Five Generations of Ranching Northern Range Ranch Roping

FALL 2009The Smith Family:Five Generations of RanchingNorthern Range Ranch RopingThe Living Wordsof the ConstitutionPart 8Photographer Myron Beck:A Western Viewwww.paragonfoundation.org$5.95 USThe Journa l of the PARAGON Foundation, Inc.

O U R M I S S I O NThe PARAGON Foundation provides for education, research and theexchange of ideas in an effort to promote and support Constitutionalprinciples, individual freedoms, private property rights and thecontinuation of rural customs and culture – all with the intent ofcelebrating and continuing our Founding Fathers vision for America.The PARAGON Foundation, Inc. • To Educate and EmpowerWe invite you to join us. www.paragonfoundation.org

Fall 2009 Volume 5 No. 3William C. ReynoldsEDITORNicole KrebsASSOCIATE EDITORmarilyn FisherSPECIAL FEATURES EDITORRobin IrelandART DIRECTORmyron BeckFEATURED PHOTOGRAPHERDarrell arnold Julie Chase Baldocchi mark BedorRobert Dawson Guy de Galard Jay DusardDan Gagliasso Heather Hafleigh adam JahielJim Keen Thea marxCONTRIBUTORSTHE PARAGON FOUNDATIONBob JonesPRESIDENTGB oliverEXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT & PUBLISHERDon “Bebo” leeVICE PRESIDENT2Stella montoyaSECRETARY / TREASURERalice eppersBobby JonesDaniel martinezJonna lou SchaferDIRECTORSphoto by Myron BeckFor sponsorship inquiries, contact Nicole Krebs –575.434.8998 at the PaRaGoN Foundation, Inc. office,1209 michigan ave., alamogordo, Nm 88310. To join orrenew your membership or sponsorship, call toll free877.847.3443. The Cowboy Way is published quarterly bythe PaRaGoN Foundation, Inc. memberships are $50.00per year. The PaRaGoN Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit501(c)3. Postmaster: Send address changes to thePaRaGoN Foundation, Inc. 1209 michigan avenue,alamogordo, Nm 88310w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r gCopyright © 2009 all rights reserved

I N T H I S I S S U E8Of NoteCurrent events and Culturefrom out West22A Ranching Family thatDoesn’t Own the RanchBy Darrell Arnold28R-CALF USASpecial Section34Say It or Print It– It’s Your RightBy Marilyn Fisher41The Cowboy Way Interviewa Visit withPaRaGoN’s GB oliver44Your RightsPeasants or We The People?By GB Oliver47Myron Becka Western View58The Living Wordsof the ConstitutionBy Nicole Krebs60Ranch LivingWith Thea marx65An Intrepid SpiritFive Generationsof montana RanchingBy Thea Marx70Custer and Memy Time at Cavalry SchoolBy Mark Bedor74Heading WestGuest Ranches to Visitendorsed by the Dude Ranchers’association77Northern Range RanchRoping SeriesBy Guy de Galard82Ace Powell & Dave Powella Pair to Draw toBy Dan Gagliasso90Recommended Readingold and New BooksWorthy of Your Nightstand92Range WritingCowboy Poetry fromall over the West94PARAGON Memorials96Out ThereCover, Mission Spread and Table ofContents photography by MyronBeck. These photos were taken onthe Grant Shearer Ranch andtheir use has been graciouslygiven by The Artist Ride.3fa L L 2 0 0 9

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F R O M T H E E X E C U T I V E V I C E P R E S I D E N TGB OLIVERPositive StepsThis past summer, PaRaGoN Foundation was honoredby american Horse Publications at their annual awardsceremony. our magazine was one of eleven publicationsnominated in the category “Best association magazine,15,000 Circulation or more.” I am pleased to say that we wonand received some wonderful praise from the judges panel,“This magazine has such a strong aesthetic that extends fromcover to cover; you almost want to put each issue on display.The lifestyle editorial content that includes books and musicis refreshing in this genre. In addition, there’s sophisticationin the typography that few other magazines can match.Nothing looks accidental or unintentional, and attention ispaid to the appropriate use of bold and italics to designatemore important information and create a hierarchy with thetypography. The stunning photography caps off the booklikefeel that this magazine has.” We are also proud that wewon second place for editorial Photography with a phototaken by our friend and superb photographer, Jay Dusard.We are honored and humbled by this recognition and willcontinue, with your help, to bring helpful and entertaininginformation to you with every issue.5fa L L 2 0 0 9

6photo by Myron Beckw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

F R O M T H E E D I T O RTaking Things to HeartWILLIAM C. REYNOLDSas you can see by the front cover of this issue, we havechanged the name. We made this decision after muchwrangling, as we wanted a name that stated simply andclearly the way PaRaGoN Foundation operates, and sincewe operate “the cowboy way,” there it was. The Cowboy Way.We hope you will take it to heart.We all have been made painfully aware of the uproartaking place on the proposed health care bills. electedofficials are takingtheir summerbreak to meetwith “the folks”and hear theirviews on healthcare with thehopes that thebill or bills can bepassed easily in the fall. Full stop. Rather than being greetedby nodding sheep, our elected ones were faced with whatsome have called “mobs” – people angry and frustrated andwanting answers. Instead of responding as problem solvers,many of those town hall hosts criticized the passion of theiraudiences, failing to see what was really at issue at this timein our nation. This isn’t just about health care and theeconomy. It’s about the law of the land – the Constitution,our individual liberty and the future of our children’sfreedom. What many in government today are obviouslymissing is that the Constitution is about limitinggovernment. It is about protecting citizen’s property and nottaking it for redistribution from one group to another. If onewatches these town hall meetings, one comes to the obviousconclusion that not only have the health care bills not beenread by most of our elected officials, but the Constitutionhasn’t been read lately, if at all, either. We, as a people, needto take to heart the importance of that document and wherethe actual power sits – squarely in the hands of citizens likeyou and me. and, by all appearances, we are at a point in timewhere we might need to consider cleaning house when theterm elections come around in 2010.PaRaGoN’s executive Vice President GB oliver speaksspecifically to the health care issue, among others, in our“Your Rights” section in this issue. He is also the subject ofour interview as we felt many of our new readers should getto know GB better. our associate editor Nicole Krebscontinues her explanation of the Constitution and beginswith the ever important, First amendment. as this issue goesto press, we are all awaiting the highly anticipated return ofNicole’s husband, anthony, who – the subject of last month’s“out There” photo – will be returning from deployment inKuwait. In addition to Nicole’s article, our Special Featureseditor marilyn Fisher weighs in on the First amendmentand gives us further insight into that pillar of ourConstitution and our freedom.Freedom was what the moon family was seeking andwriter Darrell arnoldta ke s u s f o ra visit withmichael moonand his familyas they workthe ChicoBasin Ranch inColorado. BillBullard, R-CalF uSa Ceo, tells us more about the NaIS(National animal Identification System) issue and what weneed to know to help stop it in its tracks. mark Bedor hastough duty telling us all about his adventure in the CusterBattlefield re-enactment in montana. mark also gives us alook at what author Jim owen is up to along with a superbprofile of artist and leather craftsman, al Shelton. Guy deGalard takes us to the Northern Range Ranch Roping Serieswhere big loops mean big fun, while our own Thea marxgives us another installment of “Ranch living” along withthe story of the Smith family and their ranch in alder Gulchin the North Boulder Valley area of montana. Photographerextraordinaire myron Beck is our featured photographer thisissue and gives us the gorgeous fall shot for our first cover ofThe Cowboy Way.We hope you enjoy this fall issue and as always we arequite aware and thankful of your generous donations andspirit that enable us to continue to bring The Cowboy Wayto you. You, our fellow american citizens, your strength andresolve will be what protects our liberty and prevents thosein power from throwing the Constitution under the bus.our freedom is all of ours to cherish, nurture and protect –something we must take to heart everyday.7fa L L 2 0 0 9

photo by Bill ReynoldsJohn Swift's 1964 alaskan on his classic 1981 Chevy Custom deluxeClassy Camping – the Alaskan Truck Camper8There are those who camp and then there are those thatCamP. most people fall into one of those two categories, unlessyou’re one who simply DoeSN’T camp. Camping has alwaysbeen subject to the elements – tents helped, but something betterevolved. When camper camping came along, it was with theadvent of the “slide-in” pick-up truck camper – a milestone ofconvenience that changed everything – for many. I don’t knowwhere the name “slide-in” came from, as I have yet to see anyone“slide” one of those big Conestoga wagons-without-wheels ontoa pick-up. I have seen them “drop” into a pick-up bed after whatseemed to be four or five days of hand cranking four separate jacksto lower said camper. I have also had the unpleasant opportunityto witness a “slide-off ” – when the camper owner gunned it andforgot to chain down his little mobile Ponderosa. Camper stylesover the years, it seems, change like hemlines, and, like hemlines,most of the changes are mostly cosmetic – the essence is the same– a big box that rides in the truck bed. For many of the campingpersuasion, change is an unnecessary and wasteful concept,especially for those who simply love the timeless execution of agreat singular idea. example? of course. The Buck folding hunter.The Coleman lantern. The twist-off beer top. They are all classicsof the genre that work perfectly. That description also fits the heroof our story, the classic alaskan Truck Camper.The alaskan Truck Camper is not the bulky profile of theaverage pick-up truck camper. The original alaskan Camper wasdesigned for those searching for protection from the elements,but wanted a low compact profile that made traveling easy andremote campsites accessible. That, my friends, is what an alaskanCamper is all about.alaskan Campers, Inc. builds, as they say, “The camperscamper, and it’s manufactured right here in Chehalis,Washington. It’s singular unique and timeless quality is that thealaskan Camper RV is the original ‘top up – top down’ design, ‘itraises – it lowers’ the top of the camper for safety and comfort.This is what a true pop-up, slide-in camper should be, a lowtraveling profile that is not compromised with wimpy, canvassidewalls. These campers do not compromise on quality ofmaterial or workmanship; it’s all about camping and truckcampers. and, as they say of a used alaskan, ‘If you find one forsale, our advice is, buy it.’”That is exactly what John Swift did. He found his alaskan(shown here on John’s 1981 Chevy Custom Deluxe) in a friend’sw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

photo courtesy Alaskan Campers, Inc.barn in Central California. “It’s a single owner,” John says with a grin, “and you can’t say that aboutmany things built in 1964. my friend’s dad owned it and when he passed away, the family covered itup in the barn.” It seems owners of alaskan campers seem to take great pride in just how old theircamper is. as the original “Pop-up, Slide-in truckcamper” for sale, the alaskan Camper was – and is –asimple yet dramatic breakaway from the bulky profile ofthe average pickup truck camper RV. Since the originalalaskan Campers, designed in 1953 for the purpose ofcamping along the alcan Highway, campers havesearched for a “slide-in” camper for sale that would“pop-up” and give them protection from the rain andcold; a camper that would travel rough terrain, belightweight and present the least wind resistance on theroad. The original designer, and owner of the company,R.D. Hall, wanted a camper for himself he could drivewith little wind resistance yet had all the things insidethe nelson's check out an alaskan on the set ofThe Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet in the 1960she would need for several week trips from his home inCalifornia to the Brooks Range in alaska. By 1958,Hall had so many requests for the campers, he startedbuilding them for the public and, by 1963, had five factories building alaskans in the u.S. Today,Don Wheat continues the production of Hall’s original idea with his company, alaskan Campers, Inc.according to the company’s web site, “We decided to continue building a slide-in truck camperthat campers wanted! The first unit was constructed so that the top, by an ingenious hydraulicsystem, could be raised and lowered. This allowed for full standing room in the interior when incamp, but, when on the road, the unit was snugged down with only a few inches of camper roofextending above the truck cab. The result was reduced wind resistance and increased gas mileage!‘ToP uP – ToP DoWN’ ‘it raises – it lowers’ not only is this a tremendous advantage for thealaskan Pick-up Truck Camper RV, but it typifies our whole design and quality philosophy, ‘fromthe top to the bottom, we will build the best.’” Today, the alaskan Camper is available for sale as acustom camper as well as the standard Ten Foot alaskan RV or the Standard eight Foot alaskan;and both feature the “Top up – Top Down” patented design. The design really is ingenious:1. While driving with the top lowered, there is less wind resistance. With less windresistance, fuel mileage is increased.2. The lower profile not only improves fuel mileage, but it also improves the handling andfeel while driving. By lowering the center of gravity, putting the weight of the campercloser to the road, the alaskan does not demonstrate the “rocking and rolling” motionof the conventional truck camper.3. The insulated “Solid Wall” design has the obvious benefit of a safer interior (no bears orintruders coming through canvas walls), a warmer interior in the winter with minimalheat loss and a cooler interior in the summer.4. The full raising top means you have a full height door which means you don’t have tostoop over to get inside the camper, as is the case with later pop-up designs. and it alsomeans you have large eye level glass windows, not plastic.5. When driving in windy conditions, the truck and slide-in camper is not pushed aroundas in a conventional truck and camper.Through the years, the system has received significant improvements. although many puristslove the hand-operated jack, an electric hydraulic pump was introduced in 1990 to improve the easeof raising the top. In 1994, stainless steel pistons were added, this reduced the possibility ofinadvertently bending the pistons. The size of the piston diameter was increased in 1999 to providemore lifting power. other than that, frankly, why mess with something that’s pretty close to perfect?To learn more about alaskan Truck Campers, visit one of their three web sites. Yes,three. www.alaskancamper.org – .com and .net. alaskancamper.org has mostly pictures.alaskancamper.com is the most complete and alaskancamper.net is for those who have littlepatience and just want the facts. a very nice PDF brochure sucks you right in.Current interiors of the alaskan truckCamper show that there's no need tochange something that works1964 interiorphotos courtesy Alaskan Campers, Inc.photo by Bill Reynolds9fa L L 2 0 0 9

Parkfield Cattle DriveVisit historic Parkfield, California, right near Paso Robles and a stone’s throwfrom historic Hearst Castle. Parkfield was a turn of the century boomtown,which, back in the late 1800s, sported a population of 900 miners,homesteaders, oil wildcats and merchants. Today, Parkfield’s population reads“18” but this town is as full of life and activities as it was over 100 years ago. onSaturdays through November, you can join in on a cattle drive right throughdowntown Parkfield or watch the cattle drive come through town from the V6Ranch Grill while enjoying a bottle of Parkfield Vineyard Wine and a hardymeal. The Grill features a grass-fed beef burger raised locally on the legendaryV6 Ranch.Parkfield is also known as the earthquake Capital of the World, as it is themost studied spot on earth for earthquake prediction. So, if there is going to bean earthquake, you’ll have a little advance notice! But, don’t let that shake you,cowboy-up and take a picture on the bent bridge coming into town where youcan stand on the San andreas Fault straddling the Pacific Plate and the Northamerican Plate.For information on the V6 Ranch, Grill & lodge, email them atsandra_reisz@msn.com. If you would like to make reservations to join them ona Saturday Cattle Drive, email them at barbara@parkfield.com.Let ‘Er Buck10Pendleton Round-Up at 100 is a full-color celebration of thefirst one hundred years of this classic rodeo. over five years werespent in researching and writing Pendleton Round-Up at 100, togive full justice to its richand uniquely americanhistory; and its enduringappeal in oregon, theWest and the world ofrodeo. This collection isillustrated with over 900photos and illustrationsthat are drawn fromhistoric collections andfamily archives, mostpreviously unpublished.The book’s 24 chapters tell the stories of the Round-up’sfounding and early years, its discovery by Hollywood, Indianparticipation from the Round-up’s establishment, the cowgirls’era, legendary performers, the families and volunteer spirit thatsustain the annual event and much more.unique among all rodeos, Pendleton included participantsfrom surrounding Native american tribes – umatilla, Cayuse,and Walla Walla – in its first year, and every year since. For moreinformation, visit www.gacpc.com.The slogan for the Round-Up is a good one to remember –“Just grit your teeth, get another hold, be a man and ‘Let’er buck!’”– The east oregonian, 1911Garcia and “Cap’s”our friend Pete melniker, who operates Double DiamondHalters (fine rope halters, lariats and other stuff you need –www.doublediamondhalters.com), sent us a great little book on thehistory of G.S. Garcia and J.m. Capriola Co. – or “Caps” as its calledby many. Both companies span over 140 years of history asimportant saddlers in Reno, Salinas and elko, Nevada. The bookchronicles the life and legacy of G.S. Garcia, as well as the history ofJ.m. Capriola Company, begun by Joseph martin Capriola, aformer apprentice in the Garcia shop and a rancher in his own right.Still going strong, Garcia bits and spurs are still available todaythrough the Capriola’s shop in elko, Nevada. The book honoredthe 100 TH anniversary of the awarding of the Gold medal to the“Garcia Beauty Saddle” at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. louis.This book is filledwith exquisite photo -graphs and heart feltmemories, which willdelight anyone whoappreciates the artis -try of the silver andleather work thefamily made famous.For more infor ma tion,visit www.gsgarcia.net.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Paul Hunter: In Praise of LetterpressToday the publishing world seems to be all about the Kindle and other means of electronicdelivery of words. It’s faster, cheaper and – oh my goodness – it’s greener! Being of a certain erawhere one enjoyed the concept of picking up a book to notonly read but to keep; I am sure the “big m.o.” of our currenttech-fancying world will ultimately leave the likes of me inthe muddy sludge of publishing’s passing evolutionary marchinto a brave new world. But, until that happens, I cancelebrate and share the likes of Paul Hunter with all of you.our friend lynn miller at Small Farmer’s Journal sent a copyof Paul’s book of poetry titled Breaking Ground. It is a volumeof verse of the earth, poems of farming – it’s work,anticipation and appreciation. Paul has been poet, teacher,performer, playwright, musician, instrument-maker, artist,editor, publisher, grassroots arts activist and shade-treemechanic. For the past eleven years, he has produced fineletterpress books under the imprint of Wood Works –currently including 22 books and 46 broadsides. He is aperson obviously in love with the process of making books –as well as the writing. of his printing, he indicates his missionis “to encourage and present the best of contemporary and world literature, in a durable, compact,handmade format.” For Paul – and me – that’s still a book.To see more of Paul’s work, visit www.woodworkspress.com.OPEN BOOKSPaul HunterIf we don’t read one anotherwho do we ever readand if we don’t read one anotherwho can we expect to read us?and if we don’t read one anotherand if we don’t readwhy bother writingthese lines so deep in our facesthat take so much livingto begin to make a dentthe child’s dimple a tiny wordthe frown of a young adulta curse and the sags the scarsby forty a coupletby fifty or sixty scarce a sonneteven by ninety and a hundredthe tale told rarely an epicbut alwaysalways worth another lookphotos courtesy www.cowboypoetry.com“Out Where the West Begins”In the last issue, we printed a little postcard from a long time ago with a little poem about the wonders of theWest. Journalist and author arthur Chapman (1873 -1935) wrote the poem, “out Where the West Begins.” Hewrote it in 1912, as he was, according to his obituary, “(a) prolific poet – he wrote ofall sorts of things – the Pony express, of science, of skyscrapers and New York. But heknew his West and he wrote the poem after reading of a discussion of state governorsas to where geographically the West actually began. When he wrote it, it was almoston a dare and he first considered it too unimportant to even copyright. His mistake.The poem went on to be one of the most beloved poems of the region and was quoted,printed worldwide and even put to music several times. It can be found in many forms,but Chapman finally copyrighted the poem in a book of hisWestern verse, which carries the name of his most famouspoem as its title. He wrote hundreds of poems and publishedseveral novels including Mystery Ranch, a book of murderand intrigue on an Indian reservation.”We received many emails about that little poem fromsome who knew who wrote it and some who didn’t. arthur Chapman contributed muchto the romance of the american West through his writing, but none more than thosetwenty-one lines about a place “Where there’s more giving and less of buying, and a manmakes friends without half trying – that’s where the West begins.”For more information on Arthur Chapman, please visit this highly informative web sitewww.rangewriter.org.arthur Chapmanphoto courtesy Denver Public Library11fa L L 2 0 0 9

K Bar J LeatherJack Gully’s company, K Bar J leatheroperates out of Newell, South Dakota. He’ll tellyou he’s in the leggin’ business – making chapsand chinks – but if it’s made out of leather, hecan probably do it – as you can see by hiscatalog. and, if you want your brand orcompany trademark on it – easy as pie.everything K Bar J makes is made in thesurrounding South Dakota countryside byranch folks who do piece work at night or whenthey schedule it. Jack and his company not onlymake fine leather goods – they help employ thelocals. That, my friend, is what a cottageindustry does. We are very proud to featuretheir fine products and ask you to check out their very complete product line at www.kbarjleather.com.12Catalog EnvyHere are a couple of catalogs that are absolutely worth getting. We will tryto find a couple for each issue like we did last time. and, like last time, youcan’t have these, as these are ours.FishpondI love messenger bags and all kinds of“soft-goods” as they say in the biz. a coupleof issues ago, we showed you a bag made byFishpond and I use it with great joy to thisday. But, they make way more than just bags– although they do make every conceivablekind of bag one would need if one’s passionwas fly-fishing. They build luggage, lunchboxes, thermos bottle carriers and even anifty case for playing cards – when the fisharen’t biting. The catalog fits easily in yourfishing vest pocket. www.fishpondusa.comDavid Ellis TentsThere may or may not come a timewhen you need a new bedroll or a walltent. But, if you do – head straight toDavid ellis. David ellis Canvas Productscalls Durango, Colorado home andDavid and Kelly ellis will make sure anyand all of your outdoor canvas needs aremet. Whether you need a range teepee, awagon sheet or a hunting-lodge size walltent, this is the place. David’s cavalrybedroll is the best.www.cowboycamp.netStetson 30X El PatronStetson is oneof the great icontrademarks of not only theWestern genre but of america itself. longassociated with fine headwear, Stetson inventedthe cowboy hat and their classic 30X el Patron,built by Stetson’s master craftsmen, is a greatexample of a legendary company still making thebest. each hat is carefully handcrafted the old way,taking some thirteen individual hand operationsand made of the finest beaver, wild hare and rabbitfur. It features a self-band and buckle set with insetprecious stones along with a super comfortablegenuine roan leather sweatband and satin silklining. We are pleased to welcome Stetson in thisissue as a PaRaGoN sponsor. Please visitwww.stetsonhat.com.hw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Vaquero DreamsThese lyrics, from “The Vaquero Song” by Dave Stamey, conjure the life ofa vaquero.For the past twenty-five years, the area in and around California’s Santa YnezValley has celebrated its vaquero heritage with – what started out as a displayonly - bit, spur and gear show. makers and collectors from all over the CentralCoast region of California would congregate to show the working gear of theCalifornia vaquero. The show, which was first held in Santa Paula, California,about an hour and a half to the south of the Santa Ynez Valley, became a windowinto the origins and ways of the vaquero’s world. a window that shows us thepast as well as the present passion many hold for the vaquero ways of the horseand cow culture here in the Central Coast region of California.like the era of the plains cowboy, the vaquero’s world thrived for a very shorttime. From the mid-1830s, after the secularization of the missions by themexican government, the vaquero culture blossomed on the regions land grantranchos. It was a time that lasted until around 1865. In those later years,California suffered through years of drought, decimating the cattle industry andforcing many ranchos to be sold. During those short 30 years, a culture was bornand evolved – a gracious way of life where competency and capability werevalued more than anything else. and, while the ranchos have mostly vanished,a few remain in the hands of direct descendants, hold-fasts to that mystical erain this part of the Pacific Slope.The show this year will celebrate its twenty-fifth anniversary and will featuremakers and craftspeople that specialize in vaquero gear, art, collectable booksand ephemera and gear. at each Vaquero Show, local people are honored fortheir continued interest and support of the vaquero ways. This year’s HonoredVaquero is long-time rodeo performer and Cowgirl Hall of Fame member,audrey Griffin; Honored Vaquero Craftsman is saddler and silversmith,Jeremiah Watt, and Honored Vaquero artist mehl lawson, Caa artist andTCaa rawhide braider. The show runs three days, November 13 – 15. Formore information, visit www.syvhm.org.“In the canyon and barrancasAnd willows by the creek bankI chased the wild cattle through the liveoak trees.’Cross valleys ridge and mesaand the hills baked oh, so yellowMy ponies sleek and dancingwere all a man would need.”“The Vaquero Song” – Dave StameyPainting Cowboysartist and designer Don Weller lives in a small town near Park City, utah. He moved therebecause, as he tells it, his horses pulled him there. Weller and his wife, Cha Cha, moved from l.a.where Don had a very successful designbusiness. He was one of a handful of graphicdesigners that created the groundbreakinggraphic presentation of the 1984 olympicsheld in los angeles. In his new book,Painting Cowboys, his light-filled water colorscelebrate cowboys working horseback duringthe heat of the day – shadows playing withthe colors as deeply as the light. as he says ofhis work, “a good painting does not aspire to be a photograph, rather a compositionwith things included and things eliminated to enhance the idea.” This is a book tohave, as is Don’s art. www.amazon.com or www.oldcowdogs.com13fa L L 2 0 0 9

