Postcard from the Past: It’s Haying Time in Wyoming
Haying time in Wyoming has always been news in most local newspapers. Here’s some of what the Wyoming Tribune of Cheyenne reported in its Aug. 26, 1903 issue:
Plenty of grass for winter and range in fine shape – haying in progress and good crops reported.
Albany County
Mandel: Fine weather for haying, with light showers on Friday. Haying about completed and crop is good, potatoes fine, water in creeks getting very low, range grass drying up with plenty of feed. – Philip Bath
Big Horn County
Clark: Weather dry and very warm, second crop alfalfa being cut, crops looking well, potatoes about average. – W.L. Barber
Carbon County
Elk Mountain: Very good week up to Saturday, when we had a good soaking rain. Quite a large amount of hay has been put in and majority are through haying. Some fat cattle being shipped. – William Richardson
Leo: Second cutting of alfalfa is put up, and the crop was fine. Week warm and dry, expect good rain on Friday. Rainfall for the week was 0.22 of an inch. – C.A. Cowdin
Rawlins: Favorable weather has prevailed during the week, range putting on a new tinge of green, second crop alfalfa secured in fine shape. – H.A. Kirk
Converse County
Beaver: Previous week was warm with a few light showers. The past week was warm and dry with light showers on Friday. Second crop of alfalfa partly up and some grain being cut, beef shipped on the 15th but was not very good, as range is small. – Albert Urban
Kirtley: Fair week fair, with no rain. Early oats are being cut, late oats turning rapidly, ranges in good condition and cattle fat, haying completed with a good crop. – R.L. Zum Brunnen
Lusk: A hot, dry week with everyone busy haying. Range is quite short in this part of county, and grasshoppers thick in northern part of county. – D.E. Goodard
Fremont County
Wells: A hot and dry week with light thunderstorms, but not enough to stop haying. – William Wells
Laramie County
Goldsmith: First week was very warm, but turned cooler with showers during the last of the week. Showers were a disadvantage in haying, ranchmen putting up native hay and alfalfa. – Jeannie Swain
Iron Mountain: Good hay weather for the first part of week, but heavy showers during the last of the week, causing a delay in haying and some small floods. Few have finished haying, crops a little better than average, second crop alfalfa good and gardens in fine condition. Rainfall for the week was 1.14 inches. – C.H. Edwards
Sweetwater County
Maxon: A hot and dry week with crops growing well where irrigated. Haying in progress and good crop reported everywhere. – Adam Brown
Uinta County
Afton: Extremely hot and dry, small grains ripening rapidly, nearly all crops above average and second crop alfalfa nearly ready for cutting. – George Osmond
Mountain View: A dry and exceedingly hot week, wild hay nearly all secured, grains ripening rapidly and second crop alfalfa beginning to bloom. Water is getting scarce. Range cattle are in good conditions. – Mark Manley
