Earl Bower: "In September 1912, I came to Worland, Wyoming. My twin brother, Ray, had taught school in Douglas, Wyoming and traveled up in the Big Horn Basin to look at this new country which was being opened up along the Big Horn River. It was our idea that maybe he and I could go into some kind of business here. He contracted for 80 acres of land under the newly built Hanover Canal to be held by us as partners. Upon arriving in the fall of 1912 I began to improve on this 80 acre tract and hired out doing maintenance work on the Hanover Canal during the winter. In the fall of 1917, Ray, myself, our father, Vernon Q. Bower, Dr. W.O. Gray, Bill Pulliam and others organized the Farmers State Bank, which was the third bank in Worland at that time. Subsequently we took over the bank building and the deposits of the First National Bank which was liquidated in 1929. During the 1920's I expanded my farming operations and in 1929 was able to acquire two thirds interest in the Big Horn Chevrolet Company, Inc., in conjunction with W.A. Denton, was was a local grocer and dry good merchant. In the fall of 1936, I was nominated and elected State Senator from Washakie County, a position I held continuously until 1962 - except for one term." - adapted from "A History of Washakie County"
Ray Bower: Ray came to Washakie County in June 1912 where he entered the farm and livestock business with Earl and returned to teaching each fall to earn the cash needed by the brothers. He served the community as mayor from 1936-1948 and Washakie County School Board from 1933-1956. Ray married Frances Mecum on January 1, 1917. They lived in a one room beet shack the first years of their marriage. Ray was one of the original stockholders of the First National Bank (formerly Farmers State Bank). - adapted from "A History of Washakie County"
Elijah Vernon Bower: Elijah Bower and his wife, Margaret, were the parents of Earl and Ray Bower. They moved to Worland in April 1916 to be with their sons who were already settled in the area. "The family moved out to Worland by train bringing all their worldly goods including the milk cows, horses and plows. That first after the crops were in the ground and coming good, the Upper Flume went out and the sugar beet fields lay parched. This was before the Worland Sugar Factory was built and beets were loaded by hand into gondola cars and shipped to Billings for processing." - adapted from "A History of Washakie County"
Helen Bower McDowell: Helen was the daughter of Earl and Frances Bower. She served in the Navy during World War II. "Helen tells that her family moved into town when she was six years old and lived at 1101 Culbertson and the Lower Hanover Canal played a big part in the lives of the children. Mrs. D.A. McQueen decided we should learn to swim so she taught us and most of the children growing up in Worland spent many wonderful hours in those dirty waters. Also the canal ran next to the high school and always played a part in the initiation of the "lowly freshman". Without TV and movies we played "Hide and Seek," "Kick the Can," and "Run, Sheep, Run" under the street lights at night. Saturday matinees were a big thrill with the continued adventures of Tarzan or our Cowboy heroes." - adapted from "A History of Washakie County"