Tisdale Divide
This is one divide that is not mentioned in Howard
Spraque's book "The Great Gates". The reason is
obvious. This is not a great gate. But at the top of this
shallow divide in the basin on the east side of the
Bighorn Mountains, stands a sign, telling the interesting
story of how the divide got its name. Besides - it's a
great bike ride, even without shoulder, and it's still
high enough for some interesting views.
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1.(mile00.0,4770ft)START-END
SOUTH: low point on Wy196 at Crazy Woman Creek
crossing.
2.(mile13.3,5320ft)TOP: Tisdale Divide
3.(mile21.4,4650ft)START-END NORTH: downtown Buffalo
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 Approaches
From South. Coming down from Crazy
Woman Creek, turning onto Wy196, this is just a shallow 550ft
climb to the top. At the top Wy196 crosses a low part in
Kingsbury Ridge, a sort of fold that runs perpendicular to the
Bighorn Escarpment. A note: there seems to be a mountain
bikable route over the higher part of this ridge, unless it's
on private land.
From North. (described downards)
Buffalo appears in the far distance, at the end of a horizon,
sloping downwards ever so slightly. The best views of the
Bighorn Mountains, remind me of many a ride along the Front
Range in Colorado. The best views appear on the last rise
before the last descent into Buffalo.
A ride with this point as intermediate summit is on
page: Powder
River Pass Rd eastern summit s(u)
History
On top of this divide stands the following sign:
Wyoming in the 1880s was an open range controlled by cattle
king. Some of the powerful stockgrowers thought rustling was
problem. But others were just as concerned about the influx of
small operators who used government land grants which
threatened the open range. John A Tisdale, one of the small
operators, was dry gulched in a gully just north and east of
this spot as he returned home from a shopping trip to Buffalo
in late November, 1981. Locals were outraged by the killing of
this respected family man.
 Fran
Canton, a former Johnson County sheriff was accused of the the
murder. But he was never brought to trial. Stock detectives
such as Canton, were hired by the Wyoming Stock Growers
Association to protect their large herds and to intimidate
would-be ranchers.
This incident coupled with the murder of Orley E Jones a
few days earlier, set the stage for the infamous invasion of
Johnson County in April 1892.
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... so - now I finally know what "to dry-gulch"
means.
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