Wyoming Territory Indian Attacks

Herman G Nickerson was born between 1837 and 1842 in Ohio and was an early miner at Hamilton in Sweetwater County. He had arrived in Wyoming Territory about 1868. This personal account was written by him on an unrecorded date, and is available at the Wyoming State Archives and Historical Department on Microfilm H-40, Item 5.

Punctuation and grammar reflect modern usage. The names remain as written in the original. In the style of his times, Nickerson ignored casualties suffered by the Native Americans. There is, therefore, no accounting of their losses within this record.

On August 20^th '69, William Skinner and George Colt were killed and William Williams was wounded on North Fork of Big PopoAgie. This party lost seven horses . . . On August 21^st '69, the Jeff Standifer party of seven men were attacked on Big Wind River above Bull Lake. Moore, Lehman, and Macauley and one other were killed. Standifer and two of his party making their escape over the mountains on foot. The same day near the Hot Springs on Little Wind River, Henry Lusk was wounded and his band of horses taken. Sage Nickerson hid in the water and escaped. The Indians killed his dog.
On September 29^th '69, John G. Anderson was killed near Miners Delight while hauling lime and his three yoke of cattle taken. Mike Henan also killed . . . On same day, a man by name of Latham was killed while chopping wood on Big Atlantic Gulch. On same day, a party of hostiles tried to get the drop on James Goodson, an old mountaineer and hunter by playing the friendly Indian dodge . . . night when he made his escape and came into Miners Delight with his clothes riddled with bullets.
On March 31^st 1870, Franklin Irwin was killed on Little Atlantic Gulch or rather he was terribly wounded and naked, walked a mile and half to his Mother and home in Atlantic where his Father Dr. Irwin tried every means to save him, but . . . he soon died. On same day, William S. Bennington and James Othicks were killed on Smiths Gulch and Eugene Fosbery, John McGuire, and Anson B. Kellogg were killed at St. Mary's on Sweetwater.
[Next day on an expedition against the Arapaho] one Smith, a noted desperado [soon after killed in a saloon fight] was chosen Lieutenant.
On May 10^th, 1870, Lieutenant Stambough was killed and Sergeant Brown severely wounded, in an engagement on Big Beaver between the Indians and Company B, 2^nd Cavalry under command of Major David Gordon. In this raid, the Indians took the work cattle of an entire train belonging to Jason Sherman, thereby impoverishing him. On June 17, 1870, Oliver Lamereaux was killed on the Point of Rocks road . . . Indians attacked Ed Young's ranch, standing guard over his cabin to keep him in. . .
Same day, they attacked Joseph Faris and Ed Rohm in Red Canyon . . . A little further on they attacked Thomas Anton, a prospector.
On the 27^th day of June 1870, Dr. Barr, Harvey Morgan,and Jerome Mason were killed on Willow Creek between Big and Little Popo Agie Rivers . . . On October 9^th 1872, Michael Henan was killed . . . on Big Beaver Hill near Miners Delight.
On July 24^th 1873, Mrs. Hattie Hall and Mrs. L. S. Richardson were killed . . . on Big Popo Agie. Lander Baldwin store now stands there.

Indians in Sweetwater County

from Scrapbook of the South Pass Area