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WordsofGold 3 Dudes 20170707 Lee_MaryRogers Corey

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Favorites · July 7, 2017 ·

Three Dudes-
Curiosity killed the cat, so they say. Maybe so, but as for me, I think curiosity keeps me going. For every one thing I learn, it seems that I come up with at least a dozen questions.
Now and then, people ask me how I wound up with all the pictures I have collected over the years and how I learned so much about my family’s history. Well, most of the time, no one else wanted the pictures and very few cared about the history. So, over the years, I brought it all home, in bits and pieces.
That is exactly how the picture album that was sent to my family by Lee and Mary Rogers Corey came in to my possession. It appeared between the doors at my grandparent’s house in Gold one evening, with a note from a distant cousin. “You should have this,” the note said.
Grandma recognized the book and clearly knew where it originated. But she was no where near as interested in it as I was.
One day, after I had looked the album through for the umpteenth time at her house, Grandma gave it to me. “You may as well take it, “ she said. “No one else cares a hoot about it.” I didn’t hesitate for a second.
The album was sent to the family around 1900 by my grandmother’s Aunt Mary Corey and her husband, Legrande Corey. Mary accompanied Lee west in approximately 1891 and with their adopted son, John, they lived in various places in northwest Wyoming, southern Montana and for a short time, in Blowout, Idaho, a small town near the Wyoming border. Mary’s letters, which were greeted with great joy by my great-grandmother, Mary‘s “little sister” were few and far between. It wasn’t until after Lee’s death in 1924, that she began to write about her life in the West.
There are huge gaps between the available facts. Lee was working for a ranch called the Pitchfork in 1892 when the Johnson County War broke out and he hustled Mary and Johnny into Montana as quickly as he could. Did he, working as a ranch hand, have anything to do with the shenanigans? Frankly, I’d be surprised if he didn’t.
Lee Corey had been in the far west since he was a teenager and had learned to stay alive by his wits and what appears to be an innate charm. He was well acquainted with some of the Indians in the area, most likely members of the Crow tribe. In fact, the second child that Mary and Lee adopted was the son of an Indian woman and the family later learned that Lee was his father.
The photo albums are a fascinating collection of ranch life, depicting round-ups and brandings and cabins in which the Coreys lived. A few pictures show the interior of one of the Corey homes at a place called Ruby Gulch.
There are several photos of Native Americans parading down the street of a town thought to be Meteetsee, Wyoming and others of what may be a tribal dance.
Nearly 35 years ago we made the trip I had dreamed of since I was a child and took my parents to visit relatives in Sinclair, Wyoming. From there, we drove up through Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons to Yellowstone National Park. At the recommendation of a cousin, we took the mountainous eastern exit out of Yellowstone to Cody, Wyoming. On the way, we stumbled on to a remarkable place called Old Trail Town, which consists of a collection of historical buildings from the area which are reconstructed on the site. There I learned that we were in the Corey’s old stomping grounds. Many of the pictures had been taken in that general area. It was possible to identify some of the people in the photos and to locate some of the places, such as the Pitchfork Ranch. However, each answer created more questions.
The pictures in the old album are authentic depictions of a world that Hollywood has been attempting to create on film for decades. I want to know more about them.
For instance: One of my favorite photos shows three Native American men taken from the rear; a somewhat unusual view of their celebration headdresses. The photograph is labeled in Lee Corey’s flowing hand: “Three Dudes”. Dudes, indeed! I have so many questions--- See Less
Comments

Author
Words of Gold
This is a previous column, published in January of 2013.
· Reply · 3y
Brenda Kenealy Williams
Another great story.
· Reply · 3y
Linda DeBoef
Very precious! Some day young family members will be grateful!!
· Reply · 3y
Debbie Burrous Stika
You know I love this. I wonder why they are looking up at the American Flag and what was going on here....
· Reply · 3y

Author
Words of Gold
Exactly what I have wondered, Debbie!
· Reply · 3y
Debbie Burrous Stika
It looks like the flag is the center of everything in this photo.
· Reply · 3y

Author
Words of Gold
Fourth of July???
· Reply · 3y
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Elaine Fry
So enjoy reading your stories!!
· Reply · 3y
Peg Parshall
Never get tired of hearing this &many other stories you have collected. Thanks.
· Reply · 3y
Jason Leet
What a fascinating story. Thanks for sharing!!
· Reply · 3y

Author
Words of Gold
And that is only the tip of the iceberg! ????
· Reply · 3y
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Cheryl Hurler
I also ,like you, love the stories and have more questions!!!????
· Reply · 3y
Teresa Perkins
Love your stories, I like you have alot of questions too! Love history and genealogy !
· Reply · 3y
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