115th Cavalry, WY Nat'l Guard

usdragoons

I would appreciate any substantive information any forum users can share with me regarding this unit in the 1920 to 1926 period.

My father, Clarence E Michel from Hawk Springs WY served in Headquarters Company from 1922 through 1924, until released to pursue out of state work with the UPRR.

I'm looking for photos, and other documents.

Best regards;
Pat Holscher
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usdragoons wrote:I would appreciate any substantive information any forum users can share with me regarding this unit in the 1920 to 1926 period.

My father, Clarence E Michel from Hawk Springs WY served in Headquarters Company from 1922 through 1924, until released to pursue out of state work with the UPRR.

I'm looking for photos, and other documents.

Best regards;
Hawk Spring eh? That's the location of some fine pheasant hunting.

If he joined in 1920, he joined at the point where cavalry made its first appearance in the Wyoming Army National Guard after a hiatus of about 30 years or so. As horse dependent as Wyoming was in that period, the Guard had been largely infantry or artillery from about 1890 or so until that period. Cavalry made its appearance right about that time in what seems to have been an expansion of the cavalry branch in the reserve following World War One. The first cavalry unit was designated something else, but the the unit was re-designated the 115th Cavalry soon thereafter, and remained that through World War Two.

I have a special interest in the 115th Cavalry, and I'll bump up the threads dealing with it. Unfortunately, I do not have much on that very early period. I know that there are photos of the unit in that period which are maintained by the Wyoming State Archives, as I've seen them. Also, the Wyoming Militia Historical Society, an organization located in Cheyenne Wyoming which is dedicated to the history of Wyoming National Guard units, no doubt also will have material, and they've allowed me to put some of it up here. Again, I haven't acquired much on this very early period, but it does exist.

Being from Hawk Springs, he presumably traveled to Cheyenne for drills. Is that your understanding? We do have up here on the forum a great photograph of the assembled unit from that period, which I'll try to locate.
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I bumped this up in another thread, but from a somewhat later period:
Pat Holscher wrote:From a running Casper Star Tribune series on World War Two vets

http://trib.com/special-section/news/hi ... 24cb4.html
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Pat Holscher wrote:Shoeing horses in the 115th Cav. Reg. at Pole Mtn, in 1925. Courtesy of the Wyoming Militia Historical Society.
Image

Pat
This photo is courtesy of the WMHS, and they are the ones to approach regarding acquiring a copy. This is from 1925, however, so it's from the applicable period.
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Not sure of the year here. Another WMHS photograph:
Pat Holscher wrote:Officers of the 115th:

Image
Courtesy of the Wyoming State Militia Historical Society

Pat
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Pat Holscher wrote:And while mounted, Maj. Edminster, 115th, 1930s:

Image
Courtesy of Wyoming State Militia Historical Society

Pat
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Much later, Ft. Lewis, 1940:
Pat Holscher wrote:Another try.

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The following link will take you to a photograph of the mustered unit in 1923. It's a panographic photograph. Your father is likely in the photograph:

http://www.onewest.net/~holscher/images ... ey1923.jpg
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The DI, which is still used by some units of the WYARNG. This DI was used by the 3d Bn 49th FA when I was in it in the 1980s:
Philip S wrote:From an ebay offering:
Image
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A thread in which the 115th is depicted practicing a mounted charge. This same photograph is featured on the cover of a new book about the M1911:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1765
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Thread with one of my favorite 115th Photographs:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1767
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Pat Holscher wrote:The following link will take you to a photograph of the mustered unit in 1923. It's a panographic photograph. Your father is likely in the photograph:

http://www.onewest.net/~holscher/images ... ey1923.jpg
Pat Holscher wrote:This has been discussed in other threads before, but its an interesting topic, and I referred to this event in the thread on French artillery.

One of the things that's probably difficult for us to imagine is the incredable saddle time some units had, even in training. Here's an example. The 115th Cavalry, Wyoming National Guard, mustered at Ft. D. A. Russel for AT in 1923. It rode to the Theodore Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado, and then turned up to the Snowy Range in Wyoming, and then ultimately returned to Ft. D. A. Russell. That's one long ride.

The C.O., Col. Mentzer, actually became ill at Fox Park, in the Snowy Range, and died. A photo of the memorial for him is included below.


Here's the unit before departing.

http://www.onewest.net/~holscher/images ... ey1923.jpg

And here's the unit at a memorial service for Col. Mentzer, the officer who died during the exercise.

Image
Photographs courtesy of the Wyoming Militia Historical Society.

Pat

Pat
usdragoons

Pat

Thanks for all the great source material! I'll definately have to contact the state archives and museums to get some reprints.

I hope you're having a great Thanksgiving.
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usdragoons wrote:Pat

Thanks for all the great source material! I'll definately have to contact the state archives and museums to get some reprints.

I hope you're having a great Thanksgiving.
The Wyoming State Archives has some nice ones. And the Wyoming Militia Historical Society, which is a society specifically dedicated to the history of the Wyoming National Guard has many fine ones. The Society has good details on the individual units and often on individual members back to at least the 1930s.

Individual armories often have some nice ones around here as well.
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http://photos.salemhistory.net/cgi-bin/ ... DMROTATE=0
Pictured are members of the 115th Cavalry in dress uniform with their guests in formals at a party in April, l942 at the Marion Hotel. Members of the party are shown sitting and standing posing for the picture. The large room has square wooden pillars and tables and chairs along the walls. The sides of the rooms are wallpapered, with paned mirrors and windows along the walls.The tables have candles on them and two large V's are attached to doors on the far wall.
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The W Photograph from Ft. Lewis.

Image
Photograph courtesy of the Wyoming Militia Historical Society. No reproduction without authorization of the WMHS.
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Bumped up in recognition of the 1940 historical anniversary (see anniversary thread).
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Pat Holscher wrote:
Pat Holscher wrote:The following link will take you to a photograph of the mustered unit in 1923. It's a panographic photograph. Your father is likely in the photograph:

http://www.onewest.net/~holscher/images ... ey1923.jpg
Pat Holscher wrote:This has been discussed in other threads before, but its an interesting topic, and I referred to this event in the thread on French artillery.

One of the things that's probably difficult for us to imagine is the incredable saddle time some units had, even in training. Here's an example. The 115th Cavalry, Wyoming National Guard, mustered at Ft. D. A. Russel for AT in 1923. It rode to the Theodore Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado, and then turned up to the Snowy Range in Wyoming, and then ultimately returned to Ft. D. A. Russell. That's one long ride.

The C.O., Col. Mentzer, actually became ill at Fox Park, in the Snowy Range, and died. A photo of the memorial for him is included below.


Here's the unit before departing.

http://www.onewest.net/~holscher/images ... ey1923.jpg

And here's the unit at a memorial service for Col. Mentzer, the officer who died during the exercise.

Image
Photographs courtesy of the Wyoming Militia Historical Society.

Pat

Pat
Col. Mentzer, mentioned here, died on this date (July 10) in 1933.
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Sending Governor Emerson flying, a local tradition for AT at one time:

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/ ... 5145b1.jpg
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