The 1974 Ford Ranger is recognized all over town.

With good reason.

It’s been driving Powell streets and by-ways for 47 years, all the time with a Hillman at the wheel.

Jason Hillman, principal of Parkside Elementary School, chuckles at the memory of hauling a load of refuse to the landfill several years ago. The attendant leaned out the window and observed, “That’s the mayor’s truck.”

Indeed it was. Don Hillman, Jason’s father, was mayor of Powell during his tenure as owner of the 1974 Ranger. He presided at City Hall from 2013 until his death in February of 2017.

“My grandpa, Ed Hillman, purchased it new, with matching camper,” Jason said. “When grandpa passed, my dad bought it from his mother.”

Since Mayor Hillman’s death, and later, his wife Judie Hillman, The Ranger has resided with Jason and his family.

Known simply in the Hillman household as “The Ranger,” the old green and white is being eyed by yet another generation of the family. 

“I’ve been driving it a lot, almost every day to school this fall,” Jason said. “Now, my girls want it. I’m getting it fixed up a little before I let them drive it.”

Daughters Jenna, 17, and Brynn, 16, think The Ranger is “really cool.”  They have their own car,  but they want to drive The Ranger “because we really like to know our grandpa drove it,” said Jenna.  “And our grandma,” added Brynn.

Jason has grown up with The Ranger.  Nearing his 50th birthday, he was 2 years old when his grandfather purchased the vehicle new in 1974.

“I got to drive it in high school,” Jason recalled. “It was a weekend vehicle for my dad and family. Lots of adventures — pheasant hunting, camping and pulling the boat.”

The Ranger also spent plenty of time at the baseball fields in town when Don Hillman was coaching youth baseball.

“Lots of kids my age rode in the back of that truck after ball games,” Jason laughed.

The two-wheel drive pickup, with automatic transmission, still has its original green and white paint.  A few scratches are popping out.

The engine still runs well, but Jason wants to get a little bit of work done on The Ranger before the girls start driving it. The heater and defroster could use some attention, he said. The radiator was replaced on The Ranger a little while back.

The speedometer registers 136,000 miles, and, no, it hasn’t been turned back.

The Ranger spent a decent amount of time in the garage after Don Hillman acquired it.  For many years, Don had a company car as the district manager for Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. in Powell and Lovell. When he was elevated to head all Wyoming operations for MDU  with offices at Sheridan, The Ranger was largely garaged. It reappeared when Don and Judie Hillman returned to Powell in retirement.

The Ranger has had many admirers through the years. One even snatched it.

It happened when Don Hillman was on the Powell Fire Department. Answering a call to the old Fire  Hall at the corner of Bent Street and Coulter Avenue, he screeched The Ranger to a stop across from the Fire Hall and ran to board a fire truck. As firemen did in the day, they jumped out of their vehicles and left the doors open (with the keys inside) as they sprinted to a waiting truck.

When firemen returned to the station, there was no waiting green and white pickup. Jason said his father foiled the stolen vehicle attempt in short order.

“Dad found the guy driving it. He was parked at a stop light. You know my dad. He got the truck back.”