Lucky South Dakotan rancher Neal Wanless has won a $232.1 million dollar Powerball jackpot after buying a ticket in nearby Winner, SD.
Wanless wasn’t having the best run of luck prior to his win, having recently lost a mobile home to repossession. The 23-year-old rancher lived with his family on 320 acres of land in what is currently the seventh poorest county in all of the United States.
The Wanless family worked very hard to make ends meet raising sheep, cattle and horses and scavenging for scrap metal. Neighbor Dave Assman said:
“They’ve been real short on finances for a long time. “They are from real meager means, I guess you’d say.”
Wanless spoke to press briefly about his win, smiling uncontrollably, thanking God, promising not to squander his newfound riches and wearing a big black cowboy hat. He also spoke of repaying “many times over” the community that had helped his family in the past.
Since his win, Wanless has continued ranching and has no plans to stop. Wanless said to AP reporters:
…he recently told his horse, Eleanor, that “It’d be nice if we go for a longer ride than usual on a bigger ranch of our own.”
Awww…
