Growing up on the state’s largest bison ranch south of Gillette, Wyoming, Erin Flocchini had a wonderful childhood. Starting with an unusual teething toy.

“You know how they make those little plastic, not toys, but like chewing things for babies, and they put them into the freezer and then give them to babies while they’re teething?” she told Cowboy State Daily. “Well, ours used to be buffalo bones. They’d put a bone in the freezer from a steak or whatever that they’d cook. And, when we were teething, we’d get buffalo bones for our teething treats.”

It’s a childhood tale Flocchini has found few can top. But it’s also one she used to take for granted.

“I wasn’t real into ranch life when I was a kid,” she admitted. “Which I now regret when I see young kids driving tractors and fencing and doing all that. I mean, they might not think it’s fun. But I think it’s fun now.”

Flocchini remembers making fun of people who pulled over on the side of the road to take pictures of her family’s bison. It just seemed odd to her that people would take photos of something she saw every day. 

“And then I grew up and found out that not everyone has bison in their backyard,” she said.

Or so many of them. 

At 55,000 acres and a herd that has ranged as high as 5,000 head at times, Wyoming’s Durham Ranch is among the largest and oldest bison operations in America. Their bison were also sourced from Yellowstone National Park, making each steak from one of these magnificent beasts a unique slice of Cowboy State history.

Flocchini doesn’t laugh anymore when she sees tourists pulling over on the side of the road to photograph her family’s bison. She’s come to realize just how cool that really is.

“Now, every time I see them, it brings joy to my heart,” she said.

Pat Thompson looks at a bison and talks about the Durham Ranch during a tour with Cowboy State Daily.Pat Thompson looks at a bison and talks about the Durham Ranch during a tour with Cowboy State Daily. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)The pun at the Durham Ranch's gift shop invites guests in to browse memorabilia, or buy some bison meat.The pun at the Durham Ranch’s gift shop invites guests in to browse memorabilia, or buy some bison meat. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)Petting the fluffy cows is still unwise at the Durham Ranch where about 2,000 bison descended from Yellowstone National Park stock roam free. But tourists can buy one of these stuffed bison to pet instead in the Durham Ranch's gift shop.Petting the fluffy cows is still unwise at the Durham Ranch where about 2,000 bison descended from Yellowstone National Park stock roam free. But tourists can buy one of these stuffed bison to pet instead in the Durham Ranch’s gift shop. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)This little barn or shed greets visitors to the Durham Ranch south of Gillette, where around 2,000 head of bison roam. The ranch ships its meat all over the country.This little barn or shed greets visitors to the Durham Ranch south of Gillette, where around 2,000 head of bison roam. The ranch ships its meat all over the country. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)These signs were misprinted, but the family kept them anyway, and now they've become historic.  The Flocchini family actually bought the Durham ranch in 1965. Buffalo were already on the ranch when they purchased it.These signs were misprinted, but the family kept them anyway, and now they’ve become historic. The Flocchini family actually bought the Durham ranch in 1965. Buffalo were already on the ranch when they purchased it. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)A mural of the Durham Ranch is painted on one of the sheds.A mural of the Durham Ranch is painted on one of the sheds. (Renee Jean, Cowboy State Daily)Arrow leftArrow right The Wright Family Homestead

The Durham Ranch was first homesteaded by the Wright family, from which the nearby town also takes its name. 

R.A. Wright opened the area’s first post office sometime in 1906, according to Wright family descendant Nolene Wright, so she believes the ranch probably existed by at least then, too.

It didn’t become official though, until 1911, which is when the homestead paperwork was filed.

There’s also a pretty cool historic rock house that was built in the early 1900s, which is just one of the historic buildings still on the ranch. 

It’s not entirely clear who brought bison to the ranch, but Flocchini’s family history maintains that the bison had already arrived when ancestor Armando Flocchini Senior bought the ranch in 1965.

Armando immigrated to America from Italy in the late 1800s and made his living as a butcher in San Francisco. Eventually, in the 1930s, he bought the Durham Meat Company. Then, when he bought the Wright family homestead in 1965, he renamed it the Durham Ranch, to match his meat business.

Premium specialty meats were Armando’s focus then, something the family has continued until the present day, eventually buying Sierra Meat and Seafood in Reno, Nevada.

Sierra Meat sources all its unique products — elk from New Zealand, wild boar from Texas, bison from Wyoming — from small family ranches that follow sustainable, regenerative agriculture practices, and who prioritize the health of the land and its animals.

Erin’s father, John Flocchini, sums it up this way. What makes animals happy on the Flocchini family’s side of the fence makes customers happy on the other side of that fence.

The Durham Ranch sells its meat all over the country.

“We’re in all 50 states,” Thompson said. “But everything that is born on the ranch stays on the ranch, until the day they go to slaughter.”

The meat is processed in Colorado then marketed through Sierra Meat, which handles getting the product on all of the best fine-dining plates in America.

Several Wyoming restaurants also carry meat from the ranch. In the local area, these include Pokey’s Barbecue and Smokehouse in Gillette, Hank’s Roadside Bar and Grill in Wright, the Prime Rib Restaurant and Wine Cellar in Gillette, 77 Steakhouse and Saloon in Hulett, and the Open Range Steakhouse in Wright. 

There are also a number of restaurants in Jackson and other places across Wyoming that carry bison meat from the Durham Ranch bison Erin Flocchini said.

Her Place In The World

And while Erin may have once laughed at tourists for stopping to take photos of her family’s fluffy cows, one thing she never did was laugh at dinner.

“Bison is delicious,” she said. “And I have always loved it. Every cut.”

Erin isn’t sure what the future holds for her on her family’s ranch, but she’s glad to be back where the bison roam free and where kids can jump off barn roofs into the snow. 

It feels like she’s returned to her place in the world. 

“I like to say I’m kind of like the lowest on the totem pole, where I’m still learning,” she said. “All the men around me right now have a lot more experience and knowledge than I do.”

Most days, she’s smiling and waving behind the wheel of a truck hauling a mineral buffet right to wherever the bison are roaming at the moment. 

She’s also particularly enjoying her family’s bison tours, which attract about 1,000 guests every year. It’s one of the best chances in the state for people to get close to bison that originated from Yellowstone, in a way that’s still safe. 

“We pretty much drive up into the middle of the herd,” she said. “But we’re all quiet. And we stay close to the bus. People take photos, and it’s a beautiful experience.”

There’s still no petting the fluffy cows, though, she added with a laugh. 

“You still have to respect them,” she said. “They’re more athletic than you might think. They’re fast and they can jump. They can turn in the blink of an eye.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.