A series where we take a #lookback at the stories and history of our community, brought to you by Mick Pryor, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones.
By April Peregoy
Most Fremont County residents who enjoy local history have likely heard of Belle Mote, the determined pioneer woman who owned and operated the Acme Theatre and earned a reputation as one of the community’s most independent early citizens.
What many may not know is that her strong-willed nature may have been inherited from her father, James Alexander Doll—a Civil War veteran, frontier farmer, and one of the Pavillion area’s earliest settlers. By the time of his death in 1925, Doll held a distinction few Americans could claim: he was believed to be the last surviving participant of the famous Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac.
Like many stories from the nineteenth century, some details of Doll’s early life remain uncertain. Historical records conflict on whether he was born in Germany or in Adams County, Pennsylvania. What is known is that he was born in 1829 and grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch country.
According to accounts published during his lifetime, Doll developed a fascination with the sea at an early age. At just 10 years old, he reportedly left home in pursuit of adventure and a life on the water. That restless spirit would carry him through one of the most turbulent periods in American history.
When the Civil War erupted in 1861, Doll was already serving in the United States Navy. He spent the first three years of the conflict serving the Union cause before later entering the Army.
Among the most significant events of his military career was his participation in the Battle of the Monitor and Merrimac on March 9, 1862. The clash, fought near Hampton Roads, Virginia, became one of the most famous naval engagements in history because it marked the first battle between ironclad warships.
The Confederate ironclad Merrimac had already wreaked havoc on Union vessels the previous day and was poised to destroy the USS Minnesota when it encountered the newly arrived USS Monitor. For hours, the two armored ships exchanged fire in a contest that captivated the nation. Neither vessel managed to inflict decisive damage on the other, but the Monitor successfully prevented the Confederate ship from breaking the Union blockade.
Doll later recalled the battle in an interview published by The Riverton Review in 1925. While historians generally described the engagement as lasting only two or three hours, Doll insisted the fighting continued for nearly seven hours. Whether his memory stretched the timeline or captured details often overlooked by historians, his firsthand account offered a rare glimpse into one of the Civil War’s defining moments.
Doll’s wartime experiences extended beyond the battlefield. He also reported being held prisoner at the notorious Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Originally a tobacco warehouse, the facility became infamous for its overcrowded conditions, inadequate food, and lack of medical care. Former prisoners described men packed tightly into every available space, surviving on meager rations and enduring tremendous hardship.
After the war ended, Doll returned to civilian life in Indiana. He spent several years helping rebuild bridges along the Ohio River that had been destroyed during the conflict. Later, he found employment with the Pennsylvania Railroad in Indiana. Here, he married Mary Adams in 1866 and raised a family.
One of his daughters, Belle, would eventually help shape the history of Riverton.
Belle married Spanish-American War veteran Lee Mote, who later developed consumption, now known as tuberculosis. Following the medical advice of the day, doctors recommended that he seek relief in the dry climate of Wyoming.
The couple set out west and arrived in the region only a few months after the lands north of the Big Wind River were opened for white settlement in 1906. Their journey nearly ended before it began. Upon reaching Lander, Lee reportedly decided the country was too rough and isolated for his wife and wanted to return to Indiana.
Belle refused.
Determined to continue, she persuaded her husband to press north. It was an early example of the resolve that would later make her one of the county’s most memorable pioneers.
Lee and Belle originally bought a homestead at what is now the town of Pavillion. They lived there for five years before moving to Riverton.
A year later, another member of the family followed west.
By 1907, James Doll’s health had begun to decline. Despite warnings from physicians, he decided to join his daughter in Wyoming. Perhaps encouraged by the improvement he had seen in his son-in-law’s condition—or perhaps motivated by the same adventurous spirit that had sent him to sea as a child—he made the journey.
