Legend of the Cowfish

Wondering how Cowfish restaurant got its name? Here’s the local Lander legend of the “cowfish” (in Latin, bovus icius Landerous), according to author and artisan Jerry Sowers:

“For years, cowboys reported seeing cattle near streams that were impossible to rope. These cattle would jump into the stream and disappear at the first sight of a mounted man.

“Since most cowboys are notorious liars and the cattle counts were generally acceptable, most people considered these reports to be nothing but wild stories.

“On April 1, 2002, a cowboy noticed a cow struggling in the Popo Agie. The puncher uncoiled his rope and caught the cow by the horns. As his horse strained to pull the stricken cow out of the stream, he looked back and nearly fell off his horse because of what he beheld. The front half of the creature was a cow, however the rear was that of a fish. Thus, the first public sighting of the cowfish.

“Scientists theorized that the three-year drought had lowered the stream and stranded the poor creature. Old timers warned against irrigation, saying, “It ain’t natural” and “No telling what might happen!” No one heeded the old timers’ warning. The cowfish established a foothold in the Lander watershed and in no time increased in numbers, to the point where it is impossible to remove these creatures from the streams and rivers around Lander.

“Scientists also determined the cowfish resulted from a cross between longhorn cow and a very remarkable rainbow trout. Fish biologists tell us cowfish are extremely intelligent because from birth unto death they travel in schools and eat a well-balanced diet of cow and fish.”