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Cowboy for Christ

Wes Walton Lives and Shares His Faith in the Wilds of Wyoming and Beyond

 

Wes Walton wanted to do his mother proud.  It was 1972, and she was on her deathbed.  Wes had just gotten his first rodeo check, and he brought it to her, hoping it would lift her spirits and show that he’d become a man. But when he gave her the piece of paper, the reaction wasn’t what he expected. No smile; no word of congratulations. Instead, she handed the check back to him—and made a last request: she wanted her son to begin living his faith, to dedicate his works to the Lord. He promised to do as she asked. And a ministry was born.

 

Let’s put the cards on the table—Wes Walton wasn’t sure he wanted to do an interview for this story.  “I’m really trying not to promote myself and to stay in the shadows,” he wrote in an email. The term “humble man of God” is pretty clichéd nowadays, but it fits Wes like a good pair of boots.  So let’s say that this isn’t about Wes Walton, the man—it’s about how faith can change and mold lives, with the West serving as both a centerpiece and a backdrop for God’s work.

 

That being said, you should know a few things about Wes. He lives part of the year in Wyoming, and spends the winter in Arizona. He’s always got a smile on his face and a good word for whomever he runs into. There’s joy here, whether he’s working with kids at his ranch or leading Cowboy Church or running a mounted shooting course.  It’s a joy born of his faith in God—and a joy he spreads to those around him.

 

The Backstory
Wes says the faith has always been there; he was raised by good parents in a God-fearing home where church on Sunday was a given. He started out in southern California, but his mother’s folks were from Oklahoma, where his grandfather raised Palominos. Wes wanted to follow in the bootsteps of his uncle, a rodeo cowboy—but, as noted earlier, that didn’t impress his mother. The promise he made to her changed things, gave him a clear purpose in life. So he went to a small Bible school in the Adirondacks of upstate New York for a couple of years—and that’s where the idea for Lone Tree Bible Ranch was born.

 

“During the summers, the students at the school would work with inner city kids who would come up from New York. And we’d share the Gospel with them. But they got a chance to ride horses, and they loved that. We really liked the thought of putting kids in a 24/7 Christian environment where they could enjoy the outdoors.”

 

Lone Tree Bible Ranch
So he and a partner picked a place in Wyoming—outside the town of Glendo—and got things rolling around Thanksgiving of 1974.  “We had no money, just lots of ambition. And God came through for us; we got a lease for some land with an option to purchase.” Buildings were constructed, and the first camp session welcomed 30 youngsters, mostly from Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska, that next summer. Most already attended church.

 

Now, each one-week summer session, June through August, has up to 300 campers. Many are unchurched and come from inner cities from California, or Chicago. They live in poverty and around violence and crime. Street kids.  Gang members, in some cases.

 

“If we’d known how big it would be, well, I’d have probably turned and ran,” recalls Walton. “But God grew us as people as the ranch grew. God makes the willing, able. We were willing—and God let us go along for the ride.”

 

Lone Tree is much bigger today than 30 years ago.  The main area has a lodge, several bunkhouses, a chapel, and an old stone house. Then there’s the fort, built just down the river, which includes four stockade houses, another chapel, some tree forts, and a large dining hall. As you can imagine, Walton gives all the credit to God for making it happen.

 

With all that success, it’s hard to believe that Wes wasn’t sure he was up to the task during those early years, trying to help the kids. “But what they really need is love, to feel like somebody cares about them. We can provide them with lots of fun—rafting, trail riding, camping, rappelling—but love is much more important.”

 

“It amazes me that in Nowhere, Wyoming, God has done his work. Pastors who bring kids here tell me, ‘This is the only time in the year that my kids get to experience God.’ We don’t really understand it. But Lone Tree is a special place where kids get out of their normal worlds and all the distractions. They get to experience success in the activities and discover inner strength. And God’s hand is at work in that.”

 

The surroundings play a part, too. Many of the kids know nothing beyond concrete and steel and streetlights. One camper got up early to watch a sunrise for the first time in his life. He said, “I’ve never seen anything like that before. Only God can do something like that.”

 

Lone Tree is not just for kids. Adult retreats are held throughout the warm months.  And a second annual Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association camp is planned for June 29 through July 5.

 

Mounted Shooting and Cowboy Church
Wes was turned on to mounted shooting around 1996: “It’s like we were born to it. It’s like every man’s dream, to ride a horse full out and shoot a gun. It’s like being a kid again.”

 

And Wes is good at it, too. He’s won some matches over the years, and he was the 1999 points champion cowboy. Even today, he’s rarin’ to go—his body is healed up and he says he’s got the best horse that he’s had in a long time.  But…in the next sentence, Wes says that’s all fine and good, but the chance to talk with folks about God is the important part.

 

Back in 1996, Wes held the first Cowboy Church at a state shoot in Wyoming. He asked to hold similar services at other matches, and before long the Cowboy Church was a staple on the circuit (Wes usually rotates duties with Randy and Heidi Gunn).  In some ways, Wes is amazed by its success: “Just the fact that they come to it. They should be warming up their horses. They could be going to breakfast. They could be doing hundreds of other things. But people still want God.”

 

Walton knows some other reasons why people attend. Many are hurting, he says, and need something that will comfort them. There’s the good feeling of being among other like-minded folks. But he also believes that Christianity holds a special appeal for this group.  “I really liken cowboys to the early followers of Jesus, to the disciples. The apostles were considered barbarians, out of the mainstream. They didn’t always follow the laws of society and the Jewish leaders. And cowboys are just as independent, and a strong breed. Like those early believers, they’ll run the gauntlet for something they believe in.” It’s a feeling Wes knows quite well.

 

Winters in Arizona
Wes and wife Bobbie head south for the winter, to a place just outside Wickenburg, Arizona. You’d think that might be a time to relax, recharge the batteries, and get ready for the next busy season.  You’d think wrong.

 

Wes travels around, speaking to groups and churches about the Word. You see, Cowboy Church isn’t just a mounted shooting thing. In many out of the way areas, it’s a regular part of life.

 

“I was asked to speak to a group of folks over at the Tonto Basin.  And I didn’t know what to expect. A hundred people showed up.  I thought I was going to talk for fifteen minutes or so. I ended up speaking for an hour and a half, and they still wanted to hear more. There were folks from many denominations…and all came to this Cowboy Church. Some came right after attending their own church.  There’s just a real hunger for what Cowboy Church offers. The Lord really touches their hearts.”

 

Benediction
As Wes Walton and I conclude our conversation, he’s still a bit concerned about how this article is going to turn out.  The Word is most important, and he doesn’t want his story or accomplishments to somehow overshadow that.  I didn’t know exactly how to say it then, but after some thought, here’s my response:

 

Wes—there are times when a person’s story and character and works are a living testament to the lessons taught in the Bible. They don’t obscure; they illuminate. So don’t worry about it, at least too much. 

 

Oh, and you’ve made good on that promise to your mother—I’m sure she’d be proud of the man you became.
For further information, check out the website www.lonetreebibleranch.com

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