Stories and places

[cowman 52]

Sitting here thinking how I don't have to drive to Denver on 2 inches of ice, I was wondering about some of the people that made the circuit from years ago. Freight train, pinky, Joe Lewis, D T Carter, several more I will think off after while.  Also some of the critters that struck a cord.

 

[chambero]

Out of curiousity, describe Pinky.  If its who I think it is, I have a hillarious story.

 

[aj]

I remember the big mac story. Charolais steer that was painted black.....probably the early 70's. Didn't they always use purebred steers as champions untill Joe Lewis or someone used a crossbred and then the precident was set?

 

[justintime]

I remember Joe Lewis giving a speech prior to picking his Champion Steer in Denver. This was probably in the early 70s. One of the steers in the Championship drive was led into the ring by a good looking girl who was wearing bright red tight fitting jeans. Joe commented that " I am now going to go and select my Champion steer. The steer that is my Champion today, really caught my eye when she walked into the ring." Most people who realized what he had said started to chuckle, and when he slapped the steer this girl was handling, the place went wild and everyone started to laugh.

 

[oakview]

Freight train let loose about 20 feet behind me the first trip I made to Denver.  I hadn't even heard of him at that time.  I jumped straight up in the air, to put it mildly.  We later heard a rumor that he had been put in jail.  Anybody know if that is true? 

We showed at Louisville the second year of the North American.  I've always been impressed with that place, mostly due to the efforts of Jack Ragsdale to make us feel welcome and insure we were taken care of.  We make it back every year, whether we show or not.  I missed the glory years of Chicago.  We showed there the last year they held the International and I was very disappointed.  The sizzling steak house was not impressive.  I still respect the tradition of the Chicago show and am sorry I missed the best times.  Kansas City was never my favorite place to go, though they've made many improvements over the past 40 years.  The Golden Ox was one of my favorite places to eat.  The most impressive strictly cattle event I ever attended was my first trip to Denver in the early 70's.  Nothing like popping over the hill on the Interstate and seeing the mountains.  The cat walk tour over the stockyards was simply amazing.  I didn't think there were that many Herefords in the world.  I haven't been to Denver for several years.  I was planning to go this year, being a delegate to the national meeting.  I greatly enjoy that, but we've got family committments that weekend, so I can't go.  There are so many memories and stories, it could fill a book.  One of my favorites is about the fellow who grabbed the security guard's hat, punched a hole in it, and threw his walkie talkie on the floor.  He shall remain nameless for now.  Anybody remember the dipping vats in Denver?  Wasn't it Michigan State's Polled Hereford bull that didn't make it out of the vat alive? 

 

[cowman 52]

Pinky washed cattle in the yards at Denver for years,  little short guy, sandy hair, I think he inhaled too much orvis.
Chicago one year,  back door of the bar fly's open, guy hauling butt down the road,  door opens again, woman with a gun steps out, yells "you sorry sob" shoots him dead right there.  Bout dinner they come pick him up.
Freight held court in the cattle barn cafe at Ft worth for years, ran night line on the cattle before the show, back when we didn't wash every day.  Ran wet line behind the Brahmans.

 

[PeallWets]

<a href=http://adultfriendfinder.com.xmatch.com>adultfriendfinder.com</a>

 

[justintime]

Freight train let loose about 20 feet behind me the first trip I made to Denver.  I hadn't even heard of him at that time.  I jumped straight up in the air, to put it mildly.  We later heard a rumor that he had been put in jail.  Anybody know if that is true? 

We showed at Louisville the second year of the North American.  I've always been impressed with that place, mostly due to the efforts of Jack Ragsdale to make us feel welcome and insure we were taken care of.  We make it back every year, whether we show or not.  I missed the glory years of Chicago.  We showed there the last year they held the International and I was very disappointed.  The sizzling steak house was not impressive.  I still respect the tradition of the Chicago show and am sorry I missed the best times.  Kansas City was never my favorite place to go, though they've made many improvements over the past 40 years.  The Golden Ox was one of my favorite places to eat.  The most impressive strictly cattle event I ever attended was my first trip to Denver in the early 70's.  Nothing like popping over the hill on the Interstate and seeing the mountains.  The cat walk tour over the stockyards was simply amazing.  I didn't think there were that many Herefords in the world.  I haven't been to Denver for several years.  I was planning to go this year, being a delegate to the national meeting.  I greatly enjoy that, but we've got family committments that weekend, so I can't go.  There are so many memories and stories, it could fill a book.  One of my favorites is about the fellow who grabbed the security guard's hat, punched a hole in it, and threw his walkie talkie on the floor.  He shall remain nameless for now.  Anybody remember the dipping vats in Denver?  Wasn't it Michigan State's Polled Hereford bull that didn't make it out of the vat alive?

