Library

Don Ornduff Memorial Library

The Don Orduff Memorial Library is open to the public seven days a week. The Library has a wide collection of rare and unique books about history of the American West, Hereford Cattle, and much more.

Sloan Hales, owner of the Wyoming Hereford Ranch has made preserving Hereford history a favorite pastime. In doing so, he became acquainted with Donald Ornduff when visiting the American Royal and the American Hereford Association (AHA) Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO. “In meeting with Don Ornduff, I became aware that he had an extensive library accumulated over the time that he was editor of the American Hereford Journal,” Hales says.

“Don also did the definitive work on the history of Hereford cattle in North America and published a book over 20 years ago on the history of Hereford cattle in America. I don’t think that there is anything that even parallels that.”

Hales made arrangements with Ornduff that upon his death he would acquire his library, which he did.

The Don Ornduff Memorial Library is here in the WHR office, on hand made shelves, with a display cabinet of Don’s personal memorabilia. Hales says “among Hereford people, as I say the name Ornduff, it is legendary. He spent his lifetime- his adult life – with the American Hereford Association. His tenure as editor approached 40 years. He was a wonderful gentleman, a gifted writer, one who was really in the center of Hereford history for the 20th century at least.” As with all areas of the WHR, this library is open to the public, and something Hales hopes people will enjoy well into the future.