Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1939-09-09
First KIT Herd Trailed From Texas to Montana
Had Yellowstone River Its Goal, Star as Guide
By ELMO

"Keep your eye on the North
star and drive straight ahead un-
til you can wet your feet in the
Yellowstone"
This was the only instruction
A. G. BOyce gave the trail drivers
bringing the first KIT herd to
Montana during the eighties.
And thus did Americas most
unique ranch outfit establish its
finishing operations in Montana.
For the KIT ranch-ranches, rather
wrote an unusual chapter In the
annals of western cattle history. After
the ranch company began operations
it kept 10000 to 10000 Texas Steers on
Montana ranges for most OF quarter
of a century. In this practice 1t was
not alone, for the Is, Milliron, Mata-
dor and other Texas outfits finished
beef ON the hoof on Montana's luscious
Seh-curing grass.
to Texas, its long occupation Of Mon
tana ranges gives the story more than
passing interest in this state.
When in 1845 Texas surrendered her
own national independence and became
a state in the Union and transferred
her Lone Star to the field OF stars IN
the national emblem, she retained 10
herself the public lands within her
borders. Texas never had the home
stead rushes which wrote history In
neighboring states.
Texas public lands lying in the Pan
handle and in the Pecos country had
at that time hardly been explored, to
empires were unknown regions except
to few buffalo hunters and the In
dian tribes.
Was Considered Desert
When VentureSone coWmen began TO
penetrate the high plains country to
establish ranches, securing title 10
land with scrip received in payment
for various services TO the state, II was
a gamble with the unknown. And many
men, after the Civil war, sought oppor-
tlInity beyond the frontier. AS late as
1880 the high plains country was con-
sidered a part of the Great American
desert. But the hardy coWmen pc
lieved the land would support cattle,
even if it might never flourish under
the plow.
Early land sales were valued on the
basis of only a few cents an acre, and +,
soon some of the rancherS found they
were becoming land poor. The story
has long been current IN TexaS OF Cne
ranchman who met a neighbor on the |
could use a little more land. He offered |
the calf for a section OF grass. Inc |
trade was made. The man who sold /
the land got a big kick out Of telling /
friends of his exploit and they felt |
he had the long end Of the deal:
"Yes," he came back, but Wnen we /
wrote the deed / slipped two sections !
off on him, and the DUN 1901 oonI
know the difference"
By 1875 the state Of Texas conSld-
cred itself land poor. IL also needed
a new capitol building. The leglsla-
tllre appropriated 100000 acres OF
state land on the high plains OF o5 Inc
Panhandle for the purpose. In 1897
contract for the new capitol which was
to rise higher even than the naClonaI
capitol at washington, was taken py
TAYLOR. Babcock 81 Co. OF LIMOS,
whose personnel included John v. FAR
well and Charles B. FarWell, whose
descendants still control Lne renlnaLlC
of the original lands OF the XII OUT
49, 100000 Acres Decided
AS the capitol building grew toward
completion, a total Of slightly more
than 100000 acres Of land In, ten
Panhandle counties was decided to the
company. $50
This was without doubt the largest
single land transaction ever made IN
America, other than such diplomatic
exchanges as the Louisiana purchase
nations. And the legislature
felt it had driven sharp bargain.
That 100000 acres of land became
the largest fenced-in ranch IN the
world and, within short span OF
years. it provided Montana's ranges
with multiplied thousands Of beef cat
lie to turn Montana grass into beef on
The hoof for the Chicago market. |
The company which built the Iexas {
capitol intended as a basic plan to col
onlze its newly acquired lands, out {
1nned to ranching as a temporary (
until farmers might be
placed on the land and transportation {
and mercantile facilities could be pro-
vided for a growing population. A J
arge part of the land today Is being
armed. but vast areas still are open
'ange, though the KIT brand no long
# adorns the flanks of COW brutes. {
When the company turned 10 rancn-
nq about 1885. the cattle business was I
n the doldrumS in the southwest, ana
t took lot Of nerve to spend the
money necessary to stock a large OUT
n B,It ,John FarweH went to Eng
and and got the money. The Capitoi I
Land & Investment co. was
'ormed, with the FarweIls in control,
yut with some 100000 POUNDS $1o,-
100 .OO0) of British money IN the pot l
Bankers, nobility, and tnges OF roy
.lty adorned the stock certnlca0es I
which were issued. 7
Col. B. H. Campbell, first ranch
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