February 26, 1949 – February 8, 2023
Lee “Butch” Stout was born in rural Rock County during the Blizzard of 1949, the oldest of six children. His mother, Helen, was flown by a neighbor in a small plane to a family member’s house to give birth, while his father, Lavern (L.L.), stayed at the ranch trying to care for the young couple’s cattle as they had sunk all they had into the ranch when he returned from Navy service in World War II. While Butch arrived on February 26, 1949, it would be almost three months before Helen and baby Butch were able to return to the ranch with L.L. This seemed to set the stage for a lifetime of perseverance and grit for Butch.
The family lived very modestly in a small house on the ranch, which was 45 miles south of Bassett and 47 miles north of Burwell. They did not have an indoor bathroom until Butch had already graduated from high school, nor did they have a television set throughout his time at home. Butch attended a one-room country school at the nearby Rock County district #55, and was responsible for making sure that his younger siblings made it there too. In 1954, tragedy struck the family as Butch’s younger brother, Tommy, was killed while the two boys were riding on a hay underslung pulled by their grandfather, Ebby Stout. Despite the hard times, Butch loved his childhood which was filled with riding horses, spending countless time in the hayfield, caring for and working cattle, and an occasional dip in the cool water of cattle tanks in the Nebraska Sandhills.
Being the oldest of the Stout kids, arrangements for Butch’s high school education were unclear when he graduated from 8th grade at his nearby country school. However, his dear Aunt Dee Sitz had purchased a house in Burwell and made plans to stay there during the school week with her oldest son, who was the same age as Butch. So, he moved in with his Sitz cousins and had the lifetime benefit of two families; the Stouts and the Sitz’s. He graduated from Burwell High School in 1967 and immediately went to work.
Butch was very proud of the fact that his great-grandparents on both sides homesteaded in the Sandhills and worked to build their ranches and herds through very difficult times. He was fortunate to know and work alongside his grandparents and parents, learning how to make almost anything work, as a quick trip to town wasn’t an option on the ranch.
Butch married his wife, Jeanne’ in 1969 while working for the McFadden Ranch in Loup county. They soon moved back to the Stout Ranch in Rock County and began their own herd of cattle and kids. He continued to ranch for himself and for other outfits as his four kids were born; Laura, Ronda, Scott and Jeff. He loved kids and was always happy to haul them along to check pastures or put them on a rake tractor in the hayfield. He was famous for teasing and when one of the kids would return to the pickup from shutting a gate, he would inevitably pull forward making the door handle just out of reach. This might go on for half a mile. Eventually, the family purchased a house in Burwell so that the kids could go to high school, and Butch traveled back and forth for the 47 miles to town or stayed at the “rustic” cow camp that featured a wood stove, outhouse and no running water. Many bitter winters were spent at the cow camp, as he looked forward to the kids traveling up North to help on the weekends as he calved 300-500 head of cows by himself each winter.
All the while, Butch was pursuing his passion for raising good ranch and arena horses. He raised all of the horses used on the ranch and eventually developed a program of Hancock bloodlines that had strong legs and feet, as well as the toughness and good mind that was needed on the ranch. He believed in doing everything on the ranch on horseback and passed that philosophy on to his kids and grandkids. He always said, “If you ride a horse you have two brains lookin out for you.” He was proud to raise enough good horses to get the ranch work done and to mount his kids and grandkids for their 4H and rodeo careers in barrel racing, pole bending, goat tying, breakaway roping, team roping, steer wrestling, calf roping, and he even turned out a couple pick-up horses for his family members that rode saddle broncs! Butch went on to offer sound and colorful horses for sale through consignment and private treaty. His program continues posthumously as his children manage his herd of brood mares and his favorite stallion, RS Drifting Blue Eli. His colts are sought after for their fair temperament, confirmation and versatility.
Butch never stopped working or living the cowboy lifestyle. He loved being around people, cattle and horses so he carved out time to work at the Burwell Livestock Market on Fridays. For 51 years, he worked horseback in the rain, wind, bitter cold or sunshine to bring millions of head of cattle from the back pens to the sale ring. He believed this experience made good horses, but he had his fair share of wrecks there too. At the age of 71 he called his daughter to bring some crutches to the sale barn as he knew some pushy cows had broken his leg. She waited for an hour for him to finish bringing cattle up so that she could take him to the emergency room to have his leg set.
