Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Manure War Of Manfred Township


Photo belonging to Wyoming Tales & Trails

Have you ever heard of the Johnson County Cattle Wars of Buffalo WY?  

First of all, I love the west.  There's so much history; especially romance, gun slingin', cattle rustlin', gambling, gold, war, it's a plethora of interesting tales.  The Johnson County Cattle War was no different. 

Here's an exerpt from Wyoming Tales & Trails http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/johnson3.html :

   "On April 5, 1892, 52 armed men rode a private, secret train north from Cheyenne. Just outside Casper, Wyo., they switched to horseback and continued north toward Buffalo, Wyo., the Johnson County seat. Their mission was to shoot or hang 70 men named on a list carried by Frank Canton, one of the leaders of this invading force.
The invaders (as they came to be known) included some of the most powerful cattlemen in Wyoming, their top employees and 23 hired guns. The invasion resulted from long‑standing disputes between these cattle barons, who owned herds numbering in the thousands, and small operators, most running just enough cattle to support their families. The event came to be called the Johnson County War. Longtime Wyoming historian T.A. Larson ranked it “the most notorious event in the history of Wyoming.”
Numerous court records contain valuable information on the invasion, as do other government documents, especially land files. Most significantly, after the invasion--sometimes as many as 40 years later--the cattlemen and their allies published writings containing admissions that suddenly shone a bright light on contested issues. From this voluminous data, clear facts emerge from which the truth about the invasion and its causes can be determined.
Johnson County newspapers date back to August of 1883, when no one in Johnson County conceived of future astonishing events, and those newspapers are full of candid appraisals of the community. A reading of the Johnson County newspapers quickly dispels the notion, stated in other Wyoming papers and others around the nation, that Buffalo was “the most lawless town in the country,” or a haven for “range pirates” who “mercilessly” stole big cattlemen’s livestock...."

Please go to their website and read it in it's entirety.  The west has such amazing stories.  Wyoming is so rich with history. 

So, now, on to the Manfred Township Manure War. 

I know, right?  how does my story even compare to that of the Johnson County affair?  Basically, the same principles apply...cattle, money and greed.

Just in a different form...poop.

Crap.  Waste.  Manure. 

When you have 500 head of cows, they poop alot.  ALOT.  Where does all this poop go, you ask?  How do we get rid of it? 
We sell it.  Before all of you go out and start picking up your dog's poo, please understand.  This is not an easy job, being a "shitz" salesman. 

I 'm in awe at how poop can change friendships, business dealings, etc.  It also makes Big D the crabbiest cuss on the face of the planet.  How can poop cause sleeplessness, anger, fat, low libido (just kidding I'm really reaching aren't I?).  For example:  "I'm so mad I'm going to eat a big bowl of popcorn!" 

We're stress eaters at the Fairchild Farm.

I'll tell you how it changes everything.  Everybody wants it, nobody wants it, no one has time to haul it, no one thinks they should pay for it, others want to pay for some of it, just not hauling it, and the list goes on.  You've got to realize that there's probably 100 tons of shitz out there.  It's got to go somewhere.  When the lots are a mess, no cattle come in, therefore our checkbook stays empty.  So we are pretty strict on it.  We also don't own any fields. 

So now we finally got a few people to take it, we are thrilled.  For one, our close neighbor and friend is taking some, he's the nicest.  He also lets my kids ride with him for hours at a time.  They call him Grandpa and love him.  So do we. 

But it's not cleaned out in it's entirety yet...do you need any?  Maybe a ton or so for your yard or garden? 

I kid!

Just shitzin' around with ya,
Fairchild Farmgirl

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