The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-22
A REVOLUTION ON THE RANGES.
A Change In Cattle and sheep Rai.-

$anGe IN cattle and sheep Rails
Ing.
HELANA. Mon. Jan. 1.-THE cattle.
horse. and sheep raising industry of Mon
tana has been undergoing a silent revo-
luton during the last few years. by which
the great area of free range for the iocks
and herds is fast becoming a thing of the
past. Each cattleman and wooi-grower
is becoming the owner OF his particular
tract of pasture land. which is fenced
and reserved for his own fiocks and herds
This change is the result of a simuItan-
eous change of policy on the part of both
the Northern Pacific Railway Company
and the State. the execution of which
has been rendered easy by the general
prosperity of the country, the increased
demand for beef. wool. and mutton. and
the greater care which sheep and cattle
owners take of their focks
Under the old management Of the
Northern Pacific the business was man
aged from st. Paul and Tacoma and lands
were appraised according 10 the stand
ards adopted in Minnesota and western
washington. where Drought is almost I'M
known An agent from one OF these CEN
Tres would go to a stretch OF rich land
In one OF the broad arid valleys Of Mon
tdna, and. seeing that IL had a rich sur
face soil with q clay sub-soil, would
classify 1t as agricultural land and ap-
praise 1t as such on the basis in vogue
in Minnesota. 1t would have been agrI-
cultural land il there had been water on
1t. but without that essential 1t was moth
ing but bunch grass grazing-land II a
cattleman came along and wished to buy
nf 0r76
he found the price asked prohibitive The
result was that the Northern Pacific
grazing lands remained unsold aud were
used without payment by any man who
chose to drive his cattle on them.
" reorganization of the road and
the entire change of management which
followed. there came also a revolution in
the policy of the land department. A
resident agent with extensive powers was
stationed in each Immigrant State along
the line Land was generally classified
and appraised anew, and much land which
had been called agricultural was given its
true place as grazing-land. The terms of
payment were revised. IL an intending
purchaser made what seemed valid OBJ
lection to the price asked for a tract. tie
resident agent would go upon it. and, II
he thought the price re ally too high would
recommend reductiol to the general
recommendation would be promptly
adopted and the sale made. This has
brought about a great change In condi-
tions. Land has sold freely. and the rail-
road comps ny's revenue from this source
has inerea led rapidly Cattlemen and
sheep men rave found 1t paid them Better
to own thtir grazing land. where they
could keep heir herds close under their
eyes and feed them with hay in winter,
when necessary. than to let them roam
among the mountains to die from cold
and hunger or be devoured by wolves and
other wild beasts. The interest on he
cost of land. the cost of fencing. putting
up hay, etc. is more than repaid by the
larger amount of beef or wool which the
owner has to market in the spring ard
summer
The change of policy on the part Of the
railroad company has conceded with
like change on the part of the State. The
General Government granted to the State
for the endowment of its schools sections
16 and 30 in each township, or one
eighteenth of all the land in the State, as
it was surveyed, with the right to make
indemnity selections in lieu OF such sec
lions as had already been taken up. OF
these grants, the State has obtained pat
ents for the schools to 2110. 235 acres, of
which 1.S09, 1876 acres have been appraised
at an aggregate of 81, 015, 155- The selec-
tons of other grants aggregate 626.502
acres. Thus the STATE has secured title to
2. l96, 1871 acres. worth nearly $1,000. 600.
The policy pursued in selecting the
granted land has been to take the best
and most accessible. which was naturally
that nearest to the railroads. Thus ii
that the lands open to selection
in this area we're the sections alternating
with those granted to the railroad COM
pany, and the result was that great
of the best land in the State was
owned in alternate sections by the State
and the Northern Pacific Railway Com
pany At first the State made practice
Of selling its lands for cash and investing
the proceeds in county, school, and mu-
nicipal bonds. But the immense defalca-
tions iii South Dakota and Nebraska.
where large part of the school fund was
stolen by dishonest State officers, served
as warning against the accumulation of
such sums For the last four years.
therefore. the State Land Department has
almost entirely stopped sales and adopted
the plan of leasing land for terms of five
years.
This policy and that of the Northern
Pacific Railroad Company have combined
to hasten the fencing of the accessible
grazing land and have cut down the
free range for cattle and sheep to the
poorer more mountainous, and less ac-
cessible areas The same men who bought
the railroad sections also leased the in
tervening State sections. and thus ac-
CURED solid blocks of pasture. The old
style sheep and cattle men, who owned
nothing hut their herds. horses. saddles.
and camp outfit found themselves crowd
ed into the back country, and learned
hat, in order to carry on their business
70 advantage. they must have considera-
Die cash capital to buy and lease land.
'enee it. and put up buildings for winter
shelter during severe storms. II was not
20 be expected that such a revolution in
The main industry of eastern Montana
would take place without some disturb
ance. Some OF the old cattiemen have
been sending letters to some of those who
lad been buying and fencing land, threat
sning death if they did not desist. and
ust before the new year a party OF eleven
nen rode into Daupt & Selway's camp on
Rooney Greek. near the Wyoming line.
before daybreak one morning, and with
rells and pistol shots drove 1000 sheep
nto a cut, where they were piled up and
'mothered and MANNED until almost all
we're killed