FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 21, 2016 Meeteetse Museums to Host Inaugural Pitchfork Ranch Tour July 30

Dr. Lenox Baker, owner of the Pitchfork Ranch near Meeteetse, will be leading the inaugural tour of the historic ranch on Saturday, July 30. The tour, organized by the Meeteetse Museums, leaves from the museum at 9 a.m. and begins on site at 10 a.m. The Meeteetse Museum is located at 1947 State Street. Participants should arrive at the museum no later than 8:30 a.m. to register. Those taking part are also asked to bring a picnic lunch and plenty of water. Guests may drive their own vehicles, but must travel with the organized group to the Pitchfork, which is private property. Carpooling is encouraged, but is not required. This tour will begin at the historic Red Barn and continue at the Bunk House. At the main ranch, tour participants will visit Pickett’s Cabin, the Stone House, and the Octagon House (which predated the Stone House). Current restoration and preservation efforts will also be discussed by Dr. Baker. In addition, there will be a visit to the former studio of photographer Charles Belden. Belden is well known for his images of the people and activities associated with the Pitchfork Ranch from 1914 until about 1940. The tour continues at the cemetery. Here, Dr. Baker will tell some very interesting stories associated with the site. If possible, the tour participants will also be allowed to visit the new black-footed ferret reintroduction site. The endangered ferrets are scheduled to be released on July 26 at the location of the 1981 discovery. The Pitchfork Ranch has a long and interesting history. The German Count Otto Franc von Lichtenstein started the ranch in 1880, raised Hereford cattle, and ran the ranch until 1901. In that year he died of an accidental gunshot wound. Louis G. Phelps purchased the Pitchfork Ranch in 1903. Phelps had earlier purchased the Z - T Ranch from Englishman Richard Ashworth. Later, the new owner of the Pitchfork added other properties to the original ranch, which eventually grew to 250,000 acres. A number of managers ran the Pitchfork for L. G. Phelps, the first being George Merrill. It was during this time, 1909, that Phelps joined with Henry Sayles, Sr., to add sheep to the Pitchfork operations. At one time they had as many as 60,000 head. Phelps also finished building the new ranch house in 1920. Upon Louis Phelps’ death in 1922, his son Eugene and Charles Belden took over management of the ranch. The two had met while attending the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and became friends. Belden visited the ranch in 1910 and, in 1912, married Eugene’s sister, Frances. From 1914 until 1940, Belden produced an impressive photographic record of the ranch, its people, and activities. Belden’s images of the

1 Pitchfork graced the covers of Life magazine and many other publications. Belden’s photographs also made the Pitchfork’s Timber Creek Dude Ranch world famous and brought in a long string of guests. Purchased in 1915 from Russell Crane, the dude ranch operated until the mid-1940s. Around the middle 1930s, the ranch suffered hard times. Allen Smith, a bank- imposed manager, took over in 1936 and returned the ranch to profitability. The ending of the Great Depression also improved the situation. Smith added farming to the Pitchfork’s operations and by 1939, the ranch was producing 6,000 tons of hay and 50,000 bushels of grain per year. The ranch was divided in the 1940s due to financial difficulties and family disagreements. Despite these issues, the Belden, Phelps, and Turnell families continued to control over 100,000 acres. Sheep raising operations, however, ceased in 1964 and, from then on, the ranch only raised cattle. During the early 1970s and under the management of Jack Turnell, the ranch implemented technological improvements that increased efficiency. New houses, out- buildings, and corrals were added, while modern farm facilities and machinery were employed. Productivity and sustainability increased as modern agricultural and ranching techniques were adopted. The Pitchfork gained new international notoriety in 1981 when a colony of black- footed ferrets (believed to be extinct) was found on the property. This discovery was made after Shep, the dog of neighboring rancher John Hogg, dragged up a dead ferret on the Hogg Ranch. This event began a large-scale and cooperative effort to save the species. The Baker Family’s plan for the Pitchfork is to aggressively partner with conservation organizations with the goal of maintaining both ranching operations and the ranch’s outstanding environmental resources. Fittingly, on July 26, 2016, the endangered ferrets are set to be reintroduced onto both the Hogg (Lazy BV) and Pitchfork ranches by Wyoming Game and Fish, which is one of the greatest success stories associated with endangered species conservation. Again, join us Saturday, July 30, for the inaugural tour of the Pitchfork Ranch. For more information about this event, please call the Meeteetse Museums at 307-868-2423 or email [email protected].

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