Lucretia Marshbanks was one of the first black women to venture to the Black Hills of South Dakota. She was a cook, boarding house manager, hotel owner, and ranch owner. This determined and enterprising woman left such an impact on the area that a character in the HBO series Deadwood was inspired by her.
Empire was the most important community of African American homesteaders in Wyoming. Although small, it was closely linked to similar communities in other states. The founders of Empire arrived with substantial financial resources and farming experience. Ten claimants proved up homesteads, supporting a population of approximately forty.
James “Jim” Edwards has been dubbed the greatest black cattle rancher in all the West. Unable to secure work at the coal mine, he walked more than 80 miles south to Lusk and found work as a ranch hand. In 1914 he started his own ranch. Edwards was so successful that he was able to thrive during the Great Depression, surviving a $30,000 loss. James Edwards was the first person in the area to have hot running water, radio, and a telephone.
Russel Taylor was an African American Presbyterian minister and homesteader in Empire, Wyoming. He was educated at Bellevue College in Nebraska. He brought to Empire enthusiasm and a vision for what the community could and should be. Taylor assumed leadership of the school shortly after he arrived. He believed that children had the right to learn from a role model belonging to their race.
Lizzie Speese homesteaded in Empire, Wyoming, one of two women to do so. She was interested in accumulating land. Lizzie kept a sharp eye on how new laws and regulations affected her rights to claim federal land. Her ability to secure additional land contributed to her extended family’s growing operations. Speese’s inquiries to land agents and the Secretary of the Interior show she was a strong advocate and active farmer.
The 4 Lazy F Ranch is located on the west bank of the Snake River, just north of the park headquarters located at Moose in Grand Teton National Park, Teton County, Wyoming. Between 1927 and 1949, the Frew family enjoyed the ranch as a private family retreat, and made few additions to the ranch. The ranch buildings and several features share many of the characteristics of typical Rocky Mountain dude ranches, established during the first three decades of the 1900s.