14photo courtesy Al SheltonAl Shelton – Cowboy Carver to the StarsStudio City, California. It’s one of l.a.’s mostprestigious neighborhoods. Some of the country’s top televisionshows are filmed here and it’s not uncommon to see a TV ormovie star at a local bookstore or coffee shop.But the BmWs and the mercedes thatbuzz through this hip part of town on themain drag of Ventura Boulevard areoblivious to a Western treasure thatresides in a largely forgotten storefront –the studio of al Shelton, long known asthe Cowboy artist to the Stars. andtoday, Shelton is being rediscovered by anew generation, recognized all over again.No, you won’t find Brad, Jennifer orangelina here but, a generation ago,stars like Ricky Nelson, angieDickinson, Tom Selleck and Geneautry were among Shelton’s regularcustomers, snapping up his paintings, exquisite leather carvingsand his custom made silver belt buckles, like the one he made forthe cast and crew of themovie Rocky II.“Sly (Sylvester Stallone)came in here and wantedme to do a buckle for himwith boxing gloves on‘em,” recounts the artist.“and I said, ‘Well bringfamous stuntman Loren Janeswith al Sheltonme a pair of boxinggloves so I can see ‘em... Ican do a better job ofsculpting.’ When he sawthe buckle, he said, ‘Idonate these gloves toyou,’” continues Shelton.Thirty years later,those gloves hang on Shelton’s wall. Shelton still has some ofthose Rocky buckles, and many others he madefor TV shows and movies over the years. andit’s great fun for a Western fan to look throughhis collection. There’s one of Geneautry, another from Selleck’s movie QuigleyDown Under and a third sporting a detailedwagon train scene Shelton made for a shortlived TV show called Wagons West.as impressive as the buckles are, Sheltonmade his name as an artist in leather. The 89-year-old recently completed what may be thecrowning achievement of his long career – anintricate, hand-tooled leather guitar coverphoto by Mark Bedorcommissioned by the martin Guitar Companyphoto courtesy Al Sheltonin Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and now part of its company museum.Not bad for the son of a Colorado sharecropper who neverfinished 9 TH grade.Hearing Shelton’s life story is like a window into a world thathas long since disappeared. Born in theeastern Colorado town of akron, hismother died when he was six. His dadkept the family together by workinganother man’s farm in return for a shareof the crop and earned less than a dollara day.“one year, the beets froze in theground, so we didn’t get anything,” alremembers. “I don’t know what we livedon. We wouldn’t go on relief – it wascalled relief in those days, now it’swelfare.” While the family didn’t haveany money, they were blessedwith talent. By fourth grade, Shelton was winning ribbons at thelocal county fair for his artwork. Growing up horse -back, at age 12, he’d decidedto become a cowboy andhorses helped him earn themoney for his first guitarwhen he was fourteen. “Theyharnessed up three big horsesfor me to plow a field, apretty big field. Took me allweek,” tells Shelton. “But Iwas a pretty good horseman,pretty good teamster. my dadhad taught me all hecould about horses... and Iloved horses.”al left home at 17, and,by 19, he was making a living breaking horses for the u.S.Cavalry. “They were buildin’ up the Cavalry forWorld War Two,” he explains. “You had to havethe buck out of ‘em. You had to be able to geton and off. They’d take ‘em from there.”Winter of 1940 found the young manbucking out horses at the rodeo grounds inGreeley, Colorado. one day a woman sat inthe stands to watch. She waved. He waved backand rode over to say hi. “She said I was thesmoothest rider out there.” You can still hearhow the cowboy’s face must have lit up that day.It wasn’t long before the two were married.When the war started, Shelton went towork in a factory making gas masks. But he hadphoto courtesy Al Sheltonw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

long been trying his hand at carvingleather. His life changed instantly whenhe walked into a Denver saddle shop in1943. “I showed him my billfold and hesaid, ‘That’s pretty good.’ He motionedthe foreman to come up and see it. Theforeman thought it was pretty good too!He said, ‘How would you like a job doin’that?’ I always called it a miracle,” al saysof his first big break. “If I was huntin’ a jobcarvin’ leather in those days, you wouldn’thave had a chance.”Shelton may be selling himself short.The legendary edward H. Bohlin thoughtal’s work was pretty good, too. and whenShelton mailed samples of it to Hollywood’s“Saddle maker to the Stars,” the youngcraftsman had an instant job offer.But Shelton didn’t stay long. It was onlya few months before a Bohlin competitorwas equally impressed, and offered to morethan double his salary to a whopping threedollars an hour! “Boy, I hated to faceBohlin with it though,” al grimaces. “Hekind of blew his stack when I told him Iwas quittin’ for a better job.”By the 1950s, Shelton had his ownshop on the grounds of l.a.’s famousFarmers market, where a woman came inone day to place an order. “She left andthey said, ‘Do you know who that was?That’s Harriet Nelson!’” The co-star ofthe hit TV show The Adventures of Ozzieand Harriet had a talented son namedRicky with a blossoming music career.“They were gonna havehim copy elvis – hangin’the guitar down real lowand a leather carvedcover,” remembers al.“and he didn’t knowhow to play a guitar, he’dnever tried to play one.”Shelton, who by thenhad moved his shop toStudio City, loved play -ing music. and as hephoto courtesy Al Sheltoncarved that cover, Rickywould drop by for guitarlessons. “I taught him hisfirst chords!” smiles al. Ricky Nelsonalready knew how to play the piano andseveral other instruments and it wasn’tlong before the roles were reversed. “Hecame back one day to show me how he wasdoin’, and he just passed me up like a dirtyshirt!” laughs al. “I started learnin’ fromhim!” (That story is not only confirmedbut retold in the liner notes of the CapitolRecords box set of Nelson’s recordings.)Shelton still plays guitar today, but henever had his own career in music. Hewas too busy keeping up with thedemand for his leatherwork and otherart. With his reputation spreadingthroughout Hollywood’s elite, a steadystream of the rich and famous wereplacing orders for his work.He made briefcases for Gene autry,custom leather work for the legendaryWestern clothing designer Nudie Cohnand, after some Gunsmoke executivesbought some of his paintings, the showcommissioned al to create acommemorative Western belt buckle forthe cast and crew. It turned out to be thefirst of nearly 100 such orders frommovies and TV shows.While Shelton still has many fans of hiswork, a new marketing effort is certain toincrease that number. For the first time ever,giclees and prints are now available of someof the artist’s classic cowboy paintings,inspired by his early life as a Coloradobuckaroo. Reminiscent of Will James, butwith a style all his own, it’s a collectionanyone who loves Western art will want tosee. In addition, al is offering an audioauto biography of his remarkable life’sjourney, including someof his musical perfor -mances and a cameoappearance by RickyNelson’s son.There’s also talk ofal and his artworkreturning to the l.a.Farmers market when itcelebrates its 75 TH anni -versary this fall. and,the autry NationalCenter, which hasal Shelton with Matthew nelson several of al’s pieces ondisplay, plans to host aparty when Shelton turns 90 next year.Get more information on the art of alShelton at www.artisanstudioworks.com.—mark Bedorphotos by Mark Bedor15

American SoldierQueensrycheRhino.comFor many military familieswith loved ones who eitherhave served or are serving,sometimes the biggest canyonsto cross are the silences, whensome things are just too hard totalk about. For the manyfamilies with loved ones servingin the conflicts in the middleeast, who knows what difficulties will come home. american metal band,Queensrÿche envisions war and its consequences through the eyes of asoldier with their twelfth studio release, the epic concept album,ameRICaN SolDIeR. The disc’s twelve original songs were inspiredby numerous interviews that Geoff Tate – the band’s singer and chiefsongwriter – conducted with veterans over the last several years. Inspeaking with service people engaged in conflicts from World War II toIraq, Tate became committed to telling their stories through songs thatused their own words. The result is an unflinching musical exploration ofthe life of a soldier and the profound impact of war.Tate says that the idea for ameRICaN SolDIeR came both fromhearing stories from fans who are veterans as well as from his own father,who served in Korea and Vietnam. “until very recently,” says Tate, “henever spoke about what he went through. I think that reticence is true ofa lot of veterans, which means most people never truly understand whatit means to be a soldier at war. Hearing what he and some of our fans haveendured made me want to share their stories with the world.” Tate addsthat making the album was enlightening, “I was surprised to learn howlittle has changed through the generations ... but what surprised me themost was how anti-war most soldiers are. To me, that makes theirsacrifices even more moving.” www.queensryche.comOf Pens and Wooden “Eggoscopes”Wood craftsman,Tim Burke, has beenturning wood forabout six years. Hedid a little bit inschool but, 6 yearsago, he had a friendThe wood that Tim workswith comes mostly from hislocal area. In fact, some of itcomes from old logging ship -wrecks on the Great lakes.For more infor ma tion onTim’s work, email him atta.burke@hotmail.com.show him some pens that hehad made and it sparked Tim’sinterest. His brother had givenhim some apple wood that hehad cut down from a friend’shouse that was well over 50-years-old and the rest is still to beseen. He makes a variety ofdifferent styles of pens & pencils,pocket watches, deer calls,predator calls (rabbit), eggshapedkaleido scopes (eggoscope)and, hopefully soon, pepper mills.16We received an overwhelming response about our photoin the “out There” section – in the Summer issue – ofTechnical Sergeant Krebs. So here he is again with his entireteam. Please keep them all close to your heart and pray fortheir safe and swift return home. Is it just us or do all theseyoung heroes look very young?SSgt Joshua arledge, Sra nathanial george (towards rear),Sra John McCaw, SSgt Chris Cromer, SSgt Jason printice ,tSgt anthony Krebs, Sra Jordan paniagua, Sra Simon gravelle,a1C Joshua alvarez, Sra Marcwarner,Sra dustin McCarrollBack row (on truck hood)a1C Jennifer nguyen, Sra Kelsey upshaw,SSgt Bryan Summervillew w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Jay DusardFor those who don’t have a copy of photographer JayDusard’s landmark book – North American Cowboy – APortrait, then hopefully your travels will take you throughthe Phoenix Sky Harbor airport. Through the end ofNovember, Jay has a show hanging there which is a must see.The Cowboy West is a culmination of many of Jay’s imagescelebrating the region and its people through hisphotography. Don’t miss your flight, but the show is truly aonce in a lifetime experience to view. For more on JayDusard’s work, visit www.oldcowdogs.com.photos by Jay DusardLimited Edition Shannon Lawlor print availableexclusively with your PARAGON donationour friend, artist and horsewoman Shannon lawlor, donated this lovelybridle horse painting she finished recently featuring the PaRaGoNmission Statement. We have made a limited edition print of the painting –(the original will be auctioned off next year to benefit the Foundation) –and are available as a premium with a donation of $250. There are only 200prints and each is signed and numbered by Shannon, who we thank onceagain for her kindness and generosity. You can see more of Shannon's workat www.shannonlawlor.com.17hfa L L 2 0 0 9

The West of David StoeckleinPhotographer David Stoecklein has put together a stunningcollection of his newest work with over 200 photographscelebrating the american West. These images demonstrate his loveof the land and its people, and offer a glimpse into the reasonsbehind his lifelong quest and passion for preserving the West withhis camera. Stoecklein has traveled in all the western states, visitingranches and documenting the incredible scenery of the region. Thephotographs cover a wide range of topics and areas. “I have beenputting this book together in my mind for a long time now, and Iam so excited to be able to share it,” says Stoecklein.Sprinkled among the images are brief anecdotes about histravels and experiences as well as behind-the-scenes tips andinformation about some of his favorite photos. This book is atribute to the Western way of life and all the horses, cattle and hardworkingpeople who have provided Stoecklein with so muchinspiration over the years.David R. Stoecklein is a fine Westerner and has worked closelywith cowboys and cowgirls from every western state. He resides inIdaho with his wife, mary, and three sons, Drew, Taylor, and Colby. They divide their time between their Sun Valley home and their ranchin mackay.For more information, visit www.thestoeckleincollection.com.Free the Sheep18Nancy anderson has been a pal of PaRaGoN for a number of years andwe have featured her Sweetbird Studio designs because of their unique andcreative approach to “self-embellishment.” She approaches her art withpassion and freedom and she is embarkingon a new effort that she feels everyone canparticipate in. Nancy is a believer in theunique and creative spirit of americans. Shebelieves in main Street and is saddened bythe seeming demise of the mom and popstorefront. evolution. and, while she is notone to push rope uphill, she does believe inthe ability of each and every one of us toapproach life with an open heart. “Free theSheep,” muses Nancy, “is a modern dayexcavation, a search for meaning; the mostimportant force of human lives. It is aboutfreeing our minds and our lives throughliving well through creativity andcommunity. Free the Sheep begins and ends with a mission to help achieve afreeing of the spirit in all of us. To remind everyone to ‘rouse the soulfulmysteries that have inspired artists and thinkers living outside of the box forgenerations. To revive that spirit so desperately needed in this period of ourgreat country. We are the answer. We can fix it, together.” Find out more aboutFree the Sheep at www.freethesheep.com.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

National High School Rodeo Finals – 2009Farmington, Nm is turned upside down once about every fiveyears or so when the National High School Rodeo Finals comesto town and brings some 1,500 contestants and their families andhorses for rodeo’s biggest high school event. High school rodeogoes back to the late 1940s, and has been growing ever since. It isa great way for kids and their families to enjoy rodeo together andthe NHRa has a number of ways people can be supportive of thisgreat sport around the country. The National High School Rodeoassociation has available a Booster Club, associate and alumnimembership program as a way of offering interested individualsand businesses an opportunity to support this non-profitassociation. memberships are accepted from approved firms orpersons who have a desire to be involved in high school rodeo orwho are alumni of the organization. Funds derived from thesemembership contributions are distributed to the state/provinceassociation of the member’s choice, the NHSRa scholarship fundand to defray any administrative costs. For more information onthese programs, and how you can become a member of the highschool rodeo family, contact the NHSRa National Headquartersat booster@NHSRa.org.Barrel racing – Baily Jobe – wellborn, floridaBaily Jobe of florida picked the perfect time to strike out and turn in theperformance that mattered the most. after finishing fifth in the first roundand in the third spot in the second round, she executed her final pattern interrific fashion to win the Barrel racing title.19Bull riding – Chase outlaw – tilly, arkansasafter a terrific effort in the first round, which gave him the firstgo-round performance win, arkansas’ Chase outlaw foundhimself in a peculiar position in the second go-round, havingcovered his bull but only tying for 25 th in the go-round. Yet,when the short-go rolled around on Saturday evening, outlawwon the performance and the average as well.team roping – ryan Cook – Belen, new Mexico and Cody Jo Mirabal – grants, nMthe duo of ryan Cook and Cody Jo Mirabal knows how to please the “hometownfans.” after beginning their week with a respectable 13 th place showing in the firstgo-round, they improved their time in the second round and finished in the 8 th spot.the team then went on to prove that it had saved their best performance for last, byfinishing in third place in the championship short-go round. when the final overallaverage had been computed, the local duo had a very big reason to smile.fa L L 2 0 0 9

20Cowboy Ethics “Boot Camp” atthe Alisal Guest Ranch & ResortBy Mark BedorToday, personal ethics, or the lack of them, hasbecome a national issue. In fact, many believe thatdishonesty and greed were largely to blame fortriggering the current recession. It’s an issue Jimowen takes very personally. “I was always very proudto be in the investment business. I don’t feel so proudanymore,” he laments. The 40-year Wall Streetveteran decided to do something about it. His 2004book, Cowboy Ethics – What Wall Street Can Learnfrom the Code of the West, has struck a nerve acrossthe country. and not just in the business world. Inthe five years since it was published, Cowboy Ethicshas sold nearly 100,000 copies.The book distills owen’s Western take onethics into a ten-point code of core principles.“To me, the Code of the West represented someuniversal truths,” declares the author. In anamerica where the definition of marriageor what language to speak is up for debate, owenbelieves the Code is something we can all surelyagree on. Live each day with courage. Take pridein your work. When you make a promise, keep it.Who would argue with that? In fact, owen’sbook and its message have been so well received,he has launched a second career as aninspirational speaker. The 67-year-old formerinvestment professional has given more than 150talks on Cowboy ethics to groups all over thecountry. Based on audience reaction, his messagehas tapped into a deep hunger to return to asimpler, more honest way of life. “everywhere Igo,” says owen, “people ask me, ‘Why can’t aguy’s word be his bond? Why can’t a handshakebe as good as a 20-page contract?’”The message is based on the ways of thecowboy - a figure that owen believes represents the very best inamerica. “The cowboy way really is built on the traditionalamerican values of hard work, honesty and courage,” says owen.“Real basic principles. Things that we feel every youngster needsto know.”Through the work of owen’s foundation,The Center for Cowboy ethics andleadership, Cowboy Ethics is now a textbookfor school programs in arizona, Texasand Colorado. In Denver, the courseand its presentation, which includesmusic and wonderful images of thethe alisalWest, is targeted toward at-risk high-school students, andeducators there say it’s making an impact. The Dean of theuniversity of Wyoming Business School now also teaches acourse based on the owen book. Corporations are adoptingthe Code as well, like Jonah Bank of Casper, Wyoming.“They called and said they’d like to incorporate the Code ofthe West into their whole corporate culture,” beams owen. “Ican’t tell you the feeling when you see people actually run abusiness around these principles.” Today when you click on thebank’s website (jonahbank.com), you’ll see owen’s Code,renamed as the Jonah Bank Code. The Code is also reprintedon employee business cards and framed posters featuring eachw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

of its ten tenets adorn the bank walls.This year, owen is launching a four-day, three-night seminaron Cowboy Ethics, hosted by California’s alisal Guest Ranch andResort. Some 70 employees of an oregon software company willbe his first class. “They were drawn to the combination ofCowboy ethics and the cowboy experience,” says owen. “as faras I know, no guest ranch has ever combined these two thingsbefore.” The program is a perfect fit for the alisal. Thisgorgeous, upscale guest ranch of more than 10,000-acres outsideSanta Barbara was founded back in 1946. Step onto the propertywith its vintage flavor and herd of more than 100 horses, andit’s like stepping back in time. Some families have beenvacationing here for 60 years. “We are, for many people, a verycritical, very important part of their family tradition,” says alisalGeneral manager Dave lautensack. “and they come here tokind of get away from what’s happening today in the world andbe a part of a ranch and a place that goes back to the missiondays here in California.”When the busy summer season ends, the Ranch is a populardestination for business meetings. and what better place to holda seminar on Cowboy ethics? “It just seems to be the right timefor a get-back-to-basics kind of approach to business - values,ethics - whatever term you want to use,” muses lautensack. “Weepitomize this, in terms of the way we run the Resort and theGuest Ranch. and it just seems to be a screaming need right nowin this country.”owen is looking forward to the alisal event. “What’s funabout this is the Cowboy ethics workshop combined with theactual cowboy experience,” he says. “I’m guessing that half thesefolks, maybe more, have never been on a horse before.” Hebelieves a little time in the saddle will help reinforcephoto courtesy Jim Owenhis message. and the hunger for it shows no signs of slowingdown. after writing a sequel (Cowboy Values: RecapturingWhat America Once Stood For), Jim owen hasa third book in the works. He’s also working ona documentary film based on his book,titled, Cowboy Ethics – Alive and Well inWyoming. The film will focus on residents ofthe Cowboy State who practice cowboy ethicsevery day of their lives. “It’s my life’s missionnow to spread this message,” says owen.For more information on Jim Owen, his booksand speaking engagements, contact the Center forCowboy Ethics and Leadership atwww.cowboyethics.org.The Alisal Guest Ranch & Resort hosts a seriesof special “boot camp” experiences, includingCowgirl Boot Camp, Mother-Daughter BootCamp and Boot Camp for Couples, as well as beinga family destination favorite. Please visitwww.alisal.com.21hfa L L 2 0 0 9

anch headquartersA Ranching Family thatDoesn’t Own the Ranchphotography by Darrell Arnold22Historically, it’s been the lot of many cowboys tospend their entire lives riding someone else’s horsesand taking care of someone else’s cows without everowning a head of livestock themselves. Further, manycowboys had to give up their spiritually rewardingprofession after they married and started families, familiesthat required greater financial support than cowboy wagescould provide.Colorado cowboy michael moon is one of the morefortunate of his ilk. He has managed to hold down asuccession of cowboying jobs while being married andfathering a growing family. Now, he’s found himself ina situation where he is being allowed to start his ownherd of cattle.moon lives on, works on and manages the Chico BasinRanch, an unusual 87,000-acre, state-owned ranch aboutan hour southeast of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Hisboss is Duke Phillips, who holds a 25-year lease on theranch. Phillips’ agreement with the state of Coloradoallows him to manage the ranch as he sees fit. He makes itpay for itself with the proceeds from cattle ranching, andhe gives back by providing access and educationalprograms to the general public. as the Chico Basin Ranchweb site explains, “The Chico Basin Ranch … is dedicatedto the enhancement and preservation of the natural worldand our Western heritage. our mission is to create aworking ranching model that views the ranch as anecological resource base, using cattle as an important toolto manipulate the surface of the ground to achieveconservation goals….”BY DaRRell aRNolDw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

