Two Green River Valley Centennial Ranches are to be honored by the Green River Valley Cattlewomen at the Green River Valley Cattlemen's Association banquet on Saturday, March 2, and at the Wyoming State Fair.

Sponsoring this recognition at State Fair will be Wyoming State Historical Preservation Office, Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Wyoming Stock Growers Association, Wyoming Wool Growers Association and Wyoming Rural Electric Association. Forty-five families in the Green River Valley and Hoback Basin have received the Centennial Ranch award for the same family on the land for one hundred years.

The two Centennial Ranch families honored in 2024 are the Springman Ranch with fmaily photos in this edition and Rees-Triangle 5 Ranch, which was included in the Feb. 8, 2024, Pinedale Roundup.

Springman Ranch

The Springman Ranch west of Big Piney, Wyoming, has been in the Springman family for 100 years. On Sept. 10, 1894, Frank Springman received his citizenship papers. Frank filed on 640 acres along Middle Piney in 1898 on what is known as the Joe Budd Place in 2024.

Frank married Harriett (Hattie) Anderson on Oct. 10, 1899, in Green River, Wyoming. When they got back to Opal, they loaded their wagon with all the supplies they would need for the winter and headed north.

Around 1904, Frank sold half of the place to Ralph Mills and moved to the John Angus Place and what became the home place, where Pete Thompson lives in 2024. In 1924, Frank Springman let Harry Springman and his wife Jennie live on the home place and Frank bought the Orlin Black place a few miles down Middle Piney Creek, which was originally owned by Ben Griggs and John McLean. This was when Robert A. Springman took up a homestead.

Some of these names are familiar today, like the Mills Field and the Orlin and McLean ditches.  Frank’s wife Hattie became the owner in 1933 after Frank passed away. Their son, Robert A. Springman, became the owner in 1934. Their grandson, Robert A. Springman, Jr. became the owner in 1994.

Bob and Terrie Springman own the ranch today, leasing the acreage in 2024 for pasture and raising wild hay. The shop was moved from the Mills Place, which was originally a dance hall. The school house was built on skids to be moved up and down the creek, wherever there were the most kids. Wilda Springman was the schoolteacher and met her future husband, Robert, Sr., who would come to build the fire each morning. Several cabins and the old ranch house are still standing.