“If you leave some pasture, you will always have some.” Sound wisdom from long term range steward, and cowboy Glen Wadsworth. The kind of thinking and living that grew the FW bar from its start of 17 cows,3 horses to over 1500 mother cows, 1000 yearling steers and a corral full of good horseflesh.
Glen arrived in Lonetree, Wyoming when he was 4 years old. The Wadsworth family was the last residents of Lonetree to arrive by horse drawn wagon. The Wyoming odyssey started on the old Wheeler place on Beaver Creek. Through hard work and a bit of good fortune, Frank and Glen started building the ranch that is now famous in western Wyoming. Glen’s wife Faye should garner a lot of praise for the phenomenal growth as well. Glen and Faye made a good team in the ranching business.
Glen was a good roper. He and his friends roped a lot of range cattle out on the Bald range of Uinta County. His lifelong friend, Bud Huseman, said that at any cattle work, Glen roped and tied calves as quick as he could in practice for the rodeos that would follow. Glen rode saddlebroncs too, but after a badly broken leg in an Ogden, Utah rodeo, he decided to apply all his efforts in the arena to his roping. That strategy worked too. For most of his career he was in the top 15 in steer tripping. That was before the National Finals kept those statistics. He roped in Pendelton, Oregon and Cheyenne, Wyoming and other big events in Oklahoma and elsewhere.
He was quiet and easy going. His horses reflected their riders’ personality. Quiet, easy going, but always working and getting the job done. People always admired his horsemanship and his dealings with people as well as horses and cattle. Smooth and efficient without jerking on the bridle of both horse and men.
He was a world class rifleman and hunter. He made a few trips to Africa and the far north carrying his trusty .270 Winchester. He shot grizzly bears and plains game with the same rifle that he used to shoot elk and mule deer here at home. He owned or controlled a lot of prime hunting country here in Uinta County and readily gave permission to hunt his ground.
Glen was the first rancher in the Uinta area to introduce black cattle. He was a good judge of cow critters, judged bull contests and often brought the champion home with him. He became a good welder and “cat skinner”. Vital skills for a life on the range. He also served on many livestock and cattle boards in his lifetime.