Charles & Emma Gilkison
“Pioneers of Weston County”
Charles Ernest & Edward Curtis Gilkison (twin boys), were born at Crown City, Ohio in 1883. They came to Wyoming around the turn of the century with their older brother, Harry, and his twin sister, Clara Grace (Clara married Ed Stevenson). The three brothers took homesteads on Donkey Creek covering several miles of the creek. They formed a business called Gilkison Land and Livestock.
C. Ernest and Emma McLaughlin were married in 1910. Emma was born in Boon County, Iowa. She came to Wyoming with her parents, Joseph and Emma McLaughlin when she was a small child. Her father homesteaded on Buffalo Creek. Later the family moved to Thornton, Wyoming where they operated the general store. They were commissioned by the Government to furnish supplies to the Indians. Mrs. McLaughlin was bitten by a rattlesnake, and her leg was amputated to save her life. She raised a large family and worked in the store on crutches. The McLaughlin children were Arthur, Lillie, Daisy, Henry, Maude, Emma and Clyde. Lillie married Ira Thomas. Daisy married Tom Noonan. Maude married Merle Martin. Josephine married John Adams. Henry and Clyde never married. In their retirement years, Joseph and Emma bought a home on Iron Creek, near Upton, where they spent the rest of their lives. Joseph died in1923, and is buried in the National Cemetery at Hot Springs, SD. Emma died in 1926 and is buried at Upton, WY.
Ernest and Emma lived on the ranch on Donkey Creek, where they farmed and raised Belgian horses. There were six children born to this marriage, Clarence, Everett, Grace, Doris, Milo, and Charles. The children walked about a mile to school, which was an abandoned homestead, converted into a school house. They remember their father going to Moorcroft once a week to sell cream, eggs, frying chickens, vegetables and potatoes. Ernest also raised grain to sell. Ernest was injured in a threshing machine accident in 1923. The closest hospital was Sheridan, Wyoming, where he died from the injuries. After Ernest’s death, his brothers Harry and Curtis moved on to make their own lives. fHarry married Sylvia Faulks. They were divorced, with no children. Curtis married Easter Naomi Griffen and had two children. Curtis taught school. After Ernest’s death he returned to Ohio where he became a mail clerk for the railroad. Later the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas.
Emma was left on the ranch. Her oldest son, Clarence was thirteen. Charles, the youngest was a baby. Times were hard. Emma finally left the ranch and moved into a home the family owned in Moorcroft, where the children could go to school. In 1926 Emma took a homestead on Four Horse Creek. In 1935 Emma and Peter Monk were married. A daughter Marjorie was born. During World War II the family moved to Oregon and settled around Oak Ridge. Clarence Gilkinson married Mamie Ross and lived in Newcastle. Grace married to Leo Foltz and had two sons – they lived at Christmas Valley, OR. Everett was killed at lae, New Guinea, 1944, during World War II (buried here in Moorcoft). Doris married Bill Geschwender & divorced. She moved to Oregon where she married Gerald Cooper and had three children. Milo married June Fox & lived at Sheridan. Charles married Letha Stoffer and lived in Nebraska.
Emma died at Oak Ridge, Oregon in 1981 at the age of 89.
As a young man Clarence worked on area ranches as a ranch hand, and was a sheep shearer, making about 80 cents a head and he could usually shear about 130 head a day. He enlisted in the Army in August 1944 after learning that his brother Everett had been killed in New Guinea and headed overseas – leaving a wife and daughter at home, another daughter was born while he was overseas. He served in Korea and Okinawa during WWII and was honorably discharged in January 1946. He and his family moved to Oregon and two sons were born. They returned to Wyoming in 1958, living in Sundance for a few years, where he worked on the Helen Smith ranch. In 1961 they moved to Newcastle, where they spent the rest of their lives.
Brother Milo received his notice to report for the draft on his 19th birthday, being in the first group of draftees to leave Campbell County. He was assigned to B Troop of the 115th Regiment Division, a cavalry unit, horse and mechanized, stationed at Fort Lewis, WA. He then was assigned to the 82nd Chemical Motor Battalion & sailed for the South Pacific. After discharge he went to Oregon, where most of the family was, then returned to Gillette where he did ranch work. He then moved to Sheridan where he went to work at the Padlock Ranch and stayed in that area the rest of his life.
