The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-27

Both were good old American stock.
natives of Oregon honestly inherit
ing the covered wagon habit from
parents who had crossed the plains
from Missouri, their p"rOgenitOrs in
turn having moved progressive stag
es first from Virginia to Kentucky,
and from Kentucky to Missouri, a
journey for each generation in pur-
suit Of the phantasm dear to all birds
OF passage. These babes in the wood
were farmers by instinct and inheri-
lance and when it came their turn
to heed the call toward cheap land.
baked by the waves of the Petite,
turned their faces eastward where
the modern scientist had declared the
arid plains could be sUbdued through
the newly discovered methods Of "dry
farm" They wanted a home OF their
own and were willing to take a
whirl" at anything once.
With their two babies they set
out from the. farm they had been
renting in Oregon, with four horses,
a COW, household goods and imple-
ments, bOuyed up by visions Of cary
ing a home from raw land to be ac-
quired from benevolent Uncle Sam.
They found a location in southeast
ern Montana, hOntesteaded a half
section and began the struggle. There
were good seasons and bad seasons,
but on the whole the venture prOmis-
ed success. Copying from their
neighbOrs, and listening to the caiOl-
ing argument Of the loan agent, when
final proof was accomplished the per-
1Od of expansion was begun with
a mortgage on the land, followed by.
easy borrowings from the local bank
to tide over disastrous seasons and
then came the World war, but the
Montana rancher prOfited little from
the inflated prices for farm products,
for simultaneously there was a sue
cessiOn Of crop failures, the season
of 1919 being the ultimate disaster
with it's day after day Of burning
heat and brassy skies and not a droD
Of rain throughout the growing seas
on. The farmer saw his grain and
hay fields Wither and drOOD and.
come to nothing but a bare and dusty
plain Of ~desOlatiOn with no sustain
ance for either man or beast.
H~opelessly in debt, the values Of
stock and equipment falling until
the creditor became paniC-stricken
and demanded liquidation, our farm
CT, with plenty Of company in his
misery, saw the finish to his homes
for a home for wife and children
and gave up the battle TO begin over
again in the land Of his own people.
There was no display Of bitterness
or railing at misfortune as he sum-
med up the situation briefly:
SCI guess we amt got no kick com
in. LdOn't blame the folks we owed.
We played the game too strong
when things was comm our way and
jest naturally got into a jam like
most Of nj neighbOrs did. 1t was
too easy 20 get into the hole and con-
ditiOns made e impossible to get
out. Wen get along somehow" and
he even smiled.
Spoken with a fine courage and I
felt sure that here was one down
and-outsr" who was going to make a
comeback" It seemed TO me the
true American spirit that can take 3
WallOp and then laugh 80 of. An
other real American trait cropped
up in the casual intariectiom Ia his
talk heretofore quoted REGARDING bis
children@sos't they wouldn't miss
schOlliu lk you have any doubts
e. TO che future Of America just think
That over.
During the last three or four years
{ have met many farmers whose ex.
peFience ram along the same lines "a
that Of Arr and Mrs. Holly az they
gave their names. Not al Of them