Milford
Over the years, the Lander Valley was comprised of smaller pockets of communities, and one such community was North Fork, later known as Milford. Early settlers to this area included men who traveled to mine first at South Pass, or those that came up with the army to Camp Brown or Fort Washakie, then choosing to homestead and ranch within the valley itself. North Fork, as it was first known, was a community that formed along the North Fork of the Popo Agie river.
The area provided a good place to raise animals and crops, and being near the Reservation and Fort Washakie, but outside its boundary, meant that soldiers could easily come over to patronize the businesses that started to crop up. One of the first people in the area was Hyrum “Hi” Mealman, a man who set up a blacksmith and a log home that served as a stage stop and road house in 1872. Hi also sold land (and also buildings) to several people, including Ed Alton and Ben Sheldon. He also donated land for the first brick school building, built by Charles Harris in 1887. Charles Harris was a stonemason also known to have built several stone buildings out at Fort Washakie as well.
Ed Alton and his wife ran a roadhouse and saloon within the community, and he also served as a Justice of the Peace in 1878 and Postmaster from 1891 until his death, at which time his wife took over as Postmistress until 1901. A note of interest, before the Altons arrived in North Fork, they resided in Piedmont, and Mrs. Alton for a time had hired Calamity Jane as additional help at her roadhouse there. Unfortunately, it did not seem to work out, as Mrs. Alton fired her. Additionally, before they were in Wyoming, they were in Utah for a time and met another gentleman who later relocated to North Fork, Meredith B. Meredith, one of the first Mormon settlers to the area and a man who raised animals and crops such as apples and plums. Mr. Meredith has an interesting note himself, being originally from Wales and finding out later on in life that he and Reverend John Roberts (of the Mission on the Reservation) were both born near to each other in their home country.
Other well-known settlers would be J.K. Moore, who also operated a store in North Fork for a time before moving his operations to Fort Washakie, and Frederick Leseberg, who was a long time settler and rancher who raised cattle, sheep, turkeys, and also had an orchard himself.
Perhaps one of the best known settlers was Asil T. Wilson, known as “Ace”, who came up with the army and worked at the Shoshone agency in 1875, and around 1880 built a three story mill in North Fork called the ‘Northfork Grist Mill’. His family lived in the second story and the mill was run in the bottom half, and he had a pond next to it to help run the mill. This is what gave rise to the name of “Milford” for the community, though you will see notes of Northfork, or even Upper/Lower North Fork, for years afterwards as ranches and homesteads were spread out. Ace also ran sawmills in the area, including Sinks Canyon where the ‘Sawmill Campground’ is, and he continued to have a mining interest with claims in the Twin Creek area. He sold his large mill in 1890 to Noble & Lane, and later on a granddaughter notes that he built a smaller flour mill. The larger flour mill was torn down in 1930.
The Milford/North Fork community worked hard, and had a bustling area for a long time. Dances and community get-togethers were quite popular, and a dance hall was raised with funds compiled and on land donated by C.F. Andrews, Mrs. Alton’s son. This unfortunately was burned in 1908, but when the farmers of Milford created a chapter of the Fremont Pomona Grange, another group effort was made to build a hall and in 1915 the Milford Grange Hall was erected. This was the hub of community events for years to come, hosting dances and meetings and other group events until it too was torn down.
Other group efforts included a community church bolstered by the fundraising of local ladies, with it being built in 1905 and though originally to be nondenominational, it became mostly an Episcopalian church named St. Paul’s. It was later on moved to Kinnear, Wyoming. Three cemeteries also still exist from donations of land, the Alton-Leseberg, the Wilcox-Masonic, and a smaller one off of Mexican Creek. Schools were still in the area, with one in Upper North Fork and one in Lower North Fork, and supported by community effort.
Various other ventures were had over the years, including at one point a newspaper, the ‘Milford Tattler’, though at this point in time we have no extant copies nor do we know how long it ran. Other businesses were had, including drilling for oil and boosting tourism with a dude ranch and resort created by the “Pine Bar Ranch” in 1916 that serviced tourists (and locals) with lodging, guided trips, and plenty of fishing.
As bustling as this community was, and though it valiantly tried, it did not become the county seat for Fremont. That went to Lander, where there were more people and Mr. Amoretti Sr. contributed with a donation of land for the courthouse. Milford may not have become the county seat, but it continued and still continues to be a part of the Lander community and its history.
Next up for the Fremont County Museum
July 30, 7pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers”
July 21, 9am with the Dubois Museum, “Tie Hack Camp of Union Pass” Wind River Visitor’s Council Adventure Trek Series
August 2, 11am at the Riverton Museum, “Archeology Day” Bailey tire/Pit Stop Children’s Exploration Series
August 6, 7pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers”
August 7, 6pm at the Dubois Museum, “Bighorn Sheep Bow Making with Tom Lucas” Wyoming Community Bank Discovery Speakers Series
August 10, 6pm at the Dubois Museum, “Music at the Museum: Allan Morton & the Hired Guns”
August 13, 6:30pm at the Pioneer Museum, “Eagle Spirit Dancers”
Now thru December, 9-5 at the Riverton Museum, “History Day Exhibits” Shoshone Schools
Oct 4, TBA at the Lander Community Center, “Rare Relics Roadshow” Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation
Call the Dubois Museum 1-307-455-2284, the Pioneer Museum 1-307-332-3339 or the Riverton Museum 1-307-856-2665 for detail regarding their programs.
The Dubois Museum, the Pioneer Museum in Lander and the Riverton Museum need your financial support. In the current economic environment, the museums are more reliant than ever on donations from the private sector to continue to provide the quality programs, collections management, exhibits and services that have become their hallmark over the last four years. Please make your tax deductible contribution through the Wind River Cultural Centers Foundation www.windriverccf.com or by sending a check to Fremont County Museums 450 N 2nd Rm 320 or taking it directly to the museum you choose to support.
Photo: Milford, sometime after telephone lines were run. At right, the white building was the old post office and saloon run by Ed Alton, at center on the hill is the brick school house, the building next to the post office is Hi Mealman’s old house and stage station, and the house across the street was Lew Andrew’s home, son of Mrs. Alton. The road was a part of the old stage road to Fort Washakie.
https://county10.com/lookback-milford/
