Ranch celebrates 100th

A consistent hum, generated by a gathering of friends and family, fills the large metal shed as owner Roger Haefele stands at the edge of the room, staring at a wall. His eyes glance from image to image, recounting memories shared with family in tough times and in happier times throughout the past 100 years at this very spot, the Haefele Ranch in far northern Converse County and just 20 minutes south of Wright.
He picks up a black and white image of the original homestead, constructed not far away from where he stands today.
This was a time to not only catch up with friends and family over a cold beer and hearty meal but to celebrate the lifestyle they’ve lived - virtually coming from almost nothing - to the successful black Angus cattle ranching operation today. This was the Haefele Family’s celebration of 100 years in agriculture.
The story of the Haefele name in northern Converse County along Highway 59 began back in 1918 when Ralph McKinley Haefele ventured from his home in Broken Bow, Nebraska, to find a better life.
He homesteaded a 640-acre claim on Sand Creek in Eastern Wyoming and soon got into the business of running a freight line between local cities. Back then, if you built a home and lived on the land for a year, the claim became yours.

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