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Construction material was boated twenty miles across Yellowstone Lake and stockpiled along the lake shore at Trail Creek. Packers like Jerry Lanchbury would load the material on packhorses, then transport the supplies to the cabin construction site on Thorofare Creek.

Jerry Lanchbury finishes tying the hitch on another packhorse. Jerry's packing and horsemanship skills were continually put to the test during the summer of 1955.

The Thorofare Cabin Construction Through the Eyes of a Young Cowboy

Jerry Lanchbury Interview—Recorded by Tim Fagan

Hired as a horse packer, Jerry Lanchbury played a valuable role in the construction of the Wyoming Game & Fish Department's Thorofare Patrol Cabin. His story spans the summer of 1955, when he was hired to lead a string of rambunctious packhorses from Yellowstone National Park 's Trail Creek Patrol Cabin to the Thorofare Cabin construction site.

Lin Bashford and I sat down with Jerry and his gracious friend Helen Gleim in February 2005, and he shared with us his adventures of that summer. He would slap the table with laughter and nearly jump out of his chair with excitement as he recalled the people, horses, and events etched in his memory from the summer he spent in Thorofare.

The Job

In June 1955, Sterling “Speed” Spiegelberg had been hired by Cody Game Division Supervisor Ronald Bell to pack construction supplies for the building of a patrol cabin in Thorofare. The job would require spending the summer running a string of packhorses from Trail Creek in Yellowstone National Park to the cabin construction site along Thorofare Creek in the Teton National Forest . Speed was a Wyoming outfitter and, in fact, owned an outfitter camp along Thorofare Creek not far from where the cabin would be built. He was in turn looking for some young cowboys to help with the packing and wrangling, and Jerry Lanchbury felt up to the task.

Day One—Meeting the Crew

Admittedly, Jerry had done little horse packing when he hired on with Speed. He had a reputation for being a good hand with a horse, and the thought of spending the summer in the mountains certainly appealed to him. In late June, he loaded his belongings and headed for Speed's horse corrals at the Flying H Ranch on the South Fork of the Shoshone River to begin his new job.

After arriving at the ranch, Jerry was introduced to the crew he would be working with and the horses he would be riding and packing. Speed, Speed's son Dean, and Jerry would all be involved with the packing. Two expert log men and carpenters, Axel Viken and Slim Waggoner, would accompany them to the construction site, as they had been hired to build the cabin. Speed related to him the job at hand and how he would be spending the summer packing supplies for the construction of a patrol cabin on Thorofare Creek. Speed advised Jerry and Dean that once the first packhorse load of supplies had been hauled, he would be leaving them so he could tend to his summer outfitting business. This would leave Jerry and Dean in charge of packing and wrangling the horses the rest of the summer.

Jerry also was introduced to the pack and riding horses. He quickly discovered that ninety percent of the horses in his new pack string were ex-bucking stock from the rodeo. All the horses could be packed of course, but first he had to learn how they preferred to be packed, by whom, what gear each preferred to carry, and, of course, in what order they preferred to walk down the trail. Horses were not tailed together as they are today but were turned loose after being packed and then traveled single file to their destination.

Horses are well known for their “pecking order” mentality and are comfortable knowing their status in the herd. Learning the most dominant, least dominant, and everyone's ranking in between is part of a horse's social structure and is strictly adhered to by the herd. Jerry's pack string was no exception, and he was quick to learn thata mare (female) named Whichway was the dominant horse in his string. Whichway would always be the first horse to be turned loose after all the horses had been packed, and the rest would fall in their proper place behind her. This regimentation proved quite interesting when the first pack load of supplies was transported from Trail Creek to the cabin construction site.

After all the introductions, everyone went to work saddling and packing the eighteen horses in the pack string. They would be heading up the Deer Creek Trail and over Deer Creek Pass that day, and everyone hoped to get an early start.

Day One and a Half Valley Ranch Dinner Bell

This was the first trip of the year for all the horses, and, as expected, all the stock was a little “snorty” and took longer to pack then usual. It was only after getting all the gear organized, the horses saddled and packed, the horses bucking off their pack gear, repairing the pack gear, and repacking that the adventurous band of cowboys and carpenters finally started up Deer Creek Trail. The early start everyone had hoped for became a distant memory by mid-afternoon. Jerry recalled hearing the dinner bell ringing at Valley Ranch as they started up the trail—a bell that every hungry cowboy on the South Fork knew rang at 6:30 p.m. With six hours of riding yet ahead of them, the first day on the job was already testing his mettle.

