Last week I put up a photograph of Harry Yount, a legendary frontiersman who is sometimes claimed to be the first Game Warden in Wyoming.
That claim is tenuous as Yount went to work patrolling Yellowstone National Park for the Federal Government, a role that was later assumed by the U.S. Army, until the Park Service was created.
The first employee of the state of Wyoming in that role was Albert Nelson, who took the job for the state in 1899. He didn't hold it for a really long time as he became frustrated when a court refused to convict a poacher, and he resigned. There's a great photograph of him camping in the high country, cooking over a fire, but as it's part of the Stimson collection, and may be protected in some fashion, I'm going to abstain from posting it.
The next Game Warden was D. C. Nowlin, who had been a Texas Ranger before he came to Wyoming. He held the job for eight years. He was a real force in the service of the state. He drafted legislation to establish seasons, hired three more wardens to assist him full time, and an additional twenty to help him part time. He later went on to run the National Elk Refuge before ill health went on to require his retirement.
The state owes them a debt in every fashion. Indeed the nation does. Hunters, fishermen, and outdoor folks of all types.
Here's to Nelson and Nowlin. A job well done.
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