EDUCATORS ’ PERSPECTIVE
Attorney Willis Van Devanter , future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court , led the defense for the big cattlemen .
rescued the invaders from a horrible fate . 1 The invaders surrendered to Colonel J . J . Van Horn and were taken to the fort . The next day , Sheriff Angus ’ s formal request that the prisoners be turned over to him was denied .
Higher powers were busy at work , and the prisoners were briefly transferred to Fort Russell near Cheyenne . From there , the miscreants were transferred to the state prison in Laramie . The hired gunmen were soon released and sent back to Texas ; the residents of Johnson County evidently bore them no ill will . Attorney Willis Van Devanter led the defense for the big cattlemen . Van Devanter , who would later serve on the US Supreme Court , developed a simple strategy of delay . This was effective because Johnson County was forced to pay for the room and board of the invaders while they were imprisoned . After a few months , the financial strain threatened to bankrupt the county and forced county officials to urge a resolution . Johnson County Attorney Alvin Bennett moved to dismiss the case on January 21 , 1893 , and the invaders walked away from the courtroom as free men .
Although the Johnson County invaders won the court battle , they lost the range war . The invasion marked the end of open range cattle ranching in Wyoming . Cattlemen were forced to rethink the process of raising cattle in Wyoming . This involved significant investments in land , fencing and feed production . Instead of leaving cattle out on the range to fend for themselves during the winter , they were kept near ranch headquarters where they could be watched over , fed and sheltered against brutal Wyoming weather .
Today , the covid-19 pandemic has forced many businesses to rethink their operational processes . Restaurants , for instance , have implemented efficient , sanitary drivethrough and delivery options . They have also created new indoor and outdoor dining facilities that allow for appropriate social distancing . Meat packers and warehouses have redesigned work protocols to reduce the spread of the virus in their work force . Some of these changes will undoubtedly remain after the pandemic subsides because the cost savings and efficiencies will continue to provide benefits .
Likewise , the cattle business continues to evolve and change in the face of external forces , and in many ways , the Johnson County Range War continues . Some argue that the western plains were never meant for cattle , and their continued presence in the West degrades the environment .
Mogul Ted Turner owns millions of acres in the West . For years he has advocated removing cattle from the western plains and repopulating the area with bison . While author Timothy Egan agrees with Turner ’ s view on returning bison to the plains , he goes further , suggesting that westerners raise other , less environmentally damaging animals such as ostriches . Cattlemen demur .
Sustainability was an issue with open range cattle raising . The plains were initially seen as inexhaustible , but as more and more cattle found their way to the West , it became clear that overgrazing was occurring . The open range cattle model of the late 19th century was simply unsustainable . Of course , sustainability is an increasingly important issue in today ’ s economy as businesses grapple with economic limits and environmental stewardship . In a recent Wall Street Journal article , Ilham Kadri , CEO of Solvay SA , argues , “ Sustainability is profitability .” Today ’ s business leaders can learn a great deal from the errors of Wyoming ’ s big cattle ranchers .
Finally , investors in open range cattle ranches deluded themselves in their fruitless quest for the “ sure thing ” investment . As economists John Kay and Mervin King note , “ Risk-averse individuals are those who are reluctant to move outside the comfort zone of their established reference narrative . They seek certainties in a world of radical uncertainty by trying to limit themselves to a small , stationary world .”
10 FINANCIAL HISTORY | Fall 2020 | www . MoAF . org