Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1936-08-06

liC tElllSl lOWilaliAR hAARof
al stock was branded for iden tic
alton and run on open range. Here,
as elsewhere in the range country, he
r%anchers got together for periodic
round-ups, and the first social ga her
ings of the new community were
doubtless convened about the brand
ing fire. Scools and churches, OF course,
did not exist in the first years. All the
settlers were obviously of the hardy,
venturesome type so familiar TO the
opening West of those and earlier days,
and in general they came to Sheridan
County to take advantages of The opp
ortunities for rich and free range that
it offered. 1t is unlikiy that they
thought seriously of farming Oh the
semi-ar.d land, though most OF them
probably raised such small amounts
of grain as they needed at home. Not
until about 1903 did the great wave
of homesteaders who were to establish
tn county as one of the states rich
graingrowing regions begin to come
in. (A,B,C)
The post office at Plentywooi was
served from its creation in IOl until
the coming of the railroad in 1910 by a
~stagecoech which at first made one
trip a week to Culbertson end Lack,
and later three trips a week (C).
There was one main trail in those
days, running southwark to Gilbert
son. All supplies for the settlers had
to be hauled overland, often with x
en-, and the hauling distance ranged
from e ghteen miles for settlers in the
south end of the county to seventy
five for those in the northwest corner.
All over the rolling prairie the grass
grew stirrup-high, and nearly every
year fire swept through it at least
cnce, usually starting from the region
of the railroad on the Missouri bot
toms, and the ranchers were forced
to combine and fight to save their
homes and feed supplies. The county
never knew any Indian trouble; In
dams were seen away from the reser-
walton but seldom, and then only In
small groups travelling across country
on horseback or with wagons. A GER
tain amount of trouble came, howev-
err, from horse r~ustlers who established
themselves in out-of-the-way places
and helped themselves to the ranch
ers' stock. The Jones and Nelson gang,
Tommy Reed, Billy Bull and some
0 hers were familiar, by reputation if
not otherwise, to all the early settlers;
and at least one Of them-Jones-was
shot by deputy sheriffs before their
raids ceased. Sheridan County was
then only the northeast cornsr of VAL
ley County, and the nearest represent
atives of legal authority were at Glas-
gov (A,B,C). There were considerable
losses of stock during hard winters,
Carlton Bull, for example, losing most
of his cattle in 1904. Such losses dim
inished as shelters were constructed
and supplies of feed put up, but they
never quite ceased. OBJ
Wild fowl and other game may
have furnished a small proportion of
the food Of the first settlers, but the
larger animals had already disap-
peared, leaving only bones to be al
ternate,y whitened by weather and
blackened by prairie fires. Besides the
edible small game, however, there was
an abundance of badger, the kit fox
was common, and a few large wolves
wandered into the county and were
shot by cattlemen.
Additional References
D. Consultant: Lawrence S. Olson.
E. CIRCULAR of the Writing Rock His
torical Society, Edgar l. Syverud, Sec
rotary. Dagmar, Montana
F. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 18th
Edition. Article on America.
G.. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 18th
Edition. Article on North American
Indian
H. Webster's New International Die
tionary, Reference History Edition.
Merriam, 1926.
l. Soil Survey Reconnaissance OF
he Northern Plains of Montana. U. S.
Government Printing Office, 1882.
j. Consultant: Jack White, Redstone,
Montana.
x. Consultant: Charles E. Taylor,
Editor Producers News.
l.. Consultant: Theodore Gunierson,
old-time rancher.
M. Consultant: Walter Benson, old
time farmer.
N. Manuscript: Sheridan County
History" by Mrs. c. F. Chri.taason.
o. j. c. Storkan, M. D., paysic an
and fcr.rc- newspaper pvbliehe-.
P. Files of Producers News, Volumes
l, Ii and vi. April 10, 1918 to April 9,
1920 and April 13, 1923 to April a,
1924.
@. File of Volume One Outlook