This was the official beginning of the Flying Box Ranch. The name is a translation of Lynn’s desire to learn how to fly, something that didn’t come to pass. Legacies are decipherable in action and symbol. Generations of ranching, dreams subsumed in the day-to-day work.

In the beginning, Lynn would sell beef direct to consumers. He’d load his VW and drive it west of the mountains, around the greater Seattle area, where he’d sell his beef to friends and acquaintances, plying his trade by word of mouth. He logged his property and continued other homesteading ventures to support his growing ranching operation. Logging became an opportunity to develop a small logging operation that he and wife, Linda, ran for about ten years.

Throughout all of these related efforts, Lynn bought, sold, and leased land. A lot of movement that culminated in today’s Flying Box Ranch enterprise.

Linda, originally an O’Neill, is the descendant of Irishmen who all settled in the Kittitas Valley in the 1940s. Her dad was a rancher. She learned the ropes and married Lynn, adding to his existing holdings and business ventures with her strong can-do attitude, bright smile, and tireless work. The Hendersons raised their son, Bryce, in this valley and relied on him to learn and to continue his studies in ranching, agriculture, and animal science. Now in his early 30s, Bryce - a through and through native to this valley - is the third generation of this hard-working lineage of land stewards.

Bryce began showing with the local 4H Club when he was 10. He went to college at WSU, on agricultural (ag) scholarships all the way, while still working ag throughout his school years. He majored in Ag Production and Management, minored in Animal Science, held “desk jobs” in related fields - Beef NW, Merck Animal Pharma, NW Farm Credit Services - and continuing helping run the ranch. 

Flying Box Ranch practices land conservation in the tradition of the large western ranches. The animals are pastured, moving between high and low ground with the seasons. The land is naturally fertilized as a result of the cows’ grazing. At any time, the pastures are surrounded by predatory birds and animals; all “waste” is returned to the land, feeding the ecosystem that’s been in existence since time began.

Ranch life is iterative and consistent. Up at five to bottle-feed new calves. The trailer is loaded with the previous season’s hay to feed the mature animals. Three working dogs corral the animals and help get the job done.

Horses, dogs, cattle, and people. Every day of every week of every year for the past sixty years. This work keeps the Pacific Northwest supplied with delicious, wholesome beef grown the old-fashioned way.