University of Wyoming
"©" 2006 University of Wyoming
John Hunton, Wyoming pioneer, bull team freighter, cattleman, and longtime Fort Laramie area settler, was born 18 January 1839 in Madison County, Virginia. He was the son of Patrick and Elizabeth (Carpenter) Hunton. When he turned 18 he volunteered as a soldier and saw duty at Harper's Ferry in 1859. He fought in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the Civil War, serving in General George Pickett's division at Gettysburg.
In the spring of 1867, Hunton, along with many other disillusioned southerners, emigrated westward. He drove one of twenty-five mule teams from Nebraska City to Fort Laramie for Seth Ward, sutler at the fort. He was then employed as a clerk and general aid in the store. During the winter of 1867 Hunton shared a room with the famous government scout Jim Bridger. During this time Fort Laramie was the premier army outpost on the Plains, designed not only to supply and protect the thousands of emigrants heading over the Oregon Trail, but to deal with the numerous Plains Indian tribes which were seen as a threat to the increasing number of white homesteaders. Hunton traded with Indians and remained sympathetic to their plights, even after his brother Jim Hunton was killed by Indians in 1876. Another brother, Thomas Hunton, lived in the Wheatland area with his wife, Mora.
In 1870 Hunton received a contract to supply Fort Laramie with wood. During the next ten years his government contracts steadily expanded into a large business. He also supplied hay, beef, charcoal, and other freight to military posts such as Fort Fetterman, Fort Steele, Fort Phil Kearny, Fort Reno, and Fort C.F. Smith. Hunton opened a road ranch at Bordeaux, south of Wheatland, in 1871. Many travelers stopped at Bordeaux for food and shelter on their way to the Black Hills. Hunton also became half owner, in partnership with W.G. Bullock, of the "SO" cattle herd. This herd was the first in the area aside from work oxen.
For most of the 1870s John Hunton's companion was a French-Indian woman, Eulalie (Lallee) Garnier, the sister of Hunton's friend Baptiste "Little Bat" Garnier, an army scout. Little is known about Lallee or why she and Hunton separated in 1877. When Hunton returned to his native Virginia in the winter of 1881, he met Blanche Taylor, half his age, whom he married and brought back to Wyoming with him. Although the marriage was strained by their differences in age and temperament, she remained at his side for the rest of his life.
By the mid-1880s John Hunton had become one of the Territory's most prominent citizens. He opened a hotel at Bordeaux in 1887 and was elected Laramie County commissioner. He had large holdings in both land and cattle, but the era of the great cattle barons came to an end after the disastrous winter of 1886-87. Hunton and his contemporaries lost much of their money and holdings, and Hunton was plagued by a mountain of debts he could not pay. In 1889, he returned to Fort Laramie to become post trader. This position ended, however, when the fort was abandoned in 1890.
Hunton continued to live in Fort Laramie for many years. He was a United States Commissioner from 1892-1907, a volunteer weather observer for the Weather Department, and a civil engineer, surveying uncharted wilderness area in north central and western Wyoming. Later he and Blanche moved to Torrington, where he died on 4 September 1928 at the age of 89. He is buried in Cheyenne.
The John Hunton papers, 1858-1973, include 53 volumes of diaries, correspondence, accounts, manuscripts, newspaper articles, photographs, maps, and guns which offer a fascinating look at the life of a Wyoming pioneer. The collection gives many details about Wyoming when it was still a "wild" frontier territory, including accounts of the Indian wars, the gold rush to the Black Hills, the coming of the railroad and homesteaders, the rise and fall of the great cattle barons, the passing of the frontier and Wyoming's development into a well-organized state.
John Hunton's Diaries (Series I) begin with January 1, 1875, and continue through 1888 and 1890-1928 (it is unknown whether Hunton did not keep a diary for 1889 or if it is missing). Hunton recorded his day-to-day experiences in a brusque and factual manner, rarely expressing emotion except in several cases, the courtship of his wife (1881), his gradual fall into debt and bankruptcy (1887-88), and the steady decline of his health in his later years (1927-28). He describes the adventures and hardships of bull team freighting during the 1870s, lists many of the colorful characters who passed through his ranch at Bordeaux, and records some of his monthly expenses.
