2022 Favorite Photo

In August of 1913, my grandfather, John F. Shaffner, joined his future bride, Della Kurtz, and her family on a horse & buggy trip to Yellowstone Park.  

Della Rae Kurtz and her mother, Mary Etta Kurtz and a sister, Lulu,  came west from Pennsylvania to join Mary Ella’s son, Oliver Kurtz and his wife Bertha, who lived in Dillon, Montana, on a horse & buggy trip to Yellowstone Park in August of 1913.  Our family is lucky to have the original diary (not sure where it is but I have a transcribed version) as well as a photo album of original pictures.

My grandfather labeled the picture “P & O Cow camp on the way to Park”.   This is one of my all time favorite pictures.  I love the Angora chaps and the women wearing the pistols!

Colorizing the picture through MyHeritage made the people more distinct.  I think I love the picture even more!

I have blogged about the Yellowstone Park trip on my blog in August of 2015.

One of the overnight stops to Yellowstone Park was at the P & O Cowcamp, southwest of Dillon.  Although this picture was not labeled, I used Grandpa Shaffner's identification of people from another picture. 

Mabel Phillips, the woman on the left, was 22 years old

Della Kurtz, woman in the middle, was 26 years old, with the pistol tucked in her belt

Lulu Kurtz, her sister in the right, was 29 years old

I am not positive on who the names of the men.