Jeff Brinda, Cory Simpson and Curt Small treat a wounded bull by giving him a denim eye patch at the Lazy T Ranch south of Red Cloud, Neb. Red Cloud, a town with a population of 935, down 17% in the 2009 census, has all the charm and challenges that face small towns in rural America. Famed turn-of-the-century author Willa Cather grew up in Red Cloud.