On St. Patrick’s Day, Remember the Irish Who Played a Part in Wyoming’s History

Today is St. Patrick’s Day, and along with Irish music, green beer and shamrocks, remember the Irish people who have a long history in Wyoming and the Sheridan area. In fact, the town of Sheridan is named for General Phil Sheridan, who was the son of Irish Immigrants who came to the United States from Killinkere, in County Cavan, Ireland.

Sheridan had met George Armstrong Custer on April 15, 1864, while both were fighting in the Civil War. Custer was one of Sheridan’s most trusted lieutenants, and the two men maintained a friendship until Custer’s death. In 1867, Grant appointed Sheridan help pacify the Plains Indian Tribes.

Sheridan had also long advocated for the protection of Yellowstone’s wonders. Buffalo Bill Cody, who had served as chief of scouts for Sheridan in 1869, became Sheridan’s front man in shaping public opinion to save the park. On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses Grant signed the law to make Yellowstone a National Park as a way to preserve and showcase Yellowstone’s natural beauties.

In 1871, Mount Sheridan, in Yellowstone, was named in Sheridan’s honor.

Sheridan wasn’t the only famous Wyoming resident whose ancestors hailed from the Emerald Isle. Many Irish people came to the United States throughout the years, and many found it difficult to find work.

One job that was open to them was the military, and many of the soldiers during the Plains Indian Wars were Irish. Men could join the army, make a fair wage, and have their housing and meals provided. It was a good job for a single man on western frontier.

Riding beside Custer at the Little Big Horn Battle were 103 Irishmen. They ranged in rank from new recruits to Captain Myles Keogh, who rode the famous horse Comanche, and was the only Irish-born officer in Custer’s regiment. He gained his rank for gallant service during the Civil War. County Clare men Pvt. Edward Connor and Sgt. Martin Considine also died with Custer on the Montana plains.

In The Sheridan Enterprise, November 8, 1919, it talks about the battle. 

The officers who fell were as follows: Gen. G. A. Custer,’ Cols. George Yates, Miles Keogh, James Calhoun, W. W. Cook, Coats, Mclntosh, A. U. Smith, Lieutenants Relley, Crltenden, Sturgis, Harrington, Hodgson and Porter, Asst. surgeon DeWolf. The only citizens killed were Boston Custer, Mr. Reed, Charles Reynolds, Isaih, the Interpreter from Ft. Rice, and Mark Kellogg, the latter the Tribune correspondent. The body Kellogg alone remained unstrlpped of his clothing and was not mutilated.

Pvt. Thomas O’Neill from Dublin would make a daring escape after he found himself alone during Major Marcus Reno’s retreat.

The Sheridan Enterprise, April 13, 1913 says this about his ride.

Returning now to the first encounter, the suddenness of Reno’s retreat from the timber left an officer and a number of men behind, some of those not understanding what movement was to be executed, and others being denounced. Among these was Gerard who soon fell into company with three others, including Lieutenant de Rudio, a soldier named O’Neil and a half-breed scout named Jackson. Secreting themselves until after dark, they set out together to find the command.

Thomas Callan was born in County Louth, Ireland in 1853. He received a medal of honor in 1896, for his bravery at the Battle of Little Big Horn. He earned the citation for volunteering to obtain water for the command, and displayed conspicuous bravery there. He also rode for help for the beleaguered troops.

An article about his death in the The Semi-Weekly Enterprise, March 10, 1908: THOMAS CALLAN DEAD. Survivor of Battle of Little Big Horn Dies. Yonkers, N. Y., March 10.— Thomas J. Callan, the man whom General Custer sent for reinforcements when his command was entrapped by Indians on the Little Big Horn River in Montana, and who led the relief forces back to the place where Custer and his men had been slaughter, died at his home here Saturday. Callan received a medal from congress in recognition of his bravery in making the dash for reinforcements for Custer. An overwhelming force of Indians had already surrounded Cutter’s troops when Callan was chosen to carry out the dispatch asking for help. He made his way through the Indian lines to the nearest military post, and then headed a relief party on the long ride, back to the scene of the battle. They arrived too late, however, the entire Custer command having already been annihilated.

After the Plains Indians were defeated, the Irish laborers in Wyoming turned to the railroads as a way to make money. One such man was Patrick Seals, a resident of Cheyenne, Wyoming. In the 1910 census he was recorded as a track foreman.

Seals obit appeared in the Cheyenne State Leader, March 12, 1918

Patrick Seals, Old Pioneer, Dies Here Patrick Seals, a widely-known pioneer of Wyoming, died in St. Johns hospital at 9:15 o’clock Sunday morning. He came to Wyoming in the spring of 1881 and had made Cheyenne his home since that time Mr Seals was employed in the operating department of the Union Pacific railroad and was general foreman during the building of the Cheyenne & Northern railroad in 1885. Mr. Seals was born in Ireland March 16, 1848. He left Ireland at the age of fourteen. going to England where he entered the service of the London & Northwestern railroad. In 1876 he came to America.

More recently, Mike Sullivan was the 29th Governor of Wyoming, serving from 1987 to 1995, As well as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, from 1998 to 2001. Sullivan’s family came from County Longford and County Cork Ireland.

Although it is a long way from Ireland to Wyoming, the next time you raise a Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day, remember how the Irish people had an influence in the state of Wyoming.