, 1925-08-20
PIONEER Tells STORY
Continued from page 10
Early Wild Game

game was during lHe NiuteI VI 1917
or 1875. when thousands of antelope
fed the greater part of the winter on
the hills Just south of town, they
having been driven from their usual
range on the desert where the snow
evidently was so deep that they were
unable to obtain feed. These ante
lope often came within threeser four
hundred yards of town on the flat
Just over the creek, and it was not
unusual to see people resting their
guns on the railing of a back porch
trying to kill one. The rifles of
those days were mostly what was
known as the Spencer and it is
needless to say that few antelope
were killed, as the cartridges had a
way of tanning in the breech block,
and you could do no more shooting
until the cartridge, a rime fire, had
been pried out.
English Visitors
"Rawlins vas peaceful and quiet,
and it's future possibilities at that
time were dim; miners were mining
and prospecting in the Seminole
Mountains, and also in the east N
of the Ferris mountains, but with
Indifferent results. Thes miners
often when they came to town ola
of the wonderful fame country
there and on the Sweetwater, telling
of buffalo, bear, elk, deer. antelope.
grouse and sage hens. and sometimes
of Indians observed on. the sweet
water hunting buffalo. These Won
6erous tales found their way to Eng
land. and about the year 1875 or
1876 brought from England Sir John
Reid and others, Quitting at Raw
Inns for a hunting trip. During ana
after the hunting trip Sir John Reld
saw the great possibilities of the cat
tie industry and offered severa or
the guides and hunters who accom-
panied him, to stake them with q
herd of cattle on shares. A numDer
of them accepted and l I'M under the
impression that others in the state
were similarly started in the cattle
business by other wealthy English
men who had come to Wyoming on
hunting trips.
The Cattle Business
This was the main starting point
of the cattle business, and as the
range was unlimited, the cattle were
allowed to run wherever they chose,
each owner having his brand. The
cattle we're not disturbed except dur
ing the fall and spring.
THE fall roundup was similar to
tina held in the spring. and consisted
mostly of selecting the fat beeves
which were suitable for market and
shipping them on trains to the east
ern markets. Some late calves which
had not been branded in the spring
roundup, were branded n marked.
The remainder of the work consisted
OF driving all cattle on h !
mountains and ranges to the low
lands, in order hat the cattle would
not get caught in the deep SHOWS OF
the mountains n starve to death.
but even with these precautions some
winters large losses were sustained
by cattle drifting back and getting
down in the creek bottoms among
the willows and starving to death by
the hundreds.
Sheep Industry
THE next industry tributary to
Rawlins, and Of much importance Is
the sheep business. This began
about the year 1881 or 1882. one OF
the pioneers in this industry being
Robert Taylor. who brought sheep
from California to Carbon county.
having his headquarters at the TWEEN
~ mile ranch on the old Snake River
road southwest Of town. The condi-
tons at that time were ideal for the
successful operation of the sheep in
dustry as grass was abundant on the
ranges so tina at no time during the
winter was there difficulty in obtain
ing sufficient feed, and for some
years It was quite unusual for a
sheep owner to purchase corn, hay
or oil cake. II might also be men
toned that the price OF wool In those
days was much less than at present.
some seasons being as low as eleven
or twelve cents per pound.
wild game was plentiful up to
about 1884. In 1875 on a trip to
the east end Of the Ferris maintains
MS we passed Bell springs, IN the
high rim on the right towards
Browns canyon. we saw about sew
cnty mountain sheep OF tire Bis Horn
variety. Antelope were numerous,
and at the Ferris mountains elk
were plentiful. II was not difficult
to obtain n wagon load OF meat in n
few days hunt.
Elk and Antelope
between the years 1873 and 1883
from a point about seven miles south
west OF Rawlins and IA point about
fifteen miles further southwest an
telope would migrate from the des-
ert to the summer range in the spring
and In the fall would make the return
trip. They had regular trails which
they followed. and It n no nnsusal
sight to see ron nifty TO one thous-
and antelope In n single drove. All
that was necessary to XIII an ante
lope was TO get out OF sight In the
sage brush alongside the trail and
wait. II would not be long before
some would ONE %stringing along.
Along the high rim south from the
eight mile lakes were also a number
OF Blg Horn mountain sheep as late
ms about 1879.
ELK were also plentiful In the
mountains at the Sayery M late ns