1869, a party of these same outlaws stole twenty-five horses and mules from Fort Steele. A mounted detail in charge of Brevet. Captain J. H. Hays was sent in pursuit of the gang and the stock. By order of the commander of the Fort, Wagon Master J. M. Ingersoll accompanied the party. The robbers were with difficulty traced as they took care to pass over ground from which the snow had been blown off, consequently no trail was left, the ground being frozen hard. Ingersoll proved himself of service in following the difficult trail. Night came on and the party was obliged to go into camp but they went forward again at dawn the following day, keeping in a northwesterly direction. About 4 o'clock in the afternoon they came upon the robbers, who concealed themselves in a gulch, surrounded by tall sage brush and from this advantageous position they opened fire on the advancing military force. There were five of the robbers, all desperate characters, and they fought with the determination not to be taken. The enlisted men were Infantrymen and unaccustomed to the saddle and consequently some of them were unable to keep up and this reduced the force to eight men including the officer and wagon master, Ingersol. The robbers, it was soon discovered, were doing some close shooting as a shower of bullets reached the vicinity where the party had halted and Wagon Master Ingersoll had his horse shot from under him. The soldiers now dismounted and kept up a continuous fire on the robbers whose position was indicated by the smoke of their guns. The firing was kept up until nightfall when the outlaws stole away on foot, leaving their blankets and other property. The little command returned to the fort with the recaptured stock and on the following afternoon the same force went in search of the dismounted robbers. They found them on Sand Creek near Seminoe Mountain and they were captured without difficulty, as they were in a bad plight, being destitute of everything except their firearms. Wagon Master Ingersoll is still a resident of this State and a prominent citizen. He entered the government employ at Fort Sanders in the

fall of 1867 and was detailed as assistant master of transportation to go with the party who located Fort Steele and was soon after this placed in charge of transportation and forage and remained until the fall of 1871. His name is mentioned in connection with other events in this volume. The capture of the robbers mentioned gave great satisfaction in army circles and General C. C. Augur, the commander of the department, in general orders No. 8, dated, Omaha, February 10, 1869, complimented those engaged as follows

"The Commanding General announces the successful result of an expedition of eight men under command of Brevet Captain J. H. Hays, First Lieutenant 30 Infantry, sent in pursuit of thieves and a herd of government mules, stolen from Fort Fred. Steele on the night of the 31st of January, 1869, and, discovering the trail three miles from the post, followed it next day twenty-five miles, leaving two strag glers and one man whose animal had given out. The pursuit was continued next morning in a drifting snow storm, under discouraging circumstances, with the trail at times obliterated. The trail becoming fresher the pursuit was pressed, and after a march of thirty-five miles, the thieves made a desperate fight and after being wounded made good their escape into a ravine, on foot, leaving their blankets, bedding and animals behind. The men of the party were on short rations, and with no water except melted snow. On the return, the expedition captured two thieves with two animals stolen from the post on the night of February 1, 1869.

"Captain Hays especially commends the conduct of Wagon Master Ingersoll, and Private Charles Moore, Company 'A'; Perry Case, Campany 'F', and Michael Owens, Company 'K', 30th Infantry.

"The Commanding General desires to express his commendation of the conduct of Captain Hayes and his party, in pushing to so creditable a termination a pursuit which at times would have discouraged officers and men of less energy and enterprise."

There were stirring times at Fort Steele all through 1869 and for some years following. These events will be detailed in the next volume of this history

CHAPTER XLII.

THE TERRITORY OF WYOMING.

1868.

THE BUILDING OF THE RAILROAD NECESSITATES: A GOVERNMENT-THE NAME WYOMING AND ITS ORIGIN-THE FIRST BILL IN CONGRESSDR. HIRAM LATHAM SENT TO WASHINGTON AS AN AGENT OF THE PEOPLE-CIRCULAR DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE SENATORS AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF RepresentativeS-BILL PASSES THE SENATE-DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED IN THE HOUSE-IT WAS FINALLY PASSED AND SIGNED BY THE PRESIDENT-TERRITORIAL OFFICERS NOMINATED BY PRESIDENT JOHNSON BUT NOT CONFIRMED BY THE THE SENATE-BILL DELAYED UNTIL GEN. GRANT BECOMES PRESI DENT-THE ACT ORGANIZING THE TERRITORY.

