Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-03-06
In tho bad Lands.

Yule, N: L., req. IL, 19O7.
To the TRIBUNE Editor and Readers:
will try my pen again fora change and
let you know how things are up here in the
wild west. We are enjoying good old In
dian summer nowadays. Have had thaw
for five days and it looks as if it were going
to keep on. 1 hope it will. The snow in the
Bad Lands is almost gone, so the ranchers
feel good. have been working for rancher
for the last three weeks, and like il, well. He
owns 4, 500 sheep and SO head of cattle and
some horses, but he has most Of the sheep
out in the country. He has three sheep
ranches and three choremen. We have only
1926 sheep on the home ranch, but there is
lots to do with them. It takes one man all
day to feed and water them. During this
nice weather they feed out on the hills, but
when it gets cold and stormy we get it back
You can't drive them ten rods against the
wind if you don't know how, but have got
on to it now so can drive them any dis
.tance againse the worst storm.
Talk about hewolves! We certainly have
them up here. Not day goes by but what
you hear them bowling. The howl of the
gray wolf sounds like the whistle of big
steamboat when making land
ing at St. Paul. They are the wort enemy
the rancher has. They will kill cows or hor-
ses-any thing they can get hold of, and the
ranchers can't shoot them as they keep out
of reach in the Bad Lands. = I 4
Talking about the Bad Lands, had heard
much about them, but now Y am right
among them, and they are certainly the
worst1and I have ever seen. You can't so
half mile straight anywhere, and have to
20 three or four miles around to get tota
place one mile off. 1t smoothing but big mud
hills. so steep that a cat couldn't climb up
their sides. Between their peaks run mall
rivers, and some Of them had over four feet
Of w alter in them today! I crossed one OF
these rivers eight times in quarter of e mile.
To follow the ,windings of the river would
m axe a man dizzy. Twas on horseback, 9th
saddle ponies up. here win not cross except
in safe places: Ltried three different places
and in each instance the pony refused to en-
tered without hesitation, and found that
the water there was only q few inches deep
ais the snow crust held the hor sc up. All you
have to DO is to let the horse have his own
see the cowboys crossings these rivers
They generally make the horse jump across
i have seen pony make 2o-foot jump. +;
and among other things he told me this We
racious( y tale: Two years ago he was hoe
ing ia his garden when he saw hoop sn AXE
coming. The; hoop snake. you know, bites
its tail and rolls along like a hoop. The
rancher just managed tosget out of it's way,
but it bit the hoe handle and in two hours
that handle had swelled to three times ite
original thickness. How Is that for a>Nertll
Dakota yarn? E .s& s}: 81
4 see the New Lond onrorresponden t 81. the
TRIBUNE wonders # I can visitlrny neighbors
could if had "a straw hat, and Z would
ank you ever so much If you would send
me one. It has been SO mite weather the last
sthree weeks taat 4 haven't had my coat on,
and so me times have walked outside in nv
@~tockinEs. Butsyou had better not come :sun
here now unless you can swim, so you can
get across the rivers, S+as they are full o1
Nv ater now WI az to Edward Negaards'
place yesterda and Isfonnd his house and
4 barn separated by a stream 50 friend Ne.
saafd has had to bhild g bridge to get TO
s. Vel, ST 49, pretty bad III the Bad Land.
when it begins to Ithaw, as the gum bos gets
$50 sticky that ut you lose your oversize Init
there is no use In your trying to get 1t out
sby hand powers#sYou havesfo pet W cowboy
with his rope and pony to get sit out for you,
1T Is worse than cement 40 It never sets but
rem aims sticky ssssSs
8 Henry Halvorson, brorher OF John Ha1yor.
#son, is practicing a. g shepherd nowadays
1t is fun to see Henry come packing home
with q sick sheep. But It 50 cert inly no finn
TO be d shepherd ,5as you5 are not likely toses
! q human being for a week or more at 81 time.
n, q, With best reeares The editor3 and read:
ere, srena mr. skrt.l
- - 1870