Praying for rain at Montosa Campground - Mountain Mail News

With passing of our friend Jack Bruton,the Mountain Mail is re-printing an articlethat was originally published in NewMexico Magazine in 2006.Here is that article, written by RobynHarrison:Jack Bruton is, always has been, andalways will be, a cattle rancher.“When I was born, a neighbor registeredme a brand and gave me a heifer calf and Ihaven’t been out of the cattle ranching businesssince.”And at 77, that’s a lot of years in thebusiness.Jack was raised on a cattle ranch inJornados in Socorro County, east of the RioGrande and southeast of San Antonio. Heremembers spending most of his childhoodon a horse.“I had a fantastic time growing up. Wejust almost lived on horses, playing andwork.”He rode on his first trail drive when hewas seven. It was a 10-day affair herding200 cattle from San Marcial to a ranch nearHot Springs. He was big enough to climbon a horse by himself, and could help keepthe cows in tow, but it was hard work.“I learned you don’t ‘drive’ cattle, youjust point ’em in the direction you want ’emto go. The cattle would graze and lay downand when they were ready they’d get up. Itwas hot, but if you took a nap, one of thosecows would walk away and you’d have to goafter her.”Catching and breaking wild horses was afavorite sport, involving plenty of dangerousrisks to get just the horse he’d picked out.He and his brother Neil knew which horsecould jump the highest, which could jumpthe farthest, and which would buck you off ifyou did something it didn’t approve of.They’d spend so much time outside theirlips would crack and split from the sun. Jackremembers wearing a strip of leather thathung down from his nose and tied behindhis head with a string to protect his lips sothey could heal. They called it a “blab” aftera similar device used to wean a calf.When fall came, the boys would be sentto live with kinfolks who lived closer to aschool. It was too expensive, both in gasolineand in time, to go back and forth tohome, so they’d often spend the entire winteraway from the ranch.The return of summer was a joyful time.“We’d shut the gate at ranch headquartersand ride every cow and bull that came inthat day,” Jack laughs. “We’d get so sore wecould hardly walk because we were so softfrom the winter.”Jack married Grace Harriet, his highschool sweetheart, and she moved to theranch with him. Their first child, Jack, Jr.,was born there, and would have been raisedthere but the government intervened.In the early 1950s the military needed aplace to test missiles, and Jornados was theperfect spot. Bruton was paid twenty centson the dollar for his land–not nearly enoughto replace it. He borrowed heavily andmoved west, out of the river valley, to a placehe felt certain they’d be left alone. Jack wentinto partnership with his father-in-law andseveral others and built his ranch on thePlains of San Agustin in western SocorroCounty.Twenty years later, the government cameknocking again.“Four guys showed up from Washingtonto come and talk to us and they were veryenthused because they was gonna’ set up thismountainmailnews.com • Mountain Mail • May 30, 2013 • Page 9Jack Bruton: a true cattle rancher beginning to endJack Bruton on his San Augustin Plains ranch.thing and they thought that I should be veryenthused...but I thought boy, oh, boy, herewe go again.”The “thing” they wanted to set up thistime was an array of 27 huge radio telescopesthat would effectively split Bruton’sranch into three pieces.Negotiations ensued and eventually anuneasy relationship was established, Jackalways nervous the Very Large Array wouldexpand beyond the original section purchasedfrom him and the 13 mile long armshe had given up as rights of way. 25 yearshave passed, and no expansion hasoccurred. There have been rocky times,most involving gates left open and cattle gettingout, but the relationship has improvedPhoto by Kelly Gatlinand both parties have benefitted from it.Ask Jack what he’s most proud of andhe’ll puff up and tell you about his family.He was married to Grace for 53 years.Together they raised a son and two adopteddaughters. Now there are grandkids andgreat grandkids, and Jack admits to spoilingthem.“Your own kids, you want them to beperfect because you’ve only got one shot atit,” he laughs, “but grandkids....”Jack, Jr., does most of the ranch worknow, with Jack, Sr., looking over his shoulder.He uses it as an excuse to get on a horse.“I love seeing this country, riding over it.”A true cattle rancher, beginning to end.