Otto Arthur Herman Miller was born December 16, 1908, near Lawton, Iowa, the son of Fredrich William Miller and Caroline Wilheimine Miller. Otto had three brothers and three sisters. Otto attended country schools near Keeline, Wyoming. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran Church. He never married. He served during World War II from 1942 to 1945, as an airplane mechanic in the Army Air Corp. Following his discharge, he worked as a ranch hand on ranches in the Pinedale area until his retirement in 1984. Most of the time he cowboyed for the Upper Green River Cattle Association and just helped the individual ranchers in the spring and winter.
For many a year, if you went to the head of the Green River, a cowboy named Ott could be seen riding through the cows on his beloved horses, Jake and Rapid. He never missed a day, and he knew exactly what was going on at all times. He treated everyone’s cattle as if they were his own.
Ott could move more cows by himself with his trusted horses than several men could move together. If you arrived at Ott’s camp, and he wasn’t home, which was most of the time, you could check to see if he was all right by looking at his calendar. He kept a diary of everything he did along with the weather and anything else of importance. Ott knew where his cows were at all times, and he had an accurate death count of all the cattle in his pastures each year when he moved out in the fall.
Ott had his own philosophy about a great many things, but his philosophy pertaining to his horses had better be heeded, or you were on Ott’s black list. One thing Ott believed was you should never hit a horse when you were on the ground, and you should never pet a horse when you were riding it, but you should pet a horse when you were on the ground, and you could spank a horse when you were riding it if it needed to learn. You should never drive a horse when you were a foot. You should always lead it or drive it with another horse.
Not only did Ott love his horses, but he loved his mountains. He was always glad to leave the “flatland” and head for the mountains. If spring came late, and Bud could not move Ott to the mountains as usual, Ott was not happy until he reached his summer cow camp. Ott was the mountain cowboy, and the ranchers, who owned the cattle, were the “flatlanders.”
Now, Ott was as tidy and neat as anyone could be. His camp was always spotless. When Albert ate breakfast with him and Ott did not like how his pancakes tasted, he would say, “This sourdough starter has been bullin’ again.”
Ott was as dependable and trustworthy as anyone could be. In fact, he was one of a kind, not only because of these traits, but also he was very independent. He always had to be a “wheelin.” Usually, he had to get to camp and take care of his horses. He fed his horses with the utmost care. Ott could be heard singing as he was tending to his horses. Ott definitely did not like Verla’s chickens to get in his horses’ feed. It was not unusual to see Ott shooing the chickens off the hay pile with the pitchfork or hearing him tell Verla about her God-dom chickens!! Once, Ott bloodied his horse’s mouth with his silver spade bit when he was on the Gros Ventre. He threw the bit in the manure pile, and there it still lies today.
Ott was very capable and could make anything he needed. He could do beautiful leather work, and he made his own chaps and other gear. He was a certified welder, along with being a good mechanic. He was an excellent pilot. Ott learned how to fly when he was in WWII, and he was an airplane mechanic, too. He ran the Jackson airport when it started, and he delivered mail to the people living on the Gros Ventre by plane. He would snare the mail sacks off a long pole while flying the plane. For a couple of winters, Ott trapped coyotes on the Gros Venture with Dutch Olson. He snowshoed all over the countryside checking his traps.
Ott was a very smart man. He went out on his own when he was thirteen years old and put himself through school in Casper. Ott’s first job was riding the quicksand bogs on the Platte River.
One night, when Jonita was in high school, she was having some trouble with trigonometry homework. Ott helped her with it, and yes, it was done correctly. She conned him into helping her several nights after that.
For many years, with the coming of springtime was the coming of Ott to the Sommers Ranch. Just like clockwork, he would show up every spring to calve the cows. It was always a sight to see him and Rapid down in the field. When Ott would get off to doctor a calf, Rapid would fight the cow away from Ott and the calf. He could whip every cow but the ol’ Brangus cow. Rapid thoroughly enjoyed each little fight and so did Ott.
Another Otto story took place in 1948. Otto was riding the lead of the Mesa cattle going to the mountain. He went to the counting gate the day before the cattle were to go onto the Forest. Cash Sloat was there working for the Forest Service. Otto and Cash got into a disagreement. Otto rode off and said as he was leaving that he would send someone up there who could take care of things. Otto road out to the road going up the river and waited there with his saddle until Frank Steele came along. Otto told him he quit. In the meantime, Bud Sommers rode up to the counting gate to see how things were going. Cash Sloat jumped off of his horse ready to fight and said, “Are you the one to take care of things?” Otto pulled a fast one on Bud that day.
Now Ott, I know you will say a God-dom woman wrote this, but I know you appreciate it because you always appreciated anything anyone did for you. I also know, Otto, that you thought a great deal of your sister, Rose, and Verla Sommers, so not all women were bad!!
Enjoy you time in cowboy heaven with Jake and Rapid. Sit down and visit with Shorty, Percy, Dutch and Rex at your cow camp in the mountains. Hats off to one of the grand ol’ cowboys: Otto Miller.
Otto moved to a small acreage south of Node, Wyoming when he retired in 1984, so he would be closer to his family. Otto Miller passed away on June 2, 1990 at his home just south of Node, Wyoming.