The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1928-05-24
DUDE RANCHERS

Mostly in southern Montana and
northern Wyoming where, only few
years ago, ranchmen braved great
hazards in carrying out then. labors;
where only a few years ago great
Indian battles were fought, has be-
come the location of new and inter
esting enterprise-the Dude ranches.
These ranches and camps are all
going concerns with paying guests
enjoying hospitality of character
for which ranchmen are famous. 1t
was in this western hospitality that
the dude" ranch business had its
origin. The ranchmen, particularly
i'll the sparsely settled parts of the
country, used to invite great num-
bers of their friends to spend some
time at their ranches, taking part in
the regular events of ranch life and
in the number of sports which this
cattle country affords. Many years
ago lin fact in 1890 by Howard
Eaton) the idea was conceived that
| SItdl IlQlllOCIo VI ptOPlS3 pul IiSdietilJ
in the east, who did not possess ranch
men as friends, would enjoy the OPP
portunity of spending some time on
a western ranch, and so the dude"
ranch came into existence. The term
dude" ranch is now looked upon to
a considerable extent as part of the
west and the name is being accepted
with favor by the greatly increased
popularity of ranch life among the
American people, both men and
women.
The growth of this industry is
rapidly gaining recognition, particu-
larly since the organization Of the
Dude Ranchers' association in Boze-
man, Mont, September, 1926 and the
annual meeting held in Billings in
November, 1927, at which there were
rs ranch owners, the governors of
both Montana and Wyoming, numer
GUS railroad officials and interested
people present to discuss the prob
lens of the business; all agreeing that
the tourist business is one of the com
ing industries of these two great
states. While reporting this meeting
the editor Of the Big Horn says, che
sat in that convention for two days
and listened in vain for one word of
acknowledgment that the program of
Montana sportsmen was contributing
anything to the dude ranch industry"
| am sorry that the Montana Sports
mems association was not given a
place on the program, so that they
would know as | do that every dude
rancher is an active worker in their
local rod and gun clubs and directly
or indirectly in the state association,
particularly for the conservation and
protection of our wild life, which is
part of our stock in trade. The
ranchers and the railroads, in fact
every one of us who know these
states, are proud to tell the world in
glowing terms of the wonderful hunt
ing and fishing we have; these sports
for the most part are maintained By
the sportsmen of the states. Num-
bered among them and cooperating
actively with time and money are the
dude ranchers; then, too, the tourists
themselves in Montana bought over
$4,000 worth of licenses in 1926,
which amount will increase every
year. | believe the Dude Ranchers'
association and the State Sportsmens
association of Montana and Wyoming
can and will work out a plan of CO.
operation to carry the growing load
of maintaining hunting and fishing
in these sattes this should be easy,
as the purposes of these dude ranch
ers' associations are to put the dude
ranching business on an organized
basis, with a view of cooperating to
place before the public the advan ages
of a vacation in the west, to inter
change ideas for the betterment and
advantage of the dude ranching bust
ness, to cooperate with the superin-
tendents and directors Of the nat onal
parks and monuments of the United
States and forestry officials of the
federal government, for the conserva-
ton and preservation Of the parks and
forests, and cooperating with all or
CARNATIONS for the wise conservation
and protection of the wild life there
in, and to these ends to adopt and
carry out such plans and measures as
may be proper and necessary for the
effecting of these purposes. |, like
the editor of the Big Horn believe the
two associations should keep in close
touch, watching for ways to work out
this growing program of maintain
ing good hunting and fishing for us
and our prosperity.-A. H. Croonquist
in The Big Horn.