Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-09-09
Horn Herds
from Texas Start
of State Industry
(By L. RICHARD sHIPP)

PlAoAll5 tl4t otdlto VI AlOIlldllh,
Wyoming and the Dakotas, where
great herds of white faced Herefords
Craze on the sweet grasses of the valleys,
have any knowledge of the cattle BUSH
ness in its inception shortly after the
close Of the Civil war.
The great cattle country Of that day
was the Lone Star State where hundreds |
Of thousands Of the old long horn breed
roamed the broad prairies of the coastal
plain and were almost, If not quite. as
wild as the buffalo.
These animals were we'll called long
horns, for they carried as a head piece
and for protection against their enemies
horns that in many individuals had q
spread of six feet and sometimes more,
that were tapering and curved and with
points as sharp as the point Of a Bow
knife.
AT the close of that great internecine
strife the Texans returned to their homes
and found that during the four years
and more they had been fighting their
herds had increased beyond comprehen-
sion and that they must find other
ranges for their cattle.
Railroads tina could be used for ship
ping purposes to the great northern in
t-ermountain country there were none
and the only method of moving them
was across the country.
During the war some of the older men
VIII Ntlt 1lOJ tllBlDAt " otlNlIS dllQ tl6
boys who were under age had trailed
small herds out Of the state for delivery
to the Confederate army posts in Louisi-
ana and other southern states, and John
Chisholm with others had trailed herds
into Kansas for the Federal government
and to be allotted to the Indians on
reservations.
But no movement to find new pastur-
age took place at that time, and not I'M
til the returning soldiers, broke and with
out means to do anything to rehabilitate
themselves or their state, returned did
the thought arise of taking these great
herds into the northern states and there
turning them INTO money.
They had no money, there was no
money In the country and banks were
would starve and see their cattle die
would starve an dsee their cattle die
from lack of feed they had no other al
tentative.
The most venturesome of these Texans
early in 1867 determined that they would
take herds of cattle to Colorado, Wyom-
ing, Montana n the Dakotas, disposing
of them as they could either on the way
or at the end Of the trail.
They gathered great herds of $500 or
8 900 head and trail branding them with
eight or ten men and a supply wagon to
carry the necessary grub and the beds of
the riders they started the herds north to
the country that promised feed for the
cattle and money for themselves.
These northern drives proved reason
ably successful and the following year,
1868. and for many years thereafter cat
tie were trailed a thousand and more
miles into these states, and hundreds OF
thousands OF the l%onghorns stocked the
great free ranges.
IN recent years these old Iexas trail
drivers have organized an association
known as THE Old Time Trail Drivers OF
Texas" and this association has more
Enan one thousand members, although 1t
has been fifty years ago and more since
they ode the northern trail.
Each year this association holds a re-
union and at these reunions there is al
ways given a vivid picture of the old days
In some feature that Will show to the
younger generations how cattle were
handled before there were shipping pens.
corrals or railroads.
Ihls year IT has been announced that
twenty-five old timers will be turned into
a nerd OF wild COWS. nifty In number and
eacn with q cali by her side and each Old
timer must rope n drag to the brand
ing nre TWO calves to be branded The
cattle are held on the open prairie Just
as they were In the old days and the
WORK is lone In the same manner as III
would have been done on the roundup.
Entrants must be over 65 years of age.
George w. OF San Antonio,
Texas, president OF the association, has
published a book of the experiences and
hardships OF the trail, composed OF let
tiers written by the men who drove the
herds, entitled The Trail Drivers OF
Texas
From 1853 to the time the trail closed
In 1895, twenty-seven years, 1T has been
estimated that $500, 600 head OF long
horns ven over them and were sold at
an average price OF ten dollars, and that
during the same time more than one
million head of horses went over the
same route n were sold for the same
price, bringing into the state more than
a hundred, million dollars.
4 Had it not been for these old time
!, trail drivers who brought their long
horns into the north 1t would perhaps
have been many years before the stock
; industry would have developed, but the
a onnaa " - 't e oasStI ~ sne srea' IL
$3.50 ~ ' - tno 49, ~ 49,
} seeoiel5 IN ~ 40 .re years mene oy ohey
e 10y uue 'ie lonsa.ol oteea any seoen
r TODAY thousands upon thousands of the
2 ~rustiinp Herefords make their living and
Y grow fat on the sweet grass.
! This is one of the great sources of
! wealth to these states that gives them a
{ stability that no other industry does or
can.
When a trail herd started for the
north the drivers expected to be gone for
6 aC least six months. perhaps a year be-
1 fore they could reach their destination
l and dispose of their cattle, the drive
/ alone into Wyoming, Montana or the Da-
: kotas taxing from three TO SIX months.
) II the generations OF To-Day were COM
y peiieo 70 eat peer OF the quality FUR