Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees announced

Two Crook County natives are set to be honored as part of the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.

The Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame (WCHF) seeks out and celebrates the men and women who introduced this state to its ranching heritage, honoring the cowboys and ranchers who helped to break those first trails.

This year, 36 more names will be added to the prestigious list, including two who hail from Crook County.

Each region across Wyoming hosts its own local ceremony to welcome the year’s class of inductees, followed by the induction ceremony to take place on September 23 to 24 at the Little America in Cheyenne.

Region 1 includes Crook, Campbell and Weston counties. The WCHF State Board of Directors met on May 1 to vote on nominees from across the state and selected four from this region.

Crook County’s honorees will include Maurice Williams of Beulah. The second inductee from this county is not, in fact, an individual and instead includes numerous members of the Driskill family of Devils Tower.

This nomination includes: Col. Jesse Lincoln Driskill, Jesse Lincoln “Link” Driskill II, John Wylie “Bud” Driskill, William Walter “Tobe” Driskill, Jesse Loring “Diddy” Driskill, Jesse Belvin “Buz” Driskill, Malcolm Franklin Driskill and Jesse Thomas “Tom” Driskill.

Additional nominations from Region 1 include Charles L. Reynolds of Gillette and Rod Smith of Weston County.

The WCHF states its mission as to recognize individuals who have spent a minimum time of 45 years working – for a livelihood – in the saddle. Nominees should predominantly have spent their time riding horseback and working livestock and must be at least 65 years of age (or may also be honored posthumously).

Nominees may be of either gender, can include couples and families, do not need to have been born in Wyoming and do not need to own a ranch, or even land. However, the majority of their time spent as a working cowboy or cowgirl must have been in Wyoming.