Ted
continued to help his father and brothers
with the family outfitting business when time
allowed. He and a friend purchased a movie
camera, and he took many movies of area
skiing and wildlife pictures while hunting
and guiding. He edited these films with titles
to show friends and groups in the area. His
wildlife movies became a popular program for
community organizations.
In August of 1938, Ted purchased the
Cowley Progress from Milford Vaterloss, and
from comments in his diary, he was not sure
how long he would find it economically feasible
to publish it. He continued the Progress for
about 10 years. The last issue was published
December 31, 1948. Ted also mentioned The
Messenger in his diary. Most likely this was
a flier put out by the publisher of the Cowley
paper.
Active in the community, Ted helped
Ted Huntington speaks on the telephone in his Chronicle office in November of 1953.
organize the Lovell Lions Club in 1939,
helped with the planning and some of the
construction of the Masonic Hall, was past
master of the Masonic lodge and past patron
of the Order of the Eastern Star, a member of
the White Shrine, a member of the Rod and
Gun Club and active in the Lovell Commercial
Club. He helped organize the Lovell Ski
Club, spending much time over a period of
years working on building, developing and
improving the ski course in the Big Horn
Mountains east of Lovell. Active in the county
and state Democratic Party, he was selected
as a delegate to the state convention in 1940.
He also worked for one session of the state
legislature in Cheyenne. In 1942, he ran for
the Wyoming House of Representatives but
was defeated in the General Election. He
served on the city council in Lovell from 1946
to 1950.
In September of 1939, Ted and Francine
purchased the “Durkin” house at 144 West
Main in Lovell. It was next door to the George
Sherwin home where Ted had lived when
he first moved to town after purchasing the
Chronicle. Francine worked at the Chronicle
office more often when Burt and Jeanne
were attending school and eventually did
the bookwork and billing each month. Burt
worked more regularly and by the 1940s
Jeanne occasionally helped with job work and
was a proofreader.
During World War II, some of Ted’s
help left to work in the war effort and he
had to work long hours to keep up with
the work load. Because of the manpower
shortage, he noted in his diary that most of
the businesses were closed until noon during
the beet harvest in 1942, so that people in
town could help the farmers get the beets to
the sugar factory. Also mentioned during the
war years is his service on the board for food
rationing. In June of 1943, Ted hired John
Yamamoto from the Japanese internment
camp at Heart Mountain, near Powell, as a
linotype operator. While this could have been
controversial because there were so many
local boys serving in the Pacific Theater, it did
not cause any apparent problems. Ted worked
to foster tolerance and during this time wrote
editorials on the subject. By this time, most
people were aware that most of the Japanese
people at Heart Mountain were not aliens,
but American citizens, and that many were
born in the United States.
As a teenager Burt Huntington became
interested in flying and took flying lessons
at the new North Big Horn County Airport.
He graduated from Lovell High School in
1947. Active in the Lovell Ski Club, he was
awarded a ski scholarship at the University
of Wyoming. He enlisted in the U.S. Army,
served as a meteorologist at Fort Sill, Okla.,
and Fort Bliss, in El Paso, Texas. He was
honorably discharged in 1951. He returned to
the University of Wyoming where he studied
journalism.
In August, 1952, he married Louise
Burgener in Powell. They moved to Laramie,
where Burt continued his studies in
journalism and Louise worked as a nurse.
They returned to Lovell in 1953, and Burt
joined the staff at the Lovell Chronicle. He
supported his father’s progressive ideas and
made suggestions for modernization at the
newspaper.
Periodically
Ted
purchased
new
equipment and added a new press in 1952.
He purchased a press camera to use for the
newspaper, utilizing his continued interest in
photography at the Chronicle and with help
from Burt built a darkroom in his home.
Burt’s presence at the newspaper office
enabled Ted to enjoy more leisure time. At
this time both Ted and Francine renewed
their interest in golf. They spent several
weeks golfing in the Phoenix area in the
spring of 1954 and talked of spending part of
each year there.
Ted died in an automobile accident Dec.
6, 1954, near Lander. The memorial services
were held at the Lovell United Methodist
Church on December 14. His ashes were
scattered on the Big Horn Mountains by his
son Burt from an airplane as he flew over a
beautiful remote area that Ted loved.
Ted was
highly respected in the
Lovell community, by his colleagues in the
newspaper business and by local and state
political allies and opponents. He was admired
for his honesty, integrity and intelligence.
Always mindful of the responsibilities that
accompanied the “power of the press,” he
was never arrogant about that power. He
respected other people regardless of their
position and felt great empathy for those
less fortunate than himself. He was totally
committed to the welfare of his family and
The Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce honored Burt and Louise Huntington at a noon
luncheon on December 28, 1970, as they turned the reins of the Chronicle over to Ron
Lytle. Pictured are (l-r) master of ceremonies Rocky Roche, Burt Huntington, Chamber
president Dee Cozzens, Louise Huntington and Lytle.
community.
In 1955, Burt and Louise purchased the
newspaper from Francine Huntington. Burt
was active in the community. He served on
the Lovell Area Chamber of Commerce board
of directors and was the chamber president
in 1966. During this time, with John Nickle,
he designed and published the first Mustang
Guide tourist publication.
He and Louise both obtained pilot’s
licenses and owned their own airplane for
several years. Burt was an avid sportsman,
enjoying fishing and hunting in the area.
After continuing her interest in nursing for
several years, Louise gave that up and began
to help at the Chronicle office, taking over the
financial bookwork, billing and eventually
some of the production work.
Burt converted the Chronicle to a tabloid
format in 1958 and printed with a sheetfed offset press. Offset printing was a new
photographic process. Dave Bonner, the
Publisher of the Powell Tribune, later wrote:
“ ‘He absolutely was one of the first
to introduce the new technology. He was
a mechanical guy. He really understood
printing.’ Bonner said Huntington was an
excellent photographer and combined that
ability with his love for flying and his new
offset technology to give his Chronicle readers
new and dramatic images of the Big Horn
Basin.
On Jan. 21, 1960, Huntington started
a distinctive tradition that was to last for
years when the front page of the Chronicle
featured a dramatic, full page photo. He also
started a tradition of running a full-page, fullprocess color photograph on the front page at
Easter.”
In February 1963, Burt was invited with
other Wyoming newspaper publishers and
editors to meet with President John Kennedy
to discuss Wyoming concerns. They had lunch
with the president at the White House.
In May 1963, Burt converted the
newspaper’s flag to an aerial photo of the
town. He continued to use the offset process
to add more photographs to the paper. In
1969, Burt and Louise adopted a son, Ted
Huntington. Later, Bob Peck, a newspaper
publisher and friend from Riverton, wrote:
“Burt and Louise raised their baby (Ted) in
a playpen next to a Linotype machine.” This
may have been the case part of the time, but
Burt’s mother Francine helped with child care
most of the time.
At the end of 1970, Burt and Louise
sold the Lovell Chronicle to Roy and Bob
Peck of Riverton, and Ron Lytle took over as
publisher Jan. 1, 1971. The Lovell Chamber
of Commerce honored Burt and Louise at a
luncheon meeting that same month. In tribute
to the Huntingtons, C.E. Roche reviewed some
of the community projects in which they had
been active, particularly during Burt’s term
as president in 1965-66. It was during this
time, Roche reminded members, that the wild
horse controversy erupted, which resulted
in the establishment of the Pryor Mountain
Wild Horse Range. It was also during that
period that Lovell sponsored a float in the
Portland Rose Festival, which was awarded
the Governor’s Trophy. As president, Burt
was also instrumental in providing the town
with new promotional brochures which were
widely distributed for several years. “We have
had the complete cooperation of the Chronicle
for publicizing community activities,” Roche
said in closing. “Burt has been the conscience
of the community and we’re going to miss that
conscience.”
