Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: My Favorite Tales of Old Wyoming

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch is a memoir of a ranch and a rock. When my husband and I purchased a beautiful ranch south of Laramie, Wyoming, we didn't realize we were to become experts in barn restoration. Neither did I realize I was about to delve into Wyoming History trying to discover who exactly had scratched their names into a delicate sandstone arch located on the backside of the ranch. Over the years, as I researched the signatories, I read hundreds of history texts, none of which gave either a clear or interesting story about the history of Wyoming. I felt that profiling these eighteen rock signatories, and people with whom they were closely associated, could result in a historical text that informs the reader of gripping, if obscure, facts. Taken as a whole, the tales embrace early Wyoming culture.

Starting with the rehabilitation of the Old Oxford Ranch headquarters south of Laramie, Wyoming, I have tried to blend practical knowledge of architectural restoration, ranching methods, and livestock husbandry with the history surrounding a sandstone arch bearing the names and initials of early trappers, pioneers, ranchers, and railroad people. I would like to think of my narrative as a detective story, describing how I ferreted out the histories of these early visitors to the area.

The advantage of my approach is that the rock signatories were real and their stories are true. The most amazing part about the book is how eighteen different people all visited the same little rock over a period of 80 years, all scratched their names into it, and all led lives that decorate the amazing history of Wyoming.

My goal was to deal with facts in a tasteful and witty way while remaining ideologically neutral. I do engage with some environmental and political issues but I feel that is what makes this otherwise straightforward narrative worth reading. I feel that these stories will interest people with inquiring minds.

Kris McGuire is a product of growing up on a military base. She attended ten different schools before graduating from Colorado State University with a degree in Forestry, specializing in Wildlife Disease. After graduation, she teamed up with two partners to run an environmental consulting firm. When the family bought a small ranch south of Laramie, Wyoming, McGuire turned her skills to raising cashmere goats and managing the cattle herd. With the experience of dealing with the provincial attitude rampant amongst the Cowboy culture, she learned a lot about the local rules pertaining to grazing rights, water rights, and bragging rights. McGuire is retired and living in the mountains near Laramie.