The Author in Me

What inspired me to start writing?

Writing has always appealed to me, though I was not particularly good at it in my early years. My brother, Rod, always has been the literary genius of the family. But solid writing skills became more important to me in my college career, and I particularly learned to love writing about historical nonfiction. It is one way to keep alive the stories of Wyoming’s colorful past.

Years ago, I authored a book about an 1879 military expedition into northwestern Colorado that began at Fort Fred Steele, in Carbon County. It addressed unrest between the White River Utes and their Indian agent in Powell Valley. The discord grew in intensity and eventually boiled over into a shoving match. As a result, a military expedition was ordered to the agency to settle the matter.

Fort Fred Steele

What transpired from that event was an extended siege of the military expedition where warriors forced a retreat to circled wagons after troops attempted to enter the reservation under force of arms. A relief column of soldiers eventually rescued the besieged expedition, but several civilian employees at the agency were killed, and women and children were taken captive.