Buffalo Bill's Wild West
New. YorkMay 28th 1902 [1] My. Dear Hinkle.
Am very much obliged for what you have told me. That man Wiley for some unknown reason. is as you say. doing his utmost to injure me. Beleiving him. our company has been delayed two months on his promises— and agreements— [2] And he now is trying to get our companys water right. But Hinkle the Shoshone Irrigation Cos. Canal will be built if I do it alone And I hope that the. Board & State Engineer will stand by me as no one had worked harder for the state than I have [3]
Very truly yours W. F. Cody
Buffalo Bill's Wild West
New York May 28 [?] PM
United States Postage 2 Two Cents 2
C. L. Hinkle State. Land. Board[?] Cheyenne Wyo.
Personal
Note 1: Buffalo Bill's Wild West performed in New York City from May 26 to May 31, 1902. [back]
Note 2: Cody refers to Solon L. Wiley, a businessman and hydraulic engineer from Omaha who had invested in irrigation projects in the Big Horn Basin. Wiley had offered to buy out the Shoshone Irrigation Company, but the deal collapsed because Wiley could not obtain the necessary financing. [back]
Note 3: William F. Cody refers to the Cody Canal, the principal project of the Shoshone Irrigation Company. The "Board" mentioned here is the Wyoming Board of Land Commissioners, which shared authority over Carey Act irrigation projects with the state engineer's office. The Wyoming state engineer at the time was Fred Bond (1856-1903). [back]
