Postcard from the past

By Dick Perue

Sheepherder dragged by spooked horse

According to a June 22, 1911 article in a Wyoming weekly newspaper,

Chas. Kennedy, a young man working for Tom Hood as a sheepherder, had gone out in the morning with a band of sheep.

About two miles from camp, while attempting to mount his horse, the animal jumped quickly, throwing Kennedy to the ground with one foot in the stirrup. The horse began to run, dragging Kennedy with him, dislocating his hip and severely straining the muscles in his leg.

Eventually, his foot was released, but he was in so much pain. Despite making every effort to crawl for help, he finally called over one of his sheep dogs, wrote a note and tied it to the dog’s neck. 

The dog, part collie, went directly back to camp and attracted the attention of Hood.

Hood noticed the string and obtained the note, read it and took off to search for Kennedy.

Following the dog’s lead, the rancher found the injured sheepherder, who was taken to town where his injuries were treated.