Working the Ranch in Montana
Following in the footsteps of her ancestors, Megan herds cattle on a 2,000 acre ranch in Montana.
August 29, 2015
Jia Han Dong’s passion for photography started more than 30 years ago in high school. “No two people see this world in the same way,” he says. “In this digital age, it is crucial that we document those lifestyles around us that will soon disappear.”
Megan works at Crazy Mountain Cattle Company, a 2,000-acre ranch in Montana, near the small town of Big Timber on the Boulder River.
Her job is to take care of the cattle. Every morning, she gets up early and lets the ranch’s 20 or so horses out of their barns, then drives its herd of a few hundred cattle to fresh pasture.
If she ever needs help, Rick, the ranch’s owner, pitches in. She earns $800 a month plus free meat and accommodation in a trailer home.
Megan spends most of her evenings in the trailer making saddles, a craft practiced by her family for generations. She has only recently starting using a computer and even now doesn’t have her own email address.
Occasionally her boyfriend comes to visit for a day or two when he has a few days off.
Megan loves both her job and her horses. “There is nothing better than spending all day with horses and having somebody paying you for doing that,” she says.
Text and photographs by Jia Han Dong
Megan in the living room of her trailer. On the right is a partially completed saddle she is making.
After a night of heavy rain, Megan rides across a creek to make sure the water isn’t too deep for cows to cross.
Jia Han Dong’s passion for photography started more than 30 years ago in high school. “No two people see this world in the same way,” he says. “In this digital age, it is crucial that we document those lifestyles around us that will soon disappear.”The Other Hundred is a unique photo-book project (order here) aimed as a counterpoint to the Forbes 100 and other media rich lists by telling the stories of people around the world who are not rich but who deserve to be celebrated.
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