Henry Hittle was born in Prairie City, Illinois, May 25, 1898, to George A. Hittle and Amanda E. Mitchell Hittle. In 1899, Henry Calvin Hittle, known to some as Hy or Colonel, moved to Wyoming when he was about one year old with his parents and his sister Fern S. to run and partner in a ranching operation on the East Fork with George’s Uncle John Hittle. In 1915, the ranch was sold and Henry swore that he would get it back. In 1909, he went to school at the Silver Creek School, and then in 1910 he and his sister Fern went to the Boulder School. At one time, he went to school in Lander. As Henry’s brother, Carl, told the story, “Henry, Fern and I would ride our horses over the mountain to school in Lander and then would come home on weekends to feed the cattle and that was just a fifty mile ride one way, which we did every weekend no matter what the weather was like.”
The consummate horseman and cowboy, he rode for the Green River wagon in the 1910s and was the Rep for the New Fork association up the river in 1915 at 17 years old. He worked for Abner Luman on and off from 1915 to 1920 going to New Mexico to bring black Angus cattle to Luman’s ranch in 1917. He worked as the rough string rider for the Green River Drift in 1919 riding all of the junk no one else wanted to or could ride. Henry was a much-covered photo subject by Carl Rungius on the Green River Drift and is in many photographs that this renowned artist took while staying at the Box R Ranch in Cora, Wyoming Henry worked as a foreman on the Lovatt Ranch in 1917-18.
According to the Pinedale Roundup in 1916 and 1917, “Henry Hittle of Boulder had been engaged in breaking horses for Joe Becker and W. O. Postel.” Patsy Gore wrote, “When Uncle Henry was breaking horses for different outfits, they always give him the toughest rankest horse to break because they knew he was the one cowboy who could get the job done! My Uncle Henry was a fantastic horseman and looked so fine on the top of a horse. He was one of those very special cowboys. He sat so tall in the saddle with those long skinny legs hanging well below the horse’s cinch. He not only looked the part, but lived the life of a True Wyoming Cowboy.”
In a recorded interview from 1982 with Louise Vible interviewing Henry and John Vible, Henry talked about working for Lafe Griffin who owned and operated the Wild Horse Ranch. Henry was 15, which would have been 1913. Henry said, “I worked with Griffin for two months when I first went down and asked him if he’d hire any boys, and he said, ‘Yes,’ but I just had a pair of shoes on, and he said I’d have to go back to Boulder and get me a pair of boots. Said, “I couldn’t ride them horses of his with shoes on. I could ride all his horses barefooted!” Lafe partnered with A.W. “Amos” Smith. He had 200-300 horses and Lafe Griffin had an interest in them. Griffin would break the horses along with his men and then they would send them up to the 67 for the cowboys and hey crew to use. Lafe cooked and Henry had to wash the dishes. Louise stated, “All the 15-year-old boys had to wash the dishes, huh? No matter how good a bronc buster they was. That wasn’t fair, Henry.” Henry replied, “Well, heck, gotta keep your hands clean someway.”
When describing the setup at the Wild Horse Ranch and the operation, Henry said, “They had good corrals and they sat under the hill there and these wild horses couldn’t see it till they drop right over this hill. He had a wing out from each side of this corral so them horses dropped over that hill. Why they pret’ near have to go in that corral.” When Louise asked about loading some wild horses and riding them, Henry said, “Yea we went out every morning. Some he’d raise and some we’d pick up out there. Wild ones and slicks but they was all pretty wild. They was pretty hard to corral. You had to have a corral out of site. You gotta ride close. You’d bring ’em up to this corral, they couldn’t see it. They dropped over this hill and then they was going so fast they just had to go right on down in the corral. Cowboys right after them.”
Louise asked, “Let’s see. You was 15 years old when you went down there and went to work and had to buy them boots. I’ll bet you still got those boots though Henry. And you’re 84 now.” Henry replied, “Yeah 84. Getting about old enough to vote, I guess.”
Louise asked if they fed him well and what he was paid, and Henry said, “O Yes. Dollar a day. I know one time we furnished the horses for the rodeo up here, and he said I couldn’t ride them horses of his when I brought ’em up there. I rode a lot of ’em ’fore he ever brought ’em up here, and he said I couldn’t ride them horses of his when he brought them here.”