Bob Peck later recalled that Burt was
planning to get out of publishing when he
sold the Chronicle, but about the time they
bought the Chronicle, the Pecks, with Bonner,
also bought the Carbon County News in Red
Lodge. They asked Burt if he would help run
the paper, and he agreed.
Burt continued his involvement in Lovell.
In 1973, he joined John Nickle and Wallace
Olds in establishing Lovell Cable TV, the first
cable TV system in Lovell. Over the years, he
also helped his friends at the Powell and Cody
newspapers. Dave Bonner later commented
on his generosity: “Not long after the Powell
Tribune bought its offset web press in 1976,
the paper lost its pressman, and Huntington
came down daily from Red Lodge to run the
Powell Tribune press for almost a year.”
After many years of crop spraying, Burt
gave it up in 1989. He continued to fly for the
Montana Game and Fish as a contract pilot.
He flew the mountain goat and big horn sheep
population surveyors over the Beartooth
Mountain Range and in the northwestern
area of Yellowstone Park. He retired in 1994.
He died in a mid-air collision near Bozeman,
Mont., Dec. 7, 1997.
Longtime friend and partner Jim Moore
jokingly called Huntington “one of the few
democrats allowed to live in northwest
Wyoming” but said one could never tell by
his writing which side of the aisle he was
on, because everyone was fair game. Moore
explained that while Burt concentrated on
the production end of the newspaper in Red
Lodge, he also wrote a well-known column
called “Grumblin’ by Palisades Pete.” Moore
added that in his column, Huntington directed
“a frontal attack on pomposity and hypocrisy,
leavened with a good dose of humor. He was,
in a way, the conscience of the community
with his column. Despite the force with which
he wrote, he was a quiet, unassuming guy.
There was not a soul who knew him who
didn’t like him.” Other friends in Red Lodge
described him as an intellectual who was
never arrogant, and as a quiet person with a
great sense of humor.
Dave Bonner noted that Huntington
was often the “alter ego” of Big Horn County
politics and had an acerbic bite to his writing,
noting, “He was willing to take the other side
and keep you on your toes.” He called him the
“conscience” and the “prickly pear” of Lovell.
David Peck, editor and publisher of
The Lovell Chronicle wrote that: “Burt was
remembered locally as a man who wrote
with vigor and lived life his way. He was a
newspaperman, pilot, community leader and
pioneer in two industries.”
Burt had a great zest for all that life had
to offer and approached each day with a sense
of adventure.
My recollections of Lovell
Growing up in a newspaper family
By Jeanne Huntington
Hamer
When I look back on my
life, I feel that I was fortunate
to grow up in Lovell. There
were many advantages to being raised in a community that
was small but where there
were a variety of opportunities
available to young people.
I was one of the first babies
born in the Lovell Hospital,
March 1, 1933, delivered by
Dr. Horsley. My parents were
E.O. “Ted”
and Francine
Clavier Huntington. My father
was editor and publisher of the
Lovell Chronicle. My mother,
who moved to Lovell from
West Virgina, had worked as a
waitress and telephone operator before their marriage. My
older brother Burton, called
Burt, was born in 1929.
My first memories are of
our home on Montana Avenue,
where we lived next door to
the Threet family and across
the street from the McCaffrey
home to the east and the
Wilcox home to the south. Dr.
Croft’s home was north of us.
There was a small ditch that
ran in front of the houses, and
I don’t believe the street was
paved.
Marilyn McCaffrey, her
older sister Joy, Peggy Wilcox
and Marlene Threet were my
early playmates. Some of the
boys in the neighborhood were
Richard Croft, Jay Kocherhans
and Ralph Johnson.
As the printing business was slow during the
Depression, my dad often had
free time after the paper was
published on Thursdays, and
I have wonderful memories of
camping, fishing and boating
in Yellowstone Park, Sunlight
and other areas at an early
age. Some of the time we were
joined by other families. For
many years, I thought every
family was lucky enough to
spend this type of quality
time together but eventually
learned that it was in large
part made possible by the hard
times.
In wintertime, many families enjoyed skating and sledding. Our family enjoyed these
activities and was also part of
a group that enjoyed skiing on
the Big Horn Mountains. My
dad and some of his friends
put up a rope-tow and a small
warming cabin at an area
fairly near the road above Five
Springs. Some of the families
I remember that often skied
together were the P.D. Sims
family, the Bob Halliwell
family and the “Whitey”
Moncur family. Margaret Ann
Halliwell, Marion Sims and I
became friends when our families spent time together. These
families, among others, passed
equipment and ski clothes
around so that as the children
grew, there was usually a pair
of boots, a jacket and skis
available.
During World War II, the
Highway Department stopped
plowing Highway 14A, so the
skiers drove as far as possible, then walked the rest of
the way. In 1939 we moved to
144 Main Street. Dr. Horsley’s
family lived across the alley,
on Park Avenue, and he later
became a well-known expert
and promoter of roses. He was
responsible for Lovell being
called the “Rose City” because
of the numerous rose gardens.
The Snyder family lived
across the alley on the east
corner of the block, and Sylvia
Snyder and I spent a lot of
time together. The Ross family moved next door to the
west, and Dr. Croft, a dentist,
and his family lived across the
street from us. Although Leah
Ross and JoAnn Croft were
a little older, we also became
friends.
I remember the elementary school had large staircases
where all our classes would
sit on the stairs to practice
the music for Christmas programs. These programs took
several weeks to prepare and
were quite elaborate with costumes and solo parts. During
the school year, each class had
song books and, regardless
of the musical ability of the
teacher, we sang almost every
day. This seemed as much fun
as recess to many of us.
Saturdays were usually
special days downtown. The
families from the country
would often take the afternoon
off and drive to town. One
popular entertainment center
in town when I was growing
up was the Armada movie
theater. I believe it only cost
10 or maybe 12 cents for the
Saturday matinee. We enjoyed
watching Hopalong Cassiday,
the Lone Ranger and many
other western stars in addition
to adventure films. My family
also enjoyed attending movies
on weekdays in the evening,
both in Lovell and in Cowley.
Lovell
had
beautiful
Christmas decorations, and
most of the stores downtown
had special displays in the
windows. I remember walking
on Main Street in the early
winter darkness stopping at
each store to admire the decorations. We didn’t start “celebrating” Christmas as early in
those days, and many people
did their shopping a day or two
before Christmas Eve. I remember the outings to the Big
Horns to get a Christmas tree.
Burt and I always searched
for a tree that had lots of pine
cones on it.
Keil’s Grocery was across
the street from our house, and
in addition to her regular shopping there, mother would often
send me to get something she
had forgotten, or that we had
run out of, that she needed in
a hurry. I often miss this easy
access to food shopping now
that neighborhood stores no
longer exist. My dad hunted
for pheasants and elk every
fall, and mother would can the
meat for us to eat during the
winter months. During WWII,
the school district made the
school kitchen available to
anyone who wanted to use the
facility to can large quantities of food in cans instead of
jars. My dad was on the Lovell
Food Rationing Board, and I
remember that many things
were rationed, including sugar. This seemed strange to me
as there was a sugar factory
in Lovell. Eventually, a frozen
food locker business opened
and we stored vegetables and
game meat there.
Main Street, with the
rows of trees on each side,
gave a beautiful “framed” view
of the Big Horn Mountains to
the east. It was great to live
there when the town had parades, as we could watch from
our front yard. I believe the
biggest parades at that time
were on July 4.
When I was in junior high
school, Ms. Daisy Booth invited
me to sing with the West Ward
Chorus, which she directed.
As I was not a member of the
LDS Church, I was thrilled
to have this opportunity. Ms.
Booth, who was the Lovell
librarian, often rode a bicycle
around town, and I don’t know
if she owned a car. I believe
she was from England, and I
remember in later years that
if she didn’t approve of a book
for teenage girls to read, she
would not allow us to check it
out at the Library.
I was also invited to join a
performing dance group when
I was in junior high school.
