“The story goes that Jack fell in love with a young lady whose brother had promised her to a polygamist. However, Jack secretly married her, angering the brothers so much that they plotted to kidnap the new bride. They decided to frame Jack for stealing a cow – which he didn’t do. He was arrested and thrown in jail. His sentence was eighteen months in prison or a fine of $25. Jack told the judge he’d need to Read More …
The May 13th article, Soaring Earnings of Chipotle’s 2 Bosses Raise Investor Unease, inspired the following story of my experience with Chipotle: Years ago, when I first saw the Chipotle big burrito, “Food with integrity” bill board, I thought what a great marketing campaign. But was it true? I was part of an effort at Colorado College to replace Sodexo with Bon Appetit. Sara, a young student activist was leading the charge. We were successful. Bon Appetite is Read More …
“The Vermilion is the Goggins’ headquarters, but is only one of several ranches the family owns. The Diamond Ring Ranch runs commercial Angus cattle on 55,000-plus acres along the Yellowstone River. The Pryor Creek Ranch has 30,000 acres of dry-land ranching. If you watch any Western movies, you’ve seen the Pryer Creek ranch – the production location for fourteen major movies – some of them starring Marlon Brando, Liza Taylor, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman, just to drop Read More …
“Near what is now the Duff Ranch, Cody and Comstock competed in a day-long ‘Champion Buffalo Hunter of the Plains’ contest. Cody won 69-48, and thereafter was known worldwide as Buffalo Bill. In 1882 he launched his ‘Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show’ featuring legends such as Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull, Red Cloud, and Frank North. Touting re-enactments of Custer’s Last Stand, the show toured the East Coast, England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, and Belgium. The size, weight, Read More …
“I’m instantly enchanted by this family – by their appreciation of history, their concern for the land, their creativity. For example, Ladd’s wife Ree recently launched a modern Little House on the Prairie blog that gets more than 3,000 hits a day. Is she a pioneer woman like the last century’s Addie Drummond? ‘I am nearly a mirror image of her,’ she says. ‘Well, except I grew up in the city and never set foot in the country Read More …
“More loss has come from the depressed wool and lamb market now that cheaper, imported wool has gained such a foothold. Jeff and Cindy Siddoway have been forced to diversify their operation in ways never dreamed of by their ancestors. Inspired by an episode of Little House on the Prairie, the family was determined to make something good rise out of a hopeless situation, and made a bold move into the world of quality wool blankets. Siddoway blankets Read More …
“Decades later, several days’ ride north of Widow Smith’s place, 14-year-old Wayne Hage was fed up with mandatory church attendance enforced by his mother. One night he finally spelled out his good-byes on a piece of paper and ran away from home, dreaming of an adventurous cowboy life. He didn’t run too far, however, and soon signed on as a cowhand at his uncle’s ranch. Within a few years Wayne became a buckaroo at the PX Ranch, the Read More …
“Craig and wife, Jody; sons Sage and Cord, and Craig’s mother, Bel, host the auction, where this year 343 quarter horses sell to registered buyers from across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The Haythorns run Longhorn, Black Angus, and Hereford cattle on their 75,000 deeded and leased acres, yet the horses are what the Haythorns are famous for. This ranch is one of the largest breeders of registered quarter horses in the U.S. The 500 horses branded with Read More …