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Women's History
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Chinese Dragon
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CATTLE RANCHING
With
the establishment
of stage and Pony
Express stations
along the major
trails passing
through present
Sweetwater
County, came the
beginnings of
livestock raising
in the area. The
livestock used to
support these
stations
represent our
county’s first
ranching
endeavors.
William A. Carter’s Carter Cattle Company is considered the county’s earliest large-scale ranching operation. Carter, the post trader at Fort Bridger, oversaw one of the largest cattle operations in the region. Carter cattle grazed over a massive range, part of which included Sweetwater County.
During the 1870s, areas such as Burntfork and Eden Valley attacted smaller sheep and cattle ranches. Many ranchers started their operations with cattle but soon found the land better suited for raising sheep.
During
the last quarter
of the 19th
century, large
livestock
operations such
as the Blair-Hay,
Taliaferro, Rife,
Gottsche and
Kenny outfits
raised their
livestock in
Sweetwater
County. Many of
these large-scale
operators had
other business
pursuits in the
area in addition
to ranching.
Some of these men
were bankers,
grocers and
businessmen who
lived in the
county’s towns
while leaving the
actual running of
the ranches to
foremen and hired
hands.
In the early 1900s, the Rock Springs Grazing Association was formed to prevent stock growers from outside the area from using the grazing lands of Sweetwater County. Prior to this time, hundreds of thousands of sheep from Colorado, Utah and Idaho were grazing on the county’s winter range each year.
Ranching continues to play a part in the county’s economy but the number of ranching outfits continues to decline. Today there are only two large-scale ranches in operation: the Green River Livestock Association and Magagna Brothers. Economics and environmental concerns are making it increasingly more difficult to maintain a viable ranching business
Mark Nelson, Curator