I believe there were 16 boys
and 16 girls in this group. Our
teacher was very experienced
in folk dancing, including
Mexican dances and ballroom
dancing.
Mr. Erickson was an instrumental music teacher in
the Lovell schools, and I remember him as a fine musician
and teacher. His son Greg was
a member of the Torrington
Community Chorus that I directed many years later.
The young people in the
community often swam in
the canal that was north of
town, but Dr. Horsley and Dr.
Croft felt the threat of typhoid
was too great, so this activity
was stopped. Later, the polio
epidemic affected Lovell, and
unfortunately there were some
young people who contracted
the disease.
In the 1940’s, my dad
raised Irish Setters and he
kept two of them for pheasant hunting. One Irish Setter,
Duke, became a fixture at the
Lovell Chronicle Office. He
would walk downtown and sit
in front of the office, then walk
back home to meet Burt and I
when we got home from school
in the afternoon.
I sometimes helped at the
Chronicle when there were
jobs that required collating or
other hand work. I remember
tying satin bows on invitation
cards for one job. My mother
was in charge of compiling two
different editions of cook books
for the Lovell Woman’s Club,
and I helped her with that.
Sometimes I would hand feed
the small press, and often did
some proofreading. Some of
the businesses in town wanted
to pay their bills with “in kind”
services. One example of this
was the Lovell Laundry. They
The Huntingtons pose in front of their home at 144 W.
Main in 1941. Pictured are (l-r) Ted, Jeanne, Burt and
Francine.
did a lot of our laundry for us,
and this saved a lot of work for
my mother.
My brother Burt played
football in high school, and
I remember visiting the
Japanese Internment Camp
at Heart Mountain a few
times when they played
there. It was startling to see
the guard towers and armed
guards, and the sight of the
barracks was depressing. I
did not really understand why
the camp was there. When my
dad’s Linotype operator left
to work in the war effort, he
hired Mr. Johnny Yamamoto
from the Heart Mountain
Camp to work at the Lovell
Chronicle on the recommendation of a newspaper friend
in Cody. Mr. Yamamoto was a
very quiet, reserved man, and
I remember him as pleasant
and very polite. Burt recalled
many years later that the
Heart Mountain football team
always defeated Lovell by a
large margin.
When I was in high
school, we had a very active
youth group called MYF at the
Methodist Church. Many of my
friends, including classmates
Arlene Keller, Janet Wood,
Bob Dunmire, Rance Dunmire
and Jack Preston were in this
group, and we often had visitors from other denominations
join in our activities.
My mother sang in the
Methodist Church choir for
many years, and when I was
old enough, I also sang with
them. I also enjoyed participating in Job’s Daughters at
this time, and the friends I
made there are too numerous
to list. As Marilyn McCaffrey
and Margaret Ann Halliwell
were the daughters of drug
store owners, my friends and
I often enjoyed making ice
cream concoctions at the soda
fountains at the Lovell Drug
and Busy Corner on special
occasions.
Our high school had a
good music program, active
drama program, journalism
program and strong athletic
program. This was in addition
to fine teachers in the traditional classes. I particularly
liked singing in the chorus,
and also played clarinet in the
band. I also played the piano
in the dance band. I remember
one year when the vocal music
teacher resigned in the middle
of the school year, Mr. Merrill
Tew, a talented musician in
the community, met with the
high school chorus at 7 a.m.
before he went to work, and
before our classes began. His
willingness to help us enabled
our group to complete the year
and compete at the District
Music Festival.
This spirit of helpfulness in the community was
not unusual. The high school
band and chorus usually got
very high ratings at the music
festivals. Arlene Keller and
her older sister, Lorece, were
friends who were also active in
music activities, and Louene
Johnson, Wilma Olsen and I
had a lot of fun singing in a
vocal trio.
When my voice teacher,
Eugene Troth, who lived
in Cody, stopped coming to
Lovell, my parents allowed me
to drive to Cody for lessons.
Lorece Keller rode with me,
and we made the trip once a
week. Our drama group not
only produced plays locally
but competed in the area at
one-act drama festivals. I remember our group getting a
top rating prize at a festival at
the college in Powell.
We were allowed to dress
casually a few times during
the school year, and some of
the students would prepare
skits to perform for assemblies. I believe this was the
very first time girls had ever
worn “jeans” to school. Some
of the boys in our class served
with the National Guard in
Korea and missed our graduation ceremony. Luckily, none
of them lost their lives.
My class has had very
high attendance at reunions,
and enjoy seeing each other
so much we are meeting for a
55th reunion instead of waiting for the 60th. We are lucky
that our classmates who still
live in the area are willing to
arrange this. Some of my best
memories of growing up in
Lovell are of my many friends
who added so much to my life
there. They were an important part of my life, and I wish
there had been room to name
all of them.
Growing up in a newspaper family did affect me
in some ways. I learned that
accuracy and getting the facts
right is of primary importance. My dad often discussed
the fact that there is always
more than one side to a controversial issue. I learned that
it is not wise to “jump to conclusions” from these situations
and discussions about them. I
developed an appreciation for
the value of diverse opinions
and to allow people to express
themselves. Because working
at the newspaper office was
often a family effort, I learned
the importance of teamwork.
Dad felt that sensationalism
was an abuse of power, and it
made a lasting impression on
me to see him agonize over the
need to publish a story that
involved illegal activities by
a friend he respected because
the facts were proven in a
courtroom. He used his “power
of the press” very carefully.
My brother and I were required to finish what we started, which may not have come
directly from being raised in
a newspaper family, but we
were aware dad had to make
sacrifices to meet deadlines for
job work and publishing the
paper. I don’t remember my
parents requiring any more
of Burt and me than they
were willing to do themselves.
Their concern and compassion
for others set a wonderful
example, and we were made
aware of the importance of
the community as a whole.
Being a good citizen
means getting involved and
giving back to the community,
and again, my parents set an
enviable record for their contributions in time and effort
to the betterment of the community. Dad also talked often
about the fact that local, state,
national and international affairs affect every person, and
he was a wonderful example
of the term “well informed.”
My life was influenced by all
these aspects of editing and
publishing a newspaper.
Jeanne Hamer
Jeanne Marie Huntington
Hamer, a fourth-generation member of an early Wyoming pioneer
family, was born March 1, 1933,
in Lovell. She attended school
in Lovell and earned bachelor’s
and master’s degrees in music
with honors at the University of
Wyoming.
She married Roger Hamer
of Torrington at the Lovell United
Methodist Church in 1955. They
have two children, Michael
Hamer and Kathy Hamer-Smith,
four grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.
Jeanne has been active as
a church musician at Episcopal
churches in Montana, Minnesota
and Torrington, where she directed choirs and served as organist
for more than 30 years. She was
an instructor of music at Eastern
Wyoming College from 1968 to
2000 and served as chairperson
of the music department from
1970 to 1992, when she retired
from fulltime teaching and was
appointed Faculty Emerita.
While at EWC she directed the
college vocal performing groups,
gave private vocal lessons and directed the Torrington Community
Chorus.
In addition to teaching,
Jeanne has been active as a
soprano soloist, appearing with
orchestras and choruses in
Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska
and Wyoming.
Reproduction of Chronicle ad featuring young Ted Huntington, 1970.
YEP – WE CAN HANDLE IT …
We’ve got our sleeves rolled up–and our
plant tuned up– to take care of your every
printing need.
In fact, we can print just about
anything–but money!
(If we could do that, we wouldn’t
bother with all that other stuff …)
The Lovell Chronicle
Many fond memories of a special place to live
Pat Schmidt
resulted when Rex George
walked into Wes Meeker’s
real estate office and said he
had a heifer he’d sell for $100
if somebody would help put
on a free pit barbecue. By the
time the livestock sale at the
fair was over, the banks had
bought two pigs to barbecue
on spit poles, farmers (George
Wambeke?) had donated a
double horse trailer load of
fresh corn and businesses,
people and groups had pitched
in with beans, salads, deserts
and more.
