Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1901-05-02
FORTUNE FOR THE CATCHING.

"a 81
Hundreds of Fine Fat Cattle Run-
ming Loose I'm Colorado That De-
long to Nobody.
In the northwestern corner of Col
orado there awaits q tidy fortune for
the man or set of men who can devise
and execute some scheme to corral
it.
Here, in what may be truly called
unknown Colorado" is country
still in that interesting border con-
dition between the passing of the
Indians, the trapper and the hunter
and the advent of the settler. This
region is SO recently vacated by the
Indians that the legends and the
scent of them are still fresh. There
are cattle on thousand hills, free
of brand, and not bill of sale for
them held by any man, says the New
York World.
They are to be had for the catch
ing. With a wagon load of food,
few COW ponies and plenty of grit
you may secure over 1000 fat and
fine beef cattle.
The old-time cowboys of Routt and
Rio Blanco counties know of their ex-.
istence, and more than one has tried
by some means to become their own
er. Several years ago an eastern
speculator, who had learned the story
while passing through the country,
formed small company, but his cap
ital and patience gave out while fol-
lowing elusive trails, and the cattle
still roam unbranded.
Joe Burgett, the game warden,
whose arrest of some Indians pre-
cipitated row with the Utes some
years ago, made determined eff
fort to capture these mavericks, but
he came off with nothing better than
a broken leg. A fall from his horse
put him out of the race just when
success seemed near at hand, when
he had surpassed all previous at
tempts by actually riding among the
willy brutes.
In this day of wire fences, and
when the once boundless prairie is so
we'll claimed that it is scarcely pos
sible to find spot of free range
larger than ones hand, the existence
of this herd needs an explanation.
In the folk lore of the country two
stories are told. When the Mormons.
or Latter Day Saints of Utah, were
travelling the desert in search of
their Zion, they struck portions Of
what is now Colorado. In order to
better spy out the land, their forces
were divided into several parties. One
took route through Fort Collins
and crossed North park from corner
to corner. Continuing. it went
through Egeria and Twenty-Afile
parks into what is now Routt county.
It camped one night in a large bot
tom, after its usual fashion.
A terrible mountain storm blew up
at midnight, and the cattle, which
were browsing near by, became stu
pefed. The customary plan of cir
cling about them failed to check the
runaway, and soon 1000 head or
more were coursing madly down the
gulch.
The roughness Of the country, the
blackness of the night and the alb
solute madness of the cattle made it
impossible for the Mormons to head
them of. When the storm ceased
and the morning broke 1000 mangled
beeves were found piled one on the
other at the foot of a tremedous
cliff.
The pilgrims passed on. and to-
day there still remains a huge pile
of blanched bones to mark the site
Of the catastrophe. A few of the cat
tie. however, the last to go over the
bank, and whose fall was broken by
the mass beneath, managed to crawl
out, MANNED and bruised, to wander
forth and propagate and multiply. in
to the herd that now inhabits the
valleys OF the Snake and Bear rivers.
The other solution is credited to
the Indian department. Cattle fur
nished to the various Indian agencies
were all branded with Uncle Sans
special 81. d. 1t is told that when
the Indians were transferred from
the range of the White river to their
present reservation in Utah, the de-
partment cattle were hastily and
carelessly rounded up and sent with
them. Later round-ups developed the
fact that large number of cattle
had been overlooked. It is supposed
that the present cattle are the Off
spring of others who escaped the Sec
ond and third of those haphazard