Raining Rattlers
By Phil Roberts
Experts say that of the 115 various species of snakes in the United States, just 19 of them are venomous. Last year, an estimated 8,000 snake bites were reported nationally so people need to retain a healthy respect for them.
In Wyoming, one of the most common species is the prairie rattlesnake.
When left alone, most rattlers would rather retreat than attack—at least, during most times of the year.
Where I grew up, in northern Niobrara County in the Hat Creek Breaks, rattlesnakes were commonplace. My mother used to shave the grass around the ranchyard in order to discourage rattlers from coming in and hiding in the cool grass on hot summer days. Whenever we went out of the yard, my brother and I were always cautioned, “Watch out for snakes.” We’d see them often, sunning on warm rocks or, on hot days, in the shade of sagebrush.
Snake stories in Wyoming history are legion. One of my favorites might actually be true….but I’ve heard the location of the incident change so often that I’m not altogether sure.
Anyway, one time in the 1960s, a road was being built through an area heavily infested with rattlers. (I’ve heard it was I-25 south of Chugwater, or north of Casper, or I-80 west of Wamsutter, or in the Wind River Canyon). The highway construction crew was out doing the hill blasting during the cold late-winter months so that actual paving could be done when the weather warmed. As they blasted out a hill, one big blast revealed a den of hibernating rattlers—thousands of them, tens of thousands–all sleeping soundly in a huge coil.
Alarmed at the sight down in that blast hole, about 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep, the highway supervisor decided some critical action had to be taken before the reptiles woke up. “Let’s just blast them to smithereens,” he told the dynamite man.
As the rest of the two-dozen man crew stood there peering down into the hole at the huge coil of snakes, the blaster prepared the charge. While the crew peeked over the edge of the deep hole, the blaster shoved down the primer.
“Boom!”
Snakes starting flying straight up into the air.
And, they started coming down, feeling pretty unhappy about being awakened so rudely.
Eyewitnesses say there were men in hard hats, running fast in all directions, while angry waking rattlers thumped down around them and bounced off their hard hats.
I can’t document the details, but I’ve visited with a half dozen guys who swear they were there—that chilly afternoon, somewhere in Wyoming, when the dynamite went off and it started to rain rattlers.
Short Takes
Wyoming has a rich and colorful history. One early governor, Dr. John Osborne, gained earlier fame when he cut off the top of outlaw Big Nose George’s skull in a vain effort to determine what was contained in the criminal brain. (He also made a pair of shoes from George’s skin).
State politicians have been powerful players nationally. Sen. Francis E. Warren set a record for Senate service not equalled until late in the 20th century. He also saw from his post as chairman of the Armed Services committee, that his son-in-law, John J. Pershing, got the promotions he deserved. Warren and Wyoming’s first U. S. Senator Joseph M. Carey, were believed to be the two wealthiest men in Wyoming at the time of statehood in 1890. They held that distinction until