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Cattle Family of the Year 2008 Cattle Family of the Year 2006 Cattle Family of the Year 2005 Cattle Family of the Year 2008
The Cattle Association turned out in force on July 27th at the Wright
Ranch on Joseph Plains to celebrate with Margie and family on their
being named
the Cattle Family of the Year. Margie was joined by her daughters
Connie (she and husband Joe are also local
cattlemen) and Peggy, and her grandson.
Margie had several picture boards up, showing their winter ranch at Whitebird along with some cattle drives and family photos. The Wright family disagreed on the year the ranch was established, but came to terms with somewhere between 1910-1920. There have been four generations of the family on the ranch. The ranch has several log buildings including: a house, woodshed, celler and double seater outhouse. Margie has been on the ranch for over 50 years, most of those ranching alongside her husband Vern, who passed away a few years ago. We had a delicious potluck highlighted by tri-tip steak. As always there was no shortage of food - including lots of yummy desserts. After eating John Schumacher presented Margie and family with the Cattle Family of the Year plaque and people rounded up to go on a 4-wheeler tour of the ranch. Fifty 4-wheelers were counted heading out from the ranch. They drove to the north end of the ground, looking out where the land dropped down into the Salmon River and you can see the back of Cottonwood Butte. From there they headed to another point overlooking the Graves Creek area. All returned very dusty, but claiming it was a beautiful ride. A few of us stayed back while the rest went on the tour. We visited with Connie and Peggy about life on the ranch when they were growing up, and for their mom now. The family lived solely on the ranch until the girls were old enough for school. The Wright’s then bought their winter ranch at Whitebird. Margie stayed with the girls during the school year and Vern came down for the winter months. The family all stayed on Joseph Plains during the summer. Margie’s contact with the outside world is by a satellite phone that is turned on when she needs to make a call, or is expecting one. We had a wonderful time visiting the Wright Ranch, which I heard echoed from everyone there that day. I’m sure the Joseph Grade which we took into the ranch saw more traffic that day than it normally does in at least a week! It didn’t seem to bother the wildlife however. We saw several deer, turkeys and a young elk along the drive. Thanks for allowing us a glimpse into your ranch life Margie, and congratulations!
This year’s trail
ride was held on June 10 with beautiful weather and a great turnout of
both horses and four-wheelers. The morning
started a little shaky for
me with mixed clouds overhead. Being one who braved last year’s weather
(and not ready to do it again) I was leery leaving the house, especially
since all Luckily, the weather held out for us. It was a bit cool in the morning as we got going, and we saw plenty of snow along the way. But jackets kept us warm and by lunch it was t-shirt weather. We started off on the same trail as last year, heading up a trail away from the Meadows. The recent rains had any ruts full of mud, so we didn’t have to worry about dust. Our first stop was at the same point as last year, but instead of hunkering under the trees out of the rain, we stopped in the road to visit and have snacks. From there we diverted from last year’s path and headed further up the hill through a little snow here and there. We stopped once again and a few riders decided to try and get to the lookout without getting stuck in snow. The rest of us waited and visited. When we heard them coming back a few minutes later we decided they did find too much snow, but found upon their return that the lookout was just half a mile up the trail and only the foundation was left. We all continued down the trail to the road and took the road back to the pickups, on the way crossing our first stopping point. In the end we had made an oddly shaped figure eight and had ridden about 25 miles. The four-wheeler riders had a great lunch while waiting for the horses to return, and then they too ate a yummy potluck lunch. The kids spent some time climbing the slopes nearby and throwing rocks into the river. All declared the ride was much nicer than last year. While I really felt last year’s ride was miserable, our wise president noted that rain saved our harvests. I guess hindsight is indeed 20-20. There were 19 horses and 19 four-wheelers on the ride, with several of the four-wheelers doubled up. On Sunday, July 15 the Cattlemen met at Fish Creek campground to take a County Tour to the Florence townsite and tour the area. Our very knowledgeable guide was Gary Solberg from Pollock. He knew a great deal about the history of the area including what is rumored, but probably not true. Our first stop was near the cemetery. The headstones point all different directions and we were told that the righteous needed to face east for the second coming. The unrighteous were pointed other ways. There is one headstone that is marked “Baby.” A large sign at the cemetery says that this is the first person in the cemetery buried without boots on. According to Gary, the cemetery has been periodically maintained over the years. The CCC once fixed it up and put smooth mounds of dirt by every headstone, which are still there today. We enjoyed lunch at picnic tables near the parking lot then, we continued on by car to the Florence townsite. We drove past Old Florence and on to New Florence. After settling at Old Florence in 1861, the residents found that most of the gold was under them, so they moved and settled New Florence. We walked around near New Florence and saw the remains of several buildings, including the hotel, jail, and brothel. Several members looked around for remnants of life in Florence and found broken glass near the hotel. Some believed it was a perfume bottle originally from the brothel, though Gary’s opinion was that it was much more recent glass, probably a beer bottle. After some more sight-seeing we called it a day and headed home. We were glad to have such beautiful weather for our trip back in time. Thank you Gary for sharing your knowledge with us. There are several signs around Florence that explain much of the history, as well as books available about the area. If you weren’t able to make it to the county tour, take a drive to Florence sometime and look around. It’s an enjoyable and educational day trip.
