Formed in 1928
The Sublette County Artists’ Guild, originally called the Writer's Club, was organized in 1928 by six ranch women in Sublette County, Wyoming, who had a common desire for self-expression and good company. The only requirement was that each member must present something original at each meeting. The women reached their meetings at homes and ranches in the area by slow travel on very poor roads, necessitating a long tradition of convening only in the summer. Some members created original drawings and paintings, while others wrote poetry, short stories, histories, and reminiscences, producing a trove of imaginative work and first-hand accounts of early Sublette County life.

Founding members were:
Lora Neal Jewett
Josephine Jons Jones
Marie Meyer
Mary Solon Murdock
Louise McCabe Rathbun
May McAlister Sommers

Soon, more women joined, and since that time the group has included between 18 and 24 members.

The Sublette County Artists’ Guild’s first publications were "Collection of Poems" (1936), followed by "Carvings on the Aspens" (1956). These volumes set a precedent for the books published by the group since. They collect historical facts, record portraits of people and places, and capture memories that are swiftly fading.
Today, copies of the first editions are difficult to find and have risen in value beyond the reach of most readers. In 2004, in celebration of its 75th Anniversary, the Sublette County Artists' Guild published a new book that combined and reprinted it first two publications with a supplemental section of historic and present-day photographs: "Carvings on the Aspens and Collection of Poems."

"Carvings on the Aspens and Collection of Poems" is sold at these local retailers:
Office Outlet in Pinedale (307-367-6763)
Office Outlet in Big Piney (307-276-5250)
The Cowboy Shop (307-367-4300)
Museum of the Mountain Man (307-367-4101)
Green River Valley Museum (307-276-5343)

Other Books by the Sublette County Artists' Guild:
(All titles out of print)
Tales of the Seeds-Ke-Dee (1963)
Pouch of Possibles (1969)
More Tales of the Seeds-Ke-Dee (1976)
Historical Lore of Wyoming's Green River Valley (1983)
Seeds-Ke-Dee Reflections: Historical Lore of Wyoming's Green River Valley (1983)
Seeds-Ke-Dee Revisted: Land of Blue Granite and Silver Sage (1998)

All words and images copyrighted by Sublette County Artists’ Guild and creators of the works. Used with permission of the writers and artists.

Selected writings by Guild Members

August 15, 2019: "TO A WILD CANARY"
by Marie Meyer, 1969
Poem
Sublette County Artists’ Guild (1969). A Pouch of Possibles

May 28, 2019: "Seek Beauty"
by Madge McHugh funk,
Poem

March 2, 2019: "Sublette County - - Then or Now"
by Frances D. Clark, June, 1982
Remanences of early times in Sublette County, Wyoming

February 7, 2019: "Time Flies"
by Caryn Murdock Bing, Sept. 1996
Describes the origins and mission of the group in 1928 and what some of its early meetings were like.
Caryn’s mother, Mary Annette Murdock, was one of the Guild’s founding members.