Rough Ranch Country
Years ago, three of the Fillamin kids, ages 10-14 drove a herd of cattle to the Double Circle Ranch from Calva – by themselves. Now that was probably a 4 day drive across some wild country with no roads and lots of bear, lion, rattlesnakes, and probably wolves. It was no problem, just everyday business 70-odd years ago. Today you would probably be arrested for child abuse if you sent kids out with a job like that. Heck, most adults today couldn’t do that drive. Can you imagine going to a suburban mall and taking 3 kids that age, giving them horses, some sourdough biscuits and beef jerky, and pointing them at cattle in the distance and the general direction they needed to go and turning them loose? Talk about a wreck! We are losing a lot of self-reliance and just plain old gumption with all our modern lifestyle.
Yesterday I visited with a neighbor – a kid younger than my grandson, probably around 18 or 19 years old. He is riding fence for the ranch that borders us on our eastern boundary. Now that is some rough country – beautiful to be sure and with plenty of water and forage – but ROUGH. This young man – Josh – lives by himself miles from anyone – on a road that needs a 4WD in good weather and is impassable in muddy or snowy conditions. His job is to ride all day and lead a pack mule or two to patch fence. Now this is thousands of acres of basically wilderness. He might have to camp out for days because it is too far to ride to headquarters. Plus he rides a lot of young stock to put hours and training on the colts. He thinks nothing at all about it. Riding the fence is his job – no big deal. But in 2010 it truly is a BIG deal. Thank goodness for ranch-raised kids who know how to work, can take care of themselves, and have the gumption to cowboy on big, wild ranches.
Hi. I just noticed that your site looks like it has a few code errors at the very top of your website’s page. I’m not sure if everybody is getting this same bugginess when browsing your blog? I am employing a totally different browser than most people, referred to as Opera, so that is what might be causing it? I just wanted to make sure you know. Thanks for posting some great postings and I’ll try to return back with a completely different browser to check things out!
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Thanks,
Ed
You know, after reading your post, it really did open my mind. The intensive and endurance required job of these ranch raised kids is truly amazing. I have a great deal of respect for Josh and anyone else who does such a job. Next time I’m driving on the road and I see miles and miles of fencing, I’ll think of this eye-opening post. Keep sharing!
Joe,
You do have to give these kids a lot of credit. Ranch raised kids not only have a good work ethic, they are -by neccessity- self-reliant, responsible,and ingenious. If something breaks, they have to fix it . There is noone else.If they don’t have the right tools or materials, they improvise. These kids don’t quit at 500pm- they get the job done.Working cattle isn’t something you can turn off and clock out in the middle. Once you start- you have to finish. There is no complaining about tired or unfair- no whining.You do your job as best as you can- without being told. It is just the way it is. I know that anytime we need to hire help on the Double Circle we give lots of extra points to applicants who are ranch raised.They are a pleasure to work with.
The raised kids no how to work but they want some experience if they parents should tell them then it would be easy for them
You give use to much credit we do it because we like to do it we dont do it for nothing else. When you dowat you like you nver think about what could happen it dose not bother us that we could wind up being fifty cripled and broke as long as we got there doing what we love.
P.S I like your website Wilma
Josh
I am very thankful you and all the other good cowboys love what they do. You are right- money isn’t everything. I would much rather just support myself ranching than work a high pay corporate job somewhere. But ranchers couldn’t survive without good cowboys– thanks for being 1 of the good ones
Wilma