Dakota Cowboy Entrepreneurship

Glendon Shearer and Neighbors

Calf & Crop Spectacular

This article was in the 2009 Spring Calf & Crop Spectacular,
a publication of Tri-State Livestock News/Farmer & Rancher Exchange.
By Rhonda Sedgewick Stearns

Thank you Rhonda

How many cowboys have spent time setting their horse on a ridge, lookin’ the country over and wonderin’ how a man could make money off tumbleweeds and prairie dogs? The deer are tearin’ down the haystacks and eatin’ feed he can’t afford, nor spare. The doggone pheasants and sharptail fly up under his colt and send him for a bronc ride. Wild turkeys are roosting over the yard ‘till he daresn’t step outdoors barefooted. The juniper is takin’ the River brakes and the meadows are littered with the carcasses of drought-killed, deadfall cottonwoods.

Wise men have said we can’t change the wind, but we can always adjust our sails. In spite of such good advice, we often see only the bad side of situations. We view the dark and tangled threads behind the loom with distaste and turn away, without stepping around to discover the beautiful pattern of the tapestry as it appears from the other side.

In arid ranch country where every spear of grass is precious and there are often two or three mouths needing each spear, whatever takes up space or water or creates unhealthy shade to hinder the growth of grass is unwanted. In many areas evergreen trees – called juniper by some, cedar by others – proliferate and bunch up and take over a lot of good land that would be growing more feed for the livestock if they weren’t there, sucking priceless moisture from the ground.

The crew of Cow Creek Ranch

People of faith believe there’s a ‘good side’ to every situation and, if we can’t see it alone, God will help us see it. Glendon and Pam Shearer who ranch near Wall, SD are people of faith. They’ve always looked for the good side and believed in silver linings. They were reluctant to accept the reality that their business of raising horses and cattle on their ranch, beloved to them as a family, was not large enough to provide a living for another generation.

Both Colby and Trent, after a few years away from home, wanted to return and rear their kids where they’d been reared, along the beautiful Cheyenne River. Both believed there should be some way that could happen. Their dad Glendon says, “I spent a lot of time praying about it.” No doubt the rest of the family was helping him.

That’s when they became inspired to start thinking about the ranch’s resources beyond grass, cows and horses. A visit to the family’s www.cowcreekranches.com website today will show you the multitude of resources he discovered, and the many ways Shearer family members have become cowboy entrepreneurs.

This brand appears on all the products from
Cow Creek Cedar.

Survival and tenacity have been bred into the Shearer clan for a century and a half, through six generations of cowboys. Entrepreneurship has been cultivated all along the way... it was certainly part of the pre-Civil-War ancestor who hunted buffalo in Texas and then saw the opportunity of getting into the beef business by gathering wild cattle. That line of work eventually led the family to the Dakota prairies some six decades ago.

Glendon’s grandfather O.G. Shearer made that move, settling in the hard grass country near the Badlands and a community named Wall. O.G.’s son Lavon reared his sons Glendon, Greg and Grant there, and they’re all still ranching – along with their kids. Lavon loved heritage and history, instilling that love in the hearts of his sons. He involved them in wagon trains and similar activities that gave them a deep appreciation for their roots and the entire cowboy culture.

Ranching is genetically imprinted on the Shearer family. As Glendon puts it, “Rancher is something you are, not something you become.” He knows he is one, so with his wife Pam he made a leap of faith, at the tender age of 20, to purchase the Cow Creek Ranch. It’s located where the historic Fort Pierre to Deadwood Trail crossed the Cheyenne River, just 18 miles from his grandfather’s original ranch. Keeping up family tradition, they reared their three kids – Colby, Kayla and Trent – on the ranch.

Today, thanks to cowboy entrepreneurship, Colby and his wife Meghan and daughters Kellyn and Terryn live on Cow Creek Ranch. So do Trent and his wife Betsy. Both boys spent time away from the ranch, and during that time both picked up skills that are helpful in the varied businesses of Cow Creek Ranch today. Their wives are also enthusiastic participants in the varied work of the ranch.

l
Glendon and Grant
Shearer

Their sister Kayla, is a Radiation Technician at Philip, and ranches with her husband Jim Eymer near Milesville. They provide some materials for the family business; Jim helps with many facets of the operation; and Kayla is Cow Creek’s medical expert. Fondly known to the family as “Doc Eymer,” she makes valiant efforts to keep her reckless brothers pieced together.

You’re probably questioning how a ranch Glendon once thought not large enough to support multiple families is now doing so. That’s where the wonders of looking for the good side, asking God for wisdom, and employing cowboy entrepreneurship come in. Those thick growths of pesky juniper trees and the Cheyenne River cottonwoods killed off by lengthy droughts now provide material for the unique handcrafted “cowboy furniture,” porch railings and other useful items produced by Cow Creek Cedar.

Tasteful one-of-a-kind interior home accents wearing the brand range from corner shelves to cedar chests, dining sets to game tables, bunk beds to bar stools, wine racks to saddle racks, rocking chairs to full bars, king sized beds to mini bunks for children – even fireplace mantles built to your specifications. To enhance your out-of-doors there’s a wide range of fence railings, overhead gates, cattle guards and trellises. If you’re a builder, they offer choose-your-size dowels for use in your own construction projects. Cow Creek Cedar also offers custom work, and will try to fill your unusual requests.

The "signature piece" of Cow Creek Cedar is a customized poker table with a flip top. One side turns it into a dining table.