Since Hunton's handwriting in the diaries is difficult to read, the researcher may want to study the published volumes 1-6 or the Manuscripts and Transcripts by L.G. Flannery (Subseries 2). In addition to the diary entries, Flannery includes photographs, interviews and other background information to help the reader's understanding of the people, places and events. Included are accounts of Jim Hunton's death (May 1876), the Sioux delegation to Washington, D.C. (May 1875), the Johnson County Invasion (March-April 1892), and Hunton's recollections of Calamity Jane (June 1876). Also included in this subseries are excerpts from Hunton's diaries which were published in the Lingle
Correspondence (Series II) contains letters both to and from John Hunton, correspondence with friends, family and business associates. Correspondence Concerning John Hunton and Hunton's Diaries includes correspondence between Grace Raymond Hebard and L.G. Flannery, as well as inquiries about the diaries from researchers. The subseries Letter Press Copy Books are books which mostly contain letters written by Hunton, although Book 22 includes several letters written by W.G. Bullock and S.E. Ward. Many of the letters in these books have faded and are difficult to read.
The Subject Files (Series III) contain newspaper articles, correspondence, manuscripts, and other documents concerning some of the people, places, and events John Hunton knew. Included is information on Fort Laramie, the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851, the Grattan Massacre, the Mormon Trail, and the Wagon Box Fight.
Business Records (Series IV) includes a book of the by-laws and officers of the Cheyenne Club (of which Hunton was a member, several account books containing his expenses, and a minute book of the Fort Laramie Ditch Company (which Hunton held stock in). There are also several memorandum books containing a story or novel written by an unidentified author.
Many of the Photographs (Series V) are not dated. They include photographs of Fort Laramie, John and Blanche Hunton, Lallee Garnier, and the Oregon Trail. Friends of John Hunton include photographs of W.G. Bullock and W.F. Hooker. Miscellaneous contains photographs of Grace Raymond Hebard and John Hunton's guns and desk. Native Americans includes a photograph of Wolf Robe (in a leather frame). Photographs of Big Nose George and Calamity Jane can be found as well as a photograph of the Johnson County invaders at Fort D.A. Russell.
Historical Maps (Series VI) include two maps of the areas where Hunton lived and worked, which was used to accompany the published diaries. The Black Hills Pioneer reproduction of June 8, 1876 includes many interesting stories from the era. The illustration of Old Fort Laramie was drawn for the dedication of the fort to public ownership in 1937.
Artifacts (Series VII) are John Hunton's guns. They include a .442 Webley manufactured sometime between 1867 and 1880 for the Royal Irish Constabulary and a double barrel 10-gauge shotgun.
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
There are no other known archival collections created by John Hunton at the date of processing.
The John Hunton papers, which include 53 volumes of diaries, were given to the University of Wyoming Archives by the family of the late L.G. "Pat" Flannery. After John Hunton's death in 1928, the diaries, along with personal papers and photographs, were left to Flannery, a Goshen County publisher. Dr. Grace Raymond Hebard, University of Wyoming librarian and historian, was named joint custodian. Dr. Hebard and Mr. Flannery chose to lay the diaries aside for twenty-five years. They were kept by Dr. Hebard until her death and then delivered to Mr. Flannery, who began publication of the diaries in 1956. Four volumes were published before his death in 1964, and two more volumes afterwards. Hunton's personal papers were given to the University in two installments (
The collection was processed by Susan Horan in August 1997. Revised by D.C. Thompson in August 2002. Most of the papers were in good condition for their age, but certain papers were placed in mylar sleeves or replaced by preservation copies to protect from further deterioration. Copies were made of the newspaper diary excerpts and L.G. Flannery's diary manuscripts. The illustration of Old Fort Laramie was taken out of a frame and placed into an acid-free folder. Original order was maintained where possible, except for the separation of photographs, maps, and business records into separate series.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, John Hunton papers, 1858-1973, Collection Number 00009, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Foreword and volume 1 (1875), volume 2 (1876 and 1877), index to volume 2, volume 3 (1878 and 1879), volume 4 (1880 and 1881), volume 5 (1882 and 1883), index to volume 5, and volume 6 (1884 and 1885).
Volume 7 (1886 and 1887), volume 8 (1888 and 1890), and index to volume 8.