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Cattle Barons and Land Owners

Rusty Holler: The Texas Bronc Rider Who Managed Wyoming's 60 Bar Ranch

A West Texas cowboy and former Hollywood stuntman spent about four decades running a Wyoming ranch with Hereford cattle, buffalo and longhorns.

Who Was Rusty Holler?

D.C. "Rusty" Holler was a ranch manager, not an owner, and that makes his story different from most cattle barons. The Hall of Great Westerners biography describes a Texas native raised on a West Texas ranch who became the manager of the 60 Bar Ranch in Wyoming in 1948 and stayed for about 40 years.

The museum lists his years as 1920 to 1999 and associates him with Wyoming. The biography is the main source I could open, and it is cut off mid-sentence in the version I read, so some of his story may be missing.

A West Texas Start

The museum says Holler began breaking horses at 17 for the Matador Ranch, one of the large ranches of West Texas. Horse breaking was a job for young cowboys, and it was a way into a career with cattle outfits.

During World War II he worked in Los Angeles building bombers and met the singing cowboy Tex Ritter during his National Guard service, per the museum. Those two facts explain the detour that followed.

Four Years as a Stuntman

After the war Holler spent four years as a Hollywood stuntman before choosing ranch life. The museum does not name films or dates. The detail shows a man with riding skill who moved between the working ranch and the film business, a common path for cowboys of his generation.

Choosing ranch life over the movies is the fork in his story. It led to Wyoming and to the 60 Bar.

Managing the 60 Bar Ranch

In 1948 the Wood family chose Holler to manage the 60 Bar Ranch, the museum says. He and his wife, Jane, ran it for about 40 years. The ranch carried Hereford cattle, buffalo and longhorns, a mix of the commercial herd and heritage animals.

The museum does not give the ranch's acreage, herd size or location within Wyoming, so those are left out here. What it does say is that in 1987 Holler leased the ranch to Rod Smith, who later partnered with the Groeschels to buy it, and that the Smith family became sole owners in 1997.

The Key to Holler's Success

Holler succeeded as a manager for an owning family, which is a different skill from building a ranch from scratch. The documented record shows trust, longevity and a willingness to take on public roles.

The sources say little about the finances of the 60 Bar or any hardships it faced, so this section is restricted to the facts the museum states.

  • He learned the work young, breaking horses at 17 for the Matador Ranch.
  • He chose the ranch over a film career after four years as a stuntman.
  • He earned the owners' confidence: the Wood family selected him as manager in 1948.
  • He stayed for about 40 years, along with his wife, Jane.
  • He diversified the ranch's animals, with Hereford cattle, buffalo and longhorns on the property.
  • He took public roles, serving as a Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioner.

Hereford Country and the Manager's Role

Herefords had a long history in Wyoming by then. Cowboy State Daily's profile of the Wyoming Hereford Ranch says Alexander Swan founded that ranch in 1883 with 146 head imported from eight English herds. By the time Holler became manager in 1948, Herefords had been part of Wyoming ranching for more than sixty years.

Hired managers were also an old Wyoming pattern. WyoHistory.org's history of the Swan Land and Cattle Company describes a firm owned by Scottish investors and run by managers, with a series of different men holding the job over the decades.

Public Service and Other Work

Beyond ranching, Holler served as a Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioner and advocated for pari-mutuel betting in Campbell County. The museum also says he was a skilled pilot and a fingerprint expert for the FBI. Wyoming's open country made a pilot's license useful for a rancher, though the museum does not say how he used his.

Land use rules also shaped ranches in his time. WyoHistory.org's essay on the Taylor Grazing Act says the BLM manages about 17 million acres in Wyoming through nearly 3,000 grazing permits and leases, a reminder that many ranches depend on public grazing.

Legacy and Learn More

Holler died in 1999. The museum says he was inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners in 1997, the same year the Smith family took sole ownership of the 60 Bar. For more on working ranchers and managers, the ranching section of farm.FM and a farm.FM story about Hereford ranching are good starting points.

The record here is thin. A fuller portrait would draw on Campbell County or Wyoming Game and Fish records that I could not open.

Timeline

  1. 1920Born in Texas
  2. 1937At 17, begins breaking horses for the Matador Ranch
  3. 1948Becomes manager of the 60 Bar Ranch, chosen by the Wood family
  4. 1987Leases the ranch to Rod Smith
  5. 1997The Smith family becomes sole owner; Holler inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners
  6. 1999Dies

Frequently asked questions

Who was Rusty Holler?

D.C. "Rusty" Holler (1920 to 1999) was a Texas-born cowboy and former stuntman who managed the 60 Bar Ranch in Wyoming for about 40 years and served as a Wyoming Game and Fish Commissioner.

What is the 60 Bar Ranch?

According to the museum, the 60 Bar Ranch in Wyoming was managed by Rusty Holler from 1948 and ran Hereford cattle, buffalo and longhorns. The Smith family became sole owners in 1997.

What did Rusty Holler do before ranching in Wyoming?

He broke horses at 17 for the Matador Ranch in West Texas, worked building bombers in Los Angeles during World War II and spent four years as a Hollywood stuntman.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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