Bryant Butler Brooks (1861-1944), was born in Bernardston, Franklin County, Massachusetts, the son of Silas Newton Brooks and Melissa Burrows. He was educated in Chicago but soon moved westward to become a cowboy and trapper. He bought land in Natrona County, Wyoming, establishing what would become the largest ranch in the State. He served as Governor of Wyoming 1904-1911. In later years, his investments ranged from oil and gas in the western states to timber in Mexico and schooners in Maine.