BUCKAROO GUIDE - The Oregon and Idaho Types

"I AM big. It's the PICTURES that got small....." ~~ Gloria Swanson, SUNSET BOULEVARD

"...The revivalists sported much silver, custom made saddles, stirrups and one was wearing knee high laced packer boots. My neighbor Laz Mendieta commented, "Look at those sons-of-a-bitches." I replied, "The dress like a cross between a French Canadian half-breed and an old time California Vaquero." "I don't know about that," he said, "But I'll bet there's not a day's work in the bunch...."

Pics sent to us from St. Petersburg Russia by a former Oregon Type buckaroo. The ZX. A piddly little 2,000 head trail drive from the Viewpoint to Paisley. You know...just your garden variety gather...ho hum....yeah yeah yeah, piece of cake...no worries, no worries..... Back when men were men...and cows...lined out and behaved. Or as someone else quipped: no gunsels in the way to screw it up.....

Below: "When's that waitress gonna git here with mah coffee...?" "Uh...I thought we sent her to wrangle..." "Nah...I think she's still in my bedrolll....recovering...." ZX crew, the way it usetah be... Josh Ashford, Randy Wilson and Dusty Wolverton, Viewpoint ZX Oregon. "This was one of Randy's typical "early" starts. So early that you have to make a fire and sit around for an hour or more because it's still too dark to see any fucking cows..."....or waitresses.

A forked bunch of babes back in the old days: L-R : Larry Taylor, John Adamson, Corvin Cooper (Wade's little big brother), Alan Doane, Jeff Hunt (no relation to Ray)

Supposedly this type has the most trouble building a loop with a rope or riata, hence, they began the Jordan Valley Big Loop Rodeo, so they could just throw the whole damn thing out there and hope for the best. Past and present haunts include the MC Ranch, Roaring Springs, the ZX, Kueny Ranch, Trout Creek Ranch, the Island Ranch, Sycan, Viewpoint, Christmas Valley, P Ranch, Alvord Ranch, Whitehorse Ranch, the Wrotens, the Oxbow Ranch, Jack Owens, Marvin Casey and the Stanford bunch .

Another reincarnated, primping, preening flashy type akin to the Californio, Oregon buckaroos are an extremely tight-knit bunch, big on looking old time in white shirts with black vests with hitched horsehair watch fobs by Davee Greer, tiny round rimmed spectacles, angora woolies in the winter, long tapaderos, lace up 19" topped brogans and lots of chrome plastered all over custom gear which will most likely be a Len Babb or Jeff Hanson custom full flower carved saddle dripping with bling from Leon Gage, Les Iveson or Arne Esp.

The MC Ranch Horse Sale crew by Mary Hyde. Thanks to the following publicity hogs and loyal readers, we have some names but we lost some in the transfer over to this new webhost. Any of you care to resend us some names, feel free to do so: On far right-- holding snaffle bit outfit-- Mike Smit-- 100% sure on his right- short hispanic fella-- Shorty Macotta-- not sure of the spelling either - A.

The Hispanic gentleman is Valario "Shorty" Mancada, longtime Warner resident, and good company. The woman with the braids is Chuck Messner's wife, Penny I believe. Everybody got really drunk at the store that night. Didn't see any Canadians hanging around writing songs either. - T

Heavy into bling, silver, gee-gaws, garish, horsehair tassels, and almost as fringed out as the Californio Type. Old timey to the hilt. Meet the Oregon Type. Clannish, stand-offish, arrogant, self-centered, holier-than-thou, insular, inbred, inbred, and inbred – these are all words used in describing the Oregon Types, who are famous for their motto: “If you ain't from Oregon, you ain't shit”. Of course they don't say this when in a whorehouse in Elko or passing through Bruneau or Red Bluff, but they rarely venture out of their territory, thus, they get to say it alot. Some critics of the Oregon crowd go as far to allege that the Jordan Valley Big Loop roping is 'fixed' every year and only the local linebred or related through marriage Oregon Types ever win. However, when a statement like that comes from someone associated with the Californios, one should always consider the source...

ed sheets? Or wild rags? YOU decide....... More pics from Jordan Valley Rodeo...

This is where the “Oregon Wild Rag” originated out of Crane. These types are fond of huge, 42” or more square wild rags – some do 50” square jobs - said to be made out of silk, but actually secretly constructed from cast off tablecloths or queen sized bed sheets – both rumored to be stolen either from the Stockmen’s Hotel in Elko or the Niles Hotel and Saloon in Alturas, California - but this has not been verified. These Oregon wild rags conveniently double as tents if caught out in a storm, with a liberal wiping of moustache wax for waterproofing; they have also been seen put into use as hammocks on Sunday afternoons after the chickens are fed and pigs slopped. Supposedly, in a pinch, they can double as a skirt, should the Oregon Buckaroo’s lady friend’s wardrobe need a little freshening up. Refer also to the “Wildragology” page for the world's first complete study, categorization and dissertation on the psychological ramifications that go along with the colors, patterns and types of wild rags buckaroos choose, complete with examples. You may never wear one again.

McEwen Ranch KowBoy by Jake Powers - your typical goo goo eyed Oregon flathatter who's been vision impared from the glare off of silver studded bits, spurs and saddles....

