Russell Crockett

They regularly attended evening dances held at the school, "it's the only time you'd see people," he says, and they've been a couple ever since, marrying in 1929.

Doty's maiden name is Brown, daughter of Albert and Emma Brown and related to several other local Browns in the valley.

Many relatives and friends refer to Russell as "Uncle Russ." Russell and Doty found their own place in 1936, located on Henderson and Tabor, but they couldn't build on it until 1937 because the snow was two feet deep in the valley that winter. Every ten years, it seems, the winters get pretty onery. Russell remembers the cold dry winter of '49 when "even the grasses froze."

Doty Crockett has been a companion of Russell's for many years and in more ways than one. She has her own skills with horses and together they started the Round Valley Riding Club in 1954 with the first meeting in their living room.

They enjoyed riding the high mountain trails together and proud to have known the time when the trails were more pristine. Together they frequently attend parades and rodeos, winning numerous ribbons for their horsemanship and as the most handsome matching pair.

Doty also has her own knowledge of the valley, its people and events. She was a leader of the Junior Riding Club back in the fifties when the rodeo was on the south end of the valley near Poonkinney. She has helped Russell in many of his projects and has often been seen cooking a big pot of beans at the FFA Field Days and local rodeos.

Together they could be seen regularly at the Senior Center as well as the Assembly of God Church, to which they attribute, in part, their longevity and good health. They also believe that abstinence from vices such as smoking and drinking had no small part in keeping them in the saddle. And, it's generally agreed, whether its high on the trail or simply sitting around their living room, if only for their honest and friendly natures, they were always riding high in the saddle around in Round Valley.