Malmberg inducted into WCHF
The Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame (WCHF) has welcomed 23 new inductees from across the Cowboy State, including Jack C. Malmberg of Lander.
Malmberg grew up in the Sandhills of Nebraska and moved to Wyoming in 1978.
A talented horseman, Malmberg has been working with horses since the age of five and directed his first team of draft horses at just 12 years old.
Now 85, Malmberg continues to raise, train and work with draft horses to this day. A four-horse team is still a staple of summertime haying operations for Malmberg, who puts up an average of 500 tons of hay using horses each year.
Early lessons
Malmberg was born May 29, 1940 in Cherry County, Neb. He grew up on the Three Bar Ranch near Valentine, Neb. and was “a full-time hand” by the age of five.
“In 1945, it was hard to find help because all of the men between the ages of 18 and 35 were fighting in the war,” Malmberg comments, referring to World War II. “I was a full-time hand at five years old.”
Growing up, Malmberg learned several lessons from his father and a series of ranch hands filtering in from surrounding states.
“Different cowboys would rotate in from Montana, Nevada and Colorado, and they always picked up different ideas,” Malmberg recalls. “My dad always told me, ‘You pay attention to every one of these guys and you’ll learn something – if not what to do, what not to do.’ And it was true.”
“I thought my dad was probably the best cowman in the world,” Malmberg continues, further noting a man by the name of Jess West was particularly influential in imparting early lessons about life and horsemanship.
“When I was between seven and 10 years old, there was an older man working for us, and all he did was ride,” Malmberg says. “I went with him horseback, checking windmills and cattle in all of the different pastures.”
Malmberg recalls long days of trotting many miles with West – a lifelong cowboy who was around 80 years old at the time. Extreme weather like flash floods and lightning storms didn’t deter their travels, and the work got done no matter the circumstances.
“I learned a lot from him,” Malmberg continues. “One of the things he told me was it takes a good cowboy to ride a bronc, but it takes a better cowboy to get on the same horse and not let him buck.”
At the age of 12, Malmberg oversaw his first haying crew on the Three Bar with a team of several draft horses and six grown men under his command. He says all of these early experiences taught him responsibility and helped him learn how to read horses and people alike.
Eight decades after getting started in the Sandhills, Malmberg continues to work with horses daily, carrying on a lifelong dedication to the cowboy way of life from his home in Lander.
Lifelong learning
Malmberg served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper from 1962-64. Following his time in the service, he managed a ranch north of Chadron, Neb. before making the move to Lander in 1978.
In the early 1980s, Malmberg spent time on roundups in the Red Desert of the Great Divide Basin.
Roundup Boss Bill Hancock was another influential character in Malmberg’s life. Gathers would last for roughly three weeks, according to Malmberg, who has many stories of overcoming threats from wild horses and weather while maintaining the large cattle herd.
Along with his brother and nephew, Malmberg managed the Twin Creek Ranch near Lander until the cattle market crashed in the 1980s. After declaring bankruptcy, he quickly turned his attention to a new enterprise – logging.
“The bank sold everything, but they didn’t want the harnesses or the workhorses,” Malmberg says. “So I took them and went into the woods.”
With this, Malmberg began a logging business and eventually took on woodworking. He’s worked on plenty of projects throughout his career, building barns, fences, furniture and cabins – including the house he lives in today.
Malmberg has mostly retired from logging, but to this day, he continues to put up hay using horses every summer with the help of his wife Robin, daughter Inger and granddaughter Stephanie.
He keeps a string of 13 horses – mostly Belgians, with the exception of one saddle horse – in a meadow close to the house.
Mowing and raking is done with teams of four horses, and Malmberg estimates they put up nearly 500 tons of hay a year for roughly 35 different people.
With so many years of experience, Malmberg is an excellent horseman. He notes his horses have taught him lessons, not the other way around.
“When people see me driving these big teams, they sometimes think I’m a horse whisperer or something,” Malmberg comments. “But all I do is give them the opportunity to learn. They learn – I don’t teach them anything.”
“One of the things I love most is watching young horses learn,” Malmberg continues. “It’s so satisfying to all of a sudden see one pick something up and know he’s got it.”
Malmberg has plans to keep carrying on work in the way of life he’s known and loved for so long.
“Now that I’m in my 80s, I tell people I’ll still put in a good hard day’s work but it takes four days,” Malmberg jokes. “I just can’t imagine anything else I’d really be happy doing.”
Looking toward the future, Malmberg says retirement may be on the horizon, but not for another couple of years. He plans to retire when he’s 90 – after he’s started the next generation of draft horses.
“I’ve got four foals going to be born next spring,” Malmberg says. “I’ll get them broke, and then by the time they’re five, I might be ready to retire.”
Still, even his retirement plans have a cowboy flair.
“I want to go to Sweden and rope a reindeer,” Malmberg jokes.
WCHF Class of 2025
Malmberg joins Willis “Bill” Ruby as the second individual to be inducted into both the Nebraska Sandhills Cowboy Hall of Fame and the WCHF. Ruby was inducted into both organizations in 2016.
The WCHF Class of 2025 also includes Earl “Tut” Camblin of Gillette, Dave Graham of Moorcroft, Samuel “Sammy” Everett Sewell of Newcastle, A.D. Flores Kruse of Lusk, Jerry Martin Kennedy of Rock River, Angus McPhee of Cheyenne, Lee Moore of Douglas, Wayne Graves and Sonny Jarrard of Kaycee, Dave Clarendon of Banner, Eldon Leithead of Worland, Kay Bischoff Hopkin of Lovell, James Felix Johnson of Encampment, Orson Nathan Behunin and Christena Isabela Stagowski Behunin of Burntfork, John P. Finley of Dubois and Frank J. Rhodes of Cody.
Additionally, Gerry Dean Endecott and Garland Swain of Pinedale – as well as Martin Wardell, Jesse Earl Chase and Luke Algeroy Osterhout, all of Big Piney – joined the ranks of the cowboys and cowgirls honored during this year’s induction.
This article is an accompaniment to the Wyoming Livestock Roundup’s 2025 Fall Cattlemen’s Edition, featuring Fremont County. For more stories, see the inserted special edition.
Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
