2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition Section A

2021 Fall

cattlemen’s Edition featuring

Sublette County

A publication of

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Introducing Sublette County

ranching through valleys and up mountains, sublette county agriculture defies the odds of production The Wyoming Livestock Roundup is excited to highlight ranches, agribusinesses

and community members in Sublette County in this 2021 Fall Cattlemen’s Edition.

Sublette County, Wyoming’s sixth largest county, is surrounded by the Wind

2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

River Range to the east, the Gros Ventre Wilderness to the north and the Salt River and Wyoming Ranges to the west.

The abundant water supply is fed by the surrounding mountains, and water exits the county through the Green, Big Sandy and Hoback Rivers.

The central portion of the county is a valley described as a sagebrush steppe ecoregion.

Agricultural lands Sublette County covers 3.2 million acres in the western part of Wyoming, and 80 percent of the land is public

land – state or federal lands.

Greater than 70 percent of all non-federal land in Sublette County is defined as rangeland designated as sagebrush steppe.

While precipitation throughout the county ranges from seven to 20 inches annually, the major agricultural use of Sublette County rangelands is livestock grazing.

In addition to serving livestock production, rangelands provide critical habitat for great numbers of antelope, elk, moose, mule deer, sage grouse and other non-game species.

The combination of private rangelands and public land rangelands creates a beautiful, unique and extensive habitat for livestock and wildlife.

Throughout the valley, there are approximately 141,197 acres of irrigated pasture and hayland. Native hay, varying in high-quality, introduced grass pastures stands made entirely of sedges and rushes, is the dominant crop, and fields are typically flood irrigated. Average hay yield for the area is just over one ton per acre with flood

Continued on next page

sublette county ranches and businesses featured in this edition:

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1. Little Jennie Ranch 8

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2. Cowboy Country Distilling 3. Andy Nelson, Clear Out West Radio

9 2 3

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4. Pape Ranch 5. J F Ranch Inc. 6. Murdock Cattle Company 7. Sommers Ranch

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8. Bar Cross Ranch

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9. Price Ranch 10. Sled Runner Cattle Company 11. Killpecker Creek Cattle Co. Hannah Bugas cover photo

®

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This publication is © 2021 by Maverick Press, Inc.

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page irrigation and three tons per acre under a boom.

Irrigated hay meadows are typically utilized for fall/ winter and spring grazing for livestock and a year-round habitat for wildlife.

Forests in Sublette County are used for recreation, livestock grazing, wildlife and some timber harvesting. Narrow stands of lodgepole pine, cottonwood trees and willows dot the creeks and patches of aspen and pine stands in the uplands.

Agriculture and the economy Many of the first inhabitants of the county described the area as uninviting.

Through the years, cattlemen recognized the grazing potential and ranchers began to homestead along many tributaries fed by the mountains. Permanent ranchers in the area discovered cattle could graze year-round, like native buffalo herds, on nutritious prairie grasses.

Homesteading ranchers primarily raised beef

cattle, though some maintained sheep and dairy herds.

Today, cattle numbers in the area top 57,000 head. Sublette County is also home to over 300 goats, 3,200 horses and ponies and several large flocks of sheep.

Livestock and livestock products make up 87 percent of agricultural sales in Sublette County, and crop production makes up the remaining 13 percent. In total, the market value of agricultural products sold tops $47,872,000. The average market value of products sold per farm is $119,084.

The sale of livestock,

poultry and products totals $41,684,000. Poultry and egg sales come in at $11,000, cattle sales top $39,079,000, hogs and pigs sold come to $8,000, equine sales top $892,000 and aquaculture production brings $721,000.

The sale of crops in Sublette County totals $6,188,000.

State rankings Agricultural production in Sublette County earns several top 15 rankings throughout Wyoming. In whole, the county ranks 12th in both the sales of crops, livestock and livestock products.

Sublette County ranks third in aquaculture and sev-

enth in the market value of horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys. The sale of cattle and calves ranks 12th.

The sale of crop products from nurseries and greenhouses ranks sixth. Vegetable, melons, potatoes and sweet potatoes ranks 11th in the state.

Information in this arti-

cle was compiled from the Wyoming State Historical Society, the Sublette County Conservation District and the National Agriculture Statistics Service, Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Sublette County stats Population – 9,880 Land Area – 4,936 square miles Founded – June 18, 1921 County Seat – Pinedale Elevation range – 6,280 feet to 13,400 feet

cattle graze the hoback rim

Tax Return Preparation and Planning Accounting and Bookkeeping Services Estate Planning Business and Computer Consulting Teresa M. Noble, C.P.A. • Dustin P. Druce, C.P.A. Sadie R. Lewis, C.P.A. Spring turnout – Ranchers utilizing Hoback Grazing Association allotments turn cattle out to graze the forest for the summer. Joy Ufford photo

307-362-6631 220 B Street • Rock Springs, WY

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Sublette County history

residents take pride in the past, present and future of beef production The centennial of Sublette County as a county unto itself is under way right now, building up to the climax of its 100th year since its official designation.

The story – and history – of what is now called Sublette County began before history that can be seen, with ancient Indian hunting grounds and

camps. In the early 1800s, a trickle of fur trappers and traders began gathering each summer for the Green River Rendezvous. Within several decades, the Upper Green and Hoback river basins attracted pioneers, families, soldiers, explorers, both men and women traveling through on their search for land and livelihoods.

Trails led the hopeful west to Oregon and California. In Sublette County, they crossed the New Fork River, where a park, along with county signs, maps and old gravesites marking history byways now commemorate this adventure.

Tired travelers dropped out along rivers and springs to set up trading posts and farms, with homestead-

sublette county history shared The Green River Valley Museum, Museum of the Mountain Man and Sommers Ranch Homestead, as well as local stores offer many well-written books about Sublette County’s history.

The most recent addition is the incredibly well-researched and fascinating 2020 book by Ann Chambers Noble and Jonita Sommers, “Homesteading and Ranching in the Upper Green River Valley.”

Author C.J. Box lauded their fouryear project that started as a fundraiser for the Green River Valley Land Trust, now part of the Jackson Hole Land Trust.

“The book is organized as it should be: drainage by drainage, creek by creek, all flowing eventually into the mighty Green River,” Box writes.

“The people who established homes and ranches in this epic isolated region were flinty, courageous, violent, and sometimes a little mad.”

The book leads into current conservation issues and how ranching can benefit or perhaps set back. Both Noble and Sommers are from longtime cattle ranching families with generations invested in making successes off the land. They have deep roots in local history, serve on history-related boards and are always writing another book.

Both authors autograph copies before they are taken to local outlets or sold at book signings. “Homesteading and Ranching in the Upper Green River Valley” is $55. The book can also be ordered online at lagunawildernesspress.com.

2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

ers claiming land slowly increasing.

Big Piney, on the flats east of the Wyoming Range, was the first incorporated town. People slowly moved north along the Green River and its tributaries by the end of the 19th century to build many small settlements that grew into towns – or fell as ghost towns.

