Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources Historic Preservation Office Barrett Building, 3rd Floor 2301 Central Avenue Cheyenne, WY 82002 Phone: (307) 777-7697 Fax: (307) 777-6421 Honoring Wyoming’s 100-year-old farms and ranches 2016 WYOMING CENTENNIAL FARM AND RANCH YEARBOOK 2016 WYOMING CENTENNIAL FARM AND RANCH YEARBOOK Front Cover Photo: Mocroft Ranch, Sublette County Back Cover Photo: The Moore Ranch, Campbell County ARTS. PARKS. HIS Y. Wyoming State Parks & Cultural Resources Table of Contents Letter from Governor Matthew H. Mead ..........................................................................3 Annis Ranch, Annis Family .............................................................................................5 Birch Ranch, Birch Family ............................................................................................10 Eastfork Livestock, Inc., Joel Bousman Family..................................................................12 Briggs Ranch, LLC., Floyd & Kathryn Briggs....................................................................20 Clausen Ranches, Inc., Clausen Family ...........................................................................25 Bell-Otte Ranch, Corson/Roberson/Otte Families ...........................................................29 Darlington Ranch, Darlington Family .............................................................................41 Davis Ranch, Davis Family ...........................................................................................42 Fowler Ranch, Fowler Family ........................................................................................48 McBeth Ranch, James Hall Family ................................................................................55 Mosquito Creek Ranch, LLC., Steve & Susan Hoffman Family ...........................................56 Krakow Ranch, Krakow Families ....................................................................................58 McAnulty Ranch, Carolyn L. (McAnulty) Hurley .............................................................59 Preston-Likins-Haas Ranch, Likins Family Descendants .......................................................62 Loetscher Farm & Ranch, Loetscher Family ....................................................................67 Malli Ranch, Riley & MaryLou Malli ..............................................................................72 JF Ranch Inc., Jay & Sandy McGinnis Family ..................................................................76 Mocroft Ranch, Mocroft Family ....................................................................................82 Moore Ranch, Moore Family ........................................................................................88 Peterson Ranch, Peterson Family ...................................................................................98 Rathbun Lone Pine Ranch, Rathbun Family ...................................................................100 Pride of the Prairie Ranch, Smith Family .......................................................................102 Stutzman, Inc., Stutzman Family .................................................................................113 Fox Creek Land & Livestock Co./Thaler Land & Livestock Co., Dennis & Sandra Thaler, Brandy Thaler Evans ............................................................................................................118 Bootheel 7 Livestock, Wasserburger Family ...................................................................126 Other Families ..........................................................................................................132 1 2 3 4 The Annis Ranch, 1916 The Annis Family, Natrona County Back row: Frank, Fern, Oscar, and Carroll. Front row: parents Amanda and Martin Annis (about 1912). Story written by Diana Annis Weber and edited by Ben, Marty, Toni, Pansy, and her daughter Ruby. he Annis Ranch is located in a peaceful valley Ton the Arkansas Creek just before it merges with the Sweetwater River and Pathfinder Lake. Homesteaded by Oscar Annis in 1916, it has re- mained in the Annis family for 100 years. In 1911, at the age of 16, Oscar Annis left his home on a horse farm in Illinois and headed west. He worked his way through the Dakotas and Nebraska helping with broom corn and wheat harvests, learning to run horse drawn threshing machines as well as other jobs. At some point in 1912, he Oscar Annis, 1917, WWI Private First Class, American Expeditionary Forces (AEF), 14th Engineers, Campaign #5, decided he wanted to hunt bear in the Rocky 14th grade, railroad in France. Mountains, so he hopped on a train and rode it to the end of the line which turned out to be Casper, Wyoming. Getting