Jefferson Glass

Jefferson Glass lives in Evansville, Wyo. and has written several articles on Casper area figures and sites published in Annals of Wyoming in years past. His greatest historical composition to date is The Life and Times of John Baptiste Richard, published in 2014 by High Plains Press, Glendo, Wyo.

John Richard’s bridge across the North Platte River near present Casper, Wyo. eased the way for thousands of those who traveled the Oregon, California and Mormon trails during the years 1852-1866. Because Richard spoke with a French accent, many people thought his name was Reshaw and began referring to the bridge as Reshaw’s Bridge. A number of diarists, including world traveler Sir Richard Burton, recorded their experiences and descriptions of the bridge and the mixed-race community that thrived at the nearby trading post.