BROWN, Buster

Wickenburg Sun, Wickenburg, Arizona January 17, 1985, page 21 Buster Brown, 79, of Gillette, Wyo., who had been the house guest of Tom Thomas for the past five weeks, died suddenly Saturday morning of a massive heart attack. He was an old-time cowboy and rancher, who was the sole survivor of the famous L.A. Ranch in Oshoto, Wyo. It is a ranch which had its beginning in 1878, only two years after General Custer’s battle. His father, L.A. Brown, recorded on of the early brands in the new state of Wyoming. The late L.A. Brown was trail boss and later foreman for the D. Ranch. As trail boss he made numerous cattle drives from Texas north to the ranges of Wyoming trailing over 36,000 head of cattle plus several thousand head of horses into northeastern Wyoming and Montana for the Driskill Cattle Company who branded the “D.” When the “D” established their Wyoming headquarters near what is now Oshoto, Browns’ father became foreman. The “D” ran around 55,000 cattle on the open range. Soon his father established his own L.A. Ranch bordering the “D.” Brown began his cowboy career as many other young boys did in the range country. When he was 12 years old, he started as a horse wrangler for the Brown and Weir Cattle Company roundup wagon. He was responsible for the remuda of 175 to 200 head of saddle stock for the cowboys of the Brown and Weir outfit which had 15,000 head of cattle on the Sioux Indian reservation. At Christmastime 1924, Buster was summoned to his father’s bedside in Spearfish, 125 miles away, a ride he made in two days in 35 degree below zero weather. At that time his father charged him with the full responsibility of running the L. A. Ranch. After his father’s funeral a few day later, Brown retraced his tracks back to the L.A. where for the next 56 years he took the responsibility of running the ranch through drought, blizzards, cattle rustlers, witnessing range disputes, gunfights, depression and good times. His handshake was a good as his bond, said Thomas, a longtime Wickenburg resident. He made friends easily and during his short stay in Wickenburg made many acquaintance and friends. Brown was staying with his old compadre of over 40 years, who in years gone by had ridden together on roundup, branding, etc. Other friends now wintering in Wickenburg are Jess and Ellen Driskill, of Devil’s Tower, Wyo. “As the old cowboys would say, Brown was one you would cross the river with, so to a great old cowboy we say ‘Adios Pard,’” said Thomas.