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 Seth McFarland: Today, when people hear the name Wagon Box Ranch, they may think of the well-known ranch near Crowheart or the historic Wagon Box Ranch near Story, Wyoming. But there was another Wagon Box Ranch—one that once stood six miles west of Dubois at Wagon Gulch, near Stoney Point, where Warm Spring Creek meets the Wind River.
Its story is one of determination, ingenuity and the rugged realities of early ranch life in the Upper Wind River Valley. In 1915, William Noble “Nobe” Harrison and his wife, Ina, purchased a ranch at the mouth of Warm Spring Creek from Nobe’s sister, Allie, and her husband, Frank Miller. The couple renamed the property the Wagon Box Ranch. Frank Miller had previously operated the Miller Tourist Resort at the Warm Springs Ranch during the early 1900s, when the area was beginning to attract visitors seeking the region’s hot springs, scenery and abundant outdoor recreation.
The Wagon Box Ranch occupied a particularly strategic location. From the ranch, there was access to the Warm Springs, the Wind River and the upper grazing country leading toward Union Pass. For a young cattleman, the location offered both opportunity and challenge.
Nobe Harrison first arrived in the Dubois area in 1908, at the age of 21. He had been born near Lander, where his family had already become part of Fremont County’s early history.
His father, Charles Harrison, was a carpenter and stone mason who had worked on some of the early buildings at Fort Washakie. Nobe’s mother was an English immigrant who had been recruited by the Mormon Church to come to the American West.
The origin of the Wagon Box Ranch name remains uncertain and was more commonly referred to as the Harrison Ranch. There is no known documentation proving that the Harrison ranch name was connected to the famous Wagon Box Battle of 1867, although the name naturally invites speculation. The Wagon Box Fight occurred near present-day Story, Wyoming, and involved a military escort and civilian woodcutters attacked by Lakota warriors. Four civilian woodcutters survived the encounter. Charles Harrison had served as a civilian carpenter and mason who helped build Fort Washakie. Whether the Harrison ranch name was inspired by that event, by an actual wagon box associated with the property, or simply by local usage remains a mystery. Charles died in 1889.
In 1909, Nobe purchased his first land along the Wind River. Like many early settlers, he faced the arduous task of turning sagebrush-covered ground into productive ranchland. He purchased the Nipper homestead and began clearing and improving the property.
After marrying Ina Richardson, Nobe began developing the land he had acquired from the Millers. Drawing on the construction skills he had learned from his father, he built the family’s log home himself.
The house was completed in 1919 and was constructed of log and stone, with hardwood floors—a substantial home for a remote ranch at the time. But the year of its completion brought hardship. The devastating flood of 1919, followed by a severe winter, took a heavy toll on all ranchers in the upper Wind River and throughout western Wyoming.
Like many young Wyoming ranchers of the 1920s, the Harrisons needed capital to establish their cattle operation. For a time, they opened their home and ranch to visitors, operating as a dude ranch for roughly a decade. The additional income helped them build their financial foundation.
Eventually, however, the Harrisons grew tired of the demands of hosting “dudes” and turned their attention entirely to cattle. Their hard work paid off, and the Wagon Box Ranch became recognized as one of the prominent cattle operations in the Dubois area.
The Wagon Box Ranch was also connected to several other developments in the region. In 1926, the property was considered as a possible location for relocating the local fish hatchery. A year later, in 1927, a Forest Service fire lookout tower was constructed near the back of the Harrison property, adding another connection between the ranch and the surrounding public lands.
In 1928, Nobe joined with Les Wright and Earl Nicol to establish Three Waters Camp, a hunting and fishing lodge at Simpson Lake. The partners stocked several area lakes with fish and constructed cabins for visitors. The venture reflected the growing importance of hunting, fishing and tourism to the economy of the Upper Wind River country. In 1939, the Three Waters Camp property was sold to Charles Moore.
Nobe and Ina Harrison remained active in the Dubois community for many years. Nobe lead a group of volunteer wildfire fighters. Ina was known for her paintings. After nearly five decades of ranching, they sold the main portion of the Wagon Box Ranch in 1962. Their story, however, did not end with the sale of the ranch.
When members of the Dubois community began organizing the Dubois Museum in 1975, Edith Harrison Brown, daughter of Nobe and Ina, donated several items from the Wagon Box Ranch. Those artifacts became part of the museum’s effort to preserve and interpret the everyday lives of the men and women who settled the Upper Wind River Valley.
Today, the Harrisons’ story remains woven into the history of Dubois—a story of a young man who arrived in the valley with little more than determination, cleared sagebrush from the land, built a home with his own hands, weathered floods and brutal winters, tried his hand at tourism, and ultimately established a respected cattle ranch.
Perhaps most intriguing is the mystery behind the name Wagon Box Ranch itself. Was it a nod to the famous Wagon Box Battle? Did a wagon box once play a role in the ranch’s early history? Or was the name simply born from the landscape and the practical world of early Wyoming ranching?
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
September 3, 6pm at the Dubois Museum, “Archaeology & Modern Technology w/Dr. Dalyn Grindle” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
September 5, 9am with the Riverton Museum, “J.B. Okie Manor Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
September 12, 9am with the Riverton Museum, “Castle Gardens Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
September 14 & 17, 8am with the Dubois Museum, “Miller’s Wonderful WY Honey Ranch Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
September 19, 1pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Apple Fest”
Daily through December at the Pioneer Museum, “Sweetwater Ranch Life, The Paintings of Jack Corbett” Exhibition Opening
Rare Relics Road Show: Save the Date: Saturday October 10, 2026 Lander, WY Lander Community Center, You Are Invited! Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation
ReDiscover the Winds podcast: Season 3, Episode 1 Brought to you in part by WY Humanities https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rediscover-the-winds-season-3-episode-1-frontier/id1766312534?i=1000786299462
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.