It was Christmas of 1888 on the Nelson family’s N Lazy N Ranch. Twenty-five miles away, Buck Hanby and his gang of outlaws were holed up in Salt Creek Canyon, not far from Newcastle, Wyoming.
Inspired by a sense of Christmas-time charity, Rancher Nelson and his two boys set out on horseback to bring cookies and doughnuts to Buck Hanby’s gang. As was the custom, the Nelson party was armed with rifles and six guns. They arrived and were told to disarm and dismount before Buck Hanby would see them.
Hoping the outlaws would appreciate a neighborly visit, Nelson and sons knocked on the door of the dugout – only to come face to face with Hanby and his gang each armed with two six shooters trained on the visitors. Fortunately, the cookies and doughnuts helped to calm tensions.
Read the Dick J. Nelson papers at UW’s American Heritage Center to learn more about life before Wyoming became a state.