The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-12
SHEEP RANGING IN MONTANA
OBSERVATIONS or A FORMER NEW
YORK CLERK.
Great Distances o. the Country --IOdginss.
work and Democracy 81 the q
LONELINESS or the Sheep Herder's LIE
-~PfnaneIal ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

Financial Observation-Disclosures.
MnNER. Mon, May silt is doubtful
whether the average Fastener has any
definite idea Of the nature OF the work Of
sheep ranching In this part Of the country.
At any rate, | had little. Knowing simply
that at least the work was in the open air
and that there we're good possibilities In
the business, / gave up a job that had kept
me at a desk for seven years in one of New
York's skysorapers and set out to take up
this entirely different life. To n who
had not been brought up on a farm
had never sven harnessed a horse. the change
was the moro radical.
An Fastener who has never been in
the Northwest IL impressed first OF all by
the long stretches Of apparently unpopu-
lated territory. One may ride fifty miles
OF more on the railroad through parts OF
Montana and North Dakota without seeing
the sign OF a house.
The smaller towns at which the train
sometimes stops On signal may CONSIST
Of only the small hut used as a station,
Of q barroom. and Of two or three houses
one Of which may serve as a hotel. III the
traveller stops at some Of the larger cities
his susoeptibllities are apt 20 be severely
Jared. By q large city In Montana IL
meant a community having a population
Of more than nine thousand.
In one sense New York's Tenderloin
appears very tame compared with the
wide open policy that prevails in these
cities. Gambling lens and dance halls
Of the lower class exist in abundance and
seem to flourish. Some OF the cities are
beginning 10 realize the evil effects OF such
places and are taking steps toward segre-
gating the resorts of that nature. In time
q policy Of suppression will no doubt be
adopted.
The prices in the Northwest are higher
than in the East. This is particularly true
Of the luXuries. A Is cent cigar is no
better than the Sumatra wrapper article
that costs q nickel in Eastern cities. Beer
la the better class OF places is sold for is
cents q glass. The price Of board. whether
at restaurants or boarding houses. Is about
the same, quality considered. as in New
York city.
Labor is well paid. Italians working on
new railroads receive 81 a day and hoard.
Ranch hands get $40 a month. including
board. Cooks on ranches receive as much
as $50 a month.
Leaving the railroad at a point abou
seventy miles from the ranch ] obtained
a seat on a stage in which besides the driver
were two railroad workmen who had pro-
vided against chill and the monotony Of
travel by reinforcing themselves with a
quart bottle Of whiskey and four large bot
ties Of beer. They were generous, for
besides helping themselves every few
miles they offered drinks to all passersby.
Of whom. however. there were very few.
The stage driver, whether by design or
chance, has located his own farm about
half way on the trip and there dinner was
served. His farm consists OF a house, a
barn and the ever present barroom. all
OF which constitute q town named after the
driver himself.
The arst days drive found us still twenty
miles from the ranch, which We reached
about moor Of the following day. The ranch
is about seventy miles from the nearest town
Of more than 100 people and is fifteen miles
from any community whatever. IT consists
OF about 1900 acres OF land. which furnish
grazing ground for 1900 sheep.
The eize OF the ranch will be the more
COMPREHENSIVE to a New Yorker when he
is told that 1t is twenty-five times as large
as Central Park. The twenty-five or thirty
men who are employed thereon see little
Of the outside world except when they find
time to go to town.
The ranchmen live in small one story
houses made OF logs, the intervening spaces
being filed with a rough sort OF mortar.
The floor, ceiling and walls are bare. As a
rule the men sleep two in a room on wooden
borlike affairs covered with large bags
filed with straw.
From personal experience / should say
that this style OF bed was designed rather
for utility and 6heapness than for com
fort, though after q hard days work the
average ranch hand does not lie awake
to think Of occasional hills n valleys in
his mattress. Excepting on Sundays there
Ia little time for reading. A reading table
In the lounging DON is well supplied with
newspapers and magazines which are read
with great interest.
A feeling OF democracy prevails. The
ranch hands and the boss dine at one long
table. The meals are plain, but substantial:
Breakfast is served at Q. dinner at IL and
supper at 2.
varied than farming in the East, but 1t
should not be inferred from this that il 10
much easier. During practically the whole
year the hours are from $50 until IL and
from until 9. Most Of the work is Of a
tSs fsst to be attended to just as there is in
b To o person who is not accustomed to
farming the work seems very monotonous,
Probably the sheep herders a " the worst
Of II in this respect. There are six herders,
and they are scattered over the ranch
within o radius OF twenty-five miles from
the house.
Their living quarters consist OF a sort OF
house built on O wagon. The house has
one room and in II are q stove and a straw
bed. A sheep herder has charge OF about
$500 sheep. Accompanied by two dogs
he watches these sheep from day TO day,
allowing them 70 Craze over an area with q
radius OF about a mile -,
II they spread out too far the dogs will
quickly obey commands to round UP the
herd. II Is most interesting 10 sec the sheep
dogs In less than five minutes round up a
herd which may be scattered over a mile
or more, On signals they will turn q herd
In any direction desired. II the herder
Wiehes 10 capture q particular sheep the
dog will do the work for him, seizing the
animal by the wool at the throat.
The sheep herder's life 10 naturally very
lonely. Week In and week out the only per-
con whom he sees an n rule IA the camp
tender, whose duty Il Is to make weekly
yihts TO the different herders, bringing
them provisions and moving their wagons
10 new grazing grounds. In this Rocky
Mountain region the work has Its disagree
able qualities, too. for with the thermome-
ter well below freezing and a high wind
Il IL not n pleasant task to climb hills and
bluffe to watch a band OF sheep. The
herders do not seem 70 mind the lonesome
mesa OF their work. 0ne OF them who
happens TO be located about two miles
from the road, upon being asked whether