The Dickinson press., 1911-01-07
the BAD LANDS COW BOY
ONCE PUBLISHED AT MEDORA

During the year 1884 THE Bad Lands
Cow Boy vas established at Medora
by A. T. Packard. it being the first
paper in Billings county. The paper
suspended publication about 1867.
Through the courtesy of Col. James W.
Foley the publisher of the PRESS has
had an opportunity of looking over two
or three copies of the once famed Bad
Lands Cow Boy. 1t was published dur
ing some of the most stirring days of
Western North Dakota, and no doubt the
names of people doing business at Medora
and those who advertised cattle brands
in pioneer days will prove interesting
to many of our readers
In 1884 The Bad Lands Cow Boy gave
the population of Medora at 251-146
men, 80 women and 66 children. Is of
the children being..ot school age. This
did not include transient working men
or outside residents.
This paper contained advertisements of
four different hotels, The Riverside with
Max Bass. proprietor; The Pyramid
Park hotel, Arch Boyd. proprietor; The
Medora hotel, M. M. Coleman, proprie-
tor; and Hotel De Mores. G. W.. Fitz-
gerald, proprietor. with regular patron
age price of $6'per week.
At about this time the Marquise
De Mores built and donated a Catholic
church to Medora citizens. At this time
also Ex-president Roosevelt was a resi-
dent of Billings county. and n of the
issues of the Cow Boy contains a notice
of a stock growers meeting signed
Theodore Roosevelt"
At a meeting of the school board in
1884 the following officers were elected
James Haunegan, president; Vim. van
Driesche. treasurer; J.. c. Fisher, secre-
tary and director and E. G. Paddock the
third director, Miss Finger of South
Heart was the teacher.
The Cow Boy chronicled the first we'd
ding at Medora of James Butler and
Julia Butler. In the fal. of this year
Count Rembulinski of Paris and Vic
Smith of Medora shot 225 deer and ante
lope within. is miles of Medora.
A local item in one issue tells of
Rassie Deffebach entertaining his friends
at dinner on Christmas day, another Of
John W. Goodall. foreman of the
Marquis De Mores ranch, making a trip
to New Orleans and still another says:
The Gladstone Express is the newest
aspirant for journalistic honors and
comes to us neatly printed and we'll
edited. 1t, is rather a %forbidding time
of the year to begin such an enterprise,
but it is understood there is good back
ing behind the Express and we hope it
will succeed"
All old-timers in this section of the
Estate will remember. the severe weather
during the winter of 1867. The Cow
Boy said on December 80, 1886 :
christmas day was a screamer. The
thermometer registered % degrees below
and a strong wind as near a blizzard as
the Bad Lands will allow, made it as
uncomfortable a day to be out as any
we have seen here in three years. 1t
also said:
"There is no use Disgusting the fact
that the outlook for the cattle business
has never been SO poor in this part of
the country at this season of the year,
as it is at present. The long, hot sum-
mer fairly parched the grass in it's first
growth. leaving the poorest winter feed
that there has ever been here. The
ground is now covered with a blanket of
snow at least five inches on a level more
than there. has been at one time in five
years. Of course this is the dark side
of the picture bu. n every cattleman
must face"
The following names. among others,
had horse and cattle brands Advertised:
Sloping Bottom Ranch, Lloyd Roberts,
proprietor; Badger Cattle Co.. Howard
Eaton, MANAGER. and E. G. Paddock. H.
z. Tarbell, Pennell & Roberts, Thomas
& Arnett, Chase & Gilmore. E. W.
Casey, Custer Trail Co.. F. Alden Eaton,
proprietor: Bad Lands Cattle Co.. M.
Wadsworth, manager; Chimney Butte
Ranch, Theodore Roosevelt, owner, S.
M. Ferris and A. w. Merrifield,