Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1915-10-01
Zimmerman Outfit
Leaves Reservation
D. B. Zimmerman, American Cattle
King, Leaves Reservation.-Gives
Pioneer Man an Interview

D. B Zimmerman, the cattl
man, formerly Of Dickinson, n. d
but who for several years past ha
made his home at Somerset, Penn
sylvania; where he is an EXTENSIVE
. owner of coal mining properties
was in Fort Yates last week on bust
ness with Superintendent Covey o
the Standing Rock reservation, ii
connection with making final settle
ment OF grazing fees for runnin!
cattle on the reservation, since hi
lease was terminated at the instiga
ton OF former Superintendent
kneale, about two years ago.
J Mr.. Zimmerman, who is rcputec
to be the largest individual Owner
of cattle in the United States, j;
owner Of the DZ, ZT, Comet ano
number of other brands registered
i'll North Dakota, and has run
thousands of cattle on the Standing
Rock and Cheyenne reservations
during the past Is years. This
week will finish the loading and
shipping Of the remnant Of his once
great herds from Walker, where he
has made headquarters for several
years past. The cattle not ready
for market will be shipped to the
Cheyenne reservation where he has
secured a large lease, or to Monta-
na, Arizona or New Mexico where he
controls thousands of acres Of range,
IN addition to his large holdings in
Texas.
In commenting upon his removal
fro n the reservation, and reviewing
the events leading up to the termin-
alton of the leases of himself and
other large cattle owners, Mr.. Zim-
norman took occasion to state his
opinion Of the shortsightedness and
small calibre of former Superinten-
dent Knealc. To the editor OF the
Pioneer he gave out the following
interview:
You can say for me that while
| have no personal feelings in the
matter and am done with the Stand
jug Rock reservation forever, L go
on record as saying that it is a
shame to see abundant feed for from
$4,000 to 100000 head Of cattle go
to waste, simply owing to the biased
Judgment of one man, who for a
brief time was put in Il job many
sizes too large for his ability. The
action Of Mr.. Kneale in advising
the Indians not to renew tribal
leases on the reservation, and his
recommendations to the Indian De-
partment at Washington-which /
am glad to say have been ignored
lost the Indians thousands of dollars.
In fact, his action deprived the In
dians of food, as the lease money
was to them considerable source
of revenue. Prairie fires year ago
swept the range and done damage
from which it will not recover for
years. When the cattlemen were
here they kept fire-drags handy and
worked incessant]y to keep out con-
migration, and usually confined the
fires to small areas.
1.-The trouble with a number OF
men put in a responsible position,
like that of superintendent of a res
ervation. in many cases is that they
are over-awed by their own impor-
tance. This kind of a man impress
ses no one but himself, and fools
nobody: That l am glad to say is
not the case OF Mr.. Covcy, the pres
ent superintendent. / never met
him before, but in making settle
ment, ] found him TO be business
like and gentlemanly. | am also
pleased to note that under the new
policy of the Indian Department
leases are being made to the smaller
responsible ranchers, and this will
mean in much the future to the
reservation and Sioux county,"
And then with look of genuine
sorrow Mr.. Zimmerman, American
cattle king, the last OF the old cow
men who laid the foundation for
his immense fortune along the west
bank of the Missouri river in North
Dakota, looked west across the
mighty river as the train went east
from Mobridgc-took a long gaze at
the river bottoms, buttes and cou-
lees where he rode range 25 years
ago.
That Mr.. Zimmerman is man