Wyoming

As Wyoming Camping Season Kicks Off, Popular Snowy Range Road Remains Closed

Published

3 weeks ago

May 25, 2024

As Wyoming Camping Season Kicks Off, Popular Snowy Range Road Remains Closed

From Gary Willams’ perspective, everything old is new again when it comes to Boswell Road, a popular route for campers to take into the southern Snowy Range Mountains that runs right through his property.

He’s placed a gate across the road at his property line about a half-mile off Highway 230.

With peak camping season set to kick off over Memorial Day weekend, Willams told Cowboy State Daily that he intends to keep a gate closed, but not locked.

The road remains officially closed to the public. And Williams said that frustrates him, because he’s OK with folks passing through his property to get to some fantastic camping spots in the meadows beyond. All he asks is that people drive slowly past his house and close the gate behind them.

He also isn’t impressed with the results of a meeting this week between the Albany County Commission and U.S. Forest Service officials about the status of the road. While both have at some point claimed ownership of the road, neither do now.

“Nothing came out of it,” he said. “They’re back to pointing their fingers at each other. We’re back to square one.”

County and Forest Service officials said a resolution is probably still at least months away.

Who Does It Even Belong To?

Jurisdiction over the road remains murky.

The Forest Service has always operated under the assumption that Boswell Road is an Albany County thoroughfare, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest Supervisor Russell Bacon told the county commissioners.

The roughly 11-mile dirt road route running between Highway 230 and Highway 10 in southern Albany County has never been marked as a Forest Service road on the agency’s maps, he said.

However, from a legal standpoint, it can’t be a country road either, and the county is frustrated over efforts to route it around Willams’ property on the west end hitting snags, Commission Chairman Pete Gosar said.

County engineers had plans to re-route the road, which is what Willams wants, only to have the Forest Service say that couldn’t happen unless it’s formally declared a county road, he said.

And it might be impossible for the county to ever claim full jurisdiction over the road because a section of it dips into Colorado.

About 25% of the route runs through private property, including Williams’ land at the west end, and the Boswell Ranch, owned by former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead at the east end.

Mead hasn’t gated his section of the road, but has placed “private road, no trespassing” signs at his property line.

Of the remaining 75% of the route, about half runs through the national forest and the rest crosses parcels controlled by the Bureau of Land Management and state of Wyoming.

For years, the Forest Service maintained Boswell Road in exchange for the county maintaining Harris Park Road.

However, the road hasn’t been maintained by either entity for at least a year. Some property owners recently told Cowboy State Daily that it’s become extremely rough in some places, even though it remains the best route in and out of the area.

A map shows where the Boswell Springs wind farm is in Albany County. (Courtesy Innergex)
Former Wyoming governor Matt Mead recently opted to close a section of the Boswell Road that runs through his property, just off Highway 10 in southern Albany County. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily)
Former Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead owns the historic Boswell Ranch just off Highway 10 in southern Albany County. (Mark Heinz, Cowboy State Daily)
The Carpenter Family has been ranching in Albany for six generations, but might not be able to access their summer range off Boswell Road this year, because the road has been closed. (Courtesy Leisl Carpenter)

Not A Priority For Forest Service

One possible way out of the quandary would be for the county to secure easements along the sections of road that pass through private property. That could make it essentially a county road.

The section going through Colorado would be under Forest Service jurisdiction.

If some property owners refuse to grant easements, the county could take the case to court.

But regardless of whether such easements were settled with a handshake or via a court order, the process would likely take months.

Boswell Road could also be officially converted to a Forest Service road. That would probably take even longer, because a full environmental assessment would be in order, Bacon told the commissioners.

He also said that with 4,500 miles of Forest Service road already under his office’s jurisdiction, “it’s not going to float very high on our priority list” to add Boswell Road, he said.

A 40-Year Wait

Willams has owned his property for 39 years, and said he’s always been frustrated by the back-and-forth between the Forest Service and Albany County when it comes to the road.

It runs right next to his house, and he said he put up the gate because he was getting weary of traffic speeding by.

“I’ve had side-by-sides go through my yard doing 30-40 mph, I’m not kidding,” he said.

