The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1899-09-29
l1Tontand Setter

Ed. TIMES: Since my last letter |
have had some varied experiences,
some of which may interest the folks
at home. Saturday | saw the cattle
of a small round up. Men ride for
miles in different directions driving
all cattle to one place then the calves
are branded, which seemSsvery cruel,
The steers that are old enough are cut
out and driven to the nearest shipping
point and shipped to Chicago. 1t is
hard to realize that those great stock
animals have scarcely been sheltered
or fed but such is the case. Millions
of dollars worth of cattle and sheep
are shipped from here every year.
Sheep are sheltered some during a
bad storm. They tell me that in Il
day or two after great snow storm
the Chinook wind comes and the snow
dissanears and the shepherd leads his
flock to the mountain side and they
Craze as in summer, the grass instead
of burning up or getting tough as at
nome simply cures into standing hay
and cattle fatten right along. There
are great plains where thousands of
cattle feed during the summer but
are taken to the mountains to winter.
am now staying with people from
my old Michigan home They have
hume in the most beautiful valley l
have seen in the mountains.
There is abundance of wild fruit,
strawberries, raspberrles, huckleber-
rie, cherries and otder kinds too num-
erous to mention, most Of the creeks
abound with fish. There are some
deer on the mountains.
Last week party of us decided to
90 up on Bald Mountain, the highest
peak in the Bear Paws. One lovely
morning we mounted our horses and
started for Birch creek 20 or % miles
away, stopping at a bachelors ranch
for dinner, as he was not at home we
helped ourselves to what we could
find, but as we could not locate his
ciche, did not have great variety,
but long ride in this mountain air
gives one an appetite for anything
eatable. Leaving card OF thanks on
the table we remounted, then after
losing our way by trying a short cut
we did some exciting riding. We
would ascend a mountain by gentle
slope only TO find that we must go
straight down hundreds Of feet, but
our horses. were sure fotted and so we
let the reins loose and tn y took us
safely down to familiar surroundings.
Soon we sighted the ranch of Mr.. H.,
my first home in Montana, We were
warmly welct med. So stalking our
horses we went fishing but it was so
near night we were not very success
FIJI.
The next morning it was raining
hard, but about 10 O'Clock it cleared
off. We got into dr. HIS double car
riage and leading our saddle horses
started for Badly mountains. We
drove up "A succession of hills till we
were at the base of the giant even
then some of us were breathing with
some difficulty, but were determined
to 20 on II possible. We now left owl
horses and after a long hard climb
with frequent resting spells and now
and then a helping hand fir IN the
gentlemen, we at last stood on the
very summit, but the thrill of triumph
was lost in rapture. The scene was
indescribably grand. At our feet lay
the whole range of the Bear Paws. d
hundred miles to the east the Little
Rockies lUOmed up, to the south was
Table mountain looking like an i'm
mense square topped house, southeast
the Missouri river, while here and
there lake cleaned in the sunlight.
The wEite building at Fort AsSina.
boine 3O-miles away could be seen, al
least one of the party remembered ia
praise and thanks giving the Creator
of all THIS grandeur.
After resting and carving our nam
es on a stick we began 20 descend: 9,
me that is the hardest part, after 60
ing a little ways a large rock was star