Medicine Bow Origin and History
A History of Owen Wister
Owen Wister (Born July 14, 1860 - Died
in1938)
Worked in Boston as a
bank employee until his health failed and came West
in 1885. He went back to East to Harvard to become
a lawyer.
Wister was a
Harvard-educated lawyer from Philadelphia. He was
originally from Pennsylvania.
1885 - Wister came West
at the age of 25 for his health. He stayed at the
Wolcott Ranch on Deer Creek, near Glenrock.
July 22, 1885 - Wister
came to Medicine Bow with the owner of the ranch.
As there was no rooms available so he slept on the
counter of the General Store, South of the tracks,
now known as the Owen Wister General Store.
Wister made several
trips West, and the names and events over a period
of the next 15 years were kept in a series of
diaries. They contained a full and realistic
account of his western experiences with cattle
thieves, ranchers, cowboys, saloons and their
keepers, and Indians. He used these colorful events
to provide the material for his western novel
"The
Virginian,"
which was published in 1902. (The setting -
Medicine Bow, Wyoming)
"The Virginian" was the
first Western ever written. It brought world wide
recognition to Medicine Bow and made famous the
phrase "When you call me that, smile."
Legend has it that Owen
Wister overheard these words when James Davis, one
time deputy sheriff of Carbon County, was engaged
in a poker game in Medicine Bow. One of the other
players called Davis an "S.O.B." and Davis replied,
"When you call me that, smile."
The T.V. show,
"The
Virginian"
was introduced in the 1962-63 season, and was based
on Wister's book. James Drury was the Virginian,
Doug McClure was Trampas, and Lee J. Cobb was the
Colonel.
Four movies were made
prior to the T.V. series - Starring Dustin Farnum,
Kenneth Harlan, Gary Cooper, and Joel McCree,
respectively, as "The
Virginian."
Owen Wister Cabin
Built the early 1900's
(approximately 1911 when Wister bought it),
this cabin was Owen
Wister's Hunting Lodge and Summer Ranch Home. It
was located West of Moose, WY, in the Jackson Hole
Area. The cabin was later moved to the R Lazy S
Dude Ranch, in the Moose area, and used as a girls
bunkhouse, Rec. Room, and Linen Storage. It was
used for this purpose until the early 1970's, when
it was dismantled (each piece being marked with a
numbered metal tag and put in storage) in about
1972.
1975 - John Hunt, then
part owner of the Virginian Hotel, read a published
article that the cabin was going to be destroyed.
Hunt brought it to the attention of the local Lions
Club, and they decided to bring the cabin to
Medicine Bow, as a Bicentennial Project. In the
spring of 1976, the Lions Club brought the cabin,
in pieces, by flatbed trailers to Medicine Bow
where it was rebuilt over several years. The inside of
the cabin sports small nameplates on individual logs, each bearing
the name of the person or family that paid for the transport
of that log. Continued improvements are being made on the cabin,
which now houses an assortment of period pieces. The main room
on the lower level is open for viewing.
Owen
Wister Monument
The Owen Wister Monument
was erected in 1939 and was made of Petrified Wood,
most of which came from the Petrified Forest, 40
miles North of Medicine Bow.
It was constructed by
Bill Griffith in 1939 and a dedication ceremony was
held.
It was erected as a
tribute to Owen Wister and his book that made our
town famous.
Owen Wister General Store
Built in the middle of
the 1800's (Still standing South of the railroad
tracks). One of 29 buildings in Medicine Bow in
1885.
Wister was staying at
the Wolcott Ranch on Deer Creek, near Glenrock, for
his health. He came to Medicine Bow with the ranch
owner to confer with his Lawyer & pick up a
shipment of fish from the Railroad (trout &
bass for stocking).
On July 19, 1885, at
5:30 P.M., after nineteen hours of driving, and a
night in the mountains they arrived in Medicine
Bow. The train carrying the lawyer and fish was due
to arrive on the midnight train. Owen Wister caught
a few hours sleep, from ten to twelve-thirty P.M.
on the counter of the General Store, until the
train arrived
The short nap must have
made a big impression on him, for the episode was
featured prominently 17 years later in his world
famous book "The Virginian."
1931 - The General Store
was closed and moved North of the tracks. It was
housed in the Bow Mercantile building East of the
Post Office. The State Bank, which had set attached
to the General Store South of the tracks, was also
moved into what is now the present Post Office
building.
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