Dean Walck was born of the blood of pioneers and homesteaders. His mother’s parents moved to Plateau Valley in the late 1800’s and his father’s parents in the early 1900’s to settle and raise their families.

         Dean and his brother were raised on the family ranch south of Collbran, Colorado. His parents involved the boys in more than the beef industry. They were lucky enough to participate in raising hogs, milk cows, turkeys, chickens, sheep and potatoes. Most early ranching and farming experiences were done with teams of horses. They plowed, planted and harvested many crops that were raised for both home and livestock. Ranching and farming was tough in those days. They were exposed to many chores and life experiences by the time they graduated from Collbran Union High School.

        When Dean was 17 he enlisted in the Marine Corps and spent time in the South Pacific during World War II. Following the war, he returned to Collbran to settle down and raise a family on the family ranch. Dean and his wife, Roylee, raised three sons all of whom graduated from college. Dean supplemented his income with various part time jobs such as writing insurance policies for Farm Bureau and shearing sheep.

         In the mid 1960’s the Walck ranch became one of the first ranches in Collbran to use artificial insemination and production records to improve the quality of their beef herd. With the integration of Simmental bulls they were able to eliminate the brisket problem that had been plaguing many ranchers who ran cattle in the high altitude of the Colorado mountains. By using production records and a cross-breeding program, they saw an increase of 200 pounds plus in their calf weaning weights.

         Dean retired from ranching and now lives in Grand Junction; however, he still owns property near Collbran, including a cabin and spends a lot of time in the area. He also spends time traveling, taking pictures, writing stories and fooling around with “that damned” computer.