INDIAN TERRITORY

The region in which Gillette sits had always been Native American hunting grounds and formally became "Indian Territory” with the signing of the “Treaty with the Sioux and Arapaho, 1868,” also known as the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. From this time on, the country north of the North Platte River and east of the summits of the Big Horn Mountains would be considered Indian territory.

Map of Wyoming, 1870 from Larson's History of Wyoming page 96

Under pressure from miners and settlers, the United States Government eventually decided that the Native Americans needed to give up the lands in Northeast Wyoming. Without consulting any of the tribes, the U.S. issued a proclamation on January 31, 1876 stating that all the Indians must return to their various agencies or be subject to military action. Three armies were sent into the region during the summer of 1876 including one led by George Custer. That fall, a government peace commission visited the Sioux and obtained the marks of some of the chiefs on a document officially ceding the Black Hills and the lands west of them.

The area encompassing Gillette became part of Crook County by law in 1875 although it wasn’t organized until 1885. Most of the area was still sparsely populated. The federal census of 1880 showed the unorganized county had only 239 residents. Most were over near Sundance and the Black Hills. It was not long after 1880 that the slow trickle of settlers began to increase into the area. Ranchers and homesteaders began to grab up as much cheap land as they could.

GILLETTE, 1892

The original settlement in the area that would become Gillette was a small tent town east of present day Gillette on Donkey Creek. This community known as Donkey Town became a temporary base camp for survey crews from the Burlington and Missouri Railroad who were planning to build a line through Northeastern Wyoming in the late 1880s. Engineer and surveyor Edward Gillette (right) was in charge of surveying the area. The original survey was to follow Donkey Creek and move to the south of present day Gillette, but Edward Gillette found a shorter route that saved the railroad many miles of track and many bridges that would be needed. Because of his efforts, the area that would become Gillette was named in his honor.

The first settlers in Gillette were four young men by the names of Frank Murrey, Robert and George Durley, and Charles T. Weir. These men filed homestead rights in Rockpile (Rock Pile) Draw through which the railroad survey passed. Their patent was right where the museum stands today. Soon after this in July of 1891, the Lincoln Land and Livestock Company, who owned much of the land the railroad passed by, planned the town of Gillette and sold lots. The Burlington and Missouri arrived in August, 1891 and the wildest days for Gillette ensued. Gillette was incorporated as a city in 1892.

LIFE IN EARLY GILLETTE

The railroad kept moving on and was to Sheridan in 1892. This effectively meant the end to any “boom” that little Gillette had seen. Sheridan was a well established community and was a much more attractive place for railroad crews to live and work. The railroad commissary moved on as well which brought further decline to Gillette.

But, Gillette survived in order to serve the ranchers, cowboys, and homesteaders who were trying to make a life in the countryside surrounding the town. Cattlemen drove their herds into the livestock yards at Gillette for sale and transportation to the markets back east. Industrious citizens set up businesses to cater to these people and any who passed through on the rails. Livery barns, stables, and blacksmiths popped up to house travelers’ horses and haulers’ draft teams. Hotels were created to house anyone who needed a place. Bars and brothels catered to those who pursued that lifestyle. Cafes and eateries fed those who were hungry. It was not long before Gillette began to build up into a typical Western community.

Main Street in Gillette - circa 1902

Schools and churches also began to pop up. The first school was built in 1891 and several more thereafter. The first church building in Gillette was the First Baptist Church which was built in 1902 followed in a few years by an Episcopal church and a Catholic church. Prior to this time, services were held in private homes or whatever public buildings were accessible.

Gillette school building - built in 1901

Life gradually grew better for citizens of Gillette. The first bank, The Bank of Gillette was started in 1902. In 1904, the first newspaper entitled the Gillette News began to be printed. Communication increased beyond the post office when telephone service came to town in 1905. A full telephone exchange arrived in 1910. Electricity was supplied in 1915 and the first motion picture theater was opened that same year.

CAMPBELL COUNTY, 1913

Campbell County was created by law in 1911 out of the western halves of Crook and Weston Counties. Gillette resident and state legislator Harry J. Chassell introduced the bill that created Campbell County which is named after both John A. Campbell, the first governor of the territory of Wyoming, and Robert Campbell who was with an early expedition to this part of Wyoming from 1825 to 1835. An election was held and Gillette was chosen to be the county seat. Campbell County officially organized in 1913.

Gillette from the south - circa 1910

INDUSTRY IN GILLETTE

Agriculture has been the most consistent industry in Gillette for nearly all of its life. Cattle were important in the first decade and gradually sheep production rose as well. Many ranches raised both sheep and cattle. Farming has always been a difficult trade in the semi-arid region Gillette resides in, but many have grown grains and grasses used to feed their livestock. Wheat, barley, oats, hay, and corn have all been produced over the years.

T-7 Ranch Outfit on Donkey Creek - circa 1905

Early homesteaders utilized the potential of Campbell County’s other major industry when they burnt surface coal deposits to heat their homes. Small coal mines were built around the area as early as 1909. These mines were all underground including one of the largest which was the Peerless Mine east of Gillette where Wyodak is today. It began operations somewhere around 1918 until it went out of business around 1925. This mine used the “room and pillar” method to remove coal.

The Wyodak operation was developed in 1924 and operated near the Peerless Mine in the same coal seam. But it was different because it was a surface coal mine that utilized horse-drawn devices called “fresnos” to remove the surface soil or overburden to reach the coal. Wyodak was the first surface coal mine in the world and the largest for many years. This mine continues to produce coal for a nearby power plant.

Wyodak, 1927

One of the first energy booms for Campbell County came in the late 1950's and 1960's. Oil explorations had been going on since the 1940's and the first commercial discovery was made in 1948. Major discoveries in Eastern Campbell County in 1956 really set off an oil boom in the area. This meant growth for Gillette, at least for the time being.

During the 1970's, the modern coal industry here really began to flourish. Major coal companies flocked to Campbell County to harvest the Powder River Basin’s low sulfur coal. These companies wanted to capitalize on the economic benefit of having very large coal seems so close to the surface. Due to this increased production, railroad companies began adding more lines to ship the coal away thus entering a new age of railroad history in Gillette. Today coal remains a vital industry to Gillette’s growth. In 2006, this area shipped a record 430 million tons of coal. The mines employ hundreds of workers and even more with the associated industries.

By the 1990's, a third major segment of the energy industry began to rear its head in Gillette, coal-bed methane. This gas which is trapped inside the pores of the coal is drilled for and extracted for use. Since 1998, Gillette has been the center of these operations in the region. Lately however, production has been down in Campbell County because wells are drying up and production is moving to the west and north.