This story was featured in our January 2020 issue, written by Doug Urban.
The results of the voting for the 1962 All-American Aged Holstein Cows was not as close as expected. Harborcrest Rose Milly EX-94 and Snowboots Wis Milky Way EX-92 had competed in the show ring and were stablemates at Paclamar Farms in Louisville, Colorado for manager Dick Brooks and his associates. When the votes were tallied Milly had received 18 first place votes and a total of 133 points and Snowboots 2 first place votes for a total of 38 points. This was despite the fact that Snowboots had placed above Milly twice at shows that year. Harvey Schwartz placed Snowboots ahead of Milly at the Nebraska State Fair, as did Jack Fraser at the National Dairy Cattle Congress in Waterloo. IA. Both cows had admirers, some who thought that Snowboots was smoother throughout with more width of chest and depth of heart, while others said that Milly had an advantage in legs and height of rear udder.
These two cows have been compared over the years having lived parallel lives. Snowboots Wis Milky Way EX-97 GMD was born 12/25/1953. Her sire was Smoky Hill Wis Becky Buddy a son of Wis Whirlwind EX the Burke-bred bull from the Wisconsin State Reformatory in Green Bay. Snowboot’s dam was a daughter of Meierkord Netherland Triune a son of Fredmar Sir Fobes Triune VG who had a tremendous influence on Kansas Holsteins. Harborcrest Rose Milly EX-97 GMD was born 12/24/1955. She was sired by Rainbow Sir Rose VG a highly linebred bull with 12 crosses to Sir Bess Ormsby Fobes 56th bred by Robin Carr of Michigan. Milly’s dam Supreme Fay Marilyn 2E-91 GMD was bred in Ohio and purchased as a first calf heifer by John Snoddy of Harborcrest in West Salem, OH. Marilyn’s pedigree contains Montvic and Carnation bloodlines.
Dick Brooks was born in Bucyrus, Ohio in 1917 and started dairy farming in 1940 where he developed a high-producing herd using the Ormsby bloodlines of Winterthur breeding. In the late 1950’s he moved to Colorado where he had various jobs before establishing a dairy farm in 1960 with other investors. The new enterprise was called Paclamar Farm using the first letters of the investors’ wives’ names: Patricia, Clara and Margaret. Dick had many talents. He was a good businessman and was a good cowman emphasizing the use of genetics and conformation to breed a herd that combined both type and production. Milly and Snowboots made history for Paclamar Farms in 1962 when they won both Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion Awards at the National Dairy Cattle Congress in Waterloo. IA. Milly was All-American Aged Cow in 1962, 1964 and 1965, while Snowboots was Reserve All-American in 1962 and 1965.
Milly had lifetime production totals of 210,090M 4.2% 8,741F while Snowboots had 201,187M 3.8% 7,729F. Milly and Snowboots classified EX-97, were competitive in the show ring and Gold Medal Dams, but also had some influential sons and daughters:
ROSE MILLY SONS: ROSE MILLY DAUGHTERS:
Paclamar Astronaut EX-GM Harborcrest Maple Raven 3E-94-GMD
Paclamar Citation M VG-89 GM Paclamar Triune Millie EX
Paclamar Combination EX-GM Paclamar Reflection Millie 2E-93-GMD
Paclamar Capsule EX-94 GM
Harborcrest Sunshine EX
SNOWBOOTS SONS: SNOWBOOTS DAUGHTERS:
Paclamar Bootmaker EX-94 GM Ja-Sal Whirlwind Princess EX-93
Ja-Sal Skyliner Belina EX-GM Paclamar Snowshoes VG-88
Ja-Sal Whirlwind Caesar
Paclamar Capitaine EX-93
While all of the sons of Snowboots and Milly had some influence on the Holstein breed, it was Paclamar Bootmaker EX-94 GM and Paclamar Astronaut EX GM who became famous in the 1970’s. Paclamar Bootmaker was born on September 22, 1963, the son of Skyway Valla Vista Double EX GM out of Snowboots Wis Milky Way EX-97 GMD. Paclamar Astronaut was born on January 19, 1964, the son of Thonyma Ormsby Senator EX-94 out of Harborcrest Rose Milly EX-97 GMD.
