The Johnson County War

• The Johnson County War was one of many range wars in the so-called Wild West
• Rivalry and competition between ranchers and homesteaders led to conflict
• Ranchers used legal and illegal tactics to block homesteaders from claiming public grazing land
• Homesteaders were accused of rustling or stealing free-roaming cattle by ranchers
• Ranchers complained that homesteaders' barbed wire fences harmed their cattle
• The beef barons of Wyoming were powerful but their power had been shaken


  1890s
• Homesteaders Jim Avel and Ella Watson were murdered
• Small ranchers and homesteaders plotted revenge by setting up their own association and doing their own round-up
• The Wyoming Stock Growers Association (WSGA) accused small ranches and homesteaders of rustling
• The WSGA hired armed men and raised funds to launch an invasion of Johnson County
• Gunmen were rescued by the US-6 Cavalry and arrested for starting the range war
• Despite obvious guilt, the gunmen and the WSGA got away with murder at the trial
• The WSGA argued that the gunmen couldn't get a fair trial in Johnson County
• The trial was dragged on until the case was dropped due to lack of funds from the poorer people of Johnson County
• The Johnson County War was typical of conflicts between homesteaders and cattlemen
• The war was sparked by tensions between the powerful WSGA and smaller ranchers and homesteaders
• The murder of Ella Watson and Jim Averill set off the conflict
• An invasion by 25 Texan gunmen with a hit list of 70 ranchers and homesteaders was held up at the KC Ranch
• The WSGA's wealth and power meant that justice was not served and they got away with it
• The Johnson County War is a typical example of how justice might not be served
• Money played a significant role in the outcome of the Johnson County War