Louise said, “I know you done that. Got a little fun. What’d ya do in the afternoons? Go fishing”? Henry replied, “No we’d play with them horses. He’d go to sleep and we’d saddle up some of them. He didn’t want us to ride. We’d ride ’em out a little. Bill Carr worked there the year before and he had a nice sorrel horse that liked to get him and Lafe said not to ride that horse. So, the first time Lafe got out of sight, I had to ride him.” Evidently, Henry liked a challenge and would ride any horse he wanted, permission or not. This was a trait that followed him through the years.
Henry rode broncs at rodeos winning many and getting “throwed” plenty. At Cheyenne Frontier Days, he pulled the blindfold off his bronc after it was turned loose and he still made the ride achieving a goose egg for it. It was quite the scandal at the time that he was not allowed a score. It still remains a point of hard, well sad feelings in the family. At least once, Henry rode his horse over to Lander, so he could participate in the Lander rodeo and placing after he rode in the rodeo. The following are tidbits out of the Pinedale Roundup about Henry riding in the rodeo contests:
- July 1, 1915: Finals in the great bucking contest: Henry Hittle on Casey; New Rough Riding Champion of this section Henry Hittle on Casey made a clean ride as did Wright, but Henry didn’t have the horse. The money went to Wright for first and Hittle Both boys are splendid riders fearless of their position and perfectly at home on top of that heaving, bucking steed.
- July 06, 1916: Green River Stampede at Pinedale — Wild Horse Race — 2nd Henry Hittle, $15 pair boots.
- August 10, 1916: Returning last week from the Frontier Days celebration, Henry Hittle and Walter Myers both rode in the bucking contest there and each made splendid rides.
- July 12, 1917: On the Fourth of July picnic near the Eastfork Bridge Louis Steele and Henry Hittle had a bucking contest which was declared a Draw.
- July 1, 1920: Big Piney– ½ Mile Wild Horse Race Henry Hittle 3
- July 7, 1921: Green River Stampede: Bucking Contest – Henry Hittle of East Fork won first money.
- July 17, 1924: Pinedale Rodeo July 5th –Bucking contest 1st Henry
- July 9, 1925: Wild Cow Milking Contest 1st Hy Hittle. Range Race 1st Hy Hittle. Roping contest, rope & tie 1st Hy Hittle, time 54 seconds. Bucking Contest 1st Hy
- July 8, 1926: July 4th Rodeo — Roping Contest, rope and tie, 3rd H.
- Sept 8, 1927: Labor Day Celebration at Rock Springs in the Bucking contest Henry Hittle of Boulder was third.
- September 19, 1929: Sublette County Fair and Rodeo. Bucking Contest Finals Henry Hittle, 3rd.
- July 9, 1931: Rodeo- Roping Contest, Henry Hittle, 2nd.
He was a pretty good roper in his older years, too. You could always find him at the Pinedale rodeo grounds chasing out the bucking horse on his old Bay Horse, then competing in the roping events, which was all part of his retirement years. He always had to move the rodeo stock from their grazing area to the rodeo grounds before each rodeo. It was quite a sight to see the horses running through the streets of Pinedale heading up the hill to the rodeo grounds. Patsy Hittle, his niece, always loved those times of helping her uncle move the horses. She wrote, “It was always a kick to see how much joy he got out of seeing which mean old ornery horse he could find for me to ride. One time he gave me this old mean, rough riding black horse of Bill Blooms to ride and that was the roughest darn horse I think I ever rode. The horse had such a terrible gait he jarred your teeth as well as your insides out when he moved. Uncle Henry got such a kick out of watching me ride that horse he chuckled and asked me, ‘How do I like that rank old horse I found for you to ride today?’ He would never let me ride my roping horse as he thought running horses ruined a good ropin’ horse. Those were loving moments I remember riding with pride with my Uncle Henry. I loved my Uncle Henry and he gave my first saddle, ordered it from the Cowboy Shop and it had a Turquoise seat. He also gave my brothers, Bobby and Denny, their very first 4-H calves. In fact, it was Uncle Henry’s calf that he gave my brother Bobby which started Bobby in the cattle ranching business.”
Never missing a rodeo in Pinedale, Wyoming, or the National Finals whether in Dallas or Los Angles or Oklahoma City, he was known by many wherever he went including the stock contractors Frank Cervi and Jiggs Beutler. After retiring from riding broncs then roping, his blue Dodge pickup would always be parked in the same place at the Pinedale Rodeo Arena. He gave his 71Bar brand to the Sublette Sporting Association to use on the rodeo livestock. He was involved with the Roping Club that merged with the Cutter Association to form the Sublette County Sporting Association in the mid 1950s.
