Book Once Banned in Wyoming Finds Its Way to the Scene of the Crime

A book once banned, burned, stolen, suppressed in Johnson County, Wyoming, has now made its way to the Johnson County Library shelves. Time heals all, and the people on each side of this violent controversy are all now long gone. Many of them died in what is known as the Johnson County War, while the rest aged out. The “war” lasted from 1889-1892, but this wasn't a classic war but a battle between moneyed cattle interests and smaller ranchers trying to eke out a living on the sparse plains. There was no clear winner in this war, though the wealthy cattlemen were unable to gain total control of the range land as they had hoped.

In those days, much of the land was owned by no one. Technically, it was government land, but everyone was free to use it as they wished. Ranchers would put their cattle out to feed and roam the land in the spring, bring them back in the fall. Each rancher could identify their cattle through branding. Occasionally, someone might be able to overlay one brand on another, but the bigger issue was just plain stealing, and calves born that year which were unbranded were particularly vulnerable. Cattle thieves and small ranchers just starting up needed to build their herds, and stealing was the most practical method for those with no money.

The law was not that well-developed out on the range so the large ranchers decided to take it into their own hands. Their method was extreme and innocent people as well as thieves became victims of their range justice. They hired a bunch of gunmen, many from Texas, to come to Wyoming and kill everyone they believed to be cattle rustlers. They came to be known as the Invaders. The smaller players did not just roll over. They fought back. The result was the bloody Johnson County War, that went on for four years before the forces of law were able to restore order.

As noted before, there was no clear-cut winner. However, the open range they fought over wouldn't last much longer as homesteaders would fence off much of it. Federal troops were brought in to stop the fighting, and due to the large ranchers political influence and power, the Invaders were sent home without being prosecuted. While the fighting stopped, the resentment went on for generations. Many people still trace their heritage to the opposing factions, but they all mostly get along today. Many current residents have ancestors on both sides. There is peace on the range.

However, it took time to heal the wounds and that brings us to the book in question. Once banned, copies have now made their way to the Johnson County Library shelves and the Hoofprints Museum. The book is entitled The Banditti of the Plains, or the Cattlemen's Invasion of Wyoming in 1892 (The Crowning Infamy of the Ages). It was written by A. S. Mercer. Mercer came from Denver to Wyoming to publish the North West Live Stock Journal, the official publication of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA). He initially took the large ranchers side and was popular with them, but as his eyes opened more to what was happening around him, his views changed. Mercer told it as he saw it. He was threatened, his press burned. He was arrested, jailed, the plates to his book destroyed. Supporters of the cattlemen bought and obtained every copy they could get their hands on to destroy. Surviving copies are ones that were hidden or smuggled away from Wyoming. A second issue printed in Denver entirely disappeared enroute to Cheyenne.

Due to its destruction, copies of The Banditti of the Plains are scarce, but occasionally can be found. Two copies recently were discovered and given to the county library and museum. No one appears upset by it. Bygones have become bygones. Like the Civil War, the hard feelings have passed and were it not for Mercer's book, few outside of Johnson County would even know about the war today.