by Scott Sacry
The Trexler family of the Bitterroot Valley was honored as one of the Great Montana Rodeo Families by the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame at a special banquet in Billings on October 5.
“There are so many deserving families out there,” said Peggy Trexler. “We are pretty humbled by the award. It is quite an honor.”
As the name would suggest, the award honors important Montana rodeo families and the Trexlers certainly qualify.
At the award presentation, the Trexlers were given the following introduction: “The Trexlers are a five-generation Montana family involved in ranching, showing registered cattle, and working in the legislature for horse racing and rodeo. They’ve had champion bulls, heifers, 4-H steers, four National High School Rodeo qualifiers, a Junior High School World Champion, a Reserved Junior High School World Champion, and a CFR qualifier. They are members of the Montana Stockgrowers Association, the American Angus Association, the Montana Angus Association, and the Shorthorn Association.”
The Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame (MPRHWF) is dedicated to honoring Montana professional rodeo cowboys and cowgirls who exemplify Montana’s western heritage.
They do this through the maintenance of a monument site located near the entrance to the MetraPark Arena in Billings, Montana. The monument site includes an 18-foot bronze sculpture of six-time World Champion bronc rider Dan Mortensen, with brick and granite walls honoring Montana’s professional rodeo champions, legends, queens and personnel.
“The award is a really special thing for our family,” said Cliff Trexler. “It might seem like just another award, but to us, it means the world.”
The Trexler family has deep roots in Montana and the Bitterroot Valley. In 1927,19-year-old Clifford “Trex” Trexler married 15-year-old Marion Nehring and the two began their life at the Nehring Homestead in Byrum, Montana. They raised cattle and horses, and hunted and trapped. Marion raced horses in Browning and Great Falls and was a saddle bronc rider and a barrel racer.
Their son Clifford was born in 1933. Cliff grew up raising cattle and ranching on the family ranch and in 1952 he married Jane Sessions of Byrum. They left the family ranch and Cliff got a degree in education at Montana State University in Bozeman.
The couple moved to Victor in 1958, where Cliff taught junior high and high school science for 24 years, retiring in 1972 and going into real estate.
The couple had three children: Larry, Debbie and Daniel, and they had a ranch and raised Shorthorn cattle. Cliff and Larry traveled all over the West showing and selling the cattle. Debbie was the Montana Shorthorn Lassie Queen in 1974 and she also rode bareback in the Ravalli County Fair.
Daniel married Carrie Fite in 1986. Their two girls, Megan and Kelsey, competed in high school rodeo and Kelsey went to the National High School Rodeo finals in 2013.
Larry married Peggy Muir and they have been active in ranching and rodeo their whole lives. Their two kids, Reed and Karri, showed market steers in 4H and competed in junior and high school rodeos. Karri was an All Around High School Rodeo Cowgirl who made the National High School Rodeo finals for four years. Karri married Dustin Miles, a bull rider from Whitefish. They live near Corvallis and their two kids, Hailey and Wyatt, showed livestock in 4H and FFA. Wyatt Miles was last year’s Class A State Champion in the Shot Put.
Reed was an All Around High School Rodeo Cowboy who rode bulls in both college and in the Northern Rodeo Association. He married Kari Tinsley from Dillon and they have two boys, Cole and Cash. Both boys showed market steers and were outstanding in high school rodeo, going to Nationals in 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. They are now in college and compete in tie down roping and team roping. Cole is going to college in Dillon and Cash is going to school in New Mexico.
“Rodeo and ranching just kind of all went together for us,” said Larry Trexler. “We had horses and we ran cattle. So in the big picture, rodeo was just a part of our whole overall lifestyle. It’s hard to separate one from the other. We’re just lucky to be able to do what we love to do, and to be recognized for it is an honor.”
Cliff Trexler has fond memories of the family’s rodeo heritage and history. “Back in Byrum, when my mother was 13 or 14, she would go to the rodeo and races in Great Falls,” said Cliff. “Because it was so far away, she would get up and leave at 3 a.m. so she could make it to the afternoon races. Then after a long day of competing, she would ride back and get home at around 3 a.m. Before and after the races there were all sorts of rodeo events going on. I imagine I’ve seen as much rodeo in my 90 years as anyone around.”