No. 1208 
 
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 WYOMING: 
 
 THE LAST OF THE WEST 
 
 By EDWARD M. CROSS 
 
 SEE PAGE 4 
 
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Indian Group in Front of Log Church 
 
 WYOMING: THE LAST OF 
 THE WEST 
 
 WYOMING is the last of the " West." Compara- 
 tively, its borders have scarcely been crossed ; its 
 resources have hardly been touched. Poten- 
 tially, it is on a par with the richest states of the Union. 
 It offers the finest of possibilities both minerally and 
 agriculturally. It possesses the most extensive bitumi- 
 nous and lignite coal fields in the world. Oil has recently 
 been found in abundant quantity. Its towering moun- 
 tains assure the water supply for future irrigation pro- 
 jects. The whole needs but the intelligence of man 
 together with the investment of capital, and Wyoming, 
 with its broadening plains and inspiring mountains, will 
 take its place in the front rank of wealth-producing states. 
 
 Wyoming is the last of the "West." Here mingle the 
 "old timer" and the "honyoker." Here blend the 
 elements of irreligion with all the material advantages 
 of civilization. Inland, far from the railroads, home- 
 seekers are settling, though a large percentage of the 
 people who come to this country come not to make 
 homes but to make money. Subsequently, circumstances 
 as much as choice determine the matter of permanent 
 residence. Yet however selfish may be the motive of 
 the western settler he is a benefactor. In his new under- 
 taking he gives up most that is necessary to comfort. 
 Fine schools, well organized churches, all the refining 
 advantages of the more thickly settled communities, are 
 the price he pays for the privilege, at least in the begin- 
 ning, of a struggle to make a living. What he does 
 
succeed in making for the first five or ten years goes into 
 the coffers of the East. As he waits for the irrigation 
 project to be perfected, and in the meantime despair- 
 ingly faces the drought that will not permit his crops to 
 grow, or the "chinook" that takes the substance from 
 them when they have reached maturity; as, with his 
 band of sheep or herd of cattle, he faces the icy blasts 
 of a merciless winter with its discouragingly heavy tax 
 upon meagre resources, is it any wonder that his heart 
 becomes hard and life hopeless? This is not a picture 
 of all, but it is truly descriptive of many. Among them 
 are the children of the Church. They need her comfort- 
 ing ways and sympathetic ministrations to keep their 
 hearts tender and their eyes uplifted. But they some- 
 times feel that they are regarded as "bum lambs." 
 And what, you ask, is a "bum lamb"? 
 
 THE STORY OF THE BUM LAMB 
 
 On the cover of this pamphlet is a reproduction of a 
 painting by Bill Gollings, the "cowboy artist" of Wyom- 
 ing. The picture tells to those familiar with the sheep- 
 country a pitiful tale, — that of the "bum" lamb. When 
 lambing time comes there are often to be found mothers 
 that will not acknowledge their offspring. The deserted 
 lambs, weak from hunger, and bleating for warmth and 
 care, are to be seen struggling along after the flock. 
 Others there are whose lambs die soon after birth, and 
 these may be heard mourning for their little ones. Now 
 in order to equalize things and satisfy both the lambless 
 mothers and the motherless lambs the skin is taken 
 from the dead lamb and tied upon the deserted one. 
 Thus the mother of the dead lamb, who distinguishes 
 her offspring for the first nine days by the sense of smell 
 only, is often deceived; the "bum" lamb is adopted and 
 its life preserved. 
 
 In the story of the "bum" lamb there is a parable. 
 It may be said to represent the children of the Church 
 in this western country, to care for whom the Church 
 is making no adequate effort. To an extent this is what 
 happened in the Middle States. Only by the expendi- 
 ture of large sums of money and the enthusiastic and 
 persevering labors of an adequate body of men can this 
 be averted in the Western States to-day. 
 
THE WORK 
 
 DURING the past year twenty-two clergymen and 
 fifteen paid lay helpers have been employed in 
 ministering to the fifty-eight congregations, not to men- 
 tion the numerous unorganized gatherings here and 
 there, within the 97,914 square miles that make up the 
 state of Wyoming. The work naturally falls under 
 three heads. 
 
 I. THE INDIANS The Wind River, or Shoshone 
 
 Indian Reservation, is one of the 
 
 most beautifully situated spots in Wyoming and fur- 
 nishes a dwelling place for nine hundred Arapaho and as 
 many more Shoshone Indians. 
 
 Work among the Shoshones has been carried on by the 
 Rev. John Roberts from the days when General Grant 
 turned over the religious work on the Reservation 
 to our Church. Mr. Roberts began as the superin- 
 tendent of the Government School, but left it to build 
 our own Church School for Shoshone girls, and to carry 
 on a general evangelical mission to both tribes and 
 among the encircling whites, so that now eight churches 
 are the result of his labors. 
 
