Featherlegs Monument, Stage Visit Sunday Are Bringing Wide Attention

A historical event which is drawing region-wide attention will take place south of Lusk along the old Cheyenne-Black Hills Stage trail Sunday May 17. A monument to the once notorious Mother "Featherlegs" Shephard will be dedicated at 2:00 p.m. coincident with the visit of the Denver to Deadwood stage.

The chain of events will start at 11:00 a.m. when the Jay Em Woman's Club will start serving a barbecued beef dinner. The Club is preparing food for more than 300 persons and will serve at the Old Rawhide Stage Station which is now the Agnew Ranch operated by Bill Milliken. The ranch can be reached by driving 16 miles south from the George Lathrop monument which is two miles west of Lusk on Highway 20, or by driving 9 miles south and west on the county line road and 1/4 mile north. The county line road is 10 miles south of Lusk on Highway 85. The Agnew Ranch is still entirely composed of all the original stage station buildings.

Bates is Speaker

Lewis E. Bates a man who has long been a student of western history, will be the principal speaker at t he 2:00 p.m. dedication. Mr. Bates is a former editor of the Wyoming (Cheyenne) Tribune and now represents the S & H Green Stamp Co. in Wyoming. Robert W. (Red) Fenwick, a popular Denver Post columnist will speak briefly, and Russell Thorp, son of the owner of the stage line, will unveil the monument which is at the grave of Mother "Featherlegs." The grave is exactly 10 miles south of the George Lathrop monument. The 3,000 lb. piece of Rawhide Red granite is approximately five feet tall.

The Denver to Deadwood Stage is running ahead of schedule and is expected to arrive at the Agnew Ranch this Thursday. It is being driven by Lee Karas of Deadwood, former Deadwood Chief of Police.

"Featherlegs Story" Two Other Graves

"Featherlegs" has two companions in her grace. Both died violent deaths. The two smaller stones are being placed to identify the men. Ike Diapert is one of the occupants of the triple grave. He attempted to run a bluff and lost. "Cousin Ike" as he was called, was a roundup cook and was jealous of some miners from nearby Muskrat Canyon who called on a widow, Mrs. Stiffler. "Cousin Ike" wanted to marry Mrs.Stiffler and threatened to kill himself if she didn't.

It is said that he took two small bottles and filled one with flour, and another with strychnine. Upon being refused he meant to scare Mrs. Stiffler and take the bottle of flour, but he became mixed up and emptied the wrong bottle and until now has been laying in an unmarked grave.

The death of George McFadden is more obscure. it is known that he was shot and killed by Frank Ketchum near a dugout on Igoe Creek which is on the Ord Livestock Co. ranch. Whatever the reason for the shooting has been lost in time. It is known that Mr. Ketchum was the telegraph operator at Rawhide at one time and later was the telegraph operator at Silver Cliff, the town that preceded Lusk.

Mrs. Agnes Wright Springs, in her book, "The Cheyenne and the Black Hills Stage Line", reports that McFadden and Diapert were bitter enemies so it was thought entirely proper that they should be buried with "Featherlegs" between them.

In order that there would be no mistake in marking the grave location, promoters of the project, Bob Darrow and Jim Griffith, asked Russell Thorp to identify the spot. Last Sunday he did just that and the monument is now being erected. The stone was donated by Lake Harris and was cut by Jim Harris. Several persons contributed to erect the marker.

The common grave is located near the top of Demmon hill on Ord Livestock Co. land. In addition to witnessing something of a historical event, persons who make the outing Sunday will find the Rawhide country especially beautiful as the grass is just starting to green.

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