by Alea Wassmuth When I first awoke on June 10th, the morning of the trail ride, I heard rain hitting my window. Rain had been in the forecast, so I wasn’t surprised, but I was disappointed. I had been looking forward to the trail ride around McComas Meadows, but riding in the rain is not what I wanted to do. Eric and I knew the kids would no longer be going along, but I was up in the air. I didn’t really want to ride in the rain, but sometimes the rides that have bad beginnings, turn out to be wonderful days. The rest of Eric’s family that was planning to go turned out to be fair-weather friends, so we got Eric’s mom to watch the kids. I packed along a book since I was still wishy-washy about whether I really wanted to be out on a 4-wheeler. We headed out through Grangeville, stopping for the 4-wheeler tags at Rae Bros. There we met up with several others going on the ride. We all headed up to the Meadows. Upon arriving, we found Scott Scribner attempting to light a fire in the rain and Rik Simler with Genese and kids getting the only two horses for the day ready. Sue Sonnen had also brought along a book, though unlike me, she had her mind made up before she left home. I finally decided to go along on the ride. Scott started us off, since our official leader, Drew Leitch was nowhere to be seen. We cruised up the muddy trail for several miles when we all stopped under a grove of trees. Scott explained that there had been some really large and beautiful trees that we had passed, but I missed them. I was hunkered down behind Eric on the 4-wheeler. My glasses were covered with rain and my coat was soaking through at the seams. Eric had a spare raincoat that I put on over mine. We were about to continue on when we heard another 4-wheeler coming. Lo and behold, it was Drew! He was fashionably late in his slicker-wheeler, complete with roof and front windshield. We headed on down the trail with the rain still beating down and the puddles getting larger and larger. My mind began to think more and more about the book I had left behind and about Sue, who was warm and dry in her pickup. Eric and I both mentioned a couple times that we seemed to be going faster and faster. This was not the usual pace of the trail ride. After riding several more miles down the trail we stopped where it turned onto a gravel road. Once again we heard another 4-wheeler coming after we had all stopped. We looked up the trail and Kurt and Andy Terhaar were headed down to meet us. They had barely caught site of Drew as we left the first stop, so they knew what trail to take. Everyone passed around drinks and the men compared how their raincoats channeled the water onto their pants and got them soaked. Scott was not wearing rain gear. Someone offered an extra rain coat but he said, “I’m soaked to the skin, it can’t soak any further.” The rest of ride was a race down the hill. We still had nearly half the ride left, but we were now on a wide road and everyone was pretty wet. We flew down the road stopping only to adjust and retighten the hoods on our raincoats. When we all got back to the pickups we decided to head to the Kooskia park for our lunch, which had a roof over the tables. We had an enjoyable lunch. The weather was warm throughout the day, and since we were now (mostly) dry, it was quite pleasant out. We ate, drank and visited and all decided it was a great ride that we will have to do again sometime when more people can come. We had a few optimists in our group. A few comments from them included: At least the trail’s not dusty and at least we aren't getting a sunburn. All in all there were twelve 4-wheelers, one slicker-wheeler and 2 horses, which made for 25 people attending. Looking back, it was an enjoyable ride, and I will be sure to go along when it is planned again, if it doesn’t rain, of course. You can watch for this same ride in a couple years, and hope for better weather.
By Alea Wassmuth The Dutch Oven Social was attended by 36 cattlemembers this year. Several members made dutch oven dishes, while the remainder brought side dishes and desserts to round out the meal. The dutch oven meals included roast with cabbage and vegetables and a wonderful pie! We enjoyed our meal while listening to great musicians gathered by Scott Scribner. Cindy Dahler, one of our new directors also played the guitar and sang. Thanks to those who made great dutch oven meals and to those who helped out throughout the evening.
Farm and Forest Fair - March 21-22 By Alberta Gill On Tuesday, March 21, and Wednesday, March 22, 2007 the Idaho-Lewis County Cattle Association was again invited to participate in the annual Ag Fair put together by the University of Idaho for 400 5th grade students from all around Idaho and Lewis counties, including Lewiston, Grangeville, Cottonwood, Nez Perce, Kamiah, Kooskia, and Troy. The volunteers who represented the the Idaho-Lewis County Cattle Association were Pam Mclntire, Donna Wassmuth, Alberta Gill, Jessica Eaton, and Gloria Jacks. Each group of students were allowed eight minutes to learn about the cattle industry, the tools of its trade, and then took part in a question and answer session to see how much they knew about cattle. The students who answered questions correctly were sent to feed our cardboard cow - they tested their throwing arms to see who could throw three bales of cardboard hay into the cow's mouth. The students learned to identify such things as balling guns, branding irons, halters, milk bottles and ear taggers. They also learned about mineral supplements, oats and mixed grain feed. Many of the students were very surprised to learn that the fat from cows is used to make the byproducts lip balm candles, and soap; and that hooves are used to make the gelatin in jello and marshmallows. After learning about jello and marshmallows, many of the students vowed that they would no longer eat those products ever again.
