Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-12-03

facilities for handling stock in Min
! guSville were much superior to the
Dakota town.
The winter of 1867 blew in with
force unexpected even to the most
hardened cattleman. Spring found WI
baux'S herd wiped out, and Wibaux
broke He left Immediately for France,
where he secured additional capital
He built his herd anew, and before
many more years had passed, was
branding as many as 10000 calves each
spring. Except for the hazard of an
unusually severe winter, stock condi-
lions were ideal-graSS, protection from
the wind, few predatory animals, rust
ling at minimum, and few raids
from the Indians. Except for the Gros
Ventres, who made a seasonal pill
grimage between Poplar river and the
Black Hills, this was not Indian coun-
try hence loss of steers was negligible
When the eros Ventres migrated,
ranchers kept their womenfolk and
children inside, behind barred doors
It appears that the Indians evidenced
little hostility but were sometimes
roughly playful One of Wibauxs
neighbors found that during the pc
Rod OF migration but with no Indians
in sight, he had to travel to town.
With strict orders to his family to
keep doors locked and lights out at
night should the Indian appear. he
left. The Indians appeared; the fam
lily followed the precautions; soon after
dark they heard tremendous thresh-
ing outside the door, and presently an
explosion of human sound There was
a thump on the door, and a voice |
guttuTaled out. AS per instructions the |
bar on the door was kept firmly in |
place. The voice gutturaled more loud |
~; still the family refused to bulge |
the bar. Presently the cultural re- |
solved itself into a string of curses in
what was undeniably the ranchers
voice, whereupon his family gladly
lifted the bar The rancher, shins
barked until they were bleeding,
stumbled in. His family thought Of an
indian attack, and then noted the
Ipturned wheelbarrow beside the door.
With no light in the window Of the
house to warn him, the rancher had
walked right into 1t. What he thought
If his family's strict obedience to his
orders is not recorded. Probably he was
yla d to find them so obedient-but
hat scarcely diminished the pain of
lis barked shins!
While Pierre Wibaux was king of
he range in eastern Montana, there
vas little Indian trouble throughout
hat section, though In the years prev
BUS to the French cattleman's advent
he redskin menace at times had been
very real one, as is evidenced by
he experience Of the late Senator
george McCone, after whom an east
IN Montana county has been named
McCOne Was Trader
McCone was fur trader, q mail 1
arrier, and one Of the pioneers re-
DOnsible for the advance Of the state; !
, him, the citizens of the eastern half q
Montana owe an everlasting debt Of 1
ratitude. In 1879 he carried mail be- /
veen Bismarck and Fort Keogh, a +
Military post near the present site Of t
Tiles City. His route was over range b
tier grazed by thousands Of Pierre +
7ibaux's cattle, though at the time T
le Texas longhorn, trail-herded from +
he south, and the imported eastern h
pilgrim" steer had not supplanted n
lie vast herds of buffalo. True, the r
pom OF these shaggy monarchs Of the Il
lain was at hand; each year the Il
anton slaughter of them diminished n
leir number, but McCone's route was
III blocked by vast herds.
He paused at the mail station of v
title Beaver to wait for his relief y,
.rrier, a man named Green, to arrive y
ON Green river. Green was long y
-erdue, and McCone waited anxiously.
he thought Of Indians occurred to o
m, but he discarded the idea be- a
use there had been no attacks on
all carriers through this region prev u
lsly, and the tribes were reputedly Ia
endly to the white men. g
At last, with Green still missing, e,
cCone determined to investigate. a.
EAR a creek some miles along the Of
ute. he found Green, and a COM e:
Mon named Donovan. incomes CT
tn In the Indians peace was I'M oi