“We believe that ranchers provide an important role inthe stewardship of our nation’s native rangelands becauseranchers already live on the land and because our families’futures depend on our success at building and maintainingthe health of the ecosystem on our properties,” Phillips says.“We operate the ranch 100 percent from raising beef. This isa traditional cattle-grazing operation. We use horses, ropesand low-stress handling methods on the cattle. We usewagons as much as we can. We don’t jump horses into a stocktrailer. We ride everywhere.”The Chico Basin Ranch is both traditional and nontraditional,combing the best of both worlds to make the bestranch possible. Phillips says, “I’m living a dream, my dream.”michael moon adds, “Duke really wants to communicateranching to the non-ranching world. It’s a big mission forhim. I agree with him. It’s vital to ranching’s survival that wecommunicate the message of what we’re doing out here. Wewant to tell the world that we are real people making a livingon the land and taking care of the land. If we don’t do that ina positive way, then we are allowing people who don’t haveour best interests at heart to communicate for us.”michael and his wife, Dawn, live in an old threebedroomadobe ranch house at headquarters. They havefour children, aidan (12), Ruth (9), Cole(7) and eli (4), and they are happy to beable to provide the youngsters with aranching lifestyle. “Duke raised his kidson the ranch,” michael explains. “Hisyoungest is 12 and she’s here. He’s realconscious of allowing me to let the kidshelp. His dream was to raise his kids on aranch – even if they didn’t go intoranching, they’d have that experience.We’re the same way. So, if it takes me alittle extra long to help one of my kids toget his horse saddled, or if I have to goback to help them out of a jam, Duke’sreally great about that. I put pressure onmyself over it because I feel I’m holdingup the works, but he never has. That’s ahuge bonus on this place.”Chico Basin Ranch is not yourtraditional ranch, but managing it fitsmichael and Dawn very well since theyhave a personal history that is not usual formost ranching people. michael grew up asa California town kid, but his parentseventually bought a small rural propertynear Yosemite Park where they lived withhorses, chickens and the occasional cow.michael says, “It wasn’t a real ranch, but wespent every summer back on mygrandparents’ ranch in northeastern Newmexico. I learned a little about what real ranch life was like.”moon graduated from the university of Redlands, a liberalarts school near San Bernardino, with a degree in historyand music. He recalls, “I thought I was going to be a lawyer,but after I graduated I didn’t know what I wanted to be. Ithought I’d get a ranch job. I’d always loved that, and afriend of mine had an uncle who owned a dude ranch, theBar lazy J, near Kremmling, Colorado. I figured I could getpaid to ride horses and play the guitar, so I went there.”after he’d been there awhile, michael marveled that hehad ever considered doing anything else. “It was greatworking with horses all day and being outside, though Iknew I didn’t want to do dude ranching the rest of my life.”From there, michael moved on to another guest ranch, theHome Ranch north of Steamboat Springs. That was wherehe met Dawn. Dawn grew up in Cleveland, ohio, but shewanted a little adventure and started applying for jobs afterfinding a library book called Kilgore’s Ranch Vacations.She took a job at Home Ranch taking care of the diningroom and doing childcare.michael says, “I was wrangler there for two years. I wasshoeing horses and guiding cross-country skiers in thewinter. I also helped on the Clark Ranch feeding cattle. I23fa L L 2 0 0 9

24did those things for a couple years, and Dawn and I gotmarried there in 1994.” The moons did a short stint inecuador with the Peace Corp and then returned to theunited States for a succession of non-traditional ranchjobs in Colorado, montana and New mexico. The storyof their lives on those ranches makes a long andinteresting narrative, but, suffice it to say, the moons,somehow, ended up on Chico Basin Ranch on the firstday of spring in 2007.“This ranch was right up our alley,” says michael. “It’s acombination of being a traditional horseback kind ofranch but with a lot of innovative ideas like holisticmanagement practices and public education. With ourbackgrounds, it kind of just fit what we knew and what wehad done. In a sense, this ranch is a glorified conservationeasement. The state did a bunch of land swapping in the1980s and 1990s and got it all consolidated. They wantedto get away from short-term lessees who tend to not wantto take care of the property because they don’t have a stakein it and don’t have a lot of rights. So, they advertised forsomeone who would lease the whole ranch for a longperiod of time. They would give the lease holder a lot ofautonomy but with the restrictions that he meet certainconservation goals, make a lease payment and allow somepublic access.”“This is great winter country,” says michael. “There arenatural draws and creek bottoms that protect the cattleduring blizzards. We don’t feed them except for calves weare weaning or cattle held in a pen overnight.” The ranchhas its own herds and also leases grass to outside grazers.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

“We make our herds as big as we can so we have fewer herds.We’ll combine herds and sort them out again later. We do alot of that. We’ll throw all of our mama cows, even if theyhave different ownerships, together in the wintertime. Weget a lot of use out of the ranch just byhaving bigger herds. We can put a fewthousand yearlings in one place. They canmake it. They’ll utilize that pasture andthen we get them out. The pasture isbeing rested most of the time.”michael says, “We have a lot ofeducational programs here in the spring.Two thousand school kids visit here everyyear and we give them tours. I like it at thatlevel, as this place is really proactive. I likethe level of public involvement here.”For the moons, for the present at least,Chico Basin Ranch is the right place tobe. They have an active church life with alutheran church in Colorado Springs.They home school their children, andthey expose them to all the rewardingexperience that ranching entails. a big part of that ismichael’s music. aiden has learned to play the fiddle, Ruthieis playing the guitar and singing, Cole is learning mandolinand harmonica and eli, in michael’s words, “drags a fiddleout and screeches on it while we’re playing.”“our kids have been born and raised in this lifestyle,” saysDawn. “They don’t know anything else. I don’t want to putpressure on them to be ranchers,” saysmichael, “but we expose them to the needsof this life and they have to work a lot.They probably think riding is work –instead of fun. I’ll tell them we’ve got atwo-hour ride and, six hours later, we gethome. Believe me, they get it. our kids arekind of ‘hybrid kids’ in a way. I’ll see friendsand their kids line up and all have matchingTony lama boots. They’re just purecowboy kids. I think that’s cool, but that’snot our kids. our kids might be wearingcamouflage and shoes.”“I have no plans to leave this place,”michael says, looking out across the ranchyard. “You never know, but we are tryingto make a go of things here. one of thethings that attracted me to this deal is thatI’m building a herd of cattle of our own. That’s a long-termgoal and something I really want to pursue.”25fa L L 2 0 0 9

A Special Thank You to our SponsorsThe PARAGON Foundation offers a heartfelt thank you to all of our sponsors whohave supported our efforts over the past year and into 2009. We came upon this oldpostcard from the late 1920s. Its message about a place where the handclasp is a littlestronger. Out where the West begins. Its words carry our appreciation.Thank you all for your continuing support.26The Bohlin CompanyStar BootsJB Hill Boot CompanyDouglas MagnusSchaefer OutfitterRanch & Reata RadioLuccheseSweetbird Studio and Greeley Hat WorksSouth Dakota Stock Growers AssociationR-CALF USAThe Derry Brownfield ShowCactiesRocky Mountain Clothing CompanyRanch Marketing AssociatesK Bar J LeatherStetsonw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

SPECIAL SECTIONWho is R-CALF USA?We are American Ranchers and American ConsumersR-CALF USA is a national member -ship-based association that protectsand defends the economic interestsand private property rights of U.S.cattle ranchers. It also protects theinterests of consumers who under -stand that by preserving our familyfarms and ranches we will ensure asecure and abundant supply of safefood and the preservation of our land, air and water. Our thousands ofcattle-owning members develop and vote on changes needed topreserve our industry and, together, R-CALF USA and its members fightto achieve those changes.Become a Member today and you will help us:Secure the safety of the U.S. cattle herd and preventunnecessary risks to our food supplyThe Department of Homeland Security is attempting to move a laboratory from thenatural safety of Plum Island, N.Y. to the mainland in Manhattan, Kansas. The laboratoryis well-known for its research on dangerous animal diseases - including the most highlycontagious livestock disease known: foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). An inadvertentFMD release in Kansas, the third largest cattle raising state in the U.S., likely wouldspread the disease rapidly, causing severe economic harm to the U.S. cattle industry andpotential disruption in food supplies.Protect your right to choose from which country the foodyou purchase for your family is producedU.S. ranchers raise superior quality beef and they deservetheir products to be distinguished from imported productswith a ‘Product of USA’ label. Everything from jeans toelectronics already is required to have a country-of-originlabel and beef products should no longer be an exception.Corporate meat packing companies are fighting against theconsumers’ right to know where their food originates andare fighting to overturn the new law that requires a countryof origin label on beef products.Keep Your Local U.S. Ranchers in Business toEnsure a Safe Domestic Meat SupplyA government mandated National Animal IdentificationSystem (NAIS) would require every U.S. cattle rancher toregister his or her property with the federal government andelectronically tag and report the movement of each animal.NAIS does not improve food safety because it only appliesto live animals. It would not benefit ranchers or consumersbecause it does nothing to prevent disease introduction.U.S. cattle ranchers’ production costs already are high andrequiring a costly new system will force even more U.S. ranchers out of business.“R-CALF is the best thing to ever come along for us cattleproducers to unite with...” — Lance Ekbert, R-CALF USA Member since 2003Ways to help U.S. Ranchersand Stock GrowersBecome a member: R-CALF USAmember ships are available for both cattleproducers and beef consumers. Send $50for a 1-year membership or $140 for a 3-year mem bership to the address belowand indicate whether or not you owncattle.Contribute: There are two ways to makea donation. Donate to R-CALF USA andyour expense may be tax deductible as abusiness expense, or donate to R-CALFUSA’s charitable 501 C3 organization,USA FREE (United Stockgrowers ofAmerica Foundation for Research,Education and Endowment). It isimportant to indicate which organization(R-CALF USA or USA FREE) you aredonating to and send to the addressbelow.R-CALF USA Custom Visa PlatinumRewards Card: Sign-up today for free atwww.r-calfusa.com or call 406-252-2516 for an application. For approvedapplicants, a $50 donation is made bythe bank after the first use plus ongoingcontributions with every use.R-CALF USA, PO Box 30715Billings, MT 59107www.r-calfusa.com 406-252-2516www.r-calfusa.com

Integrity, Humiliation, and HopeNearly 90 years ago, long before R-CALF USA co-founder andSouth Dakota rancher Herman Schumacher was even born,Congress knew the highly industrialized and highly concentratedmeatpacking industry likely would use its tremendous economicand political muscle to exploit cattle ranchers if they were loosein the pasture and left unattended.To prevent the powerful meatpackers from essentiallystealing the wealth from ranchers, Congress passed the Packersand Stockyards Act of 1921 (P&S Act), which bestowedadditional protections on ranchers after Congress determinedthat the 1890 Sherman Act – intended to preserve our entirefree enterprise system by prohibiting antitrust activities andanticompetitive practices – was insufficient to address thedisparity of power between meatpackers and ranchers.The P&S Act, like many earlier statutes by our forefathers, waswritten in clear and unambiguous language. Section 202(e) ofthe P&S Act makes it unlawful for any meatpacker to “[e]ngage in any course of business or do any act forthe purpose or with the effect of manipulating or controlling prices…” In other words, meatpackers could notsteal the wealth from cattle producers by manipulating or controlling the price of live cattle.Herman Schumacher, however, caught the mighty meatpackers in the act of doing just that. In 2002, hefiled a lawsuit against the nation’s largest meatpackers, including Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. (Tyson), which isthe largest, when he discovered Tyson had manipulated the price of his and other ranchers’ cattle. Herman’slawsuit was heard by a South Dakota federal jury of his peers – just as the 7 th Amendment to our Constitutionallows in disputes involving more than $20.It was a David vs. Goliath battle – the Citizen vs. the Multinational Corporation, and the citizen won! Courtrecords show the jury found that Tyson, along with two other meatpackers, were liable to Herman and otherranchers for damages for violations of the P&S Act. The jury awarded Herman and the thousands of ranchershe represented, whom had all sold cattle during the relevant time period, $9.25 million in damages. But, thisstory doesn’t end here.Tyson and the other deep-pocketed meatpackers soon appealed, and, on appeal, the jury’s decision wasstruck down. Tyson convinced the appellate court that it should not be held liable for damages it causedHerman and other ranchers because, though Herman did prove that Tyson engaged in unlawful conduct, hedid not prove that Tyson’s unlawful conduct was done intentionally. The appellate court bent over to appeasethe mighty Tyson, and the foundation of justice was uprooted.In payment for his integrity and courage, demonstrated by the defense of his and his fellow cattle ranchers’right to a cattle market free of manipulation, Herman received a visit this summer from a U.S. Marshal whoseized Herman’s home by placing a highly visible “WARNING” and “NO TRESPASSING” sign on his frontdoor, compliments of Tyson’s demand that Herman pay Tyson’s court costs. Not only did Tyson and the othermeatpackers get to keep the $9.25 million in damages the jury awarded to Herman and thousands of otherranchers, but also, it was given the opportunity to teach Herman a lesson by having his home besmearedwith federal signage. Tyson could do no more to humiliate Herman for daring to defend a free cattle market.Fortunately, this story doesn’t end here.As a result of Herman’s efforts, as well as the efforts of many other R-CALF USA members, the U.S.Department of Agriculture (USDA) soon will promulgate new federal rules to strengthen and clarify the freemarketprotections contained in the P&S Act. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice and USDA will jointlyconduct an investigation to determine what steps are needed to ensure that the cattle market and otheragricultural markets are protected against antitrust and anticompetitive practices.One should not expect that doing what is just and right will be easy.

SPECIAL SECTIONHow to Stop a TrainBill Bullard, CEO, R-CALF USAJesse James may have written the book on trainstopping,and his outlaw band’s adventures even todayprovide hours of nostalgic entertainment in books, moviesand fireplace stories. But all that happened back then, nottoday, so we’ll need to define a new landscape, a newadventure, and describe an entirely new method forstopping trains. There will be horses and cowboys in thisnew adventure, but the six-shooters and lever-actions areout.Actually, the landscape will not be that different. Thereare still vast areas of open range where cattle graze withhot-iron brands on their hips or sides to identify theirowners, and where cowboys still ride with ropes tied attheir pommels for doctoring the occasional sick calf,dragging calves to the branding fire or returning theobstinate stray.The adventure itself, though, will not be recognized byJesse James fans because there really is no train to stop –the train is only a metaphor. But the need to stop thismetaphoric train is paramount to preserving individualsovereignty, our free market system and to protecting ournation’s food safety and food security.Whether real or not, every train needs a station, and thistrain’s metaphoric station is located in the corporateboardrooms of ear tag manufacturers, multinational meatpackers and in the sanctimonious halls of internationalorganizations where political appointees regularly vote ournation’s sovereignty up or down on issues they deemimportant to global governance.It should surprise no one that the impetuses to build thetrain within this station were the three usual suspects:money, control and power. Corporate ear tagmanufacturers wanted more money. Multinationalmeatpackers wanted more control. And politicalappointees on foreign soil wanted more power. Thedesperadoes’ wedding was blissful as they contrived ascheme to satisfy them all.“Let’s establish an international standard requiring everyfarm in each country to register both their farm and theiranimals, and then require them to electronically tag andtrack each of those animals in a centralized database. Oncewe do this, we can establish yet another rule that wouldprohibit any country from rejecting imports from aparticipating country, even if the participating country isunable to control its animal diseases. This shouldincentivize global participation,” said the politicalappointee who coveted power.“Outstanding,” said the multinational meatpacker whocoveted control. “If we can convince the U.S. – the largestbeef-producing and beef-consuming nation in the world –to buy into this, then the United States would have toreciprocate with all the other countries from which wesource our cattle and beef. This would mean that ourmeatpacking operations in Canada, South America, Asia,Europe and the United States could continue to ship cattleand beef into or out of each of these countries at ourdiscretion, without any interruption from pesky outbreaksof mad cow disease, bovine tuberculosis or othermaladies that could sicken humans - even maladies suchas foot-and-mouth disease, the most contagious diseaseof all to cattle.”“I like what I’m hearing,” said the corporate ear tagmanufacturer who coveted money. “When you put this alltogether, we’ll dominate the animal ear tag businessthroughout the world, and our captured customers – thefarmers and ranchers who raise cattle and other animals –will have no choice but to continually fund our corporatecoffers year after year. Christmas will arrive after each newcalf crop, pig litter, lamb and kid crop.”“If only we could come up with a good reason to makethis scheme mandatory,” he thought to himself, “makingmoney in this racket would be like shooting fish in a barrel.”Soon the train was built within this station, and layingdown the track began in earnest.The Paris-based Office International des Epizooties (OIEor World Organization for Animal Health), an extension ofthe Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO),adopted a global standard to “establish a legal frameworkfor the implementation and enforcement of animalidentification and animal traceability in the country.”In addition, the OIE adopted global trade standards fordisease-affected countries, recommending that trade in livecattle not be stopped because of mad cow disease, so longas the affected country can identify their exported cattlewith a permanent identification system.“Well, I did my part, and did it quite nicely I might add,”said the political appointee.Back on domestic soil, the corporate ear tagmanufacturer and the multinational meatpacker pulledtogether all the desperadoes they could find to help themdrive their golden spikes into the rails that would effectivelysever the nation’s cattle ranchers from their cherishedsovereignty. They did this by formulating an officialproposal to require every animal owner in the U.S. toregister their property and their animals with the federalgovernment, and then to electronically tag each animal andreport to the federal government every time one or moreof those animals is moved from one location to another.www.r-calfusa.com

“Who’d of thought it would be so easy?” wondered themultinational meatpacker.“Whoa, hombre,” said the political appointee, as he wastossing wooden nickels in their direction from across theBig Pond. “You boys are gonna need to enlist thePinkertons ‘cause you’re gonna need some regulators toback you up if you want this here plan work.”“We’re also gonna need some combustible fuel to sendthis here train roarin’ down those tracks,” said the corporateear tag manufacturer.“What we really need is a disease scare that woulddistract everyone from what we’re really tryn’ to do,” hethought to himself.Well, the three desperadoes wouldn’t have to wait long.Meanwhile, the schemers made camp with theregulators – the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) –and struck a deal by offering the regulators a share in thenew money, power and control promised by theiringenious plan, in return for the regulators agreeing to runthe gauntlet to strip away the sovereign rights of ournation’s livestock owners. The ‘Pinkerton’ regulatorscouldn’t have been more helpful.And then, manna fell from the skies. Not long ago, a cowimported from Canada was found to have Mad CowDisease on U.S. soil.“Close the border until Canada cleans up its diseaseproblem,” demanded the nation’s ranchers and consumers.“No need,” hollered the multinational meatpacker.“We’ve put together the perfect plan to allow us to keepright on introducing dangerous animal diseases into theUnited States.”He made these comments after gathering the signaturesof the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the AmericanMeat Institute and the National Meat Association on a jointletter to USDA regulators demanding that the U.S. developan identification system and keep importing cattle fromCanada.Suddenly, the train exploded from the station and camebarreling down the tracks at breakneck speed. The chief ofthe regulators – the then-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture –belted from her bullhorn that the nation’s century-longsuccesses in eradicating animal diseases was all for naughtand now the U.S. must jump on the train to implement amandatory national animal identification system as quicklyas possible.Congress joined in and threw the regulators the first ofmany sacks of cash – now totaling at least $142 million – sothe regulators could pin down all the renegade, animalowningcitizens the agency and schemers wanted in thefederal government’s registry.And, all the self-riotous corporate ear tag manufactures,multinational meatpackers and all of their clandestine tradeassociations – each of which had gained huge followings bydenouncing big government, government intrusion inprivate enterprise and by espousing the virtues of freemarkets – leapt onto the USDA/regulator horses andbecame outriders for the train that contained the mostonerous, subversive and far-reaching regulatory burdenever contemplated for any private U.S. enterprise, let alonethe independent U.S. livestock industry.The train and its cloaked outriders was a runaway, astampede, an unstoppable black thundercloud bearingdown indiscriminately and without remorse on everyindependent, animal-owning citizen who was defenselessagainst its onslaught on their sovereign rights.Or so it seemed. Until – . Until these seeminglydefenseless masses stood up and said, “This ominous trainis but a donkey – an ass – and we’re through beingmanipulated by it.”By the hundreds and thousands, U.S. animal-owningcitizens stood their ground, wrote thousands of letters andvoiced their fierce opposition during public meetings heldthroughout the country.And from their holsters, they pulled out the mostpowerful defense against a rogue government agency.They all said, “NO!”The train’s brakes squealed and smoked. And onsweating horses desperately sucking air, the regulators andcorporate desperadoes slid to a stop, each with bewilderedand blank stares on their hollow faces. When the dustsettled and the smoke cleared, there it was – the train wasstopped dead in its tracks. Yes, it was still idling, but it wasstopped nonetheless.Congress is now finalizing the FY2010 Agriculture, RuralDevelopment and Food and Drug AdministrationAppropriation bill. The House version of this bill zeroed outthe $14 million requested by USDA to continue funding theagency’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS). TheSenate version of this bill cuts NAIS funding in half, to about$7 million. U.S. citizens need to each call their Members ofCongress to demand that all funding for NAIS beimmediately canceled.Yes, the train is now temporarily stopped, but thedesperadoes are regrouping and likely could restart it at thedrop of a hat. Only if we keep fighting will we be certain itdoesn’t start back up. Working together, as people of thisgreat nation, we can look forward to the next chapter in thisstory: “How to Turn a Train Around.”

