GUARDIANS OF THE LAND, Page One
GUARDIANS OF THE LAND
A SOJOURN THROUGH RANCH COUNTRY
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This sojourn was something of an atonement to a long-ago departed aunt and uncle, for my not having made it beyond the level of kid-cowboy. I dedicate this book to them, and to the ranch people whose warm hospitality and sincere interest in the merit of this project made the fieldwork a rewarding and memorable adventure.
And thank you, Maggie, for your encouragement and unselfish (and brave) support in this undertaking, and for making the journey with me. Without you, none of the words herein would have been written and none of the photographs would have been taken.
Robert McCune
Trinidad, California
On the Northcoast
“I can’t imagine any other kind of life.”
“My son...when he grows up, will face problems you and I could never dream of.”
FROM THE AGRA NEWS. 1998. Nearly two million people farm or ranch in the United States. Almost 90 percent of those farms and ranches are operated by individuals or family corporations. Close to 97 percent of America’s young farmers and ranchers plan to farm and ranch for life, and 90 percent said they would like their children to follow in their footsteps. This provides a strong incentive for today’s farmers and ranchers to protect and preserve the natural resources on their property.
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Copy of letters that got the project started. It was delivered! Sent letters to 120 ranches; got 26 “Yes” replies.
The Corralitos Ranch
West of Las Cruces
Las Cruces, NM 88003
Dear sir,
How does a person, being a stranger and writing a book about ranches, go about asking permission to come onto a rancher’s property? Spend a few days asking questions and taking photographs. I’ve asked my wife’s advice on this many times the past several weeks and her answer is, Just go ahead and ask. So I will. I’d like to include your place as one of the chapters in the photo-text book I’m working on. GUARDIANS OF THE LAND: A SOJOURN THROUGH RANCH COUNTRY.
I often reminisce about the days when my brother and I lived with an aunt and uncle on their northern California ranch. And I think about the kind of life that aunt and uncle lived before then, as foreman and cook for the large Travis Ranch; as managers of what once was the Dos Rios Ranch; and later on, as owners of their own small ranch out of Willits, California.
It’s my intention to visit with other “Uncle Jacks and Aunt Germaines” and learn what some of the rewards, problems, and disappointments of ranching have been for them as the cattle and sheep industry approaches the end of the 20th Century. Something of their feelings like my uncle and aunt had on things like, Duty and Responsibility. God and Country. An attachment to the land that is so compelling, men and women will abide twelve and eighteen-hour work days for low income relative to the number of hours they put into it. The dread of back-to-back droughts. Eyebrow-freezing, bone-chilling, stock-killing blizzards. Men and women who, when they get "throwed," pick themselves up and get right back on. A rib-bruising, gut-busting, and sometimes heartbreaking life, as lived by that aunt and uncle.
You might say to yourself about this project, “Sounds okay, but having this fellow and his wife on the place will take up a lot of time.” You might also say, “They could be a nuisance and a worry. Be under foot half the time.”
I can’t tell you that allowing access to your ranch would not be an inconvenience. But I can tell you that neither Mrs. McCune or myself is what my Uncle Jack would have called a “Goof.” Maggie grew up on a Minnesota farm, and my brother and I spent a lot of time under the watchful eye of two experts on teaching kid-cowboys how things are to be done on a ranch...and when in town. We know to close a gate behind us if we opened it to go through.
We would not be a burden on you about accommodations you might ordinarily offer guests. We have, I hope, fully prepared ourselves for this undertaking, starting with conversion work done on the Econoline work van I use as a house painter. It has a refrigerator that runs off auxiliary battery power when no 110v power is available. There’s a water tank and pump, a portable Sears Paka Potti, two bunks, and storage space. What we won’t have with us is a noisy generator. We won’t build any fires, and when we depart from a ranch, all our trash will go with us. Having liability release forms with us, it’ll be our practice to sign one for each consenting ranch. Maggie and I travel with s small dog, a Shih Tzu. We keep her on a leash when outside the van. Mishka is a quiet, friendly dog who minds her own business.
I’ll include a few things here, about myself, only because it’s important that you, have confidence, in my being being of trustworthy character. I was in the Air Force four years, served in South and North Korea during that war, and was promoted to the rank of staff sergeant at the age of nineteen. I served twenty-three years as a Deputy Sheriff and District Attorney Investigator for Los Angeles County, and took an early retirement with a rank between that of sergeant and lieutenant. I’ve been a Deputy Juvenile Probation Officer, Cub Scout Pack Leader, and an Assistant Scout Leader.
I appreciate the time you have taken in reading this, and will be most grateful to hear from you via the enclosed self-addressed stamped envelope. Hope to hear favorably from you in the near future. Sincerely,
Robert McCune
P.S. Got the name of your ranch from Yellow Pages Directories in our local library.
