Montana oil and mining journal., 1941-04-19
By JOHN NTUNROE

The raising Of cattle In Mon
tana followed closely upon the ex-
termination Of the buffalo. So long
as these native herds rOamed the
prairies there was meat, but as
they diminished rapidly under the
wantOn butchery Of the hide hunt
er, 1t was necessary 70 replace
them with beef steers.
The livestock industry Is considered
one of the greatest developments OF
Montana.
The northern migration Of cattle
from Texas and other southern states
occurred for the same reason that gov
erned the movements of the buffalo.
Spring comes earlier in the warm and
balmy south and the grass begins TO
grow long before the snow Is off the
north land. Later as the heat OF the
summers sun became more intense and
the grass became dry or cured, cattle
men with their vast herds "drifted"
and the grass was fresh and green.
For this reason the autumn months
found thousands upon thousands Of
cattle ranging in the then great terri
tory Of Montana.
Drive Took Five Months
This migration was known as the
'long drive" Five months were con-
sumed in the journey from Texas TO
Montana. The cattle generally in those
days were of the L,onghorn and "mosSy
back" variety, wild as a deer and
gifted with the speed of a swift run
ming horse. In the late sixties more
than q half million head of cattle
came north over the "long drive"
This was a well-defined and estab-
lished route, known as the Chisholm
trail, extending from the Gulf coast
of Texas to Indian territory.
The continuation of this trail crossed
the Santa Fe river at Dodge City, Kan,
the toughest town in the world at the
time, whose celebrated Boot Hill ceme-
terry was well filled with graves OF
those who died with their boots on.
Dodge City in those days was the gen
eral rendezvous for the toughest char
acters on earth, outlaws of all kinds
flocked there in droves. Gambling IN
all forms and its attendant vices were
wide open" and murder and thuggery
thrived. The trail then continued on
mast the headWaters of the Salmon by
Fort HAYS and over the Republican,
then onward to the South Platte,
where there was located a big COW
camp known as Ogalala. From this
point the drive followed the Platte
river over the oregon trail to Fort
laramie. Wyo. Then on over the Boze-
man road. At times 1t skirted. the
Black Hills in Dakota and again 1t
veered westward to the base OF the
Big Horn range. Along the headwaters
of the Powder and Tongue rivers, the /
hunting grounds of the Grow and the |
Sioux Indians, the home Of the trapper |
and the scene of many conflict with |
the Indians, were now marked by the
trail of the COW. The '1ong drive" also
at times followed the tributaries OF .
The Yellowstone to the Missouri, thence |
over the trail of the early explorers,
Lewis and Clark, to the Marias river |
and the land of the Blackfeet In
iians, the ancient domain OF the
buffalo.
Stock raising commenced in Mon
ana on q small scale as early as 1862.
The immediate cause was the neces-
ity for supplying mining camps with
1eef. The cattle thrived remarkably
veil on the rich virgin ranges and dur
ng the following years, 1863-64, stock
aising had assumed large proportions,
.attle were driven in In large droves,
anches were established in numbers
md in 1864 the territorial legislature
vas called upon to enact law gov
.rning marks and brands, which act
vas passed and duly approved Feb.
i, 1865.
I. r. Alden, clerk Of the supreme
,ourt, then located at Virginia City, ;
Yas the first general recorder Of marks
nd brands. In 1877 the law was again
this time making the terri
orial treasurer, the general recorder.
IN his books in 1880 appears the
lames of 281 people owning brands Of
ecord. Finally an act passed March
/, 1887, made the secretary of the ,
oard Of stock commissioners the gen.
raj recorder Of marks and brands. At
his time about 3,700 brands were on
ecord.
50, 900 Cattle On Range
The estimated number of cattle on
an. /, 1854, in the territory of Mon
ana was 100000 head, which were
alued at $21 ,000,0 900. During that year
DO 900 were driven in, which, with the
atural increase, brought the total up j
} $4,000 head valued at approximate /
2 $31 900, 900. In 1871 r. s. Ford and \
hornas Dunn brought the first range '
attle, LOO head, to the Sun river 8
ountry and they were among the first '
} arrive in northern Montana. The
blowing year o. Fl. and d. H. Church. I
arrived with 800 head G
John r. Grant, one Of the pioneers 8
I the Bitter Root valley, was about 6
le first known person to establish a t
erd Of cattle In Montana, at the con-
uence OF the Blackfoot and Deer i
odge rivers. In 1856 he had about h
600 head of cattle and approximately e
600 head of Indian horses. @
orses Also Profitable J
Almost simultaneously with the rails e
lg of cattle came the raising Of y
orses, so the cowpuncher and bronco !,
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