Forest Service Highlights Century of Ranching and Public Land Stewardship on Pole Mountain
The U.S. Forest Service is highlighting the enduring relationship between ranching families and public lands on Pole Mountain in the Medicine Bow National Forest, near Laramie, Wyoming. Jim and Iris Willadsen, aged 91 and 90 respectively, exemplify this long-standing connection, with Jim's family being among the first to receive a grazing permit on Pole Mountain. The 55,000-acre area, now a popular recreation spot, has seen significant changes over nearly a century, from gravel roads and military control to increased public access. Despite these transformations, the Willadsens and other ranching families, such as the Bonhams and Landers, have continued to steward the land. Their operations rely on higher-elevation public lands for summer forage, preserving lower private lands for other seasons. This practice, rooted in the limitations of the 1862 Homestead Act in Wyoming's arid climate, underscores the necessity of public land grazing for the economic viability of many ranches.
