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Show Area Cattlemen Enjoy Annual Steak Fry At Ruby Ranch on the Green River By rotirl Baker Mr. and Mrs. Kred A. Dunham Dun-ham and Mr. and Mrs. Gene Dunham were hosts to the annual Eastern Utah Cattlemen's Cattle-men's Association steak fry at their ranch on the Green River, opposite the mouth of the San Rafael River last Saturday. The picnic grounds were set up on the bank of the river, ri-ver, directly opposite the San Rafael and many of the old cowboys present could point out exactly where the lord had been. Gene Dunham said that on old, old maps, there was an island just below be-low the confluence of the rivers, and a wagon crossing was shown in the riffle just above the island. The Dunham ranch, called in late years the Ruby Ranch, was first owned by Wim Thompson in the 1890's. Irrigation Irri-gation water was lifted from the river by three water-wheels water-wheels at points where Dunhams Dun-hams now have water pumps. Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch followed the old Span ish Trail across here, often stopping at the ranch where they ate or bought fruit from the orchards. When they ate, they usually usual-ly left a gold piece under each plate as payment, Gene recalls hearing. Tom Wimmer bought the ranch from Thompson, and he and Wolverton seemed to have been in partners on it. The Wolverton Bottom is just over the hill, and there was a cabin there as well as one across the river below the mouth of the San Rafael. Wimmer sold to Glen Ruby, then the title went to Sum-mcrville, Sum-mcrville, Newman, Morris, and Dunhams bought it from Morris. Several men farmed there, including Bill Tomlin-son Tomlin-son and the Daltons, but they didn't buy the ranch. Always the irrigation water was tin; restricting factor, until lale model pumps and cheaper pumping costs have made it feasible to irrigate. Dunhams have a 12, 10 and 8 inch pump to raise water onto the fields. There are now 200 acres under cultivation, and of the 1,450 acres of deeded land, most of it can be put under crops as soon as it can be cleared and leveled. There are some drilled wells of good water on the ranch also. One of these is in the feed lut, up against a rock knoll and ridge with fine shelter and southern exposure ex-posure for the Dunham feed-lot. feed-lot. This is in an old horse corral where wild horses used us-ed to be hazed down onto the river from the range and as the herd broke up the river bank, it ran into a long wing and was guided right into a pocket of the ledge with high vertical walls. This is where the Dunhams have set up a 500-steer feedlot. Arthur Ekker recalled that he crossed his cattle on tii'J old ford when he moved from Dubinky to the Roost, lie had gone over and borrowed Fawn Chalfin's milk cows and brought them across Wi river to lead his range cattle hack. The wild stulf would follow the milk cows out to swimming water, then turn back and the gentle stock would swim across. The miik cows made several trips before be-fore the desert water-shy cows would follow them thru the deep current. The Dunhams had set up grills on the river bank and cooked steaks for 165 people. Members from Green River took melons, sweet corn and tomatoes and cucumbers, and the Moab ladies brought the cakes and pies. Potatoes and onions were fried in dutch ovens, and here were kettles ket-tles of beans and chili verde to round out the menu. Among the VIP's on hand were County Commissioners Mars Pope and Dan Holyoak, and Stale Rep. Ken Silliman. Several people came from Gateway, Colo., and there were guests from Ferron and other towns of Emery County. Coun-ty. President ReyLloyd Halt and Secretary Bonnie Voters attended from Green River, with directors Arthur Ekker, Grand Junction; Pete Doles of Moab and Chad Moore and Gene Dunham of Grcne River. Ri-ver. Following the dinner, a directors dir-ectors meting was called to discuss Bill 7211, the land-use land-use bill sponsored by Rep. Wayne Aspinall of Colorado. Pete Doles was appointed to talk to the members of the association in the Moab area and get opinions and suggestions sugges-tions to present to the State Cattlemen's Assn. for use in evaluating the bill. This is the bill to set a pattern for land use, grazing fees, use and range value. Western stockmen are concerned about the issues of range evaluation, evalua-tion, vested rights in springs, reservoirs and other range improvements applied to the range both before and after the advent of the Bureau of Land Management. Bill 7211 is an effort to set up rules governing all of these land use problems, and forward looking range men are being asked to help formulate the rules that can he lived with in the forseeable future. Mr. and Mrs. E. Kay Robinson Rob-inson from Salt Lake City were also guests. Mr. Robinson Robin-son talked on formula feeds, range blocks, supplements, pellets and liquid protein, as well as the desirability of buying in large lots as a cooperative co-operative to save freighi costs. Weather for the picnic was perfect, a bit sharp, but no wind. The roads were good into the ranch, and everyone enjoyed a day of real western west-ern hospitality. The Dunhams are lucky enough to be able to carve a ranch out of the wilderness some hundred years after that was the way of life, but they do have the right idea of it. On their gate they have posted post-ed their motto: "Labor omnia vincet" and it is plain to be seen they are living by it. |