A backhoe dug a large
pit, and the first volunteers
started burning the donated
mountain of firewood right
after the football game. By
morning the bed of coals was
several feet up the wall of the
pit, and those who had been at
the all-night party hardly had
the energy to wrap the meat
and sauce with foil, then burlap, before using a hook from
the fire department to lower it
onto the corrugated steel that
covered the coals. The pit was
covered with more steel and
several feet of dirt. Some went
home for a needed rest; others
started turning the pigs on
the two spit poles.
To shorten the story a
little, all the preparations resulted in a crowd I remember
as around 2,000 people eating
free food, hugging new and
old friends and having a great
time for no particular reason.
All the butchers, who were
daily competitors in their
businesses, cooperated merrily to cut up all the delicious
meat. Do you recall a plane
flying over with a political
banner? I can’t remember
whether the football team
won the night before, but I
can tell you all the people in
the community were winners
the next day.
The Chronicle, which
already had become the first
newspaper in Wyoming published by the offset method
over two decades before, went
through more technological
revolutions quickly in the
1970s and 1980s, using special typesetters to replace hot
lead type. Within a few years
it was among the first composed completely on McIntosh
computers. The advertising
income in a community with
fewer and fewer businesses
didn’t match that in larger
newspapers, but the people at
The Chronicle then and now
were as dedicated as anybody
at those larger newspapers.
As a result, The Chronicle
continued to win newspaper
awards and, more importantly, provide a quality, reliable
source of community news
and advertising to people in
an area that no other news
outlet including radio stations
really cared about.
It’s hard to believe David
and Susan Peck have been
in Lovell so long. In fact, is
it possible that David, with
22 years on the job, has been
editor and publisher of The
Lovell Chronicle longer than
any other person?
I miss those unique characters of Lovell. The ones with
the sense of humor like finding out what the initials stood
for in S&K Lumber, government apple picking permits,
crabgrass seed ads and shipping bills, a fake arrest of
a town councilman, Mickey
Bigmouth labels on the side
of a pickup that happened
to be Game and Fish green,
special recipes at barbecues,
a non-existent athletic club on
Wyoming Street, tire chains
being washed then sold back
to their unwary owner,
Snedeker note pad napkins,
advice to never get in a squirting match with a skunk, special books of regulations at
the National Guard armory,
attitude-adjustment
hours,
asking to have a picture taken
Jack Preston
Recollections of a printer’s devil
In 1944, Ted Huntington
hired Jack Preston to work
at the Lovell Chronicle office.
Jack was born in Lovell Dec.
26, 1933, to James W. and
Viva Preston. He attended
Lovell public schools and
graduated from Lovell High
School in 1951. He attended
the University of Wyoming in
a pre-dental curriculum, then
the University of Southern
California School of Dentistry
from 1953–1957.
He served in the U.S.
Army Dental Corps from 1957–
1959, 1961–1969 and attained
the rank of Lt. Colonel. Jack
boarded in prosthodontics
and was staff prosthodontist
and director of education at
the Los Angeles VA Hospital
from 1969–1979. He taught at
the USC School of Dentistry
from 1979–1999 as Harrington
Professor of Esthetic Dentistry,
where he was granted chair
and a tenured professorship.
As
Executive
Vice
President of Dental Medical
Diagonostic Systems from
1999 to 2002, he oversaw the
development
of
high-tech
dental equipment.
Since
retirement in 2002, he and his
wife, Charlotte Ann Preston,
own and operate Prestons’
Vineyards at Templeton, Calif.,
where they produce Bordeaux
Varietals.
Jack wrote the following
recollection of his years at the
Chronicle:
By Jack Preston, D.D.S.
I started work at the
Lovell Chronicle in 1944 at
the age of 11 and worked there
until I was about 15. At that
time, The Chronicle put out
two newspapers–the Lovell
Chronicle, published weekly
on Thursdays, and the Cowley
Progress, published weekly on
Saturdays. The latter paper
was largely pre-print, with
only the front and back pages
printed locally.
The flatbed newspaper
press was hand-fed. The
operator fed a paper sheet into
the press approximately every
two seconds (don’t miss feed,
or the flat-bed with the type
will print on the platen and
you will have to stop and clean
the press).
All pictures, etc., were
made using the stereotype
process, with molten metal
poured
into
the
forms
containing the matrices. Many
of the images were from stock.
(I vividly remember first seeing
a casting made–it looked so
smooth and pretty I couldn’t
resist running my fingers over
it–with the result of severe
burns on three finger. Oops.)
The newspaper was hand-set
into page-size metal frames
using linotype slugs from
column trays and stereotype
blocks. Special headlines and
some ads were hand-set using
the variety of fonts and sizes
of type. It wasn’t long until I
found myself being able to read
“upside down and backward”
since all of the type was mirror
image of the printed page, and
page layout was with the top of
the page facing the user, and
the bottom farthest away.
The Chronicle did a lot
of job printing–stationery,
envelopes,
announcements,
fliers etc. There were two
Chandler and Price presses–
nearly always hand-fed. When
there was a particularly large
job, one of the presses could
be fitted with a Miller feeder.
The pride of the job presses
was a Mielhle Vertical press.
It was an automated, rapid (for
that time) press. All gathering
and cutting (using a large
guillotine-like unit) was done
by hand. Each job had to be set
up and laid out by hand.
The Linotype machine
was run by Howard Ostler. He
sat there hour after hour, day
after day, pounding out copy.
The Linotype machine melted
metal
and
automatically
formed line of type (thus the
name) one “slug” at a time. It
used devices called “spacers”
that were inserted into the
lines and would fill out a line
to ensure justified copy. After
WWII, Howard was joined
This old Miehle flatbed press sat in the back of the Lovell Chronicle building for many
years. Later, around 1969, the Chronicle presses (commercial and job work) were
removed, and the Chronicle was printed at a central plant, first in Cody and later at the
Powell Tribune.
by his brother Bert. Bert did
general press and set-up work.
Bob Thomas (from New York)
later replaced Howard at the
Linotype.
Burt
Huntington
did
much of the set-up work for the
Chronicle and frequently fed
the newspaper press. He did
everything but the Linotype
setup. Since he was attending
school, he worked after school
and on Saturdays (as I did).
I was hired to sweep, wash
windows, etc. but soon was
feeding the job presses and
doing set-up work. Eventually,
the Cowley Progress became
my project to set up, print,
break down and mail. I really
enjoyed the press work. I also
enjoyed hand-setting the type
for placards announcing the
weekly dances held at Starlit
Gardens and similar placards
and flyer. While attending
USC in Los Angeles in the
1950’s, I worked for the LA
Times mail room. The contrast
with the Lovell Chronicle was
striking–even back then.
There were no facilities
for color newspaper printing
in The Chronicle, but we did do
basic color job work. No fourcolor printing was possible.
There were no on-line services
or computers to generate
anything.
The Chronicle had parttime reporters that wrote local
copy.
Ted Huntington had
total responsibility for getting
everything together and for
getting advertisements which
provided financial support.
He was always calm and
controlled, and I can’t ever
remember him losing his cool.
The paper always came out on
time and maintained a very
neutral stance.
of a very well dressed lady left
marooned on an island in the
middle of a deep puddle outside her office…
The coach/principal who
could sit down at a piano and
rip off one ribald song after
another, the wit of a banker
who guaranteed I’d be rich
if I wrote down all his advice
and then did exactly the opposite, the farmer brothers who
“allowed” me to get a picture
of their beet digger and beet
truck colliding, the same
brothers who gave sweet corn
to the liquor store all summer
before confessing they had
found the hidden corn in their
neighbor’s field, the man who
described the cemetery as the
marble orchard, the fun of
taking pictures of the leading Democrat and Republican
selling their political fundraising tickets to one another,
the druggist who delivered
special presents to the ladies
at the bank, the bunch of
hunters who had so many
great laughs restoring a cabin
the government thought was
on private land... The tales
are endless.
