I looked up Clifford Jackson Taylor after I made the photo but before I wrote this post, and here’s what I learned.

He went by Jackson and was a cowboy, working on ranches across the United States and in Australia. He was a member of the Western Ranch Cowboys Association and was professional bronc rider; he appeared in two seasons of the reality show “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown.” In 2023, he was competing in the WRCA-sanctioned Estancia Valley Ranch Rodeo in Moriarty, New Mexico, fell during a bronc ride and later died, according to a report from the Floyd County Hesperian-Beacon. He was 33 years old.

His grave is here, in a tiny country cemetery that’s down a dirt road.

Grey Mule Cemetery
Hall County, Texas
photographed 12.29.2024