3 River's Edition

Dreams do come true. Switzerland native, Renata Peterson, will testify to this. Peterson took the summer job as rider/manager for Garden Creek Grazing Association which stretches across 35,000 acres of private, BLM and state land in the Ruby Range. Peterson is responsible for the care of 800 cattle as they graze on their summer range.

With leather gloves tucked in the front of her belt, a wide brim felt hat and cowboy boots scuffed from rocks, you could easily mistake her for a native Montana cowgirl. But as soon as she speaks, her Switzerland accent gives her away.

Renata's dream began to grow in spring of 1999 when she visited a friend Ruth who owned a cabin up Hench Creek out of Alder.
When I was young I never had any idea that I would marry anybody from this country, Peterson grinned, I was so sure that it would only be just a dream to go to the United States. It is so far away and I always heard that it is hard to get a visa. When I visited Ruth, I loved it so much; I came back in the fall. Thats when I met Andy. It was really clear. He is the one. I was not like an 18-year-old. I see everything, the pluses and the minuses. We got married on my birthday, May 11th 2002. So Andy needs to think only one date then.
Starting in June, Renata spent several months up McHessor Creek out of Twin Bridges, caring for the cattle.
It is a lot different here than where I grew up, Renata said, on a tiny dairy farm with seven cows. Somehow I always have good cow sense, so I'm thinking like a cow and that sure helps when you have to take care of those cows and move them. You can kind of read them, if they are ready, or if they want to go.
I was growing up on horseback. I got my first real ridable four legger when I was six years old. Before I was just jumping on every heifer and steer I could get my hands on. And I could get my hands on a lot of them when daddy wasn't around.
Renata's first profession was as a pharmaceutical assistant. She also worked in real estate. It is like here in the states, sometimes you just have to pick some stuff to make money. It is maybe not always your famous, favorite job, but you just do it.
Renata's next career, also far removed from cowgirl, was 13 years as a policewoman. I was the first woman on a special squad with ten men. I did this for 13 years. But after about two years, they started to put some more girls on my side. That is why I survived. That squad now has close to 400 police, with about one third of them being women. You can tell what is growing too- the crime.
Renata loves her country, but is happy with the vast, open spaces of Montana. You can put Switzerland close to ten times into the state of Montana, she said, "They sub divide some pastures and there are more and more houses. That was happening big-time in little Switzerland, so it was getting harder for the farmers to exist. And the government really started telling you how the barn is supposed to look for the cows. The guys here have some fights with the BLM and Forest Service Government but it is nothing compared to what it was in Switzerland. It's easier here and I like the bigger& thinking. I like having 800 cows instead of 7.
Renata's job is not easy, but she loves it. I moved to the cabin the first of June. I had to fix fences and repair stuff. It is a lot to do before the cows are coming. I had to do all the water lines, make the tanks ready from the spring. It is about 12 miles long from the spring and 13 water tanks. There are air valves and pressure reducers and switch things. You have to know where that stuff is and turn it off and on and back and forth so the tank gets water. When you move the cows in and out of pasture you have to turn them off and drain the tank and take some floats away and put it on another tank. It's like a labyrinth where you can get lost. Andy went with me and taught me how to change all the water stuff.
There is much more to do than chasing cattle. There is keeping the water lines up, keeping them clean. You have to go up where it starts, clean it out. There is an electric fence you always have to put up fresh and the elk tear them down.
You have to put salt stones out and loose salt. I've got 12 of these huge barrels. You put three 50-pound bags in each one.
When I got sick critters, I'm sure not cowboy enough. In Switzerland all the cows have names and you can holler and they come like pets. Here you have to rope them. I try to rope and when somebody is heading them, I can heel them when they are a little bit patient. When I've got some sick ones here, I have someone help me and I can doctor them together.
This has been a good year because of the rain. I remember those other years. You would just look at the food the cows were supposed to have and the only thing you could see were cactus and rocks and rattlesnakes.
No story about Renata would be complete without relaying her rattlesnake experience. I am not afraid of snakes but the rattlers are kind of special. I still think they are really nice snakes. They warn you before they bite. That year, 2002, we had so many rattlesnakes.
I had an older horse named Cody that was kind of my babysitter horse. I did a lot of roping on him and he was taking care of me when I had a critter on the rope. We rode up the bench and all of a sudden I heard the buzzing and I can't see. Cody made some funny sidesteps and stops, like he'd freeze. And I kicked him. I feel so horrible for that. I said, Come on and he would not do any steps. I looked down and saw the coils of the snake around his foot. I screamed, Andy & snake! He comes back and his eyes like tires and white faced. I gave him my knife. Cody was exactly on the head. Awesome horse. Andy cut right along Codys foot and the head was off and Cody had just the head under his hoof.
Andy and I work really good together. When we break horses, I do the kindergarten stuff with them and he does the high school stuff. Then I take them over again.
This fall we are planning to do some road trips, maybe visit a big ranch in Texas. We just have a good time together, Andy and I.