SPECIAL SECTIONWe are R-CALF USA: Allen and Baxter Badureallen (al) and Baxter BadureBaxter Badure will soon try to find time to begin work on a hand tooled saddle,like the twelve before it; this saddle is Baxter’s annual contribution to R-CALF USA,an organization that he and his father Allen Badure have supported since theearliest days of the organization’s existence. Allen, with Baxter’s help, runs hisranch the same way it was done at the turn of the century – all cattle work is doneon horseback.The south end of the Badure ranch is located near the picturesque Badlands ofSouth Dakota, which is extremely rough terrain. The large remaining area of theranch is mostly rolling hills and draws, with hard grass suitable for grazing livestockbut not much else. About half the time a creek runs through the ranch butotherwise the Badures’ rely on stock ponds and a few electric wells to supply waterfor their cattle. It takes a lot more cattle for Allen to make his living compared towhen he first started in this business many years ago; high input costs such asgrain and fuel and not enough buyers competing to buy their calves when they areready to sell are a few of the pitfalls that the Badures face every day.Like in times of old, the Badure’s help out neighboring ranches during brandingand shipping, and their neighbors help them out in return. Baxter said he typicallyhelps brand at 15 to 20 ranches each spring, where calves are drug to a woodburningbranding fire and branded. Each of these brandings will include anywherefrom 25 to 35 neighbors and friends, and sometimes even more. “It’s a traditionout here and we intend to keep it going,” said Baxter.Allen and Baxter brought to life a saddle raffle membership drive for R-CALFUSA twelve years ago. Allen believes that as long as R-CALF USA members keeptheir organization funded, they will see long overdue changes made within theirindustry and an eventual return of competition to their cattle markets. With supportfrom other R-CALF USA members in their state, the saddle raffle is a successfulfundraising method that earns about $20,000 annually for R-CALF USA, theorganization that provides the Badures and over 9,000 members with effectiverepresentation in an industry that has been controlled by corporate meat packingcompanies for decades.Baxter’s saddles are old-time styled, one-of-a-kind pieces with their manydetailed carvings of cowboys, broncs and flowers. Neighbor kids that are also R-CALF USA members Chris Elwood, Wade Fox, Paul Scherf and Troy Ehrmantrauthelp Baxter finish the saddles in time to display at the Black Hills Stock Show everyyear in Rapid City, South Dakota. Afterwards, the saddle will make appearances atvarious agriculture events, bull sales and rollover calf auction fundraisers until awinner is drawn the first weekend in June at the annual Match of Champions heldin Fort Pierre, South Dakota.Kenny fox and allen Badure at the Match ofChampions in ft. pierre, Sd with the 2009 BaxterBadure r-CaLf Saddlewillie Cowan, allen and Brianna Badure draw forthe Baxter Badure r-CaLf Saddlewww.r-calfusa.comBranding on the Badure ranchPhotos courtesy Jean Laughton Photography

SAY IT OR PRINT IT—IT’S YOUR RIGHTBY maRIlYN FISHeR34“You may disagree completely with what I say,but I will defend to the death my right to say it.”– John Wayne, actor and patriotIn the last issue, I focused on the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, the twin pillar to this issue’s FirstAmendment. These two amendments bear most of the weight of our extraordinary self-government and are themost controversial and belabored in the courts. Without First Amendment rights, we couldn’t deflect governmentoverreach or verbally defend our other rights. Our Bill of Rights is not open to liberal interpretation, though somecourts may try. Here the focus will be on the spoken and the printed word – freedom of speech and of the press.Without free speech we wouldn’t have those truly American town hall meetings where speaking your mind to yourelected officials about everything from health care reform to the recent “stimulus” package is considered your Godgiven right. And, without your freedoms, you wouldn’t be reading The Cowboy Way. Freedom of speech is soessential to the survival of our nation. So, enjoy, and don’t forget to give credit to the Founding Fathers fordefending our freedoms through both the spoken and the written word. —MFw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

It’s not un-american to speak your mind – it’s theamerican way. Because of a well-oiled system forged bythe Founders, millions of americans over the last twocenturies have defended their freedom to speak out withoutfear of government censorship. Knowing that governmenttyranny is the enemy to freedom, the Founders, throughexperience and knowing the importance of individualliberty, penned the First amendment of the Bill of Rights:“Congress shall make no law respecting anestablishment of religion, or prohibiting thefree exercise thereof; or abridging the freedomof speech, or of the press; or the right of thepeople peaceably to assemble, and to petitionthe Government for a redress of grievances.”Those five little words at the beginning forbid Congressfrom making laws that might infringe or restrict our rights.It also may not remove the right of the people to peaceableassembly or prohibit the right to petition the governmentfor correction of policy. assembly and petition can bepowerful tools when government tries to force its agendaagainst the will of the people. For example, when the formeradministration tried to force through Congress the DubaiPorts World deal in 2006, resulting in a tidal wave of citizensopposed to foreign control of our u.S. ports, the peoplespoke out and their powerful voice was overwhelminglyeffective through the right to petition the government. Thewill of the people prevailed.Freedom of Speech“Congress shall make no law … abridging thefreedom of speech ….”George Washington once remarked, “If freedom ofspeech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led –like sheep to the slaughter.” His message was to speak up orbe silenced. We freely express our opinions and we haveevery right to do so. Through the mass communication ofmedia – radio, television, newspaper and now the internet –we communicate in a flash in an open exchange of ideas.Free speech extends to all americans and includes eventhose words that are offensive – excepting language thatincites the overthrow of the government. The courts maylegally forbid speech that causes illegal activities or canrestrict subversive speech; fighting words; obscenity;commercial speech or false advertising; and symbolicexpression, such as desecration of national symbols. Freecriticism of government and its officials is allowed becauseto disallow such speech would deny americans the joy ofreining in their government, without fear of persecution.This is why the Founders believed that even speech thatcreates “contempt … disrepute, or hatred of the governmentamong the people” should be allowed in a free society.of course, free speech used to influence the masses to makedecisions may be harmful when an overreaching governmentuses the platform of the “bully pulpit,” as Teddy Rooseveltcalled the White House, to mislead the public and prohibitfree speech. Recently, in his online Soap Box archives, CharlieDaniels used his constitutional right to stand up in defense offree speech. angry at the administration’s request that citizensreport to the White House any “fishy” emails received aboutthe Health Care bill, Daniels said, “This is not Nazi Germany.This is not the old Soviet union. This is the uSa. We don’treport our neighbors for using their constitutional right toexpress their minds!”one of the greatest threats to individual free speech isthe unconstitutional and infamous “fairness doctrine,” thegovernment’s attempt to regulate free speech that wasabandoned by the Federal Communications Commissionin the mid-1980s. Couched as an effort to bring morefairness and balance to the media, it proved to be what itwas – a suppression of free speech rights where broadcasterswould have the government telling them in detail how theyshould schedule their programming. Congress tried toresurrect it under the Reagan administration; however,Reagan wholly vetoed it saying, “This doctrine … requiresFederal officials to supervise the editorial practices ofbroadcasters in an effort to ensure that they providecoverage of controversial issues and a reasonableopportunity for the airing of contrasting viewpoints of thoseissues. This type of content-based regulation is …antagonistic to the freedom of expression guaranteed by theFirst amendment … History has shown that the dangers ofan overly timid or biased press cannot be averted throughbureaucratic regulation, but only through the freedom andcompetition that the First amendment sought toguarantee.” Through common sense, freedom prevailed, andCongress’ attempt at a retread failed to get enough votes tooverride the veto.Never let it be said that the government likes to give upon bad ideas. They’re back again trying to resuscitate thefairness doctrine and control broadcasters. In the proposedgovernment plan, each minute of airtime and everyviewpoint would be precisely matched by an opposing view.Technically, since radio and television stations must belicensed (controlled) by the federal government (FCC),there’s no complete freedom of speech on the air – sobroadcasters can be fined if the content of their station isn’tcompletely fair and diverse. Bear in mind, the words fairnessand diversity of ownership do not appear in our Bill ofRights and weren’t guiding principles for the Framers whenthey documented the idea in the first place.Radio talk show hosts are repeatedly targeted forexercising their rights to express on-air opinions that may35fa L L 2 0 0 9

36Freedom of speechand the militaryWhat about First Amendment rights to say,profanity? There have been interesting courtdecisions on this issue and whether or not it’sprotected in the military sector. Though it’sconsidered offensive speech depending on thecontext in which it’s used, generally it’s protectedby the Constitution. Although profanity is notdirectly mentioned in the Uniform Code ofMilitary Justice, the main governing body of lawfor the military, Article 117 states, “Any person …who uses provoking or reproachful words orgestures towards any other person subject to thischapter shall be punished as a court martial maydirect.” And, Article 134 states, “Though notspecifically mentioned in this chapter … allconduct of a nature to bring discredit upon thearmed forces … shall be punished at thediscretion of the court.”Here’s an example of free speech in themilitary during WWII. The great GeneralGeorge S. Patton candidly spoke his mind,often peppering his orders with “eloquent”profanity. He said of his demeanor:“When I want my men to remembersomething important, to really make itstick, I give it to them double dirty. It maynot sound nice … but it helps my soldiers toremember. You can’t run an army withoutprofanity; and it has to be eloquentprofanity … sometimes I just, by God, getcarried away with my own eloquence.”Over the years, the Articles of the UCMJhave been challenged several times on thegrounds of profanity. However, in 1974, the U.S.Supreme Court held that the First Amendmenttakes on a different character when applied tothe military. (firstamendmentcenter.org)Justice William Rehnquist in his majorityopinion (Parker v. Levy) wrote, “Whilemembers of the military are not excludedfrom protection granted by the FirstAmendment, the different character of themilitary community and the … missionrequires a different application of thoseprotections. The fundamental necessity ofobedience, and the … imposition of disci -pline, may render permissible within themilitary that which would be constitutionallyimpermissible outside of it.”not be politically correct. Yet radio still delivers the best of free speechfrom the grass roots level, offering a chance for on-the-air rebuttal ofpolicies and ideas. last year, the Congressional CampaignCommittee penned a petition to try to discredit radio host Rushlimbaugh for opposing political remarks he made on the air underhis First amendment rights. In return, limbaugh penned a lengthyletter to leadership in Washington, DC, asking some very directquestions such as, “Is it your intention to censor talk radio through… ‘local content,’ ‘diversity of ownership’ and ‘public interest’ rules –all of which are designed to appeal to populist sentiments?” He wenton to say, “The fact that the federal government issues broadcastlicenses … ought not to become an excuse to destroy one of the mostaccessible and popular marketplaces of expression.”another unapologetic patriot and radio host, mark levin,urges american citizens to “defeat all efforts to unconstitutionallyregulate the content of political speech on broadcast outlets ... theStatist (social engineer) now seeks to consolidate the power hehas accumulated by silencing non-compliant voices through avariety of schemes that would regulate broadcast content.” levin,a constitutional attorney, also urges americans to, “Demand thatall public servants, elected or appointed, at all times uphold theConstitution and eliminate limits on and rationing of politicalfree speech.”Freedom of the Press“Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom …of the press….”our Bill of Rights forbids the government to abridge the freedomof the press—or the printed word. again, the Founders believed thatgovernment-led censorship is an unconstitutional risk that leads totyranny. James Kent said of this risk, “Without such a check, thepress, in the hands of evil and designing men, would become a mostformidable instrument as mighty for mischief as for good.” Thoughfree press is essential, the Founders never intended the press to be asunrestrained as it is today. They thrived in a more orderly society thatexpected common sense and reason to dictate what would be printedor expressed—a more responsible way of reporting the issues.Benjamin Franklin voiced the danger of an irresponsible press, “If itmeans the liberty of affronting, falsely accusing and defaming oneanother, I for my part … am willing to part with my share of it … andshall cheerfully consent to exchange my liberty of abusing others forthe privilege of not being abused myself.”Very little is off limits anymore in the eyes of mainstream media.It used to be a watchdog against governmental abuses of power but,as an institution, it seems to be entwined in its own irresponsiblebiases. John Swinton, former Chief of Staff of The New York Times,implied that the press answers directly to political agendas when itreports the news when he said, “There is no such thing at this date ofthe world’s history in america as an independent press … if I allowedmy honest opinion to appear in one issue of my paper, before twentyfourhours, my occupation would be gone.” Beware the bias of thew w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

not-so-free press Newt Gingrich implied when he used thefollowing analogy of mainstream media bias, “If Thomasedison invented the electric light today, Dan Rather wouldreport it on CBS News as ‘candle making industrythreatened.’” Such media bias or media “spin” is clearlyagenda driven.In some cases, journalism can literally be life threatening,as irresponsible reporters don’t play by the rules of decency.Writing about an assassination attempt on his life, Sheriff Joearpaio of maricopa Countyblasted press irresponsibilitywhen he wrote of thePhoenix New Times in 2004,“the ‘rag’ published myhome address in an articleon its website, violating astate law that prohibitsrevealing just that infor -mation on the Internetregarding any peace officer… of course, the paper’sillegitimate act in revealingmy address has nothing todo with journalism andeverything to do with avindictive pettiness thatwould be insufferable in achild and is absolutelyunacceptable, legally andethically in an adult ….”( Joe’s law, arpaio and Sherman) Headded, “The ability to get the news on the air or on the webimmediately trumps any attempt at reason or discretion orobjectivity. [With the press,] being first is what counts….”on the flip side, Sheriff arpaio sees the media and his rightto free speech as a way to capitalize on his plans for maricopaCounty. He has successfully used the tool of the press to hisadvantage in showcasing his prison tent city, prisoners in pinkand other innovative aspects of the county prison system. ashe says, “Whatever gains me a forum to carry the discussionabout law and order to the widest audience possible works forme. It’s interesting and amusing to bat ideas back and forth withall sorts of reporters. It’s also part of my job to serve the public,not in secrecy, but in the public arena. Democracy dependsupon honesty and collaboration, the direct involvement of aninformed public working with its chosen governmentrepresentatives. actually … the media are so consequential tomy success that you could consider … the industry one of mymost valuable partners in pursuing my goals….”The law surrounding freedom of speech and the press isso complex that it has been called the “tax code” ofconstitutional law. These freedoms have had it rough roadover the years, with the courts trying to interpret andreinterpret them—bending them to fit one or anotherpolitical agenda or special interest group. Still, lawmakerscannot legally abuse the basic power of individual freedomof speech as it says in the simply worded prose, “Congressshall make no law abridging….” Responsible elected repre -sentatives and a Supreme Court that supports constitutionalrights without legislating from the bench are the best hopefor the survival of free speech in america.The free flow of ideas in our society makes us championsof liberty and our leaders must share the desire for individualfreedom. Ronald Reaganunderstood that freedom ofspeech is essential to theliberty of all mankind and,as a result, championedindividual rights, freeenterprise and limitedgovernment in defense ofhuman liberties worldwide.Reflecting on his 1987Brandenburg Gate Speechin Berlin, he remarked ofthose imprisoned behindthe Berlin Wall, “I wasangry, because, as I lookedover the Wall into eastGermany, I could see thepeople being kept away—their government didn’twant them to hear what wewere saying, but I think they knew what we were sayingand wanted a better life.” The power of free ideas led tomassive changes and the final blow that brought down theconcrete barrier and secured the freedom of thousands ofeast Berliners.So, if you’re on the fence on what to do to get your voiceheard, don’t hesitate—pick up the phone to your Congressperson or your favorite talk show host, or write your localnewspaper editor and voice your opinion. as author michellemalkin said of our right to free press and political cartoons, “Incivilized societies, if you are offended by a [published] cartoon,you do not burn flags, take up guns and raid buildings, chantdeath to your opponents, or threaten suicide bombings. Youwrite a letter to the editor.” Free speech is priceless.Sources:The Heritage Guide to the Constitution (Heritage Foundation)Joe’s Law by Joe arpaio and len ShermanThe Quotable Reagan by Peter HannafordLiberty and Tyranny by mark levinThe Ten Things You Can’t Say in America by larry elderFirst amendment Center (www.firstamendmentcenter.org)PaRaGoN Foundation, Inc (www.paragonfoundation.org)Townhall.com (www.townhall.com)37fa L L 2 0 0 9

T H E C O W B O Y W A Y38Mark Bedor (Al Shelton,Cowboy Ethics Boot Camp, MyTime at U.S. Calvary School)writes from his home in Los angeles.his work has appeared in WesternHorseman, Cowboys & Indians,Persimmon Hill, American Cowboy,among others.Since childhood, Guy deGalard (Northern RangeRanch Roping Series) hashad a passion for horses andthe american west. Born inparis, france, guy began ridingat age 6. guy first heard aboutwyoming while reading MyFriend Flicka, at age 10. a selftaughtphotographer, guy first took up photography while attendingbusiness school in paris. after his move to the united States 23 yearsago, guy started to portray what naturally inspired him the most:horses and cowboys. guy’s writings and images have appeared inWestern Horseman, Cowboys & Indians, Range, The American QuarterHorse Journal, as well as french and italian western lifestyle magazines.Dan Gagliasso (Ace & DavePowell) is an award winningdocumentar y film director/producer and screen writer. herecently optioned his true-lifeadventure script, Lawyers; Guns& Money, to new York Citybased producers, no Egoproduction. a past recipient ofthe western writers of americaSpur award, he rode bulls on theamateur rodeo circuit during his college years.Long time western writerDarrell Arnold (A RanchingFamily) published Cowboy maga -zine for fifteen years from his homeranch in La Veta, Colorado. Beforethat he spent five years as theassociate Editor at WesternHorseman. darrell has written severalbooks including Tales From CowboyCountry and Cowboy Kind.photo courtesy Darrell ArnoldThea Marx (RanchLiving, An IntrepidSpirit) is fifth genera tionborn and ranch raised onthe wind river indianreservation near Kinnear,wyoming. Much of hercareer, including herbook and website,Contemporary WesternDesign.com, has beendedicated to western style, but her heart will always be on the ranch.Nicole Krebs (The Living Wordsof The Constitution, Part 8 –1 ST Amendment) is the associateEditor of The Cowboy Way – as wellas being the friendly voice wheneveranyone calls the paragonoffice. She is married to anthonyKrebs, a sergeant in the unitedStates air force, and they have abeautiful daughter, Brittany. nicolehas a rich history working with nonprofits,and her list of awards iswithout peer. Somehow she also finds time to edit the paragonnewsletter, In The Loop.Marilyn Fisher (Say It or Print It)is Curator of Collections for thereagan ranch and reagan ranchCenter in Santa Barbara, California.the reagan ranch is owned andpreserved by Young america’sfoundation, who stepped forward in1998 to save the ranch retreat ofronald reagan, the 40 th president ofthe united States. Young america’sfoundation is a non-profit, 501 (c)(3)that provides student outreach tocollege students throughout the country. for more information goto Yaf.org, or phone 1 (800) uSa-1776.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

T H E C O W B O Y W A Y I N T E R V I E WGB OLIVERphotos courtesy GB Oliver IIIEDITOR’S NOTE: It’s always a diceydeal when you sit down to interviewthe boss – but after publishing sevenissues of PARAGON’s new magazinewe thought it might be appropriate tointroduce PARAGON’s Executive VicePresident GB Oliver to our new readersand let many of our longtime readers getreacquainted. What follows is a chat with GBwhile traveling to a speaking engagement inSalina, Kansas recently where he introduced anew group to the origins and purpose of PARAGON.It’s important to remember that without the earlywisdom and help of legendary Texas rancher andstockman, Tom Linebery, there probably wouldn’t be aPARAGON. Because of his importance – not only tothe formation of PARAGON but as a Westerner ofintegrity – we revisit a story of remembrances byPARAGON board member Bob Jones – someonewho knew Mr. Linebery like few others. We followour interview with GB Oliver with Bob Jones’ story.39TCW: Tom Linebery asked you to start up the Foundationbefore he passed away. What helped you decide to take on Mr.Linebery’s request and head what would become known as thePARAGON Foundation?GB Oliver: I had grown up on a ranch of about 186,000-acres in southern New Mexico. Throughout my youth, theranch was under siege by the Army Corp of Engineers, whowere taking this property to create the White Sands MissileRange. And, it wasn’t just my family; there were 62 otherfamilies that, because of this action, would lose everythingthey had. Growing up in the middle of this struggle, Iwatched the devastating effects it had on the people I loved.For years, we were in and out of the federal court system,and my dad and mom made countless trips to Washington.My dad testified before Congress four different times duringall of that. Ours was the last ranch they took, and, even afterFA L L 2 0 0 9

claiming it, my grand dad refused to acknowledge theirtakings. I remember that the government was unsure as tohow to handle him, so they did nothing until his death. Ilearned a lesson from that as well.that federal judge never were far from my thoughts. Howcould a judge make that kind of a ruling, where heacknowledged that the tactics used by the government onits people were “the greatest travesty” he had every seen, andthen rule the other way? The united States Constitutionsaid that the people were to be justly compensated. Forty-sixcents an acre is not just compensation.Those events were always a source of anger and mysteryin my life, and then, along came Tom linebery. He was agood friend of Bob Jones and Charlie lee and they had along history with Tom fighting these types of issues. I hadnever met Tom, but was a distant admirer because all thepeople in my life that I respected and looked up to believedTom linebery was about it. Bob and Charlie were long-timeranchers in our country, family friends and both had spenta lifetime doing battle with the government.Tom was a very conservative guy. In fact, you know, he’dgB oliver, Sr.40When the federal judge ruled against us – atthe end of 17 years – he said, “This is the greatesttravesty I’ve ever seen perpetrated againstamerican citizens; however ….” and he went onto rule against us. Needless to say, I came out ofthat extremely angry. my family lost virtuallyeverything they had spent a lifetime puttingtogether. They struggled, trying to hold the pieceof the ranch they had left, andthey tried to purchase otherranches to build back a viableranching operation. ultimately,it collapsed, along with everyhope and dream that I ever hadin my life. The net result is itforced me to go other ways anddo other things.I have come to understandthat everything in this lifehappens for a reason, and so, asI stumbled along through life, Igained experience by workingon other ranches, spent sometime in the aviation businessand, finally, the bankingindustry. But, the anger I feltfor what I had seen mygovernment do to my familynever faded, and the words ofgB oliver, Jr. and his wife, Yvonnemake attila the Hun look like a moderate in alot of respects. Tom had done very well in theranching and oil business and, when you didbusiness with Tom, he made a couple of thingsblatantly clear, you shot straight with him andyou never compromised your beliefs, period.The four of us were bound together by acommon belief, and that was that theConstitution protected us against the types ofthings that had happened to my family, that itlimited the power of government and thatgovernment, unchecked, was just about asdangerous as our Founding Fathers said it was.The three of us went to Tom and askedhim to consider helping us financially with acase we felt was terribly important. Webrought him a well-documented case, where,in an attempt to take this family’s ranch,w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

federal employees had openly leveled every kind of abuseone could think of in order to push them off their land. Wesat down with Tom and said, “Here’s what we think we cando for this family. Here’s how we want to handle it, andwould you fund this case. They are a good family and wethink we can help them save their ranch.”TCW: What was thecase?GB Oliver: The Gosscase. In fact, the case isstill ongoing! First casewe ever got into; it’snever ended. But, whenyou go back and you lookat all the mistakes that wemade in that case, andthe fact that it still exists,it’s a testament to the factthat regardless of howtough it got, we weren’tquitters. It has been agreat deal of expense, butit has also provided agreat deal of education.TCW: What is the basisfor the Goss case?GB Oliver: The same basis that you see in all of these cases:a federal agency targets a property and then takes it throughregulation, without paying for it.TCW: Is this eminent domain?GB Oliver: eminent domain without compensation. Yousee, now the government has a more efficient method oftaking your property. eminent domain requires they paysomething for the property they steal, even if it’s only 46cents an acre. under this more efficient method, they don’tpay you anything. They use the endangered Species act, theWild and Scenic River Initiative, label your property ariparian area – all of these agencies have their own specialenvironmental weapons. They target a property and thenthey come in and push the owner off it by limiting theirability to utilize their property. Rather than physicallytaking your property from you, they break you by regulatingyou out of business. When you can no longer utilize yourproperty, chances are you’re not going to be that excitedabout paying the property taxes, there is no market value forit because it is unusable, and, in the west, when you areunable to put the water to beneficial use, you forfeit thewater rights.So that’s the deal. They take the land without anycompensation, and, in the Goss case, the Forest Service andthe Fish and Wildlife choose to use the Spotted owlthrough the endangered Species act. Now, because cattleare seldom found in trees and owls don’t spend a great dealof time on the ground, it’s a tough sell to show that cattleare killing off the owl population. The federal governmentfunded some guy with a degree in recreation – and that’s thetruth – to do a study onthe vole. They determinedthat the vole was thechief pray species of theSpotted owl, and theydetermined that cattlegrazing interfered withthe meadows where thevole lived and… you seethe stretch.None of theirscience makes any sense.Scientists at New mexicoState university haverefuted their scienceagain and again, but thefederal courts choose torule on some peripheralissue and you go homewith your hat in yourhand. each case is alearning experience, and each case allowed us to findanother piece of the puzzle. The landmark case of Nevadarancher Wayne Hage (see Recommended Reading in thisissue for mr. Hage’s book) provided a tremendous amountof information. It uncovered the government’s vulnerabilitywhen the case focuses on their lack of authority over youand your property. We have since learned that federal courtshave no jurisdiction over our property unless we cede thatjurisdiction to them. only state courts have jurisdiction overthose properties within its boundaries. These cases are wonand lost in the way they are plead, and if the governmentcan lure you into a federal court, your winning percentagesjust dropped to about 4%. The issue is not whether aSpotted owl considers the vole a delicacy; the question is,where does the agency have any authority over a privatecitizen and their property. We no longer choose to play ontheir home field; we are “The People,” as we are referred toso many times in the Declaration of Independence and theConstitution. We are the holders of those unalienablerights; they are a government of limited enumerated powers.It sounds simple, but it’s been a long road to get to this place.So, when we went to mr. linebery, we thought we hadall the answers. I remember Tom sitting there in his chair,chewing on that cigar, listening to our pitch, and then hesaid, “Yeah, you boys want to get in a fistfight, it should begood watching.”41fa L L 2 0 0 9

