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Street map of Frannie, Wyoming

FRANNIE

Wyoming · Est. 1954
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Until 1954, the legal status of Frannie was that of an unincorporated area taking in parts of Big Horn and Park Counties.

The Frannie Collection

Made for Frannie. Printed to order.

Every piece is drawn from Frannie's own map data and historic archives, then printed and shipped from the USA when you order. No two towns look alike.

Since 1954

A short history of Frannie

William A. "Jack" Morris arrived in 1886 and established the Morris Ranch. It was along the wagon route between Billings, Montana and Lander, Wyoming. The ranch became a wayside lodge for cattlemen and cowboys. In 1888 Morris had a daughter, Frannie.

In 1894, Morris established a post office at his ranch and named it for his daughter. The settlement had around 25 residents at the time. In 1900 the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad reached Frannie.

Until 1954, the legal status of Frannie was that of an unincorporated area taking in parts of Big Horn and Park Counties. In 1954, the town was incorporated. Under Wyoming law (WS 15-3-101), Frannie now has the status of an incorporated town having less than 4,000 people.

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Frannie Morris

Frannie Morris became well known by travelers as she emulated frontier women like Calamity Jane and Annie Oakley. Whenever Buffalo Bill visited the ranch, he would ask to have her in his Wild West show but her father refused. She rode bareback and shot guns. She was also considered to be a beauty. Her father did not like young men's attention toward his daughter and would have them packed onto a train out of town.

In 1907 she became interested in Robert McFarland. The night he was put on a train she was gone in the morning. Her father spread the message to search for his daughter. Her disappearance became national headlines. After three weeks she turned up in Lewistown, Montana. Frannie claimed to have ridden 700 miles through multiple states to reach the town where she and McFarland agreed to meet. Her tale included snow in Bridger Pass, surviving meeting a bear, and finding shelter where she could. The two were married and with her father's consent the two began a horseback ride back to Frannie.

Outside of town McFarland was thrown from his horse, broke his hip, and the two returned to Lewistown and the hospital. Frannie stayed by his side until he recovered and the two took a train to Wyoming. When the train stopped in Frannie, she told him not to follow.

Frannie ended up marrying two more times. Her last marriage, to Russell Ford, lasted for fifty years. When her father died in 1935, she moved to Montana. She died in Kalispell, Montana.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Frannie, Wyoming, revision 1376734932 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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