Carl was born and raised in Missouri, the oldest of ten children. He left home when he was about 13 and came to Wyoming where he joined his uncle, Fred Hanes and began the life of a cowboy. Fred had a place on Dinwoody Creek between Dubois and Crowheart. As a younger man, Carl drove horse and mule teams to haul supplies to logging camps in the Dubois area. He also rode the rodeo circuit and even did some stunt work as a cowboy in movies. During WWII he was inducted into the Army serving as a farrier for them. Once back in Wyoming, Carl was a wrangler at the CM Ranch in Dubois for several years. He also worked as a cowboy for Burke Johnson at Kola Teepee above Dubois. At some point in the late 1950s, he and his wife June bought a ranch at Crowheart where they raised cattle and hay. He also ran an outfitting and guide business in the fall, with a base camp in Turpin Meadows near Moran and his hunting camp in the Thoroughfare. He owned a string of horses and pack mules and broke mules to drive and ride. In 1966, they sold the ranch at Crowheart and moved to Riverton. Carl continued the cowboy life riding for various ranches and associations in the area. He worked at the Double Diamond on East Fork for several years in the 1960s and 1970s and spent time in their cow camps at the ranger station in East Fork, the Wayne’s Hole cow camp as well as time in their cow camps in the Union Pass and Moon Lake areas. Carl was also deputized and served on the sheriff’s posse several times riding into the back country to look for someone. Carl also made knives, scabbards, and various parts for bridles.
Carl Riley
