The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-05-13

the Eastern Markets - Owned
Mines and Tried to Build Railroad
Nall that broad erpanse known ss tne
IVES, there f. probably no woman 3
name better known than that Of Mrs
Ma. Collins the Montana Cattle
Ii Queen" Although time has Nofae =.
changes In her fortunes the ute 81
cling. 20 her and probably always vi. fof
...r- world fail 20 remember her by ery
osher name. The great broad plains 81
IN. mountain state where once large oan1s
~ Mrs Collins cattle roaned have now
x,a.xes 70 other hands. Her stock has sli
teeu sold and for the first time IN NE
ne has turned her back forever On tne
rcene> that have surrounded her nome OF
cv.r a quarter Of a century. In SPEAKING
80, frtend last week Mrs. Collins stated
~. wound newer again return TO s4ontana
There her fortunes were made ana ios'
ara IN new fields she will seek tacE re-
cyperztion She ia now IN Seattle en- fouNo
20 Cane Nome, where she will open Up
Wild west show after the fashion ~ COL
William Cody and also pay Some at1en-
ton 20 mining az which she IS said 70 De
an expert
IT was hack In tire late srs that Mrs-
i Collins. then a young girl came VITA
ser then recently acquired husband END
took M a ranch not far FROM the pi eSent
site OF the little town o, Chotesr IN North
err Montana The title to the vrope-ty Was
vested in Mss Collins name and although
ON All sides OF her and the few otter set
tiers then In that part OF the territory. were
bands Of hostile Indians she took Up me
ralns Of government on her rancn. which
,,nde~ her management prospsrsd ans, grew
20 - ore OF the largest and best IN that
pectfon.
boast tha. she started I'm business with
ore mtlch COW. Every dollar her land pro-
daced was Invested in stock and her hand
grew ye2r BY year In ls5 she began
ra,ruing to the Eastern market beef cattle
that no. onlf attracted The attention az
Chicago and Kansas CITY buyers. eut
brought her TIE top price In the market
These sales She invarfahly made IN per
son Her ranch was many miles from
Transportation but when the shipping SEA
son came she mounted a horse and accom-
PANIED bv several trilstv cowboys began
slow tourney overland to the southern rail-
way lines. 1t often took many DAYS TO
snake the trip as the 'cattle queen" refused
TO allow her stock to lose flesh in a nard
march
NIHEN transportation was reached ne
w ssrock was loaded. and accompanied
by Mrs Collins in the cabooee. the
train began its Journey toward the market
the various Middle Western stock yards
she became a familiar figure amcng cattle
men and buyers,
AS years rolled on her herds inereael
The Great Northern railway was built
close To the Choreau ranch and iior thar
time on Mrs Collins annual shipments of
stock to the Chicago yards were among the
largest from the state. This condition pre-
vailed until a few years aEn when she he
came interested in mining. TIE duh sca-
son IN the cattle bushes. came on and with
the money she had made by Shrewd bust
res management on the Choteau ranch
she purchased claims on the Blackfnot
reservation and other adjacent mineral dls-
srfrs A.: the opening q the nlackfoot
supposed To own the largest and richest
section OF copper claims there. The prop
erty she soon found could rot he worked
without transportation and she immediate
ly concluded 10 blaze A trail AMI build a
railroad. Tbs work was begun. but never
finished on account OF a lack OF capital.
As Il stards today. a proclaimed monu-
ment OF folly, !, Is pointed 20 BY pessers-
by as mainly the work OF the hands ara
brains o. Mrs. Ma; Collins. the cattle
queen OF Montana"
IT was with the slump in cattle, begin
j ming In 1890, tina, Mrs Collins fortunes
began to wane Although a. hard a
worker, in rain and sunshine, as ever be-
turn to gold, and with thousands los, in
the mines ~ Montana and other schemes
she has resolved 70 try her fortunes In tire
far north.
II see Mira Nat Collins IL N the city"
said ar old time Mo1tanian yesterday. she
is goirag 20 Cape Nome 10 open up a Wild
west show she tells fDe. She viii also en-
sage In mining and III wager that when
eae rcturrA - business tact counts for any
thing. she viii have driven many a nan
IN the platform % her fortune I have
known Mrs Collins for great many years
She Is the one woman ir all The West that
ever know who insisted on managing her
own business without the assistance OF A
ran Her husband. old Nat as Ne call
him az ChoSnsu, IA a hard worker hslt he
stten6s strictly TO hts own affairs l can
remember many and many a day TWENTY
eat I'm the saddle al 6ay 'oag rife In
hand and kept the hostile rcd man from
cunning away VIA her stock IL Ma az
ways BEEN one % her proud boasts that
she never lost a head % stock by Indians
she Is a crack shot ard absolutely wfthout
fear. She Is as kind-heartci as am Woman
who ever eraeed a home ard mere tlan
one persoa has been relieved IN hours q,
distress by her purse. I have neard her
say that she has accompanied twenty MIR,
train iosdS 81 stock 90 Eastern markets
herself ana sold every round ~ the meat
''sene Is ieaving Montana FOR good she
tells me, and no Cne Viii be nlisseA n ore
than she. Living ia Chotean sSe lSases a
married dRUShter WIN IS also known fcr
her acts u charity There Is NOT A N1,t-
tRnlan bat viii step long enough n v-gsA
AIRS Nat tNNlins good bye and send
God speed % the cattle queen % the nloun-
tain state.
-s--s-s,
I A DAnG III F