 Respecting the work among the Arapahoes Mr. Roberts 
 
 himself has recently written: 
 
 Great interest is taken by the Arapahoes in the new Mission about to be 
 estabHshed among them by the bishop in Yellow Calf's camp. The Mission 
 will occupyacentral position 
 
 in the Little Wind River val- ...^ 
 ley. The site, which includes 
 a tract of forty acres of good 
 farming land, was p urchased 
 and given to the bishop by a 
 lady who has beenengagedin 
 missionary work among the 
 Indians on this reservation 
 all summer, and who is now 
 in the East raising funds to 
 provide the necessary build- 
 ings and plant. The Arapa- 
 hoes are physically and men- 
 tally a very fine type of 
 Indians. Physically they are 
 larger and taller than any 
 other tribe. Mentally they 
 are the peers of any primi- 
 tive people. "Our Father's House" on an Indian Reservation 
 
Since the early eighties they have been under Christian instruction^ 
 They are now practically all Christians. Nearly all the younger genera- 
 tion have attended for several years one or other of the schools on the 
 reservation. They have the Gospel of St. Luke in their own language, 
 translated by one of their own young men. Nearly the whole of the 
 Prayer Book is translated, as well as catechisms and service books. 
 
 At the recent Church Conference held by the Bishop for them, all 
 the Arapahoe speakers were chosen young men who had farms and had 
 built homes for themselves on the prairie. They spoke well and forcibly 
 on the subjects assigned them, on their duty toward God and their duty 
 toward their neighbors. Each one emphasized the duty of home building 
 as a sign of and an aid to true Christian life. 
 
 II. THE WHITE PEOPLE This work is varied in 
 
 character, from the 
 
 more elaborate work in the centers of larger population, 
 to that arnong the scattered ranchmen, farmers and 
 miners, of which last there are many in the coal and 
 mineral fields of the state. 
 
 In carrying on the work among the ranchmen and 
 farmers, the minister will, with team or on horseback, 
 hold services at the larger ranches and in the scattered 
 school houses. Seldom is there absence of a cordial 
 welcome. When the occasion permits people will gather 
 from far and near to attend these services. A country 
 dance will often follow the service, or, as it frequently 
 happens, the minister will have to clean up the hall for 
 Sunday service after a late Saturday night dance; but 
 these situations present little aspect of inconsistency to 
 the westerner, though they often distress the newcomer. 
 
 Perhaps no more worthy work can be found in Ihe 
 Church than that carried on at points far removed 
 from the railroad, such as Buffalo, Sundance, Dixon, 
 
 Jackson Hole and 
 Saratoga, which 
 points are from forty 
 to ninety miles from 
 the nearest rail- 
 way. Yet at these 
 stations, manned as 
 they are by as cour- 
 ageous men as the 
 Church has pro- 
 duced, the work goes 
 
 St. James' Church, Kemmerer OH apaCC. ~ 
 
CHURCH OF OUR SAVIOUR, HARTVILLE 
 
 During the last four years the Church's buildings 
 have increased from forty -four to sixty-five; and this, to a 
 large extent, by self-help. There are very few instances 
 in which the people themselves have not raised at least 
 half of the necessary amount. For their number and 
 their means the people of the West give generously. 
 They are worthy of being helped because they make 
 earnest effort to help themselves. 
 
 III. INSTITUTIONAL WORK In the larger 
 j : I centers the 
 
 Church is endeavoring to do the work that naturall}^ 
 presents itself in communities with a population of from 
 five to twelve thousand. In Cheyenne the people have 
 built an ideal parish house, which in addition to other 
 work is housing a club of three hundred young men; 
 in Sheridan the basement of the church is being used as 
 a gymnasium. In fact there is no place where the need 
 is great that the Church fails to make a practical use of 
 such equipment as she possesses. However small the 
 building may be it is usually constructed, for the sake of 
 economy and efficiency, with a thoroughly finished base- 
 ment, which becomes the meeting-place of guilds and 
 associations for both young and old. 
 
Because the larger institution is one of the means 
 whereby the Church performs its mission and at 
 the same time commends itself to those among whom 
 and for whom it labors, this factor has not been 
 overlooked in Wyoming. The Church has estab- 
 lished a home for children at Laramie and a hospital 
 at Lander. Both institutions are sorely needed. 
 Already their capacity is taxed practically to the 
 limit. To fulfill their mission they must shortly be 
 extended both in size of buildings and in scope 
 of work. 
 
 We trust that this description of one of the most 
 interesting works in the Church to-day may heartily 
 commend itself to those children who enjoy the 
 fullness of Her blessing in service and ministration 
 where for decades She has faithfully tended the flock. 
 
 STATISTICS 
 
 THE STAFF: 
 
 Clergy (including Bishops) 23 
 
 Paid Lay Workers 15 
 
 THE WORK: 
 
 Parishes (4) and Missions 58 
 
 Communicants 2,045 
 
 Sunday School teachers and scholars . . . 1,922 
 
 Baptisms 414 
 
 Confirmations 244 
 
 THE GIFTS: 
 
 Appropriation from the Board of Missions $9,070 
 
 Specials through the Board $5,000 
 
 Apportionment $1,401 
 
 Paid on apportionment $1,492 
 
 Paid to district missions $728 
 
 Total contributions within the district . • $24,500 
 
 This pampldet may be obtained from The Literature Department, Board of 
 Missions, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York. Ask for No. 120S. 
 
 All of Brings for Missions should be sent to Mr. George Gordon King, Treasurer, 
 Church Mission House, S81 Fourth Avenue, New York. 
 
 2d Ed., 5M— n-lH— R. P.