Most of all I remember
caring people in a community
welcoming a young family
into their midst, helping me
publish their newspaper for
a few years, tolerating my
shortcomings and helping my
family in so many ways. The
people there make a special
little valley an even greater
place to live, for a little while
or for 100 years.
Now’s the time to subscribe to the Lovell Chronicle!
Give us a call for rates! 548-2217
schools into Rocky Mountain
High School. Besides making things a lot easier for the
Lovell Chronicle when it came
to covering sports and school
news, the quality of education
was raised in a time when
funding was scarce.
There were some exciting, special moments. A state
championship Lovell boys
basketball team in the days
of competing in Class 3A that
enraged opposing fans when
starters ate popcorn on the
bench after being pulled with
a big lead. The most exciting
thing about the Lovell track
team that year was going
to the practices where five
sprinters would compete to
see who would be the four
members of the 4x100 relay
team that eventually won
a state title. Oddly, a state
championship
girls
team
melded Lovell girls with two
girls who had already completed their fall basketball
season in Montana.
As impressive as the
athletes and students were
in Lovell, Frannie, Deaver,
Cowley and Byron, what
was really stunning was the
support they received from
parents and the rest of the
community. The turnout at
games and school events such
as graduation often surpasses
that in much larger communities.
The community events
were special in all the towns.
My favorite was the free
community barbecue that
Enjoying all these great stories of the past?
By Pat Schmidt
Publisher 1975-84
What do I remember as
unique in around 10 years
as publisher of The Lovell
Chronicle? The special people
of Lovell and North Big Horn
County.
The year before I arrived,
The Chronicle under publisher Ron Lytle was named the
best small weekly newspaper
in North America. Perhaps
that’s appropriate, since some
say a newspaper reflects the
people it serves.
At the top of the list of
my recollections is the way
people got things done with
limited means, often with
little or no outside assistance.
New hospital, gymnasium,
expanded high school shop,
track, swimming pool, senior
citizen center, National Park
Service visitor center, a major
water project that included a
short-lived water plant but
a very important main that
looped around town to omit
the dead-end water lines
that caused stagnant water
in parts of town, the new
Highway 14A all the way from
the sugar factory and Main
Street to the Medicine Wheel
on top of the Big Horns, starting the ill-fated Transpark
Highway that now ends at
Barry’s Landing in Big Horn
Canyon National Recreation
Area. (That’s the way Bighorn
should be spelled!)
One big improvement was
combining
Deaver-Frannie,
Cowley and Byron high
The old Strong
Hotel is considered to
be the oldest home in
Lovell, built around
1900. It was built
by Frank and Ellen
Strong and today
looks essentially the
same as it did 100
years ago, except for
a small expansion
and some remodeling
over the years. It
stands today at 15 E.
Second St. in Lovell
(at Shoshone and
Second). This photo
was reportedly taken
in 1904.
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228 E. M 070
548-7
te.com
ABrand
Fortieth Anniversary
Marked By Chronicle And
Lovell Town
______◊______
City And Newspaper
With Bank And A Few
Firms Were Incorporated
In 1906. Interesting History
Related During Early
Days. Progress In Period Is
Marked By Steady Growth.
______◊______
1946—Forty
years
of
progress – some slow, and
some bordering on the most
inflationary boom days, is
the record of the growth
of the Town of Lovell, and
Northern Big Horn county.
At the anniversary of your
newspaper, your bank and
the incorporation of the
town, this special edition is
presented.
Only one other firm, the
Lovell Drug Store, has been
in existence for a longer
period here. It was started
in 1903, and has had several
different owners. The bank
was incorporated as The
Lovell State Bank, but has
remained the same institution,
providing a safe and sound
financial institution during
all these years, even though it
was modernized to become a
national bank.
A brief glance at the history
of this section will provide some
idea of our progress.
Early
residents
were
trappers and hunters who
remained to become settlers.
Frank Sykes is one of the first
names we find in what is now
Big Horn County, having been
described as coming to the
Paintrock country as early as
1875. It appears that normal
settlement in those days was
on the principle of pushing
the frontiers forward as the
east and middle west became a
farming part of the nation. This
saw the first settlement along
the upper part of the Big Horn
and Wind rivers with 1870
being given as date of arrival
of permanent residents in the
Lander section.
From that area, with the
guiding and exploration of
Jim Bridger and others to
encourage them, pioneers came
in to the southern part of the
Big Horn Basin.
This northern section was
a little slower in attracting
ranchers and cattlemen.
First operators who could
begin operations that would
prove profitable and provide
employment for men, were
large cattle ranchers, such as
Henry C. Lovell, Otto Franc
and others. The town of Lovell
took its name from H. C.
Lovell, who with a partner by
the name of Mason, said to be
an eastern investor who spent
little time out here. Thus the
origin of a famous brand M L,
and the building up of a large
cattle empire was carried on
before there was even a road
ranch in this section.
No doubt the open winters
and available range in this
lowest section of the basin,
attracted Lovell to the Big
Horn river at the mouth of
Willow Creek.
As a few other settlers came
in the road ranches followed
to provide stopping places for
travelers.
Jack Morris and Josiah
Cook figured prominently in
this business, Jack having a
stage station at Frannie and
Cook across the river from our
present location. These were
established in the ’80s, also.
Lovell’s growth as a town
has had several phases. From
this early phase of gradual
settlement by a few people with
a few farmers and ranchers
coming in, the first change took
place when the Mormons came
up from Utah to irrigate and
farm the country on a larger
scale.
It is not possible to provide
a complete picture of the
settlement in a newspaper,
but our section is fortunate in
having a historian, Charles
Lindsay of Byron, who has
left an accurate picture of our
development in his book, “The
Big Horn Basin,” and everyone
interested in the factual
and complete account of our
development should read it.
Another phase of our growth,
the one having the most to do
with population gain and quick
growth, was the discovery of a
supply of natural gas and the
industrial development which
accompanied it almost at once
in the early ’teens. This gas
supply at Byron was used for
fuel and light by a few homes
for a period, but with the
building of a sugar factory,
Lovell embarked on a campaign
which has made it the leading
industrial city of the state, if
not one of the largest.
Other factories, some overpromoted, soon followed the
building of the sugar factory,
but 30 years later, we still
have them in the community,
with the exception of the glass
factory, which was destroyed
by fire.
Our last phase of growth,
which is now proceeding on
a sound basis, came after the
depression days as additional
oil activity and better farm
operations continued to bring
wealth,
employment
and
population into the valley.
Thus it seems that Lovell
has escaped a great many of
the setbacks which mark the
growth of towns with too rapid
a development.
To return to settlement
days, many people do not know
that the Mormon migration
to this part of the basin was
the second to be made from
Utah. David P. Woodruff had
brought in a group of settlers
to the Burlington and Otto
section as early as 1892. His
pioneering did not have the
sanction of the Mormon church,
so these people suffered a great
deal in getting their farms
established and water on the
land. Also it probably gave the
second migration promoters a
better idea of what would be
encountered here.
Under the direction of
Woodruff ’s brother, Abraham
Owen, the settlement of the
lower Shoshone valley was
undertaken by The Big Horn
Basin Colonization Company
with full church support and
approval. This company was
organized in the spring of 1900.
The names of the trustees and
officers at organization are as
follows:
A. O. Woodruff, pres; Byron
Sessions, vice pres; Charles
Kingston, sec; Charles A.
Welch, treas; Jesse W. Crosby,
Jr., Hyrum K. North, Wm. B.
Graham, and B. L. Tippets.
Full accounts of the building
of canals, enlarging of those
already built on the lower
part of the river, and how the
pioneers were able to keep
going by dividing their labor
between the ditch work and
building of the railroad are all
recounted in Lindsay’s book. It
was a most interesting period
of our development.
