Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1936-09-26
Bv WILLIAM WEST


littAe about what went on In other,
more gIamorous years, before
things became modern and pr0salc.
There Is plenty Of interest IN the
story and the very name OF the
county seat brings memories Of the
picturesque, iII-fated George Arm
Strong Custer, for the town IS
named for Cen Alfred u. Terry,
ore Of the leaders whom Custer
Inft behind when he made the fatal
dash into the waiting trap Of the
savaxe. nOn-treaty Sioux. Custer
went seeking glory but he met death
~, fhe wav and General Terry ar
rived at the battle-ground on the
,ornfne Of June "a, 1876, to find
@nlv = litter of mutilated bodies.
General Terry buried the dead and
departed from the country via the
Yellowstone river in the steamboat
Far West. And so the people on
Prairie county named their county
seat in his honor.
Prairie county itself was so named
because Of its rolling grassIaLlos' az.
though Francois Antoine Laroque, VINO
Travelled there in 1905, complained IN
his journal entry of July n that ne
could not understand why It should
h. called prairie land when there we're
scarcely two level miles except along
the rivers. I,aroque published his find
ings in Journals OF a Voyage to the
Rocky Mountains" but the roling
country that is now eastern Montana
continued to be called prairie lano,
and Prairie county followed.
Authorities do not agree on now the
Powder river Of ballad fame received
its name. The river flows for 20 miles
across Prairie county and has gwen
its name TO the famous Powder River
cattle country extending from MOI
tana into wyoming where the stream
rises. Some old-timers declare that
Powder river was thus named because
during some of the early indian skir-
mishes kegs of powder we're Sboreo
along the river bank. Prof. e. w.
Crandv. head of Terry schools since
1905. says the name was u use s7o ~
early territorial records OF the ~ 5.
Tarooue, in his journal, wrote Of the
Powder river: THE current OF the
river Is very strong and the water SO
muddy as to be hardly drtnkabie. Inc
indians say 1t Is always so, and that
Is the reason why they call 1t Powder
river. from the quantity Of drifting
fine sand set in motion by the coast
wind which blinds people ana rolls
the water. There are large sand shoals
along the river Of several acres IN
Iengfh and breadth, the bed Of the
river is likewise sand and its course
northeast"
TreacherOus Quicksand
Iarouue spoke of coast winds, evil
IDENTIFY fancying himself somewhere
near the Pacific coast at the time.
During most of the year Powder river
is shallow. less than q foot deep, and
except for the many treacherouS quick
sands could easily be forded. During
the flood season stock swim across:
Old-timers recall that many, man ana
beast, have met catastrophe In the
rivers uuicksands, sucked down De-
meath the false sands Ray Kampf,
Terry resident, reports that 20 mules
and horses were so lost in one group
Berney F. Kempton Of the Kempton
ranch and hotel, Terry, says that tr1p-
utaries of the Powder river run through
coal beds and the fine coal silt Sits
into the sands of the river, giving It the
feel and appearance Of gun powder.
Another Naming Disputed
Cherry creek, another Prairie county
watercourse, also Is cause OF argument
in its naming. Some say the creek was
named for the many wild choke cher !
ries which grew along its stream. I
Others saw the creek was named for
big, bad Bill Cherry, alleged horse
thief, who was hanged at the head
of the stream in the early days.
Prairie county has buried treasure 4
story which has sent many digging
in the earth. The story is that large /
treasure of stolen booty was buried 1
near the old Terry stage station by /
desperate who bore the somewhat de-
scriptive name Of big Nose George.
The unfortunate big Nose" failed TO /
divulge the location Of his treasure be-
F,~x He <1aafT, orH fha11CN many have !
searched, none has ever found any OF
the hidden hoard. In several places
near Terry ruts Of the old stagecoach
are still visible.
Carried wild West to Europe
The showplace of modern Prairie
county is the Kempton home ranch,
three miles south of Terry. This 1000
acre spread" has 81 natural springs
and its reservoirs hold more than four
million gallons Of water. Pride OF the
Kempton ranch is herd Of $50 black,
siIky-furred Aberdeen Angus cattle.
The graves Of four immigrants which !.
lie on an open stretch not far from
the ranchhouSe, are reminder OF pio-
neer days. James B. Kempton, founder
of this ranch, came west after the
Civil war and settled in Colorado in
1869 He moved from there to the
Tongue river country Of Montana In
1884. One of the earliest buildings
erected on the ranch property is still
in use as a clubhouse Although cattle
were raised on the ranch in the early
days. the speciality was Percheron
horses. The Kempton ranch had sew
eral brands but the favorite Of the
owner was the Lazy c.. The elder
Kempton died in 1890 Berney F. Kemp
ton, who came to Montana with his
father as boy Of IA, went in for a
career as a bronco buster and rough
rider. He became a member OF the
famous Carver wild west show and with
DR.. Carver, famous rifle shot, he ap-
peared in Europe in $780, Young
KemptOn gave exhibitions in Vienna,
Warsaw, Moscow and other European
cities, and in Petrograd he gave a
private command performance before !
the pOwager Empress Of Russia. Sweden /
and Germany were also included in
Kemus0uss itinerary and several other |
members Of royalty witnessed his per-
Torrance. Later he exhibited in Aus
tralia. where he lassoed kangaroo and