Cowboys during the time of rustling

Rustling is when a thief steals stock animals from another rancher. Rustling of livestock remains an issue to Wyoming Ranchers even today. As Americans settled the West, the issue of rustling became a prevalent obstacle for homesteaders. Ranchers resolved the rustling issue by branding their cattle. Branding is when a rancher marks a permanent symbol of the ranch with a hot iron on the animal’s hip to signify the rightful owner. Branding is a cultural ritual in the West every Spring after calving season.

Gaining land and cattle became a means of power. In the late nineteenth century, the wealthiest investors of Wyoming ranches created the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. They formed a monopoly on land and cattle ranching, and they hated the competition that small private ranchers provided in raising livestock. In their contemporary mindset, to conquer the land through military dominance earned them legal entitlement to the property. The power corrupted their morality, and they targeted small ranchers, particularly in Johnson County.

John A. Tisdale worked as a small rancher in Johnson County. He supported his family through ranching in the West. The Cattle Barons from the Wyoming Stock Growers Association sought to dispose of him and conquer his land for their monopoly on cattle. They hired “Stock Detectives,” such as former Sheriff Frank Canton, to assassinate the local ranchers competing with their industry. Canton had a long history of violent crime before he came to Buffalo. He was known as one of the slimiest outlaws in the West, in contradiction to his oath to uphold justice. The cattle oligarchs falsely labeled Tisdale as a rustler and demanded his execution. In December of 1891, John A. Tisdale rode into town to purchase Christmas gifts for his young son. While in Buffalo, he overheard the former Sheriff, Frank Canton, tell a man of his intention to “take care” of Tisdale. Tisdale nervously prepared for an attack at any time, but the snake bested his defense. On his return trip, the assassin concealed himself in a ditch awaiting Tisdale’s passing. The scoundrel shot the innocent man dead as he tried to defend himself. Once Tisdale fell lifelessly on his son’s Christmas gifts, the assassin shot his dog and horses as well. His body lay just three miles North of the TA Ranch in a gulch now known as the Tisdale Divide. Canton never faced a trial for Tisdale’s murder, although all the evidence pointed to him.

Nathan (Nate) Champion managed his small ranch outside of Kaycee, known as the KC Ranch. On November 1st of 1891 he and Ross Gilbertson stayed over at W.H. Hall cabin along the Powder River. In the morning, four men burst into the cabin pointing their revolvers at Champion and Gilbertson. The posse’s leader stated “Give up! We have got you this time,” followed by firing his weapon at Champion. The brave rancher whipped out two pistols and used his ambidextrous advantage to ward his attempted murderers out of the cabin. Champion identified the ambushers to authorities, resulting in the arrest of Joe Elliot. The prosecutor’s witness to the attack mysteriously disappeared, causing Elliot’s case of attempting first-degree murder fell to dismissal.