The multifarious requirements of American life, especially among the yet untamed condi-tions of the great Northwest, afford opportuni-ties to every class and character of human en-terprise and usefulness, and open to women of progressive and resolute spirit as many doors to profitable activity as to men. Among the members of the fair sex who are entitled to special mention as influential and productive elements in the civilization and development of this section, none has shown greater resource-fulness and self-reliance or achieved more substantial and continuous success than Mrs. Emma M. (Armstrong) Dudley, now of Davis Ranch, Laramie county, Wyo. She was born in Ot-sego county, N. Y., on December 23, 1839, a daughter of William and Eunice (Gibson) Armstrong, also natives of the Empire state. Her father was a stonemason by trade, a member of the Masonic fraternity and in 1849 he removed his family to Wakeman, Ohio, and there followed his craft profitably until his death in June, 1893, at the age of ninety-nine years. His wife died in 1884, aged eighty-four. Mrs. Dudley was educated in the schools at Wakeman, Ohio, remaining there until her marriage on October 3, 1858, to Joseph Dereemer at Norwalk, Ohio, who was a native of the state and a prosperous farmer. She and her husband removed to Cali-fornia in 1863, where, after three years of mining and other pursuits her husband died, his widow then returning to her Ohio home, where she remained until 1871, when she came to Wyoming and took up a ranch on Horse Creek near her present location and engaged in cattle raising. In 1887 she sold her ranch and passed five years in Ohio, educating, her daughter, Lillie Lathan, the child of a second marriage, who attended schools at Wakeman and Norwalk. During her stay in Ohio at this time Mrs. Dudley’s, father died, and in September, 1893, she returned to Wyoming and the next year took up her present ranch on Horse Creek, thirty--three miles north of Cheyenne, on which she has since resided, being busily occupied in her growing cattle industry, building it up from an unpretentious beginning to very gratifying proportions. She gives her personal attention to every detail of the business and with rare ca-pacity and shrewdness pushes it to successful issues in every way. Her cattle are of high grade and have a rank in the markets second to none. By her marriage to Mr. Dereemer she had one child, Charles A. Dereemer. Her union with Daniel S. Lathan occurred at Chey-enne on March 27, 1871. They had one child, as has been noted. Lillian E. Lathan, now the wife of Charlie Bliss, of Cheyenne, and the marriage of Mrs. Lathan to William G. Dud-ley took place at Cheyenne on January 19, 1888. Mrs. Dudley is a member of the Christian church, active in the charities and other good words conducted under its inspiration and super-vision. She was one of the early settlers on Horse Creek and braved the fury of savage men and inhospitable elements, having much trouble and many exciting experiences with the Indians and seeing weather at times which required the utmost fortitude and endurance. For a time her nearest neighbors were twenty-five miles distant and self-reliance was one of the daily and hourly necessities of the situation.
