Ross Russell Rhodes was born March 3, 1945, on the rim between Meeteetse and Cody. He was so anxious to get his life started, his mother didn’t make it to the hospital in Cody. He was delivered by his father alongside the road. The family lived on Wood River until 1949 when his father purchased the Puntney Place on Upper Cottonwood Creek outside of Thermopolis. Ross was in the saddle early in life, helping to move the cattle whenever he could, and would have rather helped on the ranch than go to school. Ross was drafted into the U. S. Army in 1965 and served 2 ½ years at Ft. McClellan, Alabama. Upon discharge, he worked on the family ranch, the LU Ranch Co. and Graves Land and Livestock LLC. He spent a couple of summers at the LU Ranch living in a sheep wagon to be nearer the yearling heifers. In 1971, Ross married Dorothy Gilbreath. They lived on the Rhodes family ranch until the ranch sold. They then moved to the LU Ranch on Gooseberry where he worked until 1999.
Ross Rhodes