called the Frying Pan Ranch and usedhis influence to support and protectthe people he loved. Tom absolutelyloved regular people. He was hishappiest when he was amongst peoplewho were honest and good. Thelinebery’s educated hundreds ofneedy young people of ruralbackgrounds and they were alwayswilling to help people who couldn’thelp themselves – always keeping theirsupport in strict confidence.I believe Tom would like to beremembered as a “cow man.” He lovedgood cattle and he loved good horses.He had a horse named Shine that hebelieved was the finest cow horse inthe country. It was a treat to watchTom and that horse work cattle, asthere was a bond between them thatfew cowboys know.Tom supported the RanchingHeritage Center in lubbock, Texas.He took a great interest in the Newmexico Cattle Growers associationand was responsible for the purchaseof their headquarters in albuquerque,New mexico. But, Tom had a realaversion to most politicians andbureaucrats. He was what we referredto as a “100%-er”. If one of them evercompromised themselves on socialistissues, he never forgave them. Hefirmly believed that our FoundingFathers, who drafted the Declarationof Independence and the unitedStates Constitution, were divinelyinspired and that our government hassince been trying to dismantle thosetwo important documents.Tom had a gruff exterior thatcarefully hid a very soft heart. He wasthe one that was always there to standme up and refocus me when needed.He believed in me when there weretimes that I did not believe in myself.He was a student. He read a lot andwas always current on issues thataffected out lives. Tom linebery hadno time for people who wereenamored by their own selfimportance.I remember one timewhen Tom was sitting on the Board ofRegents for Texas Tech university inlubbock, Texas and attended abanquet there. He was sitting by awoman that had on fancy clothes andlarge diamond accessories who kepttalking about her expensive girl schoolsthat she had attended, saying that shehad “matriculated” at a renownedeastern, women’s college. Finishing,she leaned over to Tom and asked himfor his educational background. Tomproudly said, “I matriculated at eighthgrade, Brown County, Texas.”Tom’s history was a true Westernstory. He moved to midland when hewas a young man and got a job as anelevator operator at the famousScarborough Hotel. It was there hebecame acquainted with his futurefather-in-law, William F. “Wild Bill”Scarborough, a successful cattle oper -ator. Tom eventually went to work forhim at his Frying Pan Ranch. marryingthe boss’s daughter, evelyn, Tom wasgiven a management position after BillScarborough died. Tom and evelynwere a great team and continued to addto the family’s well-being with furthersuccessful business decisions. They soldthe majority of their Hereford cattleduring a drought and replaced themwith Charolais… Tom always hadbeautiful cattle and good horses.a few years before Tom passedaway, one of his close friends andBoard member of the Scarborough/linebery Foundation – somethingTom had set up – Bill Humphries,started talking to Tom about the finaldistribution of his assets. Bill knew itwas important to Tom to make sure hehad a legacy that represented whatTom linebery’s core beliefs were. Tomand Bill decided they would take thesteps to establish a new foundationthat would be dedicated to the supportof the united States Constitution,private property rights and the preser -vation of rural culture. He was veryinvolved with the mission and washands on with the development of theBoard of Directors for this new foun -dation. That is how the PaRaGoNFoundation was established.Tom linebery was a lot of things tome. He was a hero to me and believedin the Founding Fathers’ work. He wasmy teacher, showing me a better way tolook at things. He made me laugh;those special moments when he wouldsay or do something that made my lifehappier. He was my mentor and I stilltry to react the way I think Tom wouldwant me to. He was an example to me,reminding me the simple things in lifeare what really count. To me, he was atrue american cowboy in every fiberof his body. But, most of all, Tomlinebery was my friend and it was anhonor to know him… a friend that Imiss everyday.New Mexico rancher Bob Jonesis the President of PARAGONFoundation.43“A people who do not hold in reverence the splendid achievements of their ancestors will not of themselvesaccomplish anything to be remembered of posterity. We must keep an eye on the shrines of yesterday if werock aright the cradles of tomorrow.”— Pat Neff, Governor of the State of Texas, 1-18-1921 to 1-20-1925fa L L 2 0 0 9

Y O U R R I G H T SPEASANTS OR WE THE PEOPLE?BY GB olIVeR, eXeCuTIVe VICe PReSIDeNT, PaRaGoN FouNDaTIoN44We have watched in absolute amazement over the lastfew weeks as united States Senators and Congress -men stand in front of their constituents in town hallmeetings trying to explain the Health Care bill, a bill thatobviously none understand. our President, who spent sixmonths selecting just the right dog for his family, wanted theHealth Care legislation passed by Congress within the spaceof a couple of weeks. Recently, the President’s attempts toexplain health care reform have been no more impressive.I have spent several hours fumbling through the billmyself, and granted I’m not an mIT graduate, but I find itabsolutely incomprehensible. I have turned to those whopossess a much higher intellect, those who earn their living inthe profession of law, asking them to provide interpretationson certain sections of this statute, and not one of them is ableto provide definitive answers.as time marches on, and town hall meetings progress, onefact becomes crystal clear, none of these legislators, whonervously stood in front of these angry americans, everwrote a single word of this legislation. Had they beeninvolved in crafting any portion of the language, they wouldhave been able to speak coherently on some section of thebill. most walked into these first town hall meetings withoutever having read the bill, armed with nothing more than asheet of talking points. Certainly, one might sympathize withtheir oversight, who knew the peasants could read; theynever had in the past.Then the unthinkable happened, the peasants showed up,not for a handout as they always had, but this time with theirfists clenched. Not sitting quietly, listening in reverence whiletheir legislator waxed eloquent on his or her self-proclaimedgreatness, this time the peasants wanted to be heard. mosthad read the legislation, or tried to; they were asking specificquestions and citing sections within the bills. This sent theseSenators and Congressmen scurrying back to their hotelrooms, gathering their brain trusts together in an effort toread and understand the legislation before the next alreadyscheduled meeting with the peasants.Imagine the stupid expressions on their faces as theystruggled to understand the un-understandable, knowing fullwell that the following day they would stand in front ofanother hostile crowd and try to explain the un-explainable.one might be tempted to feel some empathy for thesebewildered souls if it were not for the arrogance andcontempt they showed for those who asked the questionsthat they were either unwilling or unable to answer.The question that begs to be answered is: Who did writethese pieces of legislation? Certainly not the President, heonly talks of what it will do for the american people, but cannot, or will not, provide any specifics. The legislators we havewitnessed during these town hall meetings certainly were notinvolved in putting pencil to paper. I believe this legislationwas crafted by those outside government, and specificallycrafted in a way that no one can understand. If one will readthe 1,400-page Cap and Trade bill, its language contains thesame hard to understand, vague tone. Then read theStimulus package legislation, same indefinable language.Two united States Senators stood and publicly thankedan organization called the apollo alliance for writing theStimulus bill. So who in the name of good government is theapollo alliance you might ask? Well, to use their words …“The New apollo Program is a comprehensive economicinvestment strategy to build america’s 21 ST century cleanenergy economy and dramatically cut energy bills for familiesand businesses. It will generate and invest $500 billion overthe next ten years and create more than five million highquality green-collar jobs.” look through the bios of theapollo alliance Board members and you will find a groupwho does not appear to have ever made a payroll or createdany level of wealth; their plan is to create “quality green-collarjobs.” Really? How? and at what cost?Where on this green earth would an organization, madeup of a board who is dedicated to spending other people’smoney, come up with 500 billion dollars over the next tenyears? If you’re asking that question, you haven’t read theStimulus package. even more interesting is that Presidentobama selected one of apollo alliance’s main stays, VanJones, as the Green Job Czar. mr. Jones has a Yale law degree,and a very impressive set of arrest records dating back to theRodney King riots. In 1994, after proclaiming himself acommunist, mr. Jones formed an organization calledStanding Together to organize a Revolutionary movement(SToRm). The group studied the theories of marx andlenin and held up the lofty goals of a multiracial socialistutopia. With an esteemed background and qualifications likethat, who among us could argue that this is not the man todeliver us into a cleaner world?Jones is not alone in his Czarism; the administration hasnamed 32 Czars with three more yet to be named. It’senough to make mother Russia envious. my personal favoritew w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Y O U R R I G H T Sis the “Science Czar,” John Holdren, who, in the name ofpopulation control, advocates forced abortion andsterilization through government administered tainting ofthe water supply. Holdren has co-authored a book entitledEcoscience: Population, Resources, Environment where he callsfor a “Planetary Regime” to enforce mandatory abortionsand limit the use of natural resources. I encourage our readersto research this illustrious selection of Czars; you will findthat almost without exception they fit the extremist mold ofmr. Jones and mr. Holdren.So, who is to define this ambiguous language in thesethousand page bills? Perhaps that is the job of the Czars. Noone as of yet has been able to define what a Czar does, orwhat authority they have. They are not approved by theSenate. They are simply appointed by the President.What does one do? What power do we as citizens hold inorder to take charge of our elected officials? The officialanswer can be found in the united States Constitution, wecan all agree that it is the Supreme law of the land. Certainlythose pretenders on Washington would agree, they put theirright hand on a Bible and swore to protect and uphold theConstitution. article one, Section eight lists theenumerated powers of the federal government, and those notlisted belong to the States and to the people. There is, oddlyenough, no mention of Cap and Trade, Health Care, carcompany bailouts or “cash for clunkers” listed in thoseenumerated powers. americans have not only the right, buta duty to question all authority and jurisdiction.If “We the People,” or the “angry mob” as they have beenlabeled by Senator Harry Reid, would spend as much timestudying the Constitution as they have stewing over thehealth care legislation, they would know that the federalgovernment is without authority to implement such a plan.The moment we move out of the realm of being peasants andassume the role of “The People,” as we are so often referredto in the Declaration of Independence and the united StatesConstitution, we will no longer feel like rubber ducksfloating in the bath tub. unlike the Stimulus bill, the Capand Trade legislation and the Health Care bill, the unitedStates Constitution is an easy read and doesn’t require a Czarto interpret its meaning.Please go to our website – www.paragonfoundation.org –and download the complete text of the Constitution right fromthe home page. I guarantee it will be an uplifting experience.45fa L L 2 0 0 9

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MYRON BECK, PHOTOGRAPHERFor more than 25 years, myron Beck hasestablished himself as a respected, awardwinningadvertising photographer. Havinglearned his craft at art Center College ofDesign in Pasadena, his professional emphasisis food, still life and product imagery. myronconstantly seeks to expand his subject matterand his work includes a vast life-styleportfolio of people and animals.myron’s ambition is to capture life's realmoments and speak to an audience viscerally,touching both mind and soul. His creativevision produces highly effective, qualitywork that inspires, motivates and capturesthe extraordinary in what is often anordinary world.In addition to his commercial work,myron has spent more than two decadespassionately documenting the unmatchedscenic beauty of the western united Statesand the people who live, work and call ithome. It was during his early exploration ofutah and the Zion National Park area thathe befriended the Spilsbury family andbecame engrossed by a way of life that islarger and more beautiful than anything hehad ever experienced.myron’s long-term plan is for theSpilsbury family documentary to be seen ingalleries and museums, shedding light andproviding historical reference of a way of lifethat might otherwise be lost. a book andfilm on the ranching family will reach deep into the past, present and future of the west. It’swith this intention that myron hopes hisimagery will provide future generations with a chance to look and reflect upon a unique part of american culture.For the photographer, helping the Spilsbury family move their cattle through the rugged Kolab mountain canyonsbordering Zion turned into a life changing experience – a rich journey that gave him a first-person perspective of his subjectmatter. During more than 50 visits to their ranch, myron has bonded with three generations of this american family whosevalues, ethics and morals he has come to understand and respect deeply.“This is what life is about,” myron says with great conviction. “The experience and journey is more important than thedestination. The Spilsbury’s showed me the beauty of western life and the nostalgic depth of living in the moment when oneis rounding up cattle on this beautiful, spiritual land. Those things are forever branded in my mind.”In addition to his skill as a photographer, myron has also built a fine portfolio of paintings. He resides In la Crescenta,California with his wife, mary, and their two daughters, Haleigh and morgan.www.myronbeck.comhphoto courtesy Myron Beck57fa L L 2 0 0 9

THe lIVING WoRDSof the C oNSTITuTIoNPaRT 8NICole KReBS581ST AMENDMENTIf it were not for the Bill of Rights, “several of the largestates would have remained outside of the union. Itwas only when George Washington and others invitedthe states to accept the Constitution and make suggestionsfor additional improvements, including a Bill of Rights,that several of the states withdrew their opposition andratified the Constitution.” (The Making of America, W.Cleon Skousen)our Bill of Rights begins with the First amendment,which reads, “Congress shall make no law respecting anestablishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercisethereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and topetition the Government for a redress of grievances.”James madison originally proposed this provisionconcerning religion by recommending text that read:“The civil rights of none shall be abridged on account ofreligious belief or worship, nor shall any national religionbe established, nor shall the full and equal rights ofconscience be in any manner, or on any pretence,infringed.” (Annals of Congress 434 [ June 8, 1789])During House debate on the subject, madison explainedthat “he apprehended the meaning of the words to be,that Congress should not establish a religion, and enforcethe legal observation of it by law, nor compel men toworship God in any manner contrary to their conscience”(Annals of Congress 730 [august 15, 1789]) WhilePresident in 1811, he vetoed a bill which would grantland reserved for a Baptist church in mississippi. Heexplained that the bill would compromise “a principle andprecedent for the appropriation of funds of the unitedStates for the use and support of religious societies,contrary to the article of the Constitution which declaresthat ‘Congress shall make no law respecting a religiousestablishment.’” (The Writings of James Madison [G.Hunt, ed.] 132-33 [1904])Justice Story, in his book Commentaries of theConstitution of the United States, viewed the religion clauseas one “not to prevent general governmental encouragementof religion, of Christianity, but to prevent religiouspersecution and to prevent a national establishment.”(Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis &Interpretation 1015 [2002 ed.]) However, the SupremeCourt did not have the opportunity to interpret the religionclause until the 1940s.“Not until the Supreme Court held the religion clausesapplicable to the states in the 1940s did it have muchopportunity to interpret them ... In Everson v. Board ofEducation (1947), the Court, without dissent on this point,declared that the establishment Clause forbids not onlypractices that ‘aid one religion’ or ‘prefer one religion overanother,’ but also those that ‘aid all religions.’” (Constitutionof the United States: Analysis & Interpretation 1015) InLynch v. Donnelly (1984), Chief Justice Burger stated, “Nordoes the Constitution require complete separation ofchurch and state; it affirmatively mandates accommodation,not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostilitytoward any … anything less would require the ‘callousindifference’ we have said was never intended by theestablishment Clause … Indeed, we have observed, suchhostility would bring us into ‘war with our nationaltradition as embodied in the First amendment’s guarantyof the free exercise of religion.’”madison also proposed the speech and press clauses.The original version that he introduced to the House ofRepresentatives read, “The people shall not be deprived orabridged of their right to speak, to write, or to publish theirsentiments; and the freedom of the press, as one of the greatbulwarks of liberty, shall be inviolable.” (Annals of Congress434 [1789]) as it made its way through the House andSenate, it was re-written several times; it was in the Senatethat the religion, speech and press clauses were combined.The concern of the House was to strike the right toassemble and to add an amendment that gave the peoplethe right to instruct their Representatives. (Annals ofCongress 731-749 [august 15, 1789])w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

In Schenck v. United States (1919), Justice Holmes gavethe opinion of the Court. The case concerned “upholdingconvictions for violating the espionage act by attemptingto cause insubordination in the military service bycirculation of leaflets, suggested First amendmentrestraints on subsequent punishment as well as priorrestraint.” (Constitution of United States of America:Analysis & Interpretation 1080) Holmes said, “(T)hecharacter of every act depends upon the circumstances inwhich it is done. The most stringent protection of freespeech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire ina theater and causing a panic … The question in every caseis whether the words used are used in such a nature as tocreate a clear and present danger that they will bring aboutthe substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent.”Today, according to the Court, the right of the people topeaceably assemble “is one that cannot be denied withoutviolating those fundamental principles of liberty and justicewhich lie at the base of all civil and political institutions…”according to the First amendment Center, “The rightto petition allows citizens to focus government attention onunresolved ills; provide information to elected leaders aboutunpopular policies; expose misconduct, waste, corruption,and incompetence; and vent popular frustrations withoutendangering the public order.”Citizens may petition the government (Senators,Congressmen, etc.) for a “redress of grievances” in severalways: a formal petition signed by numerous supporters maybe submitted; a personal letter or telegram; a personalcontact; a paid lobbyist or public demonstration. accordingto W. Cleon Skousen, a personal letter or telegram is “moreeffective than many citizens realize.”“Without the First amendment, religious minoritiescould be persecuted, the government might well establish anational religion, protesters could be silenced, the press couldnot criticize government, and citizens could not mobilize forsocial change.” (www.firstamendmentcenter.org)59fa L L 2 0 0 9

Ranch • LivingRanch LivingW I T H T H E A M A R XIn each issue of The Cowboy Way, I will be sharingproducts with you that I have recently discovered, havecomplete faith in and just think are fun. and, I will bringyou family recipes that I hope will become favorites inyour home. also included will be one page of “Ranchliving” dedicated to an artist that I feel needs to bediscovered. I welcome your feedback and ideas. enjoy!thea & aspen@ From Thea’s Kitchen ^Sun Ranch Charolais started in 1967 with my parents raising registered appaloosa horses, Blue Heelers and Charolais cattle.my mother was a proud member of the Fremont County Cow-Belles. a spattered cookbook in my collection has pictures ofthe club’s members, a history of Wyoming’s Cow-Belles and all the members up to the 1987 print date. In this well-used editionis one of my favorite recipes from childhood underneath the reverse lazy F S brand found on nearly everything we owned. asomewhat unusual combination, this recipe for Biscuits ‘n’ Barbequed Burgers was always on my list when asked what I wantedfor dinner.Biscuits ’n’ Barbequed Burgers602 slices soft bread in small pieces1 egg¼ cup minced onion¼ tsp. each pepper, dry mustard, sage, celery salt, garlic salt1 cup milk1 lb. ground beef1 ¼ tsp. salt1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauceTexas barbeque Sauce (at right)Biscuits – use your favorite recipeTexas barbeque sauce: mix 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, 1 Tbsppaprika, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp dry mustard, ¼ tsp. chili powder,1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, 2 Tbsp. vinegar, 1 cuptomato juice, ¼ cup catsup in sauce pan. Simmer gently for3-5 minutes.Heat oven to 350 degrees. mix first 8 ingredientsthoroughly. Form into 9 flat patties. Place in 9x9 baking pan.Bake 30 minutes. Pour off juice. add hot Texas barbequesauce to tops of hamburgers. Immediately top withuncooked biscuits cut the same size as burgers. Bake at 450degrees. makes 6 to 9 servings.Rw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Artist ProfileArtist Mary Cunningham finds inspiration ineveryday ranch lifeRanch • Livingartist mary Cunningham can’t help but feel that art runsin her veins. Nor can she eschew the fact that agriculture isan inborn fondness. Growing up in meeker, Colorado on aregistered Hereford operation, mary and her three sisterswere no strangers to ranch work. Though the work was hardand their days long, mary’s parents encouraged her topursue her passion for art, one that was fostered by the localschool and her great-grandfather, Pennsylvania impression -ist, William l lathrop. “There was always a love andappreciation for artin our home. momand Dad noticedtheirsurroundings – thecolor of the sky andleaves, the way theatmospherelooked,” says mary.“We were raised tonotice the littlethings.”mary perfectedthe little things,bringing to life theexpressions of herBorder Collies as they waited expectantly for a commandor the fierce mothering of a ewe with her newborn lamb, inthe pencil drawings that sell like hot cakes to the localcommunity. Her studio sits in a picturesque bend of thePowder River just outside of Kaycee, Wyoming where sheand her husband not only ranch but also run the localGeneral Store. Her subjects surround her, literally. BorderCollies, cattle, horses, sheep, cashmere goats and neighborsgive her inspiration when she puts pencil to paper. Thelandscape with its vivid red earth and rocky granite slopes,high mountain desert and grassy plains are extraordinarysubjects for the water colors and oils that she has retrievednow that her children have grown and no longer play at herfeet in her studio.“agriculture is in my soul,” says mary. “my work ispleasure but it also promotes what I love.” That is probablywhy she can’t stop exploring the industry. Besides ranchingand the grocery business, she and her husband, Greg, hostthe International Sheep Dog Trials, a three day event thatbrings 50 dogs from all over the country to Johnson Countyand offers a $10,000 purse. “a judge comes from the uKand is always fasci nated by the ranching style and the factthat we have to work sheep around sagebrush not just in lushgreen pas tures,”mary explains.The weekend hasa wool craft andfashion show,lamb cook-offand a rodeo. It isfast becoming adesti na tion forvisitors from farand wide.as for desti na -tions, her studioi s b e c ko n i n g .The grocery storeis on the market“ b e c a u s e t h evision of settingup an easel and painting in the quiet store just hasn’thappened,” laughs mary. The quiet she seeks is in thatpeaceful grove of cottonwoods along the meandering riverwhere her easel stands ready. It is a quiet where pigment,soft lead and brush strokes touch paper, telling stories oflives words cannot touch.To purchase note or gift cards, originals or gicleeprints, give her a call at 307-738-2500 or email her atmcunningham@rtconnect.net.R61fa L L 2 0 0 9

