The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1895-10-31
Horse Queen of the West.
KATE c. WILKINS, FAMOUS RANCH OWNER
OF IDAHO, IN EAST ST. LOUIS. SHE
CAME TO SELL 1000 HORSES.


KATE C. WILKINS, FAMOUS RANCH OWNER
OF IDAHO, IN EAST ST. LOUIS. SHE
CAME TO SELL 5000 HORSES.
[St. Louis Post Despatch
Miss Kate C. Wilkins, known over the
entire West as the Idaho horse queen, is
stopping at the National Hotel, East st.
Louis. She is here for the purpose of
selling 3, 600 head of horses, the product
of her ranch, during the past year. This
ranch, now made famous by it's woman
manager, and the fact that it is the largest
horse ranch in the country, is situated at
Mountain Home, in the Bruneau Valley,
Owyee County, Idaho. The little hamlet
takes its name from the ranch, which is
called Mountain Home Ranch, and is Is
miles from the Northern Pacific Railroad.
A Post-Despatch reporter called upon
Miss Wilkins at the National Hotel, and
found her engaged in the business like oc-
cupation of writing letters. Having
heard of ''Kittie'' Wilkins as woman
who managed her own ranch and market
ed its product, the reporter was hardly
prepared to meet the tall young woman,
dressed in a swell, tailor made costume,
her blonde curls surmounted by dainty
Partisan creation, who greeted him with
perfect self possession and invited him to
be seated. One might be excused for
imagining that Western ranch life would
coarsen any woman, no matter what her
natural tendencies might be, but one
glimpse of Miss Wilkins is enough to
completely dissipate the idea. She is
strikingly attractive woman. Above the
average height of her sex, she carries her.
self with a determined yet feminine air.
which tho nncua1 oh
server. Her blue eyes have light in
them that shows she is not to be lightly
dealt with, and the lines around her
mouth indicate unusual strength of char
acter. In fact she looked all over, with
the exception Of her stylish attire, just
what she is--a woman who earns lots of
money in occupation usually considered
beyond the pale of even the new woman.
She is probably about 80 years old, though
this is only a guess. The reporter ex-
planned why he had called.
s!There is not much to tell,' said Miss
Wilkins, "My father crossed the plains
in 50 and has never returned except for a
visit or two. After the gold fever subsd-
ed he located a ranch, and such has been
his occupation since. We children were
all born on the ranch and grew up in the
midst of the the wild environments that
then existed, and still exist in measure
in that locality. My brothers taught me
to ride and shoot, that being necessary
part OF woman's education out there in
those days, and soon rivaled them in ex-
pertness. When | grew up the family
became somewhat separated. My father
had, from small beginning, accumulated
a large herd of horses and on one of his
trips to market he took me along. After
that | always accompanied him and in
few Years he said that | could sell horses
better than he.
my two brothers and myself manage
the ranch and for the past eight Years
have sold all our horses. At first | found
it somewhat difficult, but now | would
like to see the horse trader that can get
the best of me. | made up my mind at
the beginning to trade on business princi-
Piles and never misrepresent my stock. As
consequence l have the confidence of
the buyers wherever | have been. |
make my own arrangements for trans
portation, personally settle all my claims
tor damages. In fact, manage for myself
in every way. | have grown to like the
life and would not exchange it for any
other. After all it is the most independ-
ent life on earth. | like to lie down at
night, when | am on the ranch and feel
that everything about me is growing into
money. The free, open life gives one a
feeling of SUCH absolute independence
that | could never feel natural cramped
up in city or town.
Our ranch embraces thousands Of
acres along the Bruneau and Snake
Rivers. We have several hundred acres
in cultivation and raise almost everything.
Our principal product however, is alfalfa
which we feed to our best stock. At
present we have over !, 900 horses on the
ranch, divided into several herds accord
ing to their grade. They run wild win
ter and summer OF late years we have
been improving our stock very much by
Introducing imported stations, and now /
think that bring the best stock to market
that comes from the West. | never ship a
blemshed animal from the ranch They
are all sound when they leave there
From the fact that Miss Wilkins was
born and raised on an Idaho ranch it must
not be supposed that she is devoid OF those
accomplishments that are regarded as in
dispensable to the girl of the period. She
spent five years in a convent at San Jose,
Cal, from which she graduated refined
and cultured young woman. Her present
novel occupation is her own choice and
her wonderful success in it has made
her name a household word among the
stock raisers of the West.