Edit: Also, were you at that early screening? Rich Haskell: Well, I didn't know a lot about 'em and I still don't know a lot about 'em. [7][5] The reason for the wire cuts are so far unexplained. [4], Prior to the hostage crisis, David had tested a similar bomb in a sealed school bus in Arizona, destroying it.[5]. I think it was still in his body. The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis occurred on May 16, 1986, in Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young 44, and his wife Doris Young 47, took 136 children and 18 adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School . Princess, Deppe, and Mendenhall were never charged in relation to this crime because of their refusal to participate.[6]. And he didn't even ask me if I wanted to do that. What did you find out about them? I guess I should say I am only speaking as a child, the adults were probably tense the entire time! David became increasingly agitated, and decided to leave the room. On May 16, 1986, when former town marshal David Gary Young and his wife Doris Young took 154 children and 13 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. He used to work in Cokeville. 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. 10 Years Later, Cokeville Just Says: Let Us Be The story was also featured on Unsolved Mysteries, Unexplained Mysteries, and I Survived A movie about the incident, The Cokeville Miracle, was made by filmmaker T. C. Christensen and released on June 5, 2015. People who had guns! Well, you know how fine that dust is. I knew fairly quickly that he would be the best chance we had at this. Interesting stuff to me! While he was writing his philosophy, Zero Equals Infinity, Doris took part-time jobs including housekeeping and waitressing to support their meager lifestyle. Used with thanks. When were you satisfied that there were no more bombs? [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. Several other survivors were there. 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 He instructed Doris and Princess, by now a young adult, to handcuff them inside his van. Rich Haskell: Well, I like to think I'm a better person because of it. Windows were opened to rid the room of gasoline fumes, and prayers were offered in small groups among the children. 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. Shortly after their wedding, David and Doris left Cokeville and headed to Tucson, Ariz. During their time in Tucson, according to Doris daughter Bernie Petersen, David became increasingly reclusive, focusing on his philosophical readings and writings. He hadn't had anything to eat and she finally convinced him to get something to eat, and he let her be in charge of that bomb. You know their names but not their birthdays. COKEVILLE, Wyo. The man and woman who took an elementary school here hostage Friday, injuring 70 children when their homemade gasoline bomb exploded, had ties to the Posse Comitatus and other white supremacist. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. I did see the lighting had changed in the room, and it was right in the same timeline as everyone else's witness. Words emphasized by the speaker are italicized.~Transcribed by Russ Sherwin, Feb. 27, 2011. 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. Seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide. David and Doris both returned to Cokeville on May 16, 1986. Rich Haskell: I'm Rich Haskell. Cokeville had so little crime that many folks didn't bother to lock their doors. Although many were burned, some severely, only the perpetrators of this horrible incident died. Debbie Sparks and Steven Moore, both EMTs, discuss on May 9 the elementary school bombing. You know something about bombs. You HAVE to find the positives or the negatives can eat you up the rest of your life. Mark Junge: This bomb was designed to do what? I think you should know that it can be difficult to watch - but that it has a very rewarding outcome. First grade teacher Janel Dayton on the 1986 bombing of Cokeville P. O. Twenty-five years ago on Monday, a man and his wife pushed a homemade gasoline bomb into Cokeville's sole elementary school and demanded $300 million in ransom. ", About 2 1/2 hours into the standoff, David transferred the triggering mechanism of the bomb to Doris' wrist, and went to a small bathroom that connected the first and second grade rooms. After a stand-off lasting two and a half hours, the gasoline bomb the couple had brought into the school went off prematurely, badly burning Doris Young while David Young was out of the room. But I walked up to the window and looked inside the window and didn't hardly see anything out of the ordinary except it was all black inside. Meanwhile, police and parents gathered out of sight of the school room where hostages were gathered. They increasingly spoke about their memories in public with professional psychologists, church officials and community counselors. Vengeance for having been fired did not seem to have been the motive, but rather a philosophy recorded in journal entries referring to a Brave New World where he wanted to reign over intelligent children. Young was a former Cokeville town marshal who had been living in Arizona for several years. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. Rich Haskell: Well, you know, that's a really good question. I have no doubt about my friends witness testimonies - even though I saw or heard nothing such as they did. Chaos ensued. Mark Junge: Where at? At 1:00 pm, they pulled up to the Cokeville Elementary School and unloaded a gasoline bomb, along with four rifles and nine handguns. 