Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-02-07
A GIRL RANCHER.
AN INSTANCE OF WHAT FENTI
NINE PLUCK NIAYDO.
How Miss Cassie Watkins Took I'm
a Land Claim in the Wilderness.

AaucniAnh III eho west, Says a Denver
letter to the New York World, is Miss
Cassie Watkins, an energetic young
woman who came TO Colorado in 1885
without dollar and at once proceeded
to take up 320 acres of land, which she
has recently proved. Greater strength
of character, q more indomitable will
and iirmer resolution have never been
summoned to the aid of any woman in
this country. Those who are acouaint-
ed with Cassie Watkins know that she
has done everything that women do not
do ordinarily, from shooting coyotes to
chopping wood, and performing most of
the necessary carpenter work about her
cabin.
The most remarkable thing about it
all is the fact that Miss Watkins is not
toll, but a graceful, highbred city girl
who until the last few summers had
never performed duties other than those
which devolve upon teachers in city
schools. III you meet Miss Watkins on
the street You are attracted Mt once by
tall, rather dashing and decidedly styl-
ish young woman, who looks out at you
from PAR of clear, earnest gray ewes,
touches you with u handsomely gloved
hand, smiles cordially and passes on. She
is strsight as an arrow, and although
there is nothing in her garb which var
les in tho least from that of the hun
dreds of ladies whom one meets in the
streets daily, there is scneting in her
carriage which suggests an unusual de-
gree of personality
Misc Watkins non,a N tbio Ctata from,
Detroit. She is quito alone in the world,
having no friend to whom she would APP
ply for aid in any emergency. Like so
many others she has read for years of the
opportunities for making money in Col
orado and resolved to como here and
make the effort for independence. On
reaching Denver she ut once entered the
annual competitive examination for
teachers in the city schools, and by rea-
son OF superior scholarship was offered
the first position. After teaching in the
city schools two weeks, City Superin-
tendcnt Cove, now President of the Ma
tional Educational Association, made
her his secretary, position which she
has filled with honor ever since.
After passing her examination Miss
Watkins went to section OF country
lying twelve miles south Of Colorado
Springs, whore there lay several large
tracts of Government land. She spent
some time in the neighborbood, and
soon conceived the idea OF taking up q
claim, believing that by 80 doing she
might secure TO herself permanent indie
pendence. She had no money, however,
and it was while bordering rs to how
she could best raise the $40 necessary to
take out her first papers that she re-
ceived word announcing her position in
Denver assured.
The first money Miss Watkins earned
that fall she drew ut once and took out
papers on fine pre- emption claim OF
160 acres and timber claim OF l60
acres. She first proved the pro emp
ton, and then converted the timber
claim Ito a homestead.
Next she erected shanty or claim
cabin, the cost of which was S25 Its
dimensions wero l0xl2, and when it was
completed, meagre though 10 was, the
resolute young woman reflected that she
was monarch Of all she surveyed. She
was n free and independent house
holder, even though the starlight looked
in intrusively through the crncks IN the
roof, and the mice, not in tho least in
undated by her presence, danced
auadrilles on the floor by night and day.
She slingled the roof of her domicile
with her own hands, and experienced n
fall in so doing which came within an
inch of ending her life. Her nearest
neiohbor had bachelors hay ranch one
and half miles away. The nearest
woman lived nearly three miles distant.
After securing her position In Denver,
Miss Watkins spent great many Satur-
DAYS. Sundays and all her holidays at
the ranch. She also frequently procured
a substitute, and in this way spent n
great deal of time on her wild and desc
late domain.
In the Spring of 1886 Miss Watkins
inclosed her land with barbed-wlre
fence and built dam. The fence cost
1896. 1t was estimated that the dam
would cost $40, but repeated washouts
soon ran the expense of that costly i'm
provement up to 500. The dam proved
a complete failure, it having been wrong
ly built by inexperienced men. She
also decided to put in crop OF alfalfa,
hopinp for sufficient returns to Offset NJ
least some of her rapidly increasing ex-
penses. The alfalfa seed and the labor
of sowing it proved very expensive, In
consequences Of the failure of the dam,
she had no water. therefore the alfalfa
did not grow after coming up success
fully. All this expenditure was total
loss.
The resolute young woman, nothing
dauuted. however, set about the I'M
provement of her cabin by building
another room, SKIP, and 12xl2 barn.
The next item of expenditure was the
building and recording OF what was
known as the Watkins Ditch, which leu
ont of the dam on Rock Creek over the
alfalfa land. The surveying, plotting
and recording of this was another heaNy
expense.
woman furnished her cabin with articles
created by her own hand, hung her very
creditable paintings on the walls. ana
occasionally during the Summer months
L. fri.n,1s She Is q DASH