Show Nels Madsen Will WillBe WillBe WillBe Be King Cowboy Nels Neth Madsen King Kirg Cowboy for forthe forthe forthe the Sanpete Pow Wow Vow and Fair figures that in the past sixty years he has ridden a horse more than miles That is the equivalent of more than thirteen trips around the world at the Equator Mr Madsen was picked to reign as King Cowboy because of his almost unbelievable hours in n the saddle as a cowboy Mr Madsen was born in Mardi Manti Mantion on oil October 5 1873 1813 and has called Manti Maidi home for all of or his sev nt- nt five years although he has s spent much time away He worked for forthe forthe forthe the Chugwater Ranch Company in Texas for some 17 years His work with this company took in such things as going to Oregon to bring in in bands of wild horses Continued on Page 4 Nels Madsen Will WillBe WillBe Be King Cowboy Continued from Page 1 for the Ule ranch trailing herds of cattle to and from Wyoming for summer grazing taking herds of Texas longhorns to Abilene and Dodge City Kansas for shipment to Eastern markets and all the theother theother theother other duties of the old cowhand Ri Riding in the Texas Trail and the Chisson Trail were just part of a days work when Mr Madsen I ranch rode for Jor the Chugwater Rode eln A cof 15 Miles A Day In figuring igurin up his astounding ing total of miles a horse Mr 11 Madsen tells that he has ridden a n horse an average of at least 15 miles per day for sixty years That would be the miles men men- Today at the ripe old age of seventy-five seventy Mr Madsen still averages well over five miles per day and as one man said Nels doesn't have to use the granary steps to get on and off his horse Rode Miles 1 in One Da Day When he was a young man in Texas Mr Madsen tells that he I once rode lode a horse miles in in one day That is the farthest he he ever rode one horse in one day he ie states As a boy of six Mr Madsen herded cows in the hills around mound Manti and since he return return- ed cd from Texas has never missed a fall up round-up on the local range since 1912 In his time he has ha worn out more than han a dozen new v stock saddles Mr Madsen has broken over saddle horses in his day and his favorite horse of the whole lot was vas a buckskin named Buck which he ic broke and rode while in Texas Buck Mr Madsen tells never had hada a bit in his mouth and was con- con considered considered by many as the outstanding ing ng cut horse in the country Mr Madsen rode Buck for three year years from 1892 through 1894 and the Ule lae horse was taken to California by y John Clay when he quit ns as secretary of the Chugwater Ranch Company He says Buck ended up p in the stock yards in Los An- An Angeles Angeles geles eles and he knows for a fact that lat Buck lived to be more than forty orty years old Suffered Few Injuries In picking the number of horses he ic brode to ride Mr Madsen was wasI very cry modest modes but the figure is not high for a man of his I experience He tells that he has been jeen kicked by horses and thrown throw from their backs so many times time he wouldn't dare estimate th the number but the sum total of hi his his injuries from all his falls am and kicks is just two broken shoulders shoulder and three broken ribs Gallic Cattle Trailed Many During his seventeen years ii in Texas Mr Madsen had a hanin hand han handin in the trailing and loading of a amany as many as head of longhorns longhorns longhorns long long- horns in one season He says the tin longhorns were so huge that only onh only 25 head could be loaded into on one train car This made it necessary to load the herds at two yards Dodge City and Abilene Mr Madsen has been present oi at many stampedes and says the policy was always to turn the herd to the right and keep turning turning turning turn turn- ing them until the herd churned to a stop With a big herd held herd he says it takes about six miles to tc stop them Ulem if the cowboys are aie at atthe atthe atthe the head of the herd when they start tait If the cowboys are arc not handy when a stampede starts it might night take as much as 20 miles miles' of hard riding to get herds churned churn churn- ed to a stop he states He has seen een three men trampled to lo death by a stampeding herd and has seen een many more injured In summing up the merits of riding a horse or riding in a car Youcan Youcan You our Dur King Cowboy says can an go where you want to go goin goon goon on in a horse but when you go gon goin goin in n a car you have to walk about half the time Editors Editor's Note Our thanks to Bishop Ward Magleby l for the figures fig- fig tires ires and information for this arti- arti cle le We were unable to go along when he interviewed Mr Madsen and ind relied on his notes for this article |