Cody area trapper, outfitter and hunting guide Max Wilde is seen with various furs in this historic photograph. Wilde partnered with Ed ‘Phonograph’ Jones to trap in the Thorofare region in 1920.

Photo courtesy McCracken Research Library, Buffalo Bill Center of the West

Eric Rossborough

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On Monday, Nov. 18, the Pahaska Corral of Westerners will host a presentation by Eric Rossborough about Max Wilde, an early day hunting guide and outfitter from Cody. The meeting begins with a no-host dinner at 6 p.m. in the Irma Hotel’s Governors Room, followed by the presentation around 7 p.m.

Both the meal and the program are open to the public. Due to limited seating, however, attendees are asked to RSVP by emailing Lynn Houze ljhcody@tctwest.net

Max Wilde arrived in the Cody area in 1913. In addition to working as a cook for the Valley Ranch, he began driving horse-drawn wagons carrying Yellowstone tourists. In 1920, Wilde partnered with Ed “Phonograph” Jones to trap in the Thorofare region, collectively earning $10,000 by selling marten and coyote furs. Wilde used his share to start his own South Fork outfitting business, guiding celebrities such as Dwight Eisenhower, Ty Cobb and Coca-Cola Chairman Robert Woodruff. Wilde also employed old-school mountain men and cowboys like Don Bell and Anson Eddy, interesting characters in their own right.

Celebrated outdoor writer Charles Elliott, a client of many years, referred to Wilde as the equal of Daniel Boone or Jim Bridger.

“In the years before he settled down to wrangling dudes,” Elliott wrote, “he left his hobnailed prints in the dirt from Alaska to Mexico.”

The talk on Wilde is being presented by Rossborough, the associate librarian and senior cataloger of the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. Originally from Massachusetts, Rossborough first became fascinated with pictures of Wilde wearing Western attire and posing with players of the Boston Red Sox — Rossborough’s hometown team. He holds a master of library science from the University of Wisconsin. When not cataloging books, Rossborough researches the lives of early cowboys and hunting guides from northwest Wyoming.   

The Pahaska Corral of Westerners is the local chapter of Westerner International, an organization dedicated to stimulating interest and research in the history of the American West.