The move proved beneficial. Doll claimed his health improved after arriving in Wyoming, and he soon established himself as a farmer in the Pavillion area. Before long, other members of the family joined him. His two sons, Charles—better known as “Chick”—and Colonel Doll, acquired adjoining homesteads nearby, creating a family enclave on the developing frontier.
The story of the Doll brothers reflected both the hardships and opportunities of early Wyoming life.
Charles “Chick” Doll had already endured considerable adversity before arriving in Fremont County. As a young man employed by the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railway, he suffered a devastating accident that cost him a leg. Despite the setback, he continued on with his life, traveling all over the United States, and eventually joined his family in Wyoming. Tragically, he developed tuberculosis and died in March 1914 at just 38 years old.
His brother Colonel would become known for very different reasons.
While Belle was building a reputation as one of Riverton’s most respectable citizens and successful business owners, Colonel Doll was earning notoriety throughout Fremont County during the Prohibition era. His name appeared repeatedly in local newspapers as authorities arrested him on charges related to making, possessing, and distributing moonshine. The colorful accounts made him something of a local character and a frequent subject of headlines during Wyoming’s years of outlawed alcohol. His run-ins with the law continued until his death from influenza in 1931 at the age of 60.
James Doll, meanwhile, continued farming and remained remarkably active well into old age. Even in his nineties, he reportedly performed physical labor and maintained an energetic lifestyle uncommon for men half his age.
When James Alexander Doll died in 1925 at the age of 96, newspapers noted not only his longevity but also his extraordinary life story. He had witnessed the transformation of America from the age of sailing ships to automobiles and airplanes. He had survived one of the Civil War’s most famous battles, endured imprisonment, helped rebuild a nation after war, and finally carved out a life on the Wyoming frontier.
Perhaps the most fitting tribute to James Doll’s legacy came from Belle herself. Next to the family plot at Mountain View Cemetery, she arranged for a monument to be erected honoring veterans of the Civil War and the Spanish-American War. There, among the graves of Riverton’s pioneers, stands a reminder of the generations of Americans who served their country—and of one local settler whose remarkable journey carried him from the decks of a Civil War ironclad to the homesteads of Wyoming. More than a century after James Doll arrived in Fremont County, that monument remains a lasting connection between Riverton’s frontier beginnings and the larger currents of American history that helped shape them.
War. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2012647349/>.
American War, Belle had this monument erected at Mountain View Cemetery next to the Doll
and Mote family plot.
James Alexander Doll and his daughter, Belle Mote, are buried next to each other while the
stones for the Doll sons, Colonel and Charles, aka “Chick”, are located on the other side of
James’.
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
July 24, 10am with the Pioneer Museum, “Masonic Cemetery Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek
July 25, 2pm at the Riverton Museum, “STEM Day” (Sponsorship Available)
July 29, 7pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers” FC Pioneer Association
August 5, 7pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers” FC Pioneer Association
August 7 & 8, 8am with the Dubois Museum, “Miller’s Wonderful WY Honey Ranch Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek
August 8, 10am with the Pioneer Museum, “Louis Lake Lodge Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek
Daily through December at the Pioneer Museum, “Sweetwater Ranch Life, The Paintings of Jack Corbett” Exhibition Opening
“Dinner and Dancing at the Cowboy Starship” August 22, 6pm Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation https://dinneranddancingatthecowboystarship.funraise.org/
Rare Relics Road Show: Save the Date: Saturday October 10, 2026 Lander, WY Lander Community Center, You Are Invited! Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation
Call the Dubois Museum 1-307-455-2284, the Pioneer Museum 1-307-332-3339 or the Riverton Museum 1-307-856-2665 for detail regarding their programs.
The Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and the Riverton Museum need your financial support. In the current economic environment, the museums are more reliant than ever on donations from the private sector to continue to provide the quality programs, collections management, exhibits and services that have become their hallmark over the last four years. Please make your tax deductible contribution through the Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation https://windriverccf.funraise.org/ or by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.