The Wrangler Horse and Rodeo News

loved to ride a bronc and his philosophy seemed to be "the wilder the better." In Jackson, he began his rodeo career. He returned home, built an arena at Burris, complete with roping and bucking chutes. Jim was an all around cowboy — if it involved a horse or a rope, it was his specialty. In those days, a good cowboy did it all. Jim could not only do it all, but he did it all well. He collected many wins and buckles on the local circuit and fell in love with the sport. His passion for rodeo inspired Jim to build his own rough stock string. The herd became well known and Casper College rodeo coach Joe Alexander would bring his young cowboys to practice on them on the weekends. One of his favorite stories took place in Hot Springs County. World campion Casey Tibbs showed up in a purple Cadillac, dressed in purple. He wanted to ride exhibition at the rodeo, so Jim let him ride one of his horses. The horse proceeded to pile him up right out of the chute. Tibbs didn't say a word before hopping in his car and taking o«. Jim, of course, got the biggest kick out of it and thought it was pretty funny. Jim later met Howard Harris, of the Cowtown Rodeo in Pilesgrove, New Jersey — now the longest running weekly rodeo in America. Harris purchased all of Jim's horses for the rodeo and as part of the agreement, Jim drove from Wyoming to New Jersey in a Buick towing a single horse trailer, loaded with Frosty. Frosty was Jim's beloved paint pickup horse and although he hauled him over 2,000 miles one way, Jim just couldn't leave him there. Frosty returned home to Wyoming. As an enrolled member of the Shoshone tribe, Jim received part of the Tennyson settlement and used the money to buy his own ranch. On a piece of land he and Margaret chose near Burris, the couple raised Hereford cattle and Jim's treasured horses. When his father John passed away, they sold the Burris ranch and moved to the family ranch in Crowheart. Their home was home to all, with nieces and nephews often spending stretches of time on the ranch. He loved children and always had a soft spot for wayward kids. Jim changed their lives for the better by teaching them hard work and a di«erent way of living. Each fall, the local ranchers would trail their cattle to the stockyards in Hudson, the nearest railhead. It was important to keep weight on the yearlings, which were loaded onto trains and shipped to Omaha. Jim and the other ranchers would take up to a month for the venture, moving the cattle slowly and allowing them to graze throughout the 50-75 mile journey. As life continued on, Jim moved to Casper to manage the Eight Mile Creek Ranch's cattle operation. He retired several years later and returned to Fremont County to be closer to his family. Jim's love for raising horses never left and he continued to raise them in his retirement. The first Native American inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame, Jim never stopped living the cowboy way of life. He was easy going, a man of his word, quick to make friends and make them laugh. Jim was respected and respectful, someone who honored the way of life and those he loved. Although he still feels larger than life, we all have our own special memories to remind us he was also a simple family man. Without him, I'm not sure who would've shown me the proper way to eat an Oreo — filling only, of course, and throwing the chocolate cookies into the bushes. He rode o« into the sunset in 2002 at the age of 86 and he packed a lot of living into one lifetime. They sure don't make 'em like that anymore. All Photos Courtesy of Tania Chavez & the Stoll Family

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