University of Wyoming
"©" 2006 University of Wyoming
The Richards family occupies a notable and sometimes controversial place in the economic and political history of New England, the American South and the American West. This collection deals principally with the activities of five members of the family: William Jarvis, Reverend Jonas DeForest Richards, DeForest Richards, Bartlett Richards, and Bartlett Richards Jr.
William Jarvis (1770-1859) was a prominent New England businessman. He was an early importer and breeder of Merino sheep, which eventually found their way across the country. From 1802-1810, he served as the United States Consul to Portugal under Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Reverend Jonas DeForest Richards (1809-1872), the son-in-law of William Jarvis, was a Congregational minister in Vermont. Late in his life, he moved to the American South. In 1865, immediately after the Civil War, he purchased and operated a cotton plantation in Wilcox County, Alabama. From 1867-1872, he was Wilcox County’s representative in the state’s Reconstruction Legislature. In 1869-1870, he also served as “president pro-tem” of the University of Alabama. At the time of his death, he worked at the Customs House in Mobile, Alabama.
DeForest Richards (1846-1903), the second son of Reverend Jonas DeForest Richards, was a businessman and politician in Alabama and Wyoming. In the late 1860s and early 1870s DeForest served as sheriff and treasurer in Wilcox County, Alabama. During this time, he also ran an unsuccessful tannery. After the failure of his tannery, he moved to Wyoming and prospered there. He established Richards and Lidell, a successful mercantile firm in Camden, Wyoming. DeForest also served in the Wyoming Legislature. In 1898, he was elected Governor of Wyoming and held that office until his death.
Bartlett Richards (1862-1911), the third son of Reverend Jonas DeForest Richards, was a very powerful cattleman in the American West. A graduate of Andover Academy in Massachusetts, he moved to Wyoming at the age of seventeen and became a ranch hand. In 1879, Bartlett became a cattleman in his own right by buying 1,000 head of cattle and establishing the Shipwheel Ranch on the Belle Fourche River in Northeast Wyoming. A very astute businessman, he greatly increased his holdings in subsequent years. In 1883, Bartlett took over the Upper 33 and Lower 33 Ranches in Sioux County, Nebraska. By 1888, he had also founded the famed Spade Ranch in the Sandhills, near Chadron, Nebraska.
Due to the Sandhills’ arid climate and the infertile soil, Bartlett Richards firmly believed that the federal government should favor ranchers over the homesteaders in the settlement of the region. It was his outspoken opinions on this subject (along with his acquisitions of homesteaders’ claims and illegal fencing of government land) that attracted the enmity of President Theodore Roosevelt and eventually led to his downfall. In 1905, Bartlett and his business partner William Comstock were indicted for fencing federal land. The two men plead guilty and were sentenced to 6 hours detention and a $300 fine. The light sentences angered federal officials, who stepped up efforts to prosecute Richards. In 1906, he was again indicted, this time for land fraud. He was found guilty and sentenced to one year in prison and a $1,500 fine. After an unsuccessful series of appeals, Bartlett was sent to the Adams County Jail in Hastings, Nebraska, in 1910. He died in prison on September 4, 1911, and was inducted into the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in 1970.
Bartlett Richards Jr. (1901-1978) , Bartlett Sr.’s youngest son, was a businessman and amateur historian. After his retirement from the vice-presidency of Acme Steel Company in Chicago, he worked to rehabilitate his father’s name. In 1972, while going through his mother’s papers, he discovered his father’s letters. With Ruth Van Ackeren, he wrote
The Richards family papers, 1800-1982, include correspondence, diaries, legal documents, books, manuscripts, research notes, clippings, photographs, and other assorted items. These materials document the lives of five members of the Richards Family: William Jarvis, Reverend Jonas DeForest Richards, DeForest Richards, Bartlett Richards, and Bartlett Richards Jr.
The correspondence of the above individuals documents of their lives and activities from their own point of view. The letters also reveal the close knit nature of the family and how its members were affected by the events of their lives on a personal level.
The diaries are those kept by DeForest Richards. They document his travels overseas and his campaign and subsequent service as Governor of Wyoming.
The legal documents (found in Series III and VII) concern Bartlett Richards’ career as a cattleman. They shed light on how he acquired his land holdings. These documents also provide insight on the operations of his cattle business.
Series IV:
A large part of the printed material (found in Series IV and V) concerns the media’s coverage of Bartlett Richards activities in the cattle business and his subsequent prosecution by the federal government. There are also a number of items that appear to have little to do with the Richards family.
There are a few photographs of Bartlett and DeForest Richards. There is a handful of images of Spade Ranch as it appeared during Bartlett Richards’ time and its subsequent ownership by Lawrence Bixby. The bulk of the photographs are unidentified images from the family albums.
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 the Richards family at the date of processing.
The Richards family papers, 1800-1982, were given to the American Heritage Center by
The collection was processed by Kenton G. Jaehnig in July 2001. The papers were received in good condition but not in any order. Where original folder titles existed, they have been maintained, where none existed, a descriptive title was created.
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Richards family papers, 1800-1982, Collection Number 01128, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Arranged alphabetically. Correspondence by
individual members of the Richards Family. Photocopies of original correspondence by the following individuals have been created for research use and the originals placed
in the safe:
(Photocopies; originals in safe)
(Photocopies; originals in safe)
(Photocopies; originals in safe)
(Transcripts)
(Photocopies; originals in safe)
Arranged chronologically. DeForest Richards’ diaries. Photocopies of the originals have been created for research use and the originals placed in the safe.
(Photocopies; originals in safe)
Arranged alphabetically. Legal documents concerning Bartlett Richards’ business interests. Includes Civil War pension and discharge papers, photocopies of homestead patents, documents regarding the Nebraska Land and Feeding Company, and stock certificates.
Arranged alphabetically. Contains a published copy and the original manuscripts of
An assortment of printed materials, including a book, clippings, maps, and pamphlets. Mostly concerns the cattle industry, Bartlett Richards’ business activities and the media coverage of his trials.
Contains photographs of Bartlett Richards, DeForest Richards, Spade Ranch and an unidentified stockyard. Includes a large number of unidentified family portrait photographs as well.
Contains photographs of Civil War figures
An assortment of oversized materials relating to Bartlett Richards and the cattle industry, including original homestead patents, a minute book, newspapers, an oversized cartoon, an empty photo album, photographs, a poster, and a scrapbook.