GAME and FISH WEB SITE: check it out
HISTORY OF WYOMING WILDLIFE LAW ENFORCEMENT
The following history page is from the Game Wardens new web site.
For a more complete history of the Wyoming wildlife law enforcement and management please read Neil Blairs, The History of Wildlife Management in Wyoming 1985. This is a short version of the history which is on the Game Wardens site.
1869 - 1st Wyoming Territorial Legislature passed a bill offering some protection and regulated the sale
of fish and game, but set no limits.
1885 - 1st state fish hatchery built.
1899 -Albert Nelson named the first state game warden and served three years. Salary was set at $1,200/year
from which he had to pay $3/day to deputy state game wardens.
1901 - D.C. Nowlin named second state game warden.
1903 - Hunting licensing system enacted.
1911 -State Game Commission established.
1921 - State Game & Fish Commission established.
1929 - Game and Fish Fund established and controlled by Commission. Commission given the authority to
open and close seasons.
1937 - Game Wardens required to pass oral and written exams as hiring requirement. Game Warden
housing established. Commission given more authority and autonomy.
1941 - Enforcement uniform officially adopted by Commission, which was a western style hat, boots and shirt
with the antelope insignia designed by Ten Sleep Game Warden Archie Pendergraft on the left sleeve.
1947 - Commission approved rust colored shirt, black fore-in-hand necktie, Eisenhower jacket and
Guy Weadick western hat for the dress uniform.
1949 - Game Wardens allowed to retire at 65 with a state retirement.
1952 - There were 31 Game Wardens employed.
1959 - Biologists lost enforcement authority and all wildlife enforcement done by Game Wardens.
1964 - Commission required B.S. degrees in game, range or natural resource management for Game
Warden hiring requirement.
1965 - There were 44 Game Wardens employed.
1973 - Wyoming Game Wardens Association formed. Recodification of Game & Fish laws.
1975 - Game Wardens issued .357 magnum revolvers. New Game Wardens required to complete
basic law enforcement training at the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy in Douglas.
1980 -Wyoming Wildlife Protectors Association formed and a toll free phone number to report wildlife
poaching was in operation.
2008 - There are 50 Game Wardens employed
WYOMING STATE GAME WARDENS
Since the beginning, the State Game Warden has been in charge of wildlife management and enforcement
in the State of Wyoming. Over time the position name has changed, but duties have remained essentially
the same. Currently, Jay Lawson, the Chief Game Warden is head of the Wildlife Division for the WGFD.
WYOMING GAME WARDENS ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
The Association was formed in 1973 and in a tribute to the officers elected to lead the association and who kept the association an active participant in Wyoming wildlife law enforcement and worked for benefits for association members, we thank their efforts and dedication.
99-1901Albert Nelson
1901-1910 D.C. Nowlin
1911-1913 D.F. Hudson
1914 W.H. Seebohm
1915-1918 Nate Wilson
1919-1920 William Judkins
1921-1922 Bruce Nowlin
1923-1924 Frank Smith
1925-1926 A.A. Sanders
1927-1930 Bruce Nowlin
1931-1934 Robert Hocker
1935-1936 Andrew Martin
1937 A.J. Martin
1938-1942 Lester Bagley
1943-1944 Jim Simpson
1945 R.R. Rousseau
1946-1947 Archie Pendergraft
1948-1952 Charles Hanscum
1953-1958 Norbert Faass
1959-1963 James White
1964-1965 Earl Thomas
1966-1972 Howard Robinson
1972-1989 Rex Corsi
1989-Present Jay Lawson
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WELCOME TO WYOMING, GENEALOGY TRAILS HISTORY GROUP. Dedicated to the pursuit of free genealogy.
We would like to help you find, preserve and remember your ancestors and record the role they played in creating Wyoming.. My name is Jo Ann Boyd Scott. *Note: Unless otherwise stated, ALL DATA and INFO are donated, transcribed and submitted by JoAnn Boyd Scott and the "Friends of Free Genealogy" I keep a folder in the computer which has all "Friends of Free Genealogy" which includes names, date, email and copy of the data sent. Maps are from Wikipedia, pictures are personal family photographers.Here at Genealogy Trails, we will always give contributors the credit they deserve when they contribute data to our sites. We will ALWAYS abide by a researcher's request to remove their contributed data if ever asked to do so. THIS APPLIES TO ALL COUNTIES AS WELL.
Because we are a new web site, we are looking for county hosts. If you would be interested in volunteering, please visit our Volunteer Information Page and get in touch with Kim. Enough html knowledge to build a basic web page is required, along with a desire to transcribe data. I will help you get started or help me as a co-host on any county.
I gratefully accept any data, bios, land deeds, obits, etc. All data belongs to the original submitter and is copyrighted here. E-MAILme. I would like to thank the many volunteers that have sent data. Thank for the continual help and support.
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