Ranch • LivingStart ConversationsCircle HFall Jeans ReportStetson’s New Arrow Straight Jean62When a girlfrom long Islandmade her homein Texas, shediscovered therewas a call for herunique brand ofsilver jewelry,handmade witha funky twist.Julie Hiltbrunner (aka Silversmyth) designs pieces with a zestthat makes them appropriate for wear with the little blackdress or your favorite jeans and boots. my favorite is theFlirty Bracelet. made of hundreds of solid sterling silver,individual split rings that tinkle and ringwith your movements, the bracelet is asure bet as a conversation starter. If youprefer to go lower key in your approach,Julie makes a stunning hand-hammeredbrand pendant. Customize yours as shedid with her husband’s family brand, theCircle H. Call Julie at 817-456-4432and have her make something special foryou, or pick one of the delightful pieces on her site atwww.silversmyth.com.RSimple DelightI love the cut of the new arrowStraight jeans by Stetson. madeof american grown cotton, theyare long and lean with asophisticated look that hugs yourbody and your boots. They arecut with a higher back thatprevents gapping or overexposurewhen you sit ahorse or have to crawlthrough a fence. I’ve wornthem for both ranch workand casual business. Theirdark color is a nice compli -ment to a crisp white shirtfor a meeting, yet itdoesn’t show the dirt whenyou work in the arena. another bonus:they come in extra long, which means theywon’t ride up over your boots when you get into the saddle.Their designer has obviously stepped on a horse before!Stetson wasn’t kidding when they named them arrowStraight, they are slim cut in the hip, thigh and seat withstraighter legs than any Western jean we’ve seen in quiteawhile. Just remember, they feel different, but they are good.I give them and their sophisticated yet comfortable, slightlystretchy, true-to-size fit an a. Want to find a pair to try on?log on to www.stetson.com and find a retailer near you.RCooking dinner each night allows me the chance to let downfrom a day packed with phone calls, meetings, deadlines anddetails. Being a mom doesn’t allow for siestas or, for that matter,many quiet moments at all. So, I sneak mine in at any moment Ican. one of my favorites is preparing the evening meal with a glassof full-bodied cab to sip amongst chopping garlic and the julienneof vegetables. For years, red wine gave me a headache, even thoughI enjoyed it, I chose not to drink it because of the after effects.Fortunately, a well-stocked store sold Frey (pronounced Fry) andI became an instant fan – not just because their CabernetSauvignon is an absolute delight but also because there was noheadache to follow the gratification of sipping a fine wine. I likeFrey, too, because of what the vineyard stands for. It is thecountry’s first organic winery. Not only are the grapes grownorganically but there are no added sulfites. Frey is a pioneer in driving the industry to be sustainable and is the first maker of certifiedBiodynamic wines in the u.S. Their commitment to sustainability and organically grown grapes started 30 years ago in the RedwoodValley when the eldest of twelve Frey siblings inspired the family to produce organic wine after studying organic gardening. alreadygrowing Cabernet grapes for wineries, it seemed a natural progression, after all the Frey’s had originally moved to California fromBrooklyn to be closer to nature in the early 1960s. Today, Frey is still a family owned and operated vineyard producing a delightfularray of wines with the utmost care for the environment, your health and enjoyment. www.freywine.com or 707-485-5177.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Ranch • LivingUnder FootIf it has to be walked on in bare toes, it should be soft and certainly beautiful. It’sfun if that rug underfoot also has a story, and every one of the rugs that Dean Bubolocarries has one. It begins back before Christopher Columbus arrived in the americas,when the Zapotec Indians of Teotitlan del Valle had a centuries old tradition of weavingtextiles from local fibers. In the mid-seventeenth century, these craftsmen transitionedfrom weaving cotton on back strap looms to weaving on upright looms introduced bythe europeans. In addition, sheep, and the use of wool, gave them a new durable fiberand process. For the next three hundred years, they were known to make the finestserapes. Serapes gave way to rugs that were sought after by designers and collectorsworldwide. Dean Bubolo recognized the talent of the weavers and the desire of themarket and started escalante Imports. Today, he is the exclusive purveyor of new yarnsand designs combining mohair and wool. The blending of mohair, a strong naturalfiber from mohair goats, and wool together respond by taking dyes beautifully and areinordinately soft and strong at the same time. The vibrancy and usefulness of theescalante rugs make them a favorite among designers and homeowners alike. Theircolor combinations and designs are numerous, but if you don’t find one that fits yourcolor scheme or room, don’t hesitate to ask, as Dean says, “We can do just about anything.” To get your hands and feet on oneof these treasures, go to www.escalanteimports.com or call Dean at 928-639-1600.RSpecial ConnectionsBelt It OutThey say that the outside of the horse is good for the insideof a person. Renee Gabet, founder and Ceo of annie oakley,has created a line that makes the connection even stronger.“most great journeys are shared,” says Gabet, who developed aproduct line that extends the benefit between horse and riderby further releasing tension and promoting calmness througharomatherapy oils and sprays. used by professional horsemenand women as a training aid, Journeys is a clever combinationof earth’s oldest gifts, the scent of lavender and the therapeuticjoy a horse gives its human companion. Give Journeys to yourfavorite friends who have horses (or not). The whimsical TackBox is complete with muzzle oil rub (you can use it afterbathing and enjoy all the benefits), a ranch or stall spray thatfreshens the “office” (whether it be in the barn or your home)and the finest quality lavender essential oil. Rub the oilinto your tack or use as aromatherapy in your home. You canpurchase a Tack Box full of delightful calmness atwww.annieoakley.com or call 800-922-6643.Designer meredith lockhart loves to make belts,especially the kind that make you look sexy, sassy andWestern all at the same time. I have wrapped myself in thisbeauty that is hand-cut from distressed lambskin, laced, handpainted and adorned with turquoise. Why? It makes me feelgift-wrapped, complete with ribbon and bows. meredith hascreated outfits for miss Rodeo america and chart-toppingcountry music stars for 20 years. No, she is not some divadesigner; she is a cowgirl from Kansas that has an eye forfashion and the know-how to tailor a shirt to fit perfectly.Did I mention her hand painting? Nearly every piece shecreates has her signature hand painting – even jackets, skirtsand her hand-dyed silks. Don’t drag your feet, go to her siteat www.thistleswest.com or call her at 913-886-2247 andpick out your favorite.63fa L L 2 0 0 9

AN INTREPID SPIRITFive Generations of the Smith Family have calledNorth Boulder Valley, Montana Homephotography by Celeste Sotola65BY THea maRXThe year before the Civil War ended in 1865, a wagontrain wound its way through treacherous country intoNorth Boulder Valley, montana. Nine Irish familiesstaked their claims in the promising terrain weary from theirtrip but glad to be away from the lawlessness of gold rushtown, alder Gulch. Boulder Valley is 28 miles from Helena,35 miles to Butte “and about as close to heaven as I’ll everget,” says Paul (Brud) Smith.Brud’s great-grandfather, Phillip Smith, was one of thoseintrepid travelers, bringing with him his family, including sonCornelius (Con as he was called) who drove an ox team fromDenver to alder at the age of 13. Con’s most memorableexperience of the trip was when a band of Indians swoopeddown on the wagon train from the hills above, thankfullymore curious than hostile, but nonetheless startling. No onewas harmed, but one daring brave spotted Con’s favorite redshirt hanging at the rear of the wagon, claimed it jubilantlyand made off with it much to his dismay.Indians, weather, backbreaking work and the sheerremoteness of the valley were trials for the young family.fa L L 2 0 0 9

advice given to one young woman in the group seemed veryfitting for this extraordinary journey into the unknown: “Ifyou must go west, make sure you take your heavy underwearand your fortitude with you.”Fortitude was always a part of young Con’s constitutionas he again drove the team of oxen over land to settle thefamily in Boulder Valley a year after his red shirt disappeared.under the guidance of his father, Phillip, the land washomesteaded and mysterious creatures never before seen inIreland materialized, such as the foul smelling black andwhite critter called a skunk. Con, being the only son, hadenormous responsibilities helping to establish the ranch:harnessing the river to provide water for crops and livestock,hewing trees to build homes and barns, moving mountains tobuild roads. When he was sixteen the decision was made thathe needed to have a more formal education than he couldget in the Valley. His well planned trunk and planneddeparture for a Jesuit school in Chicago ended not with himon the stage, but with him coming back to the ranch to stay.In 1877, he filed for a homestead of his own after staying onto help firmly establish the main Smith ranch. He married agirl from a “well-to-do” city family who found her own homeinvolved unimagined toil. But she rose to the occasion withher spirited pride giving birth to ten children, three of whomdied in infancy and one at the age of fourteen in a tragichunting accident. She nursed them through illnesses whenthe nearest doctor was 19 miles away, taught them theirprayers and cooked beautiful meals.a midwife was her only help throughout the years,besides a seamstress once a year, but the ranch required atleast one ranch hand. Those ranch hands provided thechildren an endless stream of stories and one such hand, Billy,served as the gossip columnist for the valley telling the newsand antics of all the neighbors. In the remote country, newsand gossip were looked forward to and all visitors cherished.Having peddlers come was an especially joyful event for thechildren. “oh, the indescribable joy of watching the peddleropen his pack! We were simply fascinated with the wealthand variety of his wares whether gaudy or practical!” recallsone of the Smith children in a family paper.of the six children, Paul was the only one to follow in hisfather’s footsteps as a rancher and politician. He was electedto the State Railroad and Public Service Commission wherehe served for over 25 years. He and his wife, Vivian, boughtthe present ranch in 1938. Brud, Paul’s son, spent summerson the new ranch until the third grade when the familymoved there permanently. He graduated from JeffersonCounty High School where 250 students came from as faraway as 25 miles. Jefferson County is the only county in thestate that doesn’t have a stoplight and the little town of66Smith family brandingw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Boulder, population 1,500, supplies the rural communitieswith just about everything one might need. after anundergraduate degree from Gonzaga and a stint in the Navyto see the world, Brud came home to montana, getting hislaw degree from the university of montana. He practicedIndian law and had his own firm before returning to theranch in 1982 deciding to go back to what he loved. Hisparents were still living so he madehis home outside of town andpracticed law while a manager ranthe ranch. In 1986, he took over theranch and drove daily through itsgates. In 2000, the family movedthere because, as he says, “I wantedthem to have a day-to-day ranchexperience.” His two girls, Bradyand Darby, like the ranch and aregood help calving, haying and, ingeneral, being ranch hands. Hiswife, Terry minow, still drives toHelena to act as the political director for a teacher and publicemployee union. She enjoys ranch life because it is much likehome. Raised on a ranch 70 miles from miles City and 35miles from Broadus, montana, she was schooled in a oneroomschoolhouse and helped her family dry land farm, raisewheat and cattle. Her fondness for the lifestyle is evident. Itdidn’t take her long to grow to love Boulder Valley where,she says, “People take care of each other here, and they carefor each other. It’s a wonderful place to raise a family.”The Boulder Valley has been raising Smith families forfive generations. “The Valley is always only three days awayfrom a drought,” quips Brud with a smile on his face. at4,500 feet, the ranch is filled with mountainous meadowsand lots of rocks, pretty toughground to farm but they stillmanage to cut 400 acres of nativegrass hay, 350 acres of alfalfa and,on some years, grain, which satisfiesthe 1,200 ton of hay a year it takesto feed their stock. Running acommercial herd on 3,000 privateacres and Blm and Forest permits,Brud uses his political skills andsense of humor to deal with thepolitics that plague the rancherswho deal with the federalgovernment. one such talk was to celebrate 100 years of theForest Service. “Dealing with Forest and Blm plans, theyusually have an ‘indicator species’ which, if present on thelandscape, indicates that the ecosystem is doing well and thatthe habitat is in good shape. It is usually something like aPileated Woodpecker or jumping field mouse, depending on67fa L L 2 0 0 9

Brud Smith68what ground is being reviewed. my thought, a great indicatorspecies is seeing cattle on Forest Service or Blm land. Itindicates that there are ranches in the vicinity that are part ofthe ecosystem and are providingopen spaces, habitat sustainingwildlife both on private propertyand for seasonal wildlife fromfederal lands. It also means a familyor more contributing to the localcommunity’s desired rural lifestyle,often providing access and huntingto the public. The alternative is,when you kick the cows off offederal land, more than likely therancher will have to sell off marginalland for subdivisions or give upranching entirely. In other words, nocattle permits for ranchers is greatfor subdivisions, and bad for openspaces, wildlife habitat, sustainableecosystems, access and hunting.”Given Brud’s experience, hewouldn’t trade the world to go back to being an attorney.“Not even the times when you are seven short gathering cattlefrom the mountains and a blizzard sets in. Not even when thebulls are fighting and you have no fences left. Not even whenyou are watching a calving cow like a hawk and the calf stilldies. I want to see the land I aminvolved with continue to beagricultural. my hope for the futureis that the kids can carry it on. Theagricultural system is an importantpart of the fabric of the West. Theranching community has a socialfabric where the folks rely on eachother, they have a real community.”after all, what other commun itiesturn brandings into social events,hold testicle festivals, answer a call forhelp in the middle of the night orstop along side the road to helpsomeone with a flat tire? For BrudSmith and his family, ranching isright where they want to be, carryingon a family tradition and creating anew generation with a strong workethic. “our parents taught us by example,” says Terry, whosums up the lifestyle in those six, short, poignant words.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

CUSTER AND MEMy TiMe aT U.S. Cavalry SChoolBY maRK BeDoR70It may be the most famous battle in all of history. Custer’slast Stand. and, 133 years after it happened, almost tothe very day, I am horseback in an authentic u.S. Cavalryuniform on that battlefield.Just a short drive south of Billings, montana sits the littleBighorn Battlefield National monument, where, on June 25,1876, the Battle of the little Big Horn took place near Crowagency, montana. Today, I am horseback carrying anunloaded single action .45 revolver in my army issue holster.I’m riding in a mcClellan saddle, just like the ones used by7 TH Cavalry troopers. I am literally following the footstepsof Custer and his men as I ride down Cedar Coulee, a deepand grassy, almost canyon like ravine. I am seeing whatCuster saw and understanding what he could not see: thedisaster that awaited him just over the next ridge. For on thislate June morning, I am one of the lucky few to attend anamazing experience known as the u.S. Cavalry School.“You can not understand this Battlefield unless you do ithorseback,” says lt. Col. (Ret.) Bobby Jolley. “The tyranny ofthe terrain ultimately determined the outcome of the battle.”I am all ears as I soak in the place, the moment and theteaching of our charismatic lead instructor. I’m one of abouta dozen students here for this weeklong immersion intohorses, history and so much more. It will all culminate atweek’s end as we reenact one of the most legendary, and stillmysterious, battles of the old West. Here in this coulee,Jolley tells us how Custer’s scouts have just rejoined him withbad news. The Sioux are annihilating marcus Reno’scommand after his disastrous attack on the south end of theIndian village along the nearby little Bighorn River. “Sowhat the hell is Custer gonna do?” Jolley asks rhetorically.“He’s gonna move down this draw, and he’s gonna make adecision. So, let’s ride down to the mouth of the draw.”a recognized expert on both the Custer Battlefield andu.S. cavalry history, you could not have a better instructorthan the man we’ll affectionately know this week as “TheColonel.” The decorated, retired, career army officer servedin Vietnam as the Senior adviser to an elite VietnameseRanger Battalion. He was awarded two Silver Stars and twoPurple Hearts, among many other honors. With a mastersw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

Degree in both political science and history, he’s taught at anumber of colleges.For years he’s conducted “Staff Rides” for the u.S. military,in which active duty service members tour historic battlefieldsto learn lessons that still apply totoday’s conflicts. Part Cherokee, thenative Texan is also a passionatehorseman and raises Quarter Horsesand arabs at his ranch in WashingtonState. His enthusiasm in ourhorseback classroom is contagious. “Ilove it, obviously,” he shares. “Peoplesay to me, ‘When you talk to us, youimpart your interest and your love forthe topic.’ Yep! I do! No doubt! If Icouldn’t do that and didn’t enjoy it, Iwouldn’t be here.”Jolley was one of the horsebackextras Kevin Costner hired for ThePostman. Shot on location inWashington State, the 1997 film wassomething like a post-apocalyptic Western. Costner alsorecruited outfitter John Doran and other professionalhorsemen in the area for the movie, which included anumber of cavalry scenes. By the end of the six-week shoot,the idea for the u.S. Cavalry School had been born.Fast forward to 2009. Today, the school has relocatedfrom Doran’s Walking D Ranch to the Real Bird Ranch onthe Crow Indian Reservation in southeast montana. aprominent family among the Crow tribe, the Real Birds ownthe property along the little BighornRiver, just across the water from theBattlefield monument. Their ranchalso hosts the reenactment grounds,complete with grandstand. “mygreat-grandfather medicine Tail, heowned this land here,” explains ourgenial host, Richard Real Bird. “Theysay he welcomed everybody here –everybody that wanted to come hereand have sweat lodge or swim in theriver. and, we continue that. It’s afamily tradition.”and so, our Cavalry Schoolcamps right where Sitting Bull’svillage was when Custer attacked onthat June day in 1876. “Isn’t theresomething mystic about this?!” mused Doran one evening.“When everything’s quiet and the stars are coming out? Thisis not a park. This is the little Bighorn River. How manypeople can say they’ve ridden across the little Bighorn on acavalry horse in a cavalry uniform in a mcClellan saddle?”71photo by Diana Volkfa L L 2 0 0 9

72photo by Diana VolkI was riding Doran’s horse all week. John and his expertcrew of wranglers and camp staff provide horses, saddles,big wall tents with padded cots, clean port-a-potties andexcellent food all week long. The menu included hearty hotbreakfasts and ribeye steak dinners cooked on an open grill.John can also outfit you with a uniform, pistol and saber. Ibrought my own, except for the sword. (You’ll get adiscount and be assured of a good fit if you provide theuniform.) Some students brought their own horses as well.I ride often and reasonably well, andJohn’s horse l.T. was a great partnerfor the week. l.T. also had theafterburners when I needed themduring the reenactment.With Doran handling camp,Captain Keith Herrin acts asassistant lead Instructor and FieldCommander. an Iraq War Veteranwho survived a roadside bomb attack,the National Guardsman co-foundedthe 89 TH montana Cavalry, aceremonial horseback unit thatrepresents the military at a variety ofevents. It was Captain Keith who ledmuch of the training during horsebackcavalry drills where we learned how toride in formation. He also taught thehistory, evolution and function of themcClellan saddle, plus the safehandling of sabers and firearms, bothon and off the horse.Safety is job one. even blanks can be dangerous if a gunis pointed at somebody. We were taught to always fire intothe air. “We are all gonna be sticklersfor firearms raised up,” remindedDoran. and there were no problems.We also had the opportunity to travelto a firing range and shoot live roundsthrough both our single action .45s andthe same .45-50 Springfields the 7 THCavalry carried. It was pretty cool toshoot the old style carbine. But, I wasn’ttoo competitive in the friendly targetcompetition we had that day.I did better at the mounted shooting.With our six-gun loaded with blanks, wedashed across the little Bighorn, thenrode through a cross-country firingcourse, searching for enemy balloonstucked behind the sagebrush.Competing in both speed and accuracy,a well-aimed shot from a blank wouldblast the balloon. Then we’d lope off tofind the next one.The very first course of the week was on how to cross thatriver safely and, like everything in Cavalry School, thatinstruction was handled in an expert and orderly fashion.“How many places do you know that will actually give a classon how to cross a river on a horse with gear?” beamed ajustifiably proud John Doran. “So we try to cover many aspectsof what the mounted trooper of the West had to know how todo. We’re replicating history, if we can, to some degree.”We were also replicating military life as well. morningsbegan with the flag raising as we stood at attention in ourwool uniforms. In late June, those outfits can get a littlew w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

warm, but they do breathe surprisingly well. I never foundmine to be all that uncomfortable.The minor discomforts of camping in cavalry uniformswere nothing like the hardships faced by those soldiers whoactually rode with Custer. “Just think of the troopers havingto do this for six weeks straight,” reminded Captain Herrin.“and then the quality of the food that went downhill on thetrip... as well as the horses...”as the week went on, it felt sometimes like I really was inthe Cavalry. Strapping on the gun belt and saddling the horseevery morning got to be a pretty nice routine. of course nowarrior was trying to kill me… “It’s given me some insightinto that sort of experience, without signing up for a numberof years,” observed fellow student Frank Blaha.Blaha, an environmental engineer from Colorado, waspart of a diverse group. Three of the students were activeduty members of the Kansas National Guard. They, too, ridein their state’s ceremonial cavalry unit. There was a biologist,a retired college professor and a fourteen-year-old here withhis grandfather. No women students this year, but womenare certainly welcome. The wife of one of the KansasNational Guardsmen would have been there, but the majorwas deployed to Iraq.late in the week, we met some 60 members of the 82 NDairborne Cavalry who parachuted in to the little BighornBattlefield to the cheers of the crowd. The soldiers thencrossed the river, took seats in the grandstand and watchedour third and final reenactment.Performing horseback in what amounted to a big outdoorplay was very cool as I spurred my horse to a run, firing my.45 and dashed across the river. as young Crows ridingbareback gave chase, together we recreated one of history’smost legendary battles.The week had quieter moments that were just asmemorable, like the wreath laying ceremony we participatedin at the Tomb of the unknown Soldier in nearbyGarryowen. It was equally special to be part of the Sundaymorning ceremony with Sitting Bull’s grandson at the Indianmemorial on last Stand Hill. Friday morning, we took ourhorses to the town of Crow agency for the Crow NativeDays Parade. There we rode in formation past an americanflag, saluting at attention, in the uniform our soldiers hadworn so many years ago.Then there were those very impressive modern warriors ofthe 82 ND airborne. Talking with those brave men, some ofwhom have endured horrific combat in Iraq, gave me newconfidence that our beloved country is in good hands. It’s hardto explain how I felt when Colonel Jolley shook my hand atthe end of the week, telling me I’d done well as he handed memy Commendation for completing Cavalry School. all I cansay is I know where I’ll be come next June 25 TH .For more information, visit www.uscavalryschool.com.73fa L L 2 0 0 9