“Pioneers of Weston County”
Charles Ernest & Edward Curtis Gilkison (twin boys), were born at Crown City, Ohio in 1883. They came to Wyoming around the turn of the century with their older brother, Harry, and his twin sister, Clara Grace (Clara married Ed Stevenson). The three brothers took homesteads on Donkey Creek covering several miles of the creek. They formed a business called Gilkison Land and Livestock.
C. Ernest and Emma McLaughlin were married in 1910. Emma was born in Boon County, Iowa. She came to Wyoming with her parents, Joseph and Emma McLaughlin when she was a small child. Her father homesteaded on Buffalo Creek. Later the family moved to Thornton, Wyoming where they operated the general store. They were commissioned by the Government to furnish supplies to the Indians. Mrs. McLaughlin was bitten by a rattlesnake, and her leg was amputated to save her life. She raised a large family and worked in the store on crutches. The McLaughlin children were Arthur, Lillie, Daisy, Henry, Maude, Emma and Clyde. Lillie married Ira Thomas. Daisy married Tom Noonan. Maude married Merle Martin. Josephine married John Adams. Henry and Clyde never married. In their retirement years, Joseph and Emma bought a home on Iron Creek, near Upton, where they spent the rest of their lives. Joseph died in1923, and is buried in the National Cemetery at Hot Springs, SD. Emma died in 1926 and is buried at Upton, WY.
Ernest and Emma lived on the ranch on Donkey Creek, where they farmed and raised Belgian horses. There were six children born to this marriage, Clarence, Everett, Grace, Doris, Milo, and Charles. The children walked about a mile to school, which was an abandoned homestead, converted into a school house. They remember their father going to Moorcroft once a week to sell cream, eggs, frying chickens, vegetables and potatoes. Ernest also raised grain to sell. Ernest was injured in a threshing machine accident in 1923. The closest hospital was Sheridan, Wyoming, where he died from the injuries. After Ernest’s death, his brothers Harry and Curtis moved on to make their own lives. fHarry married Sylvia Faulks. They were divorced, with no children. Curtis married Easter Naomi Griffen and had two children. Curtis taught school. After Ernest’s death he returned to Ohio where he became a mail clerk for the railroad. Later the family moved to Little Rock, Arkansas.
Emma was left on the ranch. Her oldest son, Clarence was thirteen. Charles, the youngest was a baby. Times were hard. Emma finally left the ranch and moved into a home the family owned in Moorcroft, where the children could go to school. In 1926 Emma took a homestead on Four Horse Creek. In 1935 Emma and Peter Monk were married. A daughter Marjorie was born. During World War II the family moved to Oregon and settled around Oak Ridge. Clarence Gilkinson married Mamie Ross and lived in Newcastle. Grace married to Leo Foltz and had two sons – they lived at Christmas Valley, OR. Everett was killed at lae, New Guinea, 1944, during World War II (buried here in Moorcoft). Doris married Bill Geschwender & divorced. She moved to Oregon where she married Gerald Cooper and had three children. Milo married June Fox & lived at Sheridan. Charles married Letha Stoffer and lived in Nebraska.
Emma died at Oak Ridge, Oregon in 1981 at the age of 89.
As a young man Clarence worked on area ranches as a ranch hand, and was a sheep shearer, making about 80 cents a head and he could usually shear about 130 head a day. He enlisted in the Army in August 1944 after learning that his brother Everett had been killed in New Guinea and headed overseas – leaving a wife and daughter at home, another daughter was born while he was overseas. He served in Korea and Okinawa during WWII and was honorably discharged in January 1946. He and his family moved to Oregon and two sons were born. They returned to Wyoming in 1958, living in Sundance for a few years, where he worked on the Helen Smith ranch. In 1961 they moved to Newcastle, where they spent the rest of their lives.
Brother Milo received his notice to report for the draft on his 19th birthday, being in the first group of draftees to leave Campbell County. He was assigned to B Troop of the 115th Regiment Division, a cavalry unit, horse and mechanized, stationed at Fort Lewis, WA. He then was assigned to the 82nd Chemical Motor Battalion & sailed for the South Pacific. After discharge he went to Oregon, where most of the family was, then returned to Gillette where he did ranch work. He then moved to Sheridan where he went to work at the Padlock Ranch and stayed in that area the rest of his life.