[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S3538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                90TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRIANGLE X RANCH

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I appreciate having this opportunity to 
share some news with the Senate about a very important anniversary we 
are celebrating in my home State. This is the year the Triangle X 
Ranch, one of our State's great attractions, is marking its 90th year 
of operation.
  As you can imagine, the Triangle X has quite a story to tell of those 
90 years. It began in the early 1900s when a visitor fell in love with 
an especially beautiful area of Wyoming. It continues to this day, its 
90th year, cared for over the years by five generations of the Turner 
family.
  The people of my home State have a great fondness and appreciation 
for the Triangle X because it reminds us of our Western heritage and 
our love of the land and all it provides. It reminds us of our growth 
as a State and what it was like to live in Wyoming back in those days.
  The Triangle X Ranch Web site tells the story of the ranch. It 
begins, back in the early 1900s, when John and Maytie Turner liked to 
take ``fun vacations,'' as they called them, to Yellowstone National 
Park. It was during one of those visits they had a chance to see an 
area around Jackson Hole for the first time. It was one of those 
storybook encounters--or to put it another way: love at first sight.
  Life was a lot tougher back then, so when they decided to make the 
area their home, they had to bring their sons back with them to get 
things started. It took a tremendous effort to build their home so they 
would have a place to stay. Even today, it is hard to imagine what an 
effort it took for them to live what had become their dream.
  For starters, they had to bring the logs from some felled trees to 
their home site so they could build the basement of what would become 
their home. Once that was done, they had a place where they could live 
while they built the rest of their house.
  Everything was difficult. Providing for the essentials they needed 
took planning and some time. Just taking a trip to the nearest town 
took several days. They had to grow or produce their own food, and 
while they were at it, they had to come up with ways of making 
something of a living.
  This paragraph from the history section of their Web site says a lot 
about what their life was like back then for them and for many of those 
who had left the comforts of home and traded them for the great freedom 
and excitement of Wyoming and the West: ``Because there was no 
electricity, wood supplied heat and kerosene lamps brought light to 
interiors. Refrigeration was provided by large chunks of ice that had 
been cut from nearby beaver ponds in the winter and stored in piles of 
sawdust to keep through the summer. A fresh meat supply was provided by 
the Turners' cattle herd, chickens and big game harvested in the fall. 
Surprisingly, most of these methods of supply continued through the 
1940s.''
  The next generation saw more changes to the ranch. It was now a dude 
ranch. Their Web site describes how it became an ``authorized 
concession of the National Park Service--the last dude ranch concession 
within the entire National Park system.''
  Today, a fifth generation of the Turner family is working the ranch 
and greeting guests, both new and returning friends, the lifestyle 
their family has loved for all these years. As each guest comes to the 
Triangle X, they receive the kind of education you just can't get from 
watching a movie or reading a book. You are immersed in a lifestyle 
that provides you with a front row seat to what life was like in the 
days of the old West.
  As you can tell, I enjoy talking about the people of Wyoming, our 
businesses, and our unique brand of hospitality. I can't encourage you 
strongly enough to come to Wyoming and get a taste of what life was 
like back in the days when the West was the best part of our national 
heritage--and you will see that it still is. When you come to my home 
State, you might stop by the Triangle X and then explore some more of 
Wyoming and the West.
  Our homegrown businesses are one of the special things about Wyoming. 
Together, they form the backbone of Wyoming's economy and they keep us 
headed in the right direction. They are the strength of Wyoming and the 
West, and they are one of the reasons why people keep flocking to 
Jackson and the other cities and towns of Wyoming.
  I will close by once again congratulating all those who are a part of 
the Triangle X story. They have made a difference in our State and in 
the lives of all those who come to visit. I would also like to invite 
my colleagues to come and see my home State. You can't beat our scenic 
beauty, hospitality, and our history and legacy as a State. I can 
promise you that you will have an adventure in Wyoming that you will 
remember for a long time to come.
  Thank you.

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