The Bozeman courier., 1927-12-23
(By w. b. BANFILL)

~ URING the last few years there has
been a remarkable growth in the
cattle country and mountain re-
gions Of Montana and wyoming In
the so-called dude ranch" business as is
shown by the fact that IS proprietors Of
these summer resorts which lure the east
ern tourists with their flavor Of the from
tier days of the old west were represented
at the second annual convention OF the
Dude Ranchers' association recently held
at Billings.
According to T. Joe Cahill, head Of the
Wyoming department of commerce and
industry, who was one Of the principal
speakers at the convention, there are 70
ranches in Wyoming operating pack OUT
fits which have been listed with MS oe-
partment while there are NUMBER OF
other concerns which secure some reVe-
nue. from vacationists. These places have
an assessed valuation Of $5,OOOOOO. Fig
ures as to Montana have not been COM
piled but the number is not lar oehlnd
those of its sister state.
Recognition Of the Importance OF the
industry is shown by the presence OF
both Gov j. E. Erickson Of Montana ana
Gov. Frank Emerson of wyoming at the
meeting. Railway officials took leading /
part in the convention and much OF the
discussion was as to means OF co-opera-
ton between the railways and the resort |
owners in securing more interest IN the
dude ranches.
More than a million dollars were spent |
bv guests at the various resorts OF the1
two states this year according to North |
ern Pacific and Burlington railway esti-
mates. According to figures compiled by |
their advertising and traffic departments,
more than $4,000 people were guests OF
the ranches for from three or four days
to the entire summer during the last
season.
Where They are Located
The principal sections Of Wyoming
where the dude ranches are found are in
the Big Horn country around Sheridan,
the Buffalo Bill country" about Cody
. and the south Yellowstone or Jackson
Hole section. In Montana the largest
number are found in the mountain val
leys north of Yellowstone park, especial
ly in or near the Beartooth, AbSaroKa,
and Gallatin national forests. There are
also a number in the Flathead and Mis-
sion range country and several in the
range country of southeastern Montana.
At the organization meeting at Boze-
men in 1926. there was some discussion
Of the prOpriety or rather lack OF dignity
in the term dude ranches" and Of the
aDpelatiOn dude Wranglers' for the
owners and their assistants. But the
cowboy nickname for the eastern visitor
with its SAVIOR Of the picturesque Ian
guage of the plains won the day. More
over Mary Roberts Rinehart and other
writer's had helped fix the name in wide
" read articles and stories. One Of the
resolutions adopted at the recent meet
ing was an appreciation Of the favorable
publicity which the stories of Mrs. Rine-
hart, Struthers Burt and Will James have
brought the dude rancher.
The term dude" originally was more
or less synonymous with the "tenderfoot"
or pilgrim" but of somewhat later
origin. The dude however was more
usually used to designate the eastern
vrfcf OF 70 ur0n
to see the west while the other designa-
tiOns were more likely to be applied to
the newcomer who intended to stay in
the country. Used at first as an express
sion of contempt, the term now merely
means a guest at a dude ranch"
The dude ranch has had long evolu-
ton since pioneer days. although the es-
sential elements Of the industry are cred
tied to Howard Eaton the eldest Of the
Eaton brothers, whose establishment at
Wolf, near Sheridan, Wyo., was the first
and probably the most widely known of
all
Started In 1886
Howard Eaton came to the Bad Land
country Of North Dakota, the section
subsequently made famous by Theodore
Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores, in
1879 About 1886, he began arranging
tours Of Yellowstone park with saddle
and pack horses. He established saddle
trails through the park, a system which
still bears his name. While many guides
before him had conducted parties or
hunting and exploring trips, he seems tC
have been the first to assume RESPONSE
bility for the tours, charging a set price
which included all expenses while the
party in general was open to whoevel
wished to join. The guide had gradu
ated from the position Of an employe tC
the ranks of business men.
In 1904, the Eatons moved to the BIZ
Horn country and there established tht
Eaton ranch. Here, too, the EatOns wer
the pioneers in making the entertain
ment of dudes" the primary business o
q COW ranch. Howard Eaton was a mai
Of winning personality who made friend
everywhere and kept them. Although tn
EatOns succeeded in the venture in spit
of predictions of failure, the new ide
gathered momentum slowly and most O
the ranches have been established in tn
last 10 or IL years.
There are three types Of resorts whicl
are embraced in the Dude Ranchers' asso
citation. The dude ranch proper is foun
either in the plains country or foothill!
1t specializes on the various activities c
a COW outfit with roundups and othe
phases of cowboy life. Horseback ridin
is the chief diversion but with trips t
points of interest, fishing and othe
sports to give variety.
At the mountain resorts, the emphas
is placed on fishing and trips throug
the mountain canyons, either on horse
back or on foot to see places Of seem
beauty and wonder.
Many Combine Features
The third type is the hot spring resol
with a bathing pool as the chief attraC
ton MANY of the resorts however CON