Robert “Bob” Lozier

Robert E Lozier “Bob” was born April 12, 1927, the oldest child of Robert “Rob” and Alice “Mum” Lozier at their homestead cabin on Willow Creek north of Pinedale.  He grew up ranching with his father Rob, breaking horses, moving cows and general ranch work. In 1945 he married Gloria Alexander, together they raised three children, Jim, Tommy and Linda. He went to work for Norm Barlow on the Bar Cross Ranch north of Cora in 1946. Bob took care of all the cow work, riding, doctoring and moving them in the summer and feeding loose hay in the winter with a team and sled. He worked for the Bar Cross for 10 years, then ran the Jack Alexander place. In 1958, he bought the Fall Creek ranch, where he raised cattle and ran an outfitting business.

In 1969, he sold the ranch and moved to Sweetwater and Lincoln counties where he owned and leased a few cattle ranches for the next twenty years. Bob liked ranching down there because it got him out of the snow and he didn’t have to feed hay to his cows as much, thus letting him spend more time horseback. Bob has always been well respected for his ability as a cowboy, the way he could quietly handle one critter or a whole herd. He is also well known and greatly respected for his soft hands on a horse’s bridle reins. Bob owned and rode many great horses. He always enjoyed riding a good cow horse and even a few “sour broke” horses for someone else, raising good cattle, breaking and driving good draft horses and also competing in cutter and chariot races.

Bob, even as a youngster, wanted to be a good cowboy and bronc rider. He excelled in rodeos as a bulldogger and saddle bronc rider, winning enough to help pay the ranch bills. Bob won a trunk full of trophy belt buckles throughout Wyoming including Evanston Cowboy Days and competed at Cheyenne and even Pendleton, OR. Later in life he won buckles in saddle bronc, competed in team roping, and most proudly the “Over 50” All Around title at Lander’s Old Timers Rodeo. Whether as a committee member, officer or volunteer, Bob spent much of his life promoting rodeo and the rodeo way of life.

Through the late ‘90’s and early 2000’s, Bob hired on as the “Summer Cowboy” for Castle Garden allotment near Moneta, WY, for three years; Flitner Ranch in the Big Horns for two years; and for Thompson/Jarrard on the 46 Ranch at Jeffrey City for two seasons.

Tom Lozier remembers when they were working for the Bar Cross, they ran heifers and steer calves together until spring. In those days there wasn’t an alley to sort, so they got a crew together and bunched them in a fence corner and worked them a horseback. Bob was always very quiet and was doing the cutting. They got about half done when the boss’s son, who was about in the third grade, decided to go in the herd and cut one out. He got in a hurry and caused the whole herd to stampede to the back side of the pasture. Bob told Tom to quit trying to head them off and start at the back side again. They got them gathered to the corner again and once more, when they were about half done, the boy went in the herd and caused another stampede. Needless to say the whole crew was getting a little short tempered. After they gathered them to the same corner again, Bob politely told the boss that “Maybe you’d better take your son to the house.” Tom said it probably saved that young man’s life.

Linford Ellet tells about a time when he was helping Bob get the last bunch of cows off the Castle Garden Allotment. Winter had already set in and they didn’t get started till afternoon and they had quite a ways to go before they could quit for the night. Bob busted his horse out to head off a cow and his horse bucked him off hard. It knocked the wind out of him and he couldn’t get his breath. Linford had no clue where they were going and was getting ready to build a fire and spend the night, when Bob finally got up and walked around. He got back on his same horse and away they went and got finished a couple of hours after dark. He is tough as nails and always finished his job.

Up until a couple years ago, Bob would buy a few “short term” cows in the spring time and have a complete dispersal sale in the fall. Bob pastured his cattle with Dru and Tawny Roberts from 1997 until about 2012.He would leave his horse there for a while so he didn’t have to haul him back and forth from Pavillion. In 2007, Bob went over to Roberts’ to check his cows and help Dru and Tawny change allotments on the forest. They had their three young grandkids helping and they, as always, were full of questions for Bob. He always had time to listen and explain things to kids and they adored him for his kindness and genuine love for kids. On this day, they had to trail 300 pairs through a steep and narrow draw with a deep creek channel. Bob had the kids just “back off and let them find their own way through,” teaching them to be patient and that with cows, “Slow is usually faster.”  They trailed them across and up a steep hill without any problems and Dru was able to count them through the gate.

Bob always made sure cattle got back to their home range or took care of them until someone could come get them. He is well known for taking the best care of cattle, whether they belonged to him or not. Bob Lozier could best be described as a cowboy, rancher, good neighbor, friend and gentleman always.