As less arable land opened in the Upper Green River Valley, some ranchers summered their cattle over the Hoback Rim into what was called the Fall River Basin, now Hoback Basin, ringed by the Wyoming and Gros Ventre ranges.

In the early 20th century, homesteaders in Sublette County struggled to claim their acreage, and after years of enduring the basin’s long, deep winters, most began selling homesteads to ranchers and left to where they came from.

In the Upper Green River Basin, though, more families stayed on and grew their land holdings, hay, some sheep, horses – and of course, cattle.

These establishments are celebrated as centennial ranches, and Sublette County holds more than a dozen multigenerational ranches fed by the Upper Green, New Fork and Hoback rivers. Only one ranch lasted in Hoback

Basin, the Campbell Cattle Company, fed from snowfall in the Gros Ventres and headwaters of the Fall, now Hoback, River.

Get to work Looking forward in time, the settlers in Sublette’s river basins, alpine desert and high mountains found ways to progress and put the land to work for them. Timber, wildlife, rivers, minerals and wind were harnessed and put to work.

Native prairie grasses and mountain meadows fed cattle and horses. As livestock numbers increased, so did the need to store hay against the long, harsh and lonely winters. With the headwaters of the farreaching Green River in its mountains, the waterway had great value for the people settling here. Ranchers floated timber down and began haying giant meadows along the river to protect themselves against winter.

Cowboys herded cattle previously summered in these meadows higher into the grass-filled meadows of the Wind River Mountains.

The Drift The Green River Drift began more than a century ago as a 99-mile stock driveway from ranches near the confluence of the New Fork and Green rivers over the Pinedale Mesa

– even during the county’s boom and bust oil and gas developments – to the Cora junction, where cowboys still hold herds in a natural sagebrush corral. It was called the “Drift” because after the cattle moved up to Union Pass and were counted, they were left to graze.

Today, cowboys ride up high, checking and moving them depending on water, forage and injuries.

Grizzly bear and wolf conflicts are not uncommon as the predators’ population moves outward from Yellowstone National Park.

The U.S. Forest Service eventually required permits for grazing in the forest, most of which are still in family names of original ranchers, who are members of the Upper Green Grazing Association.

More recently, at the apex of this range, the U.S. Forest Service approved its new Upper Green River Rangeland Grazing Plan.

Conservation coalitions consistently challenge the agency’s decisions to keep livestock numbers close to its original stocking numbers, citing increasing grizzly bear conflicts and damaged rangeland.

The Upper Green River grazing decision is still tangled in court, according to Pinedale and Big

Continued on next page

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page Piney’s district ranger Rob Hoelscher.

Last year, the U.S. Forest Service proposed an additional rangeland expansion by converting previous sheep grazing permits to cattle. This issue is slowly making its way through the federal agency’s process, Hoelscher said.

This October, as always, experienced cows

will “drift” back down the wide route to Daniel to be sorted. Those going farther south are sent on their way and the Green River Drift – a “cultural tradition landmark” on the National Register of Historic Places – filling its purpose into its second century.

“It has been an essential corridor between seasonal grazing lands for ranches in the Upper Green

River Valley for over 100 years,” Historian, Author and Cora Rancher Ann Noble wrote in the nomination of the Green River Drift. “With 99 miles of trail and spurs, the Drift has been essential to the operation of these ranches in the area.”

Noble continued, “The Drift showcases how a stock drive works and its significance within the ranching industry. It also highlights the relationship between federal agencies

history presented in action The Sommers Ranch Homestead Living History Museum is an important landmark of the 19th century migration West and 19th and 20th Century homestead and ranch life in rural, isolated Sublette County.

Ranchers and Rep. Albert Sommers and Jonita Sommers dedicated a portion of their forefathers and foremothers’ ranch buildings on the still-working Sommers Ranch along the Green River.

Renovation turned the family’s expanded log house into a modern facility, local multigeneration families and the historical society have stabilized the orig-

inal ranch buildings and turned them into classrooms. Restored buildings open to explore include the ice house, root cellar, shop, bunkhouse, chicken coops and other out buildings.

Every object – from old saddles and wash tubs to a treadle sewing machine and a plastic “milk cow” – is labeled and its use by pioneers and homesteaders written for new generations to learn.

Electric outlets are well hidden as visitors of all ages venture through the kitchen with its gleaming wood-fired cookstove and ground-floor living rooms to the bedrooms upstairs. From the old

windows, a log bridge spans the wide irrigation ditch where rhubarb and horseradish flourish from the original gardens.

Here, hundreds of schoolkids take turns pumping water by hand, playing on the “seesaw” and collecting eggs.

Families tour and take pictures of kids on the old wagon wheel merry go round or tractor-seat seesaw, reflecting on the durability of Sublette County’s citizens from the past and present.

Joy Ufford is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

and ranchers through the use of public land for grazing. The trail has been continuously used since the 1890s to get cattle from what are now Bureau of Land Management (BLM) allotments at the south end of the trail to the U.S. Forest Service allotments at the north. The Drift crosses BLM-managed property, state of Wyoming property, private property and U.S. Forest Service-managed property. The trail also makes use of some county roads along its path.”

Hard work, hard life Many settlements sprang up around growing cattle ranches, which boasted blacksmith shops, post offices and dance halls – for those who looked around and decided to stay put. The sense of community, even with many miles between, was of great importance.

Homestead cabins were built, enlarged and rebuilt as people proved up their stakes and started families.

Larger ranches meant more labor and called for many

“The Drift showcases how a stock drive works and its significance within the ranching industry.

It also highlights the relationship between federal agencies and ranchers through the use of public land for grazing.” – Ann Noble skills – from building and fixing fences to breaking and shoeing horses to fixing and running equipment. Although some itinerant cowboys traveled from ranch to ranch, many married and started families.

Ranching families were proud of their successes and often bought out other properties and homesteads to augment their holdings. Some created empires; others failed.

Everyone who stayed in Sublette County learned early on that working toward survival and even a bit extra is the traditional way of life.

Today, as longtime families look back at their pioneer histories, many strands still connect them

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Those everyday lives were fraught with isolation, traditions and self-sufficiency that keep legendary names alive in their stories.

In Sublette County, history – and prehistory – is not kept separate from the present and future.

It’s past stories stand as a testament to keeping names, places and customs through the years. Each era is celebrated, from before the white men and women arrived, to trail travelers, homesteaders, oil and gas and ranching.

Joy Ufford is a corresponding writer for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

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Old-time education – Dawn Ballou, a volunteer at the Sommers Ranch Homestead Living History Museum, teaches kids how to wash clothes outside in a tub of water pumped from a nearby well.

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Legendary cowboys

cowboys with deep ties and a rich history in sublette county inducted into wchf

History was made Sept.

11-12 during the Wyoming Cowboy and Cowgirl Legacy Week when historic ranching legends and cowboys were inducted in to the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame (WCHF) in Cheyenne.

WCHF Region 10 honorees and their families were invited to celebrate at the Sommers Ranch Homestead Living History Museum Sept. 5.

Nominations are made every Dec. 1 through Feb. 28 and inductees are chosen by the WCHF board. There

are several qualifications for nominees to be considered.