It was dark by the time they got over Deer Creek Pass and made their descent into Butte Creek. They arrived at Speed's layover camp just below the pass, unpacked, turned out the horses, and finally got their bed rolls laid out well after midnight.

Jerry recalled purchasing a new sleeping bag that summer, as he knew the ground would be his bed for several months. He could not afford the name brand bags that were on the market, but felt he purchased a good one at a local store. He remembers getting cold that night in his new sleeping bag and, frankly, that turned out to be the case the rest of the summer. He continued to work for Speed in hunting camp during September and October and remembered “shivering himself to sleep” most nights. A few years later Jerry purchased a name brand bag and discovered that “you could actually be warm at night when you slept in the mountains.”

Day Two—the Cabin Site

The stock was far more subdued the next morning after the fifteen-mile ride over Deer Creek Pass the previous day. Saddling and packing went much easier, and they were soon on the trail for the eighteen-mile ride to the cabin construction site. Jerry was quickly learning the names of the horses he would be working with the rest of the summer and, more importantly, the personality each possessed. Whichway, of course, always took her prominent position at the head of the string. Jerry was also beginning to develop an appreciation for Comanche, Dan, Tensleep, and Browny, an appreciation that would continue to grow and develop through the summer and fall.

It was late in the afternoon when they arrived at the cabin construction site. This site was also known as the Rumsey camp, named for Bob Rumsey who had often camped there. No one was around the camp, although wall tents had been set up, indicating the Game & Fish people had already been there. There was also a set of corrals at the camp, which Jerry quickly realized would come in handy when he needed to gather horses during the summer. The horses were turned out to graze and plans were made for the next day's ride to Trail Creek in Yellowstone National Park . It would be here that Speed, Dean, and Jerry would rendezvous with the Game & Fish and begin the task of packing supplies.

Day Three—the Rendezvous

Even though this was the first time Jerry had worked with a pack string, he was quickly picking up the trade. The string was again saddled and headed for Trail Creek in good time. Slim and Axel stayed behind, preparing the cabin's foundation and selecting trees in the surrounding forest for the cabin log walls. It would be another eighteen-mile journey for the horses though, and as they neared Trail Creek that afternoon, Jerry found the place bustling with excitement.

Game Division Supervisor Ronald Bell greeted them as they arrived, and he and his staff helped unsaddle the packhorses. There was no meadow for grazing here, so the horses were tied with the Game & Fish horses and fed hay that had been boated across Yellowstone Lake . Evelyn Bell, Alta Reesy, and Myra Muchmore were fixing supper for the crews, and boats loaded with supplies were arriving from Lake Ranger Station. These supplies were unloaded and stacked along the shore, and Jerry stood “scratching his head” wondering how all this material could ever be loaded on a horse. Jerry met a host of Game & Fish people that afternoon including Meeteetse Game Warden Sonny Reesy, Powell Game Warden Pete Muchmore, Sunlight Game Warden Chuck Hereford, and Cody Game Warden Earl Thomas.

Day Four—Packing the First Load

Jerry marveled at the horse savvy and packing ability of Ronald Bell. Ronald took a liking to Jerry right away and spent time teaching him the various hitches and slings he would need to know. Bell showed Jerry the Wind River Hitch, a one-man diamond hitch that few people have ever been able to master. Bell was not only an expert packer, but Jerry soon realized he was extremely organized and knew exactly how much of a load to put on each horse.In addition to Speed's eighteen packhorses, four Game & Fish horses would also serve as packhorses, for a total of twenty-two packhorses the first trip. Many were loaded with sacks of cement that would be used to pour the cabin footings. Tools, nails, lumber, and grain were also loaded on the horses. Most importantly, Bell had purchased a brand new thirty-dollar air mattress, the kind with “springs and everything,” so he could sleep in comfort during the summer. Bell quizzed Jerry regarding what horse he thought would best pack the mattress. He wanted some assurance the mattress would make it safely to the cabin site. Jerry, desiring to impress Bell, confidently selected Whichway to carry the air mattress.

The entourage was finally packed, and Speed, Jerry, Dean, Ronald, Evelyn, Sonny, and Alta all began the journey, with twenty-two pack-horses in tow, to the Thorofarecabin construction site. Earl, Chuck, and Pete fired up their boats and headed back across Yellowstone Lake with their orders to bring in another load of supplies to Trail Creek at a prearranged time.

