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Alberta Claire

The Fountain-Warren Democrat, 29 Feb 1912

The Girl from Wyoming

On Continental Tour reached Attica
Saturday Evening Riding a Cow Pony, Followed by Faithful Dog

Shortly after five o'clock Saturday evening a girl wearing a cow boy hat and otherwise dressed in typical cow girl style rode into Attica on a cow pony, followed by a large dog, the latter being half wolf and half Newfoundland.

As they went north on Perry street they attracted considerable attention, and a large crowd of men, boys and women followed her to the Judy & Keys livery barn where she put up her pony and dog for the night, she stopping at Hotel Attica.

This girl was Miss Alberta Claire, commonly referred to as the Girl from Wyoming, on her tour of the United States advertising the state of Wyoming.  Miss Claire left her home at Sheridan, Wyoming, Sept. 10, 1910, with her pony and dog and with but two dollars in money.  She has been riding this pony ever since, having traveled over Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, her destination, so far as she knew when leaving Attica, being Buffalo, New York.

Miss Claire is making this trip and paying the expenses of herself, pony and dog, raising the money by selling pictures of herself, pony and dog and by making lectures on her travels at some of the larger places.

Miss Claire is under contract with the state of Wyoming to make this tour for the purpose of advertising the state and its opportunities for settlers.  She must bear her own expenses on the trip but after the tour is completed she is to receive $1,000 in money and 3,800 acres of land in the big Horn country which lies in northern Wyoming.

Miss Claire is short of stature, spare built and will weigh probably 90 or 100 pounds.  Her mother is French and her father American, being a native of Maryland.  She claimed to be a graduate from an English college.  She is 22 years old and resided at Sheridan, Wyo., since she was four years old, although she said she had traveled much within that time.  She used very good language and could talk a brass man tired.  She had traveled between 9,000 and 10,000 miles when she reached Attica and is said to be the only woman to cross the Great American Desert on horseback.

Miss Claire had been making very slow time since Wednesday the day the big snow storm prevailed, traveling but ten miles that day and being compelled to walk a good part of this distance and make a path through the snow drifts for her pony.  Saturday she rode from Danville, Ill., to Attica, coming by way of Covington.  Miss Claire left Attica Sunday morning at 8:30 for Lafayette where she was billed for several talks.

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Click here to read a story by Alberta Claire in the Stories from the Road section.

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