jodywy
Well-known member
Sue and I went over to the Star Valley Historical Society month lecture Thursday night. It was presented by a large Sheep and cattle rancher from Cokeville (Fred). He told about Tim Kinney and read an article about him from an Omaha paper from 1917. Kinney was one of the largest sheep producers in the nation at that time having over 100,000 ewes. They summered on the west hills of Star Valley, in the fall trailed back to Cokeville mouthed culled, lambs shipped then trailed to winter in the desert east of Rock Springs. In the spring trailed back to Cokeville to be sheared and ranged lambed. Other big sheep outfits in Cokeville That summered on what now is the Bridger Teton NF(BT)east of Star Valley and Cokeville, where the Roberts sheep company, Igoe's, Thompsons and Covey Bagley( my granddads brother) and Dayton (was a Covey that started the Little Americas, Holding worked for Covey- Bagley – Dayton). In the teens and twenties Cokeville had the nations highest per capita income for Town of its size.
Fred is the 3rd generation as are the few other large migratory sheep outfits left in western Wyoming. He stills summers on the BT, and winters on Rock Springs grazing and range lambs in Coleville.
Rock Springs grazing is the largest BLM permit in the country, but is also one of the largest private land holding in Wyoming. The country is also checker boarded along the UP railroad and they lease the UP holdings. I forgot how many shares there are, But one share allows 2400 ewes or 500 cows, grazing is from December thou the 3rd week in April, not all shears run Livestock. They have mineral estates with royalties from trona mines, oil and gas, gas and oil pipelines, and are now putting 3 large wind farms.
Fred's ewes will walk 600 miles this winter on the Rock Springs Grazing Then well be trucked back to Cokeville to be sheared and lambed. Then after the 4th of July Truck up to the BT till late Sept when the lambs are shipped for 3 days then 4 days later ewes are shipped back to Cokeville for 3 or so days, fall worked before being trucked to Rock Springs Grazing.
There are other areas in the west with migratory sheep operations, but not of the numbers, area or distance traveled then those in western Wyoming.
Fred is the 3rd generation as are the few other large migratory sheep outfits left in western Wyoming. He stills summers on the BT, and winters on Rock Springs grazing and range lambs in Coleville.
Rock Springs grazing is the largest BLM permit in the country, but is also one of the largest private land holding in Wyoming. The country is also checker boarded along the UP railroad and they lease the UP holdings. I forgot how many shares there are, But one share allows 2400 ewes or 500 cows, grazing is from December thou the 3rd week in April, not all shears run Livestock. They have mineral estates with royalties from trona mines, oil and gas, gas and oil pipelines, and are now putting 3 large wind farms.
Fred's ewes will walk 600 miles this winter on the Rock Springs Grazing Then well be trucked back to Cokeville to be sheared and lambed. Then after the 4th of July Truck up to the BT till late Sept when the lambs are shipped for 3 days then 4 days later ewes are shipped back to Cokeville for 3 or so days, fall worked before being trucked to Rock Springs Grazing.
There are other areas in the west with migratory sheep operations, but not of the numbers, area or distance traveled then those in western Wyoming.
