Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1902-01-01
David Hilger and John Brooks Amonu
the First to Bring Sheep In.
to Fergus County.
LIVED IN A TEPEE ALL WINTER
Built Brush Sheds and Put Up a Guam
tity Of Hay After November list
Wintered Well.

ihS 6iOWth VI thc ohScp ihuuotiy
in Montana and especially in Fergus
county has been very rapid, and it is
only twenty years ago when the rats.
ing of sheep In this county was but an
experiment and the number of these
profitable animals throughout this
district would number less than 1000.
Angus Mcmillan and Hank Canine
were located On Cottonwood with a
small bunch of sheep numbering about
two thousand and Robert S~ullingnr
had a few hundred on Spring Creek:
these with a few head owned by diff
ferent pioneers, who were experiment.
ing in the raising of these animals.
constituted the then small flocks Of
Fergus county.
II was late in the fall of 1881 that
John Brooks. brother to Gov. Brooks.
and David Hilger. trailed $500 head
Of sheep from Helena to the vicinity
of Lewistown and, after looking
around for a location. settled in tine
Salt Creek district, on what is row
Known as the John Brooks ranch. It
was on the 2Sth of November that
Messrs. Hilger and Brooks arrived on
Salt Creek and commenced the Her
culean task of preparing for the win
tering of their band. True, there
was any quantity of feed in the tall
rich grasses of the then "unpastured
country. but as for shelter, there was
absolutely none and in the words of
Mr.. Hilger, everything had to be
done before the setting in Of the rig
orous Montana winter"
Nothing daunted, these two hardy
pioneers commenced to change the
face of nature in a strenuous manner
which insured success from the start;
hay was cut and stacked in large
punches in readiness for the winter
feeding and with the assistance of a
couple of hired hands. rough sheds
were constructed from poles and
brush, in which their little bunch of
sheep and a few horses could be pro-
tected from the violent billiards. to
which the broad plains of Montana
are subject.
During the whole of the winter
these two gentlemen. with their hired
help. lived in a wickyup or tepee con
structed of green poles yer which
buffalo hides had been stretched in .
manner which made the primitive hab
itation almost weatherproof, and al
though the manner of living was rough
in the extreme, there was no dearth oil
good fare and this small vanguard OF
a vast industry "wintered in fine
shape
The principal article of diet was buf'
falo meat which was easily procured
from the large herds which visited the
immediate neighborhood and in those
early days it was a common occur
renee for the cow punchers employ
ed at the old Horse Shoe Bar ranch
then run by Gov. Brooks, to drive
these animals out of the pastures neal
the ranch, which were kept for the
use of the cow herd during the winter
In the following spring a supply O
lumber was purchased from Dexter &
Meadow, who were running a small
sawmill at the mouth of Maiden gulch
and rough buildings were constructed
which took the place Of the primitive
habitations Of the foregoing winter
AT that time Maiden was the principa
settlement in Fergus county, being
small mining camp with about a hun
bred population and was %frequenteI
by some Of the toughest characters il
the west. James Fergus had locate,
on Armells creek a short time befor
and Fort Maginnis was then in tn
course of construction.
The small bunch Of sheep on Sal
Creek wintered well and increase
rapidly and in the course of a fey
years the firm of Brooks & Hilger dil
solved, Mr.. Hilger taking up a locatio
on Dog Creek where he raised shee
with success for many years. In 1873
George Cook started a sheep ranch o
Dog Creek and about the same tim
Oscar Stephens located in the Blac
Butte district. From that time on tn
number of sheep in Fergus county ha
gradually increased until the annus
report of Sheep Commissioner Hilge
for 1901 shows that the county col
tains nearly 700, 900 Of these proftabl
wool bearing animals.
al - n.---x. ErN- NAyeAr