Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1942-09-04
ROSEBUD COUNTY
HAS WIDE RANGE
OF ATTRACTIONS
BOASTS IMMENSE ACREAGE FOR
SHEEP AND CATTLE; MANY
HISTORIC SPOTS

SHEEP AND CATTLE; MANY
HISTORIC SPOTS
Montana's sixth largest county is
Rosebud. an area so vast that the
state of Rhode Island could be placed
four times within its 5.032 square miles,
The county. which provides some OF
the finest farming and grazing lands
in the state, runs approximately 100
miles north and south, which in terms
of Atlantic seaboard mileage means
the full width of Connecticut. Rose
bud formerly held the fifth position
In size in Montana, but boundary ad-
juStments have sent Big Horn ahead
by one square mile.
Within its confines are fertile lands
along the Yellowstone and Tongue
rivers and Rosebud creek, and thou
sands of acres Of rolling prairie and
benchland upon which Craze immense
numbers OF sheep and cattle. Livestock
and field crops provide the major
source of income for Rosebud county
inhabitants.
While there is much interesting
country north of the Yellowstone river
for the tourist. the main attractions
lie in the southern half of the county.
Here are located the Tongue River
Indian reservation, home OF the north
ern Cheyenne tribe; a large section OF
the Custer national forest; the largest
strip coal mine in the world, located
at Colstrip: the site OF General Gus
ter's camp on Rosebud creek Dust
over the line in Big Horn county
where his regiment stayed the night
before its last stand on the Little Big
Horn river: the ice well, a phenom-
enon on the Indian reservation, and
several of the vests leading dude
ranches.
The highway from the Black Hills
to Grow Agency, which will shorten
all existing eaSt-weSt routes to and
from Yellowstone park by 60 miles,
passes through Ashland and Lame
Deer in Rosebud county and is par
italy finished. 1t is a road Of scenic
splendor, winding through forests and
refreshing meadow lands.
The Electric trail, which runs north
west out of Forsyth along the Milwau-
kee railroad, follows that line to the
mountains. Portions of this road on
its western end are black-topped but
completion as regularly travelled
lOl aNaASo bSeeSA sAAAA>S
in the federal treasury. On this high
way are the towns of Vananda, lingo
mar and Sumatra.
Expanse of Sagebrush
The north country, a wide-open
sagebrush-covered expanse, was at one
time a leading stock raising section OF
the state, but drouth years gave that
region a tremendous setback from
which it is now making determined
recovery in the face of wartime live
stock demands.
The great amount of timber in the
south portion OF the county has
brought a new industry to the region
numbering.
The northern Cheyenne reservation
laps over into Rosebud and Big Horn
counties and spreads over 444,227 acres,
of which 2l1,O37 are used exclusively
as tribal land. This includes 1882
acres of forests, 329,745 acres of graz
ing land and 29,720 acres devoted to
agriculture.
This tribal roll shows about 1850
Indians, with about 1000 of them in
Rosebud county. The administration
office is located in the picturesque
town of Lame Deer. In recent years,
many Indians have been employed on
water development projects to provide
drinking facilities for the large tribal
herd of cattle, which is the biggest
source of the reservations income.
Numerous wells, springs and dams
have been developed.
In the tribal herd are from 1000 to
1000 steers, many of which are
brought from the southwest. Others
are bought from Indian ranchers, fat
tened and sold There also are about
5000 head of stock cattle. Last year,
2,1OO head of calves were branded.
Livestock sold from the reservation in
1941 brought 100000.
The ice well, located several miles
northwest of Ashland, trading point
for a large area in that section, has
long been a tourist attraction. A man
named Bill Campbell sank 40-foot
prospect hole in 1884, and ice forma-
tons, which are in evidence the year
around, are believed caused by chemi-
Gals in the water.
Ashland is the center for raising
what many term the best thorough
bred horses in the northwest. The
leading breeder of thoroughbreds is
Luther Dunning, who lives on Otter
creek. He has bred horses for over so
years. Army officers say Cummings
horses are among the best received in
the service from the Salt Lake City
remount depot, covering five states.
1t was not until 1876 that white
men established permanent residence
in the region. Peter jackson, Archie
McMurdy and James Simpson settled
in that year and were joined in 1877
by James Murphy, Thomas Alexander,
Thomas Hammond, Frank Andrews
and M. Curran, who put down their
baggage near the site of Forsyth. Soon
other homes sprang up at the mouth
of Rosebud creek and the Porcupine
valley.
Hazardous Venture
Alexander began to run cattle in
1878 but marauding Indians made the
venture hazardous. A year later, few
residents, travellers and soldiers en-
gagged a party of Sioux near the site
Of Forsyth, killing five and wounding
many. Alexander was so elated that
ollaJ - hand NJ chapn the first