Great getaways at dude ranches endorsed by The Dude Ranchers’ AssociationBY WIllIam ReYNolDSEditor’s Note: PARAGON Foundation is pleased to feature member ranches of the DudeRanchers’ Association. Here’s a great way to enjoy the fun and ways of the West at ranchesaround the country that are endorsed by this fine association.74The T Cross RanchDubois, WyomingT Cross Ranch has a time -less magic. The ranch liesinside the Shoshone NationalForest at an elevation of 7,800feet. This is an untouchedcountry of pine forests andopen meadows, trout-richstreams and small lakes, withendless vistas rising well over11,000 feet – scenicallymagnificent.Through the T Cross gateyou will discover a pristinewilderness. atop the hand -picked and well-trained ranchhorses, the rugged mountain trailsreveal a myriad of wildlife, seen onlyin the greater Yellowstone area. But,most guests remember the T Cross forits familiar atmosphere that blends thecolor of the west and the relaxingcomforts of home. The Ranchhas been welcoming guests forover 90 years and is recognizedby Wyoming as a historictreasure. The T Cross cele -brates the long tradition ofhospitality and adventure thatmade the american West adestination of interest.as it was, it is today –aworking, family-owned guestranch. Your T Cross hosts aremark and Gretchen Cardall. TCross has been in the familysince Gretchen’s parents, Kenw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

and Garey Neal, became owner/managers in 1991. The newest TCross generation was born in the fallof 2004 – Kameron alayna Cardall.The accommodations are tradi -tional guest ranch – the cabins aredecorated with a late 19 TH century feelwith furniture that is all hand built.each cabin includes a private bath,and one or several bedrooms and theywelcome couples, families or singleguests. everyone gathers to the lodgefor meals and to rediscover the art ofconversation. Family time, entertain -ment and excellent cuisine – findthem all here.The ranch opened in 1918 and wasfirst called the Hermitage. It was ahunting and fishing camp, laterevolving into the guest ranch of today.The first 90 years of operation havebeen successful in preserving thisnatural wonder. The T Cross providesan opportunity for all to come andenjoy this special place. For moreinformation, visit www.tcross.com.The Nine QuarterCircle RanchGallatin Gateway, MontanaFor those looking for the tradi -tional dude ranch experience, look nofarther than the Nine Quarter Circle.Steeped in tradition, this montanaguest & dude ranch is located inGallatin Gateway, montana. It offersan authentic montana dude ranchfamily vacation with horseback ridingand fishing. The Nine Quarter CircleRanch at 7,000 feet is surrounded bynational forests containing a millionacres of primitive wilderness. Theranch provides a mixed pattern ofriding with a select variety ofunspoiled trout waters. The ranch islocated in the high country of themontana Rockies alongside a swiftmountain stream called the TaylorFork of the Gallatin River. It is nestledamongst lodge pole pines overlookingthe northwest corner of YellowstonePark on the east slope of theContinental Divide. The ranchhistory dates back to the 1800s whenit was first homesteaded and is filledwith history – the Indians once ranelk herds here, Jim Bridger rode afterbuffalo and Chief Joseph passed nearhere on his retreat to Canada.Stagecoaches lurch no more over therocky trails; the hunter is gone withhis long bow, but nature’s wildernessstill remains.It’s the setting for a perfectvacation, where you rough it incomfort and leave the rest of the worldbehind. all ranch meals are homecooked, family style – very informalwith no dressing up for dinnerexpected. Several outdoor meals arescheduled each week including a lateafternoon ride to dinner. You willenjoy the easy, informal atmosphere atNine Quarter Circle. The ranch is fivemiles off the main highway snuggledin a beautiful valley where the onlysounds at night are the cascadingwaters of the Taylor Fork River – andperhaps the howl of a coyote. Here areall the comforts of home withadventure, new experiences and acompletely new way of life, with allthe beauty of nature. Good, healthy,restful relaxation with unforgettabledays and nights.Throughout the year, but especiallyin the early summer, the meadows andmountains become Nature’s palettecovered with abundantwildflowers. Newbornelk, moose and deerwith their mothers areseen almost daily onrides and hikes fromthe ranch. late summerand early fall ridesprovide bugling bull elkcollecting their haremsagainst a back drop ofgolden aspen trees.The Kelseyfamily – Kim and Kelly, Konnor,Kameron and Kyleen – will personallytake pride in making this your home inthe West. They are well into theirsecond fifty years with the NineQuarter Circle, and take a deepinterest in seeing that you enjoy everyminute. Great accom mo dations,excellent food, unsurpassed mountainbeauty where fishing dreams become areality, and you will make lastingfriends with your hosts and your horse.For more information, visitwww.ninequartercircle.com.The Dude Ranchers’ associationPo Box 23071122 12th StreetCody, Wyoming 82414866-399-2339 or 307-587-2339www.duderanch.org75fa L L 2 0 0 9

Ellie parker, daughter of Montana horseman doyle parker, in the roping penphotos by Guy de GalardTHE NORTHERN RANGE RANCH ROPING SERIESThis Montana based organization brings working cowboys and weekendropers together in friendly competitions that promote the stock handlingtechniques of Old California and the Great Basin buckaroo.BY GuY De GalaRD77Scott Grosskopf ’s Del Viento loop soars into the airbefore gracefully draping over the cow’s hips. With agrin of satisfaction, he waits for the bovine to walkinto the trap before dallying. Scott is one of the forty pluscontestants who entered the ranch roping competition heldlast June by Scott and his father, Dick, at their CampRunamuck Ranch, located at a galloping distance fromBillings, montana.The event is part of the Northern Range Ranch RopingSeries (NRRRS), a montana based organization thatpromotes low stress roping with proper horsemanshipand stockmanship, according to the ways of the earlyCalifornia vaquero.It all started in the early 1990s when California cowboyand clinician, Joe Wolter, started conducting ranch ropingclinics in montana. The variety of elaborate loops he taught,many influenced by the Spanish vaqueros for whom style andfinesse prevailed over speed, caught the cowboys’ attentionand sparked an interest in the California vaquero-styleroping. With a focus on safe handling of livestock,horsemanship and versatile loops suitable to catch either endof a cow, from any position, interest began to grow. Thisprompted the first ranch roping contest to be held in Redlodge, montana in July 1998. organized by montana saddlemaker, Chas Weldon and Pete olsen, sponsored by JackBlankenship and judged by Wolter, the event was a timed,fa L L 2 0 0 9

Last June was Sterling grosskopf ’s first competition. ranch ropings are not only social gatherings but also family affairs.at 9-years-old, the young buckaroo is already a skilled hand.78three-man calf-doctoring contest with bonus points for fancyloops. montana rancher, George Kahrl, provided the cattle.Ten years ago, after the first Californios Ranch Ropingand Stock Horse Contest took place in Red Bluff, Ca in1999, Dick Grosskopf and Dean Delp revised and adaptedthe rules of the California event to what they thoughtwould be a better fit for the montana crowd – morefocused on stockmanship rather than time – and theNRRRS was born. “If you are not against the clock, youhave more time to allow more finesse in your shots,” Dickexplains. as the ropings progressed, the rules evolved toinclude safety issues, cattle handling and horsemanship. Tofit the organization’s goals of low stress cattle handling, amove was made from timed events, where time was takenoff on fancy loops, to judged contests, where points areearned for fancy loops, difficult catches and proper cattlehandling. “Improving the rules in order to challengeeveryone to become a better roper is an ongoing process.But, once the roping is done correctly and smoothly, therules are there just as a backup,” states Dick.Typically, the NRRRS holds 13 to 17 ropings eachsummer, in addition to a winter series held in Sheridan,Wyoming, and interest for this style of roping keepsgrowing. “We experienced 100% growth last year and theNRRRS rules are used worldwide for other ranch ropingvenues as far away as South africa. I see the sport growingto a point where there’ll be a World Championship ofranch roping,” declares Scott, President of the NRRRS.after a six year stint buckarooing on oregon’s ZX Ranch,Scott came back to montana where he and his wife, Staci,also an avid roper and a fierce competitor, run BuckarooBusinesses, a store specializing in buckaroo gear. Since2000, the Finals have been held at the NIle Show inBillings, montana, where ranch roping has become ananchor event. last year, the NRRRS went to the next levelwhen Wyoming horseman and clinician, Buck Brannaman,and Paul Woods, two of the organization’s Directors, wereinvited to conduct ranch roping clinics, respectively, inFrance and Italy. last July, the NRRRS teamed up with theCanadian Ranch Roping association to organize theBorder Battle, which pitted 13 u.S. teams against 23Canadian teams. The event took place in Weyburn,Saskatchewan, was sponsored by Talisman energy andTristar oil and Gas, and offered a $200,000 purse.once the judges are ready, the first team enters theroping arena. In true buckaroo fashion, cattle are roped outof a rodear (a circular configuration of working cattle out ofa herd held by a larger circle of riders on horseback) as eachw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

three-man team ropes and lays the critter down, recreatinga real life range-doctoring situation. although ranch ropingis not a timed event, competitions do pit the ropers againstthe clock. once the announcer designates the critter to rope,the header has two minutes to make his catch. Then, thesecond roper throws a heel shot. The third rider, or groundman, throws his rope on the ground, dismounts, lays the cowdown and moves the head loop to the front legs. The cow isthen stretched out. The total timeallowance to complete a run isfour minutes. loops must beclean, without twists or figureeights, both ropes must be tightand the ground man must be offthe calf before time can be called.Points are based on the distanceand difficulty of the throw, withpoints added for roping within therodear line, controlling the cow toa stop and completing the run inless than two minutes. Penaltiesare assessed for losing a rope orimproper cattle handling such asdallying on one hind hock.loping, dismounting without firstthrowing the rope on the groundand rim firing (rope wrappingaround the header’s horse) causedisqualification.While the action unfolds in the roping arena where theropers showcase their skills, some of the contestants practicetheir shots on a dummy in an adjacent pen. Houlihans, hipshots, back hands, JohnnyBlockers and Del Vientos aresome of the most used throws.over the years, the ropers’ skillshave improved. “a houlihan usedto be considered a fancy loop. It isnow considered a basic shot,”comments Scott.other ropers watch the actionfrom horseback, praising goodthrows or encouraging a contest -ant’s efforts to lay a critter down. “Ilike to rope but I also enjoywatching someone throw a niceloop,” declares Scott whose perfectDel Viento earlier that day wonhim 1 ST place in the fancy heel shotcategory. each competition is adisplay of vaquero horsemanshipand stock handling skills, classydick grosskopf (left) was instrumental in starting the northern range ranch roping Series ten loops and elegant trappings such asyears ago. his son, Scott (right), is currently the president of the Montana based organization. finely braided bosals, romals andmecates, engraved silver bits andcarved saddles. Here, artistry andefficiency go hand in hand. “People take pride in their horsesas much as their roping skills,” comments Woods. There is adifferent look about them. Rawhide, leather and horsehairare the materials of choice. From their hats to their boots andthe type of gear used, early California tradition prevails.Caleb french is ready to fill his loop79fa L L 2 0 0 9

80according to Woods, ranchroping is a practical art form thatcombines good horsemanship,stockmanship and roping. “Itbrings together cowboys, excowboysand non-cowboys whoall share an appreciation for finehorses and good roping skills.For the ones who don’t cowboyfor a living, this is the closestthing to being a cowboy. It alsogives ranch cowboys a place tocompete by using their skills. It’sa good way to keep the traditionalive,” he says. “I like the fact thatthese competitions highlight theaspects of California style ranch -ing with its finesse and goodhorsemanship,” adds montanarancher, Casey mott, whoattended one of the first ranchroping contests ten years ago.Ranch ropings aren’t restricted to working cowboys.They are a gathering of young and old, novice and pro. “Inpaul woods throws a turn-over Johnny Blocker shotCid Klebenow, Montana cowgirl, is a fierce competitor in the novice divisionthe past two years, the novice division has been bigger thanthe open division. The novice division is what makes thissport work,” says Scott Grosskopf. “It’s a great way forbeginners to get started before they get thrown to the wolvesin the open division.”although Staci Grosskopf rodeoed in high school, shenever had much interest in roping until she met her husbandand started roping at brandings. But, once she startedcompeting in ranch ropings, she was hooked. “It reallyhelped me with my horsemanship and makes me so muchhandier when an actual job needs to be done. I also realizedhow competitive I felt once I started. The way the novicedivision is set up really pushes you to go to the next leveland improve your skills,” she says.Wyoming artist, Crystal lenhart grew up aroundranching and first competed in breakaway roping. Somefriends introduced her to ranch roping five years ago andshe learned on her own by watching Buck Brannaman’sranch roping videos and practicing on a dummy. Today,Crystal is not only one of the top ropers in the novicedivision, but she also appreciates the fine craftsmanship shesees at ranch ropings, which inspires her creativity.another big draw to the sport is the camaraderie, assocializing with old friends and fellow ropers plays a big partat ranch ropings. “The best part about it is the people you seeat ranch ropings. We run into a lot of old friends,” says mott.as the day draws to an end, the fancy loops continue todesign intricate and elegant arabesques against the pale bluesky. Thanks to the NRRRS, the tradition of the PacificSlope is carried on across the montana range and beyond.For more information, visit www.ranchroping.com.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

The South Dakota Stockgrowers Associationis proud to support the effortsof the PARAGON Foundation.To learn more about the SDSGA,visit www.southdakotastockgrowers.org

ace Powell & Dave Powellphoto courtesy Dave Powell Collectionace and his wife, thelma, circa 1970dave powell - Cowboy artists of americaphoto by Cena Ewert82The “Ace” of Diamonds and the “Duce” of Diamonds:A Father & Son Pair to Draw toBY DaN GaGlIaSSo“We weren’t Cowboy Artists back in those days, we were just artistspainting the West as we knew it and had experienced it.”Ace Powell, Montana Cowboy Artist (1912-1978)“Being inducted into the Cowboy Artists of America was a watershedmoment in my life. I was wearing my mom’s McLaughlin familytartan tie and my dad’s silver Ace of Diamonds belt buckle.”Ace’s son Dave Powell CAA, October 2004w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

photo courtesy Dave Powell CollectionOne of the best traits ace Powell handed down to hisson and fellow artist, Dave, was the unconsciousway that he “collected” people. Not as a user or conman, but just out of interest and fascination with his fellowman. “He was charming without the hustleand could really relate to people, all kindsof people,” the younger Powell remembersfondly. It’s a talent that has come in handyon more than one occasion.In 1980, Dave was tracing in his father’sboot steps as a Western artist with agrowing recognition, but a struggling bankaccount. He’d just made the biggest sale ofhis young professional life; a bronze of amandan bull boat sold to a well-knownbrain surgeon in Crested Butte, Colorado.The collector had written him a check for$3,500, more than a tidy sum in 1980. But,Dave was down to half a tank of gaswithout even enough money for a motelroom and needed to get back to montanafor another art show. He had to cash thatcheck and fast.“I just didn’t have it in me to ask thedoctor if he could give me fifty of it in cash and write thecheck for the difference so I could gas up the truck and headon home. So, I drove on up to Denver, in the middle of asnow storm, and parked in the back of a quiet place in therough part of town and bundled up in a buffalo robe so Icould get to the bank when they opened.” Come aroundthree in the morning, the sleeping young cowboy artistsuddenly found himself starring down the business end of a.45 Colt in the hands of outlaw biker chief Bobby Rossini.“It turns out there was a biker war going on that I didn’tknow a damn thing about and I was parked right near biker‘central.’ lucky for me, when I stuck my head out of thebuffalo robe, Bobby recognized me as a friend of artist Hanklawshe and insisted I come over to his club’s hangout to getNorthern Plains Communication, oil on canvas by ace powellwarm and have a beer. Bobby was kind of an al-Swearengenin-Deadwoodkind of guy, double tough and mean as couldbe if you crossed him. If he said, ‘You need to come in tomeet the boys,’ that’s where you were going. all I wanted todo was get that check cashed and get on up the road, but, ifI mentioned the check to Bobby, he would have found a wayfor me to cash it and expect me to party with them on mymoney until I was broke. I eventually eased my way out ofthere and made it to the bank, but not before I got apermanent souvenir out of the whole deal: a tattoo.”Powell grins a little sheepishly showing the red ink onhis arm displaying the “Duce” of Diamonds. “I’m thesecond son of ace Powell, the ‘ace’ of Diamonds, that’show Dad signed his paintings. If I had to have a tattoo,Ifigured this is the one to have.”ace’s “ace” of Diamonds goes back to the early 1920swhen, as a boy, he used to hang around Charlie Russell’sstudio at lake mcDonald’s Bull Head lodge and watchthe great cowboy artist paint and sculpt. Drawing wouldbecome a passion. “Drawing was just as natural with meas talking when I was a kid. If I wanted to explainsomething, I was just as likely to draw it out as usewords,” ace once remembered of his youth.ace’s dad, austin, had cowboy’d on the 7up Ranchnear Fort Belknap before homesteading the place on thelake. His mom, myrtith, had come up the missouri Riverto Fort Benton on a steamboat to teach school in 1900.ace’s dad knew Horace Brewster, Charlie Russell’s olda young ace powell ready for a deer hunt near Kalispell, Montana in 1924 jigger boss during the annual Judith Basin Roundups,photo courtesy High Noon83fa L L 2 0 0 9

84photo courtesy Dave Powell Collectionwho was now the area’s Park Service Ranger. With Horace’shelp, the couple soon ran a local pack string and cooked forand looked after the Russell’s and their guests when theycame up to the lake every summer. Young ace was soonriding and palling around with the Russell’s adopted son,Jack. Charlie’s wife, Nancy, who had grown up prettyhardscrabble herself, noticed ace’s artistic inclinationsand bought him his first paint box set as a Christmas gift.The fledging ten-year-old painter quickly appropriateda piece of canvas tent fly and copied Russell’s Laugh KillsLonesome, right down to Charlie’s famous buffalo skullsignature. ace then proudly showed that first canvas toRussell’s protégé, cowboy artist Joe DeYong. after a fewquiet moments, DeYong pointed out, “When you putsomeone else’s brand on your horse, then it becomes theirhorse. You go by ace, why don’t you just sign it with the‘ace’ of Diamonds? That’s a pretty good name, ain’t it?”and so, ace Powell’s “ace” of Diamonds was born.ace and second son Dave really were drawn out thesame deck of life. World-renowned artist Ned Jacob metace Powell and Nancy mclaughlin, fellow artist andDave’s mom, when he first moved to montana in 1956 asa wide-eyed kid from New Jersey who wanted to paintthe West. “Dave Powell is the only person I’ve ever knownbeside N.C. Wythe’s son, andrew, who was born to be anartist. Dave was playing with modeling clay when he was stillin the crib. It’s a calling and it’s about personal integrity.”an artist with his own great lust for life, Jacob observesthat, “ace, Nick eggenhoffer, John Clymer, Joe DeYong, JoeBeeler – the really great Western artists – they were all full oflife and imagination. Just like Charlie Russell was. Theyweren’t afraid to laugh out loud and display their passionsopenly. as unassuming as Dave is, he’s like that, too. He’s nota slave to photographs the way a lot of his contemporaries are.this painting of the Blackfoot indians, one of his favorite subjects, was one of ace's last major piecesBoth Dave and his father, they’d look at a blank page or canvas,just visualize something and start drawing or painting.”ace once proudly proclaimed that, “my whole life iswrapped up in my art. art is my work, my play, my friend –wood carving added a new dimension to ace powell’s artist’s talentsmy everything. If you’re born to be an artist, you’ll do it nomatter what it cost you in personal sacrifice.”Jacob remembers a particularly tight winter in montanawhen ace Powell’s old Desoto pulled up in front of his tinyplace in Browning. “He and Nancy were raising a family andthey were always poor as church mice. Yet here was acecarrying a couple of grocery bags filled with canned goods,cigarettes, everything I needed. I told him there was no wayI could ever repay him. ace said, ‘When I was a kid, peoplewere good to me. Someday you’llrepay the favor to someone else,that’s the way it works.’ ace reallygot me on the right track.”That’s just the way Daveremembers his dad, too. “I neversaw that man do a mean or pettything his whole life. Dad alwaystaught us to leave some money onthe table. Whether it was selling apiece to a collector, horse trading,or just life, he’d always leave theother fella with a little extra.”Ned Jacob agrees, “Dave’s got alot of that in him, too. Father orson, they’d give you the shirt offtheir backs. ace almost singledhandedlybuilt the art business inmontana. There probably weren’tphoto courtesy Dave Powell Collectionw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

photo courtesy High Noonmore than five artists in the whole state back then.”The cowboy from Noffsinger’s old Bar X6 Saddle HorseCompany in Glacier National Park, who was basically selftaughtas an artist, started a gift shop and gallery up inChoteau, montana. ace’s old high school friend fromBrowning, Bob Schriver, who had first stated making a livingas a musician and then as a taxidermist, would eventuallyestablish himself as a sculpture in the same area, as well.like Joe Beeler after him, ace stayed in touch with JoeDeYong, who was in California writing him almost everyweek just out of mutual respect and kinship. Beeler oncesaid that knowing Joe DeYong “helped provide a bridge tothe old West of Russell for me.” For ace, DeYong’sfriendship and council helped keep his connection to theCharlie Russell he had known in his own boyhood.ace also helped out the few other young artists that hadmoved to montana or sought him out. at one time oranother, ace helped future greats in the Western art worldlike Blackfoot painter Gary Schiltz and a youngtransplanted artist and roper from oklahoma with a bentfor the historical West named Fred Fellows. Fred moved tomontana in the early sixties and remembers that, “ace justalways encouraged young artists. When my wife, Debra,took up sculpting, he encouraged her, too. even wrote aletter for her as a recommendation.”Dave remembers, “Dad always admired Fred because ofhis enthusiasm, his roping skills and his love of history. I don’tIndian Portrait, pastel and charcoalWhitemans Wire, oil on canvasknow if Fred ever sold anything because of it, but ace alwaystalked up Fred’s work to collectors. If a new artist had talentand worked hard, Dad would always speak well of them.”Today, both Fred Fellows and Dave Powell are proudmembers of the select Cowboy artists of america, thepremiere Western artists’ organization in the world. “I’vealways liked Dave. He’s like his dad, it’s what’s in your heartand your intent. Dave’s got that. You look at a painting of hisand you can bet that everything in it is historically correct,”Fellows says fondly of Dave’s art.Growing up around two working Western artists, havingcowboys, packers, loggers, Indians and other artists alwaysstopping by was just a natural part of Dave Powell’s younglife. Future Hollywood stuntman and academy awardnominated actor Richard Farnsworth and ace hadcowboy’d together for the Bar X6 back in the 1930s. Duringthe 1960s, other authentic film Westerners like the greatcharacter actors Slim Pickens and Denver Pyle, writers likeWalt laRue and many more would make it to the Powellhomestead for a visit as they were passing through.Dave remembers “Slim hanging out in our living roomwhen I was in my teens. ace knew Slim from his rodeo dayswith the Benny Reynolds Stock Company. Slim, Denverand Dad were all kindred spirits when it came to the oldWest. at one time or another as a kid, I think I met everyfounding member of the Cowboy artists of america,including George Phippin.”photo courtesy High Noon85fa L L 2 0 0 9

