Title: Reading the West 11-9-09
Author: Candy Moulton
Publisher: The Fence Post
Date: 10/10/09
Before in this column I've written about the Images of America series that Arcadia Books publishes, and now there are a couple of new titles in the series. Both are Wyoming titles: "Platte County" and "Powell."
Jeremy Johnston is a native of Powell, Wyo., who attended the University of Wyoming and then returned to Powell, where he now teaches at Northwest College. His prior publications include articles in "Annals of Wyoming," "Points West" and "Yellowstone Science." He has also appeared on two PBS documentaries, "Roy Barnes: Rocky Mountain Cowboy" and "Wyoming Voices."
Powell would not be the farm town it is if the 1894 Carey Act and the subsequent 1902 Newlands Act had not passed bringing reclamation projects to the West, turning arid lands to productive crops and Jeremy Johnston rightly begins his book with an introduction that sets up that early history of water development.
The Garland Canal went into operation in 1908, and was the catalyst to agricultural production around Powell. This book includes early photographs of the Corbett Dam and Tunnel that diverted water from the Shoshone River to the Garland District irrigation project.
Johnston also includes chapters — and photographs — related to Early History of the Bighorn Basin, Homesteaders, Main Street, Earning a Living, the local school district and Northwest College, plus general life in Powell. And he takes considerable space in the book to recount one of Powell's biggest stories: "The Saga of Earl Durand." This small-town criminal, who had been involved in various altercations with the law including poaching of wildlife, walked into the First National Bank of Powell on March 24, 1939, pulled off a robbery and killed a bank teller, before escaping. He hid out for several days while being pursued by a posse of lawmen, killed two of his pursuers, and was finally killed himself by a teenage boy from Powell.
It is one of those stories that makes a good tale — or a movie — and has been both over the years. Johnston includes numerous photographs and illustrations related to the Durand Saga, including a copy of a letter the man wrote to the sheriff who pursued him, pictures of the posse, even gruesomely, a photo of Durand after he had been killed.
There is enough in this book to give you a basic understanding of Powell and its history. The photographs that have been included are for the most part interesting, informative, and intriguing.
Starley Talbott began her writing career in newspapers in Wyoming, and has written several other books, including guidebooks to wineries in Four Corners country and in the Dakotas. In the Images of America Series she has turned to Platte County, Wyo., where she now lives.
Her book also begins with a discussion of water development, as that commodity is essential to the livelihood of people throughout Platte County, with water diverted from the Little Laramie River to irrigate farm fields. One interesting map of the Wheatland Colony shows the lands that were to be irrigated under a development program set up by the Wyoming Development Company, which owned the water rights — though not the land. Although the document called for development of both the Sybille Tract and the Bordeaux Tract under provisions of the 1894 Carey Act, Sybille was never developed under that program, and only a portion of the Bordeaux Tract went into production.
Talbott also includes information about the towns in the county including Wheatland, Glendo, Hartville, Guernsey and Chugwater. There are photos of mining operations at the Sunrise Mine, plus the Wyoming National Guard Camp, as well as images of cowboys working on ranches in the southern end of the county.
Both of these books are capsules of history for their respective areas that are photo-rich, with interesting, informative captions.
Title: Powell lives on community spirit
Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Billings Gazette
Date: 12/9/09
As Powell's centennial year draws to a close, a local historian and author cites an enduring community spirit that has sustained the town for 100 years as one of the keys to its future.
"One of the elements that has contributed to Powell's success, when you look back at its history, is that people have always kind of worked together as a group and as a community," said Jeremy Johnston, a history professor at Northwest College.
Johnston's new book, "Powell," part of Arcadia Publishing's Images of America series, shows the town's strong sense of community in hundreds of archival photos, offering a visual history starting with the community's earliest days as a reclamation camp.
The book was a natural fit for Johnston, whose mother's family members were Powell homesteaders, while his father's family homesteaded in Cody.
"Living in this area, there wasn't a day that you weren't exposed to some of the family's history," said Johnston, 38, who has taught history for 15 years.
"I grew up in an environment where I was constantly bombarded with family stories, and that's probably the greatest motivation that led me into a career in history," he said.
The photos in Johnston's book offer a diverse look at a town that some people perceive as a homogenous farming community.
They show the meticulous organization of government reclamation workers, the tough and sometimes dangerous work of those who built the area's irrigation system and the idyllic storefronts created by Main Street merchants.
"You can tell whenever people take a photo of the downtown, the purpose of it is really boosterism, to show off the development," Johnston said.
The book chronicles how Clark Street was originally intended by planners to be Powell's main street, but investors instead bought larger, cheaper lots on Bent Street, which eventually became the town's major commercial boulevard.
Johnston also includes photos of Ralston and Garland, covering their growth and eventual decline as challengers to Powell's dominance.
"One area that really kind of challenged my traditional perspective was the whole Earl Durand saga," Johnston said, referring to the Powell resident who in 1939 made national headlines after escaping from jail and robbing a bank. The crime spree left six local people dead, including Durand.
"Growing up, I was always led to believe Earl Durand was really a hero, a Robin Hood figure. My perspective there really began to shift," he said.
Johnston said his research revealed "just how much of a community tragedy that really was. It was not the sensational last stand of an outlaw I had held in my mind."
Northwest College will continue to play a role in Powell's development, but the future of the school's expansion, funded largely through mineral taxes, is likely to remain tied to the state's "roller-coaster economy," Johnston said.
"Powell's ag community will still be fairly important in the future, but we may see more conflict between the expansion of the town and farm land being subdivided," he said.
No matter what the future holds, the town's tradition of residents relying on and helping each other will remain important to its success, Johnston said.
"I keep going back to that community-driven work ethic that's been critical for Powell. If Powell is going to make it in the future, that's something that needs to continue," he said.
If you go:
Powell historian and writer Jeremy Johnston joins several other local authors who will discuss and sign their books 4-6 p.m. today at the Bighorn Canyon Visitor Center in Lovell. Call 307-548-5406 for more information.
