Hall-of-Famer — Sewell to be inducted into Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame
Photo courtesy of Debra Sewell Sammy Sewell, nominated by Debra Sewell, has been inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame. Born in 1933, he lived and worked the family ranch in Weston County, excelled in sports and rodeo, and settled down with his wife, Irma “Marie” Oudin, on part of his family’s ranch on Skull Creek. He passed away in 2014.
Samuel “Sammy” Everett Sewell will be Weston County’s most recent contribution to the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame, following in his family’s footsteps.
“I, Debra Sewell, nominated my father, Samuel “Sammy” Everett Sewell for induction into The 2025 Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame. Julius “Jules” Bock was inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2023; he was Sammy’s grandfather,” Debra said in her nomination. Matilda “Tillie” Mae Bock Sewell was Sammy’s mother; she was inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2024.
Sammy was born on Aug. 10, 1933, in Weston County at the Bocker Place on Skull Creek to Tillie and George Sewell, the nomination says. He was born into a large family with several brothers and sisters, Gladys “Glady” Sewell, 1925, Mildred “Swede,” 1926; Willis, 1928, Alice “Squint,” Harold “Porky,” 1931, Samuel “Sammy,” 1933, and Jeanie,1935.
According to Debra, Sammy went to grade school in Osage from 1940 to 1947 and high school at Newcastle High School (believe it was the old high school) from 1948 to 1951. Sammy was the youngest of the three Sewell boys; he learned to be a cowboy at a young age.
“I was told by one of his teachers, Alice Schuette, ‘Sammy was a good student in grade school’ and ‘He always came to school well groomed and spotless and returned home the same.’ He excelled in all sports: basketball, track, football, and rodeo all four years of high school. In Sammy’s rodeoing, he did bulldogging, calf roping, and bareback riding. When Sammy got old enough, he worked for his grandfather, J. F. Bock, and Bill Burke,” she wrote.
During high school, Sammy participated in several rodeos. According to Debra, one of those was the Rapid City High School Rodeo in 1951 in calf roping.
“Sammy and Gerald Davis rodeoed in the 3rd (1951) National High School Finals Rodeo in Sulphur, Louisiana. They were awarded the trip to Sulphur, Louisiana as the result of winning top places in the Rapid City Rodeo the prior Spring. Sammy placed second and third in bulldogging and second in bareback riding, all in a one day entry,” Debra said in the nomination.
In addition to rodeo and cowboying, Sammy also took to the air in 1953 and 1954, although Debra said he never flew solo. The nomination states that he was also involved in several activities, including being a 4-H leader, Mason, Shriner, and serving on both the Natural Resource Soil Conservation District board and the Inyan Kara Grazing Association board.
In 1955, Sammy married Irma “Marie” Oudin and they moved to the Bocker Place. They were married for 55 years.
“Sammy settled down on Skull Creek, running this part of the ranch for his mother, Tillie. Sammy did not continue rodeoing after he married. Occasionally, he would team rope with friends,” Debra said. “He became a good husband and father to two children, Debra Ann Sewell and Scott Everett Sewell.”
In 1972, Sammy purchased the Harry Sedgwick Ranch, and his family moved from Skull Creek to the new ranch on Wyoming Highway 450 in February 1973.
“Sammy ran the family ranch on Skull Creek for 17 years, and had his own ranch for 41 years on Highway 450,” Debra said in the nomination. “Those years add up to 58 years plus 22 years. He lived on his family’s ranch as a young adult growing up and working for his mother, which equals 80 years.”
Sammy passed away on July 11, 2014, at the age of 80. Upon his passing, his ranch was passed on to Scott Sewell, fulfilling his dream of becoming a full-time rancher.
Sammy will be inducted into the 2025 Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame class on Sept. 26 and 27 in Casper.
This marks the 12th Anniversary of the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame, and festivities will open with a Cowboy Social recognizing all of the inductees on Friday evening.
The induction ceremony itself will be held on Sept. 27.