Show 'I t ' :" ' ' - - 04'''1 '' I -- s—--- 7 ' : (11 S'N 1 1 4 t r ' - :::- Rankin's Ride :: A t 1 1-':t : :: '' :' t a frontier scout rode for ' :: - ' ' ''- '''' r'" :''''':': ' ' ' tt'' fr 4 4 '''''W ' ' '' ' ::' 4 ' '1(''''''‘I' 2' t 4- 2:::::Ivi: 'k: ': '4 ::T- 0:b 44 ' ": 6:i ::: ' et A :: i'"' THE TROUBLE began when to put a stop to such goings on by plowing up the Ute racetrack and making it difficult for traders to smuggle in whisky In retaliation the Utes under the direction of a red rapscallion name of Jack put a stop to Meeker instead They drove a barrel stave through the roof of his month and hauled- his body around the agency grounds on Wild ponies It's not quite fair to say that if it hadn't been for Meeker's strict religious upbringing one Joe Rankin might have been safe in his bunk the brilliant moonlit night of September 29 1879 — and safe too from a in Western Iiistory mention b(xiks But as actions often have widespread consiluences Joe IIankim scout and stable manager at Rawlins Wyoming found himself that momentous night Ow reluctant hero of one of the most remaikable horseback warning rides in history PERIL PS RANKIN under BEFORE THE TROOPS the Utes shot' and burned the scalped Meeker agency abducted and mistreated Meeker's immediate fatuity and were of course expecting heap trouble When they heard of Thorn approach with hilt 190 horsemen they docUled upon an ambush along Milk Creek Further bloodshed alight have been avoided even then for Rankin spotted the trap and advised extreme caution But an impulS:Ve Army lieutenant William Cherry acting against the advice of Rankin waved his hat at an Indian sentry Cherry Meant the arrived Salt 'Ake City May 15 1966 : : tr ''' :: ''I:I''''T''' ::'':'!'s '' tr'S )1 ' 1 ' ' ' ''': ' ' " '":: : - ': : i- 'i - ' ?t104 ': ''''' hat-wav- e THE urEs fired first Major Thornburgh's life was ended by a Sharps bullet as a minor tragedy Rankin's favorite horse was shot down too Rankin and the troops scrambled behind a makeshift barrier along Milk Creek and the uneven battle was on in earnest On the second day of the sege Lt Cherry could see that his troops' position was hopeless The Indians had set fire to the dry September brush lining the Army barricade the Indians had control of the water and they also outnumbered the whites three to one It was then that Cherry selected Rankin to ride for help to Rawlins some 170 miles away :i: i: r )4 :A 'H: ' N ' : ' t!' :0 F'' '' A itA 'tl'Sk'40144:1''''r 4'44 i e !! : I :':': ' 4' t' :c" 44aoyst sk:4-:21:i- 4 '- ' :'4'1 - :::" 4 ' S'?' MOUNTED on a tired but willing cavalry horse Rankin reached a cattle camp at Bear River early the next morning There he wastNI precious minutes rounding up a horse put out to pasture On and on he rode all the next day stopping by a creek for water and a few toinutos rest eating jerky from a saddle bag as he went Late that 4 same afternoon Sept 30 he arrived at Frank Harrah's ra n eh at al vgs Crossing and there he quickly talked ranch CrAlleP into lening him have Bosch- - a "Joe cow pony Joe Busch took Rankin on to P ins then a frontier town of lilt ROO souls Arrivin n' 2 a n he poundokd on the tior of the town's clerk 1 P A mc and the two rarod h)- It telioi to send a wire to I'IottorH Weslov Merritt at Eat I) A Ittt- -': near Cheyenne s RANKIN s ''''1 ' k r ' '::k::!?3:::!:::''''! 11' $': 4 vi " -- i f Rankin Slowly painfully crept through the Indian linesin a breathtaking twenty minutes he had passed the lines and was out of most of the immediate danger He then went due north by way of the old Morapos trail Ahead of Joe lay steep terrain mountains wild animals and very likely sma11 but hostile bands of Indians before he would reach the haven of Rawlins ) 4 1JA' v':'::' ?I‘ :' '04 k:k :: i"4 ' SP :: iii1 :: ''" 3 174 :::: " 4: tbp had rewhed hoors afttr barricade at Attk driven thre ' 4':ti 1- -4 4- i':':: 4 J '4 :k::::::: "' A41 17!:::!1---:::- :: 1 1' e41 ::l 4' t it '3 g''tS''::' bk' 4 ' ?- - esh--:- V 'Itr''''' 3' 4- ' Nu 1- ' ' ''''t ":1 tr:1 ik&5 vedly-famou- ' I 4'': ': ' f : ':::::!' 