When my husband and I won a dude ranch vacation from
the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction we had no idea we would be staying at the
oldest dude ranch in the US. And I never expected our trip would be the
inspiration for my novel WYOMING ESCAPE.
The Eaton Brothers |
Eaton Ranch in
Wolf, Wyoming, is considered the original Western dude ranch. In 1879, the
Eaton Brothers, Howard, Alden and Willis, moved from Pittsburgh to a cattle
ranch near Medora, North Dakota. Soon many of their friends discovered the
peace and beauty of their new home, came to visit, and ended up staying for long
periods. One visitor finally suggested the brothers charge room and board so
the guests could linger without guilt. The Eatons hoped that would discourage
visitors, but just the opposite happened. They inadvertently created a new,
profitable side business.
In 1904, looking for more scenic riding for their
guests, the brothers moved their enterprise to northeastern Wyoming at the foot
of the Big Horn Mountains. A few miles outside Sheridan, the 7000 acre ranch
boasted wonderful rolling hills to ride and hike, wooded streams to fish in,
and challenging trails into the mountains. While their main focus remained
cattle, the success of their dude operation attracted the attention of other
ranchers. Soon dude ranches began springing up all over the West.
“Roughing It With
Comfort” was the theme from the earliest days as is demonstrated by this 1915
booklet advertising the ranch.
“ROUGHING IT WITH COMFORT” has
been well applied to the conditions to be found at Eatons' Ranch in Wyoming;
…let no one mistake the meaning of this message or read into it any thought of
ultrafashionable hotel life set amidst the western hills and plains.
Eatons' Ranch is a real western ranch, open to visitors for a
short period each year…
The Wyoming Ranch |
In addition to riding, hiking and fishing, the ranch
offered a variety of other activities, including tennis and baseball, as well
as typical ranch work. It also was especially cognizant of the ladies and
provided for their comfort. Their primary focus was (and still is) family
activities. The kids had a great time and many stayed by themselves, supervised
by the Eatons.
Howard Eaton also led multi-week horseback camping
trips through Yellowstone and Glacier Parks and to the Custer Battlefield and
Crow Indian Reservation. These expeditions for “lovers of vigorous outdoor
life” featured camping in teepee shaped tents and covered twelve to twenty
miles per day.
The charges in 1915 are fun to see. Visitors could
stay a week with full riding privileges for only $30. If they wanted a tent, it
was $25. The trips to Yellowstone and Glacier Point cost $125-$150.
Kate, a friend, and Kate's husband at Eaton Ranch |
One hundred thirty-four years later, the Eaton
family still welcomes guests to its ranch and, as in the early days, most
people return year after year for a truly unique experience. Our week-long stay
there was so delightful that I wanted keep its memory alive, so I used it as
the inspiration for WYOMING ESCAPE. None of the characters or events is based
on reality, but some of the scenery and attitudes are. If you’d like more
information about the modern day Eaton Ranch go to: http://eatonsranch.com/
If you’d like to see my take on a dude ranch, here’s
an excerpt from WYOMING ESCAPE.
One dead body is
frightening enough, but a second one, plus a dirty cop, sends Mikela Richards
fleeing for her life. She finds a safe hiding place on a Wyoming Dude ranch,
where she tries to discover if the murders are connected to the mysterious
computer memory stick she found in her car. But her fragile feeling of safety
is disturbed by a compelling Marine, home on leave.
Back from Afghanistan to heal both physically and
emotionally, Shawn Saunders recognizes the type of fear in Mikela's eyes---it's
one of the things he's come home to forget. In spite of their reservations,
neither can resist the pull of their attraction.
Mikela's eyes widened as they continued down the
two-lane road heading toward a range of tall, tree-covered mountains. Where the
heck were they going? She'd assumed the ranch was close to town. She hadn't
counted on being stranded in the middle of nowhere.
She had a hard time concentrating on what the older
woman was telling her, particularly after Harry turned onto a wide dirt road
that paralleled the mountains. No structures of any kind intruded here, only
fences with acres of green, open land on either side. Occasional rock
formations and groups of trees were the tallest things in the area. It had been
one thing to enjoy the scenery from the safety of the bus. It was quite another
to contemplate living in all that nothingness.
She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. No
wonder the previous cook had gotten drunk. How could anyone live in such an
isolated place? And how safe would she be?
Harry finally slowed and pulled through a large
gateway made of logs. A wrought iron sign on top proclaimed Triple H Ranch.
“Almost home now. Only two miles to the guest
complex. What do you think?”
The dirt driveway paralleled a wooded stream on the
right, while open, hilly pastures stretched on the other side. Again rocky
areas were sprinkled throughout the grassy fields. Mikela managed to get her
tongue working.
“It's beautiful, but so far away from everything.”
“True we’re a ways out, but we’ve got family living
on the ranch. My son, Jeff, and his crew live in the big house, fairly close to
the dude quarters. I’ve a cabin near him and my sister-in-law has a place down
the side road. So we’re not that isolated.”
Not isolated? Mikela almost snorted. She'd been
around most of the world—Europe, Asia, Africa. The only place she'd ever seen
as lonely as this part of Wyoming was Australia. Not that she'd traveled in the
Outback—her mother had no interest in anything outside a city and her dad had
been occupied with business meetings. But she had seen it as they flew over.
Apparently unaware of her new cook’s reaction, Harry
waved towards the fields. “We're mainly a working cattle ranch, which Jeff
runs. The dude stuff is secondary. We keep things simple—few organized activities,
no schedules beyond meal times and when the horses are available. You can hike,
fish and swim here or golf nearby. Mostly, our guests ride in the hills and
kick back.”
Kate Wyland, Author |
Kate Wyland is a
life-long horse nut who started riding at three years old. While she rode
Western as a child, she later became enthralled with Dressage and Quadrille, a
drill team type of dressage competition. She also loves trail riding and has
taken week-long rides in Ireland, Monument Valley and Wyoming, as well as horse
camped in the mountains of California. Kate has three semi-retired horses and
can’t imagine life without them. A few years ago, she exchanged her tech
writing hat for a fiction writing Stetson. Suspense, romance, horses and
sometimes the paranormal are the themes she likes to explore in her books. And
she delights in sharing her love of animals and country living.
Website:
http://katewyland.com/
Blog: http://katewyland.com/blog/
Blog: http://katewyland.com/blog/
Eaton Ranch photos:
Library of Congress, Eatons’ ranch, Wolf, Wyoming .(1915)
Welcome, Kate, to Sweethearts of the West. What a wonderful trip you had. Thanks for providing a truly interesting post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me Caroline! It was a fantastic trip and one we'll never forget. I highly recommend the experience for anyone who likes the West.
ReplyDeleteThanks for having me Caroline! It was a fantastic trip and one we'll never forget. I highly recommend the experience for anyone who likes the West.
ReplyDeleteLoved your post, Kate. I hadn't given much thought to how dude ranches got started so this was a nice read. Lovely excerpt, too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Ciara.
ReplyDelete