deputydawg
Lieutenant Commander
- Joined
- Aug 29, 2004
- Messages
- 1,607
My 70+ year old uncle was injured today working cattle.<br /><br />To start with I need to give some background to really get a grip on what we are in for.<br /><br />Back in 1919 my great grandfather purchased some land from the Souix Indian tribe, back when it was legal for tribal members to sell their land. He called his 2 sons, my grandfather and great uncle, to his ranch to give this land to them as a start of their own ranch and family home. My grandfather went to their meeting while his brother did not. Great Grandad decided that my grandfather would get all of the land for himself since the brother didn't have the ambition to show up. <br /><br />My grandfather built up a ranch, built the house, barn and everything on the place with his own hands. He married my grandmother about that same time. They had 5 boys and 1 girl, my mother. They held onto the ranch through hard times, the 30's depression and everything in between. He tried farming but found that didn't work in that area, so he stuck with cattle. <br /><br />I was born in 1970 and my grandfather died New Years day 1971 leaving his ranch to my grandmother. Out of my uncles 3 moved to town and opened an electronics store in the late 60's, and are still going today. My two other uncles stayed on the ranch and built their own cattle business. My uncle Clarence was born in that house, left for 2 years for the army during the Korean war, and came home to take up where he left off. <br /><br />That ranch is where I spent my summers and every other school holiday working while growing up.<br />In 1991 my other uncle was killed in an accident with a tractor PTO. His half of the land the two uncles owned was split between his brothers and sister since he had no will. My grandmother died a few months later, and her ranch from grandad was again split between all of her kids. <br /><br />After my uncle died I quit college (automotive tech school) and moved there to take over. For the next 5 years I worked with my uncle Clarence. I did all of the work and managed all of the labor and half of the cattle operation. Clarence handled all of the record keeping and financial ends. Our family was lucky that my grandfather never would borrow a dime for anything. My uncles had the same feelings. They borrowed 1 time back in 1986 to buy a pasture, 8 sections of land. So we worked on a cash basis. I built my own personal herd of cattle up to 50, and the total ranch herd up to around 500. We kept calves in our feedlot, and bred the 500 so we usually had anywhere from 1,000 to 1500 cows on the place. <br /><br />My family got greedy with their inheritance from the two that passed. Then another uncle died of cancer so his inheritance was split between his widow, she gave it to her 2 kids. We were slowly buying them all out of their shares, but they got greedy. 1 uncle wanted to fence off "his" portion of the land. Problem he never thought of was his portion would not have water. In a pasture 8 miles across in each direction in the sandhills of souith dakota, water is a precious comodity. Anyway because of their jealousy of me working the ranch, and their greed for money, I finally had enough and left. I could not see working for my cousins the rest of my life ona ranch they all want nothing to do with!<br /><br />Anyway, now 10 years later here we are. <br /><br />I got a call today, my uncle on the ranch was ran down by a cow. This time of year all of thye neighbors get together and trade days helping each other with roundup, weaning, pregnancy checking and whatever fall cattle work needs done. He was helping the neighbors and got knocked down and ran over. He broke a bone in his leg just under his knee cap???<br /><br />I am away on business, he is in a hospital that is on my way home, so I will stop and see him tomorow to see exactly what is wrong. I will probably end up taking a leave from work and going back to the ranch to get things set for him. I suppose at his age mid 70's he will probably be forced to sell now. He is down to about 40 cows and 8 horses. Not at all what it was when I was there, but he is semi retired now. <br /><br />He has so many beggers coming from the reservation looking for handouts or looking for enough hours work to get a case of beer. Since I left they have robbed him blind almost. I am afraid of what they will do if they find out he is laid up! The older generation of indians were good people. We rented land from them, and treated them too good with loans and whatever we could do to help them. But now their younger generation is around and has no respect for an old man that helps them! One old indian woman always comes out asking for money, but she wants to work for it. She will clean house and expect $50 for her hour of work stuff like that. We have always given it to her, and just subtracted the difference off of rent. Must be paid until 2050 by now. But her nephews are not that decent! I see her moving in on the chance to take care of him and rip him off! <br /><br />I will be going there, at the latest next monday, to get his things straightened out. Cattle home from pasture, calves sorted, and whatever else needs done. I feel that at his age this is the end of the ranch. He wants to die in the same house he was born in, but that may not be possible.<br /><br />Anyone out there that believes in the power of prayer, please say one for Clarence that he will be able to recover. If he can't recover at least get well enough to be able to hang onto his home. If he sells out he will be wealthy enough that he will never have a dollar care for the rest of his life and more, but he wouldn't be happy with that. He is a writer and wants to spend more time writing, but he is a rancher at heart.<br /><br />Thanks for the prayers and the good caring words I know I will get from here.
