Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1927-11-25

tiiDDttg Ltitii u NtiOti mas
Notable Place in Literature, Are Be-
hind Project to Tell of Old Frontier
Something different in magazines
is being offered with the first issue of
the new Frontier" a magazine of the
northwest, published at the state uni
yersity at MiSsoula.
An oxford man, a former trapper and
a forest range are behind this project
to push aside the conventional cowboy
and localized Indian, and, as they de-
clare, 'let the real west speak for itself"
Harold G.. Merriman, the first Rhodes
scholar from Wyoming, chairman of the
English department. is the father of the
new venture. Helping him, as contribute
ing editors are Lew Sarett, poet and
forest ranger, author of THE Boz OF
God" "Slow Smoke" and other volumes,
and DR.. Frank B.. Linderman. former
thor Of books on frontier and Indian
life.
Pioneers Tell stories
The pioneers will tell their W stories
through the medium of diaries and other
authentic records of the days OF gold
pokes and rope justice. In the first
issue John B. Barrows, q member OF the
first Montana state legislature, VINO grew
up on the famous Ubet ranch in Judith
Basin, reminisces of the days when he
rode the range for Granville Stuart.
The young western writer's share he
Frontier with the old-timers and for
the first time in the history of the north
west they will have a magazine of their
own, wherein to give vigorous expressions
to the spirit Of the new west.
Lived at Old Martinsdale
In 1870. as a 17-year-old boy, Mr.. Bar
rows left Chippewa Falls, Wis, and came
- U~.t pAot~p Enl1nuvinU a din trail
for more than 100 miles across the Judith
Basin without seeing a white person, he
Joined his parents, who had settled at
old Martinsdale, or as it was then called,
Gauglerville, which town lay across the
river from the present M~artinsdale. TWO
years later, he returned to Wisconsin and
finished his schooling, then came back
to Montana and punched COWS for five
years for the D. II. S. outfit, of which
Granville Stuart was part owner. During
these five years he had access to MI.
Stuart's library and it was there that he
became interested in reading.
With his parents he moved TO Upet,
a little town long vanished but situated
south of the present Buffalo, where they
kept a hotel and stage station. After his
fathers death, the young man went to
Helena to study law. He was in h
office Of Wade, Toole x Wallace. Mr..
Wade was at one time judge OF the SUI
preme court. In 1889, at the age of 20,
he was elected o member OF the first
Montana legislature. Two other mem
bers were the same age. h late Paris
Gibson, Great Falls, was in the state
senate at the time.
Lost Eyesight
Judge Wade was code commissioner
and received $1,000 for reading proof
when the state cod of Montana was
first printed. He hired Barrows to do
the Job for $500. and the young man,
reading under pressure. brought about
a tragedy, the partial loss OF his eyesignt.
However, he was in partnership with
Judge Wade until 1896, when, because
OF his eyesight, he went to California,
where he lived 10 years.
Under careful treatment, his eyes 80
far recovered that he took employment
which required some use of them, but
he soon had to abandon that n re-
turned to old Ubet. where his parents
had owned a large tract Of land. They
retained 1900 acres OF this, which
BarroWs and his brother farmed. In 1901,
he married Leslie Foote, Helena.
Soon he returned to the ranch and
became totally blind and his wife, q
woman Of culture and education. took
up the burdens of the diversified farm.
A skilled pianist. she trained her hands
to milk cows. A lover of beautiful things,
she beautified her home and door yard.
Fond of good reading. she was eyes Tor q 5
blind husband. AS he stood in the door
way of his ranch home that day q few
weeks ago when the family disposed OF
it's personal property, John Barrows said:
Share Their Struggles
ut was the triumph of my life to come
back here and go blind and stay out
of the poor house through panic years"
But his hand was resting on the guiding
shoulder of his wife and it needed only
the expression of the two faces to assure
the listener that the triumph, like the
struggle. had been shared between them.
One daughter is librarian in the chill
dren's department in the San Diego.
Calf, library. Another is in school at
Bozeman, and q son of IA is with his
parents.
Like many another Of the pioneers,
John Barrows is full Of stories and remi-
niscences that will be lost with his pass
ing, but in one respect he has an ad-
vantage. He has the ability to arrange
them in readable form.
- -~~~4 H. -~~Afx