While traveling in Wyoming, I have often pointed out a lone tree off in the distance, standing against the elements. So, it is not surprising that there is/was a town called Lonetree.

Lonetree is a census-designated place in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 49 at the 2010 census.

Today Lonetree is a remote community in Uinta County, nestled just north of the high Uinta Mountains.

If you are on Highway 141, you’ll see this one building, which is all that is left of the original town.

Before Europeans, this was an area that was prized by the Ute and Shoshone—who spent winters at the base of the Uinta Mountains. Fur traders and trappers found the area rich for what they were after.

The town was established in 1888, with the Lonetree Mercantile and Post Office, which served as the community’s social nerve center for decades.

The original building burned down, and an English immigrant named Herbert Joshua Gregory built a new one in 1897 that operated continuously until 1982.

If you drive by today, you’ll see that one old store that looks like it belongs in an old West town. The area is well preserved but sparsely populated. It is home to massive working properties like the historic Lonetree Ranch, encompassing thousands of acres of private, state, and BLM land, which is recognized for maintaining sustainable agricultural and conservation practices.

You can learn more, along with old photos of the town, at the Intermountain Histories website, at this link.

What is left of the town is on the far bottom west corner of Wyoming, below Fort Bridger.

CASPER, Wyo. — As the Aug. 18 primary election approaches, Oil City News is introducing candidate questionnaires to help voters make informed decisions at the ballot box.

Every candidate in the primary field was sent the same three questions and given a limit of 500 words, which could be distributed among their answers as they saw fit. To ensure a fair and direct line to the community, all responses are published exactly as submitted, without edits or alterations.

Candidates were asked:

• What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?
• If elected, how will you address these challenges?
• What qualities or qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?

Questionnaires are being published on a rolling basis online through Aug. 11. They will be accessible via the Oil City News Election Tracker.

Additionally, Oil City News will mail a comprehensive print voters guide directly to all Natrona County households in mid-July, featuring all questionnaires received by July 6.

Neil Jeske (R), Wyoming House District 59

What are the most crucial challenges your constituents are facing?

affordability, inflation, and trust in government.

If elected, how will you address these challenges?

If elected, I would address the affordability challenge by working to eliminate the corporate socialism/welfare that is plaguing this state and return the taxes to the taxpayers. Money is best spent by the people who earned it, not the government. Currently, Political insiders and special interest are getting our tax dollars for increased profits while the taxpayers take the risk and losses. Eliminating the Wyoming Business Council, Wyoming Energy Authority and getting rid of the Wyoming Stable Token would be a great place to start. The $255 Million the Wyoming Energy Authority gave away in corporate welfare last year could be used to reduce property taxes, upgrade infrastructure, fund Department of Transportation roadside checks to bust illegal truck drivers to keep our motoring public safe.

Inflation can be reduced on the state level by lowering regulations. For example, Zoning laws, licensing requirements, and permitting processes. State spending is also a major issue, and it must be managed with greater discipline, transparency, and accountability to taxpayers.

More trust in government can be obtained by maintaining a 100% open, transparent, and accountable government. This is vital in a free society. Also, encouraging greater public participation in government. Thomas Jefferson said ““If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.”

What qualities/qualifications do you possess that have prepared you to meet these challenges?

I’m a statesman for Wyoming, not a politician. I stand for ending corporate socialism/welfare, lowering the tax burden on working families, and restoring transparency and accountability so government serves the people of Wyoming, not political insiders or special interests. The proper role of government is to protect life, liberty and property rights.

I bring a commitment to fiscal responsibility, transparency, and practical problem-solving that is grounded in real-world experience and a strong understanding of how government policy affects everyday people. I’ve worked for a living and built a small business on the side, so I understand both what it means to work for a paycheck and what it takes to take risk, create value, and deal with the costs government decisions place on working people.I have also served the public as a municipal garbage man, doing the kind of honest, essential work that keeps our communities functioning and gave me a deep respect for working people, taxpayer funded services and the value of public service.

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