Day Four and a Half—the Crop Duster

The long string of packhorses snaked their way along Yellowstone Lake before disappearing into the timber for the 18-mile ride to camp. Jerry soon found himself in the lead and turned around frequently, making sure the string had fallen into proper order and the packs were riding evenly. Everything was riding smoothly, and Jerry's confidence was growing as they began to click off the miles to the cabin construction site.

Jerry turned around at one point only to find that Whichway had gotten her leg over her halter rope. Jerry immediately tried to stop and free her from this uncomfortable predicament, and in so doing, the horse behind her tried to pass and walk around her. Whichway, of course, would have none of that and began pushing backward, forcing the horse into a lodgepole pine tree along the trail. The front of the pack hooked on the tree, the horse began to lunge forward, and Jerry knew that a disaster was imminent.

Jerry hollered, “get the women in the timber!” as the horse behind Whichway continued to push forward on the tree. Jerry recalled that “the tree fell for about five minutes” before finally crashing on the trail in front of him. The crashing sound spooked the whole pack string, and horses started stampeding and bucking through the trees. Jerry tried to keep the pack string from running by him, although Whichway, Dan, Comanche, and Browny all galloped around him. The bucking and running continued until the sacks of concrete carried by the horses began to break, and the powder from the concrete was soon scattered all over the forest. Comanche came running back toward Jerry with both panniers hanging down. The front strap on each pannier had snapped during the bucking frenzy. Cement powder was pouring out of each pannier, and “Comanche looked like a crop duster airplane” coming at Jerry.

Day Four and Three Fourths Where's My Mattress, Jerry?

Much of the day was spent finding horses, salvaging the supplies, and repacking horses. A quick tally revealed that all the stock was accounted for—except Whichway. After being assured there were no injuries, Ronald Bell began to inquire if anyone had seen the lead horse, Whichway. Unable to account for her, Bell became rather despondent. He sat on his horse, his head down, and was heard to mutter, “that mattress cost me thirty dollars, thirty dollars” and, “where is it Jerry, where is my air mattress?” After getting repacked, Jerry asked Dean to ride ahead to see if he could locate Whichway.

The remaining ride to the cabin site went smoothly, and Jerry's overwhelming hope was that Dean, Whichway, and the mattress had made it safely to the site.

It was late when they arrived at camp. It had been a long day for both horse and rider. Everyone was exhausted. Dean, Axel, and Slim caught the packhorses and helped unpack the heavy loads. Bell soon asked if Whichway had ever been found. Apparently, no one gave Whichway the credit she deserved. Being the lead horse, she knew where she was going and had arrived at camp ahead of the pack string. Axel and Slim had long ago caught her as she wandered into camp; they had unpacked her and had already turned her out to graze.

Everyone slept well that night—Ronald on his new mattress, Whichway after a long afternoon of grazing, and…Jerry…well, he was awakened from a deep sleep during the night, shivering in his new sleeping bag!

The Days of Summer

Jerry and Dean settled into their duties of packing and wrangling the horses the rest of the summer. Bell continued to help with the packing on each trip as lumber, shingles, windows, and doors made for some interesting loads on the horses. The fifty-five gallon barrels proved to be the most difficult items to pack, and they were frequently stopping to repack the barrels when making the trip to the cabin.Jerry found himself on the trail most of the time and did not have much time to help with the cabin construction. Over fifteen trips were made to Trail Creek from the construction site that summer and the packhorses became easier to handle as the summer progressed. The packers would often meet the boat crew at Trail Creek, and everyone would pitch in the next morning to get the supplies loaded on the horses.

Occasionally, Jerry would see Earl and Pete coming into Trail Creek, their boats loaded heavy with supplies. It didn't take him long to decide he wanted no part of that job. The lake had a reputation for being very treacherous, particularly later in the day when the west winds began to blow. If anyone could have lost his life during this project, Jerry felt certain it would have been one of the boatmen. Earl and Pete often pulled into Trail Creek and were soaking wet from the waves splashing over the bow of the boat. Jerry once remarked, “I would rather ride a packhorse backward with only a packsaddle than cross Yellowstone Lake in one of those boats.”

By mid-August, the cabin was beginning to take shape, and the majority of the cabin material had been packed to the site. The task Jerry and Dean had been hired to do was now complete, and it was time to move on to their next backcountry project—preparing for the upcoming hunting season. Both young cowboys took pride in their accomplishments that summer, and as they wrangled Whichway past the cabin one last time, they tipped their hats and bade a fond farewell to their newfound friends in the Wyoming Game & Fish.

Happy Trails, My Friends!

Tim Fagan
Cody Damage Warden 1977–1993
South Cody Game Warden 1993–present