Before the advent of the
Mormons to begin mass
colonization, the valley was
settling up with “squatters”
who had been employed by the
large outfits, and took up land
to begin operations of their
own. This began in the late 80’s,
and when Mr. and Mrs. Frank
Strong came here to establish
themselves in 1894, some of
the settlers up and down the
valley were listed as Godfrey,
Hunt, “Nigger” Thaxton, Wells,
Mason, John Smith, Ira Waters
and relatives, Jim McCann,
Foster, Walt Eckler, Boggs, Joe
Brocious, Greg Thamm and
several others.
With a post office, but not
an incorporated town, Lovell
began its existence north of
the present location. This is
now referred to as the “old
town” and a complete account
of the moving of the city to
this location is contained in Bill
Murphy’s story of early days,
which appears in another part
of the paper.
Mr. and Mrs. Strong ran
a saloon, and built their two
story home, which still stands
west of the brick and tile plant,
and operated it as a hotel and
rooming house. The present
town was first laid out with
the business district near the
railroad, but after the overnight
move, the bulk of the land was
formerly Strong’s. Mrs. Strong,
who still operates her ranch
and cattle holdings on Crooked
Creek, where she moved with
her husband in 1905, stated
that her husband had filed on
320 acres of land here and she
had patented 160 acres.
Town history as given in the
book ‘History of the Big Horn
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Basin” by Charles A. Welch
of Cowley, and first president
of the Lovell State Bank,
states that the survey before
incorporation was made by H.
S. Jolley and M. Davis Harris.
The vote for incorporation was
57 for and none against.
First officers of the town
were George W. Johnson,
mayor; M. D. Harris, Fred
Ostler, Elias Johnson and
Alma Peterson, councilmen.
City employees were John F.
Meldrum, clerk; Joseph A.
Harris, attorney; Ephriam
Croft, town marshal; Thomas
P. Allen, treasurer; and Albert
Olson, justice of the peace.
Early
ordinances
were
passed, one of the first
requiring that sidewalks be 10
feet in width!
Early
in
May,
1906,
The Lovell State Bank was
incorporated, and the same
month, The Chronicle started
by J. P. May. One other firm,
The Lovell Drug Store, was
in operation then, which is
still a prominent firm in the
town. It was founded by L. M.
Sorenson.
The balance of this page
is made up of stories which
appeared in Volume 1, No. 1 of
The Chronicle on May 31, 1906.
We were fortunate in having
a good copy of this first issue
given to us by W. E. Pearson
of the bank, and it apparently
was well preserved in the vault
for many years.
ealEsta
AboveR
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We’re holding down
Murphey’s Dollar Store
80 E. Main Street, Lovell
548-6546
Burt Huntington was one of several Wyoming newspaper publishers to be invited to the White House in February of
1963 to meet with President John F. Kennedy and discuss Wyoming issues. Burt is across the table from the president
at the White House luncheon, just in front of the president’s face in this photograph. Bob and Roy Peck, who purchased
the Chronicle from Huntington in late 1970, are also in this photo. Bob is to the president’s right, Roy at the far end of
the table to the left.
Two score years of progress
Longtime publisher E.O. describes newspaper, community
in introduction to 1946 40th anniversary edition
THE LOVELL
CHRONICLE
E. O. HUNTINGTON, Editor
and Publisher
Official paper for the
Town of Lovell, County of
Big Horn, the U. S. Land
Office and legal for all
publications.
________________
A
weekly
newspaper
published every Thursday
to serve the 6,000 people in
Northern Big Horn County.
Lovell is the center of
the oil production and
refining,
manufacturing,
agricultural and livestock
feeding activities of the
Big Horn Basin.
________________
Entered as Second Class
Matter at the Post Office
at Lovell, Wyoming, June
6, 1906, under the Act of
Congress, March 3, 1879.
________________
Subscription: One year $2.
Six months $1.25 Three
months 75c. Single copies
5c. On sale at newsstands
in Lovell, Cowley, Byron.
_________________________
TWO SCORE YEARS OF
PROGRESS
––––◊––––
WITH this edition, Volume
41, Number 1, THE LOVELL
CHRONICLE is presenting an
anniversary edition which
covers most of our business
life as it exists today. The
edition has not come up to
our expectations as we freely
admit it is a new field for
us. The generous support of
our business associates has
so far exceeded our hopes
that we have allowed for
advertising to overshadow
the historical coverage of
our community. However, on
closer inspection, we find that
much of the advertising will
be of historical interest also.
Especially is this true of the
detailed account of the bank’s
activity which is interesting
and complete in four pages.
We hope our readers will
find the edition worth while,
even though it cannot be as
complete as a history book.
We have followed our regular
newspaper style, because we
have never subscribed to the
idea of trying to appear as
something we are not.
Of special interest to us
(and newspaper publishers in
general as well as ourselves
are often accused of being
lax in advertising our own
business) is the fact that
within a few months we will
have published THE CHRONICLE
for half its lifetime. Started
in 1906 the paper was sold to
W. M. Jones a couple of years
later. Jones was not much of
a success here, although he
still publishes a newspaper
in Montana. Leaving town
overnight at the request of
the public spirited members of
The Lovell Commercial Club,
Jones left the paper in their
laps. To retain its legal status
it was necessary to have a
paper published each week,
so it fell to Mac Cline and a
few others to change a date
line or two and get the paper
out with little or no help from
experienced printers.
The club was successful
in getting an energetic editor
and printer to come west
from Nebraska and take over
management of the plant, so
Reyn Leedom began 16 years
of work in keeping the paper
abreast
of
developments.
Under his ownership the plant
had new and better machinery
installed; a Linotype machine,
the most important part of
present day fast printing,
was installed. With the
building of factories, The
Chronicle enlarged to properly
represent the town. Special
editions were issued in 1917
to celebrate the construction
of the sugar factory. Again
in 1920 a large edition was
published by returning service
men from World War I and was
published as a co-operative
project. The paper was active
in promoting the glass factory,
the brick and tile plant and all
civic improvements. In later
years before Leedom left the
town, he placed a great deal
of effort behind the building
of the mountain road over the
Big Horns, one sharp turn still
being called “Leedom‘s Loop.”
In 1926 the present
publisher came to Lovell
from Cody after having lived
in the lower Shoshone Valley
from 1908 to 1915 as a boy.
With little writing or editorial
experience, our liking for the
printing trade made the long
hours of overtime during
the first few months seem
less tiresome. Before we had
completed four years of weekly
publication of the paper, the
plant was destroyed by fire in
June, 1930. It was located in
a highly inflammable frame
building and was a complete
loss.
This incident at the
beginning of the Depression
was one which might have
discouraged anyone in debt,
but the response from the
community was so prompt
and sincere, it gave us the
necessary spirit to start anew.
Our first realization of the full
importance of a strong bank
came at that time. Within a
matter of hours, W. E. Pearson
of the bank had contacted all
businessmen of the town who
came forward with advertising
for a 16-page edition to get us
started again. This voluntary
help from the business men
has placed us under an
obligation which will never
be fully repaid. Especially are
we indebted to Mr. Pearson
for that badly needed boost
of 16 years ago, and with this
edition the enthusiasm, advice
and more than expected
support of advertising and
valuable old pictures.
We appreciate the fact that
much material of historical
interest and personal interest
has been omitted. In trying to
make a comparison between
the industrial and agricultural
production of 40 years ago and
today, we have had to leave
out much personal matter.
At this time we wish
to explain to the dozens of
neighbors who responded
with pictures that it was not
possible to place all of them in
this edition. Many were so old
they could not be reproduced
with enough clearness to
make it worthwhile. Then we
received a lot of pictures of
great interest from Cowley
and surrounding communities
which we left out because
we finally had to confine
our efforts to Lovell. We are
more appreciative now of the
interesting history contained
in the pioneering days. It
is our hope to cover these
stories at a later date, but it
was impossible to do it at one
time. As expressed by Howard
and Bert Ostler, our Linotype
operator and printer, who
have learned the trade here,
we have hardly accomplished
more than to learn how to
get out our 50th anniversary
number in proper shape!