The goal of the WCHF is “to preserve, promote, perpetuate, publish and document Wyoming’s working cowboy and ranching history through researching, profiling and honoring individuals who broke the first trails and introduced that culture to this state.”

This year, Sublette County had several historic individuals inducted into the WCHF. Also recognized are several inductees from adjacent counties with deep ties

to Sublette County.

Henry Calvin Hittle, Albert “Bud” Sommers, William Henry “Bill” Budd, the Price family and Clure Smith were honored as 2021 WCHF inductees. In 2020, the WCHF inducted Jep Richie, Kenneth “Buss” M. Fear, Stan Murdock, Henry Williams and Don Rogers, though the celebration was postponed due to COVID-19.

Henry Calvin Hittle Henry Calvin Hittle, nicknamed “Hy” or “Colonel,” was nominated by Suzy Hittle Michnevich and Patsy

Henry Williams Jr. Courtesy photo

Hittle Gore.

“Calvin moved to Wyoming when he was about oneyear-old with his parents and his sister Fern S. to run and partner in a ranching operation on the East Fork with George’s Uncle, John Hittle,” shared the nominators.

Suzy and Patsy shared, “In 1915, the ranch was sold and Henry swore that he would get it back someday.”

Throughout Calvin’s younger years, he was heavily involved with the rodeo industry and riding bucking horses.

“He worked as the rough string rider for the Green River Drift in 1919, riding all of the junk no one else wanted to or could ride,” said Patsy and Suzy.

In addition to riding roughstock, Calvin was also

recognized as a decent roper.

“You could always find him at the Pinedale rodeo grounds chasing out the bucking horse on his old bay horse, then competing in the roping events, which was all part of his retirement years,” nominators shared.

“Calvin and his wife Frieda homesteaded, raised cattle, hay and bought and sold property until they could purchase his beloved home place back in 1938,” shared Patsy and Suzy.

In addition to his cowboy ways, Calvin did a lot of cowboying on his own working ranch raising Herefords. Calvin, who had a soft hand with livestock and children, died June 22, 1984. “He was a cowboy that many will remember with a fondness for his wit, acumen and intelligence.”

“He lived the life of a true, Wyoming Cowboy,” the nominators add.

Albert “Bud” Sommers Albert Sommers otherwise known as Bud, grew up in Pinedale. He was born on July 3, 1915 to Albert Pomeroy “Prof” Sommers and May McAlister Sommers. He was nominated by Albert and Jonita Sommers.

Growing up in a log house on the Sommers Ranch, Bud’s destiny was set in ranching.

“The Sommers Ranch was started in 1907 when his father filed his homestead and his first water right in 1908,” said Albert and Jonita.

With a passion for ranching, Bud often said, “If it doesn’t eat hay and have four legs, I don’t want anything to do with it.”

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Bud lost his father when he was 13 years old, leaving the ranch to his

mother and four other siblings, Bud’s nominators shared.

His mother kept the ranch and continued to teach her children, though much of Bud’s ranch education was taught by the neighbor, Alex Price.

“Albert was respected and cared for a great deal,” his nominators added.

Years later, Bud married Verla Maude Richie on Sept. 29, 1945. The couple had two children, Jonita Ellen Sommers and Albert Pomeroy Sommers III. In January 1947, Bud bought the ranch from his mother.

His nominators added, Bud was heavily involved in the Upper Green River Cattle Association business for many years, “Serving as a secretary/treasurer or foreman of the association for 27 years.”

Though he was involved in the cattle business, Bud’s biggest passion and pastime was roping.

“He didn’t rope in a rodeo until he was over 30 years of age, but became a very accomplished roper in the arena,” nominators share.

“He won several buckles and was considered a very good heeler.”

Bud was an honest man above all.

“His basic principle was to tell people the truth, whether they wanted to hear it or not, and to treat everybody equally,” Jonita and Albert note. “On Sept. 18, 2000, Bud passed away as one of the most respected cowmen Sublette County ever produced,” nominators concluded.

William “Bill” Henry Budd Bill was born on May 27, 1908 in Salt Lake City, Utah to parents Henry and Leata Continued on next page

Clure Smith Courtesy photo

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page Budd. At an early age, Budd and his sister Pearl were taught valuable lessons on the family ranch on North Piney Creek.

It was this up bringing that led him to continue these traditions with a family of his own. On Sept. 16, 1929 he married Thelma Vickrey, and together they had three children – William, Robert and Sally.

“Bill spent a dozen years as roundup foreman for the Big Piney Roundup Association during the 1940s and 50s,” shares nominator William Budd. “The association consisted of seven ranches, extending from the Green River westward to the mountains of the Wyoming Range.”

William notes Bill was known for spending very long hours in the saddle and expected the same from his crew, earning him the nickname “IA” or “Iron Ass.” His nominator adds, “In 1977, Bill and Thelma were honored by the Sublette County Stock Growers Association as Ranchman and Ranchwoman of the Year.

Due to his excellent knowledge of cattle and horses, he was employed as a brand inspector for many years.”

Mentoring young people on livestock handling was later a legacy of Bill’s until he passed away on Oct. 21, 1981.

“He was buried in Plainview Cemetery overlooking his favorite mountains with candy in his pocket,” shared William.

Alex Price Alex Price and his two sons, Clay and Doug, were nominated as a family the WCHF for their cowboying skills.

Alexander L. Price was born April 1873 in Missouri to his parents Joseph and Elizabeth Matt Price, who immigrated from Ireland. In 1986, Alex moved from St. Joseph, Mo. with his father and sister.

“Alex Price was a very good horseman and cowboy,” reads the nomination. “Alex was known for his horsemanship ability and ability to ride tough horses.”

Bud Sommers, who was Alex’s neighbor, credited him for the skills he learned with horses and cattle, according to the nominator.

“Alex worked for William Graham on Slate Creek, the Spur Ranch on LaBarge Creek and rode for the Big Piney Roundup Association in the late 1800s,” the nominators stated.

Alex was a charter member of the Upper Green River Cattle Association, and ran his cattle in the upper Green River area as early as 1904.

Alex had the Open A P, Bar Seven and Bar Diamond brands.

Alex and Mary Woods were married on Dec. 9, 1907. They had three sons, Ellis ‘Clay,’ Clarence ‘Doug,’ and Alexander ‘Bill.’ The Sublette County horseman and rancher passed away on Sept. 29, 1952.

Clay Price Clay Price born on Aug. 31, 1908 in Kemmerer, the

Alex Price with sister Lilly McNish Courtesy photo

Doug Price Courtesy photo

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oldest of the three boys.

“He went to school through the eighth grade whenever a teacher was available, but Clay didn’t care how erratic his schooling was,” shared his nominator. “He skipped classes whenever he got the chance to help his father in the field. Besides, he didn’t think he needed schooling to be a cowboy.”

Clay knew from a young age he wanted to be a cowboy.

“He got a job working for the Upper Green River Cattle Association looking after cattle in the summer. He was the rough stock rider for six years,” the nomination reads.

“He stayed with that job until 1943, when he became the horse wrangler and guide for the GP Bar Dude Ranch.”

