These stories are from James Greet who was my father-in-law’s (Johnny) older brother.
One spring, I got in on the cow roundup at home. Then I joined the roundup that worked the range out of the Orchard cowcamp in Buffalo Canyon. We gathered about two hundred head. Some of those cowboys were Dutch Mills, Henry Tully, Evert Compton, and a couple of riders for the Orchard outfit.
After getting that country worked, we moved to the Bate’s Creek ranch and rode all of that country.
I helped with the branding of the Orchard calves. The cook for the Bate’s Creek ranch which was part of the Orchard spread, was Sylvia Wells Asbell. She was a bride then.
By now, it was July. I got a phone call from a classmate on the third, and invited me to join his family for a picnic outing the fourth. Since the roundup crew had left for town, and I didn’t have any plans, I said “sure”.
Very early the next morning, I was riding for the George Rebedeaux ranch on the mountain above the Nowood Store. The family used their team and buggy to travel in with the loaded picnic baskets in place. George Jr. and I came along on horseback. George staked me to a fresh mount while my horse stayed and rested up, because I would use him for my return trip to Bate’s Creek ranch that evening.
We traveled east quite a distance to a picnic spot, a memorable Fourth of July.
Yes these stories are really interesting and I also was startled at the phone call. I think it used to be that the wealthy had phones and a ranch owner might need one in case of severe problems, rustlers and the like. Do you know the time period? 1920s or so?
James would have been born in the ‘20s. They had a party line phone in 1909 as did I when I moved here in 1981!
Another nice story! Mmm, a campfire fish fry! And the comment about getting a phone call was somewhat surprising. Hope you keep posting these stories and any pictures.
Once again, thank you for posting these stories, Carol. It’s like time-travel for me. Love it.
Is there an approximate date (year) of the events James describes here? I guess I was a bit startled at “got a phone call” as I’ve been assuming that phones were not common in the era – whenever that was. Of course I don’t know *when* phones became a fairly ordinary fixture in Wyoming ranch homes, I am just curious about the period James has been writing about as you share his stories. I am really enjoying these!
James would have been born in the ‘20s, so these stories would have been in the thirties. I know they had a party line phone in 1909.