Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1942-09-12
EASY" RANGER
JOB TURNED OUT
TO BE HARD ONE

Q
experienced, to say the least, In the
line of alterations. She produced a
revolver. She began to wave it around,
just a bit casually
Saw Man Murdered
Since the revolver spent about so
percent Of its time being pointed at
the mathematical miner, and the
other so percent OF the time being
pointed In Derrick's direction, Derrick
moved back from the ringside, he says.
Dutch Matt shot once toward the
floor; it was only the next day that
Derrick learned she had plugged her
companion in the foot. At the same
time her companion kept right on
listening to her without batting an
eve" -in-the-foot wasn't enough
for Dutch Matt, apparently. Suddenly
she raised the gun and shot out the
miners eye. He fell dead.
About this time Derrick suddenly
realized that for quite awhile he had
been the only unofficial witness to
the alteration. The one official wit
ness, the bartender, was the only other
"uninYolved" person remaining in the
place.
So it was that for awhile Derrick
divided his time between golds assay
ing and appearing as star witness in
a frontier murder trial. Dutch Matt
was given 10 years.
Later in 1905 Derrick accepted a Job
with another mining company, the
name of which he can no longer re-
member. Its headquarters we're some
where in the vicinity of Princeton,
Mont. Four days after he reported for
work the mine closed down-phuti Out
of a job, and no income.
Well, as Derrick explains, that was
Just a little too much to be taken
lightly from mining aSsaying as a ca
reer, coming on top Of the necessity
of spending periods Of time at COW
punching, etc. He was getting pretty
fed up" on the whole setup. Thus 1t
was that when he received word from
the brother-in-law in Neihart regard
ing the formation Of a forest reserve"
in the Little Belt mountains, and the
possibility of jobs for young men in
this new national venture, Derrick was
definitely interested. Almost anything
would be better than the uncertainties
of the mining career he had expert
enced SO far.
Prior to that time the forest service
really hadn't been much. But under
the administration of President Theo-
dore Roosevelt its status was changed
from a division administered under
the United States general land office,
department of the interior, into a
service of bureau standing under the
of agriculture-an Presi-
dent Roosevelt declared his intention
of seeing more and more forest re-
serves"
Took Examination
In June, 1905, Derrick went to Mis-
soula to take the examination for for
est ranger He was "a years old. He
sat and walked the examinations with
q other candidates, since at that time
he test was a three-day affair, con-
Sisting of one day of written exam
nations and two days of field work
About one-third of the candidates
passed. Three besides Derrick later be-
anne national forest supervisors. Der
lick says he passed the tests "by the
kin of my. teeth" He was informed
hat he was entitled to the position
# ranger at $500 per annum. But there
vas a catch.
Forest reserves were few and far
between in those days and he had
% wait for another to be created be-
tore he could 60 to work. Almost
year after passing the examination,
Derrick reported in what was then
allied Helena forest reserve"
AS for the rangers office" that was
purely hypothetical. Sometimes he
conducted his business from the saddle,
II In such space as he could clear
way in his bedroom. Office equipment |
n those days consisted of "a few
printed FORMS from Washington, a |
notebook, a pencil, and the old use
,ook,' which contained all the national
crest rules and regulations that had
,een promulgated up to that time"
Derrick says.
This book was about 4 by inches
nd a half inch thick. A ranger didn't |
cad it-he memorized it. That thin
ONE was the daddy of the national
orests manual, which is currently re-
erred to as the five foot bookshelf
Even administrators did their trav-
ling in those days on horseback. In
hick forest they went by foot. There
we're no official automobiles, trucks,
r other vehicles as we now interpret
he term, with the possible exception
# a blackboard which a couple Of
Anglers might use, if they we're lucky,
or their shopping expeditions down
o civilization and back. And civil
cation might be many miles away
rom the ranger station"
to Helena in 1909
July /, 1908, Derrick was transferred
o the Deer Lodge forest, and in June,
9O9. when the Helena forest was en-
srged by the addition of the Big Belts,
e returned to Helena.
He was appointed deputy supervisor
( the old Beartooth forest, with his
ffice in Billings, oct. 6. 1916. r. T.
'erguson was supervisor at that time.
his particular stay in Billings was a
hort one, for in January, 1918, Der
lex was sent to Great Falls as deputy
supervisor Of the Jefferson national
orest, which is now included in the
evils and Clark. In May, 1919, he was