At the same dude ranch, Clay met and married Nora Whitaker.

“Clay worked for his father for several years and leased the Jason Redfern field, a 60-acre place adjoining Price’s upper field and was able to build up a small

herd of cattle,” according to the nominator.

Several years later, he sold most of his cattle to make a down payment on a ranch of his own – a place previously owned by Delbert I. “Herb” Fleming on Cottonwood.

“He rode broncs, roped calves and broke horses for other ranchers. His hard work and dedication resulted in the ranch Clay had dreamed of along with a fine herd of primarily Hereford cows,” the nominators share.

Later, he became the roundup boss and president of the Rye Grass Association, which ran on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) permits and the U.S. Forest Service Sherman Association until their end.

Clay passed away on July 11, 1976 and will be remembered as “one of the top cowboys in the country.”

Doug Price Doug Price was born prematurely on Dec. 2, 1909.

His nominator shared, “He was so tiny they put him in a shoe box and kept him

in the oven of the old wood stove. This brought about his dad calling him ‘Short.’”

Doug was very thrifty, and he managed his money with the utmost intensity and care. Many remember math was his specialty.

As a young boy, working with his dad, he would wear spurs and his dad wouldn’t allow it, so he decided to hide them on the trail when they were moving cows.

Doug took a break from

cowboying and served in World War II from 1942 to 1945, when he was honorably discharged.

Much like his brother Clay, Doug could ride any horse.

“He was very handy at branding and cutting horses,” nominators share. “He knew how to handle any rank horse – he had his way of saddling, tying a slicker on or getting on so he was one step ahead Continued on next page

Cowboy celebration – The Sept. 5 celebration at the Sommers Ranch Homestead Living History Museum honored Region 10 WCHF inductees. From left to right, Jared Rogerson, Windy Noble, Candi Moulton, Dru Roberts, Jonita Sommers, Tawny Roberts andn Deanne Bradley. Joy Ufford photo

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page of the horse.”

Doug “Short” Price passed away on Oct. 4, 1993, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Clure Smith Clure Smith was born on March 19, 1897 in LaBarge to Frank DeForester Smith and Minnie Maude Towell Smith.

“At an early age, he

started riding for the Mumblie Peg Association on Beaver Creeks and Horse Creek,” reads his nomination.

Clure later married Lola Delores Johnson, a local girl, in 1918. During the end of World War I, Clure spent a short time serving in the war after being drafted. Upon his return home, Clure “cowboyed all over the Cotton-

Bill Budd Courtesy photo

wood area and worked for the Cottonwood Cattle Association.”

Nominators share, “Clure had to break most of his own horses and sometimes ranchers would send him some of their ranch horses, especially ones that needed a lot of riding. Clure did all of his jobs with competence and a true love of the lifestyle.”

Clure rode for the Hoback, Cottonwood, Sherman and Rye Grass Associa-

tions throughout his life.

“Clure started hiring out as a cowboy in his teens and never wanted any other job for all of his 67 years,” nominators note.

After becoming ill while working for the Sherman Association, he passed away Nov. 5, 1964.

Jep Richie Jeptha Everett “Jep” Richie was born on April 18, 1932 to parents Everett “Ebb” and Ellen (Williams) Richie.

Jep grew up with his two siblings, Verla and Norman, on his father’s 1914 homestead on Muddy Creek.

“All of the Richie kids were expected to work on the ranch at an early age. Jep came by his love of horses naturally,” the nominator shared, noting his father had nearly 200 horses on the desert.

Jep and Norm’s interest in rough stock started at an early age riding calves, and their bronc riding started as soon as they sat on a Richie horse. The pair loved to ride rank horses.

“The ranker, the better stories that were shared,” many recall.

At the ages of 21 and 19, the brothers entered their first rodeo competition and traveled the country for many years until 1955.

“Their dad, Ebb passed

and the Richie boys slowed down their rodeo career to run the family ranch,” nominators shared.

The brothers’ focus became the ranch, but it didn’t stop them from being involved in the rodeo industry.

Nominators shared, “Their love for rodeo continued and they became very active in the Sublette County Sporting Association.” The brothers took pride in caring for a majority of the bucking horses for nearly 20 years.

In June 1955, Jep met and married Barbara Vaugh, a past Lander rodeo queen and together they had three children – Carole, Lynne and Eb. Their involvement in the cattle industry was important to Jep, and he told his son, “The English breeds, mainly Hereford and Angus, have Continued on next page

Henry Hittle (left) Courtesy photo

The Fear Men: Clifton Jr., Frank II, Kenny, Buss and Clifton Sr. Courtesy photo

Clay Price Courtesy photo

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page been there for 100 years, and will be here for the next 100 years.”

Many of the Herford cattle that were present on the ranch when Jep and Norm took over the place on New Fork River are directly related to the cow family on the ranch today.

“When Jep was not involved with working horses on the ranch his life still evolved around horses,” says Eb. “Dad was still breaking saddle horses at the age of 73.”

After having a spill off of a horse named Oprah, his cowboy way told him to get back on. Eb shares, “He was life flighted to Salt Lake City for several months of recover.”

Jep continued to ride horses until he was 83 years old, and today he continues to be involved in the cowboy way at the age of 88.

Eb said, “Horses and cowboying was dad’s life.”

Kenneth “Buss” M. Fear Kenneth “Buss” M. Fear was born on the family ranch in Pig Piney in 1920. His parents were Clifton and Corneila Fear. Kenneth had one older brother, Clifton Jr., and

two younger sisters, Edythe and Corneila “Inkie.” Kenneth’s nickname came from his older brother, and stuck with him throughout his life.

In 1938, Buss married Mardell Bennett after graduating from Piney High School. Shortly after, the couple raised four children on the family ranch – Kenneth Jr., Deanne, Lynda and Melodie.

“Buss always used the opportunity to teach them about life, providing an education not found in books,” shared his nominator. “There was no way to calculate the hours he spent riding beside his grandchildren on horseback explaining ranching, teaching them to rope or supporting them in rodeo, 4-H activities, sports or their education.”

His involvement with the ranch and agriculture was apparent. He took pride in quality cattle and working quarter horses.

“He believed if one worked hard to achieve their best that was all that mattered,” said a nominator.

In addition to being an outstanding horseman, handling a rope was second nature to Buss. Besides doc-

Jep Richie Courtesy photo

toring, branding and roping, he participated in and produced rodeos for several years.

He had interest in continuing youth’s interest in agriculture.

“Buss was instrumental in establishing the present Sublette County Fairgrounds and was the president of the Big Piney Roundup Association. He also served as the BLM regional director,” his nomination reads.

In 1960, Fear Ranches, Inc. was formed and Buss was the head man.

“Taking care of the land and his animals came naturally,” nominators shared.

“Ranchers, business people and state politicians often sought his advice and expertise.”

As a progressive rancher, haying with horses and raising Herford and Angus cattle with a few black baldies, he left a “legacy of hard work, good fun, love of family and giving back to the land and community,” shared the nominator.

