Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-05-26

Oklahoma
College, carried off $3.50 in cash prizes at the
National Breeders Feeders Show and i'm
medately thereafter sold under the hammer at
2O4 cents pound, live weight bringing Sl75.
This youngster, that weighed SIS pounds on
his first birthday anniversary, marked transit
ton in Oklahoma cattle breeding swift and
startling the transformation Of the sweeping
prairie ranges of quarter of century ago to
the hustling cities and alfalfa-g green farms OF
the present. There centuries of breeding
history crowded under the hide of that yearling
but so far as Oklahoma is concerned he repre-
scented human generation in time re-
moved from the Long Horn of the cattle trails.
A four-y ear-old Long Horn steer, loaded down
with Texas fever ticks and stranger to corn or
cottonseed, would have weighed little more than
this yearling- He would have sold, on the hoof,
for lust about one-seventh of the price per pound
He wouldn't have any blue ribbons unless it
was for having the longest pair of horns or for
carrying the largest number of fever ticks. Yet,
just such animal that roughed 1T out on
the early ranges and Iaved the way for the pure
bred of today The Long Horn was the pioneer in
the Oklahoma cattle business, and is entitled to
full credit The Long Horn had his merits.
OF the who have followed the entire transit
ton from the Long Horn to the pure-bred IN
Oklahoma, has been more closely identified
with every phase of this great movement than
Frank GauIt, now president of the State Board OF
Agriculture. Mr.. Gault got his carly experience in
the Oklahoma cattle game as foreman OF an out
fit that annually chaperoned some thousands OF
Texas cattle over the Texas and Oklahoma trails
TO the Kansas "cow towns" that offered the near
est market in the days when the state didn't need
any corporation commission to boss the railroads,
for there railroads.
Seated at his desk in the Board of Agriculture
rooms the other day, Mr. Gault grew reminiscent
Before him lay copy of the 1915 report OF the
State Board of Agriculture On the cover page, IN
sharp outline, picture OF Woodford 5Vo'
one of the greatest Hereford bulls in history On
inside title page picture of "A Vanishing L.
the Longest Horned Steer in the World 1t was
old" and "the new of cattle breeding.
81 have a letter here' said, from the MONT
MAGAZINE asking for story the early cattle day
something of the movement that has put less horn
more meat on the Oklahoma steer.
Here in brief is the story
'From 1875 to 1890 Oklahoma was known as a ca
country Trails were established in what was
known as Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory,
the purpose of driving Long Horn Texas cattle to
Northern markets. Many driven through Col
ND through the Pottawatomic, Shawnee, Sac and
Nations and across the of the Usage and Oh
kee Nations to Coffeyville, Kansas, and many OF t
10 Kansas Citv for slaughter. After the Santa Fe
built to Wichita that town became shipping point
Texas and Oklahoma cattle. Blocker, of Texas; w
Mccoy and W. B. Grimes, of Kansas City; John
HOLM of Texas; Sugg Bros, Smith and Forsythe
Texas and Oklahoma, were among the early-day
tlemen who sent herds the trails to the Nc
ern markets
sOne living here in the early days, from 1870 to
must stop and wonder at the changes. Everything
Sion of