Born into the ranching family of O. Fred and Marion Duncan Finley, John P. Finley is dedicated to preserving Wyoming’s cowboy traditions.
As a grandson in one of the earliest Dubois families, ranching is in John’s DNA and all of his work as a cowboy has been in Wyoming. His maternal grandfather Duncan arrived in Wyoming in 1891 and, with a brother, learned the sheep and cattle business near Point of Rocks. They then bought bands of sheep and trailed them up the Sweetwater Trail, camping by Crowheart Butte the winter of 1900, arriving in the East Fork Basin in 1901.
During childhood, John began feeding sheep and cows, and completing other ranch duties on the East Fork property outside of Dubois. During his teen years, he helped to operate the ranch during summers and school vacations. In addition to working on the home ranch, while still in high school John began cowboying for other area ranches when they needed an extra hand.
John enlisted in the US Army upon graduating from high school in 1967. Nearly two years later, after his dad was severely injured by a bull, John received an Honorable Hardship Discharge to return home. His dad did not ride much after that injury, leaving John as the primary ranch cowboy.
In addition to raising livestock, John breaks, trains, and shoes his own horses. He is a master at working with horses and cattle, doctoring animals, repairing fences, and can handle any job required during branding time. He custom-made his own saddle. John also built the log cabin home in which he and Monie, his wife of 37 years, reside.
As the current president of the East Fork Grazing Association, he and Monie are responsible for the range monitoring requested by the US Forest Service. They ride and hike to established sites on the forest to take photos of vegetation before and after cattle graze on the allotment.
John is also an authentic cowboy artist who is adept at scrimshaw, sculpture, watercolor, leather work, and crafting silver jewelry. His work documents the western way of life, from landscapes to cowboys to critters.
While he has no children, John is the author and illustrator of a published children’s book. He has been a mentor to several nephews who have worked as cowboys, including one who has made a career as a working cowboy and another who works full time as a cowboy and ranch manager.
As a third generation native of Wyoming, John has a keen appreciation of his heritage and the historical values of the area in which he lives. In 2007, the Duncan/Finley Ranch received the Wyoming Centennial Farm and Ranch Award from the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office, an honor for families that have owned and operated the same farm or ranch for 100 years or more.
Together with former East Fork ranch owner, Leota Didier, John was instrumental in a cultural project that resulted in two large sculptures on the corner of First and Ramshorn Streets in Dubois. The statues were created to bring awareness to the important role of cowboys and ranching in the development of the Upper Wind River Valley. Additionally, the cowboy statue in front of the Dennison Lodge, the historic building that was moved from the East Fork to the Dubois Museum, is a life-size replica of a piece John created for a chess set.