The ranching community lost Buss in 2004 at the family home, but his wife, Mardell is still living.

Stan Murdock Stan Murdock was inducted into the WCHF through Lincoln County, but has deep ties to ranching in Sublette County.

Stan was born in Heber, Utah on July 11, 1865, the son of Joseph Stacy Murdock and Jane (Sharp) Mudrock. In his teenage years, he worked long days on cattle drives.

Nominators shared, “He was hired with Texas cattle drives and guided a herd of hundred Texas cattle through Utah into Wyoming.”

At the age of 18, Stan was hired by Rody Thornton to help herd cattle.

“Stan worked for Mr. Thornton for the next 13 years as a foreman and ranch hand,” said nominators. “He had charge of the cattle, gained knowledge and experience in the ranching business and spent a lot of time breaking horses.”

Stan was a smart man

when it came to coming up with creative ways to set himself up for success in the ranching industry.

“He took most of his pay in calves at branding time, so by the time he went to ranching on his own, he had built a herd,” shared nominators.

In addition to his involvement in the cattle business, Stan was also an excellent horseman, breaking and selling horses to make extra money. He began to raise fine horses, branded with the Four Bar or Pigpen on the left hip.

Stan later sold his horses and the brand to James Barret

in the Grand River. Unfortunately, rounding up the horses on the desert was difficult and some were left. For several years, ranchers would see Four Bar horses, according to the nomination.

Stan married Mary Solon in Larchwood, Iowa on Feb. 15, 1906. They had four children – Solon, Caryn, Joe and Pat. On Oct. 12, 1916, Stan Murdock passed away.

Henry Williams Henry was born on Aug. 4, 1897 in Alantic to Henry Watkins Wiliams and Maud. C. (Huff) Williams.

Continued on next page

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page He was one child of nine, with siblings Alma, Baby Boy, Ellen, Dorothy, Jared, Mabel, Jeanette, William “Bill” and Paul.

As a small child, he attended school. In 1907, the house in Big Sandy was completed, and the family moved from Atlantic City to Big Sandy, which took three days with horses and wagons.

Later in his life, Henry found a passion for horses.

“Henry loved wild horses and the roundups,” shared his nominator. “The Williams family belonged to the Desert Horse Growers Association from 1917 to 1922.”

Throughout his life, Henry helped many local ranchers with cattle drives.

It was noted he made his liv-

ing cowboying and freighting for the area ranches.

In 1930, the Williams family bought the Finch Place east of Linweed, Utah, and moved the ranching operation. The family drove their cattle and horse herd from Big Sandy to Lindwood yearly as they utilized grazing land on Little Mountain in Wyoming during the summer.

Years later, Henry moved to Manila in 1957

after they were told the ranch was at risk of being flooded due to the Flaming Gorge Dam. Henry Huff Williams passed away on Aug. 7, 1971.

Don Rogers Don was born in Wheatland to parents Ralph and Mae Rogers. He grew up on a small ranch in Chugwater.

At the age of 15, Don decided he wanted to be a cowboy, and he worked for

the Miller Ranch, where he was part of the cowboy crew; working with cows in different areas.

“He liked to ride saddle broncs at the local rodeos,” nominators shared. With a passion for horses, he went to work for John Bell of Iron Mountain as a cowboy.

During the fall months, Don would load 240 steers on the train at Wyoming station and then, during the winter months, he would

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“The cows would come through the winter in rather good shape,” shares a nominator.

During the winter months he worked for John Bell and in the summer months he worked for Lozier’s.

One fall, he heard Black Butte Ranch was looking for help and got hired. He then married Nellie Dew. Upon his arrival from serving in World War I and Germany, he continued to work on the Black Butte Ranch through 1950.

After purchasing the Arthur Sprinstread Ranch through the 1980s, he sold his ranch to his oldest son.

“He continued to help move cows to the BLM and the summer pasture until he could no longer ride a horse,” his nominator shared.

Information in this article was sourced from nomination documents submitted to the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame Region 10. For more information on the WCHF visit, wyomingcowboyhalloffame.org.

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust

wyoming’s agricultural land trust works to conserve the western lifestyle and natural resources Sublette County – The Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust (WSGLT) has served the Sublette County agricultural community as a means to conserve the western way of life, natural resources and the ranching lifestyle. Jessica Crowder, the executive director of WSGLT discusses goals, important information of the association and several conservation projects in Sublette County, which took place in the summer of 2021.

“WSGLT is the first and only statewide agricultural land trust in Wyoming,” says Jessica. The land trust “works to conserve working lands; preserving our agricultural heritage and the many public benefits that result from intact agricultural lands.”

The mission is accomplished through working and partnering with landowners across Wyoming in voluntary, permanent agricultural conservation easements.

To date, “WSGLT has partnered with 79 families to conserve over 287,000 acres of agricultural land,” Jessica shares.

In order to support Wyoming’s rural economies, private landowners and stewards must be supported in efforts

to conserve lands for future generations.

“Private, agricultural lands provide a multitude of benefits to Wyoming citizens and visitors including our nation’s food, fiber, habitat for fish and wildlife, clean air, water and scenic open spaces,” shares Jessica.

Important facts “Landowners are our most important partner,” says Jessica. “Without ranchers’ voluntary commitments to conserve agricultural lands, Wyomingites – and all who visit – would not be able to enjoy the vast and diverse lands well into the future.”

Voluntary conservation easements are one tool that landowners can use to help protect their land and heritage, plan for succession and transition and provide financial support and tax incentives.

Sublette County projects “This summer, the WSGLT staff spent four consecutive days monitoring 26 different easements in Sublette County,” Jessica shares. She notes the land trust currently holds conservation easements on nearly 73,000 acres alone in Sublette County, including two new easements in the county

this year.

Private, agricultural lands in Sublette County provide remarkable public benefits.

The land under conservation easement with WSGLT is no exception.

The benefits affect “Greater sage grouse core areas, pronghorn antelope migration corridors, mule deer migration corridors, riparian areas and habitat for fish and wildlife, crucial big game areas for moose, mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope and scenic views of iconic mountain ranges such as the Wyoming Range and Wind River Range,” according to Jessica.

Annually, each easement of land is monitored by staff using a truck, all-terrain vehicle, by foot or drone.

“Monitoring is essential in ensuring conservation values and deed terms are being upheld,” says Cidney Handy, WSGLT stewardship coordinator.

During the monitoring process, significant or development changes to the landscape are noted.

Challenges and misconceptions “Understanding deed terms can be confusing, especially for a new landowner

of an existing conservation easement,” Cidney explains.

“One challenge we face is connecting with new landowners and ensuring they fully understanding these deed terms.”

The WSGLT works to efficiently communicate with landowners in an effort to explain the deed terms and helping them understand their rights, while also protecting the conservation values of the easements.

“The WSGLT staff will try to schedule annual monitoring visits around ranchers’ schedules to ensure that new landowners are met in person and have any questions or concerns addressed,” Cidney explains.

There can be several challenges associated with placing conservation easements on agriculture properties and these vary geographically and over time.

