Frank E. Miller

1919 - 1999
Rawlins

Frank E. Miller was a third-generation cowboy, having worked and managed his grandfather’s outfit in Carbon County from the early 1920s until his retirement in 1984 when the family left the place for good. Throughout this time, he developed a keen ability to manage sheep, cattle, and horses, always moving in a calm manner so livestock could pick their way through any obstacle. The ranch kept a remuda of forty-five horses and Frank knew each one. He often rode Moody River. He never wore spurs or chaps, he never wind broke his mount, and every horse he ever mounted gave him a full day’s effort without objection. He began riding for his father when he was about five and retired sixty years later. This continuous employment was only interrupted by a stint in New Guinea during World War II, and a year of feed store operation in Rawlins. Frank only rode for one brand his entire life, the I Lazy D. His grandfather, Isaac, entered the livestock business in 1873, and by 1881 had begun to build what later would become known as Miller Estate Co. northeast of Rawlins.