Together We Can

Volunteers Rise Up to Fight

Dayton, Wyoming

photography contributed by Tessa Ross, Melanie Limpus, Lydia Walter, and Patty Caywood

It’s the cowboy way here. It was unorganized chaos for a while, but this community stepped up in ways I couldn’t imagine. What they created in their generosity was beyond anything anyone could ever do on their own. We’re very blessed to live here.

Patty Caywood

The aftermath of the Elk Fire in Wyoming will be evident for decades. The fire, which engulfed close to 97,000 acres on the east side of the Big Horns, came dangerously close to the foothill communities in its path. It burned millions of dollars of timber and fence lines, multiple outbuildings, two homes and, for a time, displaced families, livestock and pets.

As volunteer fire departments from surrounding communities joined forces with the Forest Service to battle the blaze, hundreds of other volunteers stepped up to fill the needs of those affected by the fire. From feeding firefighters and first responders to hauling livestock and housing evacuees, everyone wanted to be part of offering their time, money and resources.

Patty Caywood and her husband, Nick, own the Parkman Bar and Grill in Parkman, Wyoming. On Saturday, the day after the fire started, one of Patty’s customers handed her a check and said, “use it to feed the volunteers.”

Within days, as the fire exploded to over 25,000 acres glowing across the eastern slope by night and choking the valley with smoke during the day, the Parkman Bar became an information center, a donation drop point, and the source of food for hundreds of firefighters.

When Nick, who was on the fire line, called Patty telling her it was time to evacuate because the fire was advancing toward Parkman, Patty grabbed what she could and left immediately for Sheridan. Later that day, once the threat had passed, she returned to check on her home and the bar, and found the parking lot full of Hotshot crews. She opened the bar, put coffee on, and started cooking. And for the next week, The Parkman bar was closed to the public while Patty served the firefighting community.

“I offered them the use of my place,” she said. “I didn’t know what it would turn into, but we ended up serving hundreds of breakfast burritos, sack lunches and dinners to the crews.”

Patty wasn’t the only community conduit, John Szymaniak, of Ranchester, found a need to fulfill as well. As the residents of Parkman, Dayton and Ranchester experienced a week of adrenaline rushes, working to protect property, saving livestock and trying to outsmart the fire, the chaos ushered in communication problems.

With phone calls flooding the local fire departments and information running rampant, John took to social media and began matching people with expressed needs to those who could fulfill them. His Facebook page, Elk Fire Volunteers Group, had immediate followers posting to help or sharing needs.

“We were all working toward a common goal,” he said. “I wanted to help put all the resources together so people could be helped.”

At the Parkman Bar, Patty was spending so much time preparing food, there was no time to do the shopping. With the help of Chelsea Kukowski and Ashley Stimpson, two of Patty’s bartenders, the three systematically made and packed meals three times a day and delivered them to Hotshot camps. The Parkman Bar was providing food for free, so when Patty reached out to the community, through her Facebook page, people responded.

“The community stepped up and things started arriving,” she said. “It was unreal. We were not only feeding the volunteers and firefighters, but we were supplying them with water and Gatorade, t-shirts and socks. My storage room was completely full of donated items.”

Meanwhile, with 2,500 followers on John’s Facebook page, offers of food, water, trucks and equipment were plentiful. Groups reached out with monetary donations. People opened their homes and offered their campers. Someone offered to wash clothes and another asked if she could bake cookies for firefighters.

“It was amazing what people were willing to do,” John continued.

The Sheridan Fire Department transferred calls to John to coordinate help finding trucks and trailers to move livestock. When a rancher asked for assistance moving over 400 head of cattle from summer pasture in the Big Horns, he sent out a plea on John’s page.

Lydia Walter’s husband, Sam, answered that call. The Walters live on the 40 Mile Hutterite Colony outside of Lodge Grass and when they heard the request, they didn’t hesitate. Taking their own semi, they joined another 12 semis and trekked up Highway 14, arriving at the ranch’s summer pasture just as dawn was breaking. After helping load the cattle, the truckers worked their way back down the mountain as Lydia snapped photos of the convoy.

“It’s so heartbreaking,” she said. “There wasn’t much we could do except pray for the firefighters and the ranchers.”

Back at the Parkman, Patty and her crew continued serving over 100 meals a day. By now the Hotshot camps were expectant and excited when the car full of food worked its way up the mountain.

“Chelsea and Ashley know their way around this area,” Patty said. “I was confident they knew where the Hotshot camps were set up and that they wouldn’t get in the way. Everyone loved seeing them show up and were so thankful for the food.”

As the fire continued to rage, the town of Dayton and many rural families were asked to evacuate. Druann Kerns’ family was evacuated from the ranch that’s been in their family for more than a century. She and her husband, their son and daughter, and their families all have homes on the property. When it was time to evacuate, they didn’t hesitate.

“It was surreal,” Druann said. “You quickly decide what’s important to you and what’s not.”

The fire came within feet of devouring the homes and outbuildings. Had the wind not changed direction, her story might have had a different ending, but on that night, they were fortunate.

“I give credit to the ranchers that showed up and worked so hard to save our property,” she continued. “Without their perseverance, we might have lost everything.”

John agreed, adding that the local volunteer fire departments put themselves in harm’s way to protect homes.

“They chose not to leave when the other departments pulled out and it was a testament to their commitment to our communities,” John said. “They are truly vested here.”

As the fire left the northern area and continued blazing south, the community of Story was now in harm’s way.

“We might live 40 miles apart, but we’re still neighbors,” John said. “So, when the fire moved down the mountain, it was our turn to be there for them.”

A brigade was formed from John’s page and over the course of several days, volunteers armed with rakes, shovels and wheel barrels descended upon the town and began a cleanup around 25 of the homes that stood the greatest chance of burning.

“We did everything we could to make the homes defensive,” John said. “If fire would have made it to Story, there would be nothing left. But maybe our efforts would have slowed it down. We praise the Lord it didn’t happen. It would have been a terrific disaster.”

With the attention directed toward Story, the Parkman Bar was no longer needed as the food hub and the point of distribution, but Patty didn’t stop. She packed up the remaining donations, hauled them to Story and began making plans for a community fundraiser.

It seemed to be just what was needed, as on October 21, the Parkman Bar hosted a free community gathering with music provided by Tris and Dave Munsick. Vehicles lined both sides of the highway, leading up to the business, and over 500 people came to enjoy themselves, listen to music and fill up on free chicken wings. With open hearts and pocketbooks, the freewill offering brought in over $14,000, which Patty donated back to the area volunteer fire departments.

“I don’t believe in charging for community outreach,” Patty said. “We wanted the community to come and eat and relax after all we’d gone through.”

With snow finally falling in the higher elevations, the Elk Fire is finally contained. For the folks living through the fire, it’s been a blur of time and a test of their emotions and perseverance. As the assessment of damages takes place, volunteers are now preparing to assist with cleanup and rebuilding fences. John hopes what he witnessed during the fire will continue.

"I’d like to see it keep going long after the fire,” he said. “There are people in our community that could use help now and then. Elderly, veterans, maybe we can help them in the future. A good thing was started, and it would be a waste if it didn’t continue.”

The state of Wyoming had a torturous fire season losing close to a million acres. But when communities band together to move forward, the loss is easier to bear.

“It’s the cowboy way here,” Patty said. “It was unorganized chaos for a while, but this community stepped up in ways I couldn’t imagine. What they created in their generosity was beyond anything anyone could ever do on their own. We’re very blessed to live here.”