Al Biernat has been a part of The Land Report since day one. It was Al who welcomed our crew to his namesake restaurant that ­December day in 2006 when Wick ­Allison agreed to ­bankroll our new venture.

Wick insisted I share the vision for The Land Report with Al. After ­hearing my ­elevator pitch, our gregarious host responded enthusiastically.

“Sign me up for a ­subscription,” Al said. “I own a cabin and 30 acres in Mineral County, ­Colorado. It’s right outside Creede, an old mining town.”

Rare were the moments when Wick was dumbstruck. This was one of them.

“I’ve been a loyal patron of yours for how many years? Why have I never heard about this place before?” he asked. Then Wick told Al about his own getaway, a fly-fishing camp in Sullivan County, New York.

In that instant, at Table 37 at Al ­Biernat’s Oak Lawn, we had proof of concept for The Magazine of the ­American Landowner.

In 2009, we went one step further and did an in-depth profile of Al and ­Jeannie (pictured below) at their cabin. The feature story covered the do’s and dont’s of buying property in a mining town. Al loved that cabin, and he loved Creede and the many characters who were drawn to its breathtaking beauty. Best of all, Creede brought him closer to his family: Jeannie, their children, their grandchildren, and their many dogs.

In 2023, Al was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the neurodegenerative disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. In February 2024, he shared his diagnosis with his many friends and ­clients via a one-on-one interview with Sarah Blaskovich in the Dallas Morning News.

Al Biernat (1955–2024) died on November 13. The celebration of his life at First Baptist Church in Dallas on December 2 was a tearful, joy-filled service punctuated by much laughter. It came as no surprise to all of us who knew and loved Al that he requested his ashes be spread at the headwaters of the Rio Grande River in Mineral County, Colorado.

HOME ON THE RANGE. Al and Jeannie Biernat tooling around Creede, Colorado.