William Lewis Pitcher was a long-time office of Fort D. A. Russell, having first been stationed at the post in 1872 as a Second Lieutenant of Company F of the United States 8th Infantry Regiment, later being promoted to the rank of Captain. Pitcher was popular in Cheyenne social circles and was described as a “dashing” soldier. Respected in the community and resolute in his duties, General Van Horn placed Pitcher in command of Fort Russell while the general was away on maneuvers in August 1897. Pitcher was the officer approached by the first Frontier Committee to see if the Army would join in the first Cheyenne Frontier Days™ celebration. Pitcher wholeheartedly backed their efforts and promised that the 8th Infantry would be present to do a demonstration camp, skirmish drills, and a sham battle after the rodeo to entertain guests. He did not seek permission from his superiors to use the Army’s assets to support the first Frontier Day, but as the commanding officer in charge, he spared no effort to help the community make the event into something grand.
Shortly before the celebration commenced, the War Department announced that a detachment of soldiers was ordered to St. Michael’s, Alaska to oversee difficulties with the Klondike Gold Rush. Captain Pitcher was mentioned by name to join the expedition and the Committee and others in the community feared that he would not be present to help with the celebration. Fortunately, the detachment left without him and the 8th Infantry, led by Pitcher, performed brilliantly in support of the festivities. After the first Frontier Day concluded, the editors of the Cheyenne Weekly Sun sang his praises and gave Pitcher credit for the Army’s contribution. The first Frontier Committee dressed in their finest tuxedos and rode out to Fort Russell, arriving in a landau and another wagon pulled by steers as a joke. They offered a personal “thank you” to Pitcher for his actions which spared no effort in helping make the first Frontier Day a success. The jovial occasion of the Committee’s “thank you” has been preserved as one of only surviving and best-known photographs to be taken during the first Frontier Day.
In the very next year, the Army offered its support for the city with a unit of artillery riding in the CFD parade. Unfortunately, Captain Pitcher and the US 8th Infantry were not present as they were detached as part of the occupying forces in Puerto Rico during the Spanish American War. Fate would keep the 8th Infantry and Captain Pitcher from ever returning to Cheyenne as both were reassigned elsewhere. Pitcher eventually attained the rank of Major in the US 4th Infantry and spent several years in the Philippines, on the border of Texas defending against Pancho Villa, and on the Western Front during World War I. He died on October 24, 1930 and is buried alongside his father in Arlington National Cemetery.
From his early contribution, Major William L. Pitcher exemplified the spirit of community between Cheyenne and the soldiers of Fort D.A. Russell. Since the initial support to CFD that Pitcher and the 8th Infantry contributed, the involvement of the United States Military in CFD has only continued to grow. Today, Cheyenne Frontier Days™ would not be complete without the contributions of all branches of the Armed Services, the continuing legacy of Pitcher’s 1897 decision.