The Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame was founded in 2013 to honor the men and women, past and present, who have had an impact on the cowboy and ranching community and culture of Wyoming.
Every year cowboys and cowgirls are nominated from each region. The nominations are sent to the state board, who then verifies their qualifications and selects the inductees for that year.
The Natrona County inductees for 2014 and 2015 will be honored during the Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo. Please join us.
Tuesday, July 7th at the VIP tent on the west end of the rodeo arena beginning at 5:00 pm. Weinrichs food truck, as well as a cash bar, will be available to purchase dinner and drinks. There will be a ceremony to honor the inductees during the rodeo performance. You will need to pay to get on to the Fairgrounds.
And now, I am proud to introduce to you the inductees for 2014 and 2015.
2014 Inductees
Jamis Johnson 1943-
As a three-year-old James Edward “Jamis” Johnson would sneak out of the family ranch home and down to the barn where the horses were, setting a tone for the rest of his life. He has always had a love of and a way with horses.
Jamis attended school in Casper at McKinley Elementary and Natrona County High School, where he graduated in 1961.
Always interested in working with horses, he spent time on the family ranch and became a horse trainer. He trained the World Champion roping horse for Jimmy Grieve in Oklahoma City in 1966 and has spent decades training cutting horses and cowboying. He worked on and trained horses for a number of ranches including the 3J Livestock/Johnson Ranch, the Dumbell Ranch, Sanford Ranch, Taylor Ranch at Kaycee and the Tom Sun Ranch.
Photo credit: Paws Fur a Moment Photography
Among his awards are the Legacy Award from the Central Wyoming Cutting Club and Masters Champion in 1994 from the Wyoming Cutting Horse Association. He has won over $100,000 in lifetime earnings from the National Cutting Horse Association. Johnson runs the family ranch and supports his sons Justin and Jhett, themselves award-winning Cowboys. He also paints and has been known to play the guitar and sing.
Billy Jean Shepperson Beaton 1919-2014
Billie Jean spent her childhood and early years around Salt Creek Wyoming. She would ride out to meet herds at the nearby stockyards and help trail them to the railroad, where she would help work and load them onto the trains. She also spent summers trailing livestock from Midwest to Alcova and Mills to put on rodeos.
She bought her first cattle and the diamond heart brand in 1937. When she married Frank Shepperson they lived in a sheep wagon and built reservoirs with horses. They raised horses and cattle. Not only was she adept at roping, riding, and handling cattle but she was also a great cook. She was especially known for her pies. She canned her own food, made clothes for her family and soap out of lye.
During the Blizzard of ’49 she was called upon for her knowledge of the countryside to ride in planes that were dropping supplies to sheepherders and ranchers who were trapped by the snow. Her two great passions were working with livestock and her family. She rode horseback through her 93rd year and loved passing on stories and history of early ranching to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
2015 Inductees
Roger Joe “Rog” Claytor May 23, 1923 – Jan 24, 2006
Rog was born into a pioneer ranching family the 7th of 8 children. He grew up on some of the most historic ranches in central Wyoming. During his lifetime, he spent time working on cowboy crews for the 9A, The Bug, Cross L, Circle Bar and Miles Land and Livestock Co.
He served in the Navy during WWII, stationed in the South Pacific. During the Blizzard of ’49 he helped Ben Roberts trail 1700 head of cattle to the Big Horn Basin.
He was a true cowboy, and there was nothing he could not rope, ride or fix with a little bailing twine. Always the first one to be saddled up in the morning and the last one to head home in the evening, he was as tough as they come but just as generous. He left a legacy of two generations of cowboys and cowgirls that he helped to raise and train up in the cowboy way.
James “Buck” Allemand
Buck was born in 1931 and grew up on his family’s sheep ranch near Midwest Wyoming. As a child, he not only learned the sheep business but also broke horses and put up hay. He grew up at a time when the range was truly open; communication was by word of mouth only, transportation was primarily by horseback and supply shopping was done just twice a year.
He spent the blizzard of ’49 on his own in a sheep wagon covered with snow, with only the stovepipe visible. He did not see another soul for 36 days, while he forced his way out of the sheep wagon and rode 7 miles to make sure cattle were fed. His father flew over every few days to drop supplies.
He served in the United States Air Force for the 82nd Airborne from 1952-1954. After returning from the service, he continued in the ranching business and raised his family. In 1969, Buck ramrodded the trail drive of 1215 head of cattle from the TTT ranch near Kaycee to the Bolton Ranch near Rawlins for Herman Warner. The manuscripts of the trip reside in the Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. He has lived an exciting western way of life, including riding a bucking horse for a Marlboro commercial. He continues the cowboy life today and after trying to retire three times he still owns cattle and participates in ranch activities.
Charles Powell “Powd” Clemmons 1901-1987
Powd was born in Rawlins WY in 1901 and would often tell people, “I got here as quick as I could.” He grew up when the West was still wild, and there was no telephone service, electricity or indoor plumbing. He often recounted how wolves would trail him while he rode long distances to fetch the mail.
He worked for the ID and Buzzard ranches, as well as for Ben Roberts, as foreman of the JE Ranch. He also operated his own ranch on Canyon Creek in the 1950’s. He worked through many difficult conditions, including the Great Depression, severe droughts, grasshopper plagues and the Blizzard of ’49.
He was also an accomplished saddle bronc rider and competed in and won many rodeos throughout Wyoming. After retiring from bronc riding, he was often called on to serve as a rodeo judge. He also competed in roping and bulldogging
In the fall of 1961 he sustained life-threatening internal injuries when the horse he was riding fell and rolled over him. This accident forced him to retire from full-time cowboy work. After recovering from the accident, he worked for Alcova Irrigation District for 15 years. In 1976, he accepted a position as water commissioner and received a citation from Governor Herschler for his work.
Please join us on July 7th to honor these great Cowboys and Cowgirls.
Pretty Work 
I think its great!!
I found among my mother’s things a letter dated Oct 1927 from her aunt Rose (Mrs. P. G. Sinclair) with a return address % Buzzard Ranch, Alcova, Wyo. What is the history of this ranch and are there any records of George and Rose Sinclair’s time at the ranch?
The Buzzard Ranch was right next to the Pathfinder Ranch, the same person owned both in the mid 90’s. I believe a wind farm owns both now. I helped with roundup on both of these properties but worked full time on the Bug Ranch.