Sixth-Generation Ranchers, Wyoming Roots: The Brooks-McCleary Family Legacy

Wyoming’s history is written across its rolling plains and big skies, and no family story captures that pioneer spirit quite like the Brooks-McClearys. This January, the Fort Caspar Museum is rolling out the red carpet for Shelly McCleary Trumbull, fourth-generation rancher and keeper of one of Wyoming’s most storied ranching legacies. Her talk, B.B. Brooks: Continuing a Family Ranching Legacy, From Buckboards to Beamers, promises a journey through more than a century of grit, growth, and pure Western ingenuity.

It all starts with Bryant Butler Brooks, a young man from Massachusetts who traded city life for the wind-swept plains of Wyoming in the 1880s. Brooks didn’t just settle; he planted roots—branding cattle, building a ranch on Muddy Creek, and eventually serving as Wyoming’s seventh governor. He was the kind of man who could ride a herd one day and navigate state politics the next, leaving behind a legacy that blended frontier toughness with civic ambition.

The story continues with his daughter Lena, who purchased the Banner Ranch and carried the family name—and the family herd—into the 20th century. Today, six generations later, the ranch is still in the family and proudly recognized as a Wyoming Centennial Ranch. It’s a place where the past and present collide: from the buckboards Brooks once drove to the tractors, trucks, and even planes that modern ranching demands. It’s a living, breathing testament to a way of life that few still experience firsthand.

Trumbull will share all of this—and more—on Saturday, January 31st, from noon to 2:00 pm. Arrive at noon for an optional buffet lunch of fried chicken, hearty sides, dessert, and drinks, then stick around at 1:00 pm for the lecture that promises stories of cowboys, cattle, politics, and persistence. Reservations for lunch are required by January 29—call the museum at 235-8462. The lecture itself is free with lunch or with a $2.50 museum admission.

For anyone fascinated by Wyoming history, ranching, or the colorful personalities who shaped the state, this is a rare chance to step into a story that’s still being written—one generation at a time. Buckboards, Beamers, and beef cattle included.