George Nichols was born March 25, 1912 on his grandparents' place in Sublette County. His mother and father, Kate and Wilford Nichols, had a ranch on Cottonwood, where they lived until George was 13. George graduated from Big Piney High School in 1929 and worked on several ranches in the area. He also worked for the forest service and in the oil field. He had a desire to become a forester and was able to save enough money to attend the University of Wyoming for a short time, but the depression forced George to discontinue his education at the university.
In 1941, George was introduced to Evelyn Thomas, who was teaching school in Calpet. A year later, George enlisted in the Army Air Force and Evelyn joined the Air Service Command; they were married on September 8, 1943, in Evanston.
When George's stint in the service ended, he and Evelyn lived in Calpet, where Spencer and Kathy were born, and then moved to Big Piney, where George became the post master. Their third child, Michelle, was born in 1958. George and Evelyn had four grandsons and two granddaughters. George retired from his postal service job in 1977 and Evelyn, who was a postal clerk for 26 years, retired in 1983.
George was a member of the Masonic Lodge, the Community Congregational Church, and was a school board member for a number of years. He was an accomplished carpenter and did woodworking as a hobby. He knew a lot of history about this area and enjoyed visiting with people about his experiences.