Archives West Finding Aid

Wilkin Craig McDowell was born on October 10, 1853 in Franklin County, PA to John and Margaret McDowell. John McDowell immigrated to Pennsylvania from Ireland in 1720. He operated a mill and distillery in a small fort in Pennsylvania; the fort eventually was named in his honor, Fort McDowell. John married Margaret McLanahan, the granddaughter of General John Allison, founder of Greencastle, Pennsylvania. The couple continued to live in the Pennsylvania area and raised their family there. They had seven boys: Allison, Wilkin, Tench, Samuel, Jack Van Leer, and George and one girl, Minnie. Wilkin makes reference to some of his siblings throughout his diary entries. Wilkin, commonly called Craig, grew up in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, attending the local schools. In 1867 he continued on with his education at West Point Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. During his three year attendance at the academy he sailed on two of the first home practice cruisers, one to Halifax, Nova Scotia and the other to Newport, Rhode Island. He was honorably discharged from West Point when almost rendered completely deaf by a cannon shot on one of the cruises.

After leaving the academy his friend James Sharp (Jim) contacted him from California and persuaded him to come West and meet him in Wyoming. Wilkin and his dog, Jill, took the train from Pennsylvania across the country to Wyoming. Although he was not a member of the Mormon church, Wilkin took a few excursions to Utah to visit the Mormon Tabernacle and the newly built Temple in Salt Lake City. On returning to Wyoming, Wilkin met Jim Sharp and another friend, Bob Gracey, and the three men continued on to Owl Creek County, Wyoming, where they hoped to secure a claim on a piece of land. However, when they reached Owl Creek they found that the land in question had already been claimed. They then decided to proceed through the Wind River County on what began as a prospecting tour on July 6, 1881. After many days of traveling they crossed the Big Horn Mountains and became lost in the rough country, suffering from lack of drinking water and exhaustion. They finally made their way made to the Platte River Settlement, now near Casper Wyoming, and regained their bearings before pushing on to Fort Fetterman. From there they journeyed on to Fort McKinny and made a short stop over in Buffalo, Wyoming. When they reached Miles Town, Montana they came into contact with a group of buffalo hunters, who introduced them to the Tongue River area. They arrived along the Tongue River in the autumn of 1881, nine years before the government began to survey the area. Wilkin and Jim Sharp decided to stay in the proximity but Bob Gracey continued on to California. Jim made his living as a sheepman before moving on the Washington area, where he passed away in 1905.

Wilkin began to occupy the land of a former squatter named "Honest Ben Walker" an English trapper who had died the previous year in an altercation with another settler. After staking out his land, Wilkin decided to enter the cattle business. He purchased a team of horses and ventured west in search of cattle to purchase, cattle ranching was fairly new to the area and Wilkin was only the second settler in the area to start up a cattle ranch. After he made his purchase he located the cattle along the Tongue River in the Brandenburg area and named his ranch "C7" which also became the insignia of his cattle brand. In 1882, John McDowell, Wilkin's father, came to visit him. Unfortunately this trip ended tragically when soon after his arrival he became ill and passed away at the age of 81.

Wilkin prospered and continued in the cattle business until his failing health forced him to scale down and raise fewer cattle and a small amount of horses. Throughout his life Wilkin, well liked throughout the area, had no major altercations with other settlers or with the Native Americans. The Cheyenne were the principal occupants of the area. His home received the nickname of "Skull Shack" due to a human skull, which he found and fastened to his door. Contrary to the name of his home, Wilkin gained a reputation for being a very hospitable host to the many travelers of the area. He enjoyed white-tail deer hunting and was also known to enjoy a friendly boxing match once in awhile. Wilkin enjoyed social occasions of any sort and had been known to travel more than eighty miles to attend a dance. He remained a bachelor until he met Mrs. Frannie (Rogers) McGurk; they married on Oct. 10, 1898 in Miles City, Montana. The McDowells did not have any children. They both actively participated in politics; he was a staunch Republican and she a Democrat. Mrs. McDowell was also an active member of the Episcopal Church, both in Miles City and the Brandenburg area. Wilkin McDowell died at age 85 on April 9, 1939. The date of Frannie McDowell's death is unknown.