Digging up Tom Horn

The Grand Encampment Museum is sponsoring three free presentations. The first, on the Trial of Tom Horn, will be presented by John W. Davis on Thursday, July 27. The second presentation, on August 10, focuses on John Wesley Powell and the third is about Kit Carson on August 24. All three presentations will be held at the Grand Encampment Opera House at 7 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated.

“The Trial of Tom Horn,” presentation by John W. Davis explores the most sensational trial in Wyoming history. The trial of Tom Horn pitted big cattle barons who backed Tom Horn against a public opinion convinced that Horn had gunned down 14-year-old Willie Nickell as well as other victims. Davis’ book will be available for purchase and signing after the presentation.

John W. Davis is a retired attorney who practiced law in Worland for over forty years. He is the author of “A Vast Amount of Trouble,” a book about the 1909 Spring Creek Raid; “Goodbye, Judge Lynch,” a book about a 1902 murder north of Ten Sleep; and “Wyoming Range War,” a book about the 1892 Johnson County War, which was given the 2010 history award by the Wyoming State Historical Society and is used as a text in the History of Wyoming course taught at the University of Wyoming. His most recent book, “The Trial of Tom Horn,” was released in March by the University of Oklahoma Press.

Mr. Davis is married and he and his wife, Celia, are the parents of two grown sons. They reside in a 1917 home originally owned by the Worland family, which has been placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. He is an avid fly fisherman.

“The Trial of Tom Horn” is presented by the Wyoming Humanities Council as part of its ThinkWY Road Scholars Tours program. The Wyoming Humanities Council provides public humanities-based programs in partnership with local organizations and is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities with additional support from private donors and the Wyoming Legislature.

For more information about these upcoming presentations, contact the Grand Encampment Museum at 307-327-5308 or GEMuseum.com.