Mead previously told Cowboy State Daily that he closed his section of the road partly because he was concerned over liability should a speeding driver have a crash there.

“I’m worried about the same thing,” Willams said, which is why he wants people to slow down.

The Forest Service has put up “road closed” signs at the intersection of Boswell Road and Highway 230.

Willams said he’s not happy about that.

“I’ve never stopped anybody from coming through. My gate was put there just to get people to slow down going through my property,” he said. “I hope people realize, it was the Forest Service that closed the road, not me,” he said.

As for where things go from here, Willams said he’s hopeful, but skeptical.

“Public opinion is what’s going to change this whole deal,” he said. “Maybe on the 40th anniversary of me owning the property we’ll get something done.”

Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.

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Wyoming

Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming – No. 1

Published

3 hours ago

June 17, 2024

Press Room

LARAMIE — It’s officially “series season.”

This summer, with the help of some longtime Wyoming football followers, we will count down the Top 25 homegrown products in program history.

As always, what these guys did in professional football doesn’t matter. This is all about production in Laramie. A couple of the guys on this final list may not have been born here, but they grew up in Wyoming and graduated from an in-state high school.

Once we put a bow on these selections, we’ll move on to other states like Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, etc. You get the picture:

Former Wyoming running back Jerry Hill is our selection for the best homegrown player in Cowboy football history./ UW courtesy photo

No. 1 – Jerry Hill

Running back, 1958-60, Lingle, Wyoming

Résumé in Laramie

Jerry Hill was named the Wyoming Football Player of the 20th Century during fan balloting in 1992, according to his Hall of fame plaque. He received the call to the hall the following year, becoming one of the first players in Cowboy history to be enshrined, joining names like Jay Novacek, Mike Dirks, Fennis Dembo, Kenny Sailors and others in that inaugural class. That right there shows his importance to Cowboy football. Hill’s Cowboys went 25-6 during his three-year stint in Laramie and claimed a 14-6 Sun Bowl victory over Hardin-Simmons after going 8-3 in 1958. The ’59 UW team pitched four shutouts and held its opponents to seven points or less in eight games while going 9-1. They didn’t receive a postseason invite. The Lingle product never lost a game to rivals BYU or Colorado State. Hill claimed back-to-back All-Skyline Conference honors during his final two seasons on campus. He also led the team in rushing and scoring, tallying 86 points. Hill was also an honorable mention All-American in those two seasons. He finished his career with 1,374 rushing yards on 288 carries. Hill was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts in 1961. He was also taken by the Denver Broncos in the AFL Draft. They took him in Round 2. Hill eventually signed with the Colts and played eight seasons for the franchise, winning a Super Bowl in 1971. He is still eight on the team’s all-time rushing list with 2,668 yards.

About Lingle

Home to less than 500 residents, Lingle is a rural farming, ranching town in Goshen County. A stone’s throw from Torrington and Fort Laramie, the famous Oregon Trail runs right past this “small but proud” community.

Pokes Football: Best of Wyoming series

* No. 25

* No. 24

* No. 23

* No. 22

* No. 21

* No. 20

* No. 19

* No. 18

* No. 17

* No. 16

* No. 15

* No. 14

* No. 13

* No. 12

* No. 11

* No. 10

* No. 9

* No. 8

* No. 7

* No. 6

* No. 5

* No. 4

* No. 3

* No. 2

(Cody Tucker and Jared Newland both work for Townsquare Media, which owns 7220sports.com. Kevin McKinney has been a color commentator of Cowboy football for five decades. Ryan Thorburn now works for the University of Wyoming in a sports information role after spending decades in the newspaper industry, most recently at the Casper Star-Tribune. Sally Ann Shurmur, the daughter of former UW football coach Fritz Shurmur, is also a veteran of the newspaper industry, working as a journalist, columnist at the CST for 43 years. She currently writes for Cowboy State Daily.)

University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

The rules are simple: What was the player’s impact while in Laramie? That means NFL stats, draft status or any other accolade earned outside of UW is irrelevant when it comes to this list.

This isn’t a one-man job. This task called for a panel of experts. Joining 7220’s Cody Tucker are Robert Gagliardi, Jared Newland, Ryan Thorburn, and Kevin McKinney.

