Casey Wiley
Bossloper #1965
It
was the year 1957 that I was born to a pair of 2nd generation
homesteaders in Central Montana. Being
raised on a farm and ranch molded my lifestyle, not afraid to work and being
very adventurous. I was the youngest of five children so I had a lot of guidance
from my older siblings. Having land along the Teton River was great because of
all the hunting, fishing and trapping that my brothers and I would do. It is sad
now for at times there is no water running down the riverbed and the beaver have
long left for greener pastures.
It wasn’t until I graduated from high school that left the rural life.
I spent two years in Rapid City South Dakota and then one year in Bozeman
Montana furthering my education. Then the adventure bug struck, I went to Alaska
for almost a year. Working construction and driving truck I was able to see
about everything that you are able from a road. Then an opportunity to travel to
Africa came up so I returned to Montana to prepare for the trip overseas. The US
Government cut the funding for the African adventure so I was stranded back at
the farm.
Then I met a gorgeous lady named Cheryl and we started a wonderful
family. We had two daughters that we spent a lot of time in the outdoors with.
Camping was our number one pastime so it was up to the mountains every chance
that we had. I also left the rural life again and started to work at Coca Cola,
I have been there for 23 years at this time.
After the girls left home (and also probable my age) I started to reflect
about all the times that I had spent out in the outdoors. The land that I had
grown up on and the river breaks that I hiked so many times seamed to hold a
unique history. I was traversing land that explorers, trappers and river man had
crossed not many years before me. Yearning to find out more about this history I
joined the Lewis and Clark Honor Guard in 1998 and still an active member at
this time. The portrayal of early history is exciting to me, learning how the
explorers survived and their techniques has been an eye opener to me. This is
why the AMM is of great interest to me, it starts right after the explorers came
through and their lifestyle is somewhat different. The trappers had a unique
lifestyle that I am interested in. And the Manuel Lisa Party has a membership
that has a vast knowledge of this time period. I am greatly appreciative for
them to have asked me to join their Party.
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