It’s well-known in Wyoming ranch country that gender is irrelevant. Anyone who can do the job is a cowboy.
In the case of Matilda “Tillie” Mae Bock and her sister Clara, when their dad Julius “Jule” Bock needed cowboy help, they were the eldest children in the family and were the ones to saddle their horses and go to work.
Tillie was born Nov. 30, 1902, on the Double Spear Ranch in Weston County. This was land her father had homesteaded when he was 21 years old, the minimum age for a man to claim a homestead.
He built a cabin and proved up on his land while starting his family with wife Bertha.
Advertisement
Julius would eventually buy more homesteads and the YT Ranch, giving him property across a wide territory. Ultimately, he acquired 1,200 head of cattle and had 2,000 head of sheep.
Initially Julius, with Tillie and Clara to help, managed the operation. Later, other children assisted, and he also hired help, so he eventually had a crew of 20 men.
Tillie started school when she was only 4 years old. At that time, classes were held only during June, July and August, because of the winter weather being so severe. To get to the school, she and her six siblings either rode their horses or walked.
She Grew Up In The Saddle
Riding was second-nature for Tillie and she spent most of her childhood and adult life in the saddle.
This October she will be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame, joining her father in the elite group of cowboys in the WCHF. He was inducted last year.
Advertisement
All seven Bock children were born on the ranch.
Tillie and Clara being the oldest learned at a young age to carry their share of ranch work. They spent long days in the saddle, helping gather cattle and sheep during the roundups, and helping ship them on the railroad.
Weston County History reports both became “exceptionally good horsewomen at a fairly young age.” In fact, Tillie and her sister were featured at the Belle Fourche Roundup one year as “The girls from Newcastle who roped and tied steers.”
Family friend Joe Fordyce once said that, “If a guy had a horse that could not be broke or if the horse had bad habits, he recommended to anyone to take the horse to the Bock Sisters.”
Matilda “Tillie” Bock Sewell earned a reputation as being cowboy tough and a true Wyoming cowboy around Weston County. (Courtesy Candy Moulton)
Matilda “Tillie” Bock Sewell earned a reputation as being cowboy tough and a true Wyoming cowboy around Weston County. She was often with her sister Clara. (Courtesy Candy Moulton)
Cowboy Tough
Tillie married George Sewell in 1925. She continued to be actively engaged in the ranching business for many years in addition to raising her family of seven children.
Tillie had a succession of favorite horses and put many miles on each of them.
Advertisement
After her marriage, Tillie lived at the YT Ranch. Later, she and George worked on other ranches. When George died in 1949, she was left to raise their three children that were still at home.
Tillie and her children went through trying times, but they were cowboy tough. She recalled “many cold winter mornings, waking up and having to thaw the tea kettle that froze on the stove overnight.”
Tillie had learned cowboy work from her father and she instilled in her children, and grandchildren, the cowboy way. Her three sons also worked in ranching and farming.
Other Featured Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Famers:
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Joseph Rex Wardell Ran Cattle For 53 Years
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Frank E. Miller Rode The Range In Carbon County
Advertisement
Wyoming Cowboy Hall Of Fame: Kent Snidecor’s Not A Rancher, He’s A Cowboy
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Veteran Legacy & New Exhibit At Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Mickey and Bill Thoman, a Cowboy Couple
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: A Hamilton Cowboy Legacy
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Mary Flitner – My Ranch, Too
Advertisement
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Marion Scott, Campbell County Cowboy
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Pat Dew
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Marie Jordan Bell — Iron Mountain Cowgirl Who Earned Her Spurs
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Bill Francis, Cowboying in Jackson Hole
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Stepp Family Forges Way For Black Cowboys
Advertisement
Wyoming Cowboy Hall Of Fame: From Brush Creek to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame Saddles Up with Cowboy State Daily
34-Years Ago Sunday, Lane Frost Died At Cheyenne Frontier Days, Cowboys Remember
When a clinic closes in Wyoming, it doesn’t just close a door; it can cut off access to care for entire communities.
For many residents, getting to a health care provider already means traveling long distances across multiple counties, and local clinics are often the only nearby option for basic health care. With one Title X Family Planning clinic in western Wyoming now closed, the challenge is becoming even more real for many people.
Reproductive and sexual health care is a key part of overall health, but it’s often one of the first services people lose access to when clinics close. Title X Family Planning is a federal program that helps people get essential preventive care, no matter their income. These clinics offer services like birth control, cancer screenings, STI and HIV testing, and care before pregnancy. They help people stay healthy, catch problems early, and plan for their futures.