off the train there, he started places. Over the next few years, Oscar worked with walking to Casper Mountain. Not realizing how Matt, as well as cowboying for several ranches, far it was, night caught him at Matt Montgomery’s including the Dumbell and Turkey Track, and laying home on Garden Creek. Matt is known in history pipeline. He purchased some land in Casper during as the man who was deputized to take Ella Watson this time which was later sold. and Jim Averill down off the tree on which they were hanged and bury the bodies. While staying When Oscar turned 21, in 1916, he and his brother there, Matt convinced Oscar that he could not Carroll took out homestead claims next to each make money hunting bears and hired him to help other on the Arkansas Creek east of the Ferris run freight between Casper and Rawlins and other Mountains. They built a one room cabin which is 5 1955/1956, Annis Ranch School house, in the door way: Linda Joy Annis; back row: school teacher Mrs. Bertha Ames, Pansy Fern, Dell Mark, Frank David, Benjamin Edward, Richard Trueman Annis; front row: Arnie Pearl, Mellissa Anne, Lucinda Mae Annis. still part of the main ranch house today. In 1917, Kline, who wanted to move on, as well as a farm they were drafted into the Armed Forces. Oscar near Alcova as a place to raise alfalfa for his herd. spent time in France during the end of World Frank’s log homestead cabin was taken apart and War I in the American Expeditionary Forces as moved to the farm in the late 1950s. an engineer. After his honorable discharge Oscar proved up on his claim. He purchased his brand, Oscar was very proud of his herd of Hereford cattle. the 3H, from the three Holmes brothers as well as He searched far and wide to find good bulls. For their cattle. Sometime in these years, his parents, many years he raised horned Herefords and then Martin and Amanda Annis and his brother Frank later started adding more polled stock. Few things came to the area with their Axtell trotting horses would upset him more than to find a fence-jumping and took out homestead claims as well. After Angus bull from a neighbor’s pasture in with his proving up on their claims, the others all sold out to cows! Oscar was also one of the first ranchers Oscar. Carroll and his wife Ruth (Holmes) moved in Wyoming to get involved in the brucellosis to California and Martin and Frank went back to program. He started vaccinating for it early on and Illinois after finding Wyoming unsuitable for their promoted it to other ranchers. horses. Trotters were not good stock horses and the neighbors did not appreciate them possibly crossing In 1929, Oscar met Esther Anderson (the Anderson with theirs. Someone even went so far as to run the family ranched near Cheyenne and raised the first prize brood mares through five fences. Many of registered horned Hereford cattle in Wyoming). them had to be put down. He added a kitchen with a well under it and a hand pump as well as a bedroom onto his cabin and in During the next ten years Oscar worked for various 1931 he and Esther were married. Oscar was 35 ranches, built cabins, and did a number of jobs years old at this time. They had two boys, George with a team and a Fresno (similar to a loader) at in 1932 and Harvey in 1935. At some point they Station Eight, the Casper refinery, and a dike at each took out a desert claim and raised millet to Pathfinder dam. He also built a barn and garage at prove up on them. In 1937, Carroll and Ruth were his ranch. Through the years he purchased two more killed near Chugwater in a car accident leaving two homesteads from the Flanders and Bob and Reggie young daughters. Oscar and Esther took the girls in 6 Oil painting of the Oscar Annis Ranch headquarters done in Oscar Annis Ranch headquarters around 1980. 1935 by W. H. Tonne. but a short time later Esther died of a combination built in 1939 for a schoolhouse. Oscar and Pauline of whooping cough, strep throat, and cerebral would put ads in newspapers and travel to interview meningitis. Oscar sent the girls to live with relatives teachers. For the first few years the teacher would of Ruth. The boys stayed with the closest neighbors, live in the schoolroom and take meals with the the Flanders, who lived about one and a half miles family. Later, Carroll’s house was moved closer away, as well as other neighbors. to the schoolhouse as a home for the teacher. This cabin school was used until 1961. At that time In 1939 he hired an 18 year old girl, Pauline Cain, a mobile home was brought in complete with from Casper to watch the boys and they were electricity, running water, and bathroom. The living married in 1940. Oscar was 44 years old and room was used as the classroom and the teacher Pauline was 19 at this time. From this union twelve lived in