John H. “Jack” Simpson was born in Logan County Colorado near Ilif in 1911 to Bertha A. and Howard H. Simpson. He spent his younger years in Logan County. As a boy he would deliver milk with a horse and wagon to help the family with living expenses. He graduated from Iliff High School in 1929. Following graduation he went to work on the Logan ranch in southern Montana with his father whose life was spent in the saddle. His job at the Logan Ranch was wrangler and cowboy. He took it upon himself to always have the cook’s wood box filled. That fall, Jack entered the University of Colorado in Boulder. During these school years he worked for Heinz Pickle Company of LaSalle, CO.
The land, livestock and cowboy way of life was his true passion so in 1932 Jack packed up his Model A Ford and his milk cow and moved to Wyoming, where he homesteaded north of Wyodak on Deer Creek. To make some extra money Jack would sell bones he would find when out riding.
In 1933, he went to work for the Harris-Simpson Cattle Company managing the Laurel Leaf, the Wagonhammer and the Kohns ranches, all located in mid-northern Campbell County Wyoming. The Harris-Simpson Company would buy Matador cattle, shipping them to Moorcroft on the railroad. Jack and his crew would receive these cattle and trail them to these ranches to pasture.
While working on the Wagonhammer ranch Jack met a young school teacher. He and Hilda Raudsep were married on Nov. 15, 1941 in Miles City, Montana. They made their home on the Wagonhammer ranch until 1947 when they moved to the Kohns ranch. In 1951 they purchased this ranch where they raised their family and resided until their death.
Throughout his Life Mr. Simpson was active in agriculture in all areas. He took pleasure in riding a good horse, developing a good herd of cattle and sheep, was ahead of his time with grazing practices and livestock management. As a boy he was active in 4H. He had a keen knowledge of soil types and their ability to produce crops. He won many awards for his conservation practices.
He was a member of the Moorcroft Senior Citizen’s, the University of Wyoming Agriculture Scholarship Fund, the Agriculture Advisory Board, the Farmers Co-op Association board, Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service board, Soil Conservation District county committeeman, and National Association of Conservation Districts. He was also a member of the Powder River Basin Resource Council of which he served on the board and as chairman of the board.
Jack loved to read and enjoyed writing poetry. He was a true cowboy and stockman who took great pleasure in the wide open spaces. Of all his interests, his family was his first love. He lived the Code of the West, was a fair and honest man that was generous, humble and kind. He attributed his success to hard work. His faith is summed up best in the Cowboys Prayer.