Bill Tanner was born in South Park in 1906, the fourth of 10 children. His parents, Frank and Julianne Tanner, were early day pioneers of Jackson’s Hole, homesteading what is now part of the U Lazy U ranch. When Bill was 9 or 10, he was helping his dad freight over Teton Pass to Victor, Idaho. This took three days over poor roads and he said he got many thrills and scares along the way. During Bill’s childhood, the Frank Tanner family spent a summer on the Fish Creek Range herding cattle for Mose Giltner, an early day rancher in Jackson Hole. When Bill was 16, he and his brother Bahrd took work teams to help build the Hoback Canyon Road. After that job Bill began his life as a full-time cowboy. He enjoyed training cow horses and was very talented at it. Bill herded cattle on Fish Creek in 1927 with Jack Ellis and Joe Graham for the Hansen, Charter, and Lucas outfits. He later returned to the Fish Creek range and herded for the Fish Creek Cattle Association. Bill developed a real love for rodeoing, topping off many a bronc at the Elbo Ranch rodeos, now swallowed up by Grand Teton National Park. In his single years, Bill went from ranch to ranch working as needed. During the 1938 dude season he met Ila Meyers. After their marriage the couple went to work at the Snake River Ranch full time and stayed 15 years. As part of his wages, Bill could run a small herd of cows with the ranch cattle. In addition to managing the lower ranch and the Giltner place, Bill was responsible for the farrier duties for the entire ranch. In the fall of 1970, Bill and Ila moved to the Box L Ranch in Spring Gulch. He stayed there for 14 years. He fed with a four-horse team all those winters.
Norman Rezin “Bill” Tanner
