The Alt family was surprised while attending the Bonner-Boundary Cattlemen’s Association dinner last week at the Great Northwest Territories Events Center when board member Ben Robertson rose to present them the honor of being named the 2025 Beef Family of the Year.
It’s award backed by a long and amazing history.
John Alt, who celebrated his 91st birthday this fall, was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 1934 as Adolf Hitler consolidated power upon the death of president Paul von Hindenburg. As a teenin 1953, he and his younger brother, Alfons, left behind their parents, six other siblings, their home and war-torn Germany, bound for Bonners Ferry, where Aunt Rosie Neumayer awaited them.
Their ship was rocked by fierce storms as they crossed the Atlantic, then they were bawed by the breadth and wide-open spaces as they traveled west across the United States by train, neither speaking a word of English.
Aunt Rosie met them at the Bonners Ferry railroad depot. John and Al were home.
Falling back on his apprenticeship in Germany as a butcher, John almost immediately began working at KV Store and then at Don’s Cafe, cutting meat. In 1956, John enlisted in the Idaho National Guard, first as a truck driver, later as mess sergeant.
He went into the cattle business in the early 1960s, ranching with Gene Neumayer in the Shiloh area and in Paradise Valley. He and the former Linda Portrey were married in 1967. Two years later they made their home in Paradise Valley, where they built and operated a meat processing facility, raised cattle and sons Pat, Russ and Don.
The Alt family used to pasture cattle in the Dobson Creek area, running two cattle drives a year, spring and fall, between the Paradise Valley ranch and the high country summer pasture and back home for winter.
At the same, John worked as a heavy equipment operator at Boundary County Road and Bridge, keeping county roads plowed and in good repair winter and summer for nearly three decades before retiring in1996. Linda worked in the office at Bonners Ferry High School before managing auto licensing in the courthouse for the Boundary County Assessor for many years.
At 91, John is still a powerhouse, putting in the work of a much younger man day-in-and day out, seldom taking a day off, Linda and sons Don and Pat working along with him.
“There’s always something to do on a farm,” Linda said. He’s keeping busy doing what he loves.”
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