Zane R. Hilman

1927 - 2021
Sheridan

Zane Hilman lived on the family homestead up Little Goose Canyon in Big Horn and enjoyed sharing it with his family. He was often known to ride to school. On one occasion Zane endured the subzero weather to ride five miles only to hear that school was canceled due to the cold. With the help of his father, he made fur lined boots from animals he had trapped. He was proficient with a rifle and helped provide meat for the table. This helped him later to win many shooting trophies. During the tough winter of 1949 he was working for the Garber Ranch and spent day and night rescuing neighbors and their livestock driving through fields and over fences that were buried, using heavy equipment. At the end of World War II, he was drafted into the army. He returned home and was the first student to enroll in Sheridan College, majoring in agriculture. Zane met his wife, Elaine Nash, during college and helped on their family’s ranches that raised horses, cattle, and buffalo. Zane and Elaine owned and operated the Beaver Creek ranch, where they raised two sons and a daughter. He made pack saddles, along with knives and leatherwork.