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Leo Crane Is Idaho’s Oldest Licensed Outfitter By Holly Endersby Idaho native, Leo Crane, greeted this world in early June 1935 in Pocatello, and grew up on a ranch five miles south of town. It was this experience with animals, horses in particular, as well as lots of hard, physical work that started him on his path to becoming Idaho’s oldest licensed guide. As soon as he graduated high school, Leo went to work on a large cattle ranch near Chesterfield, where much of the land was “high country.” “I can still remember feeding cattle at -40 degrees,” Leo recalls. “We had 600 mother cows, 200 heifers, and 37 bulls.” There wasn’t a lot of mechanization on ranches in those days so hands like Leo depended on strong backs and lots of stamina to get the daily chores done. But, not content to continue feeding in those conditions, Leo moved onto a dry farm south of Pocatello and quickly found himself married with a couple kids and 600 acres of pastureland of his own. Unfortunately, that marriage didn’t last and after a divorce, Leo heard from a friend about some folks who were selling their outfitting business in north Idaho. “The other fellow and I went to take a look at the area,” says Leo, “and to see what it was all about.” It turned out that the friend decided not to buy into the business but Leo took the leap. “At the age of 29, I really didn’t know what an outfitter was,” he says with a laugh. “But I had grown up with stock and did a lot of hunting my whole life, so this seemed like a good chance for me.” Leo’s Clearwater Outfitting focused on the spectacular Mallard-Larkin country in north central Idaho, home to streams full of trout and, before Dworshak Dam, a spectacular run of steelhead. With the heavily timbered ridges and canyons flush with deer and elk, Leo specialized in high country elk hunting, helped many deer hunters be successful and he guided mountain goat hunters as well. (Continued on page 18)
Gather the Hidden Eggs! Win $25!
Just for fun, we have hidden a dozen Easter eggs (not this one) throughout this issue of the Idaho Senior Independent. Search for them and mail us a list of the page numbers on which you find them to Easter Egg Hunt, PO Box 3341, Great Falls, MT 59403. This is a fun activity to do with those grandkids or great grandkids, and
who knows, with that $25 cash prize to the person who finds all of the eggs; you can take the little rascal(s) out for an ice cream cone! If there are multiple correct entries, the winner will be determined by a drawing. None of the hidden eggs is located within an advertisement. Have fun! ISI