“One common challenge is funding purchased conservation easements,” Jessica continues. “We continue to work with federal, state and private partners to provide appropriate funds for purchased conservation easements.”

Misconceptions Through the years many common misconceptions have surfaced regarding conservation easements that then trickle down to the land trust.

The first misconception

Jessica shares is, “Some ranchers fear they may lose the ability to manage their land for agricultural purposes.”

In reality, Jessica notes, “The WSGLT does not dictate management of the land.”

WSGLT understands that management practices will change and evolve over time and often times those closest to the land, ranchers, are best equipped to make those decisions, Jessica explains.

Another misconception Jessica shares is conservation easements are an attempt to permanently reduce production via “land grab” in an effort to preserve lands in a wildernesstype state.

Jessica explains, “Conservation easements with the WSGLT are voluntary agreements that limit the amount and type of development on a property. It’s a way to maintain the land’s productive capacity and open character.”

“Landowners retain the title to the property and all other rights of property ownership,” she adds.

In addition, conservation easements are individually designed to meet the property owners’ specific, unique goals while preserving conservation and agricultural values.

Getting involved Jessica shares ranchers

and interested parties can visit the WSGLT website to download or request a conservation easement information packet. Ranchers are also welcome to stop by the office in Cheyenne or call.

“All conservation easement projects begin by contacting WSGLT to discuss a ranch’s conservation goals and provide preliminary information about the property under consideration,” Jessica shares.

Staff are trained to answer landowner questions and provide details about the conservation easement process.

“The establishment of the WSGLT was based on the growing need within the ranching community to provide voluntary, privatesector options for agricultural land conservation,” Jessica adds.

In conclusion, Jessica shares this need has not diminished. “We encourage interested landowners to contact us to determine if a conservation easement is a good fit for them, their families, their goals and their land,” she notes.

For more information about the Wyoming Stock Growers Land Trust, visit wsglt.org.

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.

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Managing the Little Jennie faith hamlin’s passion for ranching and dedication to agricultural community grows through family ranch

Bondurant – Faith Hamlin’s parents grew up, lived and worked in the city. Though, her father always joked it was his dream to have six boys and a ranch – a thought Faith’s mom deemed as crazy.

“Today, we joke I am the five boys and the ranch, because I have a brother,” Faith shares.

When Faith was just 10

years old, her family moved to Jackson and her father started looking for ranches all over Wyoming.

“In fact, we had been looking at the Little Jennie since 2011,” Faith says, noting her family sold their home in Jackson and purchased the ranch in 2017. “I graduated from college in 2018, and had helped out on the ranch the

summer of 2017, but the more time I spent there, the more I thought about how I wished I had grown up on the ranch.”

Faith was contributing her time and efforts in any way she could on the ranch – she was always raising her hand to take a job. When the management of the ranch moved to a different opportunity, her father looked at Faith and

2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

another hand, saying, “Well, why don’t you run it?”

“In hindsight, I didn’t think I could do it,” Faith shares of taking over the management of the Little Jennie.

“It was the middle of calving season and there was nobody else. Since then, things have calmed down a lot I am not working in a constant panic mode because I have gained a lot more knowledge of the industry.”

Diving into the cattle industry “I love the cattle industry and think it is the most complex and intricate industry,” she says. “That is what makes it so

exciting to me because there is so much that goes into it.”

She continues, “I can’t possibly fathom mastering it all, but it gives me hope that

I can piece my way through it. As I look back, even to six months ago, I am amazed and what I have learned.”

Continued on next page

Historic ranch – Faith shares the Little Jennie, as it is today, was pieced together through several historical homesteads. Courtesy photo

Tough climate – Bondurant’s cold temperatures and snow accumulation mean cattle must be hardy. Courtesy photo

Joining the ag community – Faith Hamlin graduated with a degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies before managing the family’s ranch. Courtesy photo

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

energy when I’m down in the weeds of the day-today,” Faith says. “It’s just the that task is exhausting and nature of people who are in daunting.” ranching.”

Though, rather than let- “I wish I had grown ting this weigh her down, up in this community,” she Faith shares, “It gives me shares, noting she is always energy that there is possibility impressed by youth involved on this ranch, and I have big in 4-H and FFA. goals and dreams that drive Adding to traditional me more than exhaust me. I management feel like our family motto is In the management of ‘Embrace the challenge.’” the ranch, Faith shares she “I am learning, and I wants to mix old school think my dad is facilitating ranching with new managemy learning,” Faith says. “I ment practices. believe he purposely put me “I am trying new things, in a really challenging posi- but also working to stick tion because it was good for to the tradition of ranching me.” in Bondurant and Sublette Learning from the County,” she says. ranching community One of those newer prac Faith shares oneWY of theLivestock tices is implementing brewRoundup most rewarding parts of man- ers’ grains from a local brewFall aging the Little Jennie is the2021 ery to feed to cattle they are connection to the agricultural finishing on the ranch, with and ranching communities of the goal of implementing Sublette County and Wyo- the grain’s use into the entire ming. herd.

“Something I have “I am figuring out how learned and really enjoy is to be creative in storing the how people in the ranch- grain so we can collect it ing community are so wel- year-round, but have the abilcoming,” she says. “People ity to mostly feed it during who are essentially complete the winter,” Faith explains. strangers have invited me to “It has been a really big chaltheir house and ranch to teach lenge to piece together in the me about their operations.” last six months, but hope She shares one of the fully it will come to fruition first families she visited sent to help cows regain body Faith her first cattle coun- condition after weaning.” ter and a care package filled Management mindset with tons of information and “The Little Jennie has a materials. legacy of being a really beau “I’ve found this over and tiful place, and I am trying to over again in this commu- make it into an excellent catLivestock nity, and itWard gives me so much tle operation in a beautiful

Continued from previous page Faith takes pride in running Angus/Hereford cross cows in the cow/calf herd at the Little Jennie, and she shares the ranch also purchases yearlings to run in the summer.

“We run on forest allotments all around the ranch during the summer, and keep a majority of the cattle near Bondurant in the winter,” she shares.

The harsh climate of the area plays a role in how Faith markets cattle. She notes, “If cattle can calve here, winter here, go make a living in the mountains and fight off grizzly bears and wolves, basically anywhere they go after leaving the ranch is like a beach vacation to them and they will thrive.”

Throughout the years, Faith has learned to take care of the land in order to have security in keeping the herd at the ranch and appropriately manage grass and hay resources to give back to the land.

Continually challenged “A lot of ranchers say, ‘Don’t say you’re trying to catch up, because there is no such thing as catching up when it comes to ranching,’” Faith shares, noting this has been a hard concept to grasp as she holds such high expectations of herself and the ranch. “I always want to be doing a million more things to make the ranch better, and

place because I don’t want the beauty to be the only definition,” Faith shares. “It is so beautiful, and that’s what I think a lot of people outside agriculture think a great ranch is before even seeing a cow. Once I made the switch from running the Little Jen-

nie to operating a great cattle operation at the Little Jennie, that was the big change for me in getting really excited about agriculture and ranching specifically.”

The Little Jennie has a legacy behind the ranch, Faith says, and she and her

parents are working hard to preserve the history of the homesteads that make up the ranch.

