Mike Lilly's Catch of the day August
1995.
We owe this splendid wilderness fishery
to Finis Mitchell !
1. FINIS MITCHELL (U. S. Senate minutes - March
17, 1997)
Finis Mitchell was born on November 14, 1901 in Ethel, Missouri, the son of the late
Henry Reece and Faye Troutman Mitchell. He traveled with his parents from Missouri to
Wyoming's Wind River Range, arriving on April 26, 1906.
Finis Mitchell started mountain climbing back in October, 1909. He continued solo
climbing until 1975 when at the age of 73, he suffered a debilitating fall that left him
with a bad knee.
Finis Mitchell began taking pictures as a hobby with his climbing, so that he could
show people where he had been and what was in our national forests. By the time he stopped
climbing he had accumulated a collection of 35mm slides in excess of 126,000. Finis spent
most of his free time exploring the Wind Rivers, capturing their beauty on film, naming
lakes, and mapping the terrain.
Finis Mitchell and Emma Nelson were married in Rock Springs at the Congregational
Church on June 4, 1925. The two pioneers, in 1930, started Mitchell's Fishing Camp at the
Big Sandy Openings, which was to become the first recreation area on the Pacific side of
the Wind River Range. Due to the lack of fish, Finis and Emma transported fish in five
gallon milk cans, twelve at a time using six pack horses. In the seven years that they
operated their fishing camp, they stocked over 300 lakes with over 2.5 million little
trout, all free for the public to enjoy.
Finis Mitchell had been the recipient of many awards and honors for his conservation
efforts by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Forest Service and
several presidents. He served in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 1955-1958. In
1975 Finis published a guidebook to the Wind Rivers, Wind River Trails. In 1977 he
received an honorary doctorate from the University of Wyoming. The Congress of the United
States named Finis' favorite mountain after him. Mitchell Peak at 12,482 feet, is one of a
very few land forms in the country that was named after a living American.
Finis Mitchell passed away November 13, 1995, the day
before his 94th birthday.
Finis Mitchell Links
Mt Mitchell
Gannett Peak Links
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