Wyoming Stories: How A Military Recruiter Recruited His Girlfriend

As a young man, Richard Garber and his brother served as the grave diggers for the cemetery in Big Horn.  They oversaw the interment of their friends and neighbors when graves were dug by hand, up through the advent of the backhoe. Garber and his friend Elaine Henry recall the importance of this cemetery to their families and the community of Bighorn.

Richard grew up on a ranch in Bighorn, Wyoming.  Because of the large amount of land they ranched, his family owned an airplane.  When Garber learned to fly as a teenager, mischief and misadventure ensued.

Ruth Michels lives in Cody, but she grew up in Laramie. Here, she remembers a childhood encounter with a black bear at Yellowstone National Park.

Peg, Betty, and Dixie Johnson are sisters-in-law who married into an Elk Mountain ranching family. All three women played an important role in the local school. Peg and Dixie recall driving the school bus, Betty remembers moving to Elk Mountain as an untested school teacher.

Cody resident Martha Kinkade tells her daughter Becky the story of a wild horse only she could ride. Martha’s future husband, Harley, needed someone to ride the horse while he was gone during the summer, so Martha took the reins.

And in this story, Martha recounts moments from her school days.