His Life Became a Legacy

Earl Eugene “Gene” Taber

June 13, 1939 - October 26, 2023

Shawmut, Montana

Photography by Kayla Walker and Pedersens Photography

Author’s Note:  On a beautiful fall day, Gene Taber welcomed myself, my mom, and my toddler son into his home for what could have been a quick, business-only interview for an article.  But that’s not Gene.  He basked in the opportunity to settle in for a long afternoon’s visit, only wrapping up in time to tend to his feedlot chores.  Gathered in their humble kitchen, we chatted about his life before heading outside to tour the reclaimed cabin and barn and check out his numerous restored vehicles.  Before parting, Gene invited us back into the house for tea, cookies and to peruse old photos.  To say he was “full of life” would be an understatement.  He radiated a joy for life that was infectious.  So, to hear that he suddenly passed just over 2 weeks later was completely shocking.  He was an iconic rancher who allowed those around him to believe he would last forever, and, though he has left us in this world, memories of him will live up to that very impression we all gathered from his energy.  

“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

While the old adage is one of merit, for most it falls short of reality. But the oft heard yet rarely achieved saying perfectly embodies Shawmut, Montana rancher Gene Taber.  Finally reaching the age where most would “slow down” or even retire, 84 year-old Gene just “isn’t ready to quit.”  In fact, while his wife of 56 years was on a recent fall tour of the eastern states, enjoying the phase of her life where breaks and vacations are feasible, Gene was more than happy to stay at the ranch. 

“I pay good money to not have to go,” he joked of Linda’s vacation with their daughter.  “I love what I do.  If I can just get on my horse and move cows, that’s all I want to do.”

And that’s exactly what he’s done for the entirety of his life.  Gene’s grandfather came to Montana from Missouri in 1911 and homesteaded on Fish Creek.  His father partnered with his granddad in purchasing some cows and Gene, like many in the era, grew up working alongside both men on the farm and ranch.

“Ever since I was ten, that’s all I wanted to do,” Gene said.  “I never even thought I would do anything else besides ranch.”

After graduating from Ryegate High School, Gene was drafted into the Army and served two years on the 82ndAirborne Division.  The fall he was drafted, his father had purchased a small place along the Mussellshell River, not far from the original homestead.  Both Gene and his brother wanted to maintain what their grandfather started, but there wasn’t room for both families on the same place.  His brother remained on the homestead and when Gene returned from the service in 1963, he settled into his lifelong goal of expanding the now-fifth generation Taber Ranch.  

Taber family photos by Pedersens Photography.

“I wanted to go out on my own and my dad said, ‘you can’t make it on your own, how are you going to pay for the land?’” Gene recalled with a laugh.  “I should have told him, ‘don’t worry, you’ll get it back anyway if I can’t,’ but I just said, ‘I don’t know, I’ll figure out something.’”

And so started a long road of bank notes and hard work for both Gene, and his new bride Linda.  While Gene was laboring from sunup to sundown, Linda was consumed raising their five children – all the while, both were pinching pennies in an effort to grow the ranch.     

“As long as we had food on the table, I could be satisfied,” Gene said.  “We struggled along for a lot of years, and it hasn’t gotten any easier till the last few.”

“It takes about 40 years,” Linda said with a hardy laugh.  “A lot of hard work.”

Since Gene began ranching, he has been continually expanding the land base and cattle numbers.  In fact, he said from the time he returned from the Army until the early 2000s, he was consistently making land payments as small parcels and opportunities continued to arise around him – both a blessing and a challenge.

“We had to borrow money for everything – the land, the operating expenses, and the bank owned the cows,” Gene said.  “You can’t make much headway, and if we did, we would try to increase our numbers or buy more real estate.”

Despite the struggle, Gene considered himself fortunate in more ways than one.  He “ran into a lot of good luck” with land purchases from neighbors who were willing to owner finance him.  More importantly, he was building a legacy that could be passed down to the upcoming generations and, as the adage goes, he loved every bit of the work.

“It took years and years, but we were doing what we wanted to do and that’s what mattered,” Gene said. 

He admitted that the long days of labor forced him to miss out on his childrens’ sports games and occasional milestones, “but they always knew they had a dad,” he said.  And while Linda said those were choices he had to make, finding help was a luxury they couldn’t afford at the time. 

“We couldn’t afford the help we needed and the help we could afford we didn’t need,” Gene joked.  “But on a ranch, you won’t fudge on the feed, or the cows, but we could fudge on the help.  I did what I had to do to keep it together, and I seemed to think I had to be there or it would all fall apart.” 

It all paid off and today, Gene still works daily on the ranch along with his son, Jimmy, and grandson, Dalton – the fourth and fifth generations who will continue the Taber Ranch for decades to come. When Dalton approached his grandfather about being a part of the family operation, Gene gave him a fair warning about the realities of ranching. 

“I told Dalton there’s not going to be much money, there’s just going to be the joy of operating your own place,” Gene said.  “Sure, you’ll eventually have something worth money, but not unless you sell it.  It’s all about priorities and what is really important to you. If you’re interested in ‘things,’ you’ll have to go get a town job because on a ranch, you won’t ever have a lot of ‘things’ and if you do, you will probably break the ranch.”

Gene said his son, Jimmy, Dalton’s dad, was well aware of those truths as he grew up with his four siblings in a three bedroom, one bathroom house which Gene and Linda still occupy today and saw how his parents worked to provide for them on a strict budget.  And obviously, having seen the homestead that started it all, Gene was accustomed to the humble lifestyle his career choice provided.  Looking back, even through his hardships, Gene would be quick to say he had it easy. 

“I thought we had a tough time, but it was nothing compared to what they did,” Gene said of the homesteading generation.

He said his parents were some of the few local homesteaders who were able to make a living in the unsettled area and he has since taken a keen interest in the history to learn “how they made it, or why others didn’t.”  It’s also sparked a desire in Gene to preserve as much of the past as possible, as evidenced by the old immaculate cabin in his yard, a relocated and fully restored horse barn, and a shed full of tractors and pickups from as far back as the 1930s which all still run today. His knowledge of the local history has only amplified his appreciation for what he has and what he’s passing along.  

“That’s how it should be, each generation shouldn’t start where the previous one did, it should get easier. Why would you borrow all that money and do all the work if you couldn’t pass this along? Some people aren’t as fortunate as I am and have put together a huge operation and no one wants it. I’m happy, I’ve done what I wanted to do,” Gene said with pride knowing his son and grandson will reap the benefits of his labors – labors he loved so much he “just won’t quit.”