Postcard from the Past: Pioneer Woman in Ag

Although this was written more than 20 years ago to support a nominee for a pioneer award presented by the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering Committee, it relates today to promote the efforts of Women in Ag, as reported in the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. 

This pioneer woman has since passed away, but her legacy as a pioneer ranch woman lives on, and I am proud to pass along her life story. Enjoy.

Betty Ellen Bixler Merrill was born Sept. 13, 1925 in Parco – now known as Sinclair – to Charles and Pearl Bixler. Betty was five years old when her father died of gangrene as the result of an automobile accident. He left behind a young wife and three small children.

It was at this time Pearl moved the family to Encampment where her parents had lived since 1908. Betty’s grandfather John Ross Bowers owned the Encampment Barber Shop, and Betty’s mother managed the telephone office next door. 

The barber chair, cash register and several other items from the barber shop are on display at the Grand Encampment Museum.

Betty’s mother, Pearl, married Harley Moore in 1934, and the family moved to his ranch south of Encampment. In 1935, tragedy struck again when Pearl died of an infection. Harley, with the help of his mother, kept and raised the three young Bixler children.

During her school years at Encampment, Betty and her brothers rode horses down the mountain to attend school. After crossing the river, they would leave their horses at a friend’s barn during the day and walk across town for classes.

In 1942, Betty married Dale Merrill. Betty and Dale purchased the Charlie Hunter Place and started milking cows in 1947, as did many in the valley during the late 1940s-50s. 

Hauling milk and cream to the train depot or to the highway to meet Priquet’s freight truck was a daily necessity, and during the winter it could be extremely challenging. 

The winter of ’49 was a struggle to stay in business. Betty and Dale used a saddle horse to pull a sled loaded with 10-gallon cans of milk and cream to meet the truck. Betty recalls the sled turning over and spilling milk more than once – leaving the check a little short.

In 1950, Betty and Dale expanded their operation by purchasing the Lester Higby Place. They continued to milk cows until 1959 when the dairy herd was replaced by beef cattle. 

Later, the Tappan Ranch – adjoining on the west side of the river – was purchased, along with the Cockerham Ranch near the Colorado border for summer pasture. After Dale’s death in 1984, Betty and her oldest son Bob continued running cattle on the Merrill Ranch until the late 1990s.

Since that time, the Merrill Ranch has been leased out.

Betty always made time to be involved in her children’s many 4-H and FFA projects, fairs and rodeos. 

In addition to raising four children – Vonda, Bob, Ed and Kaye – the Merrills always had room for more. Norm Stark and Wade Herring spent their high school years as part of the Merrill household. Dale’s brother “Frosty” also called the Merrill Ranch home. 

At the present time, Betty is the proud grandmother of 10 and great-grandmother of nine.

As well as wearing all the hats that go along with being a rancher, Betty is an active resident of Carbon County. She is a long-time member of Snowy Range and Wyoming CattleWomen, being named “Snowy Range Cattle Woman of the Year.” 

For many years, Betty was a timer at the Woodchoppers’ Jamboree and other various rodeos and ropings in the county. 

Betty was a long-time board member and continues to volunteer at the Grand Encampment Museum. She is a charter member of the Dirt Diggers Garden Club, member of the Valley View Cemetery Board, member of the VFW Auxiliary and belonged to the Presbyterian Church Mariners, where she served on the election board for several years. She is also actively involved with the Senior Center.

Betty is the epitome of a strong, hard-working, dedicated survivor and is the picture of what this award embodies. She has been the tower of strength for her family and a helping neighbor to all. 

She has spent her life living and preserving the ranching and cowboy ways of the Encampment Valley, and we tip our hat to this “Top Hand.”