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.
Few things are as impressive to see around the Dubois region as the Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep. Majestic and powerful, these sheep have roamed this area for generations. Yet at the outset of the 20th century you would have been hard pressed to find a Big Horn Sheep around. As the National Wildlife Federation points out “The bighorn sheep’s dramatic history includes reaching near extinction and making a significant recovery with the help of conservation efforts […] the North American bighorn population was estimated to be between 150,000 and 200,000 before the 1800’s, today approximately 80,000 remain—an important increase after steep declines left only a few thousand at the turn of the 20th century.”
So how does the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area come into the picture? Originally having been homesteaded by Oscar Woolery in the early 1900s , Oscar would end up selling the ranch to his brother Gene Woolery. Gene and his bride Harriet would ranch and farm the land for many years until they eventually sold the land to the Torrey Lake Club in 1924. The land would be split by John Boardman and Chales Voorhis with Voorhis gaining ownership of the Whiskey Basin part. Eventually Voorhis would sell this land to Max Miller who used it as a horse ranch.
Eventually the land would catch the eye of Wyoming Game and Fish as perfect wintering habitat As Mary Allison notes in Dubois Area History, “The Wyoming Game and Fish purchased the Whiskey Basin Ranch in the spring of 1954 to obtain critical wintering habitat for elk. The area consisted of 1,630 acres of deeded land, with rights on 270 acres of BLM land and 80 acres of State land […] During 1959-60 several land trades improv-ed the area’s usefulness to wild game.”
Although originally planned to aid Elk conservation, by the mid-1960s it became apparent that the reserves windblown slopes were well suited for Big Horn Sheep and thus they became its primary focus.
The results of conservation efforts in the basin have been outstanding. Over the decades the herd has ballooned with Whiskey Basin becoming, “home for 1,200 bighorns, the largest herd in the world.” From a critically low numbers at the turn of the 20th century, the recovery of the sheep is a testament to the effectiveness of targeted conservation efforts.
Today, the Whiskey Basin Wildlife Habitat Management Area serves as an important symbol of wildlife conservation success.
Author: Braeden Kluver
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
September 10, 9am at the Pioneer Museum, “Kids Nature Walk” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
September 14, noon-3pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Apple Fest” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
September 14, 9am at the Riverton Museum, “JB Okie Manor Adventure Trek” Wind River Visitors Council Adventure Trek Series
September 23, 6:30pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Nate Champion” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
September 28, 10:30am at the Dubois Museum, “Kids Corner: DIY Bookmarker” Bailey Tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
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 to be used specifically for the benefit of the museum of your choosing by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.