From our archives: Thousands attended the first few ‘49ers

Greybull will be hosting its Days of 49 this weekend. To understand how the celebration has evolved, we checked back into the Greybull Standard annals to find memories of its early years.
Greybull Standard: Dateline – June 7, 1945: “Saturday will be a big day in Greybull. At that time the Jaycees will present the Days of ’49 celebration, the first of this kind ever held in Greybull.”
That celebration was a one-day affair. Events started in the morning with Northern Wyoming Flying Service bringing in “two planes to carry passengers on flights over the city.”
The parade began at 2 p.m. and was reportedly to be “the biggest and most colorful parade ever seen here. Starting at the high school, the parade came up the highway and passed up and down main street to give everyone a chance to see it all.”
After the parade, events were moved into the Community Hall where activities included “games of chance typical of the Days of ’49.”
Celebrants were urged to attend in typical western wear or clothing similar to what was worn in 1849, or “come in overalls and aprons and relive the old days of the prospectors.”
Music for dancing into the wee hours was provided by Fred Gould and his orchestra.
The follow-up story reported that the Jaycees realized a total gross of just under $2300; the parade, described by the reporter as “the finest and most colorful ever seen in the Big Horn Basin” was viewed by about 3,500 people.
The following year the Jaycees extended the celebration to two days, adding a rodeo, Greybull’s first ever, Saturday night, and an air show on Sunday to go along with the parade and dance.
According to the newspaper account, a crowd estimated “to exceed 10,000 persons jammed the mile long parade route to open the two-day celebration.”  The parade was led by Emma Marie Rea, described as “first in a long line of royalty destined to hold sway over the Forty Niners.Queen Emma is as western as a long line of pioneer ancestors could make her.” Queen Emma’s attendants included: Peggy Paton, Beverly Allen, and Frances Harvey all of Greybull, Mary Haley of Basin, Suzanne O’Brien of Burlington and Mildred Jean Peters of Lovell,
The rodeo, first ever held in Greybull, drew 3,000 people; there was standing room only at the Community Hall for the dance that evening, night and despite a “bad break in the weather” 3,000 attended the air show Sunday that was shortened due to the 30 mile-per-hour wind that blew in.
A week after the celebration, the Greybull Standard repored it “went down in history of Greybull as the biggest event ever held in the town.”
The parade included 197 horseback riders. The first place float award went to Bob Johnston “who drove the first team of oxen and covered wagon ever seen on the streets of Greybull.”
Donald Clucas won the prize for the best costume dressed “as the sky pilot of the frontier days with black coat, hat, mule and Bible.” While Twila Frost earned second place honors  “dressed as an Indian maiden riding a horse which was pulling a travois.”
By 1948 the celebration has been extended to three days and a second rodeo had been added to the agenda.
Credit was given to the “untiring efforts of the 49er Rodeo Association” whose members included O.J. Deveraux, G.W. Williams, Larry Probst, Paul Peterson, Bernie Overgaag, George Olson, Relph Robinson, Jack Smith and James Whaley who elected by the Greybull Club and the Jaycees.
The parade, reportedly a mile long, included three bands from Greybull, Sheridan and Lovell. Betty Shirran of Hyattville, and a senior at the University of Wyoming, reigned as queen. A preliminary story said Shirran would “be wearing a black with white western costume, and mounted on a spirited palomino stallion.” Her royal court included Renee Kocherhan of Lovell as lady-in-waiting, and attendants, Mary K. Miley, Lucille Harvey and Irma Wardell, “wearing colorful western attire.”
A week later the Standard reported: “Thousands of spectators lined the streets to view the parade Saturday morning, standing on the sidewalks, sitting atop business buildings or watching from upper windows - giving proof of the expectation that Greybull can put over anything it wants, through the cooperation of all its residents.”
Seventy-seven of the “top hands in the rodeo world,” competed in the two-day extravaganza. The Standard said the rodeo grounds parking lot “held “hundreds of shiny new and older model cars” and the local Girl Scout troop was commended for “doing a fine job of ushering in the stands.”
In 1949 last year’s attendant Miley made it to the top. She was crowned queen at a Coronation Ball held at the Community Hall Friday evening. Music for dancing was provided by Jack Yule and his orchestra from Cody.
A dance at the hall Saturday night featured music by Carrol Whalen and his from Cowley.
The celebration boasted a “huge historical pageant  (held at the rodeo grounds) will use 200 in cast for Sunday evening closing of ‘49er event.” Mr. Oral Harvey was in chage of the pageant which depicted events in the early history of the Big Horn Basin. The program was introduced by the 100-voice choir from the Big Horn Basin stake of the LDS church singing “Home on the Range.” Episodes of the pageant included “Happy Hunting Ground,” “Desperados and Dances,” “Saints and Settlers,” “Homes and Hospitality,” “Feuds and Fighting,”  “Sagebrush Surgery” and ”The Literary Society.”
