The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-06-23
Rapid Decline CT the Range Business
the Cause of His Disappearance
What He Was In His Prime.

-wnat He was In His Prime.
"HE rapid decline Of the range
business Of Wyoming began
~-a x-six years ago. Before that IL
had boon of q character to
tempt even tho rich. AZ one time men
paid two per cent month for money,
and made 100 per cent. profits year.
That was when cows came mp from
Texas at cost of 81 each, sold in two
years for s22, and in three years for
SIC anu more, when Inc ranges were
not ovcrstocked, the Psstursge was
good, and all the conditions, including
"boom" prices at the stockyards, were
favorable. The men who did the best
pushed into new territory as fast as
the Indians were crowded off, and kept
finding new grass and plenty of it.
But the risks soon came, and multi
piled. III one man was careful not To
ovcrstock range, he could not he sure
that another COW outfit would not do
so oprcciscly where he had nut his cattle.
Prices fell, fences cut mp the ranges
and shut off the water, winter losses
became heavier and heavier, and the
good old days of this inhuman,
dcyil-may care, primitive. and clumsy
business cnmc to nn end. The cowboys
of picture and story existed in tho
brilliant days. At first they had come
from Texas, but i'm the zenith of their
romnntic glory they came from every
where and from every class. They in
cludcd young Englishmcn, college
graduates from TN" East, wcll-hOrn
Americans nll sorts who did not
'Striko luck" at anything else, and
VIII" were full of vim and love of adj
venture. They got so month and
good keep during the greater part Of
each year They rode good horses,
TINT Ind ns much of tn" devil in them
ns tn" "b"ys" themselves. They bought
hand st~np"d Cheyenne saddles and
California bits that were ns ornate ne
lcw"lry, and stuck their feet in grand
lhp"d"r"s, or hooded stirrups. richly
pnddcd with lambs wool
and each as big as n irc-hat. Their
.'i''" "'.' 81 s"r urund.cs tb,ir
big broad felt somhrcrus cost more thon
tn" Prince of Wales ever paid for
pot lint.
And then, alns the COW men began
[" cc"n"lniZc III men. food, WAGES
.'crythInR. The best Of the old kind
II cowboys, who hud not become own.
RS or l"r'mmn, snlunn-kccp-rs or
or hal not been shot, drittcd
'"ny. Some nf the smnrtcst among
hem became ''rustlcrs' those cattle.
hi"vcs whose drprcdntions resulted in
Nhnt almost came tu he II war in Wv.
'min% last year They insisted that
hey hnd To- du il to live.
fr"u th" cowboy stand-p point il was
I'M" Tor the business to lanuuish.
Towns "rr" springing up every here
'nd there, each with its ordinance that
'""boys must take of their sidc.nrms
before they entered the villages; wages
scrc low down; men had to cart hnv
md dump it around for winter food:
settlers fenced iii the streams, and
'thcrs stood guard over them with
""" From TITO stand point of
Century civilization tho
umo conclusion was reached -- tho
'nngc business was an obstruction to
'iviliHation, bar to tho development
# the State, II thing only to he toler-
ted in II new and wild country. And
low | nm assured that there is not an
Intelligent cow-mnn who docs not
now that the business il doomed in
Wyoming, and that the last frcc-roving
"rds must move on. There is not ono
ho does not know that small lunches
/ cattle, held in connection with apri-
nlturc, must take the places of tho
angc cattle, because better grades of
nttlc can he bred, better meat can be
reduced, all risks will nearly disap-
car, and the expenses of the care of
he cattle will not bc II tithc of those
Il th" old plan. Ralph, ill
lurpcr's Magazine.