Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-05
ANIMALS NUMBER MILLIONS
City of Casper the Center Of I'm.
mense Ranch Territory.
SOLITARY LIVES OF HERDERS
Their Camps and How the Sheep
Are Counted and Cared For.
The Process of Dipping.
BY WILLIAM f.. CURTIS.


CASPER, Wyo.. July -. 1909.
The pretty little city of Casper is the
greatest sheep center of Wyoming. and
there are 115.0OO sheep in Natrona coun-
~, of which it is the seat-probably more
than in any other single county in the
United States. The adjoining county of
Fremont, of which Lander is the seat is
credited with half million head. The
value of the wool crop of the United
States last year was SIS, o63, 165. and the
value of the mutton sent to market s64.
49,, making a total of $142, 42S,96O as
the total value of the sheep product.
Montana and Wyoming produced SIS, 1884,
a31 of this, and Wyoming alone nearly
S10,on00C0. Estimating the population at
$4,000, the sheep industry, produced an
average of sl33 for every man, woman
and child in the state. The increase has
been very rapid. In 1896 there were
1.30-063 head o fsheep in Wyoming, and
in 1906, which is the latest year for which
! can get the full figures. there were
2.S14,6s6 head, which is an increase of
1.566,623 during the ten years. and that
has been felt in this vicinity more than
in any other part of the state.
The owners of the large f1ocks and
herds usually live in the towns, and You
can find many of them in the comforta-
u
tractive towns along the Northwestern
railway. All of them have both summer
and winter ranges, but some have no
ranch houses. They obtain the land
along the banks of creeks and rivers by
locating it with government scrip, and
that gives them control of the ranges on
either side without paving for them, be-
cause without the water they are use
less for everybody else. There are sew
eral large land owners, however. among
sheen
enormous ranges, and there are many
fine ranches all through this country
where the sheep and cattle owners live
in the greatest comfort, and even luxury,
although they may he twenty, forty or
sixty miles from a town.
The Useful Automobile.
The automobile has shortened distances
immensely, and 1 have seen lots of them
out here. 1 counted nine standing around
the railway station at Casper the day
we arrived and several are to be seen
at almost every station. The roads are
generally good and, as rule. it is safe
to run machine over the ranges in any
direction: but the chauffeur has to look
out for coules and "chuckholes.'
The large flocks of sheep are divided
into bands of about 1900 each under one
Scotch collies to assist him, and a camp
wagon fitted up as experience has taught
sheepmen, for bedroom, dining room,
kitchen and storehouse for supplies all
his wagon at favorable place where
there Is good water and fuel. and brings
up the sheep to it every night. Once in
two or three weeks camp tender, with
chuck wagon" arrives with supplies,
moves the camp to a new place il neces-
sary and leaves the shepherd month s
rations of bacon, flour, canned meats,
fruits and other things, which last him
until another visit.
The shepherd receives SIS or $50 a
month and his board. He lives we'll, but
it is a lonesome life. He has no COM
panions, and sometimes does not see a
human being except the tender all sum-
mer. IL he happens to be near trail
he receives passing visitors occasionally
and often has a stranger guest or two
whom darkness has overtaken to stay
with him over night; or II he happens to
be where there is good shooting he some
times. gets news from town by parties
IF hunters that come his way. The ten
der brings him his mail, if he has any
and a package of newspapers. Many men
like this lonely life. They get up in the
morning at daylight, cook their break
fast, follow their sheep over the range,
drive them in at dark, cook supper and
go to bed. 1t is rather mOnotonOus, but,
as 1 say, many Of them like it and stay
year after year.
The Summer Program.
In the summer they drive their sheep
into the mountains, always going to the
same places. and remain there until the
middle of September, when they work
gradually down to Casper or some other
railroad town. where they meet the own
er, who cuts out the fat sheep and lambs
to be shipped to market. and the shepherd
takes his flock to winter on the fats
where they can find the best protection
from the weather
There is always more or less snow in
the winter, but ii blows into drifts and
leaves the dry bunch grass where the
sheep can eat. They eat the snow in
stead of drinking the water Of the creeks
and nibbie al the sage brush which takes
the place Of salt. They need very little
attention. They know what is expected
of them. and a good shepherd can teach
his flock habits that will save him a great
deal of trouble. He beds his sheen
that they will not wander away. GER
tain number wear bells, which give the
alarm and waken the shepherd in the
night if the flock is disturbed. by coyotes
or other causes. There being no means
Of counting the sheep while on the range.
so many black animals are turned into
every band which are called markers
The shepherd counts the markers every
morning and every night and il he finds
the correct number of black sheep and
beilwethers he assumes that none of
the others are missing.
Before the flock is driven to the sum-
ner range In the spring they pass through
a shearing shed. either public or private,
for there are both, and are sheared either
by machinery or by hand. There are
electric sheep shearing machines on some
Of the ranches, but machine shearine Is
unpopular In Wyoming and most of the
ranchmen have given IL up because the
machines cut so close that the sheep are
apt to get chilled and die IL the weather
changes suddenly, and that lis the rule
in this part of Wyoming. In other parts
of the state and In Montana. shearing
by machinery Is more popular, and the
apparatus and method are very much like
those used for clipping horses in the
livery stable at home. There is a clipper
like the barber uses on the back of your
neck, run by compressed air, electricity or
some other power. and the shearer passes
II up and down over the body of a sheep
while the wool falls Off in great bundles
Shearing a Profession.
Professional shearers travel all the way
from Mexico to Canada having regular
customers en- route. and are shearing
every month OF the year in some local
ity. They charge . cents per sheep and
receive board and lodging free, and a
ssiilful man with pair of old fashioned
hand shears can handle a hundred sheep
day.
At the public shearing sheds, which are
found in all thickly settled sheep coun-
tries. the charge is 14is cents per sheep
which covers shearinS, sacking the wool
and delivering 1t AT railway station.
After shearing. the wool is sent to the