What Happened Afterward

In late August, 1959, I locked the ranger station for the last time and headed Spud down the Death Canyon Trail. Sandy plodded behind, his panniers almost empty. My best summer ever was winding down.

But twelve months of high adventure were just beginning.

How Fred Hartman Invented the $50,000 Llama

It’s a mild early winter day in 1985. At our ranch in the Alberta foothills, Fred Hartman and I are looking at a dozen female llamas ruminating in the pasture, their crias frolicking among them, while three or four young males nibble at the brown grass in an adjoining field.

Fred has flown to Calgary with a business proposal. “Don, how’d you like to retire? I think I can get you a quarter million for your herd.”

How a Guy from Wyoming Became a Llama Breeder

When I stepped into the paddock the big red female charged. Nose high, ears ominously laid back, rear end waggling, clucking loudly, she bore down steadily as I hesitated, one hand still on the gate.

I had never been on the same side of the fence with a llama. I knew nothing of their behaviors or body language. But after a twinge of intimidation, I closed the gate and turned to meet her.

Looking for Dad in World War Two Continued (3 of 3)

Later, Back in Wyoming

As I attempted to turn my father's random war stories into history, discomforts stirred. His account of WWII was too inclusive, placing him in the entire war from a troop ship in the Pacific on December 7th, 1942, to the German surrender on May 8th, 1945.

Contradictions kept popping up in the documentation. And many incidents he recounted seemed too . . . well, too crafted.

Looking for Dad in World War Two Continued (2 of 3)

The General Wrote Max a Letter. So Did the Sergeant.

At social gatherings for much of my life I've retold the WWII adventures of my father, 1st Lt. Max U. Crowe. (Some people wear lampshades; I'm a raconteur.)

      I always repeated Max's stories as I remember him telling them. Now, however, I'm telling his stories as a historian. The evidence has to be examined. The facts must be properly sourced, creditably ordered, and carefully interpreted. Whatever truths come to light have to be declared.

Looking for Dad in World War Two

For several decades my offspring and I have proudly declared their Grandfather, Lt. Max U. Crowe, to be the most decorated soldier from the state of Wyoming in World War II.

Recently we discovered that claim had only a single source. It turned up a number of years after the war among Max's drinking companions in the Big Horn Bar in Ten Sleep, and especially the bar's owner, Bob Boltz, Max's close friend and admirer. We also learned that such a claim would be difficult to verify.

Mom Married Often, She Said

    After a family dinner Aunt Eleanor's motto for washing dishes was, "Let's don't do it and say we did." Mom seemed to feel the same about getting married.