Bio: Dude, 1970-1985. Descriptor: A great pack trip to Yellowstone, great friends and the passing of Frank Galey.
Fleury’s Story: The love for the White Grass ranch all started with my late husband Don Mackie. In the early 40’s before WW2, Don worked on the ranch for the owner Marian Hammond and her son, Frank Galey. Marian came from Philadelphia, fell in love with a cowboy and proceeded to buy the ranch, that started the years of friendship with Frank. Don always complained that he always stole the beautiful Philadelphia girl dudes that came out every summer. Another tale was that Frank was such a great poker player that he was able to pay his tuition to Princeton University with his winnings. // Don and I went to White Grass every August starting in 1970. It was in the small town of Moose, Wyoming, Jackson Hole, which was nestled at the base of the Teton Mountains. It was always the high point of our summers. // During one particular summer I talked my friends Mike and Betsy Rea from Washington D.C to join us for a week at the ranch. Betsy was a beautiful blonde and Mike was a tough looking contemporary art collector. // We spent many evenings with Frank and his wife Nona, having night caps and listening to Frank tell tales of his adventures at the ranch. One particular evening, after many nightcaps, we decided with Frank’s encouragement, to take a 3-day pack trip to Yellowstone Park. Frank asked us if we had a preference as to which cowboys we’d like to take with us on this adventure. We chose Rick who played a guitar and sang great cowboy songs. The other cowboy we suggested was John, a little guy who was very amusing and told entertaining stories. We were told the night before we were to start on our trip, we could only bring 1 duffle bag per person. The man who gave us our orders was an ex staff sergeant who was the head wrangler and a tough old bird names Curly. He did not have a great sense of humor. We called him Curly Temple; of course he was completely bald. // The next morning we drove down to the coral with our gear. Betsy brought her hair dryer, tennis racquet and a golf club. I brought pillows, a duvet and a case of wine. We let Frank and the cowboys in on the joke but Curly was furious!! // We had a wonderful 3 days of riding in new territory, eating good food, drinking and listening to Rick entertain us on his guitar. Those boys told us some wild stories of their experiences on the ranch. // When we got back to the ranch, Frank asked us about our trip. We were ecstatic about the trip and the cowboys. Frank said,” Well I’m glad it worked out, because those two cowboys are the biggest boozers on the ranch!” // Another summer, we invited friends Percy and Nancy Wood, from Princeton to join us at White Grass for a week. Percy was a Psychiatrist and they both loved to ride. They had recently moved to San Cristobal in Chiapas, Mexico where they ran a beautiful guest house that offered 3 meals a day and riding. // Nancy was a Southern beauty and Frank was taken by her charm. One evening we were having nightcaps at Frank and Nona’s house that was filled with museum quality Indian rugs, baskets and pottery. Nancy had noticed some old saddles hanging on the banisters up stairs. Nona, who was not participating in this nightcap evening, was watching TV upstairs, she could be very anti social. // Nancy asked Frank if she could buy two of the saddles for her horse and guests in Mexico, stating that Mexican saddles were very uncomfortable, Frank feeling very generous at this point, after several vodkas said ” we never use them, so take them as a gift.” // All at once, a shrill voice came booming from upstairs. “No, you cannot have those saddles!” Thanks Nona! // Our 8 children came out at different timed during those years, and have many wonderful memories as well. // We made many ranch friends in our 16 years going to Wyoming. Dee Dee Wilson came from Miami and we bonded instantly. She was a good friend who I would always visit when in Florida. // One summer, Dee Dee’s daughter came to the ranch, having just separated from her husband. // One evening an architect friend of mine, John McFadyen, who designed the Snow King hotel in Jackson, was joining us for dinner at White Grass. He asked me to invite Manuel Lopez, who was the manager of that hotel as well. // As soon as Deborah and Manuel met, it was love at first sight. They live in Wilson, Wyoming with two handsome and charming sons Sebastian and Alexander Lopez. // Bill and Peggy Stout, from Los Angeles also became good friends. Bill was a news anchorman with CBS. Peggy was a top rider in the hunter, jumper world in LA. // In the summer of 1985 Frank Galey passed away. Because of the arrangement of the park, the ranch reverted back to Grand Teton National Park upon his death. // Frank’s final resting place is White Grass, a place he cherished. We were devastated by his death and the summer of 1985 on the ranch was a very sad time without Frank and knowing it would be our last at White Grass. // We were lucky enough to find another wonderful ranch named Trail Creek. It was run by an ex mountaineer and skier, Betty Woolsey. We went there every summer for 6 years. // Dee Dee Wilson and the Stouts followed us there and made it their new ranch. Peggy Stout even brought her horse named White Grass along. // Don loved to fly fish and loved the scenery even more. Even if he didn’t catch anything, he loved his day out in nature. // In the Spring of ’94, Don passed away. I felt it only fitting to return to Wyoming with his ashes to have a memorial. My dear friend Cal Reimers, a minister from Princeton joined me, to perform the memorial service. // It took place at the edge of the Snake River, in front of the Moose bar, where we frequent. Don’s ashes were spread from his cowboy boot into the Snake River. The celebration then continued on the deck of the bar with our friends Dee Dee Wilson, her daughter and son in law Debra and Manuel Lopez, Mugs, Doris Platt and Alex Menolascino from Trail Creek. A cowboy was there with his guitar and sang one of Don’s favorite songs, “The Street of Lerado”. We went to Don’s favorite Chinese restaurant in Jackson called The Lame Duck, run by Italians. // A fitting end to a beautiful memorial service for a man who showed me a Wyoming I will never forget. Fleury Mackie.