FRIDAY, September 11, 2026|
Photo – Old poster announcing a rain-maker – Courtesy Saratoga Museum
The director of the Saratoga Museum will give a presentation about discredited rain‑making claims.
On Thursday, September 24th, Saratoga Museum Director Justin Horn will present Frank Melbourn: Rain Wizard or Humbug at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum. Horn explained that in the 1890s, parts of Wyoming, Nebraska, and South Dakota were experiencing a severe drought, similar to the infamous Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Horn said that during the drought, people were willing to try anything to make it rain. That’s where Frank Melbourn enters the story.
On August 27th, 1891, Melbourn, the so‑called Rain Wizard, came to Cheyenne, and a thunderstorm soon followed. Museum Director Horn said Melbourn may or may not have summoned the rain. Either way, he said Melbourn gained widespread recognition soon after.
Horn said that while researching weather‑modification methods for his master’s thesis in history at the University of Nebraska, he discovered the rainmakers of the late 19th century, including Frank Melbourn. Horn said his upcoming presentation will focus on Melbourn since his most notable work occurred in Cheyenne.
Frank Melbourn wasn’t the only self‑described rainmaker of his time. As Melbourn was allegedly summoning thunderstorms in Cheyenne, Horn said General Robert St. George Dyrenforth was waging war against the clouds in west Texas.
General Dyrenforth conducted the first federally funded rainmaking experiments in the country. According to the Smithsonian Museum, Dyrenforth was a “concussionist,” meaning he believed that noise, heat, and friction from heavy battlefield artillery would cause the atmosphere to collapse and condense into rain.
Unlike General Dyrenforth, Frank Melbourn was what was called a “fume man.” He believed that releasing specific gases into the atmosphere would generate artificial clouds that would create rain. While Melbourn may have popularized the method, he was not the only “fume man” operating at the time. Saratoga Museum Director Justin Horn said C.B. Jewell, who claimed to know Melbourn’s secret method, was hired by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad to produce rain in the Midwest.
Despite C.B. Jewell’s claims, Melbourn kept his formula secret from the public. Horn said because Melbourn would not disclose the unique mixture of chemicals he used to allegedly create rain, he attracted widespread media attention.
Justin Horn’s Frank Melbourn: Rain Wizard or Humbug presentation will take place on Thursday, September 24th at the Frontier Days Old West Museum in Cheyenne. Admission is free. You may RSVP for the event on the museum’s website, www.oldwestmuseum.org.
If there is enough interest, Horn said he will bring his presentation to the Saratoga Museum. Email saratogamuseum@gmail.com to let him know you want to learn about Frank Melbourn and the rainmakers of the 1890s.