Lonny... your mention of the dipping vats at Denver and I remember them very well!  I think it was in 1984, that we took our Irish import bull ( IDS Duke of Dublin) to Denver along with 12 of his calves. We arrived at the stock show late in the afternoon, and they insisted that our cattle go through the dip vats before they could be penned. I remember it was pretty cold and almost dark when we unloaded our cattle and they were empty and shrunk out from the trip. They were walked down the alley and one by one they were completely submerged under the dirty water that smelt strongly of Coopertox. I also remember how awful the cattle looked after they came out of the dip tank, and we were almost wishing we had never come to the show. Immediately following our cattle were some Angus bulls, and as one of them went down in the tank the power went out. It was a two year old bull and he was completely submerged. After a few seconds of frantic work the owner jumped into the vat with the bull, got a halter on him and a couple people pulled the bull's head up above the surface of the vat. The bull had got quite a bit of the disinfectant into his lungs and he was in pretty rough shape. I heard that they had to take the bull out of the yards the next day, and I never heard if he died or not. Of course the story got going around the yards that it was a $30,000 bull. It may have been I don't know.  If my memory serves me right, it was the day after we saw this happen that we heard that the MSU bull had died in the vat. I also remember having to set up our generator in the dark and try to blow our cattle to get the some drier before we left for the night. There was no power near our pen at that time. It was 1 or 2 am when we finally left for our hotel. I have oftentimes wondered how long it took the owner of that Angus bull to get the smell off his skin. I remember we could still smell Coopertox on our hands after a week in the yards and daily showers. It was aweful stuff!

 

[Telos]

My first year at Denver; It was only thirty minutes after unloading heifers that I ran across Freight Train. I knew then it would be a fun week. One, I will never forget.

Joe Lewis was one of the most likeable humans on this Planet Earth. He taught me how to rat a tail. He was actually pretty good at it. Would not even begin describing this guy. Other then he loved to talk to anyone and everyone. I feel that I was blessed to have known him.

My memories of Denver are all about the super people who really love what they do.

There is one more thing. I am not going to Denver this year, but I hope all of you will have one of those amazing German sausages at the food stand as you are going down into the yards from the hill.

 

[cowman 52]

Joe could be described as the penguin, as from the batman tv series. He did love to play blackjack, we " borrowed" Paul Truebloods show box and adjourned to the valve room just inside from the loading docks.  How long I don't know, but there was all sorts of heck being raised outside.  Someone finally opened the door and Ginny was on the warpath, her show box was gone.  The rent a cops were catching all get out and Joe suggested we just ease out the door, right after the next hand.

 

[chambero]

Cowman 52 - I knew there could only be one Pinky.  He made the rounds to the Texas majors also.  My first introduction to him was probably my junior year in high school.  I can't remember the guy's name, but we had hired a fitter from Illinois to clip our steers for Fort Worth and help fit.  He was already down here for the open Charolais show in charge of a big string of charolais heifers from up north somewhere.  We drive down to Fort Worth to pick him up at the show and take him up to our place (an hour north) to clip steers.  They'd just finished showing those heifers and he hired Pinky to strip the glue out and wash them while he was gone with us.  We brought the fitter back that night - to find the prettiest set of leprechaun green charolais cattle you've ever seen.  You've never seen a jaw drop that low.  Pinky was sleeping in a tent outside the barns.  He goes and rousts Pinky out of bed about midnight.  And Pinky proceeds to explain how just couldn't get that darned green soap out.  Somehow, someway, a bottle of kopertox ended up in the bucket Pinky used to carry his supplies to the wash rack.  To this day I suspect someone pulled the ultimate cow washing prank, but I never heard.  I bet he had a lot of explaining to do to the cattle owners (who weren't at the show at all).

I saw Pinky for several years after that.  Loved his yellow slicker with "Pinky's Cow Washin Service" or something to that affect.