, 1922-10-12
AS a Dry Farmer.

he prospected for, found and devel-
oped the elm mt Cambria, drilled for
oil on the site of Newcastle and later
had general direction of the plating
of the town and the erection of the
first permanent buildings. he also dry
farmed mt the Mount, Zion ranch in
the vicinity of his first camp. This
was the first dry farming in a big way
in Wyoming. This farming enterprise,
which was highly successful, had a
tremendous effect on the farming de-
velopment of hat section of the state.
The project and enterprise as a whole
brought the opening and development
of all Northeastern Wyoming from
Newcastle to Sheridan.
His First Office.
1t was entirely natural that the peo-
pie of the new town of Newcastle
SHOULD look to the man who was in
strumental in the founding of their
town for their first mayor, and so Mr..
MOndell, under protest, was elected to
his first office. A little later, in the.
midst of his e%ngrossing duties in con-
nection with the management of the
mines, the extension of the railway
northwest toward Sheridan, drilling
for oil with the first standard rig ever
80 fspAAAAAies nv Nbo llDlllAtAsAA
ed against his own protest as state
senator from what was then Crook
county. While he tool little part in
the campaign. he was elected and
served so acceptably through his first
session that at the following session
of 1893 he was elected president of
the state senate, and in the contest
owe the United States senatorShip
that followed was, the latter part of
the session, the party candidate for
senator.
A Candidate for Governor Becomes
Congressman.
In 1894 Mr.. Mondell was ii candi-
date for governor, and had an album
dance of votes to secure his nominal
tion, but at the last moment before
the nominations We're TO be made, an
agreement was entered into whereby
Mr.. Mondell was nominated to Con-
gress and w. \. Richards became the
nominee for governor.
Equipped for Job.
The young Congressman, who had
never been east of Chicago and whose
regular schooling was limited to a few
short winter terms of country school,
nevertheless entered upon his duties
well equipped. He had seen the prac-
teal workings of the land laws on
the Iowa homestead and through the
entire West. and had had Il post
graduate m in his Wyoming eX-
perience. lie knew farming and stock
raising from every angle, from expert
ence and observation. He knew coal
mining from the standpoint of both
the miner and the operator. He knew
all about the. oil land laws and much
nhout the conditions under which oil
occurs in Wyoming. He had had an
unusually broad, practical, general eN-
perience in life. He knew the prob
lens of labor because he had himself
labored in many fields. He knew
some, at least, of the problems of bust
ness through the various and impor-
tant business responsibilities he had
been charged with. In addition, he
had been II great reader and n stu
dent in many lines as opportunity Of
fered.
First Accomplishment.
His early service in Congress at
once demonstrated his knowledge Of
conditions and his ability to accom-
plish results. The metal posts with
brass caps which are the markers of
the geological survey are the results
VI Nilt VI Ills llISl| tliuINN III congress.
They are now used on all the surveys
Uncle sam makes. The Department
of the Interior decided that the min
eral placer acts should no longer apply
TO oil lands. so there was no law un-
der which oil lands could be held and
taken. and Congressman AIondell in
troduced the bill under which oil lands
were held and patented for many
years. In his first campaign through
The state, he had noted the need of an
agreement with the Indians, and of
legislation which would make possible
the development of the springs on the
Big Horn River within the Wind
River Indian Reservation. and he in
u%ugurated the movement that eyentu-
ally gave the state the mile square
containing the Big Horn Hot Springs
and which led to the building of Their
mopolls.
Free silver and Defeat.
In the midst of Mr.. Mondelrs first
term came the Bryan free silver cam
paign of 1896, In which he was de-
feated by n majority of less than three
hundred. At the close of this term
Mr.. Mondell returned to the care Of
his local interests In Wyoming. but
within II few months was appointed
Assistant Commissioner of the Gen
eral Land office mt Washington, I'm
which capacity he served for eighteen
months.
Assistant Commissioner, General Land
office.
During his service ms Assistant
Commissioner Mr.. Mondell was not
only instrumental In increasing the eff
~flciency of the Land office service,
but largely through his Influence the
modified the policy of strict
construction which had characterized
the preceding Democratic ndmlnlstrn-
ton OF the office and substituted a
policy of more liberal and equitable
consideration Of the claims Of settlers
and entrymcn, During this service he
was Instrumental In securing the ndop-
ton In the Public Land survey Of the
iron posts and markers which had al