Powder River invasion : War on the rustlers in 1892 by A. S. Mercer
"Powder River invasion" by A. S. Mercer is a historical account written in the early 20th century. It chronicles the 1892 Johnson County War in Wyoming, arguing that powerful cattle interests orchestrated an armed invasion against alleged “rustlers” and homesteaders, aided by political allies and a pliant press. The work positions itself as an exposé rooted in firsthand knowledge, detailing extrajudicial killings, intimidation, and a climactic siege that set settlers against hired
gunmen. The opening of the work lays out the cattle boom-and-bust on the High Plains—corporate consolidation, overstocked ranges, hard winters, falling prices—and claims big ranchers scapegoated “rustling” to mask mismanagement. It describes the maverick law’s impact, the Stock Growers’ Association’s political dominance, and rising friction with new settlers. The narrative then recounts lynchings and ambushes tied to cattlemen: the hangings of Jim Averill and Ella “Cattle Kate” Watson, the killing of Tom Waggoner, and the murders of Orley E. Jones and J. A. Tisdale, with prosecutions thwarted. It details the planning of an invasion from Cheyenne—funding, press manipulation, recruitment of hired guns, friendly state officials, and orders curbing local militia calls—followed by a secret rail move to Casper. The first raid hits the K.C. ranch, where Nick Ray is shot and Nate Champion fights alone until the house is fired; his calm, grim diary is quoted at length before he is killed. The invaders then fortify the TA ranch, are surrounded by armed settlers who prepare a “go-devil” to breach the defenses, and are finally rescued when the acting governor appeals to the President, bringing U.S. cavalry that removes the besieged to Fort McKinney instead of turning them over to civil authorities. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Mercer, A. S. (Asa Shinn), 1839-1917 |
|---|---|
| Editor | Boots, John Mercer, 1890-1951 |
| Title | Powder River invasion : War on the rustlers in 1892 |
| Original Publication | Los Angeles: unknown, 1923. |
| Credits | Tim Lindell, Seth Siefken and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | F721: United States local history: Rocky Mountains. Yellowstone National Park |
| Subject | Johnson County War, 1892 |
| Subject | Cattle trade -- Wyoming -- History -- 19th century |
| Subject | Wyoming -- History |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 78152 |
| Release Date | Mar 9, 2026 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 159 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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