I would like to introduce you to Jim.

Jim was not unlike a lot of the old timers you may find out on some of the ranches. Tall, skinny to where they have to stand twice to make a shadow, and usually smoke way to much. They remind you of the old faithful ranch stock dog that is always around and knows way more than he lets on. Some of them have been residents of the ranch through more than one owner.

Jim was born in Texas in 1925. He told me that, as a young boy, his dad would let him work on neighboring ranches where he earned a small wage. He would do chores and help out where he could. He told me of one old fellow he worked for had ridden with Texas John Slaughter. The old man had ridden with the trail herds as they trailed from Texas and the Arizona territories to markets in Kansas . Jim loved to repeat the old tales.

In the 75 years Jim was on this earth he had been everywhere and done just about everything there was to see and do. He joined in the Navy when he was 17. He was a fire fighter, police officer, oil field driller from South America to Alaska , a rancher, meat plant owner, truck driver, and ranch hand. He had a sharp mind and could remember dates, mile post markers, livestock prices, and every professional base ball player in the country since Babe Ruth.

Jim came to work at Klondike in summer of 1990 during a time when we had gotten way behind in our work and it looked like we were going to loose our hay crop. Between weather, machinery and just about every problem one can imagine things were going from bad to worse. He had been out of work for a while and was looking for solutions in all the wrong places. We got together and I think we may have saved each other. Jim stayed and worked for us for almost 10 years. During that time he became something between a father and a brother to me but certainly not a hired man.

During the winters Jim would help me feed while Patty and the kids were in school. After the chores were done, we would take time for a cup of coffee. Jim liked to use two Folgers baggies in one cup of hot water. I would use one bag in two cups of water. He liked telling stories of his younger years. He talked often of driving his truck and the trips across the nation. He received a couple of awards for being in every state in the union in one year. I think he did this twice including all the provinces in Canada . If he ever got started about the contracts the base ball players were receiving, well we wouldn't get anything else done the rest of that morning. All and all, we had some good years together.

Richard