Biographies
Meet Great Scout
Jay “The Great Scout” Talbott was born on March 4 1960, the first of five children. He grew up on the Talbott Ranch nestled in the plains just east of the Snowy Range. Like many boys growing up on a ranch where one wrong move can get you killed, his early education was much more about what not to do than what to do. But it was obvious early on that Jay was an inquisitive boy, and from a very young age he has spent his life believing in and practicing self-education.
He supplemented this education at Whiting Elementary School, Laramie Junior High and Laramie High School. It was then off to the University of Wyoming. Not making it easy on himself at UW, he studied a pre-veterinary curriculum and microbiology graduating in 1982 with a degree in Animal Science. While there he ran Cowboy Joe the University of Wyoming Mascot often with interesting results. Only Jay could turn a beloved mascot into a weapon.
After graduating he packed up his diploma and began his career - or careers. The Great Scout never leaves a career behind; he just keeps adding new ones. He worked in timber part-time during college but after graduation he began to shear sheep professionally, a job he had been doing on the ranch since his early teens. A couple of years later he went back to school, this time in Walla Walla, Washington, doing a 9 month stint at learning all the skills of the farrier. Returning to Laramie he added shoeing and trimming horses to his job list.
But the mountains called and The Great Scout returned to the Medicine Bow Mountains to cut timber for the next 16 years. During this time he competed successfully in regional lumberjack competitions, competing in Axe Throwing, Single Buck, Horizontal Axe Chopping, Tree Felling, Jack and Jill Handsaw, Choker Setting, and Inclined Pole. He also competed in pretty much all of the chainsaw classes including wielding a monster homemade chainsaw with a 400cc Yamaha motorcycle engine in the hot saw competition.
In 2002 Jay’s father became ill and he left the timber industry to return to the family ranch. He became forever self-employed, seldom doing the same job for more than a few days in a row. Apart from his Rock River Radio duties The Great Scout now spends his time Ranching*(see below), still shears the occasional sheep and shoes a few horses a week. He supplements this by managing real estate holdings including his Dream Lake Resort. He also owns and manages a 180 degree, one mile shooting range where he instructs long range shooting in high wind situations. He is a commercial hay producer, manages a large herd of crossbred cows, processes meat (beef, pork and wild game) and excels in sausage making.
In season he is a hunting and camping guide, hauling gear in the Rocky Mountains with pack mules. Of course this requires him to breed, raise and train pack mules. In fact, when the military needed to train Army Rangers on how to use pack animals for transporting weapons and gear in the mountains of Afghanistan, they sent them to Wyoming for The Great Scout to train them. He is also a blacksmith, installs irrigation systems, operates heavy equipment, and performs as a ring man, an auctioneer and a color analyst at rodeos and fair events.
Jay met his lovely wife Glenna in high school however she would have absolutely nothing to do with him. A few years later after returning from horse shoeing school he again asked her out. This time she agreed and three weeks later, he proposed. To the surprise of all in Southeastern Wyoming she accepted. Their honeymoon is in its 35th year. They have one son Jaymes ”Ole” Talbott, who you will recognize as a contributor to Rock River Radio.
Footnote
Ranching - A low profit career mainly composed of long, boring, strenuous tasks in foul weather complicated by an endless list of crap that needs to be fixed.
Meet Soaphole
Roger “Soaphole” Newkirk was born on April 24, 1970, the third of three sons. He grew up in Rock River, Wyoming on the family ranch located high on the Shirley Basin. The Arrowtail Ranch is at roughly 7,200 feet altitude and is surrounded by the Shirley Mountains, the Granite Mountains, and the Laramie Range. It is a hard land with little water and a climate akin to Mars for six months of the year.
Some say Soaphole still acts like a teenager because he did not get to be a teenager when he was one. His close relationship with his father Ernie ended when Ernie died of leukemia just before Roger’s 13th birthday. As a result Roger had no choice but to grow up fast and became a full time rancher*(see below) just as he started junior high school.
Early on Roger took the attitude, “If one man can do it I can do it.” He educated himself in all that was necessary to be a successful rancher. As a result, he is an electrician, a plumber, a fabricator, and a mechanic. He also knows more about cows, sheep, dogs and horses than most sheepherders. This thirst for knowledge and skill was encouraged and nurtured by the people Roger calls his three main teachers – his mother, Donna, his grandfather Nat, and various Talbotts. Nat still ranched the original homestead during Roger’s youth.
It’s worth noting that from Laramie Nat’s place is 40 or so miles on paved road and then 40 or so miles by dirt road. Within a 30 mile radius there are only about a half dozen neighbors. Nat’s father, George, who settled the ranch in 1919, died when Nat was only 13 so Nat knew what Roger was up against. He and Roger would remain very close until his death in 2009. Nat stayed at the homestead until he was in his late eighties and spent his last couple of years with Donna and Roger’s family on their ranch just outside of Rock River.
Roger attended McFadden Elementary School and Rock River Junior High and High Schools. Upon graduating, he was offered a full scholarship for Saddle Bronc Riding, but he was forced to decline. The ranch would not wait. At 18, Roger, in addition to his ranching duties, became the youngest brand inspector in the state of Wyoming. He was hired by Red Garretson, another key figure in Roger’s life. Over three decades later he is still inspecting as well as overseeing Wyoming’s District 4 managing 12 other inspectors.
Of course, he still runs the ranch with his mom, Donna, his wife, Tammy, and their daughter Jacie. Tammy is about 5 feet tall, weighs about 100 pound if she’s soaking wet, made the National Rodeo Finals in high school and may be the best all around hand in Albany County, Wyoming. Her training and work with dogs is something to behold. As one fellow said. “I’d rather have Tammy and 2 dogs than a half dozen regular cowboys.” Apart from her ranching duties Jacie is, against all odds (little rain and short growing days), the only successful farmer Rock River has ever seen. Roger’s other daughter, Cassidy, lives in Laramie and is a renowned artist, one heck of a shooter, and a complete pain in the ass.
The Newkirks manage their herd as a cow-calf producer as well as managing herds for other cattle owners. They also run sheep, sell lambs, and supply high quality wool used to make military dress uniforms. Like the Great Scout, Roger, is a graduate of farrier school and has shod horses for many years to supplement his income. He also owns and operates a fabrication shop, a trailer company, and a custom truck bed and hauling business. He is a top-notch heavy equipment operator, has his pilot’s license, and is an aerial gunner for predator control. He is an accomplished saddle maker, blacksmith and wrought iron artist (working only for friends at little or no charge). Last but not least, he still occasionally helps with his mom’s rural mail route - a 140 mile route with only 8 stops.
Footnote
*Ranching - A low profit career mainly composed of long, boring, strenuous tasks in foul weather complicated by an endless list of crap that needs to be fixed.