We all compiled our own list of 50 and let computer averages do the work. Think BCS — only we hope this catalog is fairer.

Don’t agree with a selection? Feel free to sound off on our Twitter: @7220sports – #Top50UWFB

Gallery Credit: 7220Sports.com

– University of Wyoming’s Top 50 Football Players

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Wyoming

Montana Sweeps Wyoming In Girls Basketball All-Star Series

Published

10 hours ago

June 16, 2024

Press Room

Montana Sweeps Wyoming In Girls Basketball All-Star Series

It’s been a while since the Wyoming Girls All-Star basketball team has beaten Montana in their annual series and the losing streak is now 15 games in a row. On Friday in Gillette, Wyoming lost 90-68 as Montana employed some tough-as-nails defense plus the Big Sky girls had a significant height advantage. Cami Curtis of Campbell County was Wyoming’s leading scorer with 10, Bradie Schlabs from Cheyenne East had 8 with Adeline Burgess from Sheridan along with Addy Thorington of Powell chipping in 6 apiece.

On Saturday in at Lockwood High School in Billings, Wyoming struggled offensively and lost 76-35. That was the lowest offensive output in the history of the series as Wyoming trailed 24-9 after one quarter of play. They were led in scoring by Schlabs with 16 and now Wyoming trails in the series 41-13.

We have a few images to share with you from the game in Gillette and a short video as well.

Wyoming-Montana Girls All-Star Basketball Series

Gallery Credit: Frank Gambino

Wyoming High School Basketball

Photo Courtesy: Frank Gambino

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Wyoming

Wyoming County Courthouse News: June 9 through June 15

Published

17 hours ago

June 16, 2024

Press Room

Wyoming County Courthouse News: June 9 through June 15

The following Death Certificates were filed in Wyoming County between June 9 and June 15:

Sheila Kaye Lamb: filed June 10, 2024.
Lucille Eileen Ashley: filed June 10, 2024.
John David Collins: filed June 10, 2024.
Roger Lee Lafferty: filed June 10, 2024.
Earnie Edison Blankenship: filed June 10, 2024.

The following Marriage Licenses have been filed in Wyoming County between June 9 and June 15:

Kaitlyn Rose Elkins and Dylan Andrew Foltz: filed June 10, 2024.
Lilly Brooke Kinser and Alexander Charles Sellards: filed June 12, 2024.
Mashayla Brooke Hall and Braxton Chase Hash: filed June 13, 2024.
Hannah Brooke Duba and Frank Dakota Sammons: filed June 14, 2024.
Whitney Marie Kennedy and Christopher Earl Stapleton: filed June 14, 2024.

The following Land Transfers were filed in Wyoming County between June 9 and June 15:

Joanna M. Blankenship to Gary A. Shrewsbury: 4.00 acres & 1 acre, Barker’s Creek of Gooney Otter Creek of the Guyandotte River, Barkers Ridge District. Filed June 11, 2024.
Steven Eaton and Edna Eaton to Michael Lanning and Angela Lanning: lots 1, 2, 8, and 9 in Indian Village, north side of Indian Creek, Baileysville District. Filed June 11, 2024.
Betty F. England to Michael Johnson: lots 2&4 in Pineville Land Company Addition to Town of Pineville, and 0.18 acres on north bank of Rock Castle Creek, Center District. Filed June 11, 2024.
Michael J. Stover to Rusted Musket Lodging LLC: lot 2 in Harmco Addition to City of Mullens, Mullens Sub District. Filed June 12, 2024.
Robert Walls and Donna M. Walls to Allen Blankenship and Heather Blankenship: deed of correction, lots 45, 47, 51, and 52, Brenton Addition, Baileysville District. Filed June 14, 2024.
Amelia A. Goff to Matthew G. Staton and Alyssa N. Adams: 0.73 acres in the Town of Oceana, Oceana District. Filed June 14, 2024.
Johnnie D. Criss and Patricia M. Criss to Shelby Darienzo: lots 14&15 lot B, Town of Mullens, Mullens Sub District. Filed June 14, 2024.
Wells Fargo Bank to Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: ½ acre, Laurel Fork near Oceana, Oceana District. Filed June 14, 2024.

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