Matilda “Tillie” Mae Bock Sewell

Matilda “Tillie” Mae Bock was born in1902, on the Double Spear Ranch in Weston County. When her dad Julius “Jule” Bock, needed cowboy help, he turned to Tillie and her sister Clara, since they were the eldest children in the family. Her father had homesteaded when he was 21 years old and eventually bought more homesteads and the YT Ranch giving him property across a wide territory. Ultimately, he acquired 1,200 head of cattle and had 2,000 head of sheep. Riding was second-nature to Tillie and she spent most of her childhood and adult life in the saddle. Tillie and Clara spent long days riding, helping gather cattle and sheep during the roundups, and helping ship them on the railroad. Both became “exceptionally good horsewomen at a fairly young age.” In fact, Tillie and her sister were featured at the Belle Fourche Roundup one year as “The girls from Newcastle who roped and tied steers.” Family friend Joe Fordyce once added, “If a guy had a horse that could not be broke or if the horse had bad habits, he recommended to anyone to take the horse to the Bock Sisters.” Tillie married George Sewell in 1925. After her marriage, Tillie lived at the YT Ranch, moved to the Turner Place in 1934, moved to Skull Creek in 1935, the Stewart Place, and to a place near Osage in 1946. In 1949, George died. She continued to be actively engaged in the ranching business for many years in addition to raising her family of seven children. Tillie had a succession of favorite horses and put many miles on each of them.