Charles “Charlie” Moore once said, “had it been possible for a boy to choose where and when he was to spend his boyhood days, I don’t think he could have chosen a life more interesting as to time and place. I grew up in fascinating country…”
Fascinating country indeed, for Charlie grew up surrounded by Native Americans, cowboys, soldiers, hunters, and even outlaws in addition to the wild mountains of the American West. Even after earning a law degree from the University of Michigan and practicing law in Cheyenne, his wild roots drew him back to the Upper Wind River Valley.
Wanting to provide others with opportunities to explore the Wild West, Charlie began to bring groups of young eastern dudes through Yellowstone National Park in 1906. Charlie went on to establish the Ramshorn Ranch and Camp Yellowstone in 1912 up the DuNoir valley and in the shadow of Ramshorn Peak. After 11 extremely successful seasons, a fire started in the camp lodge and the Ramshorn Ranch burned to the ground.
Not to be stopped, Charlie purchased a property on Jakey’s Fork east of Dubois this time. Work began on the lodge on this new property in 1920. It was a perfect spot for his new dude ranch, at the end of a road where scenic mountains and cliffs soared into the air. With this new property, Charlie also turned his more rustic, youth-oriented business into a family retreat. Thus, the CM Ranch began.
Entire families came from New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Charlie often went east in the winter to secure the summer guests. People came for the summer and enjoyed ranch sponsored rodeos, pack trips, and day trips into the mountains. Concerts, costume parties, and banquets were a few other ways that the CM Ranch entertained its guests. Ranch pageants, like the one whose contestant are pictured here, and masquerades also provided additional entertainment to visitors.
