Evanston Wyoming: Boom–Bust–Politics, is a story about an old Union Pacific railroad tent city, once called “Hell on Wheels,” that eventually grew to become an amazing community in southwestern Wyoming, and about one man’s experience as a city official. Evanston survived and thrived through many boom and bust cycles by having a good strong base of loving, committed citizens.
Izzard Ink partnered with Mayor Ottley to shape decades of writing, local records, and personal reflection into a finished five-volume memoir—complete with art logs, photo touch-ups, and end-to-end production—so he could see his life’s work preserved in print for his community. We also produced the press release and packaged the series with a cover designer credited on multiple #1 New York Times bestsellers.
Evanston, Wyoming began as a railroad “Hell on Wheels” tent city in 1868—and by the late twentieth century it was still a place where the future could change on a single council vote.
In Volume One of Evanston, Wyoming (1967–1995), Dennis J. Ottley tells the story of his town—and his own civic coming-of-age—through the decisions most people never see. In 1966, he ran for city council and won, “the beginning of my political life.” Years later, as he prepares to run for mayor, a sitting mayor tells him flat-out: “you would make a damn good mayor.”
What follows is a candid, lived-in portrait of small-town leadership during boom-and-bust years—where the headline issues aren’t abstract, they’re urgent: budgets that must balance, water that must be rationed, and the everyday tradeoffs that determine whether a community holds together.
Told “in the eyes of a Mayor,” this memoir is for anyone who’s ever loved a place enough to fight for it—and wants to know how American towns really survive.
Category: Memoir
Release date: January 28, 2019
Page size: 6″ x 9″
Word count: 79,318
Estimated page count: 230
Born January 28, 1932 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Dennis ended up in Evanston, Wyoming. He quit high school and joined the 141st Tank Battalion of the Wyoming National Guard. When the Korean War started in 1950, his unit was called to active duty in September, but he and his wife, Sandy got married on July 26, 1950 before he left for active duty, and to serve in Korea. Dennis and Sandy settled in Evanston, where he served three 4-year terms as a member of the Evanston city council and three 4-year terms as mayor. Dennis retired at the age of 81 from his real estate agency, and after raising four sons and over 68 years of marriage, he and his wife Sandy still reside in Evanston.
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