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This photo is titled, "Beau and young Morgan
stallion at Lamar Ranger Station, February 9,
1941." Based on the date, the horse is either
Wakefield Duke of Black Baron.
YELL 185380.3177
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Although one old proverb asserts that, “a good horse comes in any color,” riders often favor one particular breed. The same is true – to a certain degree – in the National Park Service, which has a long tradition of mounting their rangers on Morgan horses. Morgans were one of the first breeds developed in the United States, and are known for their versatility, endurance, and intelligence. One example of this connection is the Morgan Horse Farm at Point Reyes National Seashore in northern California. Established in 1968, the farm’s original goals included breeding and training Morgans, which were kept for patrol duty at Point Reyes as well as being sent off for use at other national parks (Sadin, 267). The farm is still being used today, and is a popular living history programs in that park.
Here in Yellowstone National Park, the use of Morgans is much older although little is known about their early years. In fact, over the past 18 months several researchers have contacted the staff at the Heritage and Research Center (HRC) asking for information about the Morgan horses used and raised in Yellowstone. One investigator is a family member of Jack Richard, whose photography collection at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center includes many images of rangers riding Morgans, such as this example from 1960 of Ranger Bob Richard on Big Red.
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| Ranger Bob Richard and Big Red, 1960. According to the original caption, "Big Red [is] the last U.S. Park Service's Morgan stallion. the horse patrolman service was ended when Bob Richard retired from the [National] Park Service in 1960. Buffalo Bill Historical Center, PN.89.116.21.459. |
A year and a half ago we were unable to provide much information about Yellowstone’s Morgans, but some recent discoveries in the park’s archives have now allowed us to piece together some of the story. The first breakthrough was the discovery of a report from 1948 titled “Analysis of Horse Breeding Program at Lamar Unit.” This document states that the breeding program at Yellowstone began in the spring of 1941, and gives us the names of the three Morgan stallions in the park: Wakefield Duke, Black Baron, and Gipsey Chief. A little more detective work revealed that all three of these stud horses had the same sire – Gipsey King.
And like all famous horses, Gipsey King has an impressive pedigree, but perhaps not one you’d expect. He was donated to the National Park Service in May 1937 by none other than John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (Bruggeman, 73; and Smith, 15). Gipsey King was stabled and bred at George Washington Birthplace National Monument, and the park’s superintendent is said to have jumped at the opportunity with an eye toward breeding the Morgan stallion to produce mounts for other parks within the National Park Service (Bruggeman, 171).* It would seem that his plan met with some success since three of Gipsey King’s colts were in Yellowstone only a few years later.
Yet another discovery was made in December 2013 when a photograph of one of the Morgan stallions was found in the Augustin Photograph Collection (held at the HRC). Based on the date, this 1941 photo must be of Wakefield Duke or Black Baron.
Despite these famous connections, we don’t know what happened to Duke, Baron, Chief, or the other Morgan horses of Yellowstone: much of their story is yet to be told. There’s an old cowboy saying that states, “A dog may be man’s best friend, but the history of the West was written by the horse.” If that’s true, then perhaps the contributions of Morgan horses to Yellowstone and other national parks will not be forgotten.
*It’s worth noting that a second attempt at creating a Morgan horse program at George Washington Birthplace NM was attempted between 1968 and 1972. National Park Service Director George Hartzog envisioned this program as complementing the breeding program at Point Reyes National Seashore, thus providing Morgans to eastern national parks (Bruggeman, 171-173)
Notes:
Wakefield Duke
Gipsey King x Nunda
Foaled: July 18, 1939
Color: Black
Height: 16 hands
“Bred by National Park Service. Black, star and snip, left front and left hind fetlocks white.
Foaled July 18, 1939, George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Virginia. Stationed at
Yellowstone National Park all his life. Died in the 1960s.”
“Procured [by YNP] August 4, 1940”
“Duke was bred in 1941, 1942, and 1943 at which time his service was no longer deemed
suitable to the program. He was at that time castrated and trained as a saddle horse.”
Black Baron
Gipsey King x Minerva
Foaled: April 19, 1940
Color: Black
Height: ?
“Bred by George Washington Birthplace National Monument. Black, small white spot on rear
left hind foot. Foaled April 1940, George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Virginia.
Served at Yellowstone National Park 1941-1952. Purchased February 1952 by M/M Paul
Shields, Wyoming.”
“Procured [by YNP] September 21, 1940”
“Baron was bred from 1942 to 1948” [this was the year the report was written, so it is possible
that he was bred later]
Gipsey Chief
Gipsey King x Minerva
Foaled April 25, 1941
Color: Black
Height:?
“Bred by George Washington Birthplace National Monument. Black, star. Foaled April 25,
1941, Washington’s Birthplace, Virginia. Owned by Yellowstone National Park, 1942-1952.
Purchased February 1952 by K.C. Barlow Ranch.”
“Procured [by YNP] May 19, 1942”
“Chief was bred from 1943 to 1948” [this was the year the report was written, so it is possible
that he was bred later]
Sources:
Bruggeman, Seth C. George Washington Birthplace National Monument: Administrative History, 1930-2000. 2006.
Ernest R. Augustin, Jr., Photograph Collection (MSC 17), Yellowstone Park Archives.
“Morgans of Yellowstone National Park,” Morgan Horse, September 2005, pages 104-106.
Sadin, Paul. Managing a Land in Motion: An Administrative History of Point Reyes National Seashore. October 2007.
Smith, Larry. “Harold D. Smith: ASPA Founder and Trusted Advisor to FDR.” ASPA Times. The American Society for Public Administration, vol. 26, no. 8, August 2003.