Oregon boys are also rumored to grow the biggest, longest moustaches of all buckaroo types; bets are currently being placed on Skeeter Clark or Merlin Rupp making the Guinness Book of World Records in that category. The Oregon Types sneak out now and then but stay close to home, which can be around Lakeview, Fields, Burns, Drewsey, Arock, Paisley, Jordan Valley, Crane, John Day, Klamath Falls, and they have been seen as far north as Pendleton.

THE IDAHO CLAN

"It is rumored that some of the dyed in the wool Nevada Types and Californios are actually Idahoan's. You probably know this already.

1-The Legend himself Larry(Buzz) Schutte came from a Bean Farm in Buhl, Idaho Twin Falls County.

2-Buckaroo Poster Child"couldn't buy a western calander without his picture on it in the 80's" Ricky (John Wayne Cuffs) Morris
came out of a Potato field in American Falls, Idaho Power County.

3-The man Richard (King of the Californio's) Caldwell came from a Dairy Farm with some racehose thrown in at Paris, Idaho
Bear Lake County..." W******

We should add also that Californio (there should be quotes around that, right?) Dave Weaver...is an Idaho child as well......

No one can hide...from the Buckaroo Guide: Idaho's Most Wanted: Schutte, Morris, Weaver and Caldwell, Idaho clansmen from Day One....

Top Left: Reputedly Martin Black's wild rag that doubles as hobbles. Left: Mr. Idaho himself, Martin Black, post Bruneau phase, doing quite well, thank you, training horses in Texas and taking Wannabes out for joyrides on the Alvord....and on the right: Pre Texan phase, cover art for Jay Dusard's book, and how most of us old timers remember him: brushy and handy....

Not much is known about this type and it is becoming more difficult to categorize them since Martin Black began cross-dressing as a Texan. This is the most reclusive type of Buckaroo, some say even more clannish and inbred than the Oregon Types. Suspicious of anything not born in Riddle, Weiser or Bruneau, they are especially leery of black SUV’s with tinted windows and more than one antenna.

The real deal: Craig Jones, Parma, Idaho buckaroo, swings the big loop.... Trivia: Dave Hack was one of the guys reportedly responsible for the new trend in squared off bottoms on chinks and sewed on fringe. The popularity of the square bottomed chinks and armitas started sometime in the mid to late 1990's....before then, most all chinks and armitas had shorter fringe, and were rounded off on the bottoms. You can actually date some photos by the way the buckaroo's chinks looked.... Craig Jones again with Mark Miller, photo taken this year.

If it helps any, for those aspiring to emulate this type, the notorious Claude Dallas - who killed two game wardens in Idaho, some say in self defense - once was in this category after his days buckarooing in Nevada under Nate, Brian and Clark Morris, who also originally were from Idaho, but ended up in Nevada with Claude, who ended up in Idaho after being in Nevada with Nate, Brian and Clark, who were originally from Idaho as well but spent time in Nevada working with Claude who was from Idaho but ended up in Nevada with the Morris brothers who also were from Idaho. Complicated, yes.

More Idaho Clan....in action, keeping eyes peeled for any black SUV's on the horizon...: Dustin Hicks, Jose, Nick, Mike and Craig.

The few Idaho Buckaroos that have been spotted coming out of the Bruneau brush who can be approached closer than 25 yards without instigating a gun fight are typically bearded and ‘rawhidey’ looking. They favor angora woolies like their Oregon counterparts (Dallas’ were green), big waxed canvas coats and wool caps in the winter. Gear and outfit wise, they are often hard to distinguish from their Oregon or Nevada kin however, if one sees a pair of hobbles made out of a potato sack hanging off their rig, you can bet the guy packing them is from Idaho.

The saying "Idaho: where men are men and sheep are afraid" was coined based on decades of scientific Basque observations of Idaho buckaroo's behavior around sheep after extended periods alone.

The late Brian Morris, peeling...potatoes...of course. On the right: the Old Man Nate and son Clark Morris. The line in the National Geographic book about Clark being "armed against the threat of rattlesnakes" was BS, according to what Clark told us; he just packed, period....

Claude Dallas doing the perp walk with the Fab Feebs. Immortalized in a song by Ian Tyson, Dallas has friends and foes all over the desert to this day...and them that like him (and we do), protect his privacy...somethin' fierce. Below, squatting with some other legends, Waddie Mitchell, before he was Waddie, and was really Bruce, and the Morris Brothers, Brian and Clark, out of Idaho but in Nevada with Claude...who was really an Idaho Clan member too but was in Nevada with the Morris Brothers at the Quarter Circle A. Just nod your head yes....

Confusing...YES....even more, continued: Yes, the Morris Brothers were on the Gossip page. No, you leppy....not THOSE Morris Brothers. THESE Morris Brothers. Johnny and Ricky. Or Ricky and Johnny if you prefer. Some even say John and Rick but it's probably a relative, because they are both too cute to leave off the "y". Yes Ricky is plastered all over the Nevada page but Johnny is not. Yes they both were at Jordan Valley, Oregon but they are not Oregon Types. At least not at the moment. Please remember they live in American Falls, Idaho, even though Ricky is thought of to be a Nevada Type. He's really an Idaho Type, like Clark and Brian Morris, who are not related to John and Rick or Ricky and Johnny either, but used to be in Nevada, like Ricky and Claude, but Clark now lives in Oregon, so he's a technically now a crossover....and Claude...Claude...? Washington?