2009.08.11: August 11, 2009: Headlines: COS - South Africa: Writing - South Africa: History: Guernsey Gazette: South Africa RPCV Starley Talbott writes the history of Platte County
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2009.08.11: August 11, 2009: Headlines: COS - South Africa: Writing - South Africa: History: Guernsey Gazette: South Africa RPCV Starley Talbott writes the history of Platte County
South Africa RPCV Starley Talbott writes the history of Platte County
She earned a master's degree in 1990 at the University of Nevada. She traveled extensively and also served as a volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps in South Africa. She also served with Global volunteers in China and taught English in Peru. These experiences led to her first book, a travel memoir entitled Lasso the World in 2004. After her marriage to Beauford Thompson in 2006, the couple moved to a southeastern Wyoming ranch and planted a small vineyard. This led to her second and third books-Along the Grapevine Trail and Four Corners Vineyards and Wineries. As a volunteer at the museum in Chugwater, Talbott became interested in compiling and writing the photographic history of Platte County.
South Africa RPCV Starley Talbott writes the history of Platte County
New book features Platte County history, numerous archive photos
Posted: Tuesday, Aug 11th, 2009
BY: Vicki Hood, Editor
If you enjoy local history, especially through pictures, a new book about to hit the shelves of stores later this month will certainly be of interest.
Platte County, a work by local author Starley Talbott, features the history of the five remaining communities of Wheatland, Glendo, Hartville, Guernsey and Chugwater, as well as the rural areas and towns that no longer exist.
The book has over 200 vintage images and includes the ranch where Steamboat, the bucking horse featured on the Wyoming license plate was born, the world famous Swan Land and Cattle Company, previously headquartered at Chugwater, the Wyoming National Guard Camp at Guernsey, the Platte County Courthouse in Wheatland and the oldest bar and oldest soda fountains in Wyoming.
Book signings with the author have been scheduled for Sunday, September 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Hartville's main street during the Hartville Volunteer Fire Department Auction. Saturday, August 29 at Wheatland Mercantile from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sunday, August 30 at the Chugwater Soda Fountain from 1 to 4 p.m.; and Wednesday, September 30 with the Platte County Historical Society meeting at 7 p.m.
Talbott grew up near Chugwater on an isolated ranch, attending school through the sixth grade in a one-room country school. She developed a love for reading and a passion for history. She began a writing career with the Saratoga Sun newspaper in 1971, working there full and part-time for 10 years. She is also a free-lance writer and has been published in many regional magazines and newspapers.
She earned a master's degree in 1990 at the University of Nevada. She traveled extensively and also served as a volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps in South Africa. She also served with Global volunteers in China and taught English in Peru. These experiences led to her first book, a travel memoir entitled Lasso the World in 2004.
After her marriage to Beauford Thompson in 2006, the couple moved to a southeastern Wyoming ranch and planted a small vineyard. This led to her second and third books-Along the Grapevine Trail and Four Corners Vineyards and Wineries.
As a volunteer at the museum in Chugwater, Talbott became interested in compiling and writing the photographic history of Platte County.
Platte County will be released for sale on August 24th. It is available at local retailers, online bookstores or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com.
Book Description:
The North Platte River that flows through a portion of Platte County, Wyoming, lent its name to the new county carved from Laramie County in 1911. Prior to the late 1800s, with the exception of Native Americans, trappers, and some ranchers, few people chose to remain in the territory. Travelers who crossed the windswept prairies followed trails headed for the lush farmlands of Oregon or the goldfields of California and the Black Hills. In 1883, the Wyoming Development Company began an irrigation project that brought an influx of farmers to the promising new acreages around Wheatland, the town that became the county seat. The arrival of the railroad in the late 1800s brought more farmers, ranchers, and miners to the area that would become Platte County. New residents established dozens of communities with schools, churches, and businesses. The remaining viable towns are Wheatland, Glendo, Hartville, Guernsey, and Chugwater. This book covers the history of these towns, and the vanished ones, along with the rural areas of Platte County.
Author Bio: Starley Talbott is a Wyoming native, freelance writer, and former newspaper reporter. The photographs in this book are from the collections of the Platte County Library, museums, state archives, and many individuals.
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Headlines: August, 2009; Peace Corps South Africa; Directory of South Africa RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for South Africa RPCVs; Writing - South Africa; History of the Peace Corps
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Story Source: Guernsey Gazette
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