McCullough Peaks
We looked for the McCullough Peaks herd for two days. We finally found them on the third day. We had come from the Pryor Mountains where the first wild mustang area had been established in 1966, after along battle with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The battle had been led by Velma Bronn Johnston, better known as “Wild Horse Annie,” and interestingly in this case, the ranchers sided with her.
Coming across part of the big herd in McCullough Peaks was a treat. We’d driven through miles of dirt roads before finding them. At least five bands were joined together. We watched young filly Thora, first known offspring of elderly band stallion Thor (think Robert DiNero) nursing with her young mother Takoda.
While we were there, a young bachelor trotted right by us looking for romance. He was quickly challenged by the lead stallion of each band. Having acknowledged the challenge, he moved on to the next band. His name was Tate, and he was a lover, not a fighter.
Afterwards we headed to the Irma, Wild Bill Cody’s hotel in Cody. Our waiter was a young cowboy with a thin waxed mustache. He was taking time off from the rodeo after sustaining some injuries. He couldn’t wait to get back. In the meantime he was reduced to acting as a staged gunfighter in the evenings outside the hotel.
Our earlier search of the Pryor Mountains had yielded only two or three ponies, plus one grizzly that we stumbled upon in a small orchard. Since then we spend as much time looking out for grizzlies as we do for ponies.