After working for several
months on preparation and
production of this edition,
we were amazed at just
how big and progressive our
community really is in 1946.
It is all contained in a small
three-line item tucked away
in the Springfield (Mo.) News,
which was sent back to us,
and we understand has made
the rounds of several daily
papers. It read: “Nearly every
major Wyoming industrial
and
agricultural
activity
is represented in Lovell,
Wyoming.”
Thank you to everyone who contributed stories, photos and
general information to us for this special edition.
We are part of our past, and hope that we can continue to bring
local news that our readers find interesting.
Thanks also to our readers for your continuing support!
The Lovell Chronicle Staff
David Peck, Connie Burcham, Gladys McNeil, Pat Parmer, Kitty Myers, Erin
Henson, Dorothy Nelson, Dorothy Bush, Marwyn Layne and Julie Lassiter.
Although
we
have
established our reputation for
running a weekly newspaper
so that we would be welcomed
by our merchants next week,
next month and next year,
this experience has started us
wondering if we have not been
too conservative. Our dislike
for over selling advertising
came from the fact that it is
mainly done by high-pressure
strangers. In the future we
pledge THE CHRONICLE will
keep abreast of the town’s
needs – even if it takes
more equipment and a daily
newspaper.
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V&S
Variety
Store
Hours • Mon. - Sat.: 8 am - 9 pm • Sundays: 9 am - 6 pm
548-2224
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Journeyman
printer subs for
Chronicle drunk
COURTESTY PHOTO FROM JEANNE HAMER
The Lovell Chronicle production staff poses in the Chronicle shop in 1952. Longtime printer Howard Ostler is in the
middle, with Charlie Shumway on the left and Bob “Brooklyn” Thomas on the right.
Burt Huntington runs his offset press in 1958. The
Chronicle was the first Wyoming weekly to use the new
offset technology.
Francine Clavier, center, was working as a Lovell
telephone operator when she met E.O. “Ted” Huntington.
They were married in 1927, a year after he purchased the
Lovell Chronicle.
This article was reprinted
from the June 25, 1981 edition
of the Chronicle. Headlines and
language are from the original
P.P. Anderson speech, given in
1945. Readers are warned the
language may not be politically
correct.
The late P.P. Anderson of
Basin, who arrived in Basin
in 1906 as a printer’s devil and
stayed to become owner of the
Basin Republican and Basin
Rustler, was at one time owner
of the Greybull Standard, the
Cowley Progress, the Deaver
Sentinel and the Frannie
Independent.
In an address before
the Rotary club in 1945, the
longtime
newspaperman
recalled those early days of
publishing in the area.
“I arrived in Basin Aug.
21, 1906. My first job was for
the Bighorn Canal, 15 miles
south of Basin. I drove a pair
of mules to the place and the
next day I worked on the ditch,
was fired that night for tearing
up the only good construction
made the previous day. Alma
Peterson was the foreman. I
walked back to Basin, carrying
an umbrella, overcoat and
suitcase. The temperature was
110 in the shade and there was
no shade.
“Next day I went to Lovell
and worked on the Lovell
Chronicle for 10 days until the
regular man sobered up.
“I cam back to Basin and
carried hod for the Rogers
Hotel, now the Wynona
Hotel. I hauled sand for the
Wheeler and Basin State bank
buildings. I then went to work
for Leslie Davidson on the
Basin Republican.
“He leased the paper to Lin
I. Nobel, now of Thermopolis,
who ran the Republican for
one year.
“O.T. Gebhart and I
purchased the paper in 1907
and moved it from its location
to the building of the Atwood
Mortuary.
“I
later
purchased
Gebhart’s interest and sold one
interest to my brother-in-law
Boyd V. Osborn. I purchased
his interest a short time
afterwards and moved the
paper to its present location in
the old Blly Gibson furniture
store. This was in June 1924.
“In June 1928 I purchased
the Big Horn County Rustler
from
A.W.
Cooms
and
consolidated it with the Basin
Republican. He was my editor
for a number of years.
“The Greybull Standard
was established in 1907 by
Ralph Woodward of Meeteetse
who ran it for several years,
selling out to Harris and
Harris. In 1919 Frank Bristow
and I purchased the paper and
later sold it to Axel Lilja.
“Papers at the time of
my arrival were all political.
Someone wanted to run for
office. He started looking for
a paper. Usually all he had to
do was pay up the past due
bills and start in. At that time
$1,000 would start a paper.”
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Continued from page one
commenced to come forth.
With the high prices received for all produce and the
prosperous times which have
existed here since the land
was irrigated, the whole district is on the eve of a building
boom; in fact, the demand for
all kinds of building material
is greater than the supply.
Lovell also wants a planing mill which will turn out all
kinds of finished material.
There is a good market for
brick and a good kiln would
not last long were it for sale
at present while the demand
must necessarily grow.
Besides the opportunities mentioned, there are others which will soon be here
although not so publicly demanded now.
Those desiring further information will do well to write
The Chronicle.
––––
Too Much Water.
1906—The Chronicle does not
know who the water master is
whose duty it is to look after
the ditches carrying water continuously through the streets,
but one thing is evident and
that is he should take care
that no more water should be
admitted to each ditch than it
will properly carry.
During the recent storms,
there has been far too much
water in some of the ditches;
the result is the streets in several places are flooded, and
in one place the roads on the
principal street running east
and west were made almost
impassable for heavy loads.
There should be better care
taken of the roads and in no
way can they be improved
more than by keeping water
out of them.
––––
Started Chronicle
Lovell had grown into a bustling small community by the time this photograph was taken, apparently in the 1920s.
is at last here. The Lovell
Lumber Co. is the name of
the new firm and all who have
been complaining about shortage of building material can
now get all they want, any
kind they want and in any
quantity.
Mr. C. A. Riggs, president and general manager of
the new company arrived last
Friday from Billings and will
take up his residence here.
The company purchased five
lots from the Lincoln Land Co.
some time ago, south and east
of the depot, on which they are
now erecting warehouses and
an office.
There is no improvement
that was more needed than a
good lumber yard, and Manager Riggs is the right man
at the head of it. Everything
in the line of building material will be on hand as soon
as the warehouses are ready
to receive the various lines.
But two cars of lumber have
yet arrived; however, more is
expected this week, and when
the buildings are ready the
stock will be complete.
––––
SHIPPING POINT
––––
Lovell to Have a Large
Freight Depot and Other Accommodations
J. P. May
Newspaper editor, band
leader and active citizen, who started The
Chronicle in May 1906.
Machinery was hauled
down from Bridger by
wagon to print the paper. Housed in a small
building at the location
of the old town, where
the office of the Lovell
Clay Products company
later stood, the plant
was moved when other
business houses moved.
May sold the paper to
Wm. M. Jones, who left
town and turned the
paper over to the Lovell
Commercial club.
––––
REGULAR TRAIN.
––––
To Be Put On When Track
Reaches Basin.
1906.—The B. & M. agent
here, J. S. Honnold, informs
us that there will be no regular passenger train until the
track has been laid to Basin.
The reason for this is that the
work trains are passing back
and forth and must not be hindered. No connections with express companies have yet been
made, but as soon as regular
passenger trains are running
these will be made and until
that time all Lovell express
must be taken off at Frannie.
Agent Hannold is handling nothing but freight but
will likely continue to have
considerable trouble because
many yet believe that regular
trains are running and that
express can be shipped direct.
Considerable freight has
been coming in for the last
month or so. Many people here
have received car load lots,
among these being the local
merchants and saloon men
who are, after long delays, at
last getting freight in on something like schedule time.
––––
Lovell Lumber
Company
1906—One of the very much
needed additions to the town
1906—Among the three towns
on the new extension of the
Burlington that will have
large
freight
warehouses
Lovell comes first.
