It is probably not a coincidence that 1901 was the same year that the Cow Creek Sheep Company originated (19); Hartt first went into business for himself by investing in this company. In 1903, he merged Cow Creek with Pioneer Sheep Company. The Cow Creek Sheep Company was initially a partnership between Hartt and the Cosgriff Brothers (20). The original incorporation papers, dated 1901, list Hartt, W. A. Barnes, and J. E. Cosgriff as the trustees of Cow Creek (21).
Hartt had worked for Barnes for $30.00 a month when he first arrived in Wyoming (22). The Pioneer Sheep Company, originally named the Geddes Sheep Company, was headquartered in Laramie and became Pioneer in 1900 (23). “The Pioneer Sheep Company. . . passing through the hands of Geddes and Bennett . . . was finally acquired by John K. Hartt, the present owner and one of the best known and respected sheepmen in Wyoming” (24).
The Cosgriff Brothers were the largest single sheep operators in Wyoming at that time, who at the peak of their career ran as many as 125,000 head. The two elder brothers, Thomas and John, came to Wyoming in 1882. By 1900, their younger brother, James, also joined them. Before coming to Wyoming, the older brothers operated a freight line into Denver and invested their spare earnings in sheep.
By 1885, the Cosgriffs had acquired two large bands of sheep and moved their headquarters to Rawlins. The flocks grew and were ranged from Rawlins to Cooperton and Encampment, Wyoming. In addition, the Cosgriff Brothers invested in chain stores and chain banking. Their entrepreneurial endeavors covered the geographic area from Idaho to Wyoming to Southern Colorado. Eventually they owned 27 banks and financed many of the large and small sheep outfits in the region (25). In 1894, Hartt bought up sheep with the Cosgriff brothers (71).
Winter range for Cow Creek and Pioneer Sheep Company was on the Red Desert of Wyoming with the original headquarters on Shell Creek (26). The Cosgriff-Hartt operation lay just north of the Colorado-Wyoming line. After shearing, the sheep were trailed to the mountains along the Colorado-Wyoming border. Hartt was tantalized with the summer pasturage that lay in the Colorado mountains (27), but was unable to establish an official summer headquarters in Colorado until 1911 when the range wars quieted (28).
The Beginning of the Legacy: Go West, John Kelly Hartt
Colorado Cattlemen vs. Cow Creek Sheep: The 1903 Stampede
Exploring the History of Pearl Lake State Park: A Journey Back in Time: Chapter Index
- 1. Introduction: the History of Pearl Lake State Park in Routt County
- 2. The Beginning of the Legacy: Go West, John Kelly Hartt
- 3. The Beginning History of Cow Creek and Pioneer Sheep Companies in Wyoming
- 4. Colorado Cattlemen vs. Cow Creek Sheep: The 1903 Stampede
- 5. A Bride From New Brunswick: John Kelly Hartt Marries M. Pearl Hartt
- 6. Sir, They Shot Wilkes Last Night: Life in the Wild West
- 7. Taking the Rap: The Minister’s Son Escapes to Mexico
- 8. The 1910s Tax Dispute: Wyoming Sheep vs. Colorado Cattlemen
- 9. Hartt Family and Sheep Companies at Hahn’s Peak: A Historic Legacy
- 10. Sheep On God’s Mountain: Grassroots Issues
- 11. Hartt’s Business Ventures Expansion in Rawlins | Sheep Business Development
- 12. Family Feuds and Financial Controversies: The Legacy of J.K. Hartt’s Estate in Wyoming
- 13. Pearl Hartt: An Ending Tribute to the Legacy of Pearl Lake’s Namesake
All content in the Exploring the History of Pearl Lake State Park: A Journey Back in Time, including all subsections, are written by Cathy Hartt, granddaughter of Pearl and John Kelly Hartt. Original article written in 2001 with revisions through 2024. Please request written permission for reprints by emailing the author.
Pearl Lake State Park History 