In later years, he also worked at Kamp Kaleo near Burwell. He was a maintenance man and mower, but was best known for his practical jokes and compassion. He spent a lot of time driving hay rack rides for youth campers and also brought horses in for the annual special needs camp, so that those children could enjoy his passion for horses too.
Butch was an avid proponent of rodeo in all forms. He participated in and judged ranch rodeos, hauled his kids to youth and high school rodeos, and cheered for his grandkids as they participated in college and amateur rodeo associations. He served on the Board of Directors of Nebraska’s Big Rodeo in Burwell for thirty years, from 1980 to 2010. During this time he witnessed many changes including the addition of steer roping to the rodeo, helping to bring Canadian Chuckwagon races to Burwell, and he campaigned for continual raises in added money for the contestants. He helped out wherever he was needed at the Burwell Rodeo and his family looked forward to it as it was the one week during summer that they were able to take time off from the hayfield.
Butch cowboyed until his final days, continuing to ranch, ride horses and work at the Burwell Livestock Market until his death. He passed away just shy of his 74th birthday on February 8th, 2023. Even after his death, he continues to advocate for his beloved Sandhills by placing his Rock County pastureland in an LLC that is strictly managed and maintained as native pasture land that cannot be sold without the consent of all family members, ensuring that it will remain carefully curated for future generations. He believed that there was no greater place than the Nebraska Sandhills and felt a deep responsibility to preserve the land and its natural resources.
Butch felt that his children and grandchildren were his greatest accomplishment and strived to pass his values of hard work, humor, love for the Sandhills, and love for the cowboy way of life on to each of them by sharing his time, talent and wisdom. After all, the greatest gift that a cowboy can give is to pass along the way of life that has been so good for him.
Butch’s accomplishments include:
- Garfield County Frontier Fair and Nebraska’s Big Rodeo Board of Directors 1980-2010.
- Volunteer at Kamp Kaleo youth camp in Burwell, Nebraska 2009-2022.
- Interviewed by Carson Vaughan, freelance author, for the article, “A Green Glacier is Dismantling the Great Plains,” which was published in the “New York Times” as well as in several other print and digital publications.
- Photographed by National Geographic Photographer, Joel Satore, at Nebraska’s Big Rodeo and published in “Under A Big Red Sky: Nebraska.”
- Garfield County 4H Horse Superintendent for 10+ years.
- Attended Artificial Insemination training at Colorado State University and received certification in 1981, becoming an independent rancher who provided A.I. services in the area.
- Life member of the American Quarter Horse Association
As a third generation rancher in Rock and Garfield counties, Lee “Butch” Stout lived his life in promotion of the ranching lifestyle and modeled the values of hard work, preservation of the Sandhills, and the sustainability of the livestock industries in Nebraska. He was involved in ranching his entire life and worked in the industry until his passing.
Butch spent his life in promotion of the rodeo and horse industries in the state by serving as a Board of Director of Nebraska’s Big Rodeo for over thirty years and by developing his own program of ranch and rodeo horses. Butch was a life member of the American Quarter Horse Association, breeding and raising ranch and arena horses for himself, his family and for sale.
Butch believed whole-heartedly in promoting the Nebraska Sandhills and in the preservation of native prairie by advocating for the eradication of Eastern Red Cedar trees and by encouraging multigenerational ranching opportunities. Though he was an “old school” cowboy in almost every aspect of his life, he progressively planned his estate to ensure that his beloved Sandhills ranch would be maintained.
He lived to encourage future generations to embrace the rodeo and ranching lifestyles by encouraging his children and grandchildren to continue caring for Nebraska’s land and livestock and by thoughtfully ensuring that they would be able to do so. He made sure they had the opportunity to participate in all levesl of rodeo if they wanted to. He also faithfully shared his time, talents and love of horse flesh through youth camps for those with disabilities and special needs.