Winter Range - Wonderful

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

I was privileged to be on the Winter Range Board for many years.  Over the past three years a bunch of us have retired and several of us have not shot much the past couple of years.  We decided to have a Winter Range retired board member posse with a dozen or so old board members.  Great seeing part of what is an extended family.  The new board has 21 members and, as usual, has done a tremendous job on this year's match.  The board is backed up by dozens of Rangers that volunteer their time to set-up and take down the match (Ben Avery is a public shooting range so everything that is Winter Range has to be set up and taken down in just a few days) and to keep everything neat, tidy and functioning during the match.  I use to write the Chronicle Article about the match but that now belongs to a new board member and he will be writing a detailed report on the match in the coming weeks.  In the meantime here are a few quick shots from this morning.  

 

First, one row of the vendor area.  More vendors at Winter Range than any other cowboy match anywhere in the world.

This year's theme was the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad.  Next a couple of shots of the engines from the famous photograph.  The engines look just like the real thing and the detail in them cannot be seen in these photos but they were magnificent.  (They were nose to nose like the photo but spread out a few feet for the loading/unloading tables.)

The Grand Hotel.  If you look in the upper right hand part of the building there is a sundial.  It is angled to tell the correct time.

Finally, just the train water tank showing the attention to detail on something that is behind the main props.  Notice the counter weights and water depth gauge!

[Cat Brules]

Looks terrific!

i wish I could have been there!

 

Cat Brules

[Medicine Creek Johnny]

Thanks Larsen. That was my posse at the hotel

[Roger Rapid]

Larsen... Thanks for the contribution you and the Board have made over the past many years. This year's WR was great - and you ordered MUCH BETTER weather this year than you ordered last year!!!  Winter Range is always a not-to-miss event.

 

Sorry I didn't bump into you this year, and hope all is well.

Best,

RR

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

The pictures I have seen so far. It looks like you had good weather for the main shoot.

OLG 

[Mad Dog Jack, SASS #77862]

Hey Larsen, great to hear from you! I had heard that you stepped back a bit, nice to see you are out and about some

[Yusta B.]

Whoa - where the heck is the rain, the mud, the hail ?  Actually - I'm glad to hear the weather was exceptional this year. Hope you had a great time ...

[Rattlesnake Slim]

Thanks Larsen for the kind words. We learned the ropes from you and your posse mates. None of it would have been possible without your guidance.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

11 hours ago, Medicine Creek Johnny said:

Thanks Larsen. That was my posse at the hotel

Yes, some of the MN/IA pards as well.  Sorry I couldn't be there.

[Lou Graham, # 26112]

When my posse got to the train stage and I saw the car with Union Pacific Railroad on it, I couldn't help myself.  Whatever the line was supposed to be wasn't getting used.  We had to hold a golden spike, so I incorporated it.  "This spike belongs to E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific Railroad."  It was a great match and the trains ran on time!

[Dingo and Sixgun]

Thanks for all your hard work over the years.....

[SouthwestShooter]

Just got home from WR.

Can hardly wait for next year the 30th.

Was a GREAT match with magnificent people.

GREAT job.

[Scarlett]

My first time at Winter Range and it will NOT be my last!  I had an outstanding time and THOROUGHLY enjoyed myself! 

 

Thank you to the entire Board - especially Sly Puppy, Vendor/Sponsor Contact and Black Jack Zack, for encouraging me and my husband to attend and to making us feel so welcome!

 

Great big hugs!

 

Scarlett

[Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933]

Went out this morning (Monday) about 9:30 am and the Winter Range crew has done wonders.  While the awards ceremony is going on Sunday everyone that is not involved in the ceremony is out on the range taking down the props.  After 29 years takedown has become methodical as everything has to be cleared out as another match has the ranges reserved beginning Tuesday morning.  First photo, several groups take down the props.  Following right behind them other crews pick up the props and targets and takes them to the storage yard, photo 2.  Within hours the range is empty, photo 3.  Winter Range has six large metal shipping containers and the props "go in there", photo 4.  That's Nine Toe Joe the esteemed WR rangemaster.  He has to know where everything is so after a summer of planning, and when the weather cools down around October, the props will be taken out and refurbished or re-purposed to reflect the theme for WR 2021.  Two or three new props are built each year so everything looks fresh from year to year.  Tuesday night the Winter Range board takes the Rangers out for dinner and drinks at a local restaurant.  There is also a drawing and every Ranger seems to win a prize!  In case anyone has not figured it out being on the board was one of the highlights of my shooting career.  I miss it but Winter Range is in good hands.  I can't wait to see what they do next year.

[Jackaroo, # 29989]

It all works like a well oiled machine.

[Jackrabbit Joe #414]

Yo-Ho- Larsen Just Plain Fantastic. Thanks for photos. You the man pilgrim.

 

JRJ & SP

[Big Sage, SASS #49891 Life]

Congratulations to all the crew for the outstanding job they all do. You led the way my friend.

[StirrupTrouble]

On 2/29/2020 at 8:59 PM, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

The pictures I have seen so far. It looks like you had good weather for the main shoot.

OLG 

The weather was incredible! Sunny and 70s every day all week. As a shooter from Nebraska, I loved that