86courtesy Dave Powell – photo by Cena Ewertas Dave got older, “I became Dad’s studio rat, runningerrands, doing stuff for him.” There were always old-timeIndian items around the studio, antique guns and oldcowboy gear that ace bartered for and bought, pieces thatare part and parcel of any good Western artist’s tools of thetrade. one day a new item in particular caught Dave’s eye, arare and beautiful pair of beaded half-breed métis’separated the Powell family, some of the kids eventuallymoved back to live with ace. “I think his most productiveyears were those last ten from 1968 to 1978,” Davereminisces. “He had three of us kids back around living withhim and he was doing some great work.”When ace Powell died in 1978, he left behind a legacyof common Westerner decency and art that expressed hisown personal vision of the West. Daveproudly says of his father, “ace once saidthat he thought of himself as a writer. apainting is a piece of drama and tells astory. my dad gave me a great basis of beingan american and the ground rules forbeing a man.”at eighteen, Dave decided to move toDenver to learn what he couldn’t learn inmontana. Ned Jacob had set himself up inthe mile High City and had a goodamount of success with his unique andevocative portraits of Indian peoples.Without hesitation, he made Dave hisassistant, let him sleep at the studio, taughtthe montana country boy how to getaround the big city and often accompaniedDave on his research excursions to thedave powell’s The Heart of the Outfit shows the morning calm in cow campColorado Historical Society and thearound the cattle drive’s chuck wagon during the 1870sDenver art museum. “Dad and I bothgrew up around the Blackfoot Indians inleggings – the type that show up in a lot of Charlie Russell Browning. ace’s best friend was a local Blackfoot rancher,paintings. “I was looking them over real carefully when Dad Bill Big Springs, but Ned knew about so many other Plainshanded them to me, ‘I know it ain’t your birthday yet, but tribes and he had a great research library that he generouslyhere, these are your birthday present.’”shared. Ned opened up my world for me.”ace also built a reputation for creative woodcarving andIn late 1970s, Dave started selling pieces that reflectedceramic sculptures, as well as painting, consulting Blackfoot his love of the historical West – mountain men and Plainscarver John Clark for inspiration and advice. His carvings Indians, Texans at the alamo, 1870s cowboys. But, he’d alsoand sculptures centered on animals – bears, buffalo, discovered the Hollywood West, or it discovered him, partlymountain goats and horses. ace’s carvings looked more like through his dad’s friendships with Slim Pickens and Denverbronzes and many local ranchers commissioned him to do Pyle. “I worked as a costume designer, sketch artist andpieces of their own personal horses.historical consultant on a group of low-budget mountainace Powell’s sketching and painting style was rough, man and Indian Westerns, starting with Winter Hawk. Itwarm and gave off the true-life, raw emotions of people who was great training. They may have had tight budgets, but Ihad really lived a hard outdoors life. B. Byron Price, the think we did a pretty good job on the look, and I got todistinguished director of the Charles Russell Center for the work with great people like Ben Johnson, alex Cord andStudy of Western art, says of ace Powell’s work, “His art old friends like Slim and Denver.”was authentic; it sprang up from the montana soil that heThe renewed interest in Western art gave Dave Powellgrew up on.”several other opportunities that good artist looking to tryone of Dave’s favorite paintings of his father’s was called to grow seek out and capitalize on. The Western HeritageEnvy. “It showed this old, worn cowboy riding a boney old art Show and Sale in Texas sponsored a group of Westernhorse down a muddy trail wearing a tattered slicker with a artists to travel and study in europe for several weeks. Davewhisky bottle in his hand. He’s riding past this perfect was one of those lucky enough to be selected in a group thatwhite-washed ranch house and you could just tell he’s also included Joe Grandee, the official artist of the state ofthinking that he’s just pooped his life away.”Texas at that time, and the great painter of southwestThough in the early 1960s divorce had temporarily reservation Indians, Ray Swanson. “We spent time in Italy –w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

photo by Cena Ewer – Image courtesy of Andy TrompFlorence, Sienna, Rome, Naples, Venice – and Imanaged to get to london, too. Ray and I bothgot lost one day in Florence, I was never so happyto see someone in all my life. a trip like that reallyexpands your horizons. london was the best. Ispent a lot of time at the Tate Gallery. I broughtback a lot of humility from that trip. You look atall of these great artists that were so well-knownin their own times and now they’re almostforgotten. Yet it’s still such great art, you just haveto go look for it.”Dave considered himself lucky to have startedthat second career in films since suddenly the oilbusiness went bust and took a lot of Western artsales with it. like Joe DeYong before him, Davemoved to los angeles in the early 1980s to domore film work, while still painting in his freetime. DeYong had helped hand down Russell’sWest to a new generation of moviegoers throughhis design and historical advising work on suchclassic films as The Plainsman, Red River andShane. “Joe’s a personal hero of mine. I remember himvisiting the house when I was a kid. In l.a., what kept megoing was hanging out at stuntman Bruce morgan’s placewith other cowboy stuntmen like Tony epper, Walter Scottand Ted Reid. on weekends we’d rope a little bit, ride a littleand sometimes they’d buy pictures from me.”For over ten years, Powell designed, pulled costumes,sketched or advised numerous top actors and filmmakersfrom Steven Spielberg, Tommy lee Jones and Ron Howardto Kevin Costner, lawrence Kasdan, Robert Duvall andLonesome Dove writer/producer, Bill Witliff. His work hasthe hollywood west meets the real west in Just Once in My Life I’d like to Shootat an Educated Man. a piece that evokes dave’s own work on that classic1988 western mini-series Lonesome Dovedave’s epic and exhaustively researched White Bull’s Battle with Son of the Morning Startells one of the legendary stories of the final furious moments on Custer hill in 1876appeared in major film and television projects ranging fromGrizzly Adams and Star Trek to Silverado and LonesomeDove. Well before the academy award winning Dances withWolves got the final go-ahead in 1989, Dave had already donea large number of pre-production sculpts of characters, alongwith various scene and character sketches for then fledgingdirector Costner. unfortunately, another job precludedPowell from working on the film during production.In was on the classic mini-series Lonesome Dove in 1988that Dave managed to impress Bill Witliff with not only hisknowledge of the old West but his on-set artistic skills as well.“Bill Witliff and costume designer, VanRamsey, really let me spread my wings. Vanknew Victorian styles but didn’t really knowcowboy clothing. He trusted me as a guide.Good actors use costumes as props and workthem. Just watch John Wayne, he used to beable to steal a scene by working an outfit.”Witliff also utilized Dave’s artistictalents, employing him as a concept sketchartist who helps compose and block out thescenes to be filmed in detailed drawings.Witliff, a wonderfully artistic Westernphotographer himself, says of Powell’scontributions to Lonesome Dove, “He is sogenerous with his talent. He paid as muchattention to extras and bit players as he didto the principal actors. Dave is a very quiet,unassuming man, his natural way is toalmost whisper, but his talent soars.”By 1997, Dave had had enough of thebright lights of the big city, so it was backcourtesy Dave Powell87fa L L 2 0 0 9

88photo courtesy Jody Beelerup to montana to paint full time. He workedcattle and slept in a friend’s bunkhouse that firstwinter. He’d also still maintained contact withother Western artists during his Hollywoodrespite, especially the late Joe Beeler who, likeNed Jacob, had become more than just anothermentor but a close friend. Joe’s son, Jody,reflects, “Dad really thought Dave was the realdeal. He and Dad spoke the same language,they were so much alike in the way they lovedhistory and the way they could wrap you up intheir interests. I mean, if you asked either oneabout the apache Wars or the Comanche,you’d better pull up a chair because it would bethe best history lesson you’d ever get. Just likelooking at one of their paintings.”Back in 1999, the late Joe Beeler toldCowboys & Country magazine, “Nobody isbetter qualified to do Western historical artthan Dave Powell. He knows his subject andhe can paint, draw and sculpt, all equally well.a lot of Western artist today just go get some costumes theydon’t know anything about, dress up a model andphotograph them. Dave isn’t one of those.”Dave remembers fondly, “If it wasn’t for Joe, I don’t knowif I’d have gotten into the Cowboy artists of america. I wasasked to apply, which was an honor in itself. Then I was toldthe late Joe Beeler, at left, was a treasured mentor for dave powell, atright. Beeler was always very supportive of powell’s work and love ofwestern history.I didn’t make it this time. I was disappointed but that isn’tall that unusual. Some people might apply several times andare eventually voted in. But something happened and Ithe law catches up to unfortunate young cowhand teddy Blue abbott in The TallowFaced Kid. from the horse gear, clothing, firearms and countryside this piecereflects the authentic west of the 1880s.suddenly got the phone call, without having to submitanything again. Joe Beeler personally made that call to me. Iwas just floored. later I heard that Joe told everyone,‘Cowboy artists was created for guys like Dave Powell.’”one look at Dave’s dramatic and authentic painting ofthe historical West more than bares that fact out. It isn’t justthe perfectly authentic saddles, guns and landscape, it’s thepeople and horses he depicts and the individual stories thatthe paintings tell. Since getting back to painting full time,Dave has been a featured artist at the C. m. Russell museumGallery in Great Falls, montana, been honored with a threemonthlong showing of his work at the montana Governor’smansion and taken part in every Cowboy artists of americasale and show since his induction into the organization in2004. Today, like a number of other Caa artists, theprestigious Trailside Gallery in both Scottsdale and JacksonHole represents Dave.last year he, his wife, Sasha, and their son, austin, movedto Prescott, arizona and it’s been a great move all around.Dave now gets to see other arizona based Caa members,such as sculpture Bill Nebecker who also lives in Prescott, ona regular basis. like Nancy Russell and a lot of other cowboyartists’ wives before her, the vivacious Sasha takes care of thebusiness side of things, freeing Dave up to paint.as Charlie Russell has been quoted so many times, “anyman who makes a living doing what he loves is lucky. andthat’s me.” That would certainly apply to Dave Powell, butperhaps even more fitting would be something his dad, ace,said late in his life of himself. “let Charlie Russell be CharlieRussell. let Frederic Remington be Frederic Remington. Iam ace Powell.” and Dave Powell is Dave Powell, hisfather’s son and his own artist.courtesy Dave Powell – photo by Cena Ewertw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

R E C O M M E N D E D R E A D I N GHere are some great reads to add to your nightstand.Some of the books are brand new; some are older releases but are worth a look.90The Log of a Cowboyandy adamswww.houghtonmifflinbooks.comFirst published in 1903, The Log of aCowboy is considered by many to be themost accurate and reliable account of truecowboy life during the last part of the 19 THcentury. From his exploits during the CivilWar through his journey west, adamschronicles his life on dusty cattle drives,sure-enough gunfights and the incrediblecharacters he meets along the way. Thisedition is newly introduced by writer Thomas mcGuaneand gives a superb view of the adventure the reader is aboutto commence upon. This is a true and timeless classic.Open Range: The Collected Poemsof Bruce KiskaddonBill Siems, editorwww.oldnighthawkpress.comThe 1980s saw the creation of a newfoundation event in cowboy culture – thePoetry Gathering. and, while there are manythat have sprouted up all over the West, thedaddy-of-them-all is the elko PoetryGathering, now called the National CowboyPoetry Gathering. Cowboy poetry was, for atime, a genre left to the stockman of the Westwho filled their long days reminiscing and constructingsimple rhymes. Bruce Kiskaddon was largely unknown untilthe genre’s recognition was discovered onceagain. editor and publisher, Bill Siems’passion was to find and collect allof Kiskaddon’s 481 poems, alongwith the line drawings ofKiskaddon’s longtime collab -orator, Katherine Fields. WhatSiems has done in assembling thiscollection is nothing short of amiracle. His passion has given usall the gift of remembering asimpler time when the spokenword was enough to fill a nightsky with wonder. This is alimited edition book – all609 pages of it – and I urgeyou to get it for yourbunkhouse bookshelf.Storm Over Rangelands:Private Rights in Federal LandsWayne Hagewww.cdfe.org“The takings clause (of the 5 TH Amendment)was not written to protect against frivolousexercises of government power, but moreprecisely to protect against the opposite.The protection of the 5 TH amendment ismost needed to protect the minorityagainst the exercise of governmental powerwhen the need of government to regulate isgreatest and the desire of the popularmajority is the strongest.” Such were some of the wordsthat decided in Wayne Hage’s favor after seventeen years offighting court battles over the unlawful taking of land bythe federal government. mr. Hage didn’t live long enoughto see his victory, but the decision will have long lastingimplications, establishing that valid private property rightsexist in federal lands. This book tells the story.Grass Productivityandre Voisinwww.islandpress.comandre Voisin is a member of The académied’agriculture de France in Paris. abiochemist by training, he is a farmer byinclination – known to spend long hourswatching his cows grazing his fields inNormandy. This pastime inspired his“rational grazing”management plantheory. This book,originally published in 1959, isa prodigiously documentedtextbook of scientific infor -mation concerning everyaspect of management“where the cow and grassmeet.” Voisin’s “rationalgrazing” methodm a x i m i z e sproductivity in bothgrass and cattle oper -ations. Don’t thinkthis is dry reading, intoday’s ag world, weneed all the infor ma -tion we can get.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

R E C O M M E N D E D R E A D I N GSilver StallionBill and Bernard martinTell-Well PressThere was a time when children’s books,that “pre-iPod” entertainment, weretreasures to be passed down – if theymanaged to last after going through thetough love of a kid’s life. This book, SilverStallion, we found at a yard sale and it isbilled as the sequel to Lightening, ACowboy’s Colt. Kid’s books have alwayscarried a message – they do today but some may not bewhat parent’s are looking for – like Chucky has Two Dad’sor something. This book, first published in 1949, tells thestory of Danny morgan and the horse that created amystery in his home valley that Danny had to solve – in 23,“big-type” pages. Books like these are still loved and can befound at used books stores and yes, even on eBay.The Work of CraftCarla Needlemanwww.kodansha-intl.comThe cowboy world has long been a domainof the handcrafted. Bits and spurs andsaddles – the cowboy crafts are those steepedin use. Their unique look is enhanced by truefunction over form. The Work of Craft is aprofound meditation on the relationshipbetween craft and craftsman. CarlaNeedleman, a potter, shows that the true andmost basic material every craftsman works with is himself orherself. The stuff between one’s hands – the clay, the wood,the silver – responds to the quality of one’s inner state. Theproduct of one’s work is not just an object, but a way ofbeing. Thus, the exploration of a craft is – like this book –an exploration of the processes of life itself.Cowboy: The Enduring Myth of the Wild WestRussell martinwww.amazon.comHere is one of the great books of theWest, BuT it’s really hard to find. It wasoriginally published in 1983 and containssome of the finest photographers ever towork the West. one western newspaperreview of the book couldn’t stop droolingover it, “Colorado-born martin hascreated a monumental, synoptic portrait of the cowboy,tracing the amazing evolution of this mythic figurethrough the early dime novels, on to Wild West showsand rodeos, movies, television, country music andadvertising ... This is one of the most beautiful books I’veever seen.” Whew, but they were right. If you can find oneof these, buy it.The Californioslouis l’amourwww.randomhouse.comNobody does great period Western writingbetter than louis l’amour. How can youlose with a description like this: “In 1844,nobody believed there was gold inCalifornia. Nobody, that is, except themulkerins and an old Indian with mysticalpowers. The mulkerins needed a treasureto settle the debt on their malibu ranch.The Indian was willing to lead them to one.But, riding hard on their trail was the greediest band ofcutthroats north of the Baja. Killing was their business.Doing it for gold would only make it sweeter.” Such is thestuff of l’amour’s 1974 ode to the California of the early19 TH century. Hard to find, but worth it.Compromising DemocracyHarold S. Shepardwww.iuniverse.comHere’s an enlightening look at oneperspective on whether livestock grazingshould occur on “federal” lands. asdescribed by the publisher, “Few authorshave covered the impact on federalrangelands of the political right’sattempt to reverse the influence of theenvironmental laws passed in the ’70sand ’80s and the GoP’s assault onfederal courts and plaintiff ’s attorneys. Shepherdillustrates the critical role of federal courts not only inthe protection of public lands and how the Bushadministration set about dismantling this court systemas part of its attack on ‘activist’ judges and plaintiff ’slawyers, but the fundamental principles of democracy.”Given that, it is important to read all sides on a matterin order to be fully informed – whether one agrees witha point of view or not.91fa L L 2 0 0 9

R A N G E W R I T I N GSome cowboy poems that have come our wayRIDING IN92Robert Isaacson is a father, husband, rancher,poet, teacher and writer. He is a plain talkerwhose writings touch the earth and hold fastto the West. He is a landscape painter withwords. These poems are from his recent bookof poetry, Unconsecrated Ground, publishedby muleshoe Press – named after his family’sarizona ranch, The muleshoe CattleCompany. Robert and his wife, Sally, live ontheir ranch, the el Chorro, in the San JulianValley of Central California where they stilluse the family’s quarter circle mule shoe tobrand the new spring calves.www.amazon.comOne time, a long time ago,when they were young,Frank and Vicentewere riding in,to Rancho San Julianheadquarters,coming backfrom some far-off cornerof the ranch,from a day of checking troughsor roping calves(to pull foxtails from their eyes),maybe somewhereout on thosebig Santa Anita slopesabove the Hollister,when they jumpeda bunch of wild pigs,out on a small flat,the big sow in the lead,running ahead, snorting,heading towards the brushline,the piglets,running slower, bunched up,far behind the black sow,and Vicente,he was ridinga big, long-legged bay colt,one still in la jacqima,and Vicente,he spurred that green coltinto a full gallopacross that flatand, in the blink of an eye,roped a pigtight around the belly,but when that coltsuddenly figured out(or maybe smelled)what was on the endof Vicente’s riata,he spooked sidewayslike a double barrelledshotgun blastand took offbucking and plunginglike all hell,Vicente hauling inon his mecate,to one side,trying to pull the coltinto a big circle,and Frank,knowing what’s important,leaped off his horse,grabbed Vicente’s riataand jumped on top of the pig,sitting on itso it couldn’t get away,and whenthe dust had settledand when Franklooked up,there, standing still,was Vicente’s colt,the saddleupside down,dangling loose,below its sweaty belly—and there was Vicente,sitting on the colt,arms folded,waiting for his pig.HuGH SWeeNYI never knewHugh Sweeny,who lived up highin the Santa Rosa Hills, alone,in the oak and brush countrythat forks eastoff the La Vina Canyon,a small valleywith a spring,an old homesteadon government landbetween the ribbon wireof two rancho boundaries—rough landof little value.He lived in a cabin,board and baton,one roomof one inch redwood,no running water,except a flush toilet,standing alonein the middle of the floor.w w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

R A N G E W R I T I N GOld Vicente Guevarraand Frank Beggs(Frank’s father, the old Scotsman,ran San Julian,you know, the timeit was lost to the bank,1910 or thereabouts)were riding outin the morning to gathermore of thosehalf wild bronco steersKern County Land Companyused to run in that country,back after they builtthe first cross fence on Tract B,across the Cuevitasand up the Ytias canyon(You know, up where Signorellisused to farm beansin the fifties),and Frank, he told methey were still ropingthose big Kern County steersyears later,dragging them outta the brush,and hog tying them,but Frank and Vicente,that day they rode upto some sheepherder’s shack,and the old sheepherder had gone offand left his coffee potboiling on the fire,and Vicente, he got down off his horse,and went into the shack,RIDING ouTand found a tin cup and helped himselfto some hot coffee, you know,I guess it was right thereand he couldn’t help himself,and, anyway, the way things were,back then, in those times,we worked long daysand might not get in‘til long after moonrise,so then, Frank tells me,Vicente mounted up and they rode off,up into the oaks, to scoutfor more of those steers,but, then, after awhile,Vicente, he starts to lean overhis saddle hornand groan loud with bad gut pains,and then he gets real sick, you know,so they wait awhile,until Vicente feels like riding again,and then Vicente, he tells Frank,“I’m gonna go backto that sheepman’s shackand find outwhat was in that coffee pot!”so they rode back up along the creek,back up to the sheepherder’s place,and Vicente, he gets off his horse,and empties the black coffee on the ground,and knocks four inchesof dead fliesoutta the bottom of the pot.maYoRDomoJim Rios,the old, beardedMayordomoon San Julian,once saidof Vicente,“Ai carramba!Can that man ride!Once herodethat horseof hisdownthose steepEl Jaro hillsso damnfastthe horsefinallyhad to justsit downon its tailand slide—slide,on the slick summergrassslide cleardownto the bottomof thembig, oldhills.”93They sayhe was one-eyed—His reata had snappedoff the heels of a fat calfat spring branding.He wore angora chapsand braided rawhidefor his money.He once burned his houseto the groundboiling tallow on his wood stoveto soap his strings.He lived simply.It was easy to rebuild.Men, middle-aged,now graying,remember him onlyas an old manin baggy jeans,stoppinghis green truckto open the wire gateon the way to town.The daughtersold the place—a neighbor bought them out.They’re all gone now.fa L L 2 0 0 9

P A R A G O N F O U N D A T I O N M E M O R I A L SIn Memory of Eunice Dean NunnFrom Carl & Barbara Johnson of Tatum, NmFrom V. Brownfield and Family of el Paso, TXFrom the lee Family of alamogordo, NmFrom Jeff & lora Nell Glenn of Silver City, NmIn Memory of Darla Jackson of Kim, ColoradoFrom Southern Colorado livestock association of Kim, CoIn Memory of Lon Jackson of Kim, ColoradoFrom Southern Colorado livestock association of Kim, CoIn Memory of Maxine Albertson of Hoehne, ColoradoFrom Southern Colorado livestock association of Kim, CoIn Memory of Richard Louden of Branson, ColoradoFrom Southern Colorado livestock association of Kim, CoIn Memory of Lucille Lewis SchueltzFrom Jane and Jonna lou Schafer of Dell City, TXIn Memory of Andy LewisFrom Jane and Jonna lou Schafer of Dell City, TXIn Memory of Patty JenningsFrom Jane and Jonna lou Schafer of Dell City, TXIn Memory of Charles Fielding CleveFrom Robert e. & evelyn mcKee Foundation of el Paso, TXIn Memory of Richard & Florene Parker of Beaver, OklahomaFrom Steve & linda Parker of Beaver, oKIn Memory of Don Taylor of Alamogordo, New MexicoFrom Bill, linda & ellie Taylor of Pinon, NmIn Memory of Rusty TinuinFrom J. I. Williams of Panhandle, TX94In Memory of Frank DuranFrom Duane Sandin of Yakima, WaIn Memory of Josephine L. & Clayton C. Koehn of Montezuma, KSFrom united Capital management of Salina, KSIn Memory of Dale Cates of Beaver, OklahomaFrom Steve & linda Parker of Beaver, oKIn Memory of Arvel Perky of Mexhoma, OklahomaFrom Bud & Cathy Daniel of Folsom, NmIn Memory of Laurance Daniel of Folsom, New MexicoFrom Bud & Cathy Daniel of Folsom, Nmw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

O U T T H E R ESusan doverspike sent this photo to us from oregon. as she describes it, “it’s a shot of two of our buckaroos, roman Snapp and Cliffdawson, at sunrise working on the west table.” Susan and her husband, Mark, along with her mother, Vera, operate their cattle ranch ashotchkiss Company, inc. they are the third and fourth generations and their three sons, ranging in age from 19 to 26, are the fifthgeneration. the picture was taken on the west table at dawn on the way to move cattle for the day. the west table is the division linebetween the Burns district BLM and Malheur national forest, about 40 miles north of Burns, oregon.photo by Susan Doverspike96on the last page of each issue, we will leave you somewhere in america where work is going on, lives are being lived and families are doingtheir best. Send us your photo from ouT THeRe. If we publish it you’ll receive a pair of PaRaGoN mugs. See our web site for details.www.paragonfoundation.orgw w w. pa r a g o n f o u n d at i o n .o r g

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