Little Mountain
Certain places have a way of getting their claws into you. I didn’t know what to expect the first time I pointed my truck south from Rock Springs on Highway 191. Rumors abounded of big deer, pure Colorado cutts, and stories of bottomless draws where outlaws like Butch and Sundance disappeared from the law. The rumors are all true.
For the past five years I have dedicated most of my professional life, working with many others, to protect the Little Mountain area and ensure that the sporting opportunities it affords will be there for future generations. Along the way it’s become personal. My daughter and I have camped along the banks of Red Creek, watching the sun set over the Uintas. For a week my dad and I exhausted ourselves, valiantly looking for the type of buck Jack O’Connor used to write about. My truck bears the scars of the rough terrain and the people who grew up there have left an indelible mark on my psyche.
Last summer I was afforded the unique opportunity of spending time in the field with Haley Powell, a seventeen year old who is wise beyond her years. We spent a few days fishing and she shared her powerful story. The result is the film below. It makes me smile every time and simultaneously brings a tear to my eye.
Little Mountain is on my bucket list of places to go this summer with my kids. I’ve lived in Rock Springs going on 2 years now and I’m just getting to know the area and some of the really awesome places it has to offer! If that south deer tag shows up in June I know who to call on for some advice!
Casey,
You should defiantly take a day, or camp for a weekend, to go fish down there with your kids, you’ll love it! Good luck on the draw and certainly let me know if you are lucky enough to get a tag.
It’s true, many places that we’ve been have indelibly etched their way into our psyche. That little piece of Wyoming looks mighty special, all greened up as it is. I’m sure that road would leave a lingering memory, especially on a rainy day.
It’s good to know that someone still remembers Jack O’Connor. Have you had a chance to see the O’Connor Visitor Center in Lewiston, Idaho? It’s a great stop for any of his fans.
Thanks for the note…what that road looks like on a rainy day is worth few stories that can stand on their own!
I have not been to the Jack O’Connor museum but would love to someday. As someone who was raised by a family of .270 devotees I have always been one of his fans.
Well done, Steven, and also all of the great Wyoming TU folks. Little Mountain is a great place that will hopefully reward the next generation as well as it has done for the current. There are many other “Little Mountains” out there that I hope that all outdoors men/women will get behind and support responsible development in a responsible and sensitive manner for all these spots across the State of Wyoming. Again, great job to the STS team of Matt and Steven for bringing us great stories that tell the story of who we are while shining light on the soul of Wyomingites.
Ron, thanks so much for the kind words! We will continue to try and hold up our end of the bargain.
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