History of Arminto 4
I moved to Arminto about ten years ago to live in a Teepee until I built a livable structure. I became interested in the history of the place and began to research. A name that comes up the most is J.B. Okie. His story is long, but most interesting. I'll try to do it justice here. From what can gather...
He came here late in the nineteenth century as a young lad perhaps to try his own fortune on his own. His mother was a successful, rich business woman out east. He began by finding work as sheepherder as many people did at that time. A man would be provided a tent or sheepherder wagon and his food and supplies provided to watch over and move the sheep herds on the range. Some became overcome by blizzard snowstorms to be found dead later on the prairie. J.B. Okie eventually began to own his own herds and worked up from there until becoming called by some The Sheep King of Wyoming.
He built his mansion in the town of Lost Cabin. It was the first structure in Wyoming to have the innovation of a gas lighting system. It had a full atrium and ample space. The Native Americans that traveled through named it the Teepee, because the tower of it resembled a teepee. He had one of the first automobiles in the county.
Two major snowstorms over the years nearly wiped Okie out even though he was a millionaire. He was bankrupt after so many of his stock died on the range. Twice his mother lended him money but also being a shrewd business woman took half ownership of his business. Eventually he managed to pay the loan and was proud to own his company again.
He built the world's biggest steam powered sheep shearing plant at Arminto. More sheep shipped by train from this point than anywhere in the world. The building still stands and inside I've seen that hundreds of people signed the walls over the seventy years it operated.
J.B. Okie is said to have been sitting behind the bar of the saloon in Arminto one day. A known outlaw walked in and proclaimed "I am the Bad Man from Stinking Creek everyone's heard about, and I say every man in here's buying me a drink"! Okie calmly pulled up a sawed off shotgun from behind the bar and quietly said "I am the Stinking Man from Badwater Creek, and I say you're the one who's doing the buying". The man promptly did for one and all.
He came here late in the nineteenth century as a young lad perhaps to try his own fortune on his own. His mother was a successful, rich business woman out east. He began by finding work as sheepherder as many people did at that time. A man would be provided a tent or sheepherder wagon and his food and supplies provided to watch over and move the sheep herds on the range. Some became overcome by blizzard snowstorms to be found dead later on the prairie. J.B. Okie eventually began to own his own herds and worked up from there until becoming called by some The Sheep King of Wyoming.
He built his mansion in the town of Lost Cabin. It was the first structure in Wyoming to have the innovation of a gas lighting system. It had a full atrium and ample space. The Native Americans that traveled through named it the Teepee, because the tower of it resembled a teepee. He had one of the first automobiles in the county.
Two major snowstorms over the years nearly wiped Okie out even though he was a millionaire. He was bankrupt after so many of his stock died on the range. Twice his mother lended him money but also being a shrewd business woman took half ownership of his business. Eventually he managed to pay the loan and was proud to own his company again.
He built the world's biggest steam powered sheep shearing plant at Arminto. More sheep shipped by train from this point than anywhere in the world. The building still stands and inside I've seen that hundreds of people signed the walls over the seventy years it operated.
J.B. Okie is said to have been sitting behind the bar of the saloon in Arminto one day. A known outlaw walked in and proclaimed "I am the Bad Man from Stinking Creek everyone's heard about, and I say every man in here's buying me a drink"! Okie calmly pulled up a sawed off shotgun from behind the bar and quietly said "I am the Stinking Man from Badwater Creek, and I say you're the one who's doing the buying". The man promptly did for one and all.
46-50, M