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Positive mindset – Encouraged by her father to embrace the challenge, Faith shares managing a great cattle operation on the Little Jennie is a greater experience than managing the ranch. Courtesy photo

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Sage grouse conservation

upper green river basin local working group supports habitat improvement projects Formed in March 2004 following a directive under the Wyoming Greater Sage Grouse Conservation Plan, Local Sage Grouse Working Groups (LWGs) around the state worked to develop and facilitate implementation of local conservation plans to benefit sage grouse, sage grouse habitat and other species which

utilize sagebrush habitats.

The Upper Green River Basin Sage Grouse Working Group (UGRBSG), comprised of 11 members who represent government agencies, industry, agriculture and wildlife stakeholders, created a conservation plan – finalized in 2007 – which identified strategies to support and

conserve sage grouse populations and habitats in the Upper Green River Basin of Wyoming.

Melanie Purcell, the current chair of the UGRBSG, shares the group meets two to three times each year, depending on what is going on at the state level in terms of sage grouse management.

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In addition, group members allocate funds for sage grouse habitat projects and hear any project updates and reports from funded projects.

The current UGRBSG team and their representation includes; Melanie Purcell, Conservation District; Albert Sommers, agriculture; Bob Barrett, sportspersons; Dale Woolwine, Bureau of Land Management; Dean Clause, Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD); Greg Schamber, oil and gas industry; Jennifer Hayward, Natural Resources Conservation District; John Dahlke, conservation; Aimee Davison, consultant; Pete Guernsey, at-large member; and Rusty Kaiser, U.S. Forest Service.

Sage grouse habitat The goal of LWGs

across the state is to collaborate all stakeholders through conservation projects to improve sage grouse habitat and populations.

“Conserving native rangelands is important to sage grouse and other wildlife because it provides habitat to allow them to complete their lifecycles in an ever changing human-dominated landscape,” Melanie shares.

“Sage grouse are dependent on sagebrush, so they are considered sagebrushobligate, though they do vary in how they utilize sagebrush throughout the year.”

She continues, “Sagebrush is really important for thermal cover and from predators in the winter months, as well as serving as sage grouses’ main food source in the winter. In the

summer, the hens need different minerals for their eggs and chicks, so forbs and insects protected by the structure of sagebrush become important as a protein source during the nesting and brooding season.”

While lekking areas are typically flatter with shorter vegetation, the proximity to healthy sagebrush is important when it comes to having cover to escape from predators during breeding, Melanie adds.

Intact habitat conservation “Anytime we think about conserving habitat, having open habitat on a landscape scale is ideal, especially when considering animals that move great distances from one place to another,” Melanie says. “Intact habitat is

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Cheatgrass control – The Upper Green River Basin Sage Grouse Working Group works to fund cheatgrass control in Sublette County to decrease the loss of sagebrush habitat by invasive annual grasses.

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page important for deer to have food water and cover along their migration route, but this is the same for sage grouse.”

Melanie shares sage grouse might not migrate hundreds of miles, but the birds do move quite a lot.

“Some sage grouse populations are considered migratory and can migrate anywhere between two and 50 miles,” she says. “They move often from seasonal habitat to seasonal habitat.

In this area, there are birds that are moving from as far north as the Upper Green to the winter concentration, which is just north of the Sweetwater County line.”

Conservation projects The UGRBSG prior-

itizes projects working to improve or conserve sage grouse habitat in the Upper Green River Basin. Currently, sage grouse management at the state level focuses on adaptive management.

“We are starting to talk about what adaptive management means through the Sage Grouse Executive Order,” Melanie says. “This includes things like figuring out what a trigger is, and how they are calculated based on cycles and bird numbers.”

“One thing we usually fund every year is cheatgrass control in Sublette County,” Melanie explains. “We have invasive cheatgrass, but we are pretty lucky in that it’s

not everywhere. It has been really nice to work closely with our Weed and Pest for cheatgrass control.”

The UGRBSG has a budget of $75,000 annually, and roughly $30,000 is allocated to cheatgrass control this year. Melanie shares, there is an adaptive management project on the Natural Pressurized Lance (NPL), a gas field south of Jonah, for sage grouse management that UGRBSG is tentatively funding.

“Drilling on the NPL was put on hold, so right now they don’t plan to drill for at least a couple more years that I know of,” she explains.

“They have the opportunity to collect additional data on sage grouse use predrilling.

This NPL area has a big winter sage grouse area concentration delineation, so there

is the opportunity to look at how birds are moving to and from winter areas before drilling occurs.”

Melanie continues, “This data is collected in hopes that it will be able to be applied to research down the road as an adaptive management-type project.”

The NPL project is tentatively funded for $35,000, pending final requests from Jonah Energy.

“The remaining funds we like to keep back in case a project comes forward later on,” Melanie adds.

Previous projects “Other projects we have funded in the past are a lot of windmill conversions in the area to help reduce the raven

population and the number of territorial nesting pairs that predate on sage grouse eggs out in open sagebrush areas,” Melanie explains.

“With solar well conversions, the windmills ravens were nesting on were taken down outside of the raven nesting season and changed into solar wells. This has also been a good source of water for many animals, and often, a more reliable water source as solar tends to be more efficient than wind in Sublette County.”

In some cases, Melanie shares, the conversion of windmills into solar wells also provides some green area – mesic habitat – for sage grouse.

“A couple years ago, another project also looked at geography and the winter concentration areas,” she says. “We are waiting for some results from this project to become available and see how they want to move forward next.”

To learn more about the Local Sage Grouse Working Groups or the Upper Green River Basin Sage Grouse Working Group, visit wgfd.wyo.gov/habitat/sagegrouse-management/sagegrouse-Lolcal-workinggroups.

Averi Hales is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@ wylr.net.

Meadow habitat – Both sagebrush and mesic habitat are important for sage grouse during different times of the year, providing cover and nutrition. Courtesy photo

Before conversion – Windmill conversions to solar wells funded by the UGRBSG help to protect sage grouse eggs and provide reliable, efficient water sources for livestock and wildlife. Courtesy photo

After conversion – Solar wells discourage territorial nesting raven pairs, which predate on sage grouse during the brooding season. Courtesy photo

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Cowboy Country Distilling

pinedale distillery preserves the spirit of the cowboy Pinedale – Tim Trites has spent over 40 years in the distilling industry. Getting his start with his Scottish grandfather at just eight years old, Tim is a wealth of knowledge.

After obtaining his masters in chemical engineering, in addition to 22 years of experience as a lead developer for a major company, Tim is committed to preserving the spirit of the cowboy through spirits.

“I chose the name because Wyoming is cowboy country and it’s out of respect of the individuals that founded the state – cowboys,” shares Tim. Tim, the founder of Cowboy Country Distilling, broke ground for construction of their building in 2013.

“We started distilling in 2015, and were open to the public on Valentine’s Day in 2018,” he shares.

Sublette County has been a great location for the distillery.

“I really like the Pinedale area,” shares Tim. “The reason why the distillery is in Pinedale is because of the water. It’s the cleanest water I’ve found in the world.”

