Bill Sniffin: I Own 2 Million Acres Here In Wyoming — And You Do, Too

One of my favorite boasts is to tell my midwestern relatives that my 2,466,577-acre ranch is just 7 miles from my house in Lander.

Yup, that is the Shoshone National Forest and I own it.

And you do, too.

Sure, I share it with 333,346,912 other Americans, but most of them live a long way away from it. I can be there in 10 minutes through the spectacular Sinks Canyon.

Plus, about 30 minutes south of my house is the 5,964,802-acre Red Desert, another of my favorite public land playgrounds. I own it, too.

And finally, about 90 minutes north of us is the 2,221,766-acre Yellowstone National Park. Now that is one helluva piece of spectacular real estate. We share that with 4 million other owners each summer, though.

The state of Wyoming is more than half public lands through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Forest Service, National Park Service and other various agencies.

But First, The Concept Of Private Land

The concept of people owning their own private land was pretty much developed here in America, with its gigantic swaths of raw land. By offering free land to Europeans, who would never have had the chance of owning their own places back home, it was impossible to resist.

But the concept of “public” land may have first occurred here in 1872 when Yellowstone National Park was established as the first national park. It happened right here in Wyoming.

Congress passed the law creating it and President U.S. Grant signed it into law as a “pleasuring ground” for the people of America.

In 1891, the Shoshone National Forest (my forest!) became the first national forest, originally known as the Yellowstone Timberland Reserve.

Here are a few facts about my forest. There are 335 species of wildlife, including the largest population of bighorn sheep and it ranges in elevation from 4,611 feet near Clarks Fork Canyon in Park County to Wyoming’s highest point, the summit of Gannett Peak in Fremont and Sublette counties at 13,804 feet.

There are 1.4 million acres of the forest designated as wilderness.

The European Model

Back in Europe, the land was always owned by the king or various dukes, barons, princes or other family designated lords or dignitaries.

No wonder people fled that place in hopes of a chance in the New World.

From that early migration to the homestead land rushes of the 19th and 20th centuries, the same goal was true for all these folks — they wanted their own property. But I digress. This column is about public land.

It took Europe a lot longer to develop national parks. Often as the power of royals eroded away, the people in control wondered what to do with all these vast lands? Why not follow the American model, which created lots of public space in modern Europe.

The Europeans appeared to be not as pessimistic as Americans. Here, the most isolated places were locked up as wilderness areas. In Europe, these places are accessible to all people by trains, gondolas and other means, which provide incredible and unforgettable experiences.

I have always liked the multiple-use approach to public lands. Sure, you need rules and regulations, but generally the public will do the right thing. This is an optimistic approach.

Today in America, there is a strong pessimistic bent among many of our leaders who want to lock everything up and “save it” from the public. Critics of this policy will tell you that you have to be rich or fit to get to these isolated places. Everyone else is locked out. Not sure where I stand on this. Older folks, especially, are pretty much barred from experiencing some of our most spectacular places because of these exclusionary rules.

Such Great Family Memories

It is almost indescribable how much joy my family and I have gotten from living near our National Forest and Bureau of Land Management public land areas. Literally, as far as your eye can see, there is land that you can claim as your own.

We always respect the land and are good citizens. These lands are so big that you can only hope to even experience a fraction of it.

My friend, the late Jimmy Smail, managed to see more than anyone. He was a trails supervisor for the southern Shoshone and spent his days roaming the forest talking to campers, checking on campfires, and exploring all its back trails. He did most of this by ATV. In his earlier days, he was a champion motorcycle rider and traveled with mountain bikes.

As much as he loved the national forest, he may have loved the desert more. I was lucky to have made about a dozen trips to the Red Desert with him. Then he succumbed to Alzheimer’s and died a few years later. An impossible amount of lore died with him.

The Future Of The Red Desert

The Red Desert is one of the most fun multiple-use areas in Wyoming. That is why the public has to watch out for how the BLM handles its latest proposal where huge amounts of it will be locked up, away from the public.

The Biden administration seems intent on making much of it a de-facto wilderness area, which is totally nuts. The desert has been occupied consistently by man for 10,000 years.

I am thankful that the state of Wyoming has budgeted a large amount of money to fight this crazy idea coming out of Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, the snow is melting, the temperatures are rising, and you are welcome to go visit your big public ranches all spring, summer and fall. Enjoy!

Bill Sniffin can be reached at: Bill@CowboyStateDaily.com