Cattle and cowboy culture are deep-seated in Utah’s history, but this year, Cache Valley ranchers are doing things a little differently.
For five days in mid-August, cowboys on horseback herded over 1,300 cows through U.S. Highway 89.
Daxxon Dehek was part of that effort. “We’ve pushed them probably 20 miles," he said.
In the past, local cattle drivers traveled a mile along Highway 89 near Temple Fork before pushing the herd into the mountains.
This year, a new route through the hills kept the cattle off the highway except for a single crossing about 16 miles up Logan Canyon.
Dehek said he prefers the new route.
"It's a lot less cows going down the road, lot less headache between cars and cattle,” he said.
Lilee Probst, who helped herd the cows on her day off, agreed.
“Cars are just unpredictable, cows are unpredictable, horses are unpredictable," she said. "There's just a lot less guessing when you go over the mountain.”
The ranchers make the drive from Twin Creek to Bunchgrass Creek each year, moving 300 to 400 cows at a time.
Despite the long, hot days, the cowboys and gals tend to enjoy the annual drive — at least that’s what Dehek says.
“It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun," Dehek said.
With the cattle drive concluded,1,300 cows now comfortably graze in pastures on National Forest System lands. Come fall, they’ll move again, continuing a cycle that’s played out for generations.