Engineer A. J. Vermazen
who has charge of the construction work in the building of depots and warehouses
is now here building a large
water tank. To The Chronicle
representative he stated that
Lovell, Basin and Worland
were the three towns on the
line from Frannie that would
have freight warehouses and
that he has orders to build
Lovell’s warehouse as soon as
the water tank has been completed.
The water tank here will
be of the best in construction
and will hold fifty thousand
gallons, being twenty-four
feet in diameter, sixteen feet
in depth. The present plans
require a pump house directly
north of the tank on the river
and will be fitted out with a
gasoline engine. It is expected
that a gravity system will take
the place of the pump and engine as soon as Lovell’s water
system shall be put in.
The freight depot, it is
said, will be similar to the
standard warehouse which
is thirty-two by one hundred
feet. The tank which is now
used, at the bridge across the
Shoshone River one and onehalf miles above Lovell, will be
discarded as soon as the one
here is completed.
––––
THAT SMALL
TOWN
––––
Fifty-two Miles North of
Basin.
1906—In a dispatch to the Wyoming Tribune dated Basin,
May 22nd, the writer makes
many mistakes regarding the
killing of John Boylan and everything said is a bungle with
very little truth, but there was
one sentence in that article
that we must call attention to.
“To rob the bank at Lovell, a
small Mormon settlement fifty-two miles north of here.”
Now we believe the same
rules govern towns in matters of comparison as the rules
which govern men. It would be
considered bad manners for a
very small man to speak of a
man twice his size, as small.
Just so is it wrong for Basin,
or any man there, to speak of
Lovell as SMALL. Lovell is
small but not small compared
with Basin.
The state census of 1905
gave Lovell 717 people and
Basin 370. Lovell lacked 23
of being twice as large as the
county seat and we make the
audacious assertion that this
town has gained two people
during the year passed to each
one of Basin’s new residents.
There seems to be a general
impression prevalent that
Lovell is a very small place,
which is substantially true,
but it is a large town for Big
Horn county. It has one thousand people and is gaining as
rapidly as any other place in
the county.
Since occasion calls for it,
permit us to make a few statements regarding the relative
size, in a few ways, of Basin
and Lovell. This town has
twice as many people as the
county seat or any other town
in the county except Cody
– the largest, and Lovell has
three acres of first class farming land to every acre that
Basin can ever bring under
cultivation. Lovell has a natural power site within a mile of
town on a river that is but ten
feet below the level of Main
Street and which has a fall
of thirty feet to the mile, five
times the fall of the Big Horn
at Basin. Lovell can have an
elegant system of water works
by laying a mile of pipe line
while Basin pumps its water
up on a hill in order to get
a small force and can’t even
have a vegetable garden until
water reaches it from the tail
end of a canal fifty-four miles
in length.
The Chronicle has no ill
feeling toward Basin or any
other town in the county but
we do demand more respect
than has heretofore been
given this locality, and when
Basin speaks of Lovell as “a
small settlement fifty-two
miles from Basin” we would
ask them to stop and think
that they are speaking of a
town twice the size of the
county seat. Basin has a few
more offices, one more bank,
and the transient trade gives
it some advantages, but with
these advantages, it will never
equal Lovell in population.
––––
Lovell, May 31, 1906—
Emil Vaterlaus was down and
informs us he intends to start
a paper at Cowley in the near
future.
––––
THAT KILLING.
––––
The Complete Story of the
Breaking Up of a Gang of
Bad Characters.
1906—Although it has been
more than a week since John
Boylan was killed at Garland by deputy Sheriff Clab
Young, it is best that the details be told and the whole
affair straightened out, because many stories have been
published, each one wrong in
whole or in part.
It was about May 12, a
man in Lovell heard that a
gang of men were intending
to hold up the Lovell State
Bank. The information was
obtained through one of the
intended bank robbers soliciting the assistance of the informant.
Detective Barrett, disguised as a common laborer,
was soon in touch with his
men, knew all their plans, the
modus operendi and the night
of the intended hold-up. Cashier L. V. Stryker, Post Master Ira Waters, E. Crofts and
deputy Sheriff Young were
ready for the raid and expect-
ed to capture the whole gang.
For some reasons or other, Boylan, the leader, postponed the raid and the next
day said he would leave for
Garland and wait there until
his colleague returned from
Billings where he had gone
to secure a better kit of tools.
The detective followed Boylan
to Garland, but before leaving he swore out a warrant,
charging him with conspiracy
to rob the Lovell bank. It was
planned that if Boylan attempted to leave they would
arrest him and when he arrived at Garland, Barrett
telephoned to the Deputy
Sheriff that he was to leave
on the train that night and to
come immediately.
Young left for Garland
and about seven o’clock that
night was in the act of reading the warrant of arrest to
Boylan when the latter pulled
a revolver and ordered “hands
up.” Instead of obeying orders
Young, who is one of the best
shots in the west, quicker
than a flash drew his gun and
fired, killing the desparado instantly. Two shots were fired,
the first striking him in the
forehead and the second entering his body at the shoulder and coming out through
the opposite side and taking
an angular course, penetrating the heart.
The county sheriff and
coroner were notified and
were there next morning. The
verdict of the coroner’s inquest exonerated Young who
was certainly justified, as he
had been told through the detective that Boylan had said
he would shoot Young if he
tried to arrest him.
Of the two other men who
were charged with the same
crime as Boylan, one has left
town by order of the officers
and the other has not been
seen since the leader was
killed. The man who went to
Billings after better tools has
not been arrested nor is he
likely to be taken as he would
lose no time in getting out of
the country.
Much credit is due the
men who assisted in breaking up the gang but the one
who should be given most
credit is he who, while a gun
in the hands of an intended
murderer was pointed at his
heart, had the nerve and ability to refuse to surrender. As
Boylan well knew, most men
would hold up their hands
when they are taken by surprise and a gun thrown in
their face. Boylan made no
sign of resisting arrest when
Our
Young first spoke to him and
his actions threw the officer
off the track.
It was planned to shoot
Cashier Stryker on entering the bank, and for several
days, guards were on duty at
all hours. All feel relieved to
have such men out of the way.
Along with the intended bank
raid the gang expected to rob
the Strong hotel at it was
known Mrs. Strong had considerable money which was
kept on hand to cash checks.
Boylan made the threat that
he would burn her feet if necessary to get the whereabouts
of the money.
Later: John Boylan has a
wife in Cheyenne and was a
resident there last year, coming to Wyoming from Sioux
City, Iowa, where he killed a
policeman in his saloon. It is
said that it cost Boylan all he
owned to free himself and he
has been following the life of
the thief and thug since leaving Iowa.
––––
Quite a number of Cowley
people are freighting timbers
from the railroad bridges. Owing to the bad weather most of
them laid off several days but
returned to work this week.—
(From The Chronicle of May
31, 1906.)
100
th
Year
Check with your father or your grandfather – since 1906 we
have been the bank that has played an important role in the life
of our community.
When we opened our doors 100 years ago, Lovell was a
struggling frontier town surrounded by sagebrush flats. Land was
plentiful, but the money to develop it was hard to come by.
Our early-day bankers had the faith in our pioneers to support
them with loans that were better than promises, and then had the
foresight to believe that, through cooperation, our bank and the
early farmers could make this land productive, green and a great
place to live.
Our faith and their hard work was justified. Through the years
our close relationship with farmers, ranchers and businessmen
has been instrumental in North Big Horn County’s growth.
Today it’s no different. We still support promising people who
feel their future is in North Big Horn County. What are your plans
for the future? If they include North Big Horn County, we are
enthusiastic about talking them over with you.
Bank of Lovell
Your Life, Your Money, Your Community, Your Bank
179 E. 3rd St., Lovell, Wyoming • 548-2213
BankofLovell.com

read the entire 2006 special

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