The LDS Choir closed the pageant with a rendition of “Let the Rest of the World Go By.”
The celebration officially ended with a huge fireworks display.
In a review of the weekend, it was estimated that 15,000 people had watched the Saturday parade.
The Kiddies Parade was in its third year in 1953. The list of entries – and winners, was a mile long. In reading the review it seemed that every young participant was a winne.   
Chairman of the Kiddies Parade was John Kosich. The long list of winners included: Best twin cowgirls, Jade Kimbell and Loidene Groseclose; best matching bicycles, Michael Schutte and Julia Schutte; best twin cowboys, Pamela Probst and Jeffrey Probst; best Indian boy, Lew Kosich; best Indian girl, Patty Haun; best Indian chief, Richard Douglas; best fairy, Mary Lynn Gipson. There wee dozens of others, ranging from: Twin lambs, Dale Linse; Miss Muffett, Annette Rogers, Robin Hood, Kenny Stockwell to funniest girl entry, Judy Emmett.
The June 18, 1953 Standard reported: “Just as the Sunday night show was ready for presentation, the lightning flashed, the thunder rumbled and the “skies opened up” to drench the assembling crowd, which set a new record for attendance – and the presentation was cancelled.”
Luckily, the fireworks display had been placed earlier in the evening, and it was set off with the crowd watching from their cars.
The night show, under the direction of Charles Rutherford and Dale Chamberlain, was scheduled for a later date. “There will be no charge for the presentation because admission had already been collected from the many who were driven from the grandstand by the rain.”
Faye Pense of Shell was the ’53 queen. Attendants included Bonnie Schultz, Carmen Bennett  of Basin, Shirley Ann Ledo of Cody, Myrna Wamhoff of Emblem, Frances Leavitt of Shell and Rita Webber of Frannie.
Thirteen years later, in June 1966, the Standard reported: “A light gate Friday night and two disastrous dances brought the 1966 Days of 49 rodeo up short in the financial department.
“The grandstand was almost empty Friday night…both dances lost money. Normally the dance brings in extra revenue.”
The “main” parade was held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday; the Kiddies parade at 11:30 a.m. was followed by Kids races “held in the block from the stoplight to the depot.” There were 30-, 50- and 75-yard races, sack races, three-legged races and a penny scramble.
The Days of 49 had a resurgence in 1972 with the Standard reporting “The sun shone, the crowds were large and the Days of ‘49 was a success. That is what is was like for what had to be one of the one of the best Days of ’49 in a long time.”
The melodrama, which had been added to the celebration a few year before, attracted 40 people over the three nights it was perfomed. The Saturday and Sunday rodeos drew large crowd, perhaps due to the bull riding which was held for the first time.
Winners in the Kiddie Parade included: Best Indian boy or girl (in order of finish):  tie - Tom Core and Carl Hunt, Lee Crawford, Mike Clucas and Paul Hesco.
The celebration in 1981 was reported by the Greybull police as “for the most part calm and orderly.”  Aside from minor incidents and traffic accidents, and a couple of “bar fights on main street” officer Rick Thorpe said “things went well from the department’s point of view.
The parade,  drew 71 entries; the route went from Greybull city park, west on Greybull Avenue and north on 6th St. to Ron’s Food Farm.  The Kiddies Parade preceded the large one with youngsters marching from the Greybull Museum to the stoplight then north to the Dairy Freez where each received a 50 cent piece and an ice cream cone as special treats.
The tug-of-war Friday night proved popular and fair weather smiled on the participants. By Saturday it was cool and breezy, which was great for the parades, but when it was time for the rodeo at 6 p.m. the temperatures had dropped, the wind came up and it started raining.
The wind was still blowing for Sunday’s rodeo but by the time the demolition started that evening, it was the wind creating the havoc. The few fans remaining in the grandstands were wrapped in blankets and any other winter clothing they could find.
From a one-night affair, to two days, three days. One rodeo; two rodeos. Big parade, kiddie parade. Kids races. Penny Scramble. Hula Hoop contests. Bed race. Booths lining Greybull Avenue offering everything from cotton candy to a fishing game for kids.  Tug-of-war.  Demolition Derby. Teen dance.  Adult dance. Dancing moved from Community Hall to the west end of Main Street. Lawn Mower races. Melodrama. Duck races. Pageants.
Add-ons and take-aways. Changing with the times.  That has been the story of the ‘49er celebration since those first movers and shakers in the Jaycees‘ organized event of 1945.

 

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