Dennis McCulloch of Laclede County is proof that author Thomas Wolfe’s oft quoted ‘you can’t go home again’ isn’t always right. Raised as one of eight siblings in Lebanon, Mo., like many a young man after high school, Dennis went west, looking for his own adventures.
“I went to Colorado on vacation but after California, I went back,” Dennis explained recently. “I was in Wyoming for awhile where I learned the concrete business, and then back to Colorado where I owned my own business for 33 years. Still, in the back of my mind, I always planned on coming back someday.”
And come home he has, now as both a cattleman and once again, as a small business owner. Seven years ago, Dennis and his wife, Patty, whom he met in Colorado 18 years ago, purchased a 160-acre farm approximately 7 miles west of Lebanon. As an out-of-state owner, Dennis leased his land for pasture those first few years, while his brother Brian maintained the property. Then, after his father, Jack McCulloch, was diagnosed with cancer, Dennis found himself making multiple trips back to the area in the past few years.
“My dad died a year ago,” Dennis continued. He fondly remembered working with cattle on his grandmother’s farm when he was young, alongside his father, which he admits is what led him back into the cattle business on his own this time. He now runs a 40 head commercial herd on his farm. “At some point in the future, I might lean toward going with a registered breed but for now, I’ve got to experiment a bit. I’ve learned, for instance that cows are dumb and smart at the same time. Barbed wire does not keep cows in 100 percent and they do know when the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.” He laughed in reference to one of his first trials in livestock as he added, “And I can say, I’ve probably owned the last goat I’ll ever own.
“And in the meantime, while we were making trips back here from Colorado, Patty had her eye on the Lil’ Country Store. Making the move from the big city to a smaller community is a much bigger transition than most people realize, including me. Patty was the one who was really promoting the idea and if it weren’t for her, we’d probably still be in Denver. They call this semi-retirement and it is a slower pace of life, more of a community atmosphere and people always have stories to share.”
“One thing I’ve noticed is that people here in the Ozarks are always willing to help,” Patty added as she hopped about the kitchen area of the Lil’ Country Store, busily preparing lunch for a half a dozen customers who waited patiently at the front counter. In addition to gasoline and other typical convenience store commodities, Dennis and Patty offer hot pizza, burgers and chicken, and propane. “The hardest part was leaving our three kids and four grandkids in Colorado.
“The one thing we know for sure,” Patty concluded, “is that we couldn’t have done this without God’s blessing and the glory in it all goes to him, not us.”
Dennis smiled, “There is this dream of owning a little country store, sitting on the front porch in a rocking chair. Except the reality is there is very little rocking chair sitting around here in this business.”
