Kendrick Cattle Company Day at Kendrick Mansion

On Saturday, Sept 14, a large crowd came to the Trail End State Historic Site to learn more about the Kendrick Ranches that were owned by Senator John B. Kendrick during the early part of the 20^th century.

Site Superintendent Shari Shada said the idea was the brainchild of their former groundskeeper Rod Adams, who passed away this summer. She added what was included in the Kendrick Cattle Company Day.

The band, Ryder Scott and the Setting Sun played a variety of music, and a food truck was on site for lunch.

One speaker was Hovey Kemp, who wrote a book, Montana Stories, about his time working on the Kendrick Ranches. He explained how the book came about.

The book is available for purchase at Trail End, and all proceeds will go to the Trail End Historic Site.

Kemp said that in 1970 he was 16, and a city kid from Denver. He said his family had ranching in their DNA, as his great-grandfather worked for the Powder River Cattle Company, owned by Moreton Frewen an English Lord. Later, his great-grandfather settled in Big Horn and raised horses.

Diorama of the OW Ranch on display at Trail End

He added that when he got to the Kendrick Ranches, he had a lot to learn about being a cowboy. One story in his book was about Junior Green.

He said that Junior was always looking for fun after the work was done.

Anyone with memories of the Kendrick Ranches were urged to share their memories as well.

Inside the Kendrick Mansion, there were various ranch exhibits, including ranch saddles, several historic photos, and past employee information for those curious about their cowboy relatives.

The OW chuckwagon was on the grounds as well for those attending to see, and one exhibit inside included the equipment that was in the chuckwagon.