This photograph ran in the BF Herald on August 14, 1975. The caption read:
“Trail boss Rocky Cartwright leads the pack mule out of camp in preparation for the morning work. The mule, loaded down with gasoline and the jackhammer, later decided to ‘go home’ when it became frightened by a red pack sack and annoyed by the weight of the jackhammer. The kitchen crew is finishing up as the Sierra service volunteers star the day’s work. (Herald photo)”
Wallace William (Rocky) Cartwright was born in 1918. He grew up and attended Valley View School. His start with horses began by going on roundups and capturing wild burros to break and sell to the US Government. He served in the US Navy and became a gunners mate 2C on the U.S.S. Minneapolis. He earned the name “Rocky” while blasting rock for the Pend Oreille Mining Co.
In 1954, Rocky moved his family to Naples, Idaho where he worked as a packer for the US Forest Service. He packed with a string of eight mules and one horse, retiring in 1978. He loved his horses and mules, and knew their likes and dislikes. Rocky called them all by name and shod and groomed them himself.
Rocky is remembered as a 5’4″ cowboy who always wore a black hat, cowboy boots and western shirts. His face and hands were tanned and weather-beaten from years of being outdoors and working. He could always be found drinking coffee. As, one of his dearest friends, Pat Hart, so aptly put it, “Rocky will never die, he’ll just run out of coffee.” (information from “History of Boundary County, Idaho Vol. 1”)
Reminder ~ Up-Coming Event: Grandview Cemetery Tour (Part 3), Saturday, August 23, 2025 at 1:00pm