Henry married Jewell Thompson in 1921. He lost Jewell due to complications from the birth of his first son Jr. in 1922. He married Frieda Noble in 1923 and together they raised Jr., Bill, and Betty. Henry and Frieda homesteaded, raised cattle, hay and bought and sold property until they could purchase his beloved home place back in 1938.
Henry did lots of cowboying on his own ranch. In the October 10, 1929, Pinedale Roundup, it was reported, “Mr. Nelson and Henry Hittle are planning on starting their cattle Tuesday. Several loads of hay have gone to the feeding places along the road.”
“Henry Hittle, Lawrence and Otto Jensen left on the beef drive Thursday taking the Hittle, Martin Jensen and John Boulter cattle to the railroad in Rock Springs,” according to the October 13, 1932 Pinedale Roundup. Henry trailed his cattle to the railroad until 1938 when trucks were used. In the January 5, 1933 Pinedale Roundup, “Henry Hittle, from Eastfork, moved his cattle to the W. D. Holt ranch at Boulder, to feed. The hay purchased from the adjoining ranch of Roy Ditton. While the February 21, 1935, Pinedale Roundup reported, “Henry Hittle moved his cattle last Sunday from Pat Holt’s ranch at Boulder to the Hittle ranch at East Fork.”
Henry Hittle’s granddaughter Carmen remembers going to the Little Desert when she was eight or nine. “Grandpa caught his own horse Copper and Dad’s horse Ranger for her to ride. It was dark out and he saddled the horses up and put her up on Ranger who was a big, tall sorrel. Grandpa’s horse copper was beautiful and shiny just like a newly minted penny. Everyone wanted to ride him, but only Henry did because he could buck!” They rode to the Little Desert and gathered until about 10 in the morning. Carmen rode right with Henry the whole time. He had to tell her a few times, “Pull that horse up and don’t let him run away with you.”
Suzy Michnevich, another granddaughter, would wait for the roundup riders to come in from the time she was two. She would insist on getting on a horse and her grandfather always complied whether he had already unsaddled his horse or not.
Ranching in a progressive way was of paramount interest to Henry Hittle. He bought John Deere tractors and mowers long before most ranchers in the county and ran them day and night in order to make them pay for themselves. Notoriously particular about square corners and cleanly mowed meadows, many hired hands had a hard time with his scrutiny. He was always fair however and the same hay crew showed up to the day every July ready to work until the late 1960s. He still ran the mowing crew on the ranch until 1969 eight years after he turned it over to Bill and Vera Hittle. He realized that in order to have good cattle one needed to put up good hay.
Henry loved Hereford cattle and raised the best. He had a small purebred herd and had loyal buyers that came back year after year as well as his commercial herd. The Waterloo Daily Courier on Oct 12-13, 1950, had the following auction report: “Livestone Auction — 133 Very Choice Hereford one brand. wt. 575 to 700 lbs, from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. These are the famous Henry Hittle cattle that we have sold many years to some of the best feeders in the Corn Belt. They are as good as they grow.”
Henry was instrumental in improving the dam at Silver Lake in the Wind River Mountains, now a wilderness area. The water users on Silver Creek, Tibbals, Steeles, Kings, Vibles, and Hittles all contracted and worked on this dam project which remains important irrigation storage for those ranchers receiving irritation from this watershed. Henry ran his cattle in the New Fork—East Fork Roundup Association. In 1955, Henry was appointed to the board of directors for the Green River Valley Cattlemen’s Association.
A kind friend, Uncle, Grandfather, and a good neighbor, Henry was always willing to help with branding (he was the cutter), dipping, riding, irrigation projects, and to give good advice that was usually heeded by those lucky enough to get it. He made it a point to visit and help his nieces and nephews in particular Bobby Hittle and family along with Patty and Ben Pearson by helping gather cattle a horseback until around 1980, providing haying equipment, and advising along with as always pointed barbed comments that the thick skinned and smart would construe as funny. Most took his wit in stride. Henry did not like the brand his neighbor, Jep Richie, had, so he gave Jep the Lovatt P Anchor brand he had bought several years earlier.
Henry Hittle, who had a soft hand with a horse and with children, died June 22, 1984. He was a cowboy that many will remember with fondness for his wit, acumen and intelligence.