Victor and Jo Mack

Published in Rendezvous Pointe Newsletter, April, 2007

(Pinedale Wyoming Senior Center)

Victor Mack was born July 6, 1926, at his grandparents’ homestead west of Muddy Creek, & north of the Buckskin Crossing of the Big Sandy River. The day he was born his older sister had been shown a porcupine. She thought the porcupine was a ‘way bigger deal’ than a baby brother. When Victor was very young, the family moved to a ranch on the New Fork River where Wild Horse Ranches is today. He was there until he was 18 and went into the Navy. He remembers one summer on the New Fork when he had 5 horses broke and was feeling good about not having to ride any broncs for awhile, when Ralph Hicks came along and bought all of them. He remembers in 1950 selling 100 head of horses to get them off the desert. A mink farm paid 3cent/pound for the lot.

Jo Mack’s family had property in the Hoback Basin since 1948. Vic, Sr’s family had been using the Basin for summer range since the late 1930s. Jo & Vic, Sr. met there in 1951. Jo had to go back to California, so that winter Vic found himself at her parents front door. He said, “I liked what I saw and I wanted another look”. They had many treasured excursions while in California.

After they were married in 1952, they lived in the Hoback Basin. Later Victor worked on a pipeline crew and in 1964 they started their ranch outside of Riverton. They raised Herefords, “the best kind” Jo added, for 20 years near Riverton. During this time the AIM movement was active and they were neighbors to the Reservation. Jo remembers driving the road to Lander and there were glass bottles across the road. They steered around them. Jo said, “We dared not stop”.

After their 2 children, Vic, Jr and Joni were out of school, Jo and Victor bought the Frank Ball ranch between Daniel and Marbleton. Their Riverton ranch was on reclamation land and as Victor said, “the water cost as much as a Cadillac each year”. Since they already had a ranch & summer range in the Hoback Basin, headquartering their operations in Sublette County was a good, economic move. Vic, Jr moved over here with his parents and helped run their new ranch. When Victor & Jo sold the Ball Place in 1992, Vic, Jr with his wife, Lucy, and daughter, Megan, found a smaller ranch near Farson. Victor & Jo kept their Bondurant home & bought a ‘winter house’ in Pinedale. Victor & Jo’s daughter, Joni, lives with her husband at Hoback Junction.

Jo is an accomplished artist and has been painting for 40-50 years. She always did like to draw and specializes in detailed animal life. She said, “I love animals”. Her media of choice is acrylics. She used to paint in oils but eventually she couldn’t stand the smell of the solvents and oil.

Jo and Victor cherish the time they spend at their Bondurant home. In winter they live in Pinedale & enjoy lunch at Rendezvous Pointe. Jo often shares her artwork for this newsletter cover.

By Judi Myers