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. Interview by Mark Junge. The Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis occurred on Friday, May 16, 1986 in Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young, 43, and his wife Doris Young, 47, [1] took 136 children and 18 adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. But I know that, well, I'll just be quite frank. This allowed gasoline to drip into the tuna fish cans, turning the aluminum-flour mixture into paste, unable to aerosolize. The only thing I bristle at is that TC has me suggesting that we say a prayer. [5] The wooden piece was tied to Doris' wrist by a string. 2 Recreation Board, Indigenous People in Wyoming and the West, 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, Lead Investigator Ron Hartley, Father of Four Student Survivors, 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, 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, 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, Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. 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. Wyoming Town Still Healing a Year After School Bombing., Schoolhouse Blast Still Felt a Year Later., Survivor is My Name: Cokeville Elementary School Bombing1986 News Report Audio. Audio Recording. Carbon County School District No. Rich Haskell: Well, I did learn later that the kids saw the angels. It has shaped me to know that God is real. And he had to defuse bombs. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. He demanded a ransom of two million dollars per hostage ($308 million, $720 million adjusted for inflation), and an audience with President Ronald Reagan. 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. 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. The tuna fish cans, if you can imagine, here's two tuna fish cans sittin' here like this, and a gallon jug of gasoline sittin' above it. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. May 16, 1986, will never be forgotten by the residents of Cokeville, Wyo. I can't explain it. For me, what has impressed me about the film is not necessarily the story of Angels (which are remarkable), but that the majority of the 154 hostages chose to see God's hand in their lives that day. 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. David saw John Miller, the music teacher, trying to escape and shot him in the back. The incident was detailed in the book The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene[12] by Hartt Wixom and his wife Judene, published by Cedar Fort, Inc., which formed the basis for a CBS made-for-TV movie titled To Save the Children. (before I see Hollywood's version). Now, 28 years later, Conger and more than a dozen other survivors are reliving . They lived in a mobile home with Princess, Davids youngest daughter from his first marriage. Mark Junge: And you're sheriff in Sweetwater? Mark Junge: Had you seen anything like what took place in this classroom before? Survivors shared their stories with each other, investigators, family members, and hospital personnel. 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. Mark Junge: But all of these holes were above the level of the children. In 1986, 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. I do think the key is talking about it often and early. "Move!" At about 9:30 a.m., the bomb disposal squad used a robotic device to shoot out the end caps of the device, remove the . There are several great resources out there. Cokeville Children Held Hostage by Bomber., Cokeville Elementary School Bombing: 25-Years Later. Accessed May 17, 2013, at, Fagg, Ellen. Jessica Clark, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of history and political science at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs, Wyo. Some of them believed the assembly was about weapons; others began realizing something was seriously wrong. It'sI'm still doing that kind of thing because whenever they hold General Conference in Salt Lake City I go to Salt Lake City to be part of the bomb team for the church while they have General Conference. You start messing with the kids, now you're going to have yourself a war. His fever broke within minutes of getting it off his chest. On May 16, 1986, a man and his wife with a bomb took . At that time, about 500 people lived in Cokeville, and there were slightly more than 100 students attending the elementary school. Returning, David Young shot his wife, then himself. AP file. the children began describing things more specifically and that is when the mom was prompted to find the photograph of their grandmother. Oral histories, memoirs and drawings began to reveal a narrative of fortune rather than misfortune. Rich Haskell: No, I don't think it exited. Survivors began to tell their stories through a spiritual lens. #TodayInHistory: Today in 1986, The Cokeville Elementary School crises happened. Meanwhile, Doris went from classroom to classroom, luring 136 children, six faculty, nine teachers, and three other adults, including a job applicant and a UPS driver, into a first-grade classroom for a total of 154 hostages. David Young had initially planned to involve longtime friends Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who had invested money with him in a get-rich-quick scheme that he had called "The Biggie. 