Mason-Lovell Ranch

Mason-Lovell Ranch. . Side A , One of the largest cattle operations in the Wyoming Territory, the Mason-Lovell Ranch moved its headquarters here in 1883. At its peak the ranch grazed cattle from Thermopolis, Wyoming to the Crow Reservation in Montana. , ❶ The South (or Orchard) Cabin made a comfortable residence for married couples employed by the ranch. Surrounded by apple trees, the cozy single-room cabin was made of hewn logs with whitewashed interior walls. , ❷ Site of Horse Barn and Corrals These log structures were built facing south to protect the animals from the fierce wind. The roof was made of slabs of hay. , ❸ The oldest structure on the ranch, the Blacksmith Shop later became a granary, then a chicken house, and finally a garage. , ❹ Ranch hands lived a chilly existence in the stark Bunkhouse sleeping in double bunks above a dirt floor. Henry Clay Lovell shared the same building but enjoyed greater luxury with a brass bed and cushioned rocking chair. , ❺ Site of icehouse Ice was cut from the river in the winter, then stored here to be used for refrigeration during the summer months. , ❻ The North Cabin was built before the main house and was used mostly for storage. , ❼ Site of Lovell House Built between 1895 and 1900, the Lovell House was elegantly furnished and lit by carbide lamps, a fact that may have led to the fire which destroyed it in the 1930s. , Side B , "Do you smoke and do you wear suspenders?" . , This was part of your interview when applying for a job with the Mason-Lovell Ranch. If you answered yes to the first and no to the second, Lovell would not hire you. He believed you would send most of your time rolling cigarettes and the rest of it pulling up you pants. Lucky applicants were given a horse and a lot of hard work. The massive roundups lasted weeks, and took up to 10 days to move herds the 90 miles to Billings, Montana. In the 1880s, Anthony L. Mason and Henry Clay Lovell owned one of the largest ranches in the Wyoming Territory. Their ranch supported as many as 25,000 cattle. The harsh winter of 1886-87 decimated the herd as the era of huge cattle roundups on the open range was drawing to an end.