Rebellion gave birth to the United States of America, and its history since then would become rife with them. Some of the famous ones that came to mind were the Civil War and the Indian Wars. Although some of the lesser civilian conflicts like the Coal Wars, Tulsa Riots, Los Angeles Uprising, and the recent 2021 Capitol Attack, had also embedded themselves in the country.
Would you believe that the cowboys and gunfighters of the Old West had their fair share of rebellions against the government? One filled with class warfare, murders, and large scale battles? This rebellion became known as the Johnson County War, which happened in Wyoming during the late 19th century.
The Johnson County War was a range war, a type of conflict that happened in the Wild West due to disputes in grazing, water, and livestock between civilians. What made the war so different was that it pitted small farmers and ranchers, against rich and powerful businessmen, for the control of the lands in Wyoming; an image that would be immortalized in books, films, and video games.
A devastating winter that ravaged Wyoming in 1886 to 1887 caused much of the conflict, destroying livestock and the resources needed to raise them. This economic nightmare forced many of the large businesses (known as the cattle barons) to pool money in order to enforce what remained of the land and livestock. Their action was disagreed upon by the small farmers and ranchers (known as homesteaders or grangers), and this tragically resulted in conflict.
Lynchings, assassinations, and gunfights rocked Natrona, Weston, Sheridan and Johnson County; leading to many deaths. The violence was made worse by the fact that many who participated in it were veterans of the Civil War and the Indian Wars, with many others being seasoned law enforcers, criminals, and gunmen. The conflict boiled to the point where a large scale battle happened, between a besieged group of cattle barons and their hired guns, and a determined posse of homesteaders and allied lawmen. The violence became so bad that the government had to send the military to quell the fighting, leading to further injuries and deaths that now involved soldiers of the United States Military.
It was the perfect example of an American class war. The rich cattle barons had an army of range detectives, outlaws and assassins, while the homesteaders were composed of mostly poor farmers and cowboys. The rich cattle barons had the government and the army on their side, while the homesteaders only had their tenacity and determination.
Both sides were near equal in terms of weapons, utilizing single-action colt peacemakers, double-action smith and wessons, various winchester models from 1873 to 1886, and high-caliber sharps rifles. The homesteaders’s ingenuity also had them building siege weapons and utilizing explosives. On the other hand, one key weapon that allowed the barons to dominate the homesteaders was money. Lots of it.
However, the Johnson County War still ended in a pyrrhic victory for the homesteaders. Although they failed to get justice for the murders committed by the cattle barons, the latter did give up on trying to remove them. Many of the barons involved in the conflict left Wyoming altogether. Decades after the war, the cattle barons and the homesteaders would somewhat reconcile, and work together to build the modern livestock industry of Wyoming.
Debates still surrounded the Johnson County War, like when did it start, how long did it last, how many people died, and who between the cattle barons and the homesteaders were on the right. Many well-known historians and writers like John W. Davis, Asa Mercer, and Owen Wister believed that the Johnson County War occurred in 1892, specifically during the Invasion from April 5-13. This would have meant that the total casualties was merely between 2-4 people dead. But if taken into consideration the time period of when the violence between the cattle barons and the homesteaders began and ended, a more accurate date of July 20, 1889 to May 24, 1893 is preferable. The date would include, and therefore give respect, to every deaths that happened during the war, which numbered between 20-40 killed, from the hanging of Ella Watson and Jim Averell to the shooting of Dudley Champion.
Nonetheless, the Johnson County War became one of the most famous and highly mythologized insurrections in American history.
Timeline
July 20, 1889
Ella Watson and Jim Averell were hanged by the cattle barons. They were the first casualties of the Johnson County War.
October 14, 1889
Key witness of Watson and Averell's murder, Ralph Cole, mysteriously died due to poisoning during the day of his trial.
October 8, 1890
The detective who had accused Watson and Averell, George Henderson, was shot and killed.
June 4, 1891
Horse trader Tom Waggoner was killed. Months later his friend, Jimmy the Butcher, was killed
September 1, 1891
Nate Champion was almost assassinated. Assassin Billy Lykins was killed by Champion.
November 28, 1891
Orley "Ranger" Jones was murdered. John Tisdale was then murdered three days later. Both were allies of Nate Champion.
March 14, 1892
The cattle barons, led by Frank Wolcott and Frank Canton, planned to exterminate the competition and hired gunmen from Texas.
April 9, 1892
Standoff at KC Ranch that resulted in the death of Nate Champion and Nick Ray.
April 9, 1892
A posse made up of homesteaders and townsfolk was formed by Sheriff Red Angus to fight the cattle barons.
April 10, 1892
Invader Jim Dudley died en route to the TA Ranch. The cattle barons and their gunmen took defensive positions at the aforementioned ranch.
April 11, 1892
Angus’s posse besieged Wolcott’s group at the TA Ranch. Invader Alex Lowther was mortally wounded.
April 13, 1892
The cavalry from Fort McKinney arrived and rescued the cattle barons. The latter were then detained in Fort D.A. Russell.
May 10, 1892
An ally of the cattle barons, US Marshall George Wellman, was ambushed and killed.
June 17, 1892
Townspeople fought a gunfight with a group of Buffalo Soldiers who were sent to keep the peace. Pvt. Willis Johnson was killed. Another soldier named Brown was also killed by a cowboy in a shooting range.
October 1, 1892
Two alleged horse rustlers named Jack Bedford and Dab Burch were gunned down. Possible suspects escaped to Montana with help from cattle baron Otto Franc.
May 24, 1893
Nate’s brother, Dudley Champion, was killed. He was the last casualty of the Johnson County War.
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