From a Pioneer Album - Nellie Griffith

by June Willson

The parents of Nellie Griffith came to Wyoming as pioneers. Harry Snyder was a cowboy driving cattle up from Texas. He worked for the 4J Ranch. At that time there was much fueding between ranchers and the squatters.

Her mother was visiting relatives at Ft. Laramie and remained to teach school. Having only a few students, she stayed at the home of each student for a few months, taking all the children with her.

Most of her parents' courtship was at the Rawhide Buttes Ranch. Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Snyder went as newlyweds to work at the Van Tassell Ranch, where he became foreman.

Mrs. James B. Griffith, Sr. was born Nellie Snyder in November 1888, at the L.Z. Ranch, about fifteen miles east of Lusk.

As children, the trips to town were quite an event to Nellie and her two sisters, Vira and Veda. At that time Lusk consisted mainly of a post office, drug store, eleven saloons, shoe shop, blacksmith shop, two general stores, two livery stables, and a little school house. The population was about 200.

When the children were of school age, the family moved to town. There Mr. Snyder ran a mercantile store until his death in 1916. Mrs. Snyder took over until her death in 1925.

The girls enjoyed coasting down the reservoir hill where the Silver Cliff Hotel is now. The school house was a two room building. The school was a short ways from town, being where the courthouse is now. The closest house was at the present mortuary site.

An occurrance which Nellie won't forget is the time the old cemetery was moved. It was long ago shortly after her family moved to town. The cemetery west of Lusk was moved to where it is now. The man who moved it was the first to be buried in the new graveyard. (It is supposed that he contracted a disease from the bodies he moved).

In 1910, Nellie married Martin Agnew of Omaha. Two daughters were born to this family. Martin died in 1920. In 1926, she married James B. Griffith of this city, and they have a son, Jim, Jr.

Her sisters are now Mrs. Vira Olinger of Lusk, and Mrs. Veda Stratton of Pendleton, Oregon.

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