More than 60 years ago, a gang that called itself the Dry Gulchers robbed banks, hung outlaws, captured tourists, and held up trains.
Though the group was not officially endorsed by the Sheridan Chamber of Commerce, the law looked the other way as guns blazed because it was the city's Diamond Jubilee.
Mike Kuzara was 23 years old at the time and his dad was one of the organizers of the group, so Kuzara was often roped into the shenanigans.
He would ride his horse around dressed in Western gear as his father and other official members of the Dry Gulchers went wild.
Kuzara said that the gang would capture a local celebrity and slap him in jail for some trumped-up charge. The jail was a cage strategically placed in the park in full view of everyone passing by.
“People were encouraged to go by and heckle whoever was in jail,” Kuzara said. “And then, of course, their friends would have to bail them out, and that bail money went to the Chamber of Commerce.”
Though originally founded in 1963 for the 75th anniversary of Sheridan, the Dry Gulchers continued to harass the community for many years after.
“Their bylaws were written in 1965 and they limited their membership to 25,” Andy Knutson said. “It had started to get a little carried away, so that’s why they did the formal organization.”
Knutson was Kuzara’s baby sister and had a different perspective of the rowdy Dry Gulchers than her big brother. She was just 5 years old at the time and dressed up in prairie girl dresses for the parades, watching the antics of her father and big brother.
The thrills continued, just a bit more organized. Among Knutson’s favorite memories were the Dry Gulchers riding their horses in the parades and shooting off their guns.
“We had a couple of horses who were pretty docile because the guys had loaded up their six-shooters with blanks and popped them off here and there,” Kuzara said.
The Dry Gulchers were formed to celebrate Sheridan’s Jubilee in 1963 and continued their wild antics for many years to promote tourism in their community. In the photo from left seated are Mike Kuzara, Larry Cook, Joe Skatula, Jack Hayward, Bud Davis, Bobby Kuzara and Buster Adams. Standing from left are Rustly Castle, Glen Fairbanks, Tom Orr, Sonny Richards, Chuck Clark, Don Apperson, Al Boode, Joe Fiedor, Fred Davis, Bob Rousch and Ed Brantz. (Courtesy Photo) 
Ed Brantz, one of the founders of the Dry Gulchers, models his western uniform, complete with the customized black tie and revolver. (Courtesy Cheryl Broyler) 
The women supported the Dry Gulchers by dressing in prairie dresses and bonnets. They approved of the Dry Gulchers and their wild antics, joining them in parades and at the public hangings. (Courtesy Cheryl Broyler) 
The women supported the Dry Gulchers by dressing in prairie dresses and bonnets. They approved of the Dry Gulchers and their wild antics, joining them in parades and at the public hangings. (Courtesy Cheryl Broyler) 
The uniforms consisted of a black tie that each men wore as part of their Western uniform. (Courtesy Andy Knutson) 
Dry Gulcher Ed Brantz wrote the lyrics for the group and was one of the early founders. His wife, Cathy, supported his involvement in the revelry and made dresses for her daughters. (Courtesy Cheryl Broyler)
Captured And Unmasked
The June 1966 Sheridan Press reported that Dude and Hoot, Shannon Brothers Bandits Inc., were captured and unmasked by the Dry Gulchers.
The bandits had pulled a daring raid on the cattle at Beckton Stock Farm, were chased by the Dry Gulchers, and finally nabbed at the Mission Bar, according to the newspaper.
The Jubilee may have been over, but the Dry Gulchers had found another cause that prompted them to terrorize the town. This time it was to promote the Sheridan rodeo.
“The Dry Gulchers are being heartless about it all and plan to hang one of the bandits at tonight’s rodeo, and one at Saturday night’s rodeo,” the Sheridan Press reported.
The hangings were all carefully orchestrated.
“They staged a phony outlaw hanging, usually in the park,” Kuzara said. “They had it rigged up with a special harness that the guy wore under his clothes and then they just hoisted him up on a tree and let him dangle.”
Cheryl Brolyer, daughter of fellow founder Ed Brantz, remembers watching the hangings and said that it was very realistic watching a noose go around an outlaw’s neck.