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. I believe a presence was entering the room at about that time. I later learned he'd been shot in the back. Parentheses ( ) are used for incidental non-verbal sounds, like laughter. Cokeville seems like a pretty small town. Amy Bagaso Williams was a fifth-grader when a couple used a bomb while taking hostages at her Wyoming school on May 16, 1986. who wins student body president riverdale. I contacted my sheriff, and that was Jim Stark at the time, and he said, "Definitely! When the children became increasingly loud, Doris Young began begging the teachers to settle the group down. Mark Junge: Well, yes. I had just cracked a little joke with a toy tank of legos as I drove it "across the death line" or the masking tape square on the floor. There was nobody killed but the perpetrators. Today In History: The Cokeville Elementary School Bombing Press J to jump to the feed. Rich Haskell: Well, by none of the kids bein' hurt that was supposed to be hurt. And that's what we in this country have that these other fanatics or whatever is the family is the import factor. So if it can happen there it can happen anywhere in the United States. It was in their Tucson home that David came up with what he considered the Biggie, a plan to get rich quick and create a Brave New World. This plan involved Davids longtime friends, Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall, who believed by investing in Davids scheme they would get rich. Transcriber's notes: I have added some reference footnotes to this transcript where I thought appropriate. He still needed to tell it to his parents though, and that's basically what you see in the movie. Rich Haskell: Yeah, I think I did. She was totally burned. Many of the children who stated they saw angels were of various faiths. It was not a teacher, but her ancestor. Totally destroyed it! Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Cheyenne. Two of the three blasting caps on the bomb failed to detonate; the wires to each tuna can had been reportedly cut. He had just big rings of perspiration. Reporters from all the regional news outlets were on the scene by the time of the explosion or shortly thereafter. Then he went to the restroom, which was attached to the classroom. I gathered up some of the equipment that I would need and a change of clothes and proceeded to Cokeville. The Youngs both died that day. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. And we allthere was three of us there. Now this is just for my own information and it doesn't have anything to do with this case, but whenever I read about a bomb threat in the paper, I think to myself, "Oh, no! One of the miracles that day was that not a single person was lost. Ten Killed in Kopper'S Blast and Fire in Kearney 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. In a May 16, 1986 photo, the body of Doris Young is removed by officials after the Cokeville Elementary hostage situation in Cokeville, Wyo. Rich Haskell: I don't think that they were planningor David was planning on the ceiling tiles in the school. Once all the hostages were contained in the first grade classroom, David Young informed them that they were leading a revolution and distributed copies of his philosophy Zero Equals Infinity to everyone present. When Columbine took place, it was such a big deal, and I mentioned to a couple people, "You know, Columbine wasn't the first school to have anything happen." For more information about our sponsors and the people behind WyoHistory.org, visit our About Us page: Hostage crisis at the elementary school in Cokeville, Wyo. Others miracles were reported and some of those are recorded in this compilation.." The Cokeville Miracle - The American Tragedy That Never Happened Now you've got problems. The Astonishing True Stories Behind the Cokeville Miracle Movie Accessed May 28, 2013 at. And they had practiced how to get out of that building. Mark Junge: Are you one of the most experienced people in the area? Mark Junge: Yeah, my brother-in-law worked in the Navy as a chief petty officer and he worked with what they called EOD. David, who dared not risk their reporting him to the authorities, responded by holding them at gunpoint. It killed her instantly. Associated Press. Best Episode | Law & Order: SVU - Best Episode - Facebook Rich Haskell: Well, as we were talking before we started recording, because of my knowledge with the explosives and with the law enforcement and everything else, I've had many opportunitiesbecause of the explosivesI've been with Vice President Cheney when he was here in Wyoming up in Pinedale. Rich Haskell: No. Mark Junge: Today is the 23rd of September, 2010. Personally I gave him 17 pages of journal notes! Ronald DeFeo Jr., the convicted killer whose 1974 murders spawned the "Amityville Horror" franchise, died last week while serving a 25 years-to-life prison term, officials said Monday . Mark Junge: Do you think you've taken more joy out of life because of it? In their minds they could start another world. SHARE Cokeville recollects 'miracle' of 1986. Chalkboards andwhat do they call those?whiteboards, I think they are, along the walls. Rich Haskell: Yes, absolutely. Where's he running? I was one of 154 survivors in the Cokeville bombing, ask me - Reddit Had a small pin-hole leak in it and it dripped into both containers and they both became paste. 