Cedar Creek Ranch History

The Story of the Chastain is taken from the publication of

Saratoga & Encampment Wyoming

An Album of Family Histories

It was produced as A Wyoming Centennial Lasting Legacy Project by The Joint Centennial Committee of Saratoga and Encampment, Wyoming Album was designed by the Portfolio Publishing Company and Printed by Pioneer Printing, both in Cheyenne, WY in 1989.

CHASTAIN by Joan Trowbridge

DEBORAH (BLACK) [1915- ]

Cedar Creek Ranches, Inc. This is really a love story. The love of a woman for 5,000 acres of land in sonth central Wyoming. It began October 1, 1952, when Debby pnrchased the land from Robert Lucas. Reading books about life on the frontier prompted Debby to leave a life of ease in Denver, Colorado, and move to a ranch. She didn’t even know the difference between a Hereford and a heifer.

She brought with her to the ranch, sons, Bob and Chic Gast, and David Cass, and daughter Judy Cass.

The original piece of land was located at the confluence of Cedar Creek and the North Platte River. The early history of this property is being written by the Evans family.The land Debby bought, however, had had only four for­ mer owners. There is an original homestead cabin on the George Meason part of the ranch.

Debby selected Angus as the breed of cattle she would raise. When asked why Angus, her reply was, “My maiden name was Black.”

Her first ranch manager was Dale Harris who tragically died of a heart attack one and a half years later. Rene Vyvey, with wife Betty, and children Dixie, Ray, and Tammy, took over the manager’s job for the next five years. For 28 years, Ed Sholine and his wife Alyce, and their children Cyndee, Sally, and Jeff handled the manager’s duties. Through the years there were the usual hardships that all ranches experience: drunken hay hands, smashed cars, trucks, and hay machinery; not to mention love affairs, bro­ ken love affairs, and the demise of favorite horses, cats, and dogs.

The next piece of land annexed by the ranch corporation was the Breniman Ranch adjacent to the Medicine Bow National Forest. This brought much needed summer grazing. It also included a lovely picnic spot on Trouble­ some Creek for enter­tainment on summer evenings.

The Fitzgerald Ranch was the last pur­chase of land. This brought an overhead sprinkler system on an alfalfa field which in­ creased the hay production for winter feed. Through the years Debby has accumulated 12 grandchildren and 600 head of cows, plus a degree in Artificial Insemination. When the family gathers, the main topic of conversation is a rehash of happy events lived on Cedar Creek Ranch.

And now this centennial year, it is fitting that Debby’s son David with his wife Louise, and children Jim and Judy, move up to take over the management of the ranch. It will be different than when Debby came. It will be run with computers and four wheelers and Don Nordby’s fresh knowledge learned at the University of Wyoming.

If it hadn’t been for the people of Saratoga who gave freely of their suggestions and advice on the mechanics of ranching, Cedar Creek Ranch would not be what it is today. Debby could not have done without those legions of men and women who gave of their time and knowledge of the Saratoga area.

This ends the story of the romance with thanks to all family and friends who have contributed to Debby’s life of happiness, which she sought and found in the amazing little town of Saratoga, Wyoming.