Further diversifying and amplifying income are ranch vacations, built into the Shearer family’s hardworking cowboy lifestyle. Visitors from all over, many who have never before had an opportunity to experience the great outdoors, find out what ranching is really about through getting up close and personal with horses, cattle, working dogs, trail drives, rodeos, brandings and travel via horse-drawn conveyances. Cow Creek Ranch’s healthy, homey family atmosphere and hospitable talented cooks are conducive to great Bed & Breakfast opportunities for travelers on Interstate 90, a trunk route across the most scenic part of the United States.

The horse-drawn conveyances are further used in movie work, something Colby got into as a re-enactor. He has appeared in Comanche Warriors, Hidalgo, Tall Grass Prairies, Buffalo Soldiers, Geronimo, Buffalo Gals, Wyatt Earp and most recently the BBC production Custer’s Plan. Several years ago the boys were in Who Killed Crazy Horse?, a documentary on the History Channel. The vehicles and some members of the Shearer family appeared in Dances With Wolves and Far And Away.

Having those historic vehicles necessitates horsepower, and many Shearer men are talented with teams. A demand for well broke teams to feed or for recreational use creates yet another market window the extended family utilizes, and customers know Shearer-broke teams are some of the best.

Some of the colts of Cow Creek Ranch

The teams and horse-drawn vehicles also enhance the scenery during the annual Artists Ride, a summer event that’s been held in a picturesque bend of the Cheyenne River for a quarter century. Started and perpetuated chiefly by Lavon and Grant, it gives 50 aspiring and prominent Western artists a three-day window on the reality of the West. The timeless natural setting is peopled by horses, cattle, re-enactors and models of every stripe – trappers, mountain men, Indians, Cavalrymen, women on sidesaddle. The Shearer’s set the stage and the artists come... and Trent and Colby can always be found right in the middle of it, adding color.

The hungry deer herds that can be a nuisance to rancher’s hay supplies have been managed for trophy mule deer and whitetail since 1965; not only on Cow Creek Ranch but also on adjoining lands which add up to some 200,000 acres of prime hunting. The Shearer family offers fully guided rifle hunts and semi-guided archery hunts in the rugged cedar brakes where you can choose spot-and-stalk hunting, or shoot from blinds or stands. The comfortable, 1,200 square foot ranch bunkhouse houses hunters with every amenity, and the camp cook will provide meals if desired. All hunts and ranch vacations include prairie dog hunting opportunities, as well as a chance to fish for catfish, carp and bass.

Cow Creek Ranch also enhances forage and manages habitat to provide outstanding pheasants and sharptail grouse with occasional chukkar for shooting guests, offering some six miles of ideal hunting along the river and in the brakes. Guest hunting dogs are welcome, but the Shearer’s will even provide a dog to hunt with, and offer clay pigeon throwing to tune up the hunter. For those hunters seeking Merriam turkeys, Cow Creek Ranch’s guides boast a success of better than 98 percent on the first bird. They offer 3-day hunts for both spring and fall seasons.

Isn’t it wonderful how these Dakota Cowboy Entrepreneurs think outside the box? The beauty of it is, all these pursuits fit in perfectly with the original ranch goals of raising thrifty fast-gaining commercial cattle and turning out some good using Quarter Horses for sale. The 300 head of Angus mother cows and their offspring provide plenty of outside work for the young horses, enhancing their athleticism and settling them down so they’re ready to be trained for arena events like barrel racing and team and calf roping.

Each family member has unique talents and special jobs to do. Colby searches out, cuts and brings in the downed cottonwood and cedar used in Cow Creek Ranch’s branded furniture. His strength, tenacity and savvy are challenged by the rugged terrain, which necessitates his harvesting wood by hand, and getting it to the headquarters the same way. His artistic eye is helpful in choosing the most colorful, interesting pieces.

Trent, having prior experience with log home builders, is an expert in refining the raw materials, using the mill to strip and size wood for his needs. His artistic bent also comes out as he selects particularly eye-pleasing components, then handcrafts the lumber and poles into furniture that is built to last and grow more beautiful with the passing of time.

Glendon’s chief duty in the furniture business is advertising and marketing. He and Pam both enjoy manning the Cow Creek Cedar booth in trade fairs around the region, meeting people and sharing the beauty and functionality of their products with others. They also do some furniture delivery, which has taken them as far from home as Fort Worth, TX.

Working together as a family brings its own particular blessings and challenges. Trent admits it’s tough being together and working together all the time, yet says, “Even so it’s easier than having to work with crews of people you don’t even know. I’ve tried that, and I think this is good.”

His wife Betsy is enamored with living in the country, being with the horses, and says she really enjoys the family. “They get along so well,” she laughs, declaring Pam is the best mother-in-law ever. “I got really lucky when I met Trent... this is great.”

For Pam it’s kind of a mother’s dream to have all her kids nearby. She does a lot of the cooking and housekeeping with the bed and breakfast and vacationers and hunters, and she confesses, “Yes, we do get really exhausted sometimes... but its all worth it.” She takes a mother’s pride and pleasure in making food for her boys when they’re working late, and cooking some of their meals. “Having our beautiful grand girls right here is a joy,” she exults, grinning, “even though I do sometimes have to tell them to just go home.”

PaPa and Terryn

Along with modeling and experiencing the old tradition of extended family togetherness and enterprise, Cow Creek Cedar has been able to offer stable employment close to home for several other people. That’s just one more proof that you should always look for the bright side... and that Dakota Cowboy Entrepreneurship is here for the long haul.

This sign hangs in the office of Cow Creek Ranch

A Big Thank You to "Rhonda Sedgewick" for writing this story and allowing us to use it.