Leonard Priebe

1906 - 1984
Boulder

Charles Leonard Priebe was born February 5, 1906, in Wichita, Texas and died July 8, 1984, at their ranch in Boulder, Wyoming. In 1936, he met Verna Belle Steele from Boulder at a dance held at the Bronx School. When Cye Kelley purchased a herd of cattle in Denver and needed help getting them to their new home at the Kelley Ranch in Daniel, Leonard, his brother Lester, and one of their sisters Mary said they could get the job done. Once in Wyoming Leonard found work on the Green River Drift. In 1938, he went to work for John Vible and he later moved to the Steele homestead, where he raised his family. Leonard’s horse training abilities were known throughout the county. He was also an extremely good roper and did most of the roping at the brandings in the Boulder area. Leonard served as a brand inspector for over 20 years in Sublette County and owned a shoe/harness repair shop for around five years in Pinedale. In his lifetime he made several saddles and did a lot of braiding, making hackamores, bridles, and reins for his family and for the community.