Udder chaos in Livingston: Local rancher moves his cattle through town the old fashioned way
- JOHN CARROLL Livingston Enterprise
- Mar 17, 2023
JOHN CARROLL Livingston Enterprise
Livingston rancher Matt Jesson had a plan to get his cattle home on a recent winter day.
For the last six months, Jesson’s cows had been grazing on the west side of town on leased property off Swingley Road.
Now it was time to get the cattle home to his property on U.S. Highway 10 for calving season and vaccinations.
Typically, Jesson loads his 150 cows on multiple trailers and drives them to their destination. But the process can be arduous and time-consuming, said the rancher, and sometimes it takes most of the day.
So this year, Jesson decided to do something different. The 62-year-old rancher decided to drive his cattle about 10 miles down local roads and highways, a route that took them them right down Park Street and through the heart of Livingston.
“I was going to sneak them through town early Sunday morning,” said Jesson. “But a lot of people showed up, and a lot of cars, too.”
Some of the cattle got spooked by the cars, said Jesson, and tried to escape the herd down alleyways and side streets. But the handlers on horseback and herding dogs were able to keep the cows on course with a little help from their friends.
“People on the sidewalks were helping us,” said Jesson. “It was greatly appreciated.”
Jesson said the cattle departed Swingley Road around 6:30 a.m., and that he had alerted the sheriff’s office in advance about his plan and route.
“There’s no laws against it,” said Jesson. “We had the right of way.”
The slow-moving bovine parade took about two-and-a-half hours to get to their destination on U.S. Highway 10.
This was the first time that Jesson had ever walked his cows through town. He said the operation went so well he may do it again in the fall.
“It worked good,” said Jesson, whose ancestors have been ranching in Park County since the 1880s. “We saved money and made good time. I’m tired of hauling them. It’s a much longer process. Plus, we didn’t have to clean trailers.”
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