Day-to-day functions “We start distilling here early in the morning: My day starts at 4:30 a.m.,” says Tim, noting his day begins with checking the pH levels and the temperature of the fermenters.

By 6 a.m., Tim is distilling spirits until about 2 p.m.

Tim takes tremendous pride in sharing all grains used at Cowboy Country Distilling are from Wyoming.

“We use oats, corn and millet instead of rye,” he shares, explaining after almost losing his son from celiac disease in the 70s, it’s important for all products to be gluten free. “I want to make sure everybody is able to drink it.”

“The oats come from Powell, millet from east of Cheyenne and the corn comes from Pine Bluffs,” he continues. Country Cowboy Distilling works with many local companies, usually co-ops, to source grains.

“We go through 100 to 150 tons of grain a month,” says Tim. “We’re not a little distillery that one would think, we’re small compared to the big boys, but we’re not as small as one

would think.”

Fermentation “The distillery runs four pot stills which are all custom made in the United States,” shares Tim. The stills include a 650-gallon stripping still, secondary 500-gallon still, 500-gallon vodka still, secondary 250-gallon whisky still and a test still of 125 gallons.

“Depending on the product, we take grain and put it into a kettle called a mashed turn, bring it up to boiling and let it boil for two hours,” shares Tim. During this process, starches are turned into liquids.

Eventually, the pond located on the side of their building is used to lower the temperature of the mashed turn to 180 degrees. This process, called saccharification, converts starches into sugars.

Tim shares, “The macular change is still way too large for the yeast to digest and just like feeding children, pieces have to be cut up a little bit so yeast can eat it.”

The final digestion happens when a second

2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

enzyme is added. After 45 minutes, the mixture is pumped over to a fermentation tank where it is cooled to 75 to 100 degrees, and depending on the product, fermented yeast is the final product.

Tim shares, “Some proprietary yeast I’ve been growing for nearly 40 years.” Depending on the product, yeast can ferment for 72 hours to 10 days.

The next process is to pump the mixture to a primary 650-gallon pot still, called a stripping still.

“The whole idea behind this is to be able to strip the alcohol away from the mash as quickly as possible, “Tim shares. “We do that in an hour and 15 minutes.”

Tim takes pride in have zero waste when it comes to the fermenting process.

“All our spent grain or spent mash is pressed out of liquid and it turns into cattle feed, with roughly 34 to 36 percent protein,” says Tim. In addition, any excess liquid is turned into fertilizer and the grain sacks are reused.

Distilling “The distilling process is broken down into three sections: heads, hearts and tails,” Tim explains. “The heads are all of the lowtemperature alcohols and there can be up to 18 different compounds. The

“The reason why the distillery is in Pinedale is because of the water. It’s the cleanest water I’ve found in the world.” – Tim Trites

first thing is usually acetone, and we really don’t want to drink this.”

In addition, methanol is also stripped. Tim shares the heads are sold to a company in Utah to make industrial cleaners.

“The hearts are what we want to drink,” shares Tim, noting the ingredient left after separating the heads is ethanol, which is the main type of alcohol found in beverages.

“The tails are the hightemperature alcohols and oils, which are also sold to the industrial cleaner company in Utah.”

Tim continues, “The old timers call it heads because this what gives people the terrible headache in the morning.

The hearts are what people want to drink, and the tails are what make people sit on the commode the next morning and wish they hadn’t drank the night before.”

Products Cowboy Country Distilling offers a variety of products. In addition to products themselves, the recipes behind each prod-

uct includes many stories, shares Tim. “I learned how to make vodka in Ukraine and I got a spiced rum recipe from an 85-year-old retired, French distiller in the Dominican Republic who won multiple domino games,” he shares.

“We have some of the cleanest, smoothest vodka one can find,” says Tim. He shares all whiskeys and rums are aged in 53-gallon charred, white-oak barrels which sit for about two years.

The altitude of Pinedale plays a large part in the aging process.

“We are at a higher altitude, so one year here is equal to about four years in Kentucky,” Tim says, noting there is less air movement in the barrels. After aging, the products are bottled.

“It takes five people to run our bottling room,” says Tim, sharing bottling is typically a fun time to work together, especially in winter months when the temperature drops. “The bottling crew comes in,

Continued on next page

Distillery location – Cowboy Country Distilling is located outside of Pinedale. Tim shares the water in Sublette County is the best he’s found. Courtesy photo

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2021 Fall Cattlemen's Edition • Wyoming Livestock Roundup

Continued from previous page cranks up the music, drinks coffee and cranks out 500 to 800 bottles per hour.”

Some of their signature beverages include a raspberry cordial, made with real raspberries, which comes in at 70 percent proof – the highest proof in American liquor.

A 2020 Cowboy Country Distilling’s Coffee Liqueur, which is made with Bolivian coffee, raw chocolate and Madagascar vanilla beans was a SIP Awards Gold Medal Winner.

In addition, premium vodka is also distilled from corn and filtered through a proprietary system using carbon, resulting in one of the smoothest, cleanest vodka in the world, shares Tim.

Several award-winning rums are also offered with several complex flavors. Tim explains there are two classifications of rums at Cowboy Country Distilling: rum or wine distilled from molasses and a “French Style” agricultural rum is distilled from fresh-cut sugar cane which comes from sugar distiller in South America. In addition, western juniper berries and Wyoming rosehips are also utilized.

Tim shares, “I know how to distill over 2,000 spirits, and I hand pick the ones I know everyone would be proud to have in their bar.”

The combinations are truly endless with Cowboy Country Distilling, and many recipes and prod-

ucts can be found on their webpage. Their products can be found in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Illinois and the addition of Iowa as of mid-September.

“We’re always looking for distributors and trying to get it out to as many people as possible,” Tim says.

Distilling during a global pandemic “We were one of the first distillers to jump in to make hand sanitizer during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” shares Tim, noting he destroyed over 1,000 gallons of vodka in order to redistill it into hand sanitizer. “It got so bad, our state patrol was running it to many places throughout the state and we were sell-

ing it to the public.”

In addition, 10 barrels of aged whiskey was distilled to 95 percent proof to make hand sanitizer.

“Everyone started jumping in the industry – and we were glad to jump into production and jump back out. We did it for about six weeks and we were able to help Wyoming,” Tim says, joking he did not set out to be a hand sanitizer facility.

“We were glad to help our fellow Wyomingites, and we’d do it again, but we don’t have to.”

Final thoughts “We never out source, and we don’t buy spirits or alcohol from anybody else, as everything is distilled here,” Tim says. “Products at Cowboy Country Distilling are

distilled in Wyoming, for Wyoming and other states, to keep the spirit of the cowboy alive in iconic, award-winning alcoholic beverages.”

For more information,

visit cowboycountrydistilling.com.

Brittany Gunn is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net

Master distiller – Tim Trites, the master distiller at Cowboy Country Distilling has many years of experience making spirits. Courtesy photo

Whiskey tasting – Tim Trites, master distiller, taste tests Cowboy Country Distillery whiskey. Courtesy photo

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