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. That's what it was designed to do was to go out and be particles and that gasoline was gonna ignite it and blow it up. It is a touchy topic for us, and could come across the wrong way. She was a divorce who earned money working as a waitress and singer in a local bar. I don't know ifI just felt an emptyactually I could just see a hundred-sixty people dead! Do you think this is a historical event? What is cokeville miracle about? Explained by Sharing Culture There was no give in the school bus. Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis - Wikipedia The Power of Faith: 25 Years After School Bombing, Town Remembers Story of Survival., Mitchell, Ruth Ann. Rich Haskell: The bullet in him was in the bathroom. Thank you for doing this! Mark Junge: And your great-grandkids? Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources, Repanshek, Kurt J. In 1986 , 154 children and teachers survived the bombing of Cokeville Elementary School. This wasn't a pipe bomb. I didn't touch the body at all. Where you find brackets [ ] I have added words for explanation or to complete an awkward sentence. You'd had experience? Cokeville Bombing - Wyoming He was dismissed, however, from this position shortly after his six-month probationary period. I cannot tell you what happened. The mood did not lift with the singing and teachers quickly negotiated with the hostage takers to get items from the library to help the kids get their minds off the siege,[8] and help to pass the time. Over the course of time he did various things to get our input from script readings early on, to being there on set, etc. Why? Cokeville survivors relive school bombing for film A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. The timelines of some events are fuzzy Its hard to nail down what stands out the most, there were a LOT of crazy things I'd never seen before then, or since really. What stands out in your mind the most, looking back? On May 16, 1986, an elementary school in Cokeville, Wyoming, was held hostage by a couple with a bomb. Cokeville officially has only536 people in it and two LDS wards that meet in the same chapel. Talking To Cokeville Survivor - LDS Blogs Well, with the window being open, with the ceiling tiles being able to lift up and down, I think that absorbed a lot of the explosion of the gasoline bottle. Rich Haskell: Sure. The blasting cap in the gasoline jug functioned properly, initiating the explosion. He was asking large amounts of money. Yeah, we didn't get a lot of sleep. He shot and killed her. [7] The mechanism was triggered by a dead man's switch, consisting of a wooden piece separating two metal connectors within the jaws of a clothespin, forming an incomplete circuit. It's just something that you just have to stay on top of. So there's doubt in your mind that there was divine intervention? Carbon County School District No. Mark Junge: Okay. Had a gallon milk jug full of gasoline on one level, had aluminum powder, flour and those two components was in tuna fish cans directly under the gasoline bomb. By the people that was the bad folks, they're the only ones that got really hurt. When did Cokeville miracle happen? Rich Haskell: You walk into the door, and I don't know if you got to go into the classroom, but you walk into that door and it opens up into the whole thing. I know that for a fact! One thing to mention is that the tension in real life seemed much more present at first, and then once prayers were said the mood really lifted. Well, he had went into the bathroom and she was out with the bomb, and they said she was complaining of a migraine headache. Audio/Video Recording. 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. 1 of 7. There's a piece of wood in there that separates the jaws of a clothespin and in that clothespin there are two metal connections that the wires were hooked to which made the electrical connection with the bomb. And I think that these people actually thought that they could start another world. And if I had been a little less of a jokester I may have seen something in that strange light. Mark Junge: Do you think he took up thatwanted to take that up because of you? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The miraculous events that followed have changed many people foreverespecially survivor Amy Bagaso Williams. Cokeville Bombing. Undated scrapbook. We had people from ATFAlcohol, Tobacco and Firearmsand there was another bomb technician that came up from Evanstonhe was studying to be a bomb technicianand we all looked at that and said, "That wire's been cut." 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. 154 of us were held hostage for almost 3 hours in a 30x32 room when the bomb actually detonated - all 154 hostages survived. She was on fire! WyoHistory.org welcomes the support of the following sponsors. "We could tell that he was becoming very nervous. Bomber's body removed - Billings Gazette They just didn't let it die out. And you could see that she had been burning by just looking at her out on the front lawn. They messed with the kids and that brought a whole communityin fact, it brought the whole western half of the state all together. Mark Junge: Did you help bring the body out? Mark Junge: They weren't big enough, in a way. Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret Morning News. Mark Junge: You also mention in your written article in Witness to Miracles [See Note] , the book, that you found a briefcase and you had to open it remotely? Because in the bus, everything was solid in the school bus. Go to their hands and knees and crawl out. cokeville bombing | WyoHistory.org