Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1935-04-06

Of which had been eaten off BY the
cattle close to the height Of the snow.
The threat Of the cattle rustIers was
met by the cowmen at q conference
held in the winter of 1929. Each
outfit delegated g man to represent it
at the meeting. It was decided that
where It was ascertained a rt1stIer was
operating and he was apprehended and
proven guilty beyond a reasonable
doubt, the cowmen would see to 1t that
the r1stler would no longer ply his IL
legal trade. Some trouble from the
Cheyenne Indians was experienced
when occasionally they would meet the
ranchers on marauding expeditions.
Eventually the Indians became as
frightened as the white men and APP
pealed to the soldiers for protection.
Mrs. Carpenter was one Of the brave
women Of the range. During the lat
ter part Of 1880, armed with Winches-
ter rifle, she fought off a group Of IN
dams when they surrounded her home
at Lame Deer. The Indians had killed
her 17-year-0ld cousin, Hugh Boyles,
one evening when he was driving the
COWS to the corral The young man
was visiting the Carpenter ranch from
his home at BurIeson, Illinois. He was
said to have been killed by two Indians
who wanted to add glory to themselves
by taking the scalp of white man
when they departed for the Happy
Hunting grounds.
Mr.. and Mrs. z. T. Cox were among
the early settlers who established their
ranch on Hanging Woman creek, be-
tween Ashland and Birney, Montana.
Mr.. Cox had been in Texas, and came
to Lame Deer with Major r. L. Up
shaw, Indian agent. Cox was the gov
eminent farmer on the Cheyenne IN
dian agency. There were between TOO
and 800 Indians at the agency In 1885
when Cox assumed his new duties. His
health was not Of the best. He took
time out In the autumn of 1887 to go to |
Gulf Port, Miss, and returned with his ]
bride, who was Miss Mary Beecher /
Roberts. During the winter Of 1886 |
81 she visited with her cousin, Captain /
and Mrs. j. T. Brown OF the Three
Circle ranch. For a year or two Mrs.
Cox and MRS. Brown were the only /
white women living In the region be-
tween Ashland and Birney. Cox had
on quarter section Of
land. Mrs. Cox took 30 acres OF desert
land, while her husband also acquired
another 80 acres under the same law.
In the summer Of 1888 the settlers
experienced some trouble with the Pine
Ridge Indians. They had come TO the
Cheyenne Indian agency on visit and
refused to return 10 their own reServa-
lion. Major Sheridan was in charge
If the troops at the agency The white
people assembled In the large shed on
he agency grounds In which Major
Jpshaw and his wife made their home.
Red Cherries was the leader Of the
Indians In the threatened outbreak
which had for It's objective the killing
" the white men. The settlers were
An inventory taken showed
Dnly two pistols in the hands Of the
IOzen or more settlers. Major Sheridan
undertook TO negotiate with the In
iians to avoid possible clash Two
Moons, exercising an influence among
he Cheyenne, and other leaders we're
persuaded not to modest the white set
Iers. The reward came In the form
e feast served to the Indians on the
GLOWING day when the visiting Pine
aidge Indians were sent back to their
Jwn agency. The uprising, however,
vas not quieted until after three white
nen had lost their lives
The presence Of vast herds Of buf-
alo constituted one major obstacle to
he rapid settlement Of lands in the
Yellowstone valley and its main trib-
Itaries, principally the Big Horn, Pow
er River, Tongue and Rosebud. s.H.
Irwin, one Of party Of 100 men, wom-
n and children who left Minnesota in
Gay, 1885, with 100 wagons to search :
On gold In the northwest, had occasion
0 make some valuable observations.
hold operations In Last Chance gulch !