I know it is real. The Hartley story didn't come out publicly until my parents (who wrote the book in the year after the bombing) began asking questions about this kind of thing. Because they refused to participate, Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime. Sue Castaneda: Did you look at (unintelligible). 10 Years Later, Cokeville Just Says: Let Us Be The woman who died with her husband as they held an elementary school hostage with a gasoline bomb last week was not killed by the . Mark Junge: Today is the 23rd of September, 2010. The subsequent police report states that David opened the door from the connecting bathroom, shot his injured wife in the head and killed her,[9] shot and wounded John Miller, a music teacher who was trying to flee, then closed the bathroom door and killed himself with a shot from a .45 pistol to the head. Wyoming has a lot of money as far as the state is concerned. I received a telephone call from my dispatcher informing me that an incident had taken place up in Cokeville and they were requesting me to drive to Cokeville for assistance. I'm not saying all of 'em were bombs, but why did God cut out Cokeville and say nobody's going to get hurt in this? 2 Recreation Board, Indigenous People in Wyoming and the West, http://news.google.com/newspapers/p/deseret_news?id=nz1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4165,3587249&dq=cokeville+bombing&hl=en, http://archive.org/details/SurvivorIsMyName-VoicesOfTheCokevilleElementarySchoolBombing, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udNB_xdPiYE, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=mz1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6656,2193766&dq=cokeville+trying+to+rebuild&hl=en, http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=oD1TAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BYQDAAAAIBAJ&dq=cokeville&pg=7027%2C3851642, http://wyospcr.state.wy.us/MultiMedia/Display.aspx?ID=86&icon=1, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1928&dat=19870529&id=-AogAAAAIBAJ&sjid=c2UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1067,6238243, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1499&dat=19870521&id=w4sfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zH4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4596,6209063, https://www.deseret.com/2006/5/15/19953524/cokeville-recollects-miracle-of-1986, http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_18072820, http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/article%E2%80%943077bf4a-a45e-5dad-ae3a-a99aa8fcf3aa.html, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19960515&id=Ke5LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fuwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5227,9406392, http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19940404&id=GoQwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=iuwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2778,1992787, http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705372484/Cokeville-miracle-marking-25-years.html, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe_ZX4Qbsi4, Emergency Management Coordinator Kathy Davison on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, EMT Glenna Walker, Mother of Three Young Children, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Public Works Director and Fireman Kevin Walker, Father of Three Young Children, on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Certified Bomb Technician Rich Haskell on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Secretary Tina Cook on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Second grade teacher Carol Petersen on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Rachel Walker Hollibaugh on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Third grade student Jamie Buckley King on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade teacher Kliss Sparks on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Fourth grade student LeaKae Roberts on the 1986 Bombing of Cokeville Elementary School, Law and Order in Cokeville: A Woman Mayor and Prohibition, Green River Historic Preservation Commission, Natrona County Board of Cooperative Educational Services, Natrona County Recreation Joint Powers Board, Sublette County Historical Preservation Board, University of Wyoming School of Energy Resources, A Projectile Killed Doris Young, Not Bomb Blast, Police in Cokeville Say., Castaneda, Sue and Mark Junge. The first chapter is titled A Town of Trust.. I never did get to see that untilI think it was two days lateractually what they had taken as far as the paperwork was concerned. David emerged from the bathroom to find his wife in excruciating pain. Sept. 21, 2010. Mark Junge: In fact, didn't you say you burned up your engine? Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. To my right is Sue Castaneda who is the Wyoming Oral History Project Director, and across the table from me is Rich Haskell, who is a certified bomb technician. Rich Haskell: I'm Rich Haskell. Totally destroyed it! He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. The basket, the shelves. ITT: people who want to pick a fight with someone who survived an incredible experience. The Cokeville Miracle. When faith bears a miracle. - Medium Ten Killed in Kopper'S Blast and Fire in Kearney I called back to my dispatcher and they did inform me that the school in Cokeville was being held hostage by two individuals and there was bombs involved. I guess I should say I am only speaking as a child, the adults were probably tense the entire time! Either way, right after my joke is about when David excused himself from the room. Teachers were confused and baffled by Young's nonsensical, strange writing. The kids couldn't have done it. The Hilton Garden Suites in Laramie, Wyo. When I looked up to see if David had heard me (which he had, and scowled down at me) I noticed that the florescent white light overhead was not white, but a yellow hazy light. This is actually the first time I have heard of this. It would have killed them. Throughout the standoff, David grew increasingly agitated and irritable. In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. Rich Haskell: Well, run fordo another term as sheriff and then retire, and my wife and I are going to doshe loves genealogy. Rich Haskell: Uh, I can understand that. Don't go past this square. People who had guns! With the explosionwhat occurred? And that's what we in this country have that these other fanatics or whatever is the family is the import factor. On May the 16th , 1986, 1 was in Rock Springs at a basketball game. But David refused to reveal his plans entirely until moments before they unfolded. I'd like to think so. Mark Junge: And what happened? the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. Details: At 1:20pm on Friday, May 16, 1986, forty-three-year-old David Young and his forty-seven-year-old wife, Doris, wheeled a shopping cart containing a homemade gasoline-filled bomb into Cokeville Elementary School in Cokeville, Wyoming, just after the lunch hour recess. It is a touchy topic for us, and could come across the wrong way. Below the jug in the bottom basket were two tuna fish cans filled with a mixture of aluminum powder and flour meant to aerosolize and deflagrate following detonation, each with its own blasting cap. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville Elementary School Published: November 8, 2014 Janel Dayton, Wyoming State Archives photo. TC, I think, saw it the same way. The children and adults escaped after the bomb exploded. The Cokeville Town Hall is located at 110 Pine St. For more information, visit the website of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce at http://www.cokevillewy.com or call (307) 459-4195. My name is Kamron Wixom, I was a 12 year old 6th grader in 1986 when a mad man took over my school (Cokeville Elementary) with a bomb and his guns. Where to watch cokeville miracle? Explained by Sharing Culture On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young entered Cokeville Elementary School with a gasoline bomb, a variety of rifles and handguns, David's philosophical writings and demands for $300 million in ransom. Survivors began to tell their stories through a spiritual lens. I can understand that. You know this is going to sound morbid, but I always thought if the Muslims, the radical Muslims were smart, they would take their jihad to local communities because that would scare the hell out of 'em like it did in Cokeville. Trent Toone, Mormon Times. There are some survivors that couldn't believe how accurate much of it was. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. Audio/Video Recording. Whenever they would come to Wyoming I would be part of their security team. But it didn't. In most cases I have deleted redundant ands, ers, uhs, buts, false starts, etc. During the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis. [5], "You could see that the roof tiles had been lifted out of their brackets. Best Episode | Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode - Facebook To go off to the side? For instance, The Cokeville Miracle Foundations 2005 book Witness to Miracles: Remembering the Cokeville Elementary School Bombing and the Wyoming State Archives oral history project called Survivor is My Name both focused on the reconstructing of this narrative as a miracle instead of a tragedy. Interview by Mark Junge. Then, several years later, Jennie Sorensen identified what she thought was a teacher who led her out of the building after the blast. This did, in fact, happen in Wyoming! So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. I contacted my sheriff, and that was Jim Stark at the time, and he said, "Definitely! cokeville bombing | WyoHistory.org I believe a presence was entering the room at about that time. I mean, okay, you lose the Twin Towers, you might get the Pentagon damaged, but if somebody's town hall or school is blown up in Star Valley [Wyo.] Carbon County School District No. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. The device was set up on afor lack of a better word, I call it a shopping cart. What stands out in your mind the most, looking back? Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. David and Doris Young took 167 hostages (150 children, 17 adults and one unlucky UPS driver) at the elementary school. You have to think about what you're doing right at that particular time so you can stay focused on what you have to deal with. "The sadness that comes with the death of an 8-year-old, you can . Cokeville Elementary School Bombing | WyoHistory.org Used with thanks. You just do whatever you have to do and get up there." Certified Bomb Technician. The two brought in a bomb attached to themselves with a lanyard. They had written the manuscript, ready for publication, when the Walkers contacted them as family friends and said you may want to come ask our daughters some questions. It's made me, I think, more open-minded to things and don't take so much for granted anymore. It's a little basket that has different layers on it. And, then, shortly after 4 p.m., the bomb exploded. The Chicago Tylenol Murders of 1982 - Kottke.org Edit: Also, were you at that early screening? I actually have a pretty clear memory of the events that day, being 12 years old. Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? [5][10][8], When the bomb detonated, the majority of the explosive force was channeled through loose ceiling tiles into the roof, and open windows acting as vents. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." Cokeville Bombing - Wyoming ", All told, 79 of the hostages suffered injuries, mostly second-degree burns, smoke inhalation, and other injuries from the exploding bomb. This can, the aluminum powder, never went off. Rich Haskell: If it would have went off like it was supposed to have gone off, it would have lifted the roof off of that school. They had to come and get my car and get me another one. They messed with the kids and that brought a whole communityin fact, it brought the whole western half of the state all together. So I went to Huntsville, Ala., to Redstone Arsenal. She is a beautiful example of turning tragedy into triumph. I actually created a website knowing that people would wonder what was real and what wasn't. I didn't touch the body at all. Rich Haskell: Yes, absolutely. Lota, Louinn. These are designed to just spread out the particles all over the air. WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. They attempted to crowd 154 people into one of the two first grade classrooms, a room with a total capacity of 30 students and a teacher. I don't know what. What should people know going into the film? Kind of a synopsis of what they were going to do and what their plans were and the whole thing. I think it was still in his body. And knew what they could do? What did you find out about them? Rich Haskell: Yeah, I think I did. Mark Junge: And you know, in Sue and I's conversation with these dozen people we've talked to now, seems like they also feel the same way you do. Couple in School Blast Linked to Extremist Group He used to work in Cokeville. You can see what's happening in the world today. Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. Mark Junge: They weren't big enough, in a way. As long as that piece of wood was in there to keep those separated, it would not detonate. The windows had been knocked outhad been blown out. She was a divorce who earned money working as a waitress and singer in a local bar. You HAVE to find the positives or the negatives can eat you up the rest of your life. But he knew the culture, he knew the type of people, and I'm not sayin' that Mormon people are better than anybody else, but their way of life is family is first. Doris had a migraine headache that day, in talking with the other folks, and she was complaining about that, and asked David if she could open the windows because the gas fumesevidently the gas was leaking from the incendiary and he finally consented to let 'em open the window. David became increasingly agitated, and decided to leave the room. When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Cokeville Elementary School is located at 205 N. Sage St. in Cokeville. Rich Haskell: Absolutely! Because it was sittin' low enough and the kids were low enough that it would have done it. I did not have to imagine how God would move that day when I said my little prayer just hours before, I simply knew he would. Transcriber's notes: I have added some reference footnotes to this transcript where I thought appropriate. According to survivor accounts, Doris enticed many into the first grade room by announcing that their presence was required for a school assembly. Bomber's body removed - Billings Gazette When were you satisfied that there were no more bombs? I was one of 154 survivors in the Cokeville bombing, ask me - Reddit It was perfect! I don't know. Cokeville Bombing - Wyoming Edit: Thank you so much for your questions! Seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide. She lifted her hand up to rub her forehead and when she did that pulled the pin out and detonated the bomb. As I got closer to it I could tell it was a body, and of course, you just start thinking about what took place. Mark Junge: Did you find the bullet that killed him, too? He still needed to tell it to his parents though, and that's basically what you see in the movie. David Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. Everything was blackened. Yeah. That's my lucky miracle. Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. In the movie, it shows the tension building towards the prayer and then shortly after the bomb went off. Rich Haskell: There was also ayou look through the ceiling and there was a bigger hole up there. May 12, 2011, 2:30am PDT. That your life could change just at a blink of an eye. Sue Castaneda: Which is the son who is also running for sheriff? The Cokeville Town Hall is located at 110 Pine St. For more information, visit the website of the Cokeville Chamber of Commerce at http://www.cokevillewy.com or call (307) 459-4195. Well, after interviewing some of the people, what had happened, the bombDavid Young had set the bomb to have what they call a dead-man switch. I gathered up some of the equipment that I would need and a change of clothes and proceeded to Cokeville. Talking To Cokeville Survivor - LDS Blogs I said, "What on earth happened there?" Because of the experience and the different classes that I've attended, I know what bombs do to people, to buildings and to all kinds of structures. On May 16, 1986, when former town marshal David Gary Young and his wife Doris Young took 154 children and thirteen teachers hostage at Cokeville Elementary school in Wyoming and kept them at bay with a shopping-cart sized bomb attached to five hairpin-trigger blast caps, it should have ended in great tragedy - one of the worst in American history. Rich Haskell: No. I believe there was a hundred-and-sixty-plus people involved that was being held. No. And if I had been a little less of a jokester I may have seen something in that strange light. If I deleted an entire phrase, I have inserted ellipses . This narrative was perpetuated in many publications and productions. . Rich Haskell: Yes, there was a briefcase in the hallway, and we were toldbefore I had gotten there they had gotten papers from his daughter. Located in Lincoln County and nestled between the towns of Star Valley and Kemmerer on the Wyoming-Idaho border, Cokeville, many residents believed, was a safe place to rear children. I did open that briefcase remotely like I was taught in school to do. After being fired for misconduct, he moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he married Doris Young. No, we can't do this. 25 years after school bombing, Wyoming town remembers story of survival That dead-man switch is a piece of string that goes around your wrist and it's hooked into a clothespin, the other end of it. Flipboard. Encircled it. I cannot explain it! During my years here in Wyoming I have refereed both basketball and football on the high school and the junior high school level, and I was watching the ball game at that time. I think I made it there in record timeI'm not sure. Mark Junge: Do you think you've taken more joy out of life because of it? [10][2][3] The injured were triaged to several area hospitals in Wyoming and Idaho.[2][3][11]. Rich Haskell: Oh my goodness! Mark Junge: Well, what do you think would cause two people like this to do this? In the meantime, David and Doris Young gathered children, teachers, staff and visitors in the elementary school into one central location. Rich Haskell: Approximately three and a half days. Mark Junge: Do you think you were cut out to do this job? A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. Rich Haskell: Well, after I arrived it took probably three to four hours to make sure everything was neutral and everything was not going to be a threat any longer. Well, when I arrived at Cokeville, of course they had the roads all blocked off and there was not a lot of people around the school at the time. She is a trained rural historian who specializes in oral history, childhood history and memory studies. She was a total torch! You could walk across the street and get run over as far as that's concerned, but I don't know if my wife has any more gray hairs because I've chosen this profession. Rich Haskell: I took pictures of it. The wire was cut. The Cokeville Miracle - The American Tragedy That Never Happened Rich Haskell: There was a reason I was there for some reason. Trauma is trauma and everyone deals with it differently. Well, you know how fine that dust is. Dr. Clark is the faculty advisor of the Sweet Memories: Research Group at Western. On May 16, 1986, David and Doris Young took 154 people hostage at the Cokeville Elementary School in tiny Cokeville, Wyo. What is the LDS population of the town and how big was your school? And the bathroom was off to the side of it because it was the kindergarten class. Cokeville Bombing: Two Powell residents reflect on 1986 tragic event They're the ones that died from the whole thing. TC is one of my heroes. Couple Take Over School But Die After Bomb Blast I mean, what it was supposed to do? Following the explosion, 79 children were taken to area hospitals, most of which were located more than an hours drive from Cokeville, for treatment for burns and smoke inhalation.