In both cases , the soldiers ' defensive Defending positions and new arms are considered critical to their holding off Defending the larger forces of the Powder River warriors .

The Johnson County War , also known as the War on Powder River and the Wyoming Range War , was a range conflict that took place in Johnson County , Wyoming from 1889 to 1893 .

As tensions swelled between the large established ranchers and the smaller settlers in the state , violence finally broke out Process_start in Powder River Country , when the ranchers hired gunmen to invade the county .