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Cow Camps

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Saddletramp

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Over the years I've thrown my bed down in some pretty rememberable cow camps. Some were pretty bad and some were real neat places. It always amazed me how fast a camp will fall apart if it,s not used regularly.

One of my favorites was the west camp on the old McMurtury ranch south of Nenzel NE. It was originally a one room school house that someone drug up against a set of hills east of Harding lake. There was a calving shed, a little barn and some wind break. The barn was basically big enough for a horse or two (too small to saddle up in) and a saddle rack. A couple of deer horns held bridles, halters and such.

There was no electricity or water. You had to haul water from a windmill and there was a real neat kerosene lantern. There was only one bunk againest a wall with a gas stove AND a gas refrigerator. It was the only one I'd ever seen but I was always fasinated with it. What a concept! You had to light a flame to make ice.

There was always alot of mice and skunks around with a good sprinkling of bull snakes. The mice kept the snakes fed and the skunks didn't bother much unless you dropped something heavy on the floor.

It was mostly used as a calving camp but was a good port in a storm if you were in the area. Calved alot of cows at that camp and if there was two of you's there was some late night card games or chess under that smoking lantern.

There's got to be some other Camp stories out there. :wink: :wink:
 
Nenzel Nebraska....i was at the bar there once during New Years several years back.....just a little place.

Also gas refridgerators...my gramma still uses one....an ole propane fridge. We had one in our house growing up but finally it went kaput about 10 years ago and they got a modern electric one. The one my gramma has she has had for near 50+ years i guess.
 
Cripes...propane fridges and freezers; I think best setup I'd had was up in my first cow/linecamp up the Bighorns...I could easily stuff about a weeks worth of groceries (beef, chicken, etc..) in that one, but whenever the wind kicked up prior to a big storm, she'd blow out most conveniently between lockin' up my cabin (on my way out to check on the 'ladies') in the mornin', and when I'd crawl off my horse later that day...which meant I'd lose a bit of food every few days or so...which also meant either irritating the boss (over the bag-phone) down below for a re-supply, or a full days ride (draggin' a pack-horse behind) back to his ranch and another full day's drive to and from Cody for a food/re-supply run. Later I worked another cowcamp north of Dubois...lived in an old travel-trailer slightly bigger than a sheep-herders wagon...it had a propane fridge, but no freezer...I just made do with canned meat and pasta/rice dishes that summer...lots of tin cans to bring back to the ranch, but game and fish was crawling all over that forest permit area, so I could'nt take down a deer or two for myself, and the rabbit/grouse just plain SUCKED ! ...still have'nt quite figgered out how to season/spice that kind of wild game to work out for me yet. Have'nt been in a cowcamp since 2001...sure wish I could find another before the tree-huggers and enviro's out here in Wyo put a stop to it...looks like that day is coming soon...
 
Saddle Tramp, I had a great uncle who ranched north of Whitman Ne.. His name was Gorege Mall, have you heard of him. I'm looking for more information, I found his ranch and his 2 room cabin is still out there.
 
No, I haven't heard of any Malls. I wonder where the place was located. Sorry I couldn't help.
 
Gee, Saddletramp, that makes the cabin where I summer sound pretty good. It has a propane fridge, cold water running gravity flow to the sink, and solar panels to power the jumbo-tron television, otherwise known as a 9" B&W. There's a log barn too. Its a pretty comfortable camp.
 
Ltdumbear--
anyway which cowcamp in the bighorns. we have cowcamp set up here on the northern end.
 
A few years ago, we had the opportunity to go visit a friend and stay at cow camp. I can understand why it's a favorite place. Only runnin water is a lil creek that runs in front of it. No electricity, no generator, only a wood cookstove and an outhouse a few yards from the cabin. It was alot of fun. Quietest place I think I've ever been on God's green earth. And it was gorgeous!!!!
There are two cabins here. The one with all the antler sheads is the old one, the other one usta be the barn, but was later converted into a cabin, it has a propane fridgerator outside, and a gas stove inside. We stayed in the old one.
They face each other.

Old-Cowcamp-1.jpg


SunsetCowcamp.jpg
 
Hahaha, I wasn't leavin ya hangin......not intentionally :D I'd always heard the phrase, "Oh, now don't that just chap yer ....ummm backside" but never experienced it before...till then....NOT fun!!!!
 
We never had a camp job, always an actual house on the main place, but some have been real doozies...

The Huffman ranch, between Whitman and Merriman, NE had this one bedroom house that was probably 20'x20' with the west wall knocked off to attach a trailer house (T-shaped). The whole thing was painted lime green and glowed in the moonlight.

Before we moved in, one of the guys' dogs had gotten locked in the house for about a week. The place reeked of urine and the owner's wife couldn't figure out why I'd want a Rug Doctor. :roll:
 
Been awhile since I was up there (or on this forum) unsure if the assoc-members are even running anything up there anymore on acct of drought and sage taking over everything; a prescribed-burn was being discussed but the only smoke I've ever seen coming off the Bighorns was off eastern-foothills above Buffalo.

Anyone with GPS might find these coordinates handy to locate the camp (off Hunt Mtn Rd, not far from Burgess Junction) where I worked in 95', 96' & 98':

44°39'57.26"N 107°40'51.12"W

Not sure if this link will take you to some old 35mm pics of my cowcamp I scanned a few yrs ago:

http://postimg.org/gallery/vqqp1j18
 
Ltdumbear said:
Been awhile since I was up there (or on this forum) unsure if the assoc-members are even running anything up there anymore on acct of drought and sage taking over everything; a prescribed-burn was being discussed but the only smoke I've ever seen coming off the Bighorns was off eastern-foothills above Buffalo.

Anyone with GPS might find these coordinates handy to locate the camp (off Hunt Mtn Rd, not far from Burgess Junction) where I worked in 95', 96' & 98':

44°39'57.26"N 107°40'51.12"W

Not sure if this link will take you to some old 35mm pics of my cowcamp I scanned a few yrs ago:

http://postimg.org/gallery/vqqp1j18

Nice you dropped by Ltdumbear. How are you, are you back in Wyoming?
 

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