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High Plains Press | highplainspress.com
RESHAW:
The Life and
Times of John
Baptiste Richard
In 1850, before Casper existed,
before soldiers and ranchers
and merchants, one man tried
to scrape out a living in the
sagebrush plains along the
North Platte River near presentday Evansville. John Baptiste
Richard—known as “Reshaw,”
the French pronunciation of his
last name—could be called the
founding father of Casper.
Richard had been trading
with the Native Americans,
emigrants, and trappers in the
area, freighting supplies, and
selling illegal whiskey to Native
Americans. After his trading post
was burned near Fort Laramie,
Richard decided to try something
new. He erected a bridge across
the North Platte during the low
water season not far upstream
from Deer Creek (Glenrock).
He planned to charge a toll to
both Oregon Trail emigrants and
the military who he expected
would be glad to pay to avoid
fording the river at its height. But
the traffic on the trail was slow
in the summer of 1851, and the
waters of the North Platte ran
usually low. The few emigrant
wagon trains that came crossed
the river at convenient low-water
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Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Fall 2014
Article & Images
Courtesy High
Plains Press
fords without incurring the toll
fee, and John Richard stood at his
bridge and watched them go by.
Before the next season was fully
underway, the unpredictable
North Platte ran at flood level
and washed his bridge away.
John Richard was never one
to be easily discouraged. He
moved his multi-ethnic wife and
three children upstream to near
present-day Evansville, acquired
partners, and hired workmen to
build a new bridge.
The new bridge was constructed
on wooden piers made of heavy
timbers, built in a diamond shape
to divert the water around them.
The piers were cross-braced and
filled with rocks for stability. A
heavy deck spanned the sturdy
timbers, and a railing provided
both safety and additional
strength.
Richard operated the bridge
for 12 years. The toll Richard
charged varied with the season,
the water level of the river, and
whether he had taken a liking
to you. Ever the opportunist,
Richard supplied emigrants,
Natives, and the military with
what they needed and plenty