Dennis Robert Daly was born February 27, 1938, in Minneapolis to Robert and Leona Daly. In 1941, the family, which included older sister Patricia, moved to Laramie and later to their newly acquired ranch in Glendo. Dennis started his cattle entrepreneurship early with a herd of dairy cows as a 4-H project. At age 16 he and his brother started a custom haying business. From 1956 until his graduation in 1960, Dennis attended the University of Wyoming studying agriculture education. That year Dennis married his life-long love Nancy Weibel. The young couple returned to Dennis’s hometown of Glendo where he taught agriculture education in the small Platte County School. Dennis’s teaching endeavor didn’t last long. In 1961, he took the position as manager of the Twin Pine Ranch. He and Nancy had a son Shawn and daughter Kerry before leasing the Dilt’s ranch outside of Douglas on La Bonte Creek, which they later purchased, one of several properties they bought. In later years they began offering guest services at the ranches, showing visitors the working life of cowboys and taking them on cattle drives.