News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-02-09
SHE LOVES HORSES.
A Beautiful Girl who Owns Between
ZOO and 500 Horses.

Miss Kittie G. Wilkins, the horse
queen of Idaho, is at the Palace Hotel.
She arrived on Monday, accompanied by
her brother, J. E. Wilkins, direct from
her residence, ON the Bruneau River, IN
Owyhee county. Miss Wilkins is one OF
the most noted women of the West. a
Californian and educated at San Jose,
she early engaged in the stock business,
and has amassed large fortune. 4 re-
porter sent up his card to her last even
ing and was promptly asked to come up.
Miss Wilkins is somewhat tall, with a
high forehead, regular features, and
rather light hair, being somewhat OF q
blonde. Her eyes are dark and her man
ner very charming. Altogether she i'm
presses one as a very intelligent young
lady of about %.
81 have been referred to as a cattle
queen, said she, ''but this is incorrect.
The Wilkins Company of Idaho own
both horses and cattle, and this is how
the mistake originated, but my own
speciality is horses. [ now own between
700 and 500 of my own. They are Per-
cherons, MOrgans, Normans, Hambleto-
mans, and so on. [ have no native Ore
gon or Spanish horses at all. Besides
these I now have, if you will excuse my
speaking in the first person singular,
have sold a great many hundreds;
could not begin to tell how many. Do [
like living away in Idaho? Oh, so much!
[ am perfectly fascinated with it. 90
out to round up in the spring and fall
and enjoy myself ever so much. It is
fascinating business and grows upon you.
1t was really romantic the way [ got my
start. The way it was this:
cover twenty years ago my parents
had removed to Oregon and were return
ing to San Francisco when our friends
gathered round to give us mementoes of
various sorts. When they got to me they
said: well, now she's only q little thing,
I was but two years old then-'we'u
just give her some money to be invested
for her Two of them gave me a $50
gold piece each. Shortly after returning
here my father concluded to go to Idaho
and engage in the stock business. He
went toOregon and bought a lot of horses.
When he went to pay over the money
he bethOught him of my $40, and seeing
a fine little FLY yet left he offered the
$40 for her. The owner valued her at
$50, but seeing that my father was tax
let this one go, even if it was for less
than she was worth. From the increase
all my bonds have come. OF course, [
could tell you of many ups and downs,
for it was not always smooth sailing back
there in those early days, as L grew up
from childhood, but 1 need not enlarge
Ipon this. At length [ came to San
Jose to school, put in three or fouryears,
4 ~, Il =, III
n America, seeing all the large cities
md many of the great natural curios- |
ties. But when / got back to Idaho [ |
vas so lonesome did not know what to |
10. l used to say to my mother then |
he only man cared anything about was
he man in the moon. [ got over being |
20 lonesome, though, in a little time, !
md now l am hOmesick to get back.
GAS I said, the stock business is very
fascinating and horses very profitable,
much more 50 than cattle. A three OF
our-year-old steer, for instance, is worth
nut $40, while horse of the same age
S worth $50 or 500, anyhow. Another
hing, horses are much more easily
aised, and do not require half the care.
hey paw away the snow and get at the
Tass much better than cattle. Last
ear the average loss of cattle in Idaho
7as 60 per cent. Some owners lost 100
er cent, or all they had. Although
III home and many of our corrals and
are on the Bruneau river, fifty
niles southeast of Boise City, and
twenty-five south of Mountain House,
he station on the Oregon Short line,
ur range is seventy-tive miles away.
t is what is known as the 'Seventy-one
iange, and it is there that many cattle
nd horse owners gather twice a year to
ort out and brand. I go out there every
ear and look ON and see how the stock
5 coming in. I ride great deal, but I
ont take part in the round up. AS
many as forty men are oftentimes out
N the rounding up and cutting ont
took there during the season, and things
re very lively. L shoot a good deal
hat is, am a good shot-but L don't
ften go hunting, although there is lots
f fine game"