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Despite the miseries of cold weather andbad roads, Angus breeders made it a

point to show up in strong numbers at theNational Western Stock Show (NWSS) thisyear.

After all, it was the continuation of 101years of tradition, a tradition that was startedby Colorado cowboys along the South PlatteRiver a century ago, and continues today as a

worldwide focal point for the internationallivestock industry.

Back in the 1960s, when Kevin Nickelmade his first trip to Denver, Colo., he wasawestruck by what he saw. As a kid growingup near Big Timber, Mont., he wasn’taccustomed to the feverish activity in thehistoric stockyards and on the “Hill.” Therewere cattle everywhere. There were people

from every corner of the country. And therewas an energy radiating from the “cattlecapitalism” that surrounded him.

“I remember arriving in Denver, with allits tall buildings and the traffic, and thentopping the hill and seeing the stockyards,”says Nickel of G Bar H Cattle Co., aregistered Angus ranch near Veteran, Wyo.“It was an amazing sight. The pens went on

forever and ever. The train cars wereparked along the tracks, and therewere hundreds of people streamingthrough the alleys.”

Of special significance was theold Livestock Exchange Building,which still anchors the yards on itssouthern side. It represented themagnitude and historicalsignificance of this place.

“That old building has alwaysfascinated me — the history andthe people who once worked there,”Nickel says. “I never got to see thestockyards during its heyday, but itwas always easy to imagine what itmust have been like when we werethere for the Stock Show.”

Later on, Nickel’s dad worked forthe Wyoming Hereford Ranch(WHR), when WHR brought oneof the largest show strings in thecountry into Denver.

There was a lot of work to be

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Stock Show Reflections CONTINUED FROM PAGE 197

@Above: “I never got to seethe stockyards during its hey-day, but it was always easy toimagine what it must havebeen like when we were therefor the Stock Show,” saysKevin Nickel of Veteran, Wyo.He and his wife, Jackie, makeit a point to return every year.

@Right: Pen bull success waspunctuated by having theirtrailer impounded and get-ting lost in the yards the firstday for Bud Koupal (left) andhis son, Joey. Despite it all,they’ll be back next year.

NWSS Eric Reflections 03.07:featuere 2/9/07 3:07 PM Page 0198

done, but Nickel found time to break awaywith his friends to explore the old yards. Onmore than one occasion, they snuck onto thewalkway that connected the old yards withthe Swift & Co. packing plant. And highabove the ground, he could see the broadexpanse of pens that stretched toward theeastern horizon.

“We weren’t supposed to crawl up there,but we’d walk the length of it and make ourway into the old plant,” Nickel recalls. “Theyards gave us a lot of opportunity to be kids,to explore things. We probably looked atthings that we shouldn’t have.”

Kevin’s wife, Jackie, grew up in the Angusbusiness on the eastern Wyoming plains. Herfamily, who founded G Bar H, exhibitedpens of 20 feeder calves in the early 1970s.

“I can remember how they had the cattlestalled from one end of the stockyards to theother,” she says. “We bedded our cattle onstraw instead of chips, and sold our calvesbefore we went home.”

For the Nickels, who took first in theirclass in the pen bull show this year, theNWSS has come to represent two things:

First, it’s a good chance to promote theirupcoming Angus sale.

“The commercial producer doesn’t comeand buy bulls in the yards like he used to,”Jackie says. “Most of the people who exhibitthere have their own sales now, and we take

our best bulls there to promote our sale, notsell them.”

Second, and most importantly, the NWSSis a great place to see old friends.

“One of the main reasons we go backevery year is to just see old friends,” Kevinadds. “There are so many friends we’ve madethere over the years, and the only time we getto see them is at Denver. We get to look attheir cattle, and see how they’re progressing.”

First-time successA few years back, Bud Koupal made his

first trip to Denver. It was a fast and furiousexpedition. Driving all night, he arrived justin time the next morning to take in theAngus show. When it was over, he hopped inhis vehicle and drove home the next night. Itwas a 1,300-mile round trip, and he coveredit in little less than 48 hours.

This year, the Koupals, who own KoupalAngus of Dante, S.D., planned to exhibittheir own cattle at the pen and carloadshows, so Koupal sent his son, Joey, and agood friend to Denver a few days ahead of

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@Left: Jessica and ChanceSimpson huddle beneath amakeshift tent in the yards.Despite the frigid tempera-tures, the kids returnedhome more inspired thanever before to be in the cat-tle business.

@Below: Ultimately, the Na-tional Western Stock Showis about the future, says BillSimpson, pictured with hisdaughter Jessica, 3.

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time, so they could make the necessarypreparations and ensure the cattle would beready.

“People told us we’d better go down andtake a look around before we showed. But wethought we’d try it out and meet somepeople,” Koupal says. “This business is moreand more about public relations all the time,and we thought we could attract somecustomers to our sale.”

Bud underestimated the size of the yards,however, and spent much of his first daywandering around trying to find his cattle.

“I got my directions mixed up,” he quips.“I had no idea there were so many cattle inthere.”

His trailer also didn’t fare very well. Theyparked it next to a bank in the hotel parkinglot, only to find out later that it had beentowed off and impounded. It took $160 toget it back.

“The hotel was right in the middle ofDenver,” Koupal says. “Our kids are right outof high school. You can guarantee they gottheir education that week.”

Despite the problems, everything workedout well. The Koupals took first in their class,despite the fact they were Denver rookies.They plan to come back next year.

“It was quite a show,” Koupal adds. “It wasa great experience for the kids.”

It’s about the futureBill Simpson made it a point to take his

three kids — Cody, Chance and Jessica — fora walk on the catwalk, high above the Denverstockyards.

As the broad expanse unfolded beneaththeir feet — the hundreds of pens of cattle,the buzz of preparation, and the low rumbleof coal trains passing down the tracks — heknew his kids had caught the bug.

Awestruck, Cody turned to his dad andgasped, “Dad, this is awesome.”

The Simpsons, who run a small herd ofAngus cows and operate a meat business, hadtraveled from their home near Bend, Ore., tohelp their friends in Denver as they preparedfor the Angus pen shows.

Simpson hoped the kids would be inspiredenough by what they saw to bring their owncattle back in 2008.

“I made it to my first stock show about 17years ago, when I was on the Chico StateUniversity livestock judging team,” Simpsonsays. “The show was impressive. Like theCheyenne Rodeo, it’s the granddaddy ofthem all.”

The family spent nearly a week in the frigidyards, battling not only snow but also sub-zerotemperatures. The kids made it through everyday but one (a day they chose to visit theDenver aquarium instead) and stayed bundledup in three and four layers of clothes. Theyeven constructed a makeshift tent in their penwhere they could stay a little warmer.

“When the kids got home, theyimmediately went to the barn, grabbed theirhalters and put them on their heifers,”Simpson says. “They’re jacked up.”

For Simpson, the Stock Show isn’t just acelebration of the past; what matters most isthe good things it does for kids.

“Stock shows are where kids build thefoundation of their life — the hard work, thededication, the preparation it takes to excel,”Simpson says. “If they can learn to do thosethings, they can do anything they set out todo later in life.

“It’s amazing when you think about all ofthe hard work that comes with showing cattleat Denver, even before you get there,” hecontinues. “Then you hang out in 12-belowtemperatures, and not whine or cry becauseyou’re cold. That takes a lot of dedicationfrom kids these days. I think that the kidsunderstood that it was a big deal, that it’sabout a way of life, that it’s really bigger thanyou can ever imagine.”

@The NWSS offers breeders a chance to promote upcoming Angus sales.

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