Getting three trucks and two horses stuck in the mud on "a good road" into BC's wild, remote interior was just the start of Bruce Watt's hilarious adventures—and it was his honeymoon, too. When the newly married Watt moved there in 1948 to take up ranching, he was a just a kid in his early 20s. He and his wife fell in love with Big Creek, three hours southwest of Williams Lake, and its wildlife, beautiful landscapes and quirky, down-to-earth people. Despite the tough work and difficult conditions, they put down roots and stayed, raising a family of five, along with herds of cattle and horses.

This consummate storyteller tells it like was—and still is, perhaps, for many still making this place home. Bruce's hilarious stories of chasing horses and getting five kids off to school (until they were a ripe eight or nine years old and could drive themselves) have a charm all their own. These yarns capture the adventure and especially the humour of running a ranch—roping cougars, having close calls on cliff edges and all the other "usual" accidents. Watt's cowboy honesty and campfire-style storytelling are irresistible.

BC Cowboy Hall-of-Famer Bruce Watt grew up in the Fraser Valley and moved to the Big Creek area of the Chilcotin in 1948. Rodeo was a big part of his life, and he competed in rodeo events until he was in his late seventies. A consummate storyteller and a man of many jokes, Bruce had a fantastic ability to see the humour in most situations. He always derived great pleasure from the people and animals around him, and his hearty laugh was second only to his thunderous sneeze. Bruce passed away in 2013.

Bruce Watt's profile page