The building of the Union Pacific made it necessary that a new territory be formed out of parts of Dakota, Utah and Idaho. This country was remote from the capitals of all the territories mentioned and when settlement along the line of the Railroad was commenced public policy demanded a government for the use and benefit of the settlements. As soon as the line of the Union Pacific was located, far seeing and interested citizens commenced the movement which finally resulted in the organization of a territory carved out of those whose names I have mentioned. The first bill introduced into Congress having this object in view was presented by Ashley of Ohio in 1865, who named his proposed territory "Wyoming". But his bill failed to become a law.* There has been much discussion, for a number of years, as to who first applied the name Wyoming to this section of country. Leigh Richmond Freeman, of the state of Wash

*Congressman J. M. Ashley was not so anxious to create the new Territory of Wyoming as he was to reduce the holdings of the Mormons. His plan was to extend the boundary of Colorado west on a line with the present western boundary of Wyoming and to extend Idaho south to the present southern line of this state and to create the Territory of Wyoming on the present boundary line. This would have reduced the Territory of Utah more than one-third. Many congressmen at that time were anxious to crush Brigham Young and his church.

ington, makes the claim that he, in the spring of 1866, while en route from Fort Kearney, Nebraska, to Fort Laramie to attend a Peace Conference, wrote a letter for publication to his paper and dated this correspondence "Third Crossing of Lodge Pole Creek, Wyoming Territory." This, he says, was the first time the name was applied to the "southwestern half of Dakota." Mr. Freeman was at that time publishing the "Pioneer Index" at Fort Kearney. This paper was afterwards published at Fort Sanders and when Laramie was started it was moved to that town. Afterwards the paper was located at Bear River. It has been stated that Congressman Ashley originated a bill in 1865 in which this name was used. I get this from the works of Hubert Howe Bancroft.

Freeman undoubtedly did more to popularize the name, Wyoming, than any other man. He had numerous articles .in his "Pioneer Index” advocating the name and there is no doubt that such editorial work had its effect on the people in this country and those who afterwards inserted the name in the bill creating Wyoming Territory. This editor says: "The word Wyoming was taken from Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, rendered famous from Campbell's beautiful poem, 'Gertrude of Wyoming.'

"The word means 'Mountains with valleys alternating.' Or, as we construed it: 'Here God has bent down the backs of His mountains for man to make his habitations.'"

Of the name and its meaning, Charles Miner, writing in 1845, says:

"The name Wyoming was long supposed to mean, being interpreted, 'A Field of Blood;' but Mr. Heckewelder, perfectly versed in Indian language, to the inquiry of Mr. Chapman, replied: 'Wyoming is a corruption of Maughwauwama, by which it was designated by the Delaware Indians, being a compound of maughwau, meaning large, and wama, signifying plains; so that it may be translated, "The Large Plains". "

Wyoming.-Name carried to the West by emigrants from the Wyoming Valley of Eastern Pennsylvania in its native location, the word derived from the Delaware expression m'cheuomi or m'cheuwami, meaning "great plain." -From U. S Curious Facts, by Malcolm Townsend.

The first man to go east in behalf of Wyoming Territory was John B. Wolff. He stirred up the politicians, talked around the hotels at Washington and talked to members of Congress when opportunity offered. Wolff was a man of no ordinary ability but he had the misfortune of talking too much. When he commenced to interview a member of Congress it was absolutely impossible for him to let go his victim. I chanced to meet this man of the mountains in the early part of 1868, I think it was at the National Hotel in Washington, and heard him talk about the possibilities and probabilities of this fair territory. He was an interesting character and once seen would never be forgotten, but he was not a good lobbyist for the reason that he was regarded as a "bore." The next man from Wyoming to put in an appearance at Washington was Dr. Hiram Latham, who was sent to the capital by the people interested in the organi zation of the territory. This man was quite different from Wolff. He had great discretion, was well educated, had good command of language, could answer questions without using unnecessary words; in short he was a man of ability. He had been at Washington only a few days when the proposed territory became something more than a shadow and members of Congress began to feel that there was need of a temporary government in this part of the country. Dr. Latham, soon after his arrival, issued the following circular which he politely handed to senators and members of the House of Representatives with the request to read it at such times as opportunity offered:

WYOMING.

To the Honorable Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives: