In 1884, the Keeline Ranch, which still operated on open range, picked up a red-headed cowboy named George Amos, who became their foreman. Amos oversaw an operation that was one of the biggest in Wyoming. The Keeline Ranch had several hundred saddle horses plus three roundup wagons with 30 men each. By 1906, the ranch had 33,000 sheep and 30,000 head of cattle on a range that covered a great portion of Campbell County. Their Flying Circle Ranch would ultimately spread across three counties and run upwards of 55,000 cattle. The men working this open range spent long hours every day in the saddle. They had to not only care for the livestock, but also watch for rustlers. Amos was the first in many things in the region. He was the first to build reservoirs, first to fence school sections, first to build lambing sheds, and first to ship 70-pound lambs. He never fired a man. Instead, he made it so uncomfortable that they would quit. He never married, never wore a gun, said “that was just asking for trouble.” The cowboy smoked a pipe and always had a mustache. A bachelor, he was cowpuncher by day, and a voracious reader at night. In addition to a love for books, Amos subscribed to as many as 20 magazines and many daily newspapers. When he died, he left his estate to build the Campbell County Public Library. The funds were used to erect the George Amos Memorial Library. It was completed in 1941 and remained in use through June 1993.
George Amos