Cattle Family of the Year 2006 A warm July afternoon brought out 66 of our fellow cattlemembers to the Joe McCann cabin. The reason for their trip was to visit with the Ken Forsmann Family and congratulate them on being the 2006 Cattle Family of the Year. Ken and Bertie were joined by their daughter, Lisa and son Adam, his wife Tiffany and their children Laney and Lee. Both Adam and Lisa help run the herd and own some of the cattle. Ken and Bertie’s other children are Scott and wife Missy; and Brandi, her husband Dale and boys Alex and Colton. The Forsmanns run their cattle on this ground as well as a few other places around the Prairie. They run some cows in pasture near Grangeville and Kamiah. The rest of the cattle and 120 yearlings are summered at the McCann Ranch. The cattle are wintered near Winona, where they calve in the spring. All their cattle are named, rather than numbered. Ken admits that if he and Lisa disagree on the name of a cow, she usually ends up being right. Ken first got into the cattle business in 5th grade when his neighbor’s wife got sick and he took care of their cattle. He had to pack water from his house out to the barn, because he couldn't drive. He has been in the cattle business ever since. After everyone had time to visit, have some lunch and one of the many wonderful desserts, President Rik Simler presented to Cattle Family of the Year Plaque to the Forsmanns. Ken spoke for the family and said he was honored that they received the award this year. Ken was glad that so much of his and Bertie’s family were able to attend. The rest of us were glad to be there as well. We had a very enjoyable afternoon, as we always do when we are at an ILCCA event.
On Sunday, June 11, the ILCCA went on a four-wheeling and horse back trail ride. The outing consisted of meeting at Fish Creek with the leader Drew Leitch. Drew took the group of about 20 four wheelers on a round-about exposition. Drew first took the group to the Christmas and Easter Cross that shows from Grangeville. The group looked down on White Bird Creek and the White Bird Creek Drainage. After a few wrong turns and a little bit of back tracking the four-wheeling group made our way back to lunch with a total of around 25 miles. The horse ride was led by Dean Klement. There were quite a few horses this year, they outnumbered the four wheelers. We returned to the campground for a barbeque lunch at the pavilion. It didn’t start pouring until we were all under cover eating our lunch.
2005 Cattle Family of the Year Neil and Betty Arnzen were voted as Cattle Family of the Year for 2005. They celebrated by inviting the cattlemen to their beautiful new cabin at Glenwood. We met at the cabin on a hot August 7th afternoon. Rather than touring the ground, we stayed at the cabin which allowed everyone to relax, eat, and catch up with others. A light breeze drifted through every so often which gave us respite from the sun and heat. Neil and Betty built their cabin last year. It is quite a step up from the old cabin that is just down the hill from the new one. The new cabin is open and light. It has a high ceiling at the front and a loft at the back for sleeping. While we didn’t spend much time in the cabin, there is plenty of seating in the living area, an ample kitchen/dining area and a bathroom with a shower! The cabin has electricity, but the Arnzen’s still haul water. The Arnzen’s three children were able to come up for the day as well. Chad, Troy & Kyle were there with their families and kids. The grandkids and other kids along for the day enjoyed playing in the loft and on the small deck out the back. Neil recently passed his cattle operation on to a younger generation. Justin Nuxoll has taken over the herd and runs the ground the cabin sits on along with Wayne Arnzen and his cattle. The ground runs from on top by the cabin down to Lolo Creek. Several of us headed down to the creek in the late afternoon to cool off. There, we tried gold panning, and crawdad and mussel catching. Most of the guys jumped in boots and all after finding the rocks on the bottom too rough for their tender feet. We headed back to the cabin in the late afternoon to find the heat abating and most of the guests headed home. We had a great afternoon - Thank you Neil and Betty!
By Leslie Vannoy Eleven pickups met at Hoot's Cafe at 9:00 a.m. July 17th under cloudy skies with threats of rain for this year’s county tour. We were led by Pete Johnson and Anita Smith. We departed from Hoot’s and headed up Pittsburgh Landing Road. Our first stop was the old Deer Creek School site. We then went up Deer Creek further and stopped at Anita's ranch and shared some interesting stories. We continued on up Deer Creek turning just before heading down to Pittsburg Landing. Another stop was for a view of White Bird and the Salmon River. What beautiful country. Back in the pickups and on to Graves Point Look Out. Here we ate lunch under a slight drizzle but it sure settled the dust. Some got in the back of the pickup and rode up to the lookout to climb the stairs. Others stayed behind to visit and sample some of Ray's cookies which were very delicious. We then continued on to Iron Telephone campground. There we turned on Race Creek Road and headed back to Highway 95 close to Riggins. The stories and friendships were longer than the miles, but a good time was had by all.
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This site was last updated 03/30/09
