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Ladder Ranch History
In the early 1880's, young A.W. Salisbury came west to Hahn's Peak, Colorado, just southeast of the Little Snake River Valley, to seek his fortune in gold. He took a job washing dishes at a rooming house in the boom town. Soon he and his partner, MacIntosh, decided that true fortune lay on the land, not under it. They pooled their money, and young Salisbury headed to Texas to purchase a horse herd. He bought a number of horses in Eagle Pass, on the Mexican border, hired a crew, and trailed them back to the Valley.
He married Anna
Marie Devitt and took up a homestead at the confluence of the Little
Snake River and Battle Creek. A.W. and Anna's son George was born in
1883. |
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Our History |
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Ranch History |
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When A.W. Salisbury homesteaded in the Little Snake River Valley in 1881, he and his wife Anna Marie | |
were drawn by the rich natural resources of water and grass, the scenic beauty, abundant wildlife and fish, and the promise of a great future for his family. more | |
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The Little Snake River country is isolated still, but it played its part in the history of the West. It was hunting grounds for several Indian tribes, | |
though none claimed it exclusively. Ute country lay to the south and west, along the Bear (now Yampa) river. Cheyennes and Sioux ventured over the Continental Divide to seek game. more | |
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George found a bride in Emma Terrill, who had come by wagon from Missouri with her family. The Terrills had homesteaded about three miles up Battle Creek. George and Emma settled at the present day ranch headquarters and built the home and other outbuildings which are still in use today. They established the Ladder Cattle Company and branded their calves with the Lazy Ladder brand.
George and Emma had two sons. During the Depression, the boys began collecting bum lambs from the large sheep outfits which were in operation in the area at that time. Soon they added sheep to their horse and cattle enterprise. George, who still lives in the ranch house where he was born, attended Colorado State University. He says his parents sent him away from the small community so he could find a wife to whom he wasn't related. He left home to fight in Europe during World War II. He returned home, a decorated tank commander, to take up ranching with his wife, Laura (whom he had found at CSU), and his young family.
Today, three generations of the Salisbury family work daily in the ranching operation, which includes cows and calves yearling pasture cattle, and several bands of sheep. George continues to raise colts from his stallion, "Buddy," and Pat and Sharon raise Border collies and livestock guardian dogs.
Both George and Pat has committed themselves to public service. George's sevice has included stints as a county commissioner, a state representative and President of the State Board of Agriculture, He remains active in political thought in the state of Wyoming. Pat has served as a school board member, a state legislator, and a member of the Western Water Policy Commission. Both George and Pat have deep interest in water and land use policy.
Sharon is a writer. She has published children's books about ranch life, and writes monthly for the Shepherd magazine. She is a past President of the Wyoming Wool Growers Auxiliary, and is active in daily community life.
George worked with his neighbors and with the Forest Service in the 1950's to establish one of the first rotational grazing systems in the United States. The family still proudly runs cattle on that permit. The grazing system has been modified over the years, and the land shows the benefits of decades of wise stewardship. The family does extensive monitoring on that permit and gives tours to promote the benefits of holistic range management. Visitors can learn about grazing management practice, including rotation, fire, and weed control, which enhance range health, wildlife habitat, and water quality. |
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