Yerington Monday: Francis Goettsch and His Electric Steer

Yerington Monday:  Francis Goettsch and His Electric Steer

              

In 1978 Nevada Magazine reported:  A Mason Valley Man has invented an electric steer, complete with kicking legs operated by a motor and a dry cell battery, that can be used to practice roping.

Francis Goettsch, a former rancher and presently Yerington’s dogcatcher, has a patent pending on his mechanical cow and hopes it will catch on with schools and rodeo ropers looking for practice.

“I’ve always been a roper,” Goettsch said.  “I just needed something to practice on for my timing.”  The beast also can be pulled by a horse for roping on the fly.  If Goettsch’s dream comes, all his customers will need is a dry cell and a rope.