“The hangings were just to entertain people after the parade or after a big arrest,” Brolyer said. “The same for the song they used to sing.”
Her dad had written the lyrics and the Dry Gulchers sung the words to the melody of “The Yellow Rose of Texas."
“It's the greatest celebration that you'll ever hope to see,” Brantz wrote. “The jailhouse is boarded and the cops are on a spree.”
Code Of Conduct
The cost to join the Dry Gulchers wasn’t cheap. Each man invested about $1,500 to be a Dry Gulcher, which would be about $15,000 in today’s dollars, according to the Consumer Price Index.
They also adhered to strict rules of conduct.
Members had to wear their uniforms of white or blue Levis, white jacket, Western hat, black scarf, and badge to all events.
“You had to agree to grow a beard,” said Cheryl Brolyer, referring to the bylaws her father had helped write.
The official rules stated that you had to have a medical excuse to not grow the required beard and the rule was strictly enforced. The women also dressed the part though their role as the “Belles” was much more discreet.
In 1982, the Dry Gulchers were brought back for the Centennial which this time included teenage can-can girls and the main attraction was the jail. (Courtesy Cheryl Broyler) 
In 1982, the Dry Gulchers were brought back for the Centennial which this time included teenage can-can girls and the main attraction was the jail. (Courtesy Cheryl Broyler) 
In 1982, the Dry Gulchers were brought back for the Centennial which this time included teenage can-can girls and the main attraction was the jail. (Courtesy Cheryl Broyler)
Upping The Ante
At the monthly meeting at Sheridan Inn, the Dry Gulchers came up with a new scheme to make things even more exciting than an outlaw hanging and shooting guns in the air.
According to the 1967 Sheridan Press, their idea was dubbed the “Tenderfoot Treat” program and was designed to bring in more tourists to their community.
Within 24 hours the Dry Gulchers were rolling along with their new plans.
“The tourists might be sitting in a cafe having breakfast and the Dry Gulchers would go in and stage a robbery and a kidnapping,” Broyler said. “They would take the family and adopt them for the day.”
The first two victims, the Sheridan Press reported, were an elderly tourist couple from Ellsworth, Kansas, Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Herzog, on their way to Alaska for a vacation.
These first recipients of the Dry Gulchers “Tenderfoot Treat” program were delighted at the wild welcome they received here.
The Dry Gulchers had staked out the intersection of Main and Burkitt streets about 6:30 p.m. the day after hatching their plan.
They were all wearing their Western garb and carrying revolvers and rifles when they spotted the first car with out-of-state license plates getting gas at the service station.
Identifying themselves, they took the couple for a tour of town, leaving their car to be completely serviced at the Dry Gulchers’ expense, winding up at the Buffalo Bill Bar, where Carl Knutson bought them a “drink on the house.”
While enjoying their free drink and poring over an old scrapbook of clippings owned by member Don Apperson, collected by his grandfather near the turn of the century, the bar was invaded by “desperadoes."
A realistic gun battle took place as two masked men, identified only as “Root” Hogerdye and his equally desperate brother “Toot,” abducted the Herzogs and took them for a wild ride over some back roads to the Golden Steer restaurant north of town.
Here the Dry Gulchers drove off the outlaws in another “gun fight” and rescued the Herzogs, while other tourists watched in glee and wonder.
The whole group went back to the restaurant, where host Joe Johnston picked up the tab for the Herzogs’ dinner of Wyoming beef and broiled fresh mountain trout.
The Wyoming Lodge offered the Herzogs free accommodations for the night and they went on their way to carry the tale of Sheridan’s hospitality to other potential tourists.
Over time, the Dry Gulchers faded away and their antics became stories of legend. They were resurrected in 1982 for the Sheridan Centennial, which brought back the Western garb and displays of Wild West shootouts.
“It really brought people together,” Knutson said. “It didn't matter if you were rich or poor. Everybody thought it was just a hoot and it was just a really great community building experience.”
Jackie Dorothy can be reached at jackie@cowboystatedaily.com.
