Jim Stoll:
They Don't make 'Em Like that anymore.
W
hen I think of "the good old days," I imagine
rank broncs, doing things the hard way because
there was no easy way, and a world full of salt
of the earth, true cowboys. My great grandpa was one
of those cowboys. His story stands as a rare gem of days
gone by, but at the core remains something timeless: a
man who lived his life well.
James "Jim" Stoll was the second youngest of twelve
siblings and it's no exaggeration to say he hit the ground
running when he was born in 1916. In the early 1900s, his
parents moved to Fremont County from the southwestern
corner of Wyoming. His mother, Betty (Finch) Stoll, was
an enrolled member of the Shoshone tribe. She and her
husband, John, wanted to build a life and their own ranch
on the Wind River Reservation. They raised their family
alongside cattle and horses in Burris, Wyoming.
Often riding his horse to school, Jim attended school
for a few years. It didn't take long to decide that cowboy,
not student, was his life calling. At the age of eight, he
was earning his first wage as a ranch hand. By the end of
eighth grade, he left home and began working on ranches
in the Dubois area.
In the 1930s, the owners of the Diamond G, CM, and
Rocking Chair ranches saw that there was more money
to be made using their cattle ranches as "dude ranches"
in the summertime. It took a certain skillset to excel at this
work and Jim had it. With his classic cowboy looks, quick
wit, and friendly demeanor, he had a special talent for
charming the guests and helping them feel at ease. His
patience and handiness with a horse settled children and
inexperienced riders.
While working on the Diamond G, Margaret came into
Jim's life as a guest at the ranch. On April 1, 1938, they
married in Dubois. Nearly 65 years of adventure together
would follow — building their own ranches, raising their
family, watching grandchildren and great grandchildren
grow.
No stranger to lengthy voyages horseback, Jim would
gather up wayward kids at the dude ranches and they
would pack from Dubois to Yellowstone. The only wrangler
with a string of dudes or children, he would be gone for
weeks at a time. Jim also frequently packed groups of
dudes through the Absaroka Mountains from Dubois to
Cody, typically a month long journey.
When he wasn't deep in the wilderness, Jim and the
other wranglers would go into Dubois or Jackson for
entertainment. Whether it was a wild horse brought in o«
the range destined to be a saddle horse or at a rodeo, Jim
By Teal Stoll
Back When They Bucked
