The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-12-28
|E CATTLE KINGS.
IA GREAT POWER IN THE WEST,
k4EY ARE NOW DISPLACED.

stock Raisers Have Driven Out the
er Ones-Big Ranges and Water
les Fenced In How the BONANZA
title Outfits Made Enormous Profits.
fha great cattle ranges OF western
nth Dakota and Montana, where for
arly 90 years, the bonanza cattle out
have held complete sway, and where
tile have roamed the vast prairies at
III, like the buffalo q quarter of a GEN.
|yry ago, are passing out Of existence.
The deathknell of the largo cattle
Jmpanies has been sounded by the in
Vulnerable settlers who have taken mp
facant government land in the great
grazing region. built "shanties" in the
vicinity of every natural spring and
Rwater hole. fenced in thousands of acres |
Gof grazing land and driven the immense
+ herds of the bonanza cattlemen from
Hplace to place, until there is no place
left for them to 60 All the years that
Il the vast prairies of the west have re-
IA manned unsettled have been worth mil
tlions to the cattle princes. Hundreds OF
thousands of cattle have been imported,
placed upon the ranges at a cost not TO
exceed Sl6 head for the 2-year-old
teers. allowed to roam at will for two
years. at an average animal cost not TO
Exceed So. and then sold in the market
Is Chicago for an average price OF $40
o $50. The free ranges offered by the
xmillions of acres Of unsurveyed and IN
\ccupied government land have been
urned into millions of dollars in cold
ash by the cattle kings, but the tide Oh
Immigration to the west has sealed
leir fate and they are ready to go.
For 90 years nearly vast region ly-
along the western part OF North Da-
and the eastern strip Of Montana
,suring 100 miles in width and loo
,,s in length has been entirely given
I'd the interests of the cattle kings
bousands of head of cattle have beer
raven year after year, countless train
cods lof beeves have been shipped &
usrkeA and millions of dollars hav'
cone into the pockets of the cattlemen
Pierre \Wiebaux, the Montana STOCK
man said to be the largest single owne
a. cattle( in the United States has mum
bered hAs total possessions OF cattle
6o 000 Head. The Berry Boice Cattl
comnanyi has owned and grazed eac
GEAR not Newer than 80, 900 head, an
there are numerous companies that nav
essaved td keep on the ranges an annuf
total of fkom 10, 900 to $4,000 heac
The yastnlss of the business OF thes
cattle con Spanies may be estimated irol
the fact THAT the annual shipments l,
the past few years have been from S'o'
70 G. 900 head for each of the large con
NAMES. The annual profits OF the iarg
oompanieS, after deducting the origin
cost of the cattle and the cost OF the
maintenance upon the ranges, are Ire
S75. 900 to $3.50. 000-all that from
free ranges of the government, CIV
without taxation or any return WI
ever. ,
To understand the situation that
existed up to the present time IL III
be remembered that this broad reg
which has been given up to the intere
of the cattle growers has not been
tersected by fence, disturbed WIZ
nlow or praced with field OF gram
to few short years ago-nothlng
miles but short nutritious grass, WI
cured on the prairie, as clover III a s'a
and served equally well for food III U
of winter as in the heat OF summer
Forth upon this vast area every spl
have been poured streams of gaunt
shaped, long horned ana lean IA
southern cattle. Left to roam al
they have thriven and waxed 1at'
in two years they have become
and fat and comedy to the eye. Du
all that period they have been as
and untrammeled as were ever the
falo. But at the close of the matu
period they have been rounaeu
driven To railroad stock shipping
and loaded upon the cars for u
market Their places are taken py
importations from the south Ah
year after year, have the processes
repeated, until the profits tnaS
known to have accrued from tne
ness have tempted thousands OF
holders of cattle to settle In this
and engage in the beef business
smaller scale.
The presence of these smaller
tors is the inevitable doom Oh inc
kings. Their vast herds are no
allowed to roam the ranges unoi
ed. The small ranchmen nave
fences and inclosed the water
The prairies have been made 20 "
the moving machine, and the
free grass has come to be cut anu
ed as hay, until the ranges IN
places are bare of feed for the az
the larger companies. These coh'
are responsible for the closing
the cattle princes. There is no
room for their thousands OF beeVe
teen thousand cattle. the prope
one of the larger operators suco
to the severity Of the weather
other reason than that the rang
been denuded of grass by the nu
smaller ranchmen. This was
ing that the most obstinate mus
nd en- tho cattla cOmpanleS Vi