Dale Robbins

Dale Robbins has been a cowboy in Northern Albany County his entire life. He was born in 1938 to Jim and Yvonne Robbins. He was raised on the ranch with his younger brother, Dwight. He attended school at the ranch, in Rock River and Laramie. He was active in FFA and was awarded the American Farmer Degreeat the 1960 National FFA Convention in Kansas City. He became his Dad’s partner on the ranch the day he graduated from Laramie High School in 1957.

Dale and Saundra Short were married in September of 1959. They went directly to the family ranch. They were blessed with 3 children - Craig, Clark and Cherie. The children were raised on the ranch and all took an active part in the work.

Dale and Saundra raised Hereford cattle for 45 years and Dale broke and trained horses for use on the ranch. Sugar, Popcorn, Black Velvet, JJ and Sonny were a few of his best cow-horses over the last 60 years. Dale never did rodeo but he liked to say he rode High Lonesome longer than anyone. Dale rode High Lonesome on the ranch for several months until he could see this wasn’t going to work. He

sold the horse to Summit Rodeo and High Lonesome went to the National Finals Rodeo for several years.

Dale is a master in all aspects of ranch life. His skills include everything related to working cattle (branding, doctoring, calving), as well as non-livestock tasks such as irrigating, building/fixing fence, equipment maintenance and repair, welding, haying and plowing snow.

You will find Dale’s shop to be better organized than most peoples’ homes. He has high standards for fences, hayfield work and rangeland and livestock care. He’s a stickler for maintaining his vehicles and equipment. An instruction of his would be, “Pay attention to how it is before you take it apart or use it so you can put it back the way it was correctly.”

Dale accomplished his dream of becoming a private pilot and has spent much time in the air over the last 50+ years. He and Saundra are long time members of the International Flying Farmers and Ranchers. They have logged many air miles traveling throughout the United States and Canada representing agriculture and general aviation. He still flies his super cub to check the ranch.

Through all the years of fulltime ranch work, he always made time to attend his kids’ activities. This meant traveling 80 miles one way to sporting events, helping with 4-H and FFA livestock and attending county and state fairs and rodeos. This involvement continued with his grandchildren, with whom he also shares his love of the ranch and the outdoors.

Dale and Saundra have been great neighbors to all in the Marshall and Garrett communities over the last 60 years. Dale is an excellent musician and has spent countless evenings with neighbors playing his guitar and singing at impromptu jam sessions. Many have enjoyed his music at the dances at the Bean Place barn. Dale served as an Albany County Commissioner, on the Albany County Fair Board and as a school Board member. He’s always willing to help friends and strangers and has had many opportunities to help lost folks on the 40 mile county road into the ranch. Dale and Saundra’s friendships extend across Wyoming and the country.

Dale and Saundra sold their herd of Herefords in 2004, but lease the land and continue to have cattle on the ranch. They still do all the irrigating, fencing and haying.