The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-20
sHEEPHERDER's TRIBULATIoNs
Diary of a Tenderfoot Who Made a
Try st It.

Anaconda Standard: When a tender
foot tackles the JOB of herding sheep in
the west, he runs up against propo-
siti0n that is SO entirely new to him
that he wonders where he is at before
he has made much progress in the mat
ter. The common fate of sheep herders
is insanity, according TO the commonly ac-
ceDted notion. and the condition of the
average shepherd OF these parts lends
while a man with some Intelligence gets
fooled into herding the gentle n1uttons,
but his intelligence usually asserts it
self before long, and he gets out of the
job as soon as he can Such an instance
was the case of the fellow whose exper-
fence is narrated in little book that has
come into the possession of the Standard
office recently.
The book was picked up by the driver
of the delivery wagon of Stevens & Co.,
in his hay NOV the other morning, and
I had evidently been dropped by some one
who had found lodging there the night
before. It is q, common little paper COW
cred memorandum book, such as is given
two blank leaves contain two addresses,
one of which is probably that of the
writer of the little diary. One of the adj
dresses gives Detroit Mich, as the resi-
on the page, ard the other location is
Morgan creek, near Glendive. From the
first entries it is apparent that the man
started in to herd sheep somewhere north
of Miles City, and his experience indicates
that ne was new at the business. The
following extracts from the diary win
give some insight into the trials and
fluctuations of sheep herder on the east
ern Montana ranges:
Commenced herding sheep the 9Th day
of May, lS97.-W ednesday and Thursday.
Have enjoved it,
'.Friday-A storm blew down the tent
Friday night
'saturday-Run my legs off after the
dam lambs
Tt1x1r1T Shn ,<aI fH,. fxxyN
miles, and it is the longest Sunday I
have seen as long as L remember"
'Monday-Tfred myself out running
after the sheep, After am through with
sheep: ID ;f I will
THURSDAY Worse than ever. One week
put IN at hard toll. 4 new week com
mencing Wednesday. the 18th of May, and
the sheep got awgy from me. l have no
dog that is worth id to any man. |
call him Sooner, for he sooner sit on his
mencing good. The sheer, are grassing
well and the id dog sleeps we'll | am
herding about 100 ewes with lambs
"Fridayy-ls worse than H. I cannot
across the creek in spite of me. and
they travel at the rate of six miles an
hour like Ii bent for election"
sheep Friday night. walked 20 miles to
Miles CITY. Took a train at night for
-. Here the entry breaks off ABRUPT
ly, as the poor fellow evidently didn
know where he was going to.
Still later the diary says: ''Took the
same car for Billings. Arrived there
Sunday morning. Left Billings Monday
morning. Arrived at Livingston Monday
night. Had ducks for breakfast. Left
at noon for Helena and arrived there
Wednesday noon. Left Helena Thursday
morning for Missoula. but got dNcheA Il
miles out in the Rocky mountains al
(, this writing am watching at the mouth
! Of the tunnel for a train to come out
: but ] did not get any, SO 1 left for the
summit of the Rocky mountains to the
! mining city of Blossburg. Arrived there
down the other side on foot with an
/ empty stomik."
! This is the last entry and the reade,
/ is left to imagine the trip down the grade
1 on IAN empty stomilS'