The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1901-07-18
Stock ans
S5tockn1ef1
Changed Conditions

The announcement that the owner
ship of the Ogalla range in Wyo-
ming has been converted into stock
company, that its lands will be
fenced and hereafter the cattle will
be fed in winter, is more significant
than it would appear to one not
thoroughly familiar with the condi-
tions of the cattle business in the
west. In fact it may be said to mark
the close of one era and the beginning
of another in the. history Of cow
punching, writes E. W.. Mayo in
Omaha Bee.
The Ogalalla is the largest of the
open ranges north Of Texas, and
from it are shipped tens of thou.
sands of cattle tomarket every year.
1t comprises a section as large as
an eastern state, and it's manager,
Billy Irvine, is one of the cleverest
cattlemen in the northwest, and is
known personally or by reputation
to everybody west of the Missouri.
The fact that it has been found nee
essary to change the system on which
this range has been operated success
fully for years proves conclusively
that the old order is passing away.
How great are the changes which
this will involve one may understand
on little reflection. First of all it
meant the readjustment of the cat
tie business on a new and frmer
basis. For years, in fact ever since
the first bunch of cattle, abandoned
to their fate in a Colorado blizzard,
were found to have survived the
winter, the raising of cattle on the
western plains has been an occupa-
ton in which chance has played a
prominent part. The idea of pro-
viding feed to carry the herds
through winter storms was never
seriously considered, If a protract-
ed blizzard came on and killed off
10000 head Of stock the ranchmen
bore the blow with equanimity, re-
garding it as dispensation of prov
idence against which it was impossi-
BILE to provide protection. If an
extended drouth dried UP the water
holes and parched the plains and
left the whitening bones of thou
sands of beeves as the terrible record
of death from thirst, he charged it
to his profit and loss account and
relied on better luck in other sea-
sous to make the balance on the
right side. One season in every
three was regularly counted on as a
bad one, but the practically unlim-
tied free range and the high prices
Of beef made the profits of favorable
years enormous. These were the
days of the 'scattle barons,'' who
never knew within good many
thousands how many heads of stock
they actually owned. If success
sion of bad seasons wiped out a
mans herd he could buy a few hun
dred on credit and start out again
with the practical certainty that in
few years he would be back in his
old position.
During recent years, however
conditions have been gradually
changing. Herds multiplied unit
the ranges began to crowd one an
other. Homesteaders focked in
took up choice quarter sections ane
fenced them off. The rapid increase
in production brought down the
price of beef and curtailed profits tt
the point where bad season mean
ruin for a cattle owner. Five years
ago the cattle business was almos
completely demoralized and tn
owners of herds we're hard up
Then some of them began to SEM
their cattle down into Nebraska an,
Kansas, where corn was plentiful
and cheap at the beginning Of win
ter, and TO feed them for a mont
or two there before sending them t
market. The. price Of corn fed bee
was so much higher than that 9
cattle direct from the range that
good many men have made comfort
able fortunes in the last few years b
Lu'lding feed lots and acting as mic
die men between the range owner
aud the packers. The more pr
gressive cattlemen have taken lie;
out Of the feed lot owners book an
have lately begun the practice I
Feeding their herds themselves.