A Women Salute, Part Three: Former Miss Wyoming Jesse Allen

The inspiration for this whole series was an article on cutting edge Wyoming women - a great list - I just thought each woman should have her own story.

Previously on this website, Part One highlighted a woman of rodeo barrel racing, Cassidy Kruse of Gillette. Next was one of many women moving into business management, and in this case, business ownership. See Part Two: Amber Pollock of Backwards Distillery in Casper.

Now we move on to a woman that just happens to be a beauty queen, for real, but she’s a lot more than that.

Part Three: Jesse Allen Miss Wyoming 2014/Ranch Manager

If you see the most recent post on Jesse Allen’s Facebook page, you’ll get a good idea of what she’s all about, “Wyoming raised me. My family goes back six generations in Lander … Wyomingites are modest and genuine, valuing character over status. We appreciate a little dirt under the fingernails…”

After becoming Miss Wyoming, and finishing all the duties that came with that for a full year, Allen went for duties more like where she grew up - essentially raised to be a ranch manager at Diamond 4 Ranch in the Wind River Mountain Range. It’s Wyoming's highest wilderness guest ranch with climbing, hundreds of alpine lakes, wildlife and world class fly fishing. See photos of the Allen Family and Diamond 4 Ranch staff here.

From childhood summers guiding horse pack trips, she learned the value of adaptability, in all conditions. Jesse got a degree in 2012 from University of Wyoming in public relations. Combine that with a lifetime of exposure to culturally diverse guests and travel alone to various countries, and Jesse would expand, including leading trips in other exotic locations.

Jesse has also partnered with programs like the Department of Interior’s “Lets Move Outside” and the National Wildlife Federation’s “Be Out There.”

Allen told travelwyoming.com that when she was 13, "Whenever I felt underestimated, I always made sure to go the extra mile. To always be the first one out to feed in the morning and show that I may not be as physically big as these macho guys in their 20s, but that I was capable.”

Now in her 20s, I just know she's in better shape than I was in my 20s.