The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1927-05-13

or of almost any other county IN
Montana, naturally divides itself into
three periods: The discovery period,
Of exploration, of clearing the way;
the exploitation period of surface
utilization, Of sod-busting; and, fin
ally, the period of accomplishment,
Of careful and intensive farming, fall
lowing, seed-selection, and prosperity
and tranquility.
First, the period of the trapper and
hunter and explorer. Second, that OF
the squatter and homesteader; and,
third, that of the careful, intelligent
and prosperous farmer. The first
period of the moccasin, the tepee and
the travels; the second, the period Of
the chaps and spurs and lariat, fol-
lowed shortly by the lumber wagon,
heaped with supplies for the NEST
err, the "hOnyak" and the scissors
bilP'. And finally, as to the third
period, the small and efficient trac-
tor, the silo, and the farmers sedan.
The first was period Of the buck
skin shirt; the second the period of
the flannel shirt; and the third is the
period Of the boiled shirt.
First, the traders shocking COM
pound of alcohol" fire-water". Sec
ond, the period of Bourbon whiskey
and Blatz Beer. The third, moon
shine whiskey and home brew. Or,
since all women now vote, first the
leather Logging; second, the wooden
stocking; and third, flesh-cOlored
chiffon and what the fourth will be
Heaven only knows!
Schools and colleges teach, and
philosophers and economists insist,
that all wealth comes originally from
the soil. And, in the prodigal days
Of Northeastern Montana, our nation
gave away this wealth with unstint-
ed hand.The early history Of Sheri-
dan county is the same history of
waste which, has been characteristic
of American expansion from the be-
ginning.
Originally, the herds of countless
bison. whose great range was large
ly in what is now Sheridan county.
Then the hunters, Staying untiringly,
while coyotes and wolves grew fat
and lazy on wasted buffalo meat, al
most sufficient to feed the world.
Still in this country are men who
made their living by killing wild buff
falO. 1t is said Of one Of these, living
not so many miles from here that he
: used to hunt them on foot doing his
killing, marking the spoils and later
; pulling off the hides and marketing
I the meat. Not only the Indian trap
} pers, hunters and explorers lived on
buffalo meat, but the railroad build
ers and passengers and crews of riv-
er steamers were fed in this manner.
The hunters furnished the meat and
| the wood choppers furnished the
wood; and on these supplies trails
were broken, cities established, wat
erwayS opened and railroads built.
These old scouts and hunters tell
us that, from the first, the richness
Of the Sheridan county soil, which
, today has made this county the
r greatest wheat producing county in
the state Of Montana, was RESPONSE
! bic, first, for the thousands of wild
! buffalo, and second, for almost equal
ly unnumbered thousands of cattle,
horses and sheep.
Z And probably one Of the oldest sur
i vlving monuments in this portion of
. the world is what is known as the
t writing rock southeast of Westby,
: and on the highest point in all that
4 buffalo country, where some ancient
e warrior, having sacrificed to his gods
r made record of his bloody coup, and
recorded for the wondering eyes of
centuries the fact that he took five
: Cree Scalps of buffalo hunters. and
: their horses, and their women.
S The buffalo had to be slaughtered
! to make way for the Texas long
!. horns. Many will remember when
i these were Ousted by the first white
n faced Herefords, and when the live
stock breeder first dared to take the
perilouS risk of crossing the soft
n eastern horse with the native Mon
n tana mustang.
And if "He was a bold man that
first eat an oyster" the stark, crude
courage of him who first ripped up
the soil of Sheridan county and
/. planted crop of wheat, must be
4 startling apparent!
e The buffalo has gone; and the
! herds of wild range cattle have gone
: and Judge Albert Galen, the son of
t that Galen who ran great stage
y line, owning hundreds of good horses
!, told the other day, with tears in his
! eyes Of the sale Of fine geldings and
mares, for two or three dollars a
head, to the canning factories in
: Butte.
The jingle of spurs, the swish of