A new post office was established 129 years ago.

Cynthia Vannoy

In the spring of 1892, Clearmont’s forerunner, the town of Huson was granted a post office. According to The Sheridan Post, “Dr. E.W. Huson of the stone ranch on Clear Creek was in Sheridan informing us that a new post office called Huson has been established at his ranch and that he has been appointed postmaster.”

In 1889 thru 1890 EW Huson and his family had built the stone house they lived in. The house was also the stagecoach stop, and still stands today, about three miles west of Clearmont.

Huson grew very quickly, with eighteen businesses – including a Chinese laundry, a saloon with a pool table and a hotel, and a newspaper, The Northern Wyoming Stinger was published there by a man named Taylor who later went on to own The Enterprise in Sheridan, and was elected five times as mayor of Sheridan.An ad in the ‘Stinger’ states, “The Merchant’s Hotel, plenty of beds and abundant bedding, rates, $1.50 per day, tickets good for 21 meals, $5.00. Single meals 85 cents.”

The Northern Stinger, dated Sept 23, 1892, commented that Clearmont was the name of the coming metropolis of the north bear, “Clearmont is only Clearmont”. The only way to distinguish it was from the regulation stakes that stick up here and there among the sage brush. “Yet, it’s nothing and nothing more. Huson is Huson, a busy bustling burg with a prosperous class of merchants”.

Doc had a general store/pharmacy and was also the postmaster, a preacher and country doctor. But, when the coming railroad decided to make a sharp turn to the north, towards Ulm, instead of West to Buffalo. Clearmont, only Clearmont, survived, when Huson survived for less than a year. One of the reasons for the change was that the railroad executives were concerned about the unrest in Buffalo due to the Johnson County Cattle War.

So Clearmont was soon born and most of Huson moved there.

Doc Huson moved to the new town after selling his place on Clear Creek. He opened a general store on the north end of Clearmont. The building was a rectangle and orange in color and it stood for many years.