The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1922-04-27
The STORY OF THE
CATTLE RANGE
Continued from Feature Paoel

First-The cattle were driven fror
the Sun River ranches via Snak
river to Granger, on the Unto
Pacific railroad, $50 miles.
Second-From the Sun River. vi
Smith and Musselshell rivers to Pin
Bluffs, 700 miles.
Third-From Sun River to Bis
mark, on the Missouri, via Blackfoo
reservation, $50 miles.
Fourth-From Sun River acros
the Marias river to Fargo, 500 miles
Fifth-From Sun River to Bis
mark, via Camp Lewis, the grea
bend of the Musselshell, down tn,
Porcupine river and across the Vel
lowstone and Tongue river to Bis
mark, via the main trail, Go miles
From these various points on the
railroad to Chicago, varies 1875 tC
1900 miles.
Census of Livestock.
In 1877 there were 22O,0 900 head
of cattle, 10000 head of horses and
10000 sheep in the Territory of
Montana. The census of 1880 shows
$4,000 head of cattle, $4,000 head
of horses, $4,000 head of sheep and
29, 600 swine. All of which shows a
good healthy growth and it should be
borne in mind also, that the figures
in a census report are always below
the real facts.
The Montana Wool Growers as
ISOLATION was organized in Septem-
Der, 1877. In 1878, John Healy of
San Francisco, agent for a California
company, established a depot at
IJnlnnn For thn ~~ol.nx 30 urAo1 NH
wool clip OF Montana that year was
estimated to be M million pounds.
In 1888 the wool clip was estimated
to be not less than 100000 pounds.
On December 1, 1884, the records
show there we're 1000, 900 head of
sheep in Montana.
Several efforts were made during
the period from 1919 to 1876 to do
nestle the Rocky Mountain sheep,
but without success.
The Davis Sale.
The most important sale of cattle
occurring in Montana in the early
days that any authentic record can
be had was in 1888, when Conrad
Kohrs, representing Kohrs & Bielen-
berg, and Granville Stuart, acting
for Stuart e Anderson, bought of A.
j. Davis of Davis, Hauser & Co., 12,-
900 head of cattle, for which was
paid $500, 900. Stuart & Anderson
were former owners of the herd, the
sale being in fact a purchase of the
t~wo-thirds interest of Judge Davis
by Mr.. Kohr's for S226,667.
This was the heaviest transaction
in cattle that had ever taken place in
the Territory of Montana, up to that
BY this transaction Conrad
Kohrs placed himself at the head of
the Montana cattle business.
The next largest sale was made a
few weeks previous to the above
)any bought of Downs & Allen, T.
100 head of Clark & Ulm cattle for
consideration of 1926, 900. s
In the early SOS the livestock in |
lustry was controlled by two distinct :
organizations. The Eastern Montana
livestock association with head b
.uarters in Miles City, whose first T
Meeting was held in 1888, in a small P
DOM 7x9 in size, with sever Cd C
MEMBERS present. In a couple of b
ears it's membership grew until it S
epresented capital placed at $685. t,
90, 900, and the Montana Stock
association with headquart- n
RS at Helena, representing an
wnership of over o. 1000 head of p
e
The Association Organizes. b
These two organizations consilidat- t;
April 1885, at a meeting held in Il
lies City and adopted the name of v
lie Montana S~tockgrowers' ~associa- 81
on, this being the birth of our pre- a.
mt organization. The officers elect n
at this meeting were Colonel T. N
Bryan, president; Governor B. F. a
otis, first vice president; Captain W
lillian Harmon, second vice presi- is
mt, and Russell b. Harrison, sec
t-ary-treasurer. Ex-President Theo- CT
re Roosevelt was made a member of
this meeting. A constitution and
laws were adopted and the same
e in use, more or less, to this day.
ae bylaws provided for the fall va
ceilings to be held the third Mon gi
y in August of each year in Hell co
a and the spring meetings in April in,
each year in Miles City. All of lii
itch has since been amended. ce
During the territorial legislature Or
sS1ons In 1885, An act for the bet w
protection of livestock interests
the territory" was approved pa
Lrch II, to be known as the board ers
stock commissioners, and the gov int
Tor appointed the following as tes
nmissioners: ]. S. Day of Dawson pa
A. A. Ellis of Yellowstone pr;
r. S. Hamilton of Lewis and an
county, F. G. Robertson of att
ster county, Granville Stuart of the
agher county and r. p. Walker of thi
county. This board, COM
sing the first board of stock COM =
'sioners, met and organized in the
es City April 8, 1885, the same in
the two stock associations were pas
and elected Granville eve
art president and Russell B. Har- Col
IN secretary-treasure. spe
his same session of the legislature His
sed a law making the secretary of ma
board of stock commissioners the ms
eral recorder of marks and brands
it has remained so ever since. per
First Inspectors. mis-
1t this meeting of the board of of