Chugwater (Wyo.)

Abe and Sussie Blott, original settlers of the Chugwater, Wyoming colony, stand in front of a Greek Orthodox church.

Recording of Arnold Sky speaking at a BMH study group about his upbringing in Chugwater, WY. Includes questions form the audience.

The Sky family from Chugwater, Wyoming pose with their friends the Cotton family from California. Back row left to right Effie Cotton, Clara Sky, Fern Cotton, Louis Sky, and Arnold Sky and front row left to right Mary Cotton and Edna Cotton.

Yiddish-speaking homesteaders from Eastern Europe settled in this remote prairie town in response to free land and a dream of life on the farm. Thirty-one families eventually formed a tight-knit community and organized the Chugwater Yiddishe School, a one-room schoolhouse. Most Jews eventually left, but a few families stayed until the 1930s.

Clara Sky and Arnold Sky standing in front of the windmill on their farm in Chugwater, Wyoming.

Clara Sky and Arnold Sky standing in front of the home on their ranch in Chugwater, Wyoming. Arnold holds a bucket to feed a calf as Clara and their dog Shep look on in the background.

Clara Sky and Louis Sky standing in front of their car on their farm in Chugwater, Wyoming.

Louis Sky stands on his farm in Chugwater, Wyoming in front of the chicken coop.

Frieda Marcus describes life in the Jewish settlement in Chugwater, Wyoming, circa 1912. This recording is a family conversation rather than a formal interview.

Nathan Cohen pushes his daughter Lillian on a toy in the yard of their homestead in Chugwater, Wyoming.