1 : :'''' '''''7::'11'::'' i for a friendly gesture but the motion was taken by the redskins as a signal for the Army soldiers to start firing :': ' j 't! ' ' ::: - : i i " :: :: ::: 7 ': ::::' ' : t ) ' ' RANKIN with some strange cavalry nag's hooves muffled in buffalo grass angry at the bright moonlight Agent Meeker and Lt Cherry went step by step through the Indian lines One stumble by his pony or one whinny of stallion to mare would betray him to a withering fire Fortunately Itiiikn knew In dians wore not accustomed to attack at night: but they did sentries and RI nk post prayed that they were drunk or sleeping Perhaps the tes were confident that on the morrtw they would overrun tie and it would be Custer's Last Stand all over again - :' - i j :4 ' ' : ::-- :: i' A f ' ' k : ':: ':: '''"'"Wikftglok:I '" r - :' ':" :'':! :' " it '': ' ::::: "::i : ' 64" !: il 4::ft ' r' t ' : :: i 1 ':-- ' ‘s ‘- ' H' "1''" ''' ' st?- ' ' te i 1 :'':: - Njk 'iink' ' 1 ' i : ' rA ':: 4S4 ' :' T ::' '::'1I-311:4v'- r :'i : ' ::: 7 t': :!::-:- ' c ' ' er - : ' :14''' ' ""4i:41! :77 ''‘ ' ' :": I: :: : r4-- j11:1: :7111 l'' ' lit'W 1 $ ' :: ' )41 W Michaelson i '''!4 I 4'' ::'' ''' ''' :::::i:::J:! 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'44 1 ' 4: ? :' :' i": 4'''' ''' ' -- -- f'' ' d : ' '''fi'V ' ': "'i 1 t '''''' 4::' 'Meeker tried 's I ' 't14 4 an agent and central figure in "Meeker famous Colorado's Massacre" of 1879 was perhaps one of the first of a long line of "Ugly Americans" who according to Burdick et al have made US relations difficult with minority groups Meeker rather rigid in his could Puritanical upbringing not understand why the Utes centered at his reservation on the White River (lid not readily adopt the Protestant Ethic The Utes drank firewater and ran racehorses on the Sabbath contrary to Meeker's version of Christian doctrine " : :tiiN :' '::: N 28 hours to bring help to troops besieged by redskins his breath cursed Meeker so terribly miscast as an Indian too agent perhaps Rankin shook his fist at the moon glaring down bathing the mountain valley of Milk Creek — a moon that made his every move visible to Indian sentries posted around a disorganized but dogged remnants of a troop of US Cavalry sent to 'rescue Meeker and his family from the outraged lite& Not two days before Rankin had been quietly going about his job as manager of a livery stable he worked part time as a peace officer too and was known widely in Carbon County Wyoming as a scout and wilderness guide Thus it was that when Meeker sensing trouble with his charges sent a frantic note to government authorities Major T T Thornburgh of the Army past near Rawlins was dispatched to the the stronghold Rankin who knew th Utes and over the hills knew a short-cu- t to the agency was hired as a scout -- -Y - - k:vk 54 e: !tj:'-"re- ' i'' AN: t A :" i' Indi- 1- 1 :': 1‘TEELER 'g 1 ? - t NATHAN - 4 ii-- i- l' by t - - ':: L 1 ' r i 41 0- !!'' 5''' ! ft'''- miles and had spent only two hours out of the saddle catching a brief rest bolting down food pounding on and on a Western Paul Revere who warned of the redskihs instead of the redcoats General Merritt's command left Rawlins at 10:30 am on October 2 and went 10 to 50 miles per (slily arriving at the siege point on Sunday Oct 5 at 5:30 am and of course the Hies scattered to the hills Although deal tired Rankin led Morrill to Mik Creek but then returned to Rawlins to take care of his stable business MARSHAL! SPRAGUE in treatment of the Meeker Misa cre wrote that: "Following Ids remarkahlo ride Rankin basked in the glow of local as Wyoming's Paul Iris book-lengt- Revere" Rankin was later appointe1 US mitrhal for Wyouning but being a restless midi he dr die" off to Ogden Utah he pent his remaining yoars his famous horse perhaps ended his drys in a Wyoming too if iheatning pa-au- ts his monionts or t!kwy THUS 1o1 P atmost foi4atton hooks: pirhaps as lAmt4fHlow th NEIN conrior lostory ho his niii-1- polihiity azent: my (11111Hn 07t It irk td old Jogs I 170 l'A1 iv y)11 of Id itIAIII!" 5 |