The need is real. Wyoming’s Title X Family Planning network remains a critical part of the state’s health care system, helping bridge gaps in both access and affordability. With 9 clinics currently serving communities across the state, these providers cared for nearly 12,000 patients through more than 28,000 visits between 2022 and 2025. For many, these clinics are their only source of care: 49% of patients were uninsured, and nearly half were living at or below the federal poverty level.
In a state where distance and cost can both be barriers, affordable care is essential. About 14.6% of Wyoming women ages 19–44 are uninsured, higher than the national average. Title X clinics help meet this need by offering low- or no-cost care, while also connecting patients to referrals and additional health services when needed, ensuring more individuals can get the care they deserve.
Advertisement
These clinics are also on the front lines of prevention. In recent years, they delivered more than 3,100 cervical cancer screenings and about 20,000 STI and HIV tests. Services like these support early detection and treatment, helping reduce the need for more serious and costly care down the line.
In rural states like Wyoming, once a clinic closes, it is very hard to bring it back. These clinics are more than buildings; they are part of the local health care system that keeps communities healthy.
The good news is that Title X Family Planning clinics are still open, working every day to serve their communities. The Wyoming Health Council supports this network of clinics and works to ensure that people across the state can access the care they need. Through partnerships, education, and community-based programs, the organization helps connect Wyoming residents to reproductive and sexual health services, no matter where they live.
In a state where distance, cost, and provider shortages all play a role, these clinics, and the work supporting them, are more than just a convenience. They are a lifeline.
To help sustain this work and protect access to care across Wyoming, consider making a donation to the Wyoming Health Council.
Advertisement
Donation Link: givebutter.com/WYTitleX
Required Federal Funding statement: This project is supported by the Office of Populations Affairs (OPA) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health (OASH) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award 1 FPHPA 006541-0-00 totaling $978,380 with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS or the U.S. Government.
PAID FOR BY WYOMING HEALTH COUNCIL This article is a promoted post. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the organization that paid for the article, and do not necessarily reflect the views, thoughts or opinions of Oil City News, its employees or its publisher. Please fill out this form if you would like to speak to our sales department about advertising opportunities on Oil City News.
CASPER, Wyo. — The Casper City Council voted Tuesday to approve on first reading a zoning change for a vacant 2.4-acre parcel located at 1530 SE Wyoming Boulevard, transitioning the property from residential to commercial use.
The ordinance reclassifies Lot 4 of the Methodist Church Addition from Residential Estate to General Business. Located between East 15th and East 18th streets, the irregular-shaped property has remained undeveloped since it was first platted in 1984.
While original plans for the subdivision envisioned a church and an associated preschool, Community Development Director Liz Becher reported those projects never materialized.
According to Becher, the applicant sought the rezoning to facilitate the potential installation of a cell tower or an off-premises sign. Under the new C-2 designation, a cell tower up to 130 feet in height is considered a permitted use by right, though any off-premises sign would still require a conditional use permit from the Planning and Zoning Commission. The applicant also owns the adjacent lot to the north, which the city rezoned to general business in 2021.
Becher said the change aligns with the “Employment Mixed Use” classification in the Generation Casper comprehensive land use plan. This designation typically supports civic, institutional and employment spaces.
Advertisement
Despite the new zoning, the property remains subject to a subdivision agreement that limits traffic access. Entry and exit are restricted to right turns onto or from East 15th Street, and no access is permitted from East 18th Street.
The council will vote on two more readings of the ordinance before it is officially ratified.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Two men were detained in Wyoming in connection with a fatal shooting at a downtown Salt Lake hotel that killed one man.
Carlos Chee, 23, and Chino Aguilar, 21, were both wanted for first-degree felony murder after the victim, identified as Christian Lee, 32, was found dead in a room at the Springhill Suites near 600 South and 300 West.
According to warrants issued for their arrest, Chee and Aguilar met with Lee and another woman at the hotel to sell marijuana. During the alleged drug deal, Aguilar allegedly shot and killed Lee after he tried to grab at his gun.
MORE | Shootings
Investigators said they found Lee dead in the room upon arrival, as well as a single shell casing on the floor and a small amount of marijuana on the television stand.
Advertisement
The woman told investigators she had met Chee on a dating app and that he agreed to come to the hotel to sell her marijuana. She had been hanging out with him in the room, which Lee rented for her to use, when Lee asked them to leave. Lee was then shot and killed following a brief confrontation.
Chee and Aguilar allegedly fled the scene in a 2013 Toyota Camry with a Texas license plate that was later found outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming just a few hours later.
The two men were taken into custody and detained at the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office.
