Woodrow Wilson Moreland AKA “Hard Rock Willie” quit school just shy of 16 years of age to pursue his life of a working cowboy. Already an accomplished horseman and ranch hand since the age of 12 he had often missed school because he was “too busy.” Moving from one job to another he undertook shoeing horses, skidding logs, lambing and rodeoing among the many things he did to survive. At age 17 Wilson decided to earn his fortune as a rodeo cowboy. This is where he earned the name “Hard Rock Willie” from his fellow cowboys that claimed he spent a lot of time bouncing off the ground at rodeos. Wilson returned to Sheridan in 1941 to work for the Miller Livestock Company on Pass Creek. When the United States declared war on Japan, Wilson joined the Army Air Corps. When discharged November 6, 1945 with the rank of Corporal with the 232rd Army Air Corps, he returned to Sheridan where he worked as a farrier and rancher.
Woodrow Wilson Moreland