While both cows were important at Paclamar, it has been said that Snowboots was the favorite of Dick Brooks and others. Seventeen Astronaut offspring were registered with the “Paclamar” prefix while about 150 Bootmakers had the Paclamar name. There are two possible reasons for this difference. First of all, Milly was downright ornery. Darrell Pidgeon said that he milked Milly by hand during her final lactation and got kicked at least once a week. Paclamar Astronaut daughters were sometimes called “Astro-Nuts” because of their poor disposition. Secondly, Dick Brooks was disappointed with the $9000 price that they received for Astronaut when he was consigned to the 1964 Maryland Convention Sale and sold to a Maryland syndicate. The syndicate later sold him to Curtiss Breeding Service where he became the second most heavily used bull of the 1970’s behind Round Oak Rag Apple Elevation EX-96 GM. On the other hand, Snowboots had a great disposition and her son Paclamar Bootmaker who was paired with Milly sold for $80,000 in the 1967 Paclamar Farm Sale to the Bootmaker Syndicate who leased him to American Breeders Service where he was heavily used. Dick Brooks also wanted to use bulls with many crosses to Fredmar Sir Fobes Triune VG, foundation sire of the Kansas Triunes. Bootmaker has Triune on both sides of his pedigree. Most of the Paclamar-bred Bootmaker sons and daughters have Triune in their name rather than Bootmaker. It is interesting to note that Paclamar bred 5 Excellent and 25 Very Good Bootmaker daughters while their only two Astronauts to be classified were both Good Plus.
The daughters of Paclamar Astronaut were tall and dairy, smooth blending, and usually deep-bodied with good feet and legs. They could be rough over the rump and high in the pins. He is credited for adding milk components to the breed, especially protein and he sired cows with longevity. Longevity was in his pedigree as his 3 nearest dams Milly (16 years), Marilyn (20 yrs.) and Senator’s dam Thonyma Maudlene Senatora EX GMD (11 yrs.). Paclamar Bootmaker sired dairy, medium in stature cows with wide, “boxcar” rumps and well-attached fore udders. His daughters generally needed higher rear udder attachments. Many of his daughters also showed longevity and became good brood cows for many breeders.
As popular as Astronaut and Bootmaker were neither of them had any great sons. Astronaut sons with some impact include Bridon Astro Jet EX whose daughters did well in the show ring in the 1980’s and 90’s, Wagnerscrest Ivanhoe Astronaut EX-93 GM and Cedar-Grove Golden Nugget VG GM. Popular Bootmaker sons include Al-Munger Bootlegger EX-GM, Paclamar Double Triune EX-GM, Paclamar Triune Complete VG-GM, Paclamar Triune Jethro EX-GM and Paclamar Triune Needle EX-GM.
The real influence of Astronaut and Bootmaker came through their daughters. Many of the breed greats trace to Astronaut daughters. Hanoverhill Starbuck EX, Hilltopper Warden EX, Duregal Astre Starbuck EX and STBVQ Rubens *RC VG sired many winners at major shows. Hanoverhill Starbuck had a tremendous impact on the breed through his sons, grandsons and daughters. Rothrock Tradition Leadman EX-GM, Startmore Rudolph VG, Ugela Bell, Maries Thunder EX, Hanoverhill Lincoln EX, Madawaska Aerostar EX-GM and Carol Prelude Mtoto-ET GM also made their mark. Bootmaker was the first bull to sire 100 Gold Medal Dams including Wapa Bootmaker Mandy EX-96 GMD whose S-W-D Valiant son Fisher-Place Mandingo-ET EX-95 GM became the first bull to have one million units of semen sold in 1979.
Milly had daughters who transmitted through their offspring. Milly’s highest scoring daughter Harborcrest Maple Raven 3E-94-GMD had a son by Wis Ideal Crusader VG-GM named Harborcrest Happy Crusader EX-92-GM who sired the All-American Get of Sire in 1976. Raven’s Ideal Fury Reflector EX-94-GM son Harborcrest Marcus GP-GM was used at NOBA.
Dick Brooks also tried combining the genetics of Milly and Snowboots. Paclamar Combination EX-GM, popular at American Breeders Service (ABS) was the result of crossing Snowboot’s Gray-View Skyliner EX-92-GM son Ja-Sal Skyliner Belina EX-GM on Milly. Select Sires had a Paclamar Astronaut son Paclamar Astro Salina EX-91-GM who was out of Paclamar Triune Salina VG-88 a Bootmaker daughter from the Thonyma Maudlene Senatora EX GMD family. Two Gold Medal sons resulted from the Milly x Snowboots cross.
Whether you are more of a fan of Milly or Snowboots, one cannot deny that both of these legends have had a positive influence on the Holstein breed.
LtoR: 1963 and 1965 ads published in HolsteinWorld featuring Milly and Snowboots.