Cattlemen’s Days Parade Marshal

The 2026 Cattlemen’s Days parade marshal has had a storied local career beginning as a freshman at what was Western State College, now Western Colorado University. Rick met his wife, Melva, of fifty-five years, through Western, and they have been a team since, along with four children.

Over time, he got his master’s, then doctorate in Christian Ministry. Rick started a church and tries to minister to all those interested or in need. He gives back to the community through that ministry as well as the church and many other ways.

As many young men did, he began a career with the United States Forest Service (USFS) for summer work, getting his first job in the Indian Peaks Wilderness near Grand Lake. He then landed a summer seasonal job on the Gunnison National Forest, where he lived at the Cottonwood Pass Guard Station. Trail clearing, overseeing campgrounds, etc. were all part of his duties.

Simultaneously, winter jobs were available at Crested Butte Ski Area. He was a dishwasher, among many other jobs, until landing a spot on ski school in 1970. Rick has taught skiing to many over his
fifty-five years and still plans to continue teaching. He has taught an average of 1000 skiers per season. These days, he is booked year after year, often by the same families he has instructed for many generations. He is now the longest employee at what is now Crested Butte Mountain Resort.

Rick moved into fire management as a “ground pounder”, then an engine foreman for the USFS in 1990, and eventually as part of an incident management team where he and others were summoned to a given fire. He became interested in fire safety and taught fire behavior and safety to firefighters all over the state.

Rick continued with his ministry from 1969 on campus to 1974 when he began a home Bible study. He began to speak at state fairs around the west and eventually offered to do a Sunday service in the grandstands for Cattlemen’s Days around 1980. He has also done the invocation at every rodeo from the large arena and is the official Chaplain for Cattlemen’s Days for the last ten years.

He speaks to the cowboy participants behind the bucking chutes before each rodeo and is there to pray and counsel should a cowboy be injured. Rick loves people and always has a hug and a smile. Rick Barton is the real deal. He isn’t getting rich; he is already rich in the love of Christ and the people he helps, which has taken